Culture of Restoration

Pastor Mike Hendon

• How you perceive, understand, and interpret
your world is called a paradigm.
• This ‘model’ is created by and large by the
culture around us—we all think with an
American/western mentality.
• Today we ‘sell’ Christianity the way Coke sells
its’ product—after all it’s the real thing!
• For the Christian, the Bible is the ONLY
paradigm—the model for perceiving,
understanding, and interpreting life.
• The ‘shift’ we are now experiencing is bringing
people to the Word of God and giving us a
whole new context from which to live our
lives.
• The name for this “shift” is REVIVAL.
• The purpose of this revival is RESTORATION!
• The ultimate end of this restoration is that
God is looking for a “witness” in power and
demonstration so He can wrap this up and
finish His plan that has been thousands of
years in waiting.
• In Church culture our paradigm has been
forgiveness, but again, the shift is now and will
be restoration.
• Restoration is MORE than forgiveness—for
this restoration goes beyond ME and MY
world into ALL the world.
• “Beloved, I now write to you this second
epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure
minds by way of reminder), that you may be
mindful of the words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets, and of the
commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord
and Savior, knowing this first…”
• 2 Peter 3:1-3
Talks about delay
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as
some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance”
(extension of mercy)
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night…” (unannounced)
• God’s prophets all saw this “day of the Lord”
• They also saw the things leading UP TO this
day.
• Nothing ever took God or His people by
surprise.
• For example look at Daniel the young prophet
of God brought into Babylonian captivity as
spoken by Jeremiah.
• “in the first year of his reign I, Daniel,
understood by the books the number of the
years specified by the word of the LORD
through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of
Jerusalem” Dan.9:2
• After 70 years of Babylonian captivity Israel
was going to be restored to the land and the
land back to them.
• Daniel got stirred about this: “Then I set my
face toward the Lord God to make request by
prayer and supplications, with fasting,
sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed…”
• By Daniel’s prayer he was looking toward and
hastening unto this coming restoration.
• He would not see it all in his lifetime, but he
“saw” it and laid the groundwork for it.
• “Therefore, since all these things will be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought you
to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking
for and hastening the coming of the day of
God…” 2 Pet.3:11-12
• We are to be “looking” for the second coming.
That means it is an EXPECTATION!
• How can we do this when we know what this
“day” brings? Because we know it is the final
and complete restoration of ALL things.
• Peter quoted Joel on the day of Pentecost:
• ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
• This was a “partial” fulfillment.
• The rest of that prophecy is:
• And I will show wonders in the heavens and in
the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and
awesome day of the LORD. Joel 2:30-31
• Thank God for the “early rain” on the day of
Pentecost. But we are now “by the books”
heading into the “latter rain” which is going to
bring a CHAIN REACTION!
• 1. Intensive intercession is sweeping across
the church RIGHT NOW!
• 2. In answer to that cry earth shaking revival is
being released. POWER from on high.
• 3. Culminating in the second coming of Jesus.
• How will we see this second coming?
• By participating in REVIVAL
• How will we participate in this revival?
• Intensive intercession
• How do I get motivated for intercession?
• By focusing on the second coming!
• This is how WE as the church LOOK and
HASTEN the coming of the Lord.
• Can the CHURCH really hasten the day?
• We have seen how it has been slowed down,
but the wind is blowing again!
• Revelation 7 is unfolding before our eyes and
it is time to trim your lamps and be restored.
• Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will
cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
“ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming
locust has eaten,
• We need this restoration and we need it
NOW! SO much is riding on your restoration:
• For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God. Ro.8:19