I would like to welcome
you today to Faith Chapel.
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My name is David Shin,
and we will be spending
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the next few
moments together in a study
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of God's word,
but before we do so
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I would like to
invite you to bow your
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heads with me as
we pray together.
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Father in heaven,
we thank you today for
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the privilege and
opportunity we have
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to study your word
and we ask that your
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Holy Spirit would
lead us and guide us
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into all truth
in Jesus name, amen.
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Not too long ago
I read a book by one
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of my favorite
authors. His name is
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Malcolm Gladwell. He
is a former writer for
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the Washington Post.
He currently writes for
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the New Yorker and
most recently he was
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on a panel of
experts in Time Magazine
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relating to some
sociological trends
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in the future and he
begins one of his books
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to tipping point by
asking seemingly innocuous
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question that illicit
to mind boggling answer,
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and it goes something like this.
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If you were to take a
sheet a paper a fairly
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large sheet of paper 8 ½ by 11
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and fold in half and
fold in half again you repeat
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this process 50
times. He asks what would be
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the thickness of
that sheet of paper and
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I thought to
myself with some bravery
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and courage that I
could muster perhaps the
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thickness of own
book or the thickness of
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several encyclopedias,
but did you know that
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if you fold a sheet
of paper in half 50 times
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that the thickness
of that sheet of paper
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is equivalent of
the thickness or the
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distance from
our earth to the sun,
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93 million miles.
Now if you are like me
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I was simply incredulous,
I could not believe that.
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I thought this was
probably science fiction.
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This is a different
journal of literature than
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I've ever read, but it's a fact.
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It's a law called
geometric progression
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because every time
you fold that sheet
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of paper in half
you are doubling the
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thickness of that
sheet of paper and
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in case some point
if you were to fold that
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sheet of paper in half
51 times, it will be the
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equivalent of the
distance from our earth
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to the sun and
back, and Malcolm Gladwell
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makes a simple illustration.
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The reason that we
have so much problems
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with this
illustration and most of us were
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sitting there in a
state of shock and disbelief
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simply because we
believe that causes
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and effects are
equally proportional.
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In another words
something that has
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an effect of 93
million miles we think would
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have an equivalent
cause, but he points
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out that
especially when it comes to
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sociological
trends, phenomenas that
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sweep across society many times,
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a little thing can
make a big difference.
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A seemingly insignificant
cause can yield a result
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of epidemic
proportions. Our study today is
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entitled the
"Tipping point of Revival".
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And we just like to
go a little bit in our
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study of revival.
Now revival simply means
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a reawakening to live again.
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In a spiritual
sense it means that at one
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point in your life,
you are spiritually alive.
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You revived but
you need to be revived
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for whatever reason
you fell away from the
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Lord and your
need of rejuvenation.
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And I just like to
put before us as a given
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before our study that
revivals have a cause,
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revivals do not
just occur in a vacuum.
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In another words we
don't wake up one day
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and say oh we
are having a revival.
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Everything in life has
a cause except for God.
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God is the uncaused
cause. And I would like
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to ask this
question before we go to
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scripture today. What
is the cause of revival,
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the tipping point,
the catalyst that needs
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to be in place, the
condition for revival
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to take place, not
only corporately but
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individually? And
as we go to scripture
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I would like to read
to you a few quotations;
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one is from an
unknown poet, one of the
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greatest revivals in
the scope of human history.
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And this poet says,
of all the armies that
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ever marched, of all
the navies that ever sailed,
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and all the
parliaments that ever sat,
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and all the kings
that ever reigned put them
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together, have not
affected the life of man
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on the earth as
powerfully as that one
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solitary life. He is
speaking of Jesus Christ.
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In his 5 volume
work on world history,
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historian and
religious skeptic, H. G. Wells
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found himself
devoting the most space to
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Jesus Christ. He
wrote, a historian like myself
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cannot portray the
progress of humanity
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honestly without
giving Jesus of Nazareth,
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the foremost
place. Essentially these
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individuals, one of
them a religious skeptic,
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is essentially saying
that of all the individuals
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in the scope of
human existence, no person
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has affected the
landscape of human history,
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more than Jesus Christ,
more than Marcus Aurelius,
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more than Caesar,
more than Alexander,
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more than Plato,
more than Aristotle,
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Jesus Christ has
impacted the human race like
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no other man. And so
as we go to this question
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of what is the nature,
the condition of revival.
