A Biblical Picture of True Revival: Thessalonica vs. Corinth Ep 17

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.671 --> 00:00:07.135
But healings and gifts can happen even when you have ministers or others who are not walking with the Lord as they should.

2
00:00:07.595 --> 00:00:11.738
But it doesn't mean it was a revival in the classic sense, the best sense of the word.

3
00:00:12.118 --> 00:00:16.180
It simply means there are a lot of healings and there can be a lot of prophecies and there can be a lot of deliverances.

4
00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:18.621
Welcome to the Bennett Broadcast.

5
00:00:18.861 --> 00:00:19.602
I'm Matt Bennett.

6
00:00:21.212 --> 00:00:30.338
Thanks for joining me as we explore what it means to seek the Lord wholeheartedly, to grow strong in faith, and to be fully devoted to God in today's world.

7
00:00:30.819 --> 00:00:35.222
When we do, He will pour out His Spirit and bring revival like never before.

8
00:00:38.968 --> 00:00:41.509
Welcome to the Bennett Broadcast, I'm Matt Bennett.

9
00:00:42.089 --> 00:00:54.374
The focus for this episode is the Apostle Paul and the city of Corinth, and him remembering back to what happened a few weeks prior in another city in Thessalonica.

10
00:00:54.454 --> 00:01:02.558
And there's a comparison between those two cities that is really important for understanding what revival is and the work of the Holy Spirit.

11
00:01:03.078 --> 00:01:08.942
This all happens about 51 AD on Paul's second missionary journey.

12
00:01:09.722 --> 00:01:15.265
And he's writing the letter back to Thessalonica from the city of Corinth.

13
00:01:15.305 --> 00:01:16.186
And so he's there.

14
00:01:16.286 --> 00:01:18.187
He's planting a church there.

15
00:01:18.427 --> 00:01:22.369
And this is a very gifted city, a very wealthy city.

16
00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:24.411
Corinth is a very immoral city.

17
00:01:24.831 --> 00:01:26.192
And he's working hard there.

18
00:01:27.052 --> 00:01:40.417
for the sake of the gospel, but he's remembering what happened here not too long ago in this previous city in Thessalonica up the road, and so he's writing back to it, and this is where we get the book of 1 Thessalonians.

19
00:01:40.717 --> 00:01:51.260
But as he's writing back to this church, he's not focusing on their spiritual gifts and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, although that's important in Christian

20
00:01:56.822 --> 00:02:03.187
And this difference and distinction is really key in understanding what real revival is.

21
00:02:03.347 --> 00:02:06.150
And that's what we're looking at here in these next few minutes here.

22
00:02:06.510 --> 00:02:17.639
So you got two churches, you got the same apostle, you got this, they're on the same missionary journey, just a few weeks apart and two different kinds of the Holy Spirit power.

23
00:02:17.679 --> 00:02:24.725
If I can say it that way, not that you can put all the Holy Spirit's work in two neat buckets, but for the sake of, um,

24
00:02:25.205 --> 00:02:30.907
Understanding or looking at this, it can be helpful to think about his work in two big ways.

25
00:02:30.967 --> 00:02:34.268
So it's Thessalonica versus Corinth there.

26
00:02:34.849 --> 00:02:38.670
So Thessalonica is what a real revival looks like.

27
00:02:39.130 --> 00:02:44.512
And Corinth is what it looks like when there's a lot of spiritual gifts, but not necessarily revival.

28
00:02:44.712 --> 00:02:45.693
not much holiness.

29
00:02:46.333 --> 00:03:00.000
And as a nation in the United States, and this is what my passion is, is to help the United States to understand this and to seek the Lord and see real revival happen as it's understood from way back when the term was first used.

30
00:03:00.040 --> 00:03:01.621
It's first used in the early 1700s.

31
00:03:01.721 --> 00:03:11.886
I think Cotton Mather first used it, but popularized in the 1730s and 40s with people like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield and John Wesley and a bunch of others.

32
00:03:12.466 --> 00:03:27.351
In that context, it meant one thing But the way people use the term today Is more typical of how It was used in the latter rain movement In the 1940s and 50s Which I'll explain a little bit And the difference is very, very important So

33
00:03:28.051 --> 00:03:30.413
I am the founder and president of Christian Union.

34
00:03:30.593 --> 00:03:32.894
Also, I lead Heritage Pastors Association.

