A Kingdom of God Revolution is a move of God that so impacts people with the love and grace of God that they can’t help but take the Gospel of the Kingdom into all facets of the culture and as a result, transform society. It is not limited to pastors and missionaries but rather, men and women of any vocation who have caught the fire of God. A Kingdom revolutionary is one compelled to share and invite persons to encounter God in their lives.
A revival is a “surprising work of God” (Jonathan Edwards) over a group of people. Revivals often spark a Kingdom of God Revolution that moves into the local community and spreads throughout a nation or nations.
Revivals and Revolutions in the Bible
The Bible is our most important template for revival and revolution as I am explaining it. In my previous two blogs, I have written about the national revivals and consequent national spiritual revolutions of Josiah found in 2 Kings 22-23 and last week, Nehemiah and Ezra in Nehemiah 8-13.
The Early Church (Book of Acts)
The early church experienced a revival in Acts 2. One hundred twenty frightened disciples of Jesus were holed up in Jerusalem when, suddenly a “sound like a rushing wind” swept through the upper room and the Spirit was poured out, and “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” A crowd quickly formed, and Peter preached the Gospel and three thousand people were saved. The revival continued for weeks as more and more Jews in Jerusalem were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke describes the continuous revival,
“And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed” (Acts 5:12-16).
But this revival spilled into the whole region! This local revival became a Kingdom of God Revolution that swept into Samaria (Acts 8), Joppa (Acts 9), Caesarea (Acts 10), Antioch (Acts 11), Cyprus (Acts 13), and Asia Minor (Acts 13-17). By the time the believers reach Thessalonica, the movement is being noticed by government and religious leaders throughout the Roman provinces, to such a degree that the authorities remark, “These men who have upset the world have now come here” (17:6). This revolution of the Kingdom continued to spread like a wildfire as far as Rome, Italy (Acts 28). Such is a Kingdom of God Revolution!
May we make it our prayer that God would so visit America again with a revival that grows into a Kingdom of God Revolution. It is this pastor’s prayer.
Pastor Steve Holt
