Kirk Cameron REVIVE US 2 (2016) - full transcript

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

Welcome, everyone.

I'm Kirk Cameron, and we are
here, we are at Revive Us.

We are gathered together as
a family all across the nation.

I'm here in downtown Chicago

at the Harvest
Bible Chapel Cathedral

and we're part of a giant
family meeting.

You're in theaters all across
the country.

And I feel like a kid
on Christmas morning.

I can't wait to go
into this beautiful,



historic church and show you
what's inside.

I know that the next 90 minutes
is going to be us

standing on holy ground
together,

and so I thought it was
most appropriate for me

to ask my pastor Rex Holt
if he would lead us

in a prayer of blessing
before we get started.

Rex? Will you pray with us?

Yes. Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, we thank you
for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank you because
you're the God

from whom all blessings flow.

-Mmm, yes, Lord.

-We declare with David, "I will
bless the Lord at all times.

His praise will continually
be in my mouth."



-Yes, Lord.

-"My soul will make her
boast in the Lord;

the humble shall hear of it
and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me

and let us exalt
his name together.

And Father, we cry out
with David, the psalmist,

will you not revive us again,

that your people may
rejoice in you?

Show us your unfailing love
and grant us your salvation.

And Father, we ask you
tonight, this evening,

to rend the heavens,
to rip open Heaven

and pour out your grace
upon this land.

-Yes, Father.

-We cry out to you, Lord,
for your unfailing love,

for your great peace, and for
the blessings of revival.

We love you, Father.

We praise you, Son.

We welcome you, Holy Spirit.

In your blessed name
we pray, amen.

Amen. Amen!

All right, you ready?

Let's go inside.

♪♪♪

We're so much higher.

That's right.

Come on, sing it.

That's right.

Oh, it never stops.

Yeah, come on.

This I know!

Come on, sing it!

All over the country tonight.

Oh, it's true.

Oh, it just keeps going.

It never stops.

On and on and on!

♪ Yes, I know.

♪ Yes, I know,
Yes, I know. ♪

♪ Oh, I've tasted,
I've seen it. ♪

♪ Oh, there's nothing, no,
nothing like it. ♪

♪ Oh, I've tasted,
I've seen it. ♪

♪ There's nothing like,
nothing like your love. ♪♪♪

Oh, nothing like it.

There's nothing like it.

Oh-h-h.

[applause]

It's true.

Let's just sing that again,
"In death, in life."

Come on, sing the good news.

♪ Jesus, thank you
for your love. ♪♪♪

♪♪♪

[applause]

Thank you.
You can be seated.

We're going to do something
very special tonight.

In just a moment, if you are
serving in our military,

if you are a member
of the Armed Forces

either currently or in
the past as a veteran,

in just a moment, I'm going
to ask you to please stand.

Not just yet, but in a moment.

We want to acknowledge and we
want to recognize and honor you.

If you are serving
in our military

and including first responders,
our heroic police officers,

fire fighters, EMTs,
and paramedics.

If that is you, you know
who you are,

in theaters all across
the country and in this church,

but especially across the nation
in our movie theaters,

right now would you
please stand?

Let them know how much
you appreciate them.

[applause]

Thank you for your service.

[applause]

Thank you for your service
to our families

and to our country.

Would you remain standing?

And now would you all rise
as our nation's colors

are presented by the University
of Illinois at Chicago's ROTC?

Forward, march.

[drum roll]

[drum roll]

[drum roll]

Detail, halt.

And now would you join me,

place your right hand
over your heart

and pledge your allegiance to
the United States of America.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America,

and to the Republic
for which it stands,

one nation under God,
indivisible,

with liberty and justice
for all."

Right, face.

Forward, march.

[applause]

You may be seated.

Well, it's here.

I am so excited.

The National Family Meeting
is in session.

You are part of the family;

I am so excited
that you're here.

If you could feel, my heart is
literally thumping and pounding

in my chest with excitement

that we are here across
the nation together as a family

because when our family
gets together,

the family of faith
and the Spirit is moving,

we are unstoppable.

-Amen.

-We want God to revive us
as a nation.

We all know this.

We're talking about it at
all of our dinner tables.

We want him to tear open
the heavens,

we want him to come down,

we want God's will to be done
and his kingdom to come

and be with us on earth
just as it is in heaven.

Many of you have brought
your families to Revive Us

and I want you to
meet my family.

I've got a picture I want to put
up on the screen right now,

and this is my family.

These are the ones that I would
just give anything for.

I love them with all my heart.

On the left there of
your screen is Luke,

and Luke is just an
amazing young man.

I'd probably describe him
as a cross

between Si Robertson
and Steph Curry.

I don't know how he makes
that little combo,

but he lives in the middle there
somehow and he just rocks it.

Bella is next to Luke and that's
my beautiful little girl

who's all grown up now,
and Bella loves to sing.

She's gonna be joining us

and leading us in worship
in just a little while.

I want you to meet Olivia.

Olivia is my wife's mini me.

If you had a shrinker gun
and you could just zap my wife

she would turn into a little
miniature version

and that is Olivia.

She can do anything;
she's amazing.

I think one day she's gonna
grow up and run the world.

I know she could do it.

James, he is our Joy Boy.

We've always called him that.

Sometimes I feel like
I'm raising

a mini Mike Seaver
when I look at him.

It's a little scary,
I have to tell you.

And then on my left there
is Ana.

Ana is a beautiful young lady.

She can do anything.

She gets it all done.

She wants to grow up
and be a nurse one day.

And Jack, he is our genius,
we call him our gentle giant.

I want you to meet them
because I love them

and this is why
we're doing this.

This is, this is
for our children.

This is for our family
and the future

that we leave for them,

and our conversations revolve
around what can we do?

So, I decided to go to people
smarter than me, wiser than me,

people of deep faith
and humility

and ask them at a time like this

how can we be a part
of the solution?

And so I talked to people
like Francis Chan,

heroes like Dr. Ben Carson,
Dr. James MacDonald,

Jennifer Rothschild,
Eric Metaxas -

people that have solutions.

