Revival in America

Did you know that around the world, people and nations have been turning to God with greater numbers and fervency that at any time in the history of a planet. This includes Africa, Pacific Islands, Asia, South America. For example, Africa has gone from about 10 million Christians to 500 million Christians in the last 100 years. In America and the West have been declining in Christian devotion for decades. And the question is, why is that and can it change? I do believe that America's best days are ahead and that God will send a revival across this great nation. However, the key is in need for Christians, more than non-Christians, but for Christians, the first and foremost to return to God and seek Him wholeheartedly, as is happening in other countries currently, and has happened in American history. This is the foundation for addressing all the problems in our society, families, communities, and nation. America, sadly, currently experiences its highest rate of history, anxiety, depression, overdose deaths, loneliness, suicide, and there are lots of other problems. But we got to remember that the world, the universe is primarily spiritual. An engagement in culture and politics to fix problems is absolutely essential and important. But as Christians, we know that the foundation to everything is the spiritual realm. And so if we can get that right, everything else follows. And that's what the Bennett broadcast is all about, and this is the first episode. My name is Matt Bennett, and I've had the honor of ministering in some of the worlds and the nation's most secular places. For years now, by the grace of God, I founded Christian Union in 2002 to minister at the nation's most secular and influential universities, including Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and others. To learn more, you can see at chrishanunion.org. It has also helped me or called me to help establish the Heritage Pastors Association. To minister to pastors here in New York City and others across the U.S. to help them to get and stay strong and vice-seek him wholeheartedly. I've also been blessed by studying great moves of God in history and church history. My love studying history, and when pursuing my endives at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, as well as independent research, I got to study with men like Wayne Grudum. And D.A. Carson, also John Woodbridge in church history. And here in New York City is blessed to know Tim Keller a little bit, and here in New York is hard for revival, and I was told by a friend just recently that the last days of his life before he went to be with the Lord, he would spend time down in the lower part of Manhattan, where a great revival happened about 150 years ago. Frank, that God would do something absolutely extraordinary. And also got to know and be mentored by Bill Bright, founder of Crew and Out Campus Crusade for Christ, and learn about and be impacted by his art to revival, incredibly, incredibly blessed. I also treasure very much the relationships I've been able to develop with people in the international church, where God is doing amazing things on Africa and Pacific Islands and other places. And personally, I've had that opportunity to lead two revivals, both at Princeton University, one time, and in the late 90s, another one starting in 2009, each lasting about four or five years, radical, incredible change and impact during the old years with many coming to faith in Christ and the impact on the campus was absolutely extraordinary. So he's really shown me a lot on this subject, and he's called me to help with others to call America to return to God and seek Him wholeheartedly. So what I want to do is share a few examples from the scriptures or passages as well as stories of kind of historical and contemporary about society rapidly or radically changing as a result of God coming and moving extraordinary ways as people, Christians, first and foremost, seek the Lord with great devotion and fervency. And this is our template. This is our key for single or do something today during our current time in the U.S. So understanding the spiritual, underparent, pinnings of society as the Bible describes it and seeing these realities played out in communities, it really motivates and helps us understand what it means to really seek God and to please Him. And with that happens, he pours himself out in affirmation, brings radical transformation to ourselves, community and nations. What it's about is remember that God keeps His promise and understanding what His promises are and what He does once we meet certain conditions and knowing that and stepping into that. So we'll gain inspiration and hope for what God has done before and what we believe He's got to do in the future in the U.S. and what He's currently doing around the world in other countries. So those who want to go deep on the subject already, we have a whole series of teaching on how the Kingdom of God advances. You can go to christianun.org slash seven keys. It's about just slash with a number seven keys and see all about it. But let's look at a few passages here from the scriptures and examples. So first of all, I want to focus in on Hebrews 11, 5 to 7 starts off talking about the faith of Enoch and then it goes to verse 6 and it says, and without faith, it is impossible to please Him. That is God. For whoever withdrawing near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. For example, by faith, no uping worn by God concerning events as yet unseen and revered fear are constructed and armed for the saving of this household. By this, He condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. In this passage, God is speaking to Christians, not non-Christians. And you see the need of how to please Him and that is we seek Him and then He rewards us. We understand what He means by seeking and make sure we're doing in a way that is pleasing to Him. And an example of this has happened currently in the Fiji Islands. We know about the resorts there. That's what's mostly on American's mind. But of course, there are many villages there that do the growth of food, harvest from the ocean, just supply these resorts and there's about 1200 villages there in the Fiji Islands. And for about 25 years or more, they've been seeing amazing things happen. And I got to go over there with a team of friends in my ministry to see this first hand. I'd heard the stories, but I wanted to see and it was incredible. Entire villages, usually two to 500 