Revolution Now! — Michael L. Brown

Realized as I was giving that introduction that first some of you thought that we had a special guest then some of you so excited about revival and willing to believe anything thought maybe we were gonna have Keith Green here.

Jesus Sends His Disciples Into a Radical Mission

Matthew chapter 10. Everyone at the school knows that there's been a theme burning in my heart for months but it's increased in intensity in recent weeks. And that theme summed up in one word is thank you as the audio people wanted to know what I was speaking on.

I always want to be sure that this is the direction we're gonna go. But I am sure so we'll come up with a catchy title like revolution. Now Matthew the 10th chapter we can get so used to Jesus so used to the gospel so used to quote Christianity so used to church so used to ministry that we lose sight of what a radical face this is.

What a radical thing God has given us to do. How radically opposed to God this world is without him. What it really means to follow him. And Jesus is sending out his twelve apostles here and giving them counsel and warning.

And some of this chapter extends beyond just the twelve and continues to speak to his disciples through the ages. And he's warning them. He says in verse 17 beyond your guard against men he's about to send them out and they're preaching mission.

And some of this applies beyond those days into the days of the early church the first believers. And continues to speak to us. But picture he gets his little group together. They're about to go out on their mission.

This is okay. Now listen to me carefully. Be on your guard against men. They will hand you over to the local councils and fog you in their synagogues. Pretty heavy stuff. On my account you'll be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them into the Gentiles.

But when they arrest you. Not if they arrest you. When they arrest you do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you'll be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking but the spirit of your father speaking through you.

It's so interesting. We often have words spoken the Lord show me you're gonna stand before Kings. When Jesus told me you're gonna stand before Kings he meant as a prisoner for the gospel. We often quote that verse.

Look you prepare and you get up to preach. But it won't be you speaking when you're in your homiletics class. When you're going to preach in the prisons when you're preaching on the street corner it won't be you speaking but the spirit of your father speaking through you.

Amen. But in the context in which Jesus spoke and he's talking about when we're being tried for our faith what are we going to say when we're being accused. Brother will betray brother to death. And a father his child.

A father is going to betray his own children to death will rebel against their parents and have them heavy stuff. Turn to the person next to you. Look him in the eyes and say this is heavy stuff. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved when you're persecuted one place flee to another.

I tell you the truth we will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A student is not above his teaching or a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher and the servant like his master.

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub how much more the members of his household. How did the world treat Jesus. How should we expect the world to treat us. This is a radical thing that were involved.

This is a life-and-death struggle that were involved. This is the battle of the ages that were involved. This is not just religion. This is not just attending service. This is not just ministry. This is not just school.

This is not just revival. This is life death heaven hell the power of God the power of Satan God's kingdom the kingdom of darkness. And we're right in the middle of this conflict. I was joking last night with some of the folks that are going to be going with us to India.

And in fact no joke the first trip that we were on mr. and mrs. cover on that trip my wife Nancy and I were there. Another friend the first time we went to India some years back and we went up into a tribal region and in this particular region there was a man-eating tiger that had been on the loose that had killed seven people already.

And I was joking a little bit with the folks that were going to be going on the trip telling them there probably won't be too many man-eating tigers. And we won't go in too many areas where people are getting killed for their faith.

And some of these people you have to remember are pretty young and have never even been on an airplane in their lives. And I'm talking to them about man-eating tigers and martyrdom on the trip and I said I'm just I'm just joking about terms of our safety in our situation.

But but picture if I said alright who's gonna go on this trip to us. And we get about 20 people 30 people. Okay listen I just want to have a meeting. Here's what you need to expect now. Beware of men beware of people.

Because once we get over there to India I mean I want you to understand on this mission's trip they're gonna flog some of us brother I'm not familiar with the word flog. What does that mean. Does that mean ask for prayer.

I what does that mean. Does that mean. They're gonna be praising us. And we don't want to tell them what does fog mean means whip you until your back is bloody. And and some of you you're going. You guys are brothers here.