And I've always thought
to myself,

if only I could get these
backroom conversations

out into the open,

I don't see the media providing
opportunities

for you to hear what I'm hearing
that's refreshing my spirit,

reviving my heart, giving
me optimism, hope,

and a new perspective.

And so I brought them
together tonight

so that we can have this
meeting, and we can hear it,

and we can discuss it,

and we can interact
with one another

and be part of revival
in our nation.

So, the first friend that
I'm going to ask

to join me is Dr. Ben Carson.

Would you welcome him?

[applause]

Dr. Carson is not only
a brilliant neurosurgeon,

he is a man of deep faith
in God.

He loves Jesus
and I trust him.

And he's faced impossible
situations in the operating room

where people have said
there's no hope,

against all odds
this cannot work.

And he, through prayer
and great skill,

has managed to accomplish things

with teams of people that are
considered medical miracles.

And I couldn't think of anyone
better to ask to diagnose for us

the health of America today.

Dr. Carson, if America
were your patient,

how would you diagnose
her health?

What do the vital signs
tell you?

I would say America is
in critical condition

but it is not something that
cannot be salvaged,

but it needs attention now.

And, you know, there are certain
diseases that if you recognize

and you intervene
at the appropriate time,

you can actually restore
the patient to full health

and that's what we're looking at
right now in our country.

You know, this country
was founded

on Judeo-Christian values
and principles.

We are the only country
in the world

where we feel that our rights
come from God.

Other countries think that
they come from the government

or from the monarch,
or whoever is in charge.

Our Declaration of Independence
says we have

certain unalienable
rights given to us

by our Creator, a.k.a. God.

That means that we know
the difference

between right and wrong.

We have actual principles
that guide the way

that we have created our laws
and our statutes.

And the question is will
we return to those things,

or will we allow them
to vanish

for the sake of political
correctness?

Will we actually throw
the Word of God away

even though every coin
in our pocket

and every bill in our wallet
says, "In God We Trust?"

Even though when
we say the pledge,

we say. "We're one nation
under God?"

And yet we have a time
when in the public square

we're saying you're not supposed
to talk about God in public.

Obviously, this was never
the intention of our founders

and interestingly enough there
is nothing in the Constitution

about the separation
of church and state.

A lot of people think that's
in the Constitution, it is not.

That was a Supreme Court
judgment later on.

And it wasn't separation
of God and state.

It didn't mean that you couldn't
live according to your faith,

it just meant the government was
not to be controlled by religion

and religion - and vice versa.

And if we understand that,

then we begin to treat people
the right way.

We start thinking about liberty
and justice for all

instead of liberty and justice
for this group

at the expense of this group.

And, you know, once
we get away from that

and we start thinking the way
that the original intent was,

we will very rapidly return
to our healthy status.

What are some of
the vital signs

that tell you America
is in trouble?

Well, one of the vital signs
is our economic health.

We are, at this stage
of the game,

approaching 20 trillion dollars
in national debt.

I mean, that's a number
that we can all say,

but can anybody really even
comprehend what that means?

-It's a huge number.

-I mean, a billion is
a thousand million,

just to put that in perspective,

and a trillion is
a thousand billion.

If we tried to pay that back.

Let's say all of the sudden
we said we're smart again;

we're going to pay
our debt back

at a rate of one billion
dollars a week.

It would take us 400 years.

So, we've got to do
better than that.

That's a major sign.

Another sign is the division.

Jesus himself said,
"A house divided

against itself cannot stand."

Abraham Lincoln later
echoed that.

It is absolutely 100% true

and yet we see people
trying to divide us

on the basis of race, gender,

religion, economics, age -
virtually everything.

And if we're all
fighting each other

then how will we stand
against outside enemies?

Historically, when you look
at societies who fall,

very frequently they
lose their patriotism,

they lose their unity,
they lose their strength

and it makes them easy victims.

What are the chances
of her recovery?

If she's in ICU, what are
the chances, do you think,

of her pulling through?

I think the chances are
actually pretty substantial if,

interestingly enough,
"If my people who are called

by my name will humble
themselves and pray

and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven

and will forgive their sins
and heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14.

That is the solution.

We simply need to stop trying
to be like everybody else

and recognize that God
put this country here

for a unique purpose.

Let's not try to be
anybody else.

We're not anybody else.

This is an amazing country.

It went from nowhere
to the pinnacle of the world

in unbelievable time,

and to a much higher pinnacle
than anybody else reached

and it was because of those
values and principles

that laid the foundation
for our nation.

What if America
does not recover?

What if we lose her?

There are other countries
in the world and as Christians,

we understand that
the kingdom of God

is not dependent
upon America,

it's not synonymous
with this geopolitical nation.

-Yes.

-What are the consequences
if we lose her?

But God has blessed
our nation tremendously

because we acknowledged him.

And if we throw him out,
there is no question

that we will decline
precipitously

and the consequences to
the world will be substantial.

Anybody who knows
world history

recognizes what
the world was like

before the United States
was on the scene.

You know, tyrants pillaging
other countries

and just killing,

hundreds of millions of people
being slaughtered.

and I have no doubt that
that will be the case again.

So, you know, we're not only
working for ourselves,

we're working for the world.

And remember, this country is
the child of every other nation,

so we have a responsibility to
the other nations of the world.

We don't live only
for ourselves.

And we must recognize
that when Jesus died,

he died for everybody,

not just for the people
in the United States.

-That's right.

-And we have to make
that manifest

in the way that we do things,
and the way that we lead,

and the way that we treat
other people.

I love that.

It's sobering,
in critical condition,

but there is great reason
for hope.

And even more reason for hope,

if the people in
this room tonight

and the people who are listening
all across America recognize

that every single one of us has
a sphere of influence

and we need to talk
to those people

and we need to help them
to understand

the role that we play.

You know, in the last election,
25 million Evangelicals

who are registered to vote
did not vote.