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I would like for us
to go to a passage in the
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book of Mark. Mark
chapter 1 and verse 34,
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to look at the
greatest revival in history
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and he said, and He healed many
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that who were sick
with various diseases,
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and cast out many
demons; and He did
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not allow the demons
to speak, because they
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knew Him. The Bible is
essentially saying friends
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that Jesus started
the greatest revival in
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human history.
You remember previous
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to this during the
intertestamental period,
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there was
virtually no prophetic voice.
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Miracles and
prophecy were non-existence
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and suddenly Jesus
and John the Baptist
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storm on the seen
and start the greatest
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revival in human
history. Now I would just like
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to give you a little
bit of background on the
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book of Mark. The
book of Mark is 16 chapters
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and it's one of the
shortest of all the gospels.
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In many ways one
of the most profound
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and concise and the
book of Mark essentially
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tells us that
Jesus was moving quickly,
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there are two words
that are particular to
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the book of Mark. The
words are straight away
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and immediately and
Jesus in the book of Mark,
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and the verse that we just read,
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illustrates that He
healed people not only
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physically but
spiritually. He cares
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about a holistic
restoration of people
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back to the image
of God, back to where
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Adam was before the fall
that is gold in salvation,
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so God cares about
your health, not only
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physically but also spiritually.
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And let's look at the
next verse, in verse 35,
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in the midst of the
survival, now in the
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morning, having risen a
long while before the day,
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He went out and
departed to a solitary place;
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and there He prayed.
The Bible essentially
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illustrates to us,
Jesus in the midst of the
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spiritual awakening, in
the midst of this revival
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taking place, goes off
to a solitary and secluded
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place to pray
and to seek his Lord.
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Now I don't know
about you but I am not
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particularly a
morning person, and so when
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I read this text, I was
curious to see just exactly
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how early Jesus
got up to pray, and so
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I took a little bit of
Greek in the seminary just
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enough to get by
and so I broke out my
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Greek New
Testament and looked at the
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original language and
it's interesting to know
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that when you look
at the word morning in
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the original, it
refers scholars are in general
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agreement during our
cross sectional study
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of the word morning
that refers to the hours
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of 3 to 6 A.M., the
last watch of darkness
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and essentially the
book of Mark does not
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want to leave us in
a state of ambiguity as
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to exactly how early Jesus rose.
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And so he uses
another adverb marked us
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so that we have an
exact, or approximate
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notion as to how
early Jesus rose and it's
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accurately translated
in New King James version.
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A long while before
the day and so if you
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follow him, the book
of Mark is essentially
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saying, in the
morning between the hours of
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3 and 6 A.M. a long
while before the day.
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In another words, it's
the earlier part of that
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3 to 6 hour segment,
and so if you will follow
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me that Jesus when
he rose, we can safely
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assume here today
that he arose between the
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hours of 3 to 4 A.M
to pray. Now before you
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misunderstand me,
I'm not saying here that
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if you don't get up
between the hours of 3
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and 4 A.M. to pray that
you are not a Christian,
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or that Jesus does not love you.
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But I don't believe
that's the point in the book
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of Mark at all, is
simply illustrating the simple
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point that every
revival, every spiritual
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awakening, every
renaissance of Christianity
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is linked with a
radical prayer life,
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notice the keyword,
"Radical." Every revival
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is linked with a praying person.
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It's the tipping point,
is that simple seemingly
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insignificant cause
that yields a result of
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exponential
proportion and even as folding
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that sheet of paper
in half 50 times yields
00:10:02.12\00:10:04.30
a result of 93 million miles.
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This discipline of
prayer will yield a result of
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epidemic proportions
because we are dealing
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with the almighty,
omnipotent and eternal God.
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And I went up to the
library because I was
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little bit curious to
see if this essential point
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of revival was prevalent
in history, and I studied
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some of the
greatest revivals ever known
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in the history of
mankind outside of this one
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we just read in the
book of Mark, I study
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the Great
Reformation I studied 1904,
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I studied the First Awakening,
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the Second
Awakening and in every revival
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you will find this
essential elements of prayer.
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I studied this person
by the name of Wesley,
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he was a reformer
and in England and
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he asked his
mother one day whose name
00:10:51.16\00:10:53.12
was Susanna. Incidentally,
she raised two spiritual
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giants, John Wesley and
his brother Charles Wesley
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who was the reformer
and the other one was
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the hymn writer.
And he asked his mom one
00:11:01.97\00:11:04.18
day Susanna, what is
the definition of sin?