Well one of you is going to betray the other one and give them over to be killed. And you're gonna be hated and persecuted. But it's no problem. Because India is a big country and when they persecute us in one country and one city we'll just go to another city.

You say um dr. Brown. I I don't. I don't mind losing my non-refundable deposit on this trip. I it's really told me that that my calling is America. And and to pray. And some of you go to the inner cities of America.

And you're all excited. All praise God I'm doing this outreach. I am so charged I'm gonna get to give my testimony. Guys that's right. Who's gonna be given the first testimony. They're talking to you before you go.

I'm gonna be given the first testimony. Okay. Great. Just want to warn you did buddy get out of the hospital yet. Because oh they beat him silly when he gave his testimony. You know the Lord's really deal with me about pride.

I feel someone else should probably go first. I mean this stuff seems so wild to us. But this is just Jesus saying okay let me tell you what it's about. Let me talk about real life. This is what's gonna happen.

Remember the head of our organization the one that we emulate the one that we follow. The one who told us that the servant is not going to be greater than his master. It's enough if the servant is like his master that master that leader.

The head of our organization was crucified and we are called to share in his sufferings he suffered. I gave in the offering mr. Glantz. Don't tell me that was tortured. Cuz I gave in the offering that was.

That was not his point. That was not his point. I thought I bought a page of the Fox's Book of Martyrs because I gave 20 instead of 10. No no. And my message tonight is not primarily about suffering or martyrdom or torture or persecution.

I just want us to read some verses and think about what we're reading. You ever read the Bible and translation. Never read before. You're so familiar with reading it certain ways. It's happened to me.

I start reading it another translation. It jumps off the page of me because you became so familiar with the words. That's what I'm taking time to say. Look at what the the master is saying. So do not be afraid of them.

Right. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark. Speak in the daylight what's whispered in your ear. Proclaim from the roofs.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. I wonder if Jesus as saying this. If any of the Apostles were looking at each other.

Yeah you ever somebody's talking. And you catch these little glances to like you didn't tell me. I just told me he was the neatest teacher ever didn't tell me this part. I didn't know he healed my mother.

I thought it was great. I didn't know. I no idea about all this. I don't know. But this is like Wow are not two sparrows sold for penny yet. Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father.

Maybe the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid. You're worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before man I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven.

But whoever disowns me before man I'll disown him before my father in heaven. Did I suppose that I've come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. I've come to turn a man against his father.

A daughter against her mother. A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy. And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Revolutionary Commitment and the Counterculture

As I have been reading on themes about revolution looking at books that talk about the revolutionary nature of the gospel and reading about other revolutions that have taken place. I've got a massive library.

When I dive into a subject I order lots of books and and lately as as staff has just come in and put the latest box of books down on my desk and I'll say to some here just stand here for a minute while I open it.

Or a faculty member just stand here for a minute while I open it. And there we pull out. You know the communist manifesto. Put that one down. Good. I've been waiting for that holy terror on Muslim fundamentalist radical bomb.

Good. I've been waiting for that. Take that one out. Different revolutionaries reading quotes. Scott my assistant came to me had been pulling down some quotes on the Internet. He really got into checking out some revolutionary ideas and pull down some quotes and he gave me to look at these quotes from Malcolm X.

I said got them already. What interests me is the type of commitment and dedication to a cause and to a principle and to a purpose and to an ideal. The type of dedication that Jesus calls for here is the type of dedication you find among revolutionaries.

It's not what you normally find in the house of God. You find it in those who've given their souls for communism or to make the world communist. You find it in militant Muslims who believe in what they do so deeply that they will blow themselves up with innocent men women and children around them cry out aloha Akbar.

God is great so devoted to their cause believing that they're now guaranteed a place in the world to come with special benefits and privileges because they sanctify their lives as martyrs. I see in those things that bring people into bondage and destruction and slavery and fear.

Tremendous dedication to the cause in a shorter period of time. In a matter of decades communism brought more people really hundreds of millions of people under its power in a matter of decades than the gospel had brought under the power of God in centuries.

A bankrupt empty way of life enslaving more people than the liberating power of the gospel. And one main reason is people really believed in the cause. They were revolutionaries at heart. I think back even to the days when I was growing up in the 1960s where there was a different type of revolution in America.