They sat on their hands.

And as a result of that,
you just have to recognize

that we are a huge
interest group

with the ability to
direct the nation.

-Yes.

-So we don't have to be
victims and sit back

and say what others
are doing to us.

But what we have to do is stand
up because freedom is not free;

you have to fight
for it every day.

And you have to recognize
that there are those,

particularly secular
progressives who say,

"I don't care what
anybody else thinks

as long as they sit down
and shut up."

We need to stand up
and shout out.

-Yes.

[applause]

I want to take you now
to a specialist.

I'm calling him a specialist.

Another friend who's named
Eric Metaxas

and he specializes in analyzing
cultures in history

that have been deeply troubled
in the past, like Nazi Germany,

and highlighting heroes that
have brought fantastic solutions

to bear by bringing the truth
to the forefront

and doing it very courageously,

like Dietrich Bonhoeffer during
those years of Nazi Germany.

Also William Wilberforce

when England was overrun
with slavery.

I met with him in
what I'm calling

the most historic building
in America,

Independence Hall
in Philadelphia.

This is the room where
America was created

and our founding fathers,

we're talking George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson,

Benjamin Franklin,
signed the Constitution

and the Declaration
of Independence,

and asked him to get
even more specific

about where the area
of infection is.

Let's go there now.

[drum cadence]

This is where it all started.

This is where America was born.

-This is the maternity ward.
-This is it.

This is the birthing room
where she was born.

Why is that?

What's in here that...?

It was right here literally
in this room

that the Declaration
of Independence

and something I like to call
the Constitution happened here.

We're not making this up.

-That's the birth certificate
for the nation.

-It is, it is absolutely where
the nation was created,

in this room.

Stunning to think that is
the exact chair

that George Washington sat in.

It's not a replica.

It-it gives me chills,
honestly.

This is it.

These are the 13 tables

where the 13 different colonies
were represented,

from the north to the south.

There's even - what's the cane
over there, the walking stick?

That cane literally belonged
to Thomas Jefferson.

It has "TJ" inscribed on it.

They know for a fact that
it belonged to him.

Enough of the geeking out
on history.

-Yeah.

-We want to understand
why did this, this new nation,

this county that was birthed,

the United States was
so strong and so healthy,

she's growing so fast,
she's become sick.

If you could diagnose what it is
that went wrong, what is it?

-It's actually
shockingly simple.

According to the founders,

and I mean every one
of the founders,

Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
every one of them,

they understood that virtue
and faith, faith, real faith,

true religion, free religion,

was at the heart of the success
of the American experiment.

You could not have the kind of
liberty they were talking about,

the kind of self-government
where people govern themselves,

you could not have it,
it would not work

unless the people were
basically a virtuous people,

the people were
people of faith.

It doesn't mean it's forced
faith, it's totally free.

You don't have to have faith,
but they said if basically

the American people are not
a virtuous, religious people,

this cannot work.

-Why not?
-And it - well, okay.

Os Guinness, my dear friend,
wrote about something called,

"The Golden Triangle
Of Freedom,"

and it's simply this:

the first part of the triangle
is freedom,

self-government requires virtue.

You cannot govern yourself

unless you are
yourself virtuous.

If somebody has to force you
to do the right thing,

you are being governed
from above, from without;

you need a tyrant, a king,
a strongman,

whatever it is,
a big bureaucracy.

If you want to govern yourself,

if you want to be truly free,
you have to have some virtue.

And the people have to have
enough virtue

to do the right thing,
basically, on their own.

They had a history
of English law,

they had a history
of Christian faith.

But more importantly,
George Whitfield, the evangelist

had been preaching through

most of the 18th century,
from 1738 until 1770.

Revival was breaking out.

The Great Awakening was breaking
out all across the 13 colonies.

Ben Franklin was friends
with Whitfield

and he saw that when
revival breaks out, people -

crime goes down,
drunkenness goes down,

self-government goes up,
virtue goes up.

And he understood
this link that

if religion and faith
are thriving and free,

self-government
absolutely thrives.

All the founders
understood this

so the golden triangle
of freedom is faith,

freedom requires virtue,
virtue requires faith,

and then faith in turn
requires freedom

because the faith
must be free.

It cannot be coerced
by the government,

and the founders said that
unless religion is free,

religion will not flourish

and if religion
doesn't flourish,

freedom cannot flourish.

Hmm. You also talk about in
your book Alex de Tocqueville.

He came over from France
after the Revolution

and said, what is it that
makes America thrive?

We're not thriving in the system
we've created.

No. Freedom and faith
help each other.

They work together.

It was something he couldn't
even conceive of,

so when he saw it,

he said America is great
because America is good.

In other words, what makes
America great is

that the people are full
of faith, full of virtue.

Maybe not every single person,
but by and large,

it's what makes freedom work.

All of the founders said

without that, the whole thing
falls apart.

I think we've been going on
fumes for 40 or 50 years

and we're in trouble.

And when de Tocqueville
came over he said,

"I looked for the source
of America's greatness

and I looked everywhere."

It was his observation clearly
that it was in the churches

and in these little
organizations

that sprung out of people's
faith and virtue.

There was something he saw
in America along those lines

which he saw none of
in France.

And that phrase I like
is he says,

"It wasn't until I went
into the churches

and saw their pulpits aflame
with righteousness

that I discovered what was

the source of America's
greatness."

Tons of people saw this.

I mean, you could say every one
of the founders saw this.

Franklin, who was not himself

a theologically orthodox
Christian, he saw this.

He wanted to promote this.

He was the one that called
for prayer in this room.

He said that we need to pray.

We need to start every morning
with prayer.

Benjamin Franklin said that
in this room.

Everybody in this room
understood

the role of faith as central,
utterly central, utterly vital

to the health of
self-government.

If, if we were to choose

one of the three points
of the triangle,

liberty, self-government
and freedom, virtue,

doing the right thing,
or true religion,

can we point to one of them
today and say that's the one

that's being attacked most
or is it all three or...?