00:11:04.21\00:11:07.60
And she responded by saying
00:11:07.63\00:11:09.45
"Whatever weakens your reason,
00:11:09.48\00:11:12.05
whatever impairs
the tenderness of your
00:11:12.08\00:11:14.01
conscience,
obscures your sense of God,
00:11:14.04\00:11:16.22
takes off your
relish for spiritual things,
00:11:16.25\00:11:19.34
whatever increases
the authority of the
00:11:19.37\00:11:21.63
body over the mind,
that thing is a sin to you,
00:11:21.66\00:11:25.14
however innocent it
may seem in itself."
00:11:25.17\00:11:28.55
Wesley went out and
lived a phenomenal life.
00:11:28.58\00:11:31.87
Another account by
Ravi Zacharias says
00:11:31.90\00:11:33.88
that Wesley wore plain clothes.
00:11:33.91\00:11:36.20
He preached 40,000
sermons during his life time.
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I want you think about
that, that is awfully lot
00:11:39.78\00:11:42.06
of sermons. He traveled
250,000 miles on horseback
00:11:42.09\00:11:45.98
preaching. It's no
wonder he married at 48.
00:11:46.01\00:11:49.16
He worked with 15
different languages.
00:11:49.19\00:11:52.08
At the age of 83, he
was angry because his
00:11:52.11\00:11:54.47
doctor wouldn't let
him preach more than
00:11:54.50\00:11:56.05
14 times a week.
At the age of 86,
00:11:56.08\00:11:59.19
He has written in
his journal these words.
00:11:59.22\00:12:00.83
Laziness is slowly
creeping in. There is
00:12:00.86\00:12:03.10
an increasing
tendency to stay in bed after
00:12:03.13\00:12:05.75
5:30 in the morning, what a man?
00:12:05.78\00:12:08.59
What dedication and
focus, and Wesley was
00:12:08.62\00:12:11.25
a reformer during a
time when England had
00:12:11.28\00:12:13.74
fallen to the lowest
depths of the depravity
00:12:13.77\00:12:15.79
and decadence ever known before.
00:12:15.82\00:12:18.15
And there is one
statement by Berkley,
00:12:18.18\00:12:20.33
discordance to
the magistrates and
00:12:20.36\00:12:22.80
men in authority
that Britain had collapsed
00:12:22.83\00:12:26.45
to a degree that
had never been known
00:12:26.48\00:12:29.23
before in any Christian nation.
00:12:29.26\00:12:32.82
Now this is not just
an isolated account other
00:12:32.85\00:12:35.64
great English historians
like Clokey and others
00:12:35.67\00:12:38.59
generally agree that
this was a lowest moment
00:12:38.62\00:12:41.15
in English history.
The bars were overflowing,
00:12:41.18\00:12:46.05
slavery was
rampant and every sector of
00:12:46.08\00:12:49.46
English society had
fallen so low that people
00:12:49.49\00:12:52.40
assumed that England
was going to loose its
00:12:52.43\00:12:55.16
Christian roots.
At the time Wesley was
00:12:55.19\00:12:58.26
in college, he had
just graduated from
00:12:58.29\00:13:00.76
Cambridge
University and he got together
00:13:00.79\00:13:03.01
a few of his friends
like John Whitefield and
00:13:03.04\00:13:05.75
then they started
praying, sometimes
00:13:05.78\00:13:07.38
they prayed all
night and from this place
00:13:07.41\00:13:10.30
of prayer history
records that John Wesley
00:13:10.33\00:13:13.49
under the unction of
the Holy Spirit went out
00:13:13.52\00:13:16.93
and shook England to
its very foundations.
00:13:16.96\00:13:20.92
Ethics were reinstituted
into the judicial system.
00:13:20.95\00:13:23.93
Slavery was
abolished and every sector of
00:13:23.96\00:13:27.84
English society was
restored back to its
00:13:27.87\00:13:31.28
prominent place, and
it all started from the
00:13:31.31\00:13:34.40
place of prayer. I
want to read you a statement
00:13:34.43\00:13:37.83
from the book Great Controversy,
00:13:37.86\00:13:39.34
from the sacred place
of prayer came the power
00:13:39.37\00:13:43.51
that shook the world
in the great reformation.
00:13:43.54\00:13:46.41
Luther did not fail
to devote three hours
00:13:46.44\00:13:49.37
each day to prayer;
and these were taken
00:13:49.40\00:13:51.79
from that portion
of day most favorable
00:13:51.82\00:13:54.82
to study. I want
you think about that,
00:13:54.85\00:13:57.20
here is a monk,
obscure, living in Wittenberg
00:13:57.23\00:14:00.27
and he gets down on
his knees and praise
00:14:00.30\00:14:02.72
for an extended period
of times, 3 hours a day,
00:14:02.75\00:14:05.14
and these were
the moments for most
00:14:05.17\00:14:07.84
susceptible for
study and according to this
00:14:07.87\00:14:10.44
historical count, it
tells us from that sacred
00:14:10.47\00:14:12.75
place of prayer
came the power that shook
00:14:12.78\00:14:15.93
the world in the reformation.