We refer to it as a counterculture revolution. Those of you that went through it know the days remember it. We started breaking the rules started rebelling against authority. Guys would start to grow their hair long.

It wasn't the style then but it was a breaking with the traditions. The establishment was no good story. Now maybe I want. Ok I will. I love God ordained authorities. I respect those who seek to enforce the law.

I had an uncle that was a policeman. My dad was a senior lawyer in the New York Supreme Court for many years. Our students understand that they should have the utmost respect for officers of the law. They're witnessing on the streets and do their best to comply with the wishes of those in authority.

But see in those days in my way of thinking cops were bad because cops were the establishment and cops were the ones that were enforcing the law. And I wanted to break the law and cops were embarrassing to think about.

But that was the term that we use. One particular night in my lost sinful state I've been over to friends house and gotten high and then got more high on top of it and I was completely out of it. I use very high quantities of drugs.

They used to call me drug bear and Iron Man. I would see how much I could do get to the limit get right to the edge without overdose. This particular night I was totally out of it. Barbiturates and heroin.

And a friend was having a party at his house. I wanted to get over to the party get even higher. What a life. Oh I miss it. What a life. And I couldn't walk straight. I was staggering down the street over to the bus stop and a guy pulls over nice little sports car of some kind.

Just remember it's a nice little car and looked like his girlfriend in the front seat. He says hey get in. He's gonna give me a ride. I thought great man I get a ride. I wasn't even hitchhiking but I was looking back waiting for the bus here.

I am real skinny long hair and I get in the back seat. Now he's with his girlfriend on top of it and he said to me were you hitchhiking. I said no man afraid of the pigs. I was stolen. I was out of it.

But I remember this vividly and he said something about cops pigs. I said yeah man same thing cops pigs he said. I said my father is a cop. That moment in the midst of a stone stupor I realized I was in trouble.

He said to me get out of the car and start running as fast as you can run. So I got out of the car and just started kind of staggering. He said so I said run. I said I'm going as fast as I can. Culture man the establishment pigs parents there were no breakaway.

Go live on a commune somewhere live in a cave somewhere sit and meditate for hours. Oh breakaway. But but see here's what's amazing. People really went and did it. I mean most of them found out the emptiness of it after a while and left the cave.

Let me read you a quote 1967 1968 as there was this thing happening in San Francisco in the Haight-Ashbury district. And there were these hippies. They're gathering together and they're all tripping and they're just broken out.

I mean it was a different world they stepped into. They didn't care about being rejected because they thought everybody else was wrong and they were cool. They didn't care about looking different acting different.

It was an act of counterculture mentality. I mean it's so interesting to me that the people who get it wrong have the right things that we need to have right which is it doesn't matter what other people think it doesn't matter what the prevailing culture is.

You give yourself to the cause. But but listen to this listen to what was going on there. It's from a hippie writing at that time he said the most receptive to the call are from middle-class Urbia. Couldn't call it suburbia Urbia.

Middle-class Urbia. They leave jobs armies and schools to turn their lives and psyches inside out all looking for some material to build a life with. All of us started to realize even in 17 or 20 short years that the game of life played in school and supermarket University leads only to styrofoam coffins and oblivious servitude.

Most of us have been on the threshold of jumping into the accepted swim. In other words just going with the American dream in the American lifestyle. But stop and ask for time having already seen enough intellectually instinctively if not intellectually.

If you have talents or skills develop enough for personal satisfaction for the marketplace. All are well-trained towards indiscriminate consumption. Here the sentence now. Yet the feeling persists. There must be something greater than this.

They knew there's gotta be more than just life as we know it then just eating and drinking and sleeping and surviving and preserving the human species. There's got to be more. There was a seeking after something and the devil all most of it and use most of it.

And most of those people instead of meeting God met with Eastern religion met with immorality met with drugs met with deception. There is a recognition that there's got to be more than you. You get a good education.