Well, it, it's all three because
they're all totally connected,

but if you really want to say
what is the one

that is mostly overtly
being attacked?

Faith. There's no doubt.

We have forgotten
that without faith,

America cannot be America.

Without people of faith -
most, most people think

that the Bible supported
slavery or whatever.

That is absolutely crazy.

There were crazy people
who would say that,

but by and large,
all of the abolitionists

got their ideas that slavery is
bad from the Bible.

They were Bible thumpers.

All through our history it has
been faith, faith, faith, faith

that caused us to do
the right thing.

It caused us to abolish
the Jim Crow laws

and to have the civil
rights movement.

Faith has been at the center.

And again, in the last
50 years or so,

it's become attacked
to the point

where we have lost
this vital piece.

Without this piece,
none of this works.

♪♪♪

[applause]

All right, we've,
we've been to the doctor.

We've heard the word,
"critical condition,"

but that there's hope.

We've gone to a specialist,
I'm calling Eric,

who's diagnosed for us
the specific part of the body

that is infected
and that's true religion.

He's talking about true faith.

Now I want to introduce you
and spend a few minutes

with two physicians of the soul.

Dr. James MacDonald,
Francis Chan.

These guys are brilliant,
they study the Bible,

they understand what
true religion is.

They've taught it to me.

They write books,
they're pastors

and they've influenced
the way that I raise my kids.

And so I am honored that
they're here with us tonight.

James, what is true religion,
genuine faith

and how do you get it?

Well, that's a great question
and, of course,

I think a big part of this
question that you're asking is

like most questions, we need to
let the Word of God speak.

So, if the Bible's answered
the question

we don't need to keep
asking it, do we?

And James 1, I can
start in verse 26

says that, "If anyone
thinks he's religious

and does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his heart,

this person's religion
is worthless.

Religion that is pure
and undefiled before God..."

Now that should have us
leaning forward,

or we're going to find out,

right now we're going
to find out what it is.

Here it is.

"Pure and undefiled religion
before God is this:

to visit the orphans

and the widows in
their affliction."

Let's call that category
compassion

for those who in any way
have less than me.

That's on God's heart,
it has to be on my heart.

If it's not on my heart,
that's not true religion

and Francis is so exemplary
in that regard.

He'll speak about that
I'm sure in a moment.

Let me focus on
the second thing.

"That pure and undefiled
religion before God is this:

to visit orphans and widows
in their affliction,

and to keep oneself unstained
from the world."

Now the world in the Bible means
one of three things.

Sometimes it means the planet,
you know, planet Earth.

Sometimes it means the people,
"For God so loved the world."

That's not the planet,
that's the people.

And sometimes it means
the world system,

the culture, the way
of thinking.

The third thing is
in mind here.

We want to keep ourselves
as believers,

true undefiled religion is

keeping itself unstained
by the world.

So the mark of the world -
selfishness, me first, you know,

you only come around once,
get everything you can,

live for the moment, you know,
all of this, that is the world.

And if that is in me
and in my thinking,

I'm stained by the world.

Holiness is the absence of that,

the differentness,
the set apartness.

And, you know,
I think sometimes

we've reacted
so much to legalism

that we've almost forgotten
that God has

prescribed a way
for his people to live.

And the Biblical term
is holiness.

And God says, "Be holy
for I am holy."

And, of course, that capacity
is not in ourselves.

We believe very strongly
that Jesus Christ is

not only the "way"
to pure religion

but that he is also
the means of it.

That the Christian life
isn't just me loving

and following Jesus,

but it's actually Jesus
living his life through me.

And I think about this
building that we're in

and this is a beautiful big
cathedral built in 1860.

It was given to our church.

It's an incredible story,
but what's interesting is

is that from the time
that it was founded,

the different organizations
that were in here did not ever,

ever preach the Word of God.

As far as we know,
that doesn't matter

to mention the names of it,

but I don't want it
to be a distraction.

I'll just say that it is
a very religious place

but the Word of God
was not open,

the son of God was not adored,
the Holy Spirit was not moving,

lives were not being changed.

And eventually it got
closed down and shut down

and it got given to us

and God's doing some
wonderful things here now.

But where people are
humble and low,

we want to put ourselves
down low.

So many Christians
are angry at America

because it's hurting
their comfort.

We're not supposed to be
angry at anyone.

Who are we to be angry
about anything?

We love God and we want
to share with others

what we have found in Christ.

I think that's pure and
undefiled religion before God.

-That's awesome.

How about a second opinion?
[laughter]

Yeah, I mean, I agree with
everything you just said

and I would just
add to it though

sometimes we can jump
to the action of do this,

do this, do this without
the core of it,

which is being known by God.

You know, one of the scariest
passages to me is

Matthew 7 where he says,

"Not everyone who says
to me, Lord, Lord

is going to enter the kingdom
of heaven,

but only he who does
the will of my Father."

And then he says many on that
day, many are going to say,

"But Lord, didn't we cast out
demons?"

Didn't we do this,
didn't we do this?

And he's gonna say "Depart
from me, I never knew you."

And so at the core is not
like religion

as far as outward doing this,
this and this,

it's about a knowing of him.

And not knowing about him,
you know.

I mean, that's a scary passage,
"I never knew you."

It's like, since we're
in Chicago,

you could name every stat
of Michael Jordan,

where he was born, how many
points he scored in this game,

but if you knocked on his door

he's probably not gonna
let you in, you know, right?

[laughter] Why?

"I don't know you."

And at the core is, is
this incredible thought

that I can know the Creator
and be known by him.

He can forgive me
and when he does that,

he actually enters into me

and enables me to do
all of these things.

[applause]

So...how do you get
true religion?

Someone's watching this and
they're saying, "I understand.

I want to have a heart
of compassion.

I don't want to be
stained and marked

by selfishness
and ego and pride.

How do I get that?

Where is it?"

-Yeah.

The Bible, again, we'll just
let the Bible speak,

but it talks about
being born again.