35
00:03:33.274 --> 00:03:38.118
I've been able to see the Lord pour out His Holy Spirit in a number of remarkable ways in my life.

36
00:03:38.498 --> 00:03:50.986
And so I've got a lot of experience with this, not to mention studying this subject through church history and even traveling to different parts of the world, mostly Fiji Islands and Uganda, to see God work in these extraordinary ways.

37
00:03:51.386 --> 00:03:51.666
So, yeah.

38
00:03:52.730 --> 00:04:06.186
I've seen what is the most important part happen, Category 1, power of the Holy Spirit, but also Category 2, which consists of healings, prophetic words, deliverance.

39
00:04:06.366 --> 00:04:08.208
I think this is important as part of the church.

40
00:04:08.368 --> 00:04:10.851
I minister in these ways as well myself.

41
00:04:11.712 --> 00:04:13.034
And I lay hands on people.

42
00:04:13.094 --> 00:04:14.636
Sometimes I see them get healed.

43
00:04:14.656 --> 00:04:18.901
Sometimes the Lord gives me messages about other people prophetically.

44
00:04:19.402 --> 00:04:23.327
And then sometimes I'm active in expelling evil spirits from people.

45
00:04:23.707 --> 00:04:25.569
That's all the second category.

46
00:04:25.650 --> 00:04:26.230
Important.

47
00:04:26.731 --> 00:04:26.991
But.

48
00:04:27.752 --> 00:04:31.215
It's category one, which we see in Thessalonica, which is key.

49
00:04:31.235 --> 00:04:32.376
And we'll look at the text here.

50
00:04:32.396 --> 00:04:33.697
I want you to see it in your own eyes.

51
00:04:33.757 --> 00:04:45.226
But in this category one, that's where we see conviction of the Holy Spirit, repentance, people obeying Jesus, the gospel going forth in boldness and force.

52
00:04:45.627 --> 00:04:51.752
So both of these categories of the Holy Spirit, but they're not equal and confusing them.

53
00:04:52.372 --> 00:04:57.317
which happens so much today, causes a lot of trouble in the American church.

54
00:04:57.577 --> 00:04:59.779
So let's see here.

55
00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:03.703
Let's kind of pour into this and look at this in a close way.

56
00:05:04.163 --> 00:05:11.651
He pours out his Holy Spirit when Category 1, that's what Category 1 is, pouring out a Spirit, and that's what true revival is.

57
00:05:12.251 --> 00:05:18.940
So back to the story here, we have the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul from 49 to 52.

58
00:05:18.960 --> 00:05:19.701
And he's going on his way.

59
00:05:19.781 --> 00:05:21.082
He is in Macedonia.

60
00:05:21.623 --> 00:05:27.330
He's in M-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R-A-R

61
00:05:28.552 --> 00:05:34.537
He's in Apollonia, he's in Thessalonica, and he was in Philippi right before that where he's jailed.

62
00:05:34.577 --> 00:05:36.258
But let's see part of this journey.

63
00:05:36.278 --> 00:05:37.679
This is in Acts 17, 1-10.

64
00:05:37.699 --> 00:05:44.065
You'll kind of see the lead up here in Thessalonica and then going down to Corinth shortly thereafter.

65
00:05:44.505 --> 00:05:45.266
So Acts 17 says...

66
00:05:46.687 --> 00:05:54.270
Now, when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

67
00:05:54.350 --> 00:06:09.577
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "'This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.'"

68
00:06:10.177 --> 00:06:19.240
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

69
00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.081
So you see a great many of the devout Greeks joined.

70
00:06:23.101 --> 00:06:33.185
But the Jews were jealous and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob set in the city as an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out of the crowd.

71
00:06:33.645 --> 00:06:39.287
And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting,

72
00:06:39.687 --> 00:06:51.672
These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they're all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.

73
00:06:52.132 --> 00:06:59.855
And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things, and then when they had taken the money of security from Jason, the rest, they let them go."

74
00:07:00.575 --> 00:07:09.644
So you hear a lot of controversy, a lot going on here when they come into this synagogue in the town of Thessalonica.

75
00:07:09.664 --> 00:07:12.646
So they're there three Sabbaths and three weeks.

76
00:07:13.407 --> 00:07:15.629
And this is here in AD 50.

77
00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:16.690
A church is born.

78
00:07:16.750 --> 00:07:18.632
A great number of Greeks also joined.

79
00:07:19.053 --> 00:07:20.554
But then they have a riot.