00:14:15.96\00:14:18.31
I just like to talk a
little bit about prayer
00:14:18.34\00:14:20.60
here today. One author
says that prayer is the
00:14:20.63\00:14:24.05
breath of the
soul. It is the secret of
00:14:24.08\00:14:27.20
spiritual power. This
author in trying to capture
00:14:27.23\00:14:30.82
the necessity and the
essential nature of prayer,
00:14:30.85\00:14:34.06
he is saying that
prayer is like breathing.
00:14:34.09\00:14:36.37
It's a metaphor,
I remember metaphor
00:14:36.40\00:14:38.02
and simile from
elementary school,
00:14:38.05\00:14:40.48
and is essentially
saying that prayer is like
00:14:40.51\00:14:43.89
breathing and even as
your lungs starve for air,
00:14:43.92\00:14:48.54
your soul starves for prayer.
00:14:48.57\00:14:51.59
Now my father was a marathoner,
00:14:51.62\00:14:54.36
and somehow I
didn't get those genes,
00:14:54.39\00:14:56.60
I can't even run 5 miles.
00:14:56.63\00:14:57.85
A marathon is
approximately 26.2 miles,
00:14:57.88\00:15:00.97
it's a grueling,
enduring event and I would
00:15:01.00\00:15:05.07
notice something
about my dad when
00:15:05.10\00:15:06.54
he would run
these marathons and it
00:15:06.57\00:15:07.97
was simply this
that, the more his physical
00:15:08.00\00:15:11.04
exertion, his
breathing would go up,
00:15:11.07\00:15:13.87
it's common sense, its
not rocket science here.
00:15:13.90\00:15:16.18
His breathing
would become deeper and
00:15:16.21\00:15:17.84
more discipline and
there was this cadence
00:15:17.87\00:15:19.87
to his breathing. And
I just like to say here
00:15:19.90\00:15:22.60
today that if you
want God to move like
00:15:22.63\00:15:25.46
never before. You
want God to pour out the
00:15:25.49\00:15:28.12
revival on your
community, on your own soul,
00:15:28.15\00:15:30.49
or your evangelist
series and you are not
00:15:30.52\00:15:33.08
increasing the
discipline and the cadence of
00:15:33.11\00:15:36.47
your praying. It's like
trying to run a marathon
00:15:36.50\00:15:39.88
without breathing,
even as your body starves
00:15:39.91\00:15:43.82
for oxygen, your
soul starves for prayer.
00:15:43.85\00:15:47.85
And I just like to ask
this question if prayer
00:15:47.88\00:15:51.23
is the tipping point,
the catalyst of revival,
00:15:51.26\00:15:53.86
how is it that we
are to seek this revival
00:15:53.89\00:15:57.31
or pray for this
revival and I just like to very
00:15:57.34\00:15:59.52
quickly go through 3
corollaries about how
00:15:59.55\00:16:03.35
we as Christians
individual seeking
00:16:03.38\00:16:05.93
this divine
injunction from the Lord to pray
00:16:05.96\00:16:09.22
for revival, how do
you do it? Number one,
00:16:09.25\00:16:11.51
we must ask for.
In Matthew chapter 7
00:16:11.54\00:16:15.52
and verse 7, we
have these words that are
00:16:15.55\00:16:18.49
read to us from scripture.
00:16:18.52\00:16:20.82
Ask and it will be
given to you; seek, and
00:16:20.85\00:16:24.31
you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you.
00:16:24.34\00:16:29.50
One of the conditions
of seeking for revival is
00:16:29.53\00:16:33.51
we must ask for, it
sounds so elementary
00:16:33.54\00:16:35.53
but did you know that
there are certain things
00:16:35.56\00:16:37.33
that God will do
regardless of whether
00:16:37.36\00:16:39.90
you want it or not.
