Can We Have Revival in Our Time? Part 1 - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God check out virtue our website for Christian women go to harvest.org/virtue wishes to live in the house but we can learn from and after the turbulent 60s give a genuine revival called Jesus from Pastor Greg Moore issues we need to repeat this generation and realize we need another Jesus the street. Racial unrest we put them in there since it was the year before another spiritual awakening disequilibrium problems are too numerous to mention 24 hour cable news were all too aware anyway today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie says there's a treatment for what ails is not found in a pill process. Political C. We need to invite God onto the scene starts right at our front door was you believers need to take the lead out today plot. I may even go by when I don't know you wake up in the morning to the smell of bacon.

I'm not making this up. It's called the weekend in bacon alarm clock so you know how such a device works the way it works is you take a piece of frozen bacon, put it in the special clock before you go to bed 10 minutes before you are to wake the bacon starts cooking so you wake up to that amazing smell. I love that never vegetarians. I don't know what to say. Maybe they have amazing broccoli your copy amazing tale.

What is the thing with Kale. I don't why do so anyway so and by the way, I love bacon. How many of you love big everything I guided to just love it I love the smell of bacon in the morning but my favorite meal of the day is breakfast followed only by lunch and dinner, but I do love that time so give us a wake time for America wake up and smell the bacon and here's why. As we look at the prophetic scenario. By that I mean as we look at in times of beds. It is alarming to not find the reigning superpower on the face of the earth in the last days chain of events. You can certainly find the nation Israel.

You can find the nation I ran I think you can make a pretty good case for Russia and perhaps even China. But where is the reigning superpower United States of America were weak. Here's what we need to know every nation has a lifespan.

Every nation has a beginning, a middle and an end less than the minds of ancient Babylon only lasted for 86 years. The powerful Persian Empire did a bit better.

208 years.

The glory of Greece was eclipsed after 268 years mighty Rome ruled for almost 9 centuries the British Empire adored for some 250 years under great power in the US a is around 12, 235 years old and counting. But here's what we need to know every nation's days are numbered. The Bible says righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to the people.

So if we turn from righteousness, that we turn from God, working to face the consequences.

Listen to this knowledge brings responsibility. America is not like just any other country out there. I do believe in American exceptionalism were a special nation blessed by God. In many ways the only nation I think we can even compare ourselves to is the nation Israel, a nation that was founded on biblical principles and the sin that was founded in the belief in a God who plays this year so I think there's a responsibility the goes of the great privileges we have in this nation in particular that we abandon God.

If we forget God.

Even worse, if we rebel against God. There will be consequences to pay, but I have a suggestion of thought as to why we cannot find America in the end time scenario and here's what I think and maybe were not there because of a massive spiritual awakening of fifth grade awakening. If you will, or maybe a 67 happens and it changes the course of our country is able. I don't understand why revival would change our position in the prophetic scenario. Listen, if millions of Americans were caught up to heaven, we wouldn't be the superpower we are today.

I mean how many Americans are Christians are no polls are taken and usually half of all Americans either born-again followers of Jesus Christ.

How many of you believe that by the way, okay good because I had a bridge.

I wanted to sell you. I don't believe it either so there's over 300 million Americans. That's me super conservative essay. Let's say at one third of America really were Christians. Let's say there were 100 million Americans who believed in Jesus and the correct way, or maybe a revival or to happen and so our numbers swelled to 100 million. Now imagine this of 100 million people were caught up to meet the Lord in the air if they just disappeared you think that would affect our nation. Of course it would imagine the effect of our country of 100 million people.

People in industry, governments on military, business, agriculture, education, medicine suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. No Hollywood and the press would be largely untouched but I'm talking about the rest of the nation.

It would certainly have a crippling effect on our entire nation and upon our infrastructure.

With this much we know all nations. As we know them are going to change, expand, or shift to some degree or another is the whole global situation rearranges for the events of the end time so we need to pray for another spiritual awakening in the United States we've had for great awakenings in America first grade awakening the 1700s allowed by such men as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield preceded the Revolutionary war, the birth of America lasted from about 1740 to 1742 with around 50,000 people added to the churches of New England know that may not sound like a lot that was only had a population of around 300,000 thought was significant. The first grade awakening. The second great awakening from the 1790s to around 1840 was led by many, including Charles Finney. It was during the days of the wild West.

The law was disregarded. Sexual sin was rampant and they got these events called camp meetings. Ever heard of those before one with a work that set up a tent above in the forest put sawdust on the floor. Preachers would common share the gospel and thousands and thousands of Americans came to faith. During that time and that it would have huge crowds in the so that was a significant awakening in our history, the third grade awakening was around 1857 1859 in the way that began as unique, there was a 48-year-old businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier begin a prayer meeting on Fulton St. in New York City and his infirmity was very small but then it exploded. Why did it explode the stock market crashed and so suddenly thousands of people were showing up for this time of prayer within six months.

10,000 people in New York City gathered daily for prayer. Can you imagine such a thing like that happening today.

It's reported that 15,000 New Yorkers were converted from March to May and there were 10,000 additions. The church membership lesson weekly around that time.

Around 1 million people came to believe in Jesus. Now that brings us to the fourth great awakening in the last one in American history and I'm of course talking about the Jesus movement know I was privileged to have a front row seat for it because I painted price in 1970 and found myself smack dab in the middle of a full-blown spiritual awakening. By the way, we do not know it was a spiritual awakening what was happening. I just thought it was normal Christianity because I had no point of reference in in a way it was normal. Christianity normal in a New Testament sense normal in the way that it's supposed to be, as opposed to a water down version that we often see in its place today, but I think it's a good thing to reflect back on what God is done in the past. Jonathan Edwards was a part of the first grade awakening made this statement and I quote it is been found by experience at the tidings of remarkable effects of the power and grace of God in any place 10 greatly to awaken and engage the minds of persons and other places." Let me rephrase that. Stories of revival often spark other revival.

Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment.

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That's 1-866-871-1144 well today. Pastor Greg is bringing a brand-new message called can we have revival in our time, part one were discussing how to bring revival to our land, much as we saw during the time of the Jesus movement so as we look back historically, we asked the question, is there anything we can learn. Let's consider the backdrop of the country when the Jesus movement happened. It happened in the late 60s early 70s.

No, you know, for those of you that are been around for a while like me.

You remember the 50s and in the early 60s. In the early 60s were a lot like the late 50s. It was an idyllic time we had come through World War II and people were building homes and guarding families and there was an optimism and Eisenhower was our president and and technology was sort of exploding that one of the latest developments with something called color television. Up to this point in them black and white. I member the first time I saw color TV was at a friends house and we went over and looked in the window of his front room and watched with great envy the wonderful world of color. The Disney program so you know there was sort of this excitement.

This is a time when the Elvis was the king of rock 'n' roll.

James Dean was acting in films and Marilyn Monroe was in her prime.

So there was a poll actually taken by CBS News and they ask people what decade would you most likely travel to. If you could most people chose the decade of their childhood, but by and large a decade that one out for the 50s people wanted to live in the 50s cars were super cool I mean anything from 55 to 57 amazing cars so is a great time and I was sort of the early 60s to but then we had a brand-new president that really marks a change in our culture and really a change in the 60s. John F. Kennedy was elected president. We went from a 70-year-old grandfather to a youthful senator with a young family occupying the Oval Office but Kennedy was quickly put to the test.

The leader of Russia at that time Nikita Khrushchev Khrushchev was determined to expand the Russian Empire and so one of those things was the was putting missile sites over in Cuba, which is not far from our shores, especially Florida.

Kennedy became aware of this and they had this this conflict that's called the Cuban missile crisis, and there was a moment where America thought we were getting engage in a full-blown nuclear war.

I remember in school when I was a kid we would have drills in her classroom work in case there was a nuclear explosion. We went under our desks if you remember that you would've helped me under your desk. I know it's a nuclear blast. But I'm under my desk will be fine. Right here job so miscarried time, but everything change in America when our president was assassinated on November 22, 1963 television was pervasive at that time in the whole country found out about impact everyone remembers where they were when Kennedy was assassinated.

It's as though we watched it in real time. It was hard to believe that one man, Lee Harvey Oswald could kill the president of the United States and effectively. The leader of the free world. A lot of people thought there was conspiracies and others involved and they did a great report on it number the Warren commission and they determine there was one lone shooter but many experts believe that is the moment the 60s shifted, and was shortly after that that for Liverpool aliens landed on our shore were on the Ed Sullivan show there called the Beatles they were followed by a bunch of other bands known as the British invasion and then culture began to change before our eyes almost monthly.

Certainly yearly.

Add to this effect that the Vietnam War is raging young American boys are coming back in body bags and it was the drive back then.

We all wondered are we going to be next. And then the worst year of the 60s happened it was 1968, our president is already been assassinated and no Martin Luther King is assassinated as well.

Robert Kennedy, the president's brother sorta steps into the job and decides to run for the presidency, and many are hoping that he's going to turn the country around. There's sort of an optimism in its gaining momentum, but as he announced what we at basically was claiming victory in the California primary and he addresses supporters at the Ambassador Hotel and amending sure hand surgeon can shot Bobby Kennedy three times, only two months after Martin Luther King was killed. Now Kennedy is been assassinated only five years after his brother.

The Vietnam War is raging on Watergate is about to happen an entire generation of young people are disillusioned. There's huge protests there's riots in the streets. Kids were rebelling against society and turning to drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll. The slogan at that time was turned on to and in dropout and you know the church was not effectively reaching this generation. John Lennon of the Beatles was famously quoted to say the Beatles are more popular than Jesus and for many, that was actually true in my case it was so time magazine came out with a cover issue with these words on it is God dead and some liberal theologians announce that indeed he was.

So things are bleak. Things are dark. Things are desperate and God intervenes, God intervenes, and the Jesus movement explodes on the scene suddenly seemingly out of nowhere, but right in God's time schedule, thousands of young kids are coming to Christ, so time magazine runs a different cover in 1971 with the image of Christ on the front and the words that Jesus revolution. Here's what happened. The church is that open themselves to revival experience revival. The church is that close their doors to it did not experience it.

But one man open the doors of his church, and you all know who he is talking about. Pastor Chuck Smith.

He let it happen.

Chuck was, you know he was not some hipster guy. He was just your basic middle-aged balding man who was pastoring a church you can see, I admire him a great deal think that after him and I he saw these hippie kids and he wanted nothing to do with any thought they also get a haircut take a bath right so what his wife had a burden for them.

His wife Kate and I was praying for the kids to come to Christ and just sort of opened his heart up a little bit and wanted to meet an actual living, breathing, hippie, and does so one day his daughter Jan came home with this hippie kid named John who was a Christian and he told Chuck a little bit about what was happening with the kids and then John introduced Chuck to another hippie kid weapon to be a preacher and that guy's name was Lonnie Frisbee and Lonnie was really used by God, along with Pastor Chuck to bring the Jesus movement to a place of complete explosion. Lonnie was sort of like Nitro to Chuck's glycerin. The combination just blew up and Lonnie was this charismatic preacher that drew kids and so you might see the kids came for Lonnie and they stayed for Chuck because Chuck stabilize things by teaching the word of God, but something was happening in MS right when I came to Christ in effect. Lonnie was preaching on my high school campus Newport Harbor high and I came to Jesus and started going to cover Joplin walked in there and I was just overwhelmed. There were people everywhere. There were people up the aisles and they were worshiping God and God was at work and lives are being changed in we saw contemporary worship born before our very eyes, and you know it wasn't long after that that I came up to Riverside from Orange County and we started a Bible study up your return and that the church are in right now harvest Christian Fellowship so listen God. The church globally was influenced by the Jesus movement, but we've all gotten older I mean your words affect the kids of the Jesus movement now grandparents I went to grandparents day and my grandkids school recently that just makes you feel old to even go to grandparents day. You know, but there we are so civil grade that's a nice little history lesson, but the you know so what so what listen. We should not live in the past but we can learn from it.

We should not live in the past but we can learn from it now if you look at this generation and realize we need another Jesus movement.

Just as in the 60s and specifically 1968.

We have riots in the streets. We have racial unrest. We have a drug epidemic. There's a sense of hopelessness in the air. How desperate are we for another Jesus movement. How desperate are we for another spiritual awakening.

The prophet Habakkuk understood this when he prayed this prayer and have a good three to have heard all about you, Lord, I filled with awe by the amazing things you've done, but in this time of deep need. Provide your work as you did in years gone by.

Show us your power to save us, and in your anger. Remember mercy. Have a good thing Florida for all the stories about the old days. Do it again, revive your work again.

The psalmist says in Psalm 85, six, will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you how badly we want to see another Bible hears reality. Often we pray for prosperity in our nation and in our own lies with the fact is revival often explodes when there's calamity. Remember the third great awakening happened after the stock market crash I will test Chuck Smith if he ever thought there would be another Jesus movement. This answer was, well, people were desperate for revival back then and I'm not sure people are desperate enough right now. Maybe true, how desperate are we to Greg Laurie pointing out how revival is the answer for the ills we see in our world today.

Talk about how revival can start when this message continues to study. Pastor Greg is titled can we have revival in our time, part one, and if you'd like a permanent copy get in touch by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 order online@harvest.org well at such a privilege to have author Sally Lloyd Jones with Pastor Greg and I today here in the studio on a new beginning where making available.

Her outstanding new picture book set called found and loved Pastor Sally what would you say is the key to communicating with the child is the rekey. Is there something that we need to know that maybe we don't understand while speaking as a writer not to set teach arrow I just doing this disclaim is an apparent snap estimate there in children but in my experience, one of the most important things is to be on the same level with the child.

So what that basically means physically as you have to get on your knees which is interesting so I think humanity is crucial that you didn't come set up from on high, telling the child. What's what. Because especially with the Bible. We will God's children set in and we never child can teach us so I once was watching at teacher do this.

In fact tonight types. I just copied it because I was used to find it hot. I'd read a story and then I would know what to say.

After the story say with the feeding of the 5000 instead of saying, not children. This means we must share a lunch I could say as this teach I had say I wonder if she just wondered out loud. She is on her knees on the same level with the children.

They will sitting on. She went.

I wonder what would happen if I gave Jesus everything and that's what that question date was, instead of writing it down into one narrow tiny moral lesson that I decided the story was about it type and to top it says that God could speak to that child because it open the whole thing up and I didn't know none of us knew how God scan to speak to a different child for this child that child and we didn't want to see we now I think much of us to be wondering and honest and sharing fairness and I walk. That's my feeling about it.

You're listening to Sally Lily Johnson, you can probably understand now why her writings connected children because she gets down on their level. She enters their world speaks in a way that they understand and that's why we're so excited to be offering this series of two books in a box set that are called found in loved one is based on the Lords prayer the other. In Psalm 23. Beautifully illustrated by an artist named Iago and there's also a special art print that's included, and were offering this to you for your gift of any size to help us continue in this radio broadcast to teach God's word and to proclaim the gospel, found in loved by Sally Lloyd Jones who you just heard from a way to reach your children and your grandchildren with the gospel is to book set will no doubt find a prominent place in your child's her grandchild's bookshelf and we want to send it to say thank you for your investment in this outreach event. If you'd like to help us on a regular basis.

Ask about becoming a harvest partner you can write a set a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Pastor Greg Laurie here knows what going through this Corona virus.

A lot of people are afraid they're worried their concern.

Listen, I want to bring Christ to this crisis and I want to bring some light darkness from the word of God so you can turn your worry in the worship so you can churn your fear into faith.

Every Sunday we have a special service for doing now live online and it simply called Harvest at Home so you go to our website harvest.org you can join us this coming Sunday for multiple services from the morning to the evening be a part of Harvest at Home this and trying Pastor Greg Moore this Sunday for Harvest at Home, harvest.org next time. The importance of revival in our time apart. God wants each of us to play join us here on a new beginning.

Pastor Greg Laurie possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org