REVIVAL! Will it happen again?

Twenty seven years ago when I was living in Portland Oregon, there was a huge movement of the Spirit in the churches. It was a Revival! We haven't seen that since. Many believe it is necessary and must happen again to prepare the "Bride of Christ" for His Return, that there will be a harvest of souls, healings and miracles.

I Corinthians 12 (NKJV) states:

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another  discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

My favorite story I like to tell, is when I was "Slain in the Spirit" in 1995. I was 18 years old. I went up to the altar and the college pastor laid hands on me and started praying. Soon enough, I fell backward onto the floor, and no one caught me! At the old church, there were hard wood floors. I had a headache for a week. I guess God was really trying to get through to me! There has unfortunately been a lot of controversy over the years about Charismatic churches. We have seen some bizarre and almost satanic behavior come out of some of the well known Evangelical churches, and it's a shame. The devil always tries to counterfeit. Let's talk about Pentecost. This occurred 50 days after Jesus Ascended to Heaven, after His Crucifixion. The 12 disciples were being prepared to go out into the world and begin their ministries.

Acts 2:

1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Video Clip ~ Day Of Pentecost ~ The Bible Series

"Pentecost" according to Wikipedia:

In Judaism the Festival of Weeks (Hebrew: שבועות, romanized: Shavuot) is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread) in Deuteronomy 16:9 or seven weeks and one day after the Sabbath referred to in Leviticus 23:16. The Festival of Weeks is also called the feast of Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the day of first fruits in Numbers 28:26. In Exodus 34:22 it is called the "firstfruits of the wheat harvest." The date for the "Feast of Weeks" originally came the day after seven full weeks following the first harvest of grain. In Jewish tradition the fiftieth day was known as the Festival of Weeks. The actual mention of fifty days comes from Leviticus 23:16.

During the Hellenistic period, the ancient harvest festival also became a day of renewing the Noahic covenant, described in Genesis 9:8-17, which is established between God and "all flesh that is upon the earth". By this time, some Jews were already living in Diaspora. According to Acts 2:5-11 there were Jews from "every nation under heaven" in Jerusalem, possibly visiting the city as pilgrims during Pentecost. In particular the hoi epidemountes (οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες) are identified as "visitors" to Jerusalem from Rome. This group of visitors includes both Jews and "proselytes" (προσήλυτος, prosēlytos); sometimes translated as "converts to Judaism", proselyte referred to non-Jews who adhered fully to the Mosaic laws, including circumcision. The list of places represented in the biblical text includes 

Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, "Judaea", Cappadocia, Pontus, "Asia", Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Cyrene, and Rome. Scholars have speculated about a possible earlier literary source for the list of nations including an astrological list by Paul of Alexandria and various references to the Jewish diaspora by writers of the Second Temple era (particularly Philo of Alexandria).

After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD offerings could no longer be brought to the Temple and the focus of the festival shifted from agriculture to the Israelites receiving the Torah (the Five Books of Moses or the Law at Sinai). It became customary to gather at synagogue, stay up all night learning Torah, and reading from the Torah the Ten Commandments and the Israelites acceptance of and promise to live by the Torah.

During that time of Renewal and Revival in the Northwest, there was great Worship music that came out. It began with Vineyard Music Canada.

"Light The Fire Again" ~ Vineyard Music

"His Banner Over Me" ~ Vineyard Music

"The River Is Here" ~ Vineyard Music

 

"We're Going Up To The High Places" ~ Ron Kenoly

"Mourning Into Dancing" ~ Ron Kenoly

"Ancient Of Days" ~ Ron Kenoly

Habakkuk 2:2-3

Write the vision 

And make it plain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time;

But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

Though it tarries, wait for it;

Because it will surely come,

It will not tarry.

* Bonus: (My first documentary (on Hi8 tape) filmed in Portland in 2001. "Probability" 

Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the world after September 11th )