80
00:07:20.834 --> 00:07:22.175
People are jealous of them.

81
00:07:22.536 --> 00:07:25.599
And they say these people have turned the world upside down.

82
00:07:26.059 --> 00:07:31.842
which is incredible, turn the world upside down, and they're driven out of the city by the grace of God.

83
00:07:31.962 --> 00:07:33.963
So this is amazing.

84
00:07:34.183 --> 00:07:40.426
They say that there is another King Jesus, and so the controversy pushes them out of city to go on, to go other places.

85
00:07:40.906 --> 00:07:47.970
So the church is, gosh, a month old or something, maybe a little older, and already they're being accused of treason against Caesar.

86
00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:49.471
So Paul moves on.

87
00:07:49.491 --> 00:07:51.131
He goes to Berea, Athens, and Corinth.

88
00:07:51.191 --> 00:07:54.073
And there in Corinth, he stays a year and a half

89
00:07:54.813 --> 00:07:57.035
And he's teaching there for the year and a half.

90
00:07:57.756 --> 00:08:06.405
And that's where he ends up writing back to the church in 1 Thessalonians and following up with them and talk to them.

91
00:08:06.445 --> 00:08:10.689
So a few verses in Acts 18 as he moves on.

92
00:08:11.089 --> 00:08:13.432
He says, he left Athens, went to Corinth.

93
00:08:14.012 --> 00:08:23.395
And then when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word testifying to the Jews that Christ was Jesus.

94
00:08:23.715 --> 00:08:26.896
And he stayed there a year and six months teaching the word of God among them.

95
00:08:27.416 --> 00:08:33.798
But when Galileo was pro-council of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal.

96
00:08:33.858 --> 00:08:35.258
So there's more information.

97
00:08:35.638 --> 00:08:56.580
Action going on there Describing everything that happened So in looking at 1 Thessalonians 3.6 We get a sense of what happened And what was going on As Paul's writing there to the church In Thessalonica from Corinth He says, but now that Timothy has come from you And he has brought us the good news of the faith

98
00:08:57.060 --> 00:09:00.663
And love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us.

99
00:09:00.703 --> 00:09:01.943
So we long to see you.

100
00:09:02.384 --> 00:09:04.065
So there's that bond between them.

101
00:09:04.505 --> 00:09:06.867
And there's that connection that they have there.

102
00:09:06.947 --> 00:09:08.788
So he's writing back.

103
00:09:08.988 --> 00:09:10.089
Corinth is in Achaia.

104
00:09:10.109 --> 00:09:13.151
And he's writing back to the church in Macedonia where Thessalonica is.

105
00:09:13.171 --> 00:09:15.593
Those are two big regions of the area of Greece.

106
00:09:16.213 --> 00:09:19.737
And so he writes here in 1 Thessalonians 1, 1-10.

107
00:09:19.757 --> 00:09:25.565
Now, as I read this, you'll get a sense he describes the nature of what happened in Thessalonica.

108
00:09:25.625 --> 00:09:30.110
And this is where you'll see category one power as we're describing it.

109
00:09:30.170 --> 00:09:31.652
And this is very key to understand.

110
00:09:32.193 --> 00:09:34.555
So he says, verse 1,

111
00:09:35.995 --> 00:09:43.177
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the Church of the Thessalonians, and God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you.

112
00:09:43.877 --> 00:09:57.300
He says, we give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

113
00:09:57.340 --> 00:10:03.781
Now notice that he's pointing to their character, to what they're doing, their steadfastness of faith, their labor of love,

114
00:10:06.483 --> 00:10:09.787
Now in this context here, he's probably not referring to demonstration of miracles.

115
00:10:23.444 --> 00:10:24.164
places they are.

116
00:10:24.324 --> 00:10:30.588
Often when the power is in the plural, it may be considered more that miracles are happening.

117
00:10:30.928 --> 00:10:36.171
But here you are speaking of the Holy Spirit's power, and that includes full conviction.

118
00:10:36.211 --> 00:10:42.435
That is, that what they're saying is true, that there needs to be repentance and faith and following the Lord Jesus Christ.

119
00:10:43.015 --> 00:10:52.822
He says, you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake, and you became imitators of us and the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction with joy and the Holy Spirit.

120
00:10:52.862 --> 00:10:57.605
So see the Holy Spirit, he's mentioned again, that they receive him with joy.

121
00:10:57.645 --> 00:11:02.028
So you see that character or that qualitative change in their persons.