Why so you can get a good job. Why so you can have a family and support that family. Why so your kids can get a good education. Why so they can get a good job. Why so they can have a good family. Why so they can support their kids.

So their kids can get a good education. Why so that they can get a good job. People's our sins are forgiven. A lot of us don't realize there's more. A lot of us are more trapped by the philosophy of this world and counterculture.

Hippies were in the six and just as an aside which I won't get off on. But the carnal prosperity message plays right into that mentality. Everybody say amen. Why is it that people seek why. Why is it revolutions start.

Dissatisfaction, Disillusionment, and the Need for Revival

What lies at the root of it. Why. What was it that caused many of you to turn to God. I was talking to Nancy one day as I was writing some of this just maybe last week and I said what's the keyword. Give me one keyword.

Why is it that revolution start. Who do they start among. I was thinking of one word. She was thinking of another. But they're very similar. I thought of the word dissatisfaction. She thought of the word disillusionment.

People get dissatisfied. People begin to realize something is wrong. This is not the way it's supposed to be. They get disillusioned. They lose their hope. They lose their faith. They lose their confidence.

That's how prayer for revival starts in the church. People become dissatisfied in a holy way and disillusioned in a holy way and say there's got to be more than going to church on Sundays and everybody looking pretty and nice and taking an offer and going home.

What's this. What's this. What are we perpetuating with this. You wake up one morning so I can't change otherwise. I'm about to hit you with some pretty heavy stuff in a moment as opposed to the lightweight stuff so far said things have to change and they've been willing to put their lives on the line until things did change.

I raised the question I think last week at the revival can you imagine there was a time in America where women did not have the right to vote. How in the world could that be that women would not have the right to vote.

It's basically inconceivable to us. But do you know that before the freeing of the slaves before that there were women fighting for rights and fighting for the right to vote. And on the heels of the emancipation of slaves in America they began to fight even more and fight even more and be even more outspoken to the most radical women's rights people of the day even put out a magazine called the revolution.

But you know with all that fighting with all those efforts it was not until 1920 that the right was granted. But I want you to hear this. There was a time when women could not vote in America. Some women some more believers some of them you'd call just radical feminists.

But different ones took stands and what seemed impossible and what seemed unlikely and what seemed radical and what seemed revolutionary seems absolutely normal and regular today we do not have total equality in our system and in our society now.

But so much of the horrific racism that marked us more in the past and the horrors of whites making black slaves that's behind us. But even earlier this century there was a black leader who stood up and said this.

He advocated to some degree violence when necessary and others differed with him. But the passion of his speech you have to accept he said we will not be satisfied to take one jot or tittle less than our full manhood rights.

We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a freeborn American political civil and social. And until we get these rights we will never cease to protest and assail the ears of America. The battle we wage is not for ourselves alone but for all true Americans.

It is a fight for ideals less this our common fatherland false to its founding become in truth the land of the thief and the home of the slave. A byword and a hissing among the nations for its sounding pretensions and pitiful accomplishments.

Passionate words. Society changed society changed. People said. This is not the way it is supposed to be. And we will not stop going after change until the change comes. Here's what I want you to grasp tonight.

Here's what I want you to take the way we know things in America as far as church as far as gospel as far as quote Christianity the way we know it the watered-down version that is so prevalent in our day.

The mentality of believers that this world orientation the lack of sacrifice the lack of devotion the lack of radicality the lack of moral impact. This is not the way it's supposed to be that that is not in harmony with the original version as laid out in the word where the believers were accused of being subversive and threats to the society of turning the world upside down of subverting the inhabitant world because their message was such a threat to the kingdom of darkness.

The Church’s Moral Witness and America’s Spiritual Decline

I want you to hear some things and when I give you the perspective from the outside world that may shock you but then you'll understand why I keep talking about revolution not some arms struggle where all the survivalists finally pull out their shotguns.

Glory. He's finally talking our language. Put your gun down sir. This is not a battle fought with guns and knives. And if we turn the end the gun on the enemy we'd all commit suicide. Because the problem in America is us.

When the church gets right America will turn our countries in the world. European nations were one or two percent of the people would profess to be born-again evangelical believers there are. European nations were less than one half of one percent of the population would claim to be born-again evangelicals.

