The Coming Outpouring

Pastor Pete Beck III • April 3, 2020

A couple of nights ago I was awake in the middle of the night; so, I did some praying as I lay in bed. At some point, whether awake or dreaming, I believe I heard the Spirit speak to me, “It’s coming.” I responded, “What’s coming?” I immediately heard, “My outpouring.” I do not believe I made this up.

Yesterday a friend made me aware of a prophecy given by David Wilkerson back in 1986. He was a prophet who lived in New York City. Here is what he said.

“I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars, churches and government will shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”

Many have been praying for God to send an awakening to our nation and the world for a long time. I was privileged to come to Christ during the last great move of God in our country back in the 60s and 70s. I know what such a time can be like. Thousands, if not millions, were swept into the kingdom of God during what some called the Jesus Movement. During times of awakening or revival, God makes people receptive to the gospel. It is easy to lead people to Christ. We need that to happen again.

The late sixties were turbulent times. We were in the middle of the Vietnam War. Hippies were in vogue. “Free love” was being introduced, breaking down long held sexual mores. Woodstock and other rock concerts were making news. Protests were taking place on college campuses and in our cities. There was violence and racial unrest. Some leaders were assassinated. The Communist underground was hard at work trying to undermine the nation. It was bad, but in the midst of all that God chose to pour out his Spirit. People were coming to Christ and being baptized in the Spirit by the droves.

We live in such a time now. We are in the midst of terrible disunity and political turmoil. Enemies of our nation are hard at work. Our government, media and education system often are guilty of suppressing truth and spreading propaganda. The prophet Isaiah wrote long ago words that fit today.

For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. 13  We know we have rebelled and have denied the LORD. We have turned our backs on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. 14  Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. 15  Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. Isaiah 59:12-15 (NLT)

Since we are going through such a time, I have wondered if this were not a precursor to revival. I believe it is.

God is preparing people to receive him. He is stripping away some of what people have trusted in more than God. He is making us realize that we were never meant to live apart from God. We are not equipped to handle life that way. We were created to thrive in a joyful dependence and partnership with God’s Spirit, which is available to us through Christ. The gospel is the Good News that, if we put our allegiance and trust in Jesus, we can experience what God intended from the beginning.

People need the Lord. We need to be forgiven and reconciled to him. We need the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We need another Great Awakening.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, have mercy on our nation and the world. Use this pandemic to wake us up to our great need for you. Pour out your Spirit upon all mankind. Pour out a gift of repentance. Open our hearts to the truth of the gospel. Reveal Jesus to people. Let your Spirit sweep over the world like a giant spiritual tsunami, gathering millions of people into your kingdom. Let us be a part of that. Fill and empower your church to be bold and fearless Gospel proclaimers. Amen.

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

By Pete Beck III • December 3, 2024
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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