122
00:11:02.728 --> 00:11:06.571
So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

123
00:11:06.951 --> 00:11:09.893
So it speaks again to their character, their nature here.

124
00:11:09.913 --> 00:11:14.036
They became examples for the whole region, all of Greece at that time.

125
00:11:14.096 --> 00:11:18.440
It was under the Roman Empire, but those are two big provinces there.

126
00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:20.461
So they became examples.

127
00:11:20.901 --> 00:11:25.085
So you became an example to all the believers in those two regions, Macedonia and Achaia.

128
00:11:25.685 --> 00:11:32.467
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia, Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere.

129
00:11:32.547 --> 00:11:39.989
So, wow, even beyond that, boldness and knowledge of what God is doing and their lives and everything, so that we need not to say anything.

130
00:11:40.449 --> 00:11:41.770
For they themselves report...

131
00:11:42.450 --> 00:11:46.975
concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols.

132
00:11:47.295 --> 00:11:59.987
So an amazing character change that they had, all these Greeks, to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

133
00:12:00.928 --> 00:12:06.292
So it says, again, it says, work of faith, labor of love, steadfastness of hope.

134
00:12:06.712 --> 00:12:16.619
So the gospel came not in word, but in the power of the Holy Spirit with full conviction, probably meaning this context radically changed lives, full of joy.

135
00:12:16.979 --> 00:12:28.987
Not that there cannot be some gifts of the Spirit or miracles, but what this text is focusing on is what we think about as category one power, a more important ministry of the Holy Spirit.

136
00:12:29.507 --> 00:12:38.351
So they received the word even in the midst of much affliction with joy, even riots and accusations and accusations about following another king could bring death.

137
00:12:38.791 --> 00:12:41.332
So this is extraordinarily serious.

138
00:12:41.732 --> 00:12:52.977
And they became examples everywhere through the whole regions, even the place where Paul is sitting now in the region of Macedonia or sorry, Achaia where Corinth is and Israel.

139
00:12:53.958 --> 00:12:58.891
And in that context, you'll see there's a lot of gifts that are being demonstrated there.

140
00:12:59.292 --> 00:13:00.796
And the people, though, in...

141
00:13:02.176 --> 00:13:04.699
Thessalonica turned from idols and they're waiting for the sun.

142
00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:10.544
So what we understand revival to be historical is when there's multiple outpourings of the Holy Spirit.

143
00:13:10.564 --> 00:13:19.212
So people's lives are radically changed in terms of holiness by use of God and society gets blessed and society gets changed in these wonderful ways.

144
00:13:19.672 --> 00:13:24.857
And so it's a context usually brought about by fasting and prayer and repentance and bold proclamation.

145
00:13:25.437 --> 00:13:26.818
So this is a revival.

146
00:13:26.878 --> 00:13:31.882
It's a kingdom of light expanding into the kingdom of darkness and changing situations.

147
00:13:32.302 --> 00:13:33.503
It happened in Thessalonica.

148
00:13:33.523 --> 00:13:37.707
It happened in Jerusalem and happens in history and all around the world.

149
00:13:38.147 --> 00:13:41.830
So this is a fantastic, incredible example.

150
00:13:41.890 --> 00:13:43.111
It doesn't mean there's not trouble.

151
00:13:43.431 --> 00:13:44.032
You got riots.

152
00:13:44.052 --> 00:13:45.913
You can have tremendous opposition.

153
00:13:45.933 --> 00:13:47.334
You can have persecution.

154
00:13:47.354 --> 00:13:51.157
When people are living in godliness, you will have persecution from time to time.

155
00:13:51.638 --> 00:13:54.320
So now you have the irony is that Paul is in Corinth

156
00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:57.881
when he was writing this letter, and he's there a longer period of time.

157
00:13:58.222 --> 00:14:06.705
But this church becomes more of a cautionary tale because of the way they're acting, which we'll see when 1 Corinthians is written later on.

158
00:14:07.146 --> 00:14:09.547
Because three or four years later from Ephesus,

159
00:14:10.788 --> 00:14:15.712
Apostle Paul writes back, and it's not such a sanguine picture there.

160
00:14:16.133 --> 00:14:30.023
So 1 Corinthians 1, 4 to 8, even though they have a lot of spiritual gifts in operation, that it says here, 1 Corinthians 1, 4 to 8, it says, I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.