It sounds kind a strange
00:16:39.93\00:16:41.92
when I say, but
there are certain things
00:16:41.95\00:16:43.65
that regardless
whether you believe or not,
00:16:43.68\00:16:45.44
whether regardless
of whether you accept
00:16:45.47\00:16:47.67
or not, God will
do these things and
00:16:47.70\00:16:49.14
they have do with
what Theologians call
00:16:49.17\00:16:51.43
the sovereign will of
God. Case in point the
00:16:51.46\00:16:54.82
second coming,
whether you accept it,
00:16:54.85\00:16:56.78
whether you believe
it, whether you have faith,
00:16:56.81\00:16:58.56
the second coming
has an eminent reality
00:16:58.59\00:17:00.94
is going to take place.
Now we have the volition
00:17:00.97\00:17:04.22
and the choice,
the free will to choose
00:17:04.25\00:17:05.83
which side we
are going to be on.
00:17:05.86\00:17:07.20
But as an event the
second coming is going
00:17:07.23\00:17:10.42
to happen, there
are other events like
00:17:10.45\00:17:11.71
Millennium in
Heaven. These are events that
00:17:11.74\00:17:13.89
are part of God's
sovereign will that
00:17:13.92\00:17:15.94
will take place irrespective of
00:17:15.97\00:17:18.96
human choice. But
there are other things
00:17:18.99\00:17:21.39
that God will not to
do unless we ask for,
00:17:21.42\00:17:24.58
and one of them is forgiveness.
00:17:24.61\00:17:26.83
God will not
forgive us unless we want to
00:17:26.86\00:17:29.60
be forgiven. God
will not save us unless
00:17:29.63\00:17:33.07
we want to be
saved and revival is no
00:17:33.10\00:17:36.18
exception. God will
not revive us friend unless
00:17:36.21\00:17:39.75
we want to be
revived. He will not pour out
00:17:39.78\00:17:42.24
his blessing upon us
and this is a condition
00:17:42.27\00:17:44.69
that is simple in relation
to the kingdom of heaven.
00:17:44.72\00:17:47.75
Ask and it shall
be given unto you seek
00:17:47.78\00:17:50.20
and you shall
find, knock and the door
00:17:50.23\00:17:52.84
shall be opened unto you.
00:17:52.87\00:17:55.24
There is an
interesting story of a young man
00:17:55.27\00:17:58.75
by the name of Evan Roberts.
00:17:58.78\00:18:00.64
He was a young
person living in the late
00:18:00.67\00:18:04.63
1800s right at the
turn of the century
00:18:04.66\00:18:06.94
and he had this
burden for England and
00:18:06.97\00:18:10.15
at the age of 13
he started praying for
00:18:10.18\00:18:12.60
revival to take
place in England and
00:18:12.63\00:18:15.24
he prayed for 13
years. Can you imagine it,
00:18:15.27\00:18:18.22
a teenager praying for 13 years?
00:18:18.25\00:18:19.89
At the age of 26 he decided that
00:18:19.92\00:18:22.31
he would take and
call it ministry and
00:18:22.34\00:18:24.79
he started
preaching the word of God,
00:18:24.82\00:18:26.19
17 young people
gave the hearts to Lord
00:18:26.22\00:18:28.92
one night. And in
four months this is not
00:18:28.95\00:18:31.26
apocrypha you can read
it in your history books.
00:18:31.29\00:18:33.52
In four months,
75,000 individuals gave their
00:18:33.55\00:18:38.73
hearts to Lord
and were converted.
00:18:38.76\00:18:40.19
In five months
85,000, in 6 months a 100,000
00:18:40.22\00:18:45.28
individuals were
converted and these
00:18:45.31\00:18:47.25
were not some
shallow conversions.
00:18:47.28\00:18:49.66
These were
conversions that were genuine.
00:18:49.69\00:18:51.23
The police didn't
have anything to do
00:18:51.26\00:18:53.10
because crime had
plummeted to the lowest
00:18:53.13\00:18:55.76
depths in history. The
bars were closed and even
00:18:55.79\00:18:58.69
the mules that were
being driven by these
00:18:58.72\00:19:00.54
minors had to learn
a different language
00:19:00.57\00:19:03.12
because they stop
cursing, and so here is
00:19:03.15\00:19:06.48
one individual he
asked the Lord for revival.
00:19:06.51\00:19:09.34
He asked for 13
years at the age of 26,
00:19:09.37\00:19:11.78
God used him in a powerful way.
00:19:11.81\00:19:14.32
It's the catalyst the
condition for revival to
00:19:14.35\00:19:17.46
take place. So,
number one, we must ask for.
00:19:17.49\00:19:20.46
Our second corollary is
we must sacrifice for it.
