Revival and Reformation, Part 1 * Dutch Sheets * GiveHIM15 * 2/01/2024 - Insight

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• • 6 min read       https://www.givehim15.com/post/february-1-2024

February 1, 2024

 

Revival and Reformation, Part 1

 

 

 

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name, they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’” (Mark 16:15-18 NASB)

 

 

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”’ (Matthew 28:18-20 NASB)

 

 

Last week, my brother, Tim Sheets, said Holy Spirit told him reformation would begin in 2024 (Link here). Others are now confirming this, having heard Holy Spirit tell them the same thing. This means revival must also go to another level of strength, for God intends the two to work in tandem.

 

 

The “Great Commission” of Mark 16 is the restoring of people back to God‘s family - salvation. The “Great Commission” of Matthew 28 is the restoring of a people’s thinking back to the ways of God - discipleship. The first (Mark 16) changes people’s nature - who they are - transforming their spirit. The latter (Matthew 28) changes their thoughts and actions - how they live - transforming their soul (mind, emotions, and will). God not only wants kids; He wants them to become mature sons and daughters who know His ways and think His thoughts, enabling them to represent Him. When Mark’s commission occurs in mass, resulting in the salvation of many people, we call this revival; when Matthew’s commission occurs in mass, resulting in societal change - government, laws, morals, education, culture, etc. - we call it a reformation.

 

 

These two commissions will never be fully understood without a clear understanding of Genesis 1, for they are actually recommissions of what took place then. Jesus came to restore -  restart, rebirth, revive, redeem, recover, reform, refill, and recommission. It is only logical, therefore, that we must go back to the beginning in order to understand what he is restoring and recommissioning us to.

 

 

In the first chapter of Genesis, God created a new planet in His universal kingdom: Earth. It would become home for the family He was soon to create. For five days, He transformed this home. I love the glimpses of His heart as He progressed. After each day’s work, God said the progress was “good.” Why would He say this? The Lord certainly wasn’t bragging, patting Himself on the back for a job well done. Nor was He surprised - “Wow, this is turning out really well.” No, Yahweh was stating His pleasure, His satisfaction in what was occurring, just as an expectant mom and dad might do when preparing their nursery.

 

 

Abba’s pleasure increased to its highest level, however, after creating His human family. In His sixth pronouncement that what He had created was good, the Architect added a word: “This is very good” (Genesis 1:31). That one word practically leaps off the page at me. Can’t you hear the satisfied heart of Creator God in this statement? His plan was coming together, and like a proud parent standing over a newborn baby, Papa God was savoring the moment.

 

 

Initiating the Sabbath was actually another indicator of his pleasure. When God had finished creating, He “rested” (Genesis 2:2). The word shabath does indeed mean “cease from work,” but it is also used figuratively for celebrating. In much the same way that we celebrate certain days, holidays for example, by resting from work, this is one concept of shabath. How about that! On the seventh day, God stopped working and celebrated! Father God was so excited about His family that He decided the occasion would be commemorated with a weekly “rest and celebration day.” This puts a new twist on the Sabbath. Every seventh day, we should rest and celebrate our membership in God‘s family.

 

 

Creator made this family in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). The Hebrew word for ‘image’ is tselem, which involves the concept of a shadow, a phantom, or an illusion.(2) An illusion is something you think you see, but on closer observation, discover that your eyes have tricked you. When the rest of creation saw Adam or Eve, they must have done a double-take, thinking: For a moment, I thought it was God, but it's only Adam.

 

 

We are also told that they were similar to or comparable to God. The Hebrew word demuwth, translated as “likeness” in Genesis 1:26, comes from the root word damah, meaning “to compare.”(3) Adam and Eve, at creation, were very much like God, filled with His life, nature, and Spirit. They were family. He who had innumerable angels serving Him was not satisfied. God desired sons and daughters; He also wanted companions for His Son. To satisfy this, He created a new “species,” in His image and likeness, far different than the angels. 

 

 

Then came two commissions or mandates. Commission One: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). “Reproduce! I have placed in you the ability to multiply My image and likeness,” He was saying! “And I want a big family!” Just let that sink in: God gave humans the ability to reproduce and multiply eternal images and likenesses of Himself! Astounding! What a privilege and what a responsibility.

 

 

Then came Commission Two: “Rule over…all the earth…over every living thing that moves on the Earth” (Genesis 1:26-28). Psalm 8:6 restates the mandate, “Thou doest make him to rule over the works of thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet.”

 

 

Each verse uses a different Hebrew word for “rule,” translated as “dominion,” in other versions of the Scriptures. The Genesis verses use radah,(4) Psalm 8 uses mashal.(5) Both words convey the concept of dominion, management, government, or rule. Adam and Eve were commissioned to govern or manage Earth, their home, for themselves and Creator God. They did not “own” Earth; they were delegated stewardship and governance for the Owner and Creator, Yahweh. “You will manage your new home, this new colony of heaven.” Obviously, they were to do so under His headship and rule, implementing the principles of His Kingdom, not according to their own dictates.

 

 

We know this plan was interrupted at the fall. When Adam sinned, he lost the image, likeness, and Spirit of God; he also lost his dominion, the delegated authority to manage Earth; and God lost His family. (God did NOT lose ownership of the Earth, for He had never given that to Adam, nor did He lose HIS personal authority over the Earth; we humans lost our delegated authority, which had now been transferred to satan.)

 

 

These two losses are what Jesus came to restore: 1) God’s family and 2) their lost dominion or governance of Earth.

 

 

We will pick up here tomorrow.

 

 

 

Pray with me:

 

Father, we know revival has begun. It is in its beginning stages here in America, though in some parts of the world, multitudes are coming to You. Increase it here and around the world. Save a billion souls. Here in this nation, we know we will experience the fullness of revival before You are finished. We thank You for the increase coming this year. Unleash the full-force power of the gospel and confirm it with signs, wonders, and miracles.

 

You have said reformation will begin this year, stating that the overall ekklesia, the church, and local expressions of Your ekklesia are now prepared and ready. You said angels have been dispatched to assist us, that the impossible will occur, and the unchangeable will change. So we ask You for this. Revive, reform, and restore America.

 

Revive Asia. Revive the Middle East. Let this revival break out all over the world. We call for the coming of Your Kingdom, and the accomplishing of Your will here and throughout the earth, as it is in heaven. Multiplied power, multiplied deliverances, multiplied salvations. Being this forth.

 

And as You instructed us, we pray for the protection of our waterways, dams, reservoirs, and ports. Protect them from evil. Expose any planned attacks against them. We pray for Texas as they make a stand to protect their and our borders. Bring this to a righteous and lawful conclusion. We pray all of this in the mighty name of Yeshua. Amen.

 

 

Our decree:

 

We decree that 2024 is a year of revival and reformation.

 

 

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Click on the link below to watch the full video.

 

 

 

 

 

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 7673.

2. Spiros Zodhiates, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible - New American Standard (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984; revised edition, 1990), p. 1768.

3. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. No. 1819.

4. Ibid., ref. no. 7287.

5. Ibid., ref. no. 4910.