161
00:14:30.864 --> 00:14:39.970
that in every way you are enriched in him and all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony about Christ was conformed among you so that you are not lacking in any gift.

162
00:14:40.411 --> 00:14:46.395
As you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless to the day of the Lord Jesus.

163
00:14:46.435 --> 00:14:52.099
So he's affirming them and saying, you've got a lot of gifts operating here and he's gonna have to explain how to do that.

164
00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:54.300
But he's also showing where they're lacking.

165
00:14:54.941 --> 00:14:57.603
So they are lacking no spiritual gift

166
00:14:58.303 --> 00:15:08.066
But then it says also here in chapter 3, 1-3, to the Corinthian church, later on it says, But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people.

167
00:15:08.487 --> 00:15:12.848
So he considered them unspiritual, even though they got all these spiritual gifts going on.

168
00:15:13.448 --> 00:15:18.750
But as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ, I fed you with milk, not with solid food.

169
00:15:18.790 --> 00:15:26.273
This is very different than how he characterized those in Thessalonica, who are an example for all those throughout the region, even beyond.

170
00:15:26.293 --> 00:15:26.633
Okay.

171
00:15:27.273 --> 00:15:46.551
For you are not ready for it And even now you are not ready For you are still of the flesh For while there is jealousy and strife among you Are you not of the flesh behaving only in a human way So they had a lot of division And if you read the first couple of chapters You'll see they're at odds with each other These are all the believers that are at odds with each other

172
00:15:47.412 --> 00:15:48.654
And you also got other problems.

173
00:15:48.694 --> 00:15:56.364
In chapter 5, it says, It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among the pagans.

174
00:15:56.865 --> 00:15:59.669
For a man has his father's wife, and you are arrogant.

175
00:16:00.170 --> 00:16:01.732
Ought you not rather to mourn?

176
00:16:02.092 --> 00:16:04.616
Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

177
00:16:05.841 --> 00:16:09.543
goes further here, and this is a very sober passage in chapter 11.

178
00:16:10.104 --> 00:16:17.388
Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

179
00:16:17.868 --> 00:16:21.811
Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

180
00:16:22.311 --> 00:16:27.472
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

181
00:16:27.932 --> 00:16:31.333
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

182
00:16:31.853 --> 00:16:33.753
He goes on to give further context.

183
00:16:34.094 --> 00:16:37.294
But what he's saying is, these people are acting so wicked here.

184
00:16:37.334 --> 00:16:47.596
You guys, they speak into the church in the city of Corinth, that they've come under judgment of God, and some of them are weak and ill, and some of them are even dead because of this.

185
00:16:47.896 --> 00:16:50.077
A strong contrast to God.

186
00:16:50.817 --> 00:17:17.565
The believers in Thessalonica So the gifts are here are abundant in chapters 12 to 14 There's so many of them you have to lay down regulations for them And these gifts are good However, they're dealing with incest They're dealing with jealousy and strife They've got arrogance instead of humbling themselves Now in the midst of this context The Apostle Paul never says to stop desiring gifts Spiritual gifts They are good and of the Lord

187
00:17:18.025 --> 00:17:24.987
1 Corinthians 12.31 says, But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way.

188
00:17:25.347 --> 00:17:31.869
And in that context, he specifically described being gifts of prophecy as opposed to lower gifts of tongues.

189
00:17:32.569 --> 00:17:36.771
And he speaks, however, that what's more important than all of that is love.

190
00:17:36.791 --> 00:17:38.631
That is good Christian character.

191
00:17:39.332 --> 00:17:43.493
A fruit that comes out through Category 1, power of the Holy Spirit.

192
00:17:44.093 --> 00:17:53.482
He says here in chapter 13, and you know this is very famous, he says, If I speak of the tongues of men and of angels, but I'll not have love, I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

193
00:17:53.982 --> 00:18:01.970
And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I have nothing.

194
00:18:02.390 --> 00:18:08.816
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

195
00:18:08.836 --> 00:18:09.377
Okay.

196
00:18:09.618 --> 00:18:18.119
And it says in first verse of 14, pursue love and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

197
00:18:19.152 --> 00:18:24.457
So in no way, shape or form is it bad or should these gifts not be pursued?

198
00:18:24.677 --> 00:18:25.698
They absolutely are.

199
00:18:26.258 --> 00:18:34.125
But Thessalonians, they had love, faith, endurance, turning away from idols and believing sound doctrine.

