It’s Happening-Chapter 4

Follow the Pathway

Excerpts from Chapter 4 It’s Happening by William McDowell.

John G. Lake and the Invitation

McDowell starts this chapter sharing about the ministry of revivalist John G. Lake. In five years Lake planted 625 churches and raised up 1,250 preachers in Africa. Lake moved to Spokane, WA and started Healing Rooms, there were over 100,000 miracles in five years. Secular newspapers reported that Spokane was the healthiest city in the world. McDowell then states at Deeper Fellowship Church they have seen more than 200 miracles in less than two years. He states they are only seeing a glimpse of what God wants to do.

McDowell is convinced God wants to use more than Deeper Fellowship Church to bring revival to America, the invitation is extended to all.

“But the invitation is connected to something we don’t like to talk about anymore. The invitation to seeing perpetual outpouring of God in this generation is connected to repentance. Outpouring happens only for those who are willing to give themselves completely to God, and this happens through the vehicle of repentance.”

McDowell states if we are unwilling to let go of things that obscure our view of God, or obstinate about the things required of us, then revival will have an expiration date. He says we have a choice whether revival lives as a legacy or dies as a headstone.

Legacy or Headstone

McDowell says some revivals sparked lasting movements and others died.”The revivals that have headstones are the ones that have a definitive start and a definitive end but leave no lasting legacy. Revival can have a legacy. Some awakenings become perpetual and create a culture and don’t just mark a moment in time.”

Repentance is the Pathway

“If you were to ask people if they want revival, the overwhelming answer would be yes. However, there is a pathway to revival and that is repentance. Repentance is a pathway to righteousness, mercy, salvation, and restoration, and it is a pathway to revival.”

McDowell speaks of Isaiah. He says: “Isaiah’s encounter did not happen because of what Isaiah was doing. God showed up because God wanted Isaiah to see and experience him. Isaiah saw the majesty of God because God decided it was time. Isaiah says ‘I am doomed for I’m a sinful man. I have filthy lips. That’s in verse 5. He became aware that in the light of God’s holiness, he was not holy.'”

“There’s something about being in the presence of God that unlocks an awareness of our gross separation from the holiness of God. Outside of God’s presence, we may feel confident that we know about God and his ways. Some of us have been trained in Christian traditions from young ages, but it all flies out the window when our humanity comes in contact with God’s divinity.”

Isaiah has the heart of search me, God know my heart. Isaiah did not want anything blocking what God wanted to do in his life.

God is calling us to greater things by giving us a glimpse of His glory like He did with Isaiah, and He will test our humility.

We Are Unworthy

McDowell says on our own we are unworthy to be carriers of a move of God. But the good news is that through relationship with Jesus we are made righteous.

McDowell: “God is inviting us to decide if we want to see the glimpse of glory transform into a perpetual legacy of revival, or should he just put a headstone at the place we think our formula brought his presence. Hear me by the Spirit of God.”

“When the Lord asks if we are still hungry, he should not get a flippant response. He is asking us this question so we can say, search me, oh God. Is there anything in me that’s blocking the reality of what you want to do? Why? Because what God wants to do among us is so much greater than what we’ve seen.”

Testimonials-Stories of the River

McDowell shares about a supernatural healing. One of the church volunteers at a church conference experienced a stroke in the past and had very obvious paralysis. She got prayed for and was healed of her paralysis. She was jumping, leaping, and praising God.

“Every single Sunday Pam is a physical reminder that “It’s Happening.”

Righteous Envy

Coveting the move of God. McDowell mentioned that a friend was hearing all about the things going on at Deeper Fellowship Church and said he had ‘righteous envy’. What he was meaning is that when you see God is doing something for someone else or in someplace else it causes a desire to see Him do the same thing in you. “Sometimes you don’t know you want something until you see it.”

“There needs to be something that rises up in you and causes you to declare, if God is doing it anywhere, he can do it here in my home, my church, and my community. God will sometimes use others to do extraordinary things to cause you to long for those kinds of miracles yourself. He’ll put you in circles and rooms of people who operate in ways you know you are called to operate in, ways that you know God has shown you.”

“Sometimes God blesses somebody with the blessing he promised you to show you that you need to get into alignment.” “Righteous envy can be frustrating, but what will you do with your frustration? Will you be mad at God or will you repent? God is doing things in the earth to make you jealous, things that will stir your desire for him to move in your life in such a way that when you see somebody sick, you have enough boldness to pray for them. We are seeing a powerless generation because we are running away from the very gift God has given us, the gift called repentance. Repentance is an invitation to stay.”

“But scripture says it’s in the presence of the Lord that we find a fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. This means if you go outside of God to find pleasure, that’s probably where you need to repent. God is near.”

What McDowell is saying is that if you are experiencing conviction, it is coming personally from God. He is saying that if we feel guilty about doing something, God is there in that situation, and instead of running to something that gives pleasure to get rid of the guilt, to repent and fully enter into God’s presence,

Repentance

“Repentance is a hard teaching for those of us in this generation. We don’t like to feel bad about anything. If anything makes us feel bad, then we want to stop engaging in that activity and start doing something that gives us pleasure.”

“Repentance is a gift from God. It is an invitation from God for salvation, righteousness, mercy, restoration, and revival. God is not interested in a generation showing up to attend the revival.”

“God wants revival to be in you. Revival is not a show put on by a few anointed people. Revival is something that happens in your spirit, man.”

“Revival is something that happens on the inside of you and it is contagious. You cannot be near the fire and not feel it. Worship does not replace repentance.”

McDowell says God is not a narcissistic God that needs our worship. “God really does not care how high we lift our hands or how loud we sing if we don’t mean it. God is not interested in ritual. He’s interested in relationship.”

Revival in You

McDowell says: “God is not looking for people who are going through the motions of revival, the motions of outpouring, doing what they think he wants to see, saying what they think he wants to hear. God is looking for those who say, God, search me. If there’s anything in me that offends you, take it from me.”

“If there’s anything in me that offends you, take it out of me, so you will bring revival in me.”

Exposure

“There are times and seasons when God and his mercy will expose things that are hindering our relationship with him, and we hate exposure. But if God can’t get our attention in private, or you won’t honor him enough in private, he may expose you in public so that you return to him.”

“We can’t hide anything from God, so we try to hide our sin from one another.”

The Ugly Side of Revival
This is not specifically in the book “It’s Happening” but it lines up with what is being said. Everybody wants the good side of revival, a move of God, signs and wonders, lives transformed, salvations, etc. But there is what may be called the ‘ugly side’ or ‘dirty side’ of revival, God exposing and dealing with unrepentant secret sin within the body of Christ. God exposing hypocrisy within the body of Christ for the purpose of showing the need for repentance, to bring cleansing so that revival will take place in us first.

Pathway to Revival is Repentance

McDowell states God connects righteousness and effective prayer when we confess our faults open to another. “An unrepentant heart can keep you from seeing the answers to your prayers concerning revival.”

“The Lord is showing us that he wants to do something among us, but the pathway to it is the very thing most of us run from. You would probably shout if I said the pathway to revival is praise or more worship. If the pathway was more prayer, others might say, okay, I can do that. But the moment we discover that the pathway to revival is repentance, most of us say, oh, but if you are hungry for revival, you are ready to do whatever God desires of you to see his glory come.”

Respond

“What is standing in the way of revival for you? Don’t allow any unconfessed sin to cause God to look at your worship as ritual.”

“I believe there are things the Lord has been showing you for quite some time that you’ve been resisting. What if I told you the next outpouring is connected to your surrender? What if I told you that the level of outpouring you experience is directly connected to your level of surrender and the truth you’re willing to walk in with God? God wants to use you. The Bible says the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you.”

“And many of our churches, the ministry offices have been exalted almost to the level of being worshiped, causing people to believe that God could not use someone who is not operating in the fivefold ministry gifts the same way he uses apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.”

“The greatest revival that is going to happen in the earth is going to happen through God’s surrendered corporate church. God wants to do greater. This means this word about repentance is not for the few, it’s for all.”

“He lets us witness 10, 20, 50 or 100 miracles so that we can long for 100,000.

If you’re hungry for it, be honest and say I want that Lord. Do it in me. Do it in us.”

It’s Happening Chapter Four Podcast

It’s Happening Book Review Series Podcasts
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

It’s Happening Book Review Blog Series
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

To get a sense of the heart of William McDowell watch the attached video.

It’s Happening-Audible
It’s Happening Paperback

There is Hope Radio

You can listen to There is Hope on all the major podcast channels, even on Alexa. To learn all about There is Hope Radio, to obtain links to Podcast Channels, to donate to keep There is Hope on the air, to listen to the latest podcast, go to There is Hope Radio.

#itshappening #williammcdowell #revival #moveofgod #creatingfutures #preacherrichd