00:19:20.49\00:19:24.31
In Luke chapter 6 and verse 12,
00:19:24.34\00:19:27.33
we have the
statement found in the
00:19:27.36\00:19:29.55
New King James
Version. Now it came to pass
00:19:29.58\00:19:32.00
in those days
that He went out to the
00:19:32.03\00:19:34.50
mountain to pray,
and continued all night
00:19:34.53\00:19:37.27
in prayer to God.
Here we have this account
00:19:37.30\00:19:41.02
in scripture of
Jesus praying all night.
00:19:41.05\00:19:43.71
Now I am not
saying here today that
00:19:43.74\00:19:44.98
we should do it
every night and we are not
00:19:45.01\00:19:46.71
told the frequency
or the manner in which
00:19:46.74\00:19:49.73
he prayed, but in
times when Christ felt the
00:19:49.76\00:19:52.59
most need of God's presence,
00:19:52.62\00:19:54.82
He would spend all night
in prayer before his God.
00:19:54.85\00:19:58.85
Here is a
statement by E.M.Bounds,
00:19:58.88\00:20:01.80
and he goes something
like this, there was a
00:20:01.83\00:20:03.57
time when we
gave whole nights to
00:20:03.60\00:20:05.08
chambering and
wantonness, and dancing
00:20:05.11\00:20:08.13
in the world's
revelry; we did not tire then;
00:20:08.16\00:20:11.37
and we were chiding
the sun that soon rose,
00:20:11.40\00:20:14.24
and we were wishing
that the hours would
00:20:14.27\00:20:15.97
lag a while that we
might delight in wilder
00:20:16.00\00:20:19.28
merriment and
perhaps deeper sin.
00:20:19.31\00:20:21.30
Oh, why do we
then weary in divine
00:20:21.33\00:20:24.26
and heavenly appointments?
00:20:24.29\00:20:25.70
Why do we weary
when asked to watch with
00:20:25.73\00:20:29.77
our Lord?
Essentially E.M. Bound is making
00:20:29.80\00:20:32.49
the statement,
remember when you on the world
00:20:32.52\00:20:34.02
used to pull these
all-nighters staying
00:20:34.05\00:20:35.98
up all night and you would,
00:20:36.01\00:20:37.89
when the morning
hours would come you were
00:20:37.92\00:20:40.69
just almost aghast.
You were disappointed
00:20:40.72\00:20:43.46
because you are
having so much fun in the
00:20:43.49\00:20:45.66
decadence and the
depravity of the world.
00:20:45.69\00:20:48.86
And why is it E.M
Bound is asking when you
00:20:48.89\00:20:51.35
give your heart to
the Lord Jesus Christ
00:20:51.38\00:20:53.42
that suddenly
someone ask you to pray for
00:20:53.45\00:20:56.04
an extended period
of time and you are like
00:20:56.07\00:20:57.75
oh, no, I don't
want to do that, perhaps
00:20:57.78\00:20:59.50
it's a little bit
fanatical. Now since when they
00:20:59.53\00:21:02.13
were talking to God
become fanatic imagine
00:21:02.16\00:21:04.26
that you are out
with the friend on night
00:21:04.29\00:21:05.68
and they ask you
to spend some extended
00:21:05.71\00:21:08.21
time with them and
you look at your watch
00:21:08.24\00:21:09.62
after an hour, you
say, oh, I can't spend more
00:21:09.65\00:21:12.48
than hour with you
because it will be legalism
00:21:12.51\00:21:14.27
or fanatical.
Prayer is a privilege and
00:21:14.30\00:21:17.65
we have the opportunity
to talk with our Lord
00:21:17.68\00:21:20.95
in this way.
There is a statement by
00:21:20.98\00:21:24.08
Dr. Wilbur Chapman that
goes something like this.
00:21:24.11\00:21:27.23
Revivals are born in prayer.
00:21:27.26\00:21:29.98
When Wesley prayed
England was revived;
00:21:30.01\00:21:33.47
when Knox prayed,
Scotland was refreshed;
00:21:33.50\00:21:36.44
when the Sunday
school teachers of
00:21:36.47\00:21:38.26
Tannybrook
prayed, 11,000 souls young
00:21:38.29\00:21:42.17
people were added to
the Church in a year.
00:21:42.20\00:21:44.33
Whole nights of
prayer have always been
00:21:44.36\00:21:47.28
succeeded by whole
days of soul-winning.
00:21:47.31\00:21:51.28
Prayer is the catalyst.
It is the secret of revival
00:21:51.31\00:21:55.46
and every revival
that has gone throughout
00:21:55.49\00:21:58.64
the whole scope
of human history have
00:21:58.67\00:22:01.51
been linked with a
radical and passionate
00:22:01.54\00:22:04.91
prayer life. So number
one, we must ask for it.