200
00:18:34.505 --> 00:18:40.510
Whereas Corinth, they're manifesting a lot of their gifts, but they're still in the flesh and unspiritual.

201
00:18:40.930 --> 00:18:46.255
Imagine that they have all the spiritual gifts going on, quite dramatic, but unspiritual.

202
00:18:46.755 --> 00:18:49.237
So we don't want to confuse the two.

203
00:18:49.677 --> 00:18:54.501
And Jesus even warns us not to confuse the two in a Sermon on the Mount.

204
00:18:54.961 --> 00:19:03.908
In a very important passage in Matthew 7, 21 to 23, Jesus says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

205
00:19:04.368 --> 00:19:07.029
but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

206
00:19:07.529 --> 00:19:16.912
On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?

207
00:19:17.692 --> 00:19:20.473
And then will I declare to them, I never knew you.

208
00:19:20.493 --> 00:19:23.034
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

209
00:19:23.474 --> 00:19:26.895
So you see these keys here that point to what the Lord values here, obedience.

210
00:19:27.035 --> 00:19:27.635
Obedience.

211
00:19:28.315 --> 00:19:30.637
And the first commandment is to love the Lord.

212
00:19:30.677 --> 00:19:31.878
Second is to love other people.

213
00:19:32.439 --> 00:19:40.686
And you pull up how it's contrasting these gifts or these ministries, these miraculous activities with what really matters.

214
00:19:40.706 --> 00:19:43.749
Because he says, not all those who call to him Lord, Lord.

215
00:19:43.789 --> 00:19:45.030
So that means obedience.

216
00:19:45.310 --> 00:19:48.693
So they're saying Lord, Lord, but they're not living him as Lord.

217
00:19:49.254 --> 00:19:52.356
Also, it says, let's see, it says,

218
00:19:53.297 --> 00:20:12.056
That, oh, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness So that's what the Lord was valuing That would have kept them close to him But because they're workers of lawlessness Even though they did these miraculous things They are to be put out So again, we see this in Luke 10

219
00:20:12.897 --> 00:20:18.840
Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

220
00:20:19.341 --> 00:20:25.784
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

221
00:20:26.305 --> 00:20:29.426
So again, he's wanting to tell them what matters most.

222
00:20:29.887 --> 00:20:36.991
It's not the phenomena that the ultimate test, but devotion, doing our heavenly Father's will, our names written in heaven.

223
00:20:37.891 --> 00:20:45.356
Now, what's incredible is 300 years ago, this same question was going around in New England.

224
00:20:45.857 --> 00:20:51.240
And Jonathan Edwards even wrote a treatise on it called The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God.

225
00:20:51.701 --> 00:20:58.926
And he lays out that, though there are phenomena in meetings sometimes, and they happen in some of Jonathan Edwards' meetings as a pastor in Connecticut,

226
00:20:59.506 --> 00:21:13.734
However, what really tells you whether this is an important move of God is the change in lives, increasing devotion to Jesus Christ, the love for God, love for others, change in character.

227
00:21:14.114 --> 00:21:24.219
That is what really tells you what is an ultimate move of God, even though there might be some genuine spiritual gifts and some even sometimes demonic situations there.

228
00:21:24.499 --> 00:21:25.520
So the revival story.

229
00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:29.223
And the Great Awakening came under attack because some weird things were happening.

230
00:21:29.263 --> 00:21:33.347
And Edward says, don't worry about how much of that stuff is happening.

231
00:21:33.567 --> 00:21:34.348
Just don't worry.

232
00:21:34.628 --> 00:21:38.752
Just look and see are there changed lives or not and live that way.

233
00:21:39.513 --> 00:21:41.235
So I explain a lot of this.

234
00:21:41.415 --> 00:21:48.181
And if you go to ChristianUnion.org slash seven keys, kind of 20 videos that go into how the kingdom of the kingdom.

235
00:21:49.662 --> 00:21:52.043
of God is advanced in society.

236
00:21:52.603 --> 00:21:56.143
So category one power is change in character.

237
00:21:56.263 --> 00:22:03.825
It's power to proclaim the gospel, conviction, boldness, strength to obey, produce supernatural love.

238
00:22:03.885 --> 00:22:06.445
And this is prophesied in Ezekiel 36.

239
00:22:06.806 --> 00:22:11.046
There it says that the Holy Spirit will come and give us the strength to obey God's rules.

240
00:22:11.486 --> 00:22:14.947
And his God's rules, his commandments are beautiful and wonderful.