And I think of this passage in
1 John 3 verse 9 where it says,

"No one born of God
makes a practice of sinning,

for God's seed abides in him

and he cannot keep on sinning
because he's been born of God."

So it's this idea of this -
when God enters into you,

it's like he abides with you.

That's what he wants.
"I want to abide with you.

I want to be in you."

It says his seed actually
dwells in you to the point

where you can't
keep on sinning.

You know, you used to
be able to,

but now it's like you
don't even enjoy it.

It's like, ahh, I feel
so much guilt, I -

this is not the way God made me.

And the way we get there is
we have to humble ourselves,

like Dr. Carson said earlier.

"If my people will humble
themselves and seek my face."

We have to come to a point
where I have to look at God

and go, "God, I get it.

I broke so many of
your commands."

But what the Bible teaches is
that rather than punishing me,

he showed more love than
anyone will ever show me.

He had his son come down,

take the form of a man
nailed to a cross

and he was paying
for everything I did.

You know, the Bible says if I
believe that with all my heart,

if I can confess him
as Lord and say,

"I want you as my master,"
a God who will do that for me,

forgive me of everything,
I want you.

He says well, I'll enter
into you.

My seed will actually come
into you and change -

he does everything.

It's about him and him
reaching down to us.

And that's why, you know,
you talk about true religion,

but later on in 1 John 3,
I love this, it says,

"By this we know love. that
he laid down his life for us

and we ought to lay down
our lives for the brothers.

If anyone has the world's goods
and sees his brother in need,

yet closes his heart
against him,

how does God's love
abide in him?"

See again, it goes back to wait
a second, we know love

because Jesus died for us
and then he put his seed in us,

so if we see people hurting
and we do nothing,

he goes, "How could God be
abiding in you?"

That doesn't make sense.
You're a child of God now.

It becomes natural to love.

It becomes, you know,
supernatural.

I was in Africa last week
holding a baby

that was gonna die
in a couple of days.

I didn't have to - it wasn't
like, ah, I better sacrifice.

No, everything in me was like,
I want to do something for her.

I'm meeting girls who
are sold into slavery

when they're six,
seven years old.

Everything in me is like,
"I'm gonna rescue them."

Why?

Because that's the heart of God.

That's the nature he gives us.

But he's always the hero.

It's like he did it all.

He saved us, he forgave us,

and then he puts
his spirit in us

that enables us
to live this way.

[applause]

Amen.

[applause]

So when true religion that
you speak of

is flourishing in the life
of a person,

when it's flourishing
in the life of a family,

in the life of a community
and a nation,

what does that look like?

Because there's plenty
of people who say,

"Get rid of God,
get rid of religion.

We don't need that.
We'd be better off without it."

When it flourishes,
what happens?

Well, I love this tag-team
preaching with Francis here.

I think that he just said it

and I would be happy
to say it again. [laughter]

It, it - faith,
faith is internal.

It is secret, it is unseen.

And you cannot tell to look -
and this is good to know -

you cannot tell to look
at a person visually.

You don't know if they
were born again.

You don't know if
they know Jesus.

You don't have any idea.

And furthermore, we're not
better than people

who don't know the Lord.

We have a righteousness
that is not our own.

We have the righteousness
of Christ through faith in him.

But Christians, we act like
we're righteous and then

we look around at everyone,
you're not righteous.

I don't think you're
very righteous.

Man, I'm real righteous
over here. [laughter]

And that is so destructive.

It is the actual antithesis of
what Christianity is all about.

And we've just been exhorted

that the test of the thing
that is unseen,

the proof of the thing
that is unseen

is the heart toward others.

You know, Paul said that,
"Let each esteem others

as better than themselves."
Philippians 3.

I want you to just think
for a minute.

How's that going?

Everyone is better than me.

You are better than me.
You are better than me.

All of you are better than me.

You're smarter than me and
you're more important than me

and your feelings matter more
than my feelings matter.

And I don't want to be known
and I don't want to be famous.

I want Jesus to be known
and famous,

and I want you to find in him
all that I have found.

That's what he meant
when he said,

"He who loses his life
for my sake will find it."

And we've got to come back
to that in the church.

We've got to stop
with this consumer -

I got to church to what I get.

What do I get?
What am I getting?

I heard this guy,
I got something here,

I got something here,
I got something here.

The essence of Christianity is
not a getting thing.

It's not a getting thing.

Everyone lift up your voice
and say it.

Say, "It's not a getting thing."

Say it.

-It's not a getting thing.

-Come on. It's a giving thing.

It's a giving thing.

If you see your brother in need

and you close up your
heart of compassion,

how does the love of God
dwell in you?

We've worked pretty hard
as a church

and we've made a movie called,

"The Resurrection
of Gavin Stone."

It's going to come out
in January.

And really what that
whole thing is about is

about what the church
can be, you know.

The church is supposed to be
we're teaching our people

that church is a place where
we welcome without judgment,

where we love without condition,
where we forgive without limit.

Now if the church
really was that

we'd be running out
of chairs, all right?

But people are at church
to get something,

not at church to give something
and to welcome those

who need so desperately
what we have found in Jesus.

And before America will
ever be great again,

God's people will have to
get humble again,

and I think there's -
I hope that, I pray

that there is a lot of humbling
going on right now.

I know that I feel pretty
broken in my heart

about where America is at,
pretty distressed.

I think the reason that we've
seen such a great response

to the leadership that
you've give us

is because people are
looking for answers

and they're wondering
where to turn,

and who's gonna lead us
to something better

than what all this has become?

You know, I love the scripture,
Francis, that says that,

"Judgment must begin
at the house of God."

Instead of throwing out
the judgments

at everybody else that
hasn't figured it out,

we should be the most loving
person that our neighbor knows.

If you've got an alcoholic
as a next door neighbor,

you should be the most loving
person that they know.

If you have a gay friend at work

and he knows that you're
a Christ follower,

you should be the most loving
person that they know.

-That's right.

-And, and, we're, you know,

love is like relational
dynamite, right?