When you ask them a series of questions they would respond in such a way that one percent one-half percent or two percent which would qualify according to their profession as being born-again. But in America it's 36 percent means about 90 million Americans claim to be believers.

The population of our people going to church is extraordinarily high compared to most of Europe. You would think that there would be some type of positive effect. No other nation has 24-hour gospel television.

No other nation is inundated with books and tapes. And Christian this and Christian the way we are. I've been to many countries around the world have many friends working in many countries around the world.

We have students from 30 nations we've had this is the revival. From a hundred forty nations we get to interact with lots of people. There's some precious Christians from Romania that have been living in the States now for some years.

And the son was telling me young man that the Christians that used to come when Romania was closed it was difficult to get. In the days of communism. He said the Christians that came from America were phenomenal saintly people.

Those that worked in the country said they were godly. They were. They were jewels they were wonderful people. And he couldn't wait to come to America because he knew it was a Christian nation. We knew even on the coins and said in God we trust.

Wow America. He just assumed even in the public schools before each class they bow their heads in prayer. This was America. He was absolutely shocked. He and his dad a pastor godly fell. They were shocked when they came here.

But they were more shocked when they got to church and a group of people that they could worship with where they felt there was some degree of mutual understanding. America stack up with the rest of the world with the industrialized developed world.

Let me just throw this out. If this bums you out it's a fact. It's reality. Okay we have the solution. We have the answer. We know the key to unlock this door. But let's just be realistic. Amen. America has the highest percentage of single-parent families in the industrialized world.

America has the highest abortion rates in the industrialized world. America has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the industrialized world. The rates of syphilis and gonorrhea transmission are almost 500 higher than the highest rates and the other industrialized nations.

What is going on. We have the highest teenage birth rate in the industrialized world. By far we have the highest rate of teenage drug use in the industrialized world. Something's not. Something's not lining up here.

Somehow the picture is not working out. We've got so many more believers and so many more Bibles so much more Christian television and so many more people going to church. Massively higher percentage of people going to church in all these other countries.

Why do we lead these nations in sin and immorality in the and the decay of the family. Consider that in 1997 over half of all firstborn children that year all children who were first born to their mother in 1970s 1997 for the first time in our nation's history over half were born out of wedlock.

And then you add in the massive number that were aborted that would have made that number even higher. Born-again Christians in the course of their lives are more likely to divorce than atheists. Something's not lining up here friends.

Something is funny. In 1997 roughly three million teenagers about one in four who are sexually active acquired a sexually transmitted disease by the mid 1990s. By the mid 1990s in some cities in America over 96 of all children born to teenagers were born out of wedlock.

All you that came in here needing a lift. Well praise God. 1996 8 ,000 children under six years old were using one of three commonly prescribed antidepressants Prozac Zoloft or Paxil. 8 ,000 in 1996 had these prescribed antidepressants.

In 1997 it jumped to 40 ,000. I'd go on and on and on. Some things have taken some very positive turns in America. Crime rate overall abortion rates down in recent years. Some things have taken some positive turns.

Other things most of the moral things we look at the condition of the family. We're in a state now think of this. We're in a big signs in the road in some cities. Now a number to call for DNA testing to find out who the real father is.

And if the devil can destroy the family he's got a whole nation. How does this look to the outside world. I'm going very quickly to a solution. But I want to just take a few more minutes and hammer this home.

Islam, Secularism, and the Western Christian Witness

How does this look to the outside world. Looking in. How does this look to the religious Muslim world. How does this look in the days of the Soviet Union to the communist world. You know the number one battle according to Islam the number one thing they are fighting against.

You say well the gospel. Because the gospel spreading all around the world. Well they know the gospel is a threat. But let's face it there is one full-time Christian worker for every one million Muslims.

That's not the biggest threat. Our student body just want to let you know that the focus and thrust of our missions week in March is going to be on the Muslim world. You know what Muslims feel is the great battle the great threat the thing that is their greatest enemy the greatest hindrance to Islam.