241
00:22:15.007 --> 00:22:17.568
So this is the power that Thessalonica had

242
00:22:19.549 --> 00:22:22.273
after the spring of 50 AD.

243
00:22:22.893 --> 00:22:30.043
Now, category two, again, is tongues and dreams, visions, words of knowledge, prophecy, deliverance, miracles, et cetera.

244
00:22:30.164 --> 00:22:30.784
It is real.

245
00:22:31.485 --> 00:22:32.627
This is in the book of Acts.

246
00:22:32.968 --> 00:22:34.169
It's happened in the early church.

247
00:22:34.309 --> 00:22:34.870
It happens...

248
00:22:35.491 --> 00:22:37.292
today is not forbidden.

249
00:22:37.452 --> 00:22:39.093
We're to eagerly desire it.

250
00:22:39.693 --> 00:22:50.379
And just a previous episode, we shared the story of Nathaniel Miller, a student at Dartmouth, who had a healing of his leg, and it helped bring him to faith in Jesus Christ.

251
00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:52.480
So it's very important.

252
00:22:52.820 --> 00:22:55.661
And I thank God for these wonderful demonstrations.

253
00:22:56.422 --> 00:23:01.884
However, Category 1 outranks Category 2, as we saw here in a number of different ways.

254
00:23:01.984 --> 00:23:02.305
And the

255
00:23:03.225 --> 00:23:06.751
Christians in Corinth were still infants, even though they were very...

256
00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:10.899
gift-oriented or gift-capable.

257
00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:22.802
So what we've got to remember today in the West in some circles, I think because of the Pentecostal movement, which has so much value to it, a lot of people think that there's a lot of healings happening.

258
00:23:22.822 --> 00:23:27.843
I think of even the so-called healing revival that happened in Lakeland, Florida, a number of years ago.

259
00:23:28.364 --> 00:23:35.725
It was a place in time where some healings happened, and the minister there was carnal and had a lot of problems there.

260
00:23:38.906 --> 00:23:42.488
You have ministers or others who are not walking with the Lord as they should.

261
00:23:42.968 --> 00:23:47.110
But it doesn't mean it was a revival in the classic sense, the best sense of the word.

262
00:23:47.490 --> 00:23:51.552
It simply means there are a lot of healings and there can be a lot of prophecies and there can be a lot of deliverances.

263
00:23:52.333 --> 00:23:57.556
So we should be very cautious about what we understand revival to be.

264
00:23:57.716 --> 00:23:57.956
So.

265
00:23:59.377 --> 00:24:02.319
Let's think about what we want for America.

266
00:24:02.760 --> 00:24:08.324
And we can think about sometimes we can see a spectacle in some of our meetings.

267
00:24:08.984 --> 00:24:13.108
And we don't want to make the spectacle itself, even though spiritual gifts are part of it.

268
00:24:13.428 --> 00:24:17.531
Sometimes we want respectability and we won't press in hard.

269
00:24:17.691 --> 00:24:25.157
And even when a riot may come out of it, sometimes when you're doing the right thing, following God and you're living in holiness, there may be a riot.

270
00:24:25.717 --> 00:24:35.684
And I love that quote, which some attribute to an English bishop that said, how come it was with the Apostle Paul, wherever he went, there were riots or revival.

271
00:24:36.225 --> 00:24:37.946
And wherever I go, they serve tea.

272
00:24:38.526 --> 00:24:50.155
And that is something to take in because if things are going forth, if the gospel is going forth, if we're coming in the power of the Holy Spirit and lives are changing, it will create turmoil so much of the time.

273
00:24:50.855 --> 00:24:57.239
So God is not asking us in this country to wait till things get darker, where there's even more problem.

274
00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:06.364
There's more madness on the sexual front and other fronts in our country and divisiveness or people become even more lovers of self and pleasure.

275
00:25:06.685 --> 00:25:10.247
He can rescue us now if we turn to him, if we seek him.

276
00:25:11.828 --> 00:25:16.770
Not as convenient, but as he required, as he wants us, not just what is comfortable.

277
00:25:17.370 --> 00:25:19.892
And I encourage you to look at DanielSpirituality.org.

278
00:25:19.992 --> 00:25:32.818
It's a level of prayer and fasting and repentance that is much stronger than the typical Americans today, even though in history people sought the Lord at that very high level in this nation and in other nations around the world.

279
00:25:32.858 --> 00:25:34.179
People take a lot of time.