00:22:04.94\00:22:07.74
Number two, we
must sacrifice for it.
00:22:07.77\00:22:10.41
And number
three, we must live it.
00:22:10.44\00:22:13.36
Personal revival
always precedes corporate
00:22:13.39\00:22:18.21
revival and there
is this notion that has
00:22:18.24\00:22:20.98
been promulgated
throughout secular
00:22:21.01\00:22:22.94
history or secular
educational society
00:22:22.97\00:22:25.57
and that is the
dichotomy between the public
00:22:25.60\00:22:28.41
life and the private
life. In another words,
00:22:28.44\00:22:30.22
it doesn't matter what
I do in my private world
00:22:30.25\00:22:32.49
and we tend to compartment lives
00:22:32.52\00:22:34.34
of Christianity
and there cannot be a
00:22:34.37\00:22:36.61
difference
friends between what we do
00:22:36.64\00:22:38.52
in church in
the morning and what
00:22:38.55\00:22:40.87
we do in the
community on Saturday night
00:22:40.90\00:22:43.46
or Sunday night,
where we cannot have this
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.38
disjuncture, this
compartmentalization
00:22:46.41\00:22:49.44
that is taking place.
Not too long ago I had a
00:22:49.47\00:22:53.36
revival in my own
prayer life, and I read the
00:22:53.39\00:22:56.48
statement from a
Christian author that
00:22:56.51\00:22:58.04
said that the
necessity of praying and of a
00:22:58.07\00:23:03.89
simple diet in the life
of Daniel was the secret
00:23:03.92\00:23:06.95
of his intellect and
spiritually, and I don't
00:23:06.98\00:23:09.86
know about you but I can
use some more brain cells,
00:23:09.89\00:23:11.59
and I want to be more
spiritual and I tend to
00:23:11.62\00:23:14.64
be health indices
naturally but I decided
00:23:14.67\00:23:16.91
that for an
extended period of time,
00:23:16.94\00:23:18.49
I would even eat
more simply because
00:23:18.52\00:23:21.39
I wanted God to be
able to speak to my mind.
00:23:21.42\00:23:23.85
And I would go off,
I noticed that Daniel
00:23:23.88\00:23:26.34
would pray three times a day.
00:23:26.37\00:23:28.01
And so in my day time
I would put out specific
00:23:28.04\00:23:32.75
moments in time in
which I would go off and
00:23:32.78\00:23:34.99
spend sometime
with the Lord, morning,
00:23:35.02\00:23:37.55
noon and night. And
I found something that
00:23:37.58\00:23:40.52
came to me during this time.
00:23:40.55\00:23:42.84
Number one, my
Christianity took off
00:23:42.87\00:23:45.51
to a different level
because I was spiritually
00:23:45.54\00:23:48.65
breathing more,
I was praying more.
00:23:48.68\00:23:50.24
And the other thing was I said,
00:23:50.27\00:23:52.44
why wasn't I doing this before?
00:23:52.47\00:23:54.69
And I found out
something about God
00:23:54.72\00:23:57.70
during this time,
and that was this;
00:23:57.73\00:24:00.30
that the God of heaven
are heavenly omniscient,
00:24:00.33\00:24:03.89
omnipotent God,
wants to connect with the
00:24:03.92\00:24:08.48
human race like never before.
00:24:08.51\00:24:10.08
He wants to commune with you and
00:24:10.11\00:24:12.41
I don't know about
you but God is busy.
00:24:12.44\00:24:14.67
Have you ever
met someone that or
00:24:14.70\00:24:16.58
try to meet an
individual that is important.
00:24:16.61\00:24:19.68
You have to go
through the secretaries
00:24:19.71\00:24:21.57
and all these blue
tape and even after
00:24:21.60\00:24:23.31
that you have to
meet them on their terms
00:24:23.34\00:24:25.41
as far as time, but here is God,
00:24:25.44\00:24:27.86
the ineffable
God of the universe,
00:24:27.89\00:24:29.34
that says I will
meet you on your terms
00:24:29.37\00:24:32.44
especially when it
comes to time that no matter
00:24:32.47\00:24:35.29
what moment of the
day that you give me,
00:24:35.32\00:24:37.48
I want to commune
with you as an individual.
00:24:37.51\00:24:41.38
Everything a Christian
should do from thoughts
00:24:41.41\00:24:45.67
of man of
blessing says should be as
00:24:45.70\00:24:47.77
transparent as
sunlight and God wants
00:24:47.80\00:24:51.31
every area of our
lives to be dedicated
00:24:51.34\00:24:55.53
unreservedly to Jesus Christ.