1 Corinthians 13 says,
"Love never fails," right?

So it never fails,
just think about that.

It never fails.

Love never fails to accomplish
God's purposes, ever.

Now I've tried judgment,

I've tried pressure,
I've tried fixing it.

How have those things been
going for you guys?

[laughter]

Anytime I've got traction in
anything I want to see happen,

it's been Jesus Christ loving
people through me.

And in the days that
I have remaining,

I want more of that and less
of everything else.

[applause]

Do you have anything
to add to that? [laughter]

-Not a whole lot, but it's true.

Like, the sadness is not just,

oh, you know, the country,
where it's at.

The sadness is the church.

-That's right.
-Okay?

That's, that's, I mean,
in 2 Timothy 4,

it's like, "Terrible times
are coming."

Not because the world
is gonna be the world,

but because the church starts
looking so much like the world.

I mean, God just,
God's not expecting

the whole nation to turn.

He's looking in this room.

He's look at the theaters
out there

and going, just these pockets
of people

who want my kingdom
down there

and live like my kingdom is
down there amidst everything.

It doesn't matter
what's going on.

What matters is with us,
his body.

Are we living the way
he wants us to live?

[applause]

We, we've given you a lot.

This is a lot to process.

We've heard from the doctor
and a specialist

and a couple of physicians
that have,

that have given us
the Word of God,

which is like a sword that cuts
deep into our heart

and it exposes our sin,

and it points us
to our only hope.

I want to give you, and myself,
a couple of minutes

to digest what we have
just received.

And I want to ask you
in theaters

all around this country
and in this room right here

if you would stand as we move
into a time of worship.

We are going to be led by
the Vertical Church Band

in a song called,
"Exalted Over All."

So in theaters across
the nation, yes,

we're turning your theater
into a worship center.

Would you please stand together
with us all across the nation

and worship the Lord together.

[applause]

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

You are exalted, Lord!

We lift you high.

[applause]

-It's true.

Christ is exalted over all.

He ascended
and he is sitting

next to the right hand
of the Father,

next to the Father
on his throne,

exalted over the nations
of the Earth.

No matter how things may
look from our perspective,

he is there and he is not
going anywhere.

I'm so excited because
the next friend

that I want to introduce
you to is

a friend named
Jennifer Rothschild.

And Jennifer has an ability
of seeing things

that I don't often see.

She has a vision for the world
and for the future

that requires a set of eyes

that I wish she could
give to all of us.

I'm going to introduce her to
us now and I've asked her

to just share a bit of her
vision for the church

and America with you.

Thank you, brother.

Well, I do wish that you
could see what I see.

I was 15 years old.

I was in the tenth grade
and I began to have

some difficulty
with my eyesight.

My math grades began to plummet
and I didn't realize

it was because I couldn't see
the numbers in my textbook

or the numbers
on the chalkboard.

When it was time
to change classes,

I remember being so nervous

because I would constantly
bump into students

in the crowded hallways
and I couldn't figure out why.

I couldn't figure out
why everyone else

wasn't as clumsy as I was.

I remember when it was
time for P.E.

We were playing softball
and I remember holding my glove

and standing out in right field

and praying that a ball
would not come to me

because I could not figure out

how when I would hear
the crack of the bat,

I couldn't figure out
how these students

could see the ball
and catch it.

So, I would just hold my glove

and stare at the ground
before me

hoping I would see
the shadow of the ball.

And then of course,
I would pray and aim

and hope for the best.

I'm telling you, P.E. really
did improve my prayer life.

[laughter] But it was one
evening I was with my mom -

we were going to visit a friend

who lived in an
upstairs apartment

and as I was climbing
those stairs with my mom,

I was tripping up the stairs.

And my mom stopped mid-stride
and she asked,

"Jennifer, can you not
see those stairs?"

And I was just as
surprised, I said,

"What do you mean, Mom?

You can see the stairs?"

Well, within about a week
I was at an eye hospital.

And after several days of
testing at this eye hospital,

it was diagnosed that I had
a disease in both of my eyes

called retinitis pigmentosa,
degenerative disease.

So, I was declared
legally blind,

but the prognosis of the disease
was total blindness.

Suddenly my very bright future
was draped in shadows.

That was 35 years ago and now
my world is completely dark,

and I've learned lots
of lessons in the dark,

but probably the greatest lesson
I ever learned in the dark

is that it does not have to be
well with our circumstances

for it to be well
with our souls.

You see, I can look through
the eyes of faith

even in blindness
and I can see hope.

But let's be very realistic,

it's not always easy
to see hope.

I mean, we turn on the news,
we don't see hope.

When you surf the web,
you see gloom, and despair,

and defeat, and dread,
and hatred, and division,

and a million reasons why it is
not well with our circumstances.

But I want us as the church
to see

beyond those things that
trouble our souls

to the truths that make it
well with our souls.

And here's what I mean.

When I walked into
this beautiful room tonight

I don't see any faces
before me,

so have no idea if the faces
that surround me are smiling...

-We are.
-Thank you. [laughs]

Or sneering.

I know that's not the case
in here.

But in any given situation,

i don't know if people are being
inviting or intolerant,

or if they're being hostile
or hospitable.

I don't know.

So, consequently, I cannot be
influenced by what I see

or by what I don't see.

That means that who I am
and whose I am

has the greater influence
in my life.

You see, we are the church!

This is who we are.

We can see beyond these things
that may trouble our souls

and we can see the truth that
makes it well with our soul.

We do not have be influenced
by what we see

or by what we don't see,

but the truth of who we are
and whose we are

can be the greatest influence.

Our culture does not
influence us to know

what our identity
and hope is, no.

Our identity and our hope
as the people of God is

what can influence our culture.

It's not the words on the screen
that tell us who we are

and how we should feel.

It's the Word that tells us
who we are.

And when we read the Word,
we see that

where there is darkness,
we are the light.

And where there's division,
we bring unity.

And where there is chaos,
we offer peace.