280
00:25:34.679 --> 00:25:45.165
And here in New York City, where I am, we have a young professionals ministry with Christian Union, and we're doing an all-night prayer tomorrow, and it's our first one to do, getting people in action.

281
00:25:45.346 --> 00:25:46.806
About 25 have signed up.

282
00:25:46.846 --> 00:25:53.390
We'll see if most last all night, and there are times for extraordinary pressing in for power and authority and strengthening.

283
00:25:53.851 --> 00:25:55.992
Also, we are on an extended fast.

284
00:25:56.472 --> 00:25:58.854
Some are doing a water fast as part of it.

285
00:25:58.874 --> 00:26:01.355
Some are going longer and doing liquid-only fasts.

286
00:26:01.375 --> 00:26:03.016
Some are doing 40-day liquid-only.

287
00:26:04.157 --> 00:26:07.939
are doing different kinds of fasts, but we need that, that helps us to be strong.

288
00:26:08.399 --> 00:26:16.623
So I encourage you to look at some of the other content, the other Abinnet broadcasts, Seven Keys contact, et cetera.

289
00:26:17.023 --> 00:26:19.884
So I encourage you to change your own life.

290
00:26:20.345 --> 00:26:23.546
Start now, raise your level of seeking the Lord.

291
00:26:23.846 --> 00:26:25.067
Go to Christian conferences.

292
00:26:25.427 --> 00:26:28.509
Christian Union, we host CU Fire Retrieves from time to time.

293
00:26:28.549 --> 00:26:30.411
We'll be doing them again here soon.

294
00:26:30.451 --> 00:26:31.752
Look on our website for that.

295
00:26:32.352 --> 00:26:36.996
And we also sponsor Fast twice a year, and August and January.

296
00:26:38.103 --> 00:26:41.645
and do a lot to help people get stronger, have a lot of resource videos, et cetera.

297
00:26:41.705 --> 00:26:44.086
So this is my hope.

298
00:26:44.486 --> 00:26:50.729
And remember we're in a wartime mindset here while we're on this earth, we've got plenty of R&R while we're in heaven.

299
00:26:50.989 --> 00:26:56.471
We get times for break, but we've got to keep a wartime posture and mindset as believers, we are soldiers.

300
00:26:56.511 --> 00:26:58.792
We're the hardworking farmers here.

301
00:26:58.832 --> 00:27:01.774
And by the grace of God, we want to be used by him in this life.

302
00:27:02.214 --> 00:27:07.056
We only have so many days and months and years to give to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

303
00:27:07.516 --> 00:27:11.897
So may the Lord bless us as he has in past years in this country.

304
00:27:12.257 --> 00:27:13.978
And may we see a great in-gathering.

305
00:27:14.058 --> 00:27:16.218
May we see lives radically changed.

306
00:27:16.278 --> 00:27:19.639
May we see so many people healed and blessed and changed.

307
00:27:19.679 --> 00:27:24.821
So a real revival go forth, even though we welcome and appreciate spiritual gifts.

308
00:27:25.681 --> 00:27:28.002
May we focus on what matters most to the Lord.

309
00:27:28.322 --> 00:27:31.346
I am going by the grace of God, seeking him day and night.

310
00:27:31.686 --> 00:27:33.729
And please join with me and join with many others.

311
00:27:34.189 --> 00:27:35.050
The Lord bless you.

312
00:27:35.210 --> 00:27:36.272
Father, give us grace.

313
00:27:36.432 --> 00:27:37.793
Lord, help us, strengthen us.

314
00:27:38.134 --> 00:27:39.375
May we be devout for you.

315
00:27:39.395 --> 00:27:41.037
May we be faithful to you.

316
00:27:41.057 --> 00:27:42.959
May we love the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

317
00:27:43.340 --> 00:27:44.902
In his name we pray, amen.

318
00:27:45.907 --> 00:27:50.251
Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Bennett Broadcast.

319
00:27:50.631 --> 00:27:57.256
To learn more and find additional resources to help you grow in your walk with God, visit BennettBroadcast.com.

320
00:27:57.737 --> 00:28:04.222
To accelerate this movement of helping America return to God, visit ChristianUnion.org slash Cornerstone.

321
00:28:04.843 --> 00:28:07.125
Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

322
00:28:07.465 --> 00:28:13.510
And I hope you'll join me again as we seek the Lord together for our lives, for our communities, and for the future of the nation.