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The Catholic Church Repents, 110th Anniversary Of Azusa Now; Racial Reconciliation Part 2
There were powerful miracles that God did in the recent Azusa Now event commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California. Today, another powerful gathering of believers, from all across the Body of Christ, gathered at the Los Angeles Coliseum to cry out to God, in humility, repentance, and forgiveness asking for revival.
In order for the Church to walk in the power of healing, we must humbly embrace the soles of repentance and forgiveness. Right now in America, our nation is experiencing such a tension of racial division. But, that doesn’t mean that God can’t still do an awesome work. As The Church, it matters how we handle and respond to the issue of race in our nation.
As Lou Engle and another friend were seeking the Lord for revival, the man had a dream. In this dream, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was carrying a white bag with black handles. MLK, Jr. turned the bag upside down and violently shook out the contents of the bag and threw it to the ground. When the man went to pick up the bag, MLK, Jr. said, “NO!…” After seeking the Lord for the interpretation of the dream, the Lord revealed, “It’s a white bag and it’s the black handles. This is how your generation of blacks, African Americans, have handled the white baggage. You’ve been carrying it for way too long.” The words the man continues to share cannot be ignored. “Get rid of your bitterness. Get rid of your resentment. Get rid of your unforgiveness. Get rid your guilt manipulation. Get rid of your white baggage so that we can all get into this new vehicle that’s gonna bring revival and justice for everybody.” The questions remains, “What color is your baggage?”
With representatives from all across America, Selma, Birmingham, Ferguson, Los Angeles, who have suffered from the tensions of racial division, a man paces back and forth as he shares this powerful thought, “I believe that if we had continued in that supernatural grace, poured out at Azusa Street, there would have been no need for an American Civil Rights Movement because all of the generational wounding, the trauma and the pain, as well as the institutional racism, the structures that keep men in oppression, would have crumbled under the power of the One who reconciles all things.” He continues, “I believe… (God) didn’t want a Civil Rights Movement, He wanted a Civil Righteousness Movement inaugurated by Jesus Christ on The Cross built upon the revelation of the resurrected Christ.” No matter who we are, where we come from, or what our history may be, God is intimately aware of the oppression that has taken place in our lives. God cares about every injustice. He is Justice. If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. Are we ready to forgive? The only answer to a divided nation is a unified Church.
It is important that we do not come into agreement with the Enemy, the Accuser of the Church. As described in Revelation 12:10, “…accuses them before our God day and night…”, these words reveal the very nature of the Devil’s actions. If we begin to give validity to the very thoughts or words that criticize others, then we are agreeing with Satan’s plans and not God’s plans. In light of this truth, Allen Hood, shares a powerful prophetic word about what God is doing in order to combat the plans and schemes of Satan. “The Lord is raising up a Global Upper Room to war 24/7 against the Accuser of the brethren that accuses the saints day and night. God is raising up a house of prayer to answer the accusation of Satan and God is going to anoint that prayer meeting and bring forth a John 17:21 moment of exalting the Lamb, exalting the name of Jesus.”
These are such powerful words as we need revival right now. In order for us, to have this revival we are crying out for, we must have reconciliation. In order for there to be reconciliation, we must understand the history of our past. A Protestant means ‘a protestor from the Catholic Church’. Men like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale were men that God used mightily to bring the written Word of God to common man. It was during this time that the Catholics were persecuting the Protestants. With this awareness, we can better understand the significance of a delegation from the Catholic Church was sent by Pope Francis, from The Vatican.
The powerful demonstrations of repentance and forgiveness at Azusa Now didn’t stop here. A delegation from The Vatican, sent by Pope Francis, representing the Catholic Church was sent to Los Angeles for this very gathering. The purpose? To repent on behalf of the Catholic Church for the way they treated the Charismatic Church. If someone repents before God, all of Heaven pays attention and so should we.
Speaking into his microphone in Italian, his interpreter expresses his words of humility in English, “We’re a Catholic delegation and I come from Italy; and I bring you a salute from 150 Million Charismatic Catholics. We’re part of the same family and we are also a part of the family of Azusa Street!” As he shares about the very importance of The Church being One Body, as in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”, he acknowledges, “We need to repent, that after 2,000 years, the world doesn’t believe yet that Christ is Lord. What hinders the world form knowing Jesus…is the division of Christians. Division is a diabolical sin. We need to repent and pray.”
He continues to speak repentance expressing these words, “We Catholics, we’ve received so much from the Azusa Street Revival, but we want to sow a debt, we want to ask you Protestants, we want to ask your forgiveness for not respecting the love of the law of Jesus; for not respecting you and showing love and generosity. In this humility. We ask that you would forgive us in the name of Jesus.” As he continues to express his humility, he shares, “We want to kiss your feet, as Catholics and honor you with this gesture.”
These powerful events and prayers cannot be understated. God is doing a powerful work in these days. Now is the time that we must respond, in humility, to what He is doing. Watch the full event of what God did, and be greatly stirred and encouraged in your walk with Christ, and so much more. Also shared in this segment, repentance, humility, racism, racial reconciliation, boldness, declaration, IHOPKC, Azusa Now, Martha, Pharisees, unity, and prayer. Greg and John shared in this segment. #Azusa, #AzusaNow, #Azusa2.0