And where there's confusion,
we bring wisdom.

And where there is hatred,
we bring love.

And where there is fear,
we walk forward in faith.

And where there's hurt,
we offer compassion.

And where there is need,
brothers and sisters,

we are the provision.

This is who we are.

This is what I see.

We are a beautiful church.

We are the people of hope.

And our hope shines brightest
when our circumstances,

when our culture is the darkest.

That is the truth that makes
it well with our souls,

even if our circumstances
never change.

I don't know if my sight will
ever be restored here on earth.

I don't know if God
will heal me.

But if he does, I really hope
I will still be able to see,

to really see through
the eyes of faith.

And the only way I will continue
to see through the eyes of faith

and the only way you will
continue to see through

the eyes of faith is when
our eyes are fixed on Jesus.

Oh brothers and sisters,
we can have courage

and we can be encouraged.

Instead of fixing our eyes
on all that is

not so well with
our circumstances,

we can fix our eyes on Jesus
because he's the author,

he is the finisher of our faith.

And for the joy that was
set before him,

he endured his cross even though
he despised the shame.

And now as the King of kings,

he has sat down at the right
hand of the Father.

And we are to consider him
who endured such opposition

so that we don't grow weary
and we don't lose heart.

And that's the way I see it
and I hope you do too.

-Amen.

[applause]

Thank you, Jesus.

-Thank you.
-Thank you, my brother.

He is good.

We, was that so
deeply inspiring?

I, I want to tell you that
every eye here sees

everyone else's eyes filled
with tears with gratitude

for how God works through you.

-He is good.

-He is so good, thank you.

We are now going to move
into a time of answering

your questions from
around the country.

And so we want you to continue
as you have been this last week

sending us questions,

things that are being discussed
at your dinner table,

things that are on your mind,
questions for Dr. Ben Carson,

for Jennifer, for James,
for Francis, for me.

I'm gonna ask Ben,
if you'd come up,

Francis, if you would come up
and Jennifer, come on over here.

-Thank you, brother.

-And keep sending in
your questions.

You can type your comments
in to Facebook.

Make sure you include
the hashtag "Revive Us,"

#ReviveUs with your questions.

We've collected some already,
so we're going to start

with one of those
to get us going.

All right, here we go,
here's our first question.

"How do we guide our children
to keep their faith

in these times when
our government

and a godless culture are
trying to destroy it?"

That came in on Facebook.

Francis, I think that you should
answer that question

because you have the most
children of all of us.

[laughter]

How many kids do you have?

-I have seven children.

[applause] Yeah.

[applause]

Clap for my wife on that one,
she did all the work.

[laughter]

You know, I teach my kids
from an early age

that you know, when you
look in the Scriptures,

the Christians were never
the popular ones.

Okay, Jesus, look at our Savior,
he was crucified.

And Jesus said, John 15,
"If the world hates you,

keep in mind they
hated me first."

And so they understand from
an early age that what we do

as a family, we believe is right
in the eyes of God,

but that doesn't mean everyone's
going to love it.

-Right.
-And because we obey this book.

But what happens is that God
listens to us, like he knows us.

And Lisa and I have really
just tried to show them, look,

Mom and I just prayed for this
and look what happened.

Mom and I prayed for this,
God listens to us.

And they've seen the miracles
in our families.

And it's like, gosh, when
you guys get married,

I want you to pursue
this type of family

because we want God's favor.

And so there have been
times when, sure,

when they're younger we tried
to shelter them.

Or I don't know about shelter,
but when they're really young,

we don't want them to watch
the wrong things.

-Right.

-Keep them away from, you know,
locker room talk. [laughs]

You know, just the junk that can
be out there sometimes.

But at the end of the day,

it's like we can't shelter
them from everything.

It's got to be in them.

And that's the miracle
that we can't do.

Like we could lock her daughter
in a room until she's 18,

but then what happens
when she leaves?

It's about her heart.

And even remember
my oldest daughter,

there was a point when she
wasn't walking with God,

you know, her junior high years.

And it just killed me.

And my wife even said,
did we fail?

Did we fail?

I go, no, because we,
we haven't been hypocrites,

we've been walking with him.

It's just based on what
I read in this book,

she's got to make
her own decision.

And unless she makes that,
there's no hope.

But if the Holy Spirit enters
her, then everything will change

and she'll desire this
from the inside out.

But I can't make her
fall in love with Jesus.

I still remember the day,
you know, like later

when she came in my room
and said, "Dad, you're right.

I didn't know him.

The Holy Spirit wasn't in me."

And I go, "Well, I don't know,
maybe I was too rough."

She goes, "No Dad,
you're right,

and I know it because
I know him now."

And she goes, "When I talk
to God now,

it's like talking to you.

He's right there.
I know him."

And seriously,
from that point on,

it's like everything changed.

And so all the, you know,
negative influences were

still around her, but now it was
the desire of her heart

to stay away from it.

-Amen, that's good stuff.
[applause]

What a good word for us
as parents.

What a great responsibility
we have as parents.

And yet you're reminding us
and giving us the comfort

of knowing that there is
no recipe, quick fix,

there is no, follow these steps
and out pops a Christian child.

This is the work
of the Holy Spirit

and we need to trust and we
get to trust him in that.

All right, let's go to
the next question.

Our next question is,
"As a Christian,

my conscience is deeply
conflicted in this election.

I don't feel right voting
for the lesser of two evils.

How do I participate in
the election without violating

my Christian conscience?"

Dr. Carson?

[laughter]

Well, actually it's a very
appropriate question for me

because I'm a brain surgeon.
[laughter]

And the reason God
gave us a brain is

so that we could make decisions.

You know, every day when
you get out of the bed

and you get dressed and you
walk out of that door,

until the time you get
back in that bed,

you are making choices
between the lesser of evils

because we live
in an evil world.

So if you're unable to do that,
you really can't exist.

So that's a cop-out,
quite frankly.

You know, a paper cut is bad.

It stings, and hurts, nobody
wants to have one.

Also getting both your legs
chopped off is bad.

It hurts, it doesn't feel good,
nobody wants that.

But I guarantee you everybody
listening could make a choice

between those two things.

And they wouldn't say, "Ah,

they're both equally bad,
it doesn't matter.

I'll just sit back and wait
and see what happens."

And I think what you have
to do frequently is

take yourself out of the center
of the equation

and start thinking about
the overall good.

Start thinking about the health
of the nation,

start thinking about
your children

and your grandchildren
and what will happen to them

if we go in one direction
versus the other direction.

And we have to clearly
ask ourselves,

are there people
who are concerned

about our First Amendment
rights and are there people

who perhaps don't seem to be
as concerned about them?

Are there people who are
concerned about education

in the right way and teaching
true history of this nation?

You'll notice that, you know,
civics isn't taught much anymore

and true American history,

to the point that a lot of young
people who are growing up

think that we're a bad country.

You know, they're taught that
we represent slavery

and Japanese internment camps
and Jim Crow-ism

and everything bad that
they can imagine.

So when they see our flag,
they don't want to salute it.

They say, "This represents
evil America."

When in fact, what they should
be thinking about are

the incredibly courageous
men and women

who gave everything,
including their lives,

so that we could have freedom
in this country.

And we have to begin
to ask ourselves,

is it our turn now?

Do we have a responsibility

for those who are
coming behind us?

And I think when we begin
to think that way,

we can easily make
that decision.

[applause]

Here's the next question.

This question is also
from Facebook.

"I have a lot of anxiety about
the world we live in.

What can I do to reduce
my anxiety?

And is there any scripture
that has guided you?"

Jennifer, will you answer
that one?

-Yes.

I, I love that question because
I feel that kind of anxiety too.

I think all of us do,
especially in America

during this season where
there's so much uncertainty.

And really if you boil it down,

the language of anxiety is
'what if.'

What if, what if the election
doesn't turn out

like I think it should?

What if so-and-so wins
or so-and-so loses?

What if this happens
to our nation?

What if?

And that's the language
of uncertainty and anxiety.

And we're the people of God

and we don't live in
that area of anxiety.

We don't live with
the what if's,

we live with the what is.

And what is, is that God is
sovereign.

What is, is that his will,
his kindness,

his compassion, his sovereignty
doesn't rise or fall

based on an election in America.

And so we can focus
on the what is.

I believe it is Daniel 4:17
speaks of the sovereignty of God

that the Most High is sovereign
over the rulers of nations.

And he's the one who puts into
office and out of office.

That's what is.

That is the truth of what is.

So we can focus on the what is
and leave the what if's behind

because they're out
of our control anyway.

But we can put what
we don't understand

in the hands of the one
who does understand.

We don't get it,
but God's got it.

That's how I like
to think of it.

But I know another Scripture
that really does help me,

just from very practical...

-Yes, yes.

-2 Corinthians chapter 4
verses 16 through 18

speak of an eternal perspective.

You know, this is much bigger
and much further

than today and tomorrow.

We can look at our lives
with an eternal perspective.

And so Paul is saying because
of this eternal perspective,

therefore we do not
lose heart.

Though outwardly
it might seem like

everything's wasting away
and falling apart,

inwardly, daily,
we are being renewed.

And these light
and temporary troubles,

and there's quite a few of them,

they are working within us
a far greater weight of glory.

Because these things that we
see, they really are temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.

So that helps us focus
on the what is

and having eternal perspective.

-That's fantastic.
[applause]

What are those, what are
those Scripture numbers again?

If, if you're looking for a cure
to anxiety, write these down.

Daniel?

-Daniel 4:17 is the election
anxiety. [laughter]

General anxiety, we'll go
with 2 Corinthians chapter 4,

verses 16 through 18.

-Fantastic.

We have time for
another question.

Let's go to our next one.

"Do you think it's even possible
to change the culture long-term?

Isn't this being idealistic?

After all, isn't Satan
the 'god of this world,'

and aren't we living
in the end times?"

Well as the "Left Behind" guy,

I guess I should answer
this question.

[laughter]

You know, it's very interesting
to think about who you perceive

is the god of this world
in this sense.

A verse that comes to my mind
is, and one of my favorites

that gives me such hope
for the future,

is John 12, verses 30 and 31.

Where Jesus said, "Now is
the judgment of this world."

He said, "Now is the judgment
of this world."

And James talked to us
a moment ago

about what that world means.

And he said, "The god of this
world shall be cast down.

And when I am lifted up,
I will draw all men to myself."

And so if you think of that
in a picture here,

you have the god of
a godless world system.

Jesus comes to destroy
the works of the Devil.

He says, now something is
about to be broken,

this world and its power is
about to be broken,

and that leader is going
to be cast down

and another leader is
going to be lifted up,

speaking of the manner
of his death on the cross.

And when that happens,

there's a massive power shift
that occurs,

drawing people to Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior.

So when Jesus said, "All
authority has been given to me,

both in heaven
and on earth," right,

he took the keys to
the Devil's house, right?

He said, "All authority has
been given to me."

He conquered death,
he defeated the grave,

ascended into Heaven,

sat down at the right hand
of the Father.

He's ruling and reigning
in session

with the Trinity right now.

He removed the brick-and-mortar
temple in Jerusalem

and now says, Phil,
you're the temple,

Ben, you're the temple,

Jennifer, Francis,
you're the temple.

And there are hundreds of
millions, if not billions of us

walking worship centers
all over the world.

We went from the very beginning
of a handful

of frightened disciples,
followers of Christ,

to now a third of the population
of planet Earth

that claims the name of Christ

and many born-again believers
filled with the Spirit.

And now Jesus says
to his followers,

"Go and disciple the nations

and I will be with you
to the end of the age."

So I believe absolutely that
the ruler of heaven and earth

is the King of kings
and the Lord of lords.

That defeated,
illegitimate ruler, Satan,

is on his way
to the lake of fire

and the only authority and power