people, they have churches in the villages, but they're kind of just languishing, just not very powerful, not very unified, not eager in their devotion to seek God. And most of them go through this process with another group of Fijians called the Healing Melanteep. They come and they take them through a four week process of radical repentance, prayer, and worship and seeking God. And they see all the typical things when Christians return to the Lord. You see a lot of salvation in the village, healings and husbands getting back with the family. And what's really amazing about this place is you also see fruitfulness in the land. And again, I'd heard the stories, but I wanted to meet the people and talk in the face to face. It's amazing. They would show us these fruit trees that used to bear fruit periodically, but now bear fruit all year round. It shows yams that are now twice the size and then they were, and even though it's the same ground, no change in the ground with seeds or anything, one chief in one village says they would go to the ocean and work all day to get enough crabs and fish to sell in order and just had enough to stay alive. Because now they go and they have all they need by 10 a.m. It's just a radical, incredible change. There's a lot of miracles there. Talk more about that another time, but all the result of the Christians and these villages, Radicals, he got it. Think over the years, they've done this with 120 villages and they've got a waiting list and they go from village to village as they have time and radically seek the word, unbelievable and incredible and powerful to see the change in these places. So what the Lord has done and promised in the scriptures, they see every time and as I talk to the leader of the group there, who leads this team, I asked him, well, when you go to these villages and you seek the Lord, that kind of energy, how many of the villages really didn't see much happen? Did they all have these radical changes and he said, every single one, every single one. And I said, are they all staying and keeping all the blessings? And he says, no of the vast majority are, but they set them up with a new spirituality, meaning a stronger pattern, a prayer and fasting and attending their church and being involved. And some of the villages, a few of them just kind of fell back from that and the curses came back to their villages. So what's needed is an ongoing devotion and zeal for the Lord. So that's the first example. I've got three more. On second one is from James 4, 6 to 8. It says, but he gives more grace, therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves to God, therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Plunge your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double. Mind it. Be wretched and mourn and weak. Let your laughter be turned to morning and your joy to glow. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. So again, this context in James, he's speaking to Christians, not non-Christians. This is where our focus should be first and foremost to draw near to him. Because the promises here is that we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. So what does it mean to draw near to him? Are we drawing near to him in a way that he's pleased with? That meets what he means by that. That's what up to us is Christians to know and to step into. And so as another example of this, I think a contemporary example, I think of what's happened in Africa. And I think of many nations, but I'll put before us the nation of Uganda. They were dealing with an HIV rate in the 90s, early 90s, 33% on believable those days. There wasn't even a treatment much less secure. And so they're looking at the death of a nation. But a number of people there, Christians start seeking God with great urgency and fervency. And over the years, they saw thousands and thousands of people, millions come to faith in Christ. And at least hundreds of thousands supernatural heal in that country. I've got to go over there, meet the people, testify, they were healed, absolutely incredible. Mostly led, there are many leaders, but possibly the primary leader was a man in John Lone Day, because I've gotten to know and learn from as well. So it's incredible what's happened in this nation. I mean, unbelievable. NTR did report on it. The Lord told them that they'd become a testimony to the nation. And indeed, they have that, of course, they're not perfect. They have problems in everything like every society. But wow, they are on the brink of extinction. And now they've come back and called a pro-Labafika about the grace of God. So that's a second example. Now I want to go to a third example. Now the first two were examples from the New Testament. Now I'm going to mention a couple examples from the Old Testament. Now this first from the Old Testament is a very famous passage on revival from the Old Testament. You'll recognize it. Second Chronicles 7, 13 to 15. Now do you notice here? It makes it very plain. There are the conditions and if we meet the conditions, then the Lord will meet us and keep this promise. If the promise isn't coming, that tells us that the conditions haven't been met. Otherwise, it means that God is not faithful to His promise. And of course, that's not the case. The Lord is always faithful to His promises. So if the fruit isn't coming as we want, that tells us, whenever we're thinking about whether we're meeting conditions, we aren't. And we need to focus that way. So it says, when I shut up the heavens, so that there is no rain or command the locust to devour the land and send pestilence among my people. If my people were called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal the land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. So the author was writing to the believing community there on Israel and wanted to tell them that they didn't have to worry about necessarily going to exile again, like when they are carted off to Babylon to their sins. The Lord was slaying out to them that it doesn't have to be that light because if they do seek the Lord will heartedly, they will get all these blessings available to them. What was true then is true now for the believing community. We like them need a humble pray, a fast repent of our sins, seek the Lord and the blessings do come. Now we got an amazing example in our own history here in the United States. I live in Manhattan, New York City and I grew up in Texas, but I've been up in the Northeast many years now going to college up here