00:24:55.56\00:24:58.41
We must live it, we
cannot compartmentalize
00:24:58.44\00:25:01.06
our Christianity
and corporate revival is
00:25:01.09\00:25:04.40
always preceded
by personal revival.
00:25:04.43\00:25:07.35
So the three
corollaries, the three keys in
00:25:07.38\00:25:09.79
seeking revival. Number
one, we must ask for it.
00:25:09.82\00:25:12.67
Number, two, we
must sacrifice for it.
00:25:12.70\00:25:15.57
And number
three, we must live it.
00:25:15.60\00:25:18.66
I like to read to
you this statement from
00:25:18.69\00:25:21.57
Richard Ellsworth
Day, that goes something
00:25:21.60\00:25:24.49
like this. It
would be of no surprise,
00:25:24.52\00:25:26.95
that if a study of
secret causes were undertaken,
00:25:26.98\00:25:31.05
to find that in
every golden era in human
00:25:31.08\00:25:35.21
history proceeds
from the devotion and
00:25:35.24\00:25:38.33
righteous passion of
some single individual.
00:25:38.36\00:25:42.65
This does not set
aside the sovereignty of God.
00:25:42.68\00:25:45.89
It simply indicates the
instrument through which
00:25:45.92\00:25:49.29
He uniformly works.
There are no bona fide
00:25:49.32\00:25:52.60
mass movements; it
only looks that way.
00:25:52.63\00:25:55.34
At the center of the
column there is always
00:25:55.37\00:25:58.62
one man or woman
who knows God, and
00:25:58.65\00:26:01.94
knows where he is
going. Richard Ellsworth Day
00:26:01.97\00:26:05.37
is essentially saying
this that when you see
00:26:05.40\00:26:07.41
these mass movements in
society, these spiritual
00:26:07.44\00:26:12.19
phenomena, the
spiritual awakening that are
00:26:12.22\00:26:13.19
taking place. We
many times thinks it's a
00:26:13.20\00:26:15.29
multiple cause or it's
a myriad of individuals
00:26:15.32\00:26:17.95
that are driving
this moment and it says
00:26:17.98\00:26:21.10
you will be surprise
to find that at the center
00:26:21.13\00:26:23.65
of the column, is
one man or one woman
00:26:23.68\00:26:27.70
who knows God and
knows where he is going,
00:26:27.73\00:26:30.72
and this person is
unreservedly dedicated
00:26:30.75\00:26:33.30
to the Lord Jesus
Christ and is willing
00:26:33.33\00:26:35.38
to spend his or her
time on their knees.
00:26:35.41\00:26:39.60
I want you think
about that? Luther,
00:26:39.63\00:26:41.76
one person, he
started the reformation
00:26:41.79\00:26:44.15
and he stared from
the place of prayer.
00:26:44.18\00:26:45.89
And John Wesley
shook England to his very
00:26:45.92\00:26:48.87
foundations and its
depths and he started
00:26:48.90\00:26:51.66
with one person.
Robert Evans, another
00:26:51.69\00:26:53.79
13-year-old son
who prayed for 13 years
00:26:53.82\00:26:58.01
for revival, and at
the age of 26 a 100,000
00:26:58.04\00:27:02.06
individuals were
converted to Lord in six months.
00:27:02.09\00:27:06.06
Revival begins with prayer.
00:27:06.09\00:27:09.04
There is a
statement by E.M. Bounds that
00:27:09.07\00:27:11.61
goes something like
this. That the strongest one
00:27:11.64\00:27:15.16
in Christ kingdom is
the one who can knock
00:27:15.19\00:27:18.55
the best, and the
secret of success in
00:27:18.58\00:27:21.78
Christ kingdom is
the ability to pray.
00:27:21.81\00:27:26.66
And so today I would
like to invite you to
00:27:26.69\00:27:29.61
seek God as a
person, seek that time with
00:27:29.64\00:27:33.50
prayer and make God
the preeminent priority
00:27:33.53\00:27:36.73
in your life, and
make Jesus the center
00:27:36.76\00:27:40.21
praying person
that he wants you to be.
00:27:40.24\00:27:43.41
I would like to thank
you for joining us with this
00:27:43.44\00:27:45.43
today and may God
bless you and keep you to
00:27:45.46\00:27:48.95
that end and join
us again next time
00:27:48.98\00:27:51.32
for another
edition of Faith Chapel.
00:27:51.35\00:27:54.53