To what they say Islam was defeated by its own rulers who ignored the divine law. In the name of Western style secularism. The West captured the imagination of large sections of our people. Our loss of large sections of our youth is to Western ideology dress music and food.

Western worldly compromised ways Muslims look at us. They don't think Christianity is hypocritical. They think it is shallow and worthless based on what they say. Oh in some parts of the world they see the real thing.

And they're coming by the power of God and miraculous salvation to Jesus. But when they look at the Western world that's the threat. Here are some Islamic terrorists in Egypt. Listen to what they say Islam is the only answer.

They look at the immorality of Westerners. They cite figures on the divorce rate in the United States. They point to crime and drug use. They talk about America's preoccupation with sex. One of them says you will never find these things where true Islam exists.

Islam is the only answer not Christianity not Judaism not Buddha. Without it America's going to hell. He says in America your women dressed like harlots. They have no dignity. These are Muslims looking on and I tell you if they came to most of our churches they wouldn't be much more impressed.

They dropped their heads in shame at the dress and the attire. And when they began to talk to people they'd be stunned about how much the world had their attention come on their churches in America. Major cities of America that have to end their Sunday service at noon promptly because there's a football game on at one o 'clock.

Churches empty out on Super Bowl Sunday because I'm his foot. This big game the big I know the bow down to. Not a sin to enjoy sports. It's a sin to be obsessed with it. The way we are in America. Eyes how off the mark we are.

Give you one other illustration before the fall of the Soviet Union. Tony Campola who's a minister in a professor got a phone call from a friend who is involved with a major educational organization in the States and he said.

Listen some Russian educators are coming to America and they want to do some interviews to find out what Christianity does in terms of social programs helping people. So Tony Campola thought. Wonderful because he was involved in a number of inner-city ministries.

Wonderful. So among the guests were two of rush the heads of two of Russia's most prestigious universities and the deputy minister of education. So Tony Campola takes them says with great enthusiasm. I took them to our various programs.

I showed off our youth clubs and explained how we communicate Christian values to get teenagers. Finally I took them to a special Christian school that we have established for disadvantaged children. They're gonna be impressed.

These are communist educators godless atheists. They're gonna be so impressed. And everywhere they went they asked all kinds of questions. The educators interviewed people ask question after question after question after question got to the end.

Now they're gonna have a debriefing and talk about. So what do you think. How do you feel. This is what they said. One response those teenagers are so materialistic. Another said all that these young people talked about was making money.

The deputy minister of education his was the most surprising. This is what he said reluctantly. I'm somewhat disappointed in your children. Since they are Christians. I expected they would be concerned about spiritual things.

Instead they are more materialistic than the Marxist youth in my country. They seem to be devoid of any lofty idealistic vision. Something is wrong with this picture. I was aware of the degree of addiction to pornography in America.

According to statistics Americans spend more than nine billion dollars every year on the number of hardcore pornography videos rented increased from 75 million in 1985 to 686 million in 1998. But here was the American spent 638 .6 billion on legal gambling games in 1997 and they lost about 51 billion.

That's more than the recording video game movie cruise ship spectator sport and theme park business revenues combine. Something's wrong with picture. Which is why I say we need a revolution. Which is why I say we need to change our whole way of thinking and recognize there's a purpose in us being here and God may bless you with all kinds of material riches or me.

He may give you little. That's not the issue. He may raise you up to a place of prominence in society or call you to follow him and be a martyr. The issue is we are here on a divine mission one purpose and one purpose only.

The Great Commission and Freedom From Sin

And everything else is secondary to that purpose. And that purpose is to make disciples for Jesus to shine the light and dark places to declare his name to set the captives free. And we have to look at ourselves as revolutionaries sent into cities sent into countries sent to schools to subvert the demonic strongholds to pull down the godless structures and to establish the name of Jesus in the hearts and minds of people.

It's our mission. It's our purpose. And some of us may be rejected and some may be hated and some may be fogged and some may be killed and some may be brought before kings and whatever. We got a job we've got a mission like let me give you a quote an inspiring martyrdom quote.