and living up here. But you may have heard on perhaps the businessman's revival, which began in 1857 in the financial district in Manhattan by a man named Jeremiah Land Fear. Now a lot of churches were praying hard and working for and wanting got to do something extraordinary and this prayer meeting that he started. They had six people at the first one in September 23rd, 1857 and then every week they kept inviting people moved out every day and thousands and thousands of New Yorkers would pray and not just noon to one every day but in the morning and in the evening they would see God and God started shake the whole city and it spread across the country. The telegraph had just been invented so people knew about it and if you go back and look at the headlines during those days, Portland, I think Denver, I think Columbus or maybe Cleveland, some would say whole city stops to pray and out of a population of 30 million in the United States, a million people came to faith in just a year and a half. Now we're over 10 times that imagined they have over 10 million, 10 to 15 million came to faith in one year and it impacted the black community as well as the white community in the U.S. Many, many people came to faith and then the movement jumped over Australia, jumped over to UK, both places a million people came to faith there just unbelievable. As a matter of fact, other people, I met people in other countries who have studied this and their question was, well, what if we kept seeking the Lord with that kind of energy? Could we expect just ongoing blessings? And the answer is yes, this is why so many nations are on fire for Christ and so many millions come to faith in these other nations is because they seek Him with that kind of diligence and intentionality. Absolutely amazing. So a lot of wonderful stories about that amazing move of God many years ago. Now here's the last example, the fourth example. Now this is particularly meaningful to me because according to Jonathan Edwards, who was a pastor in theologian, somewhat sad, he's the best theologian American's history. He was part of the movement of the Great Awakening, 1730s and 40s and he set this passage, which I'm about to read from Zachary 8, 20 to 23, he says, this is the most descriptive passage of revival in the Bibles. We don't quote it very much today, but we most quote the second Chronicles one, but it's an incredible passage here. Let me read it for you. It says, thus says the Lord of hosts, people shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying, that is good once to treat the favor of the Lord to seek the Lord of hosts by myself. I'm going. Many peoples in strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts and those days, ten men from the nations of every top shall take hold of the robe of a Jew saying, let us go with you. So we have heard that God is with you. Now this is incredible and amazing. This picture that you see of people eagerly going to seek God and then grabbing other people and say, hey, let's go and seek Him. And then God works supernaturally in the hearts of those outside the believing community and draws them close. And this is what we saw in the two revivals. I got to be part of and 1996 for a number of years and 2009 at Princeton. It was incredible to see many people come into faith, prize both times, the ministry grew to about 10% of the student body and lasting four or five years. And this phenomenon happened in terms of the students contacting us on campus saying, hey, I haven't heard about two of your ministry. They just looked us up online, but I feel like I need to get right in God with God. And this is happening every week. And before it didn't happen at all, it was a great movement, prayer, fasting, pentan there at the universities among some of us were ministers as well as a lot of student leaders. It was really beautiful and wonderful and incredible praise God for that. And what he's done in the past, he can do again. He loves to do these things. And as mentioned, the Lord has called me to help spread this mindset and focus with people across the US, the grace of God. So I give these scriptures as a testimony of what God is like. And these examples and history of how he responds to us and bless his communities and nations when we seek him as he requires. When there are problems and our lives, communities and nations, first thing Christians, what we should do is ask ourselves if we are drawing cloth close to the Lord's sufficient dedication and devotion. Maybe we are, but maybe we aren't, but we got to search the scriptures and seek him out. And not just what seems good to us, but what is good and pleasing to him. We don't set the standards. He's our Lord, he's our God. He sets the standard. So sometimes even among the Christians, there can be a misunderstanding of what he really expects or a gap between what we're used to doing and drawing close to him and what he really wants or expects from us. So I do believe God's going to bring revival to America as he showed me years ago back in 2006, their drain confidence from the Lord. There would be a revival in the U.S. But I also know, but always comes before that. And that is a large number of Christians seeking him with, with whole hearts much more than perhaps we've done before. So thank you. So thank you for listening and watching this first episode with a bit of broadcast. And if you want to see some of these concepts, explain more at link, you can see christianune.org slash seven keys. And you can also see a pattern of what a rich devotional can look like. Life can look like if you go to Daniels Spirituality.org. So more to come, but take care. May the Lord bless you. And thanks for joining again on this first episode of the Bennett broadcast. I'll say a prayer. Father, you are awesome and good. Blessed and wonderful and true. May your name be honored and revered across this nation. Lord, you've brought incredible sweeping change to this nation in the past. Lord, do it again. Ignite and strip the hearts of Christians across this country to seek you with whole hearts to have no compromise in their lives, to be obedient in every way, to be fully repentant, to pray fervently morning and night, to humble ourselves and to pray and that fast. So Lord, help us with this Lord. We want to please you. We want your name to be glorified. You say your name shall be made great among the nations. May your name be made great in this country. And Jesus naming men. So thank you. God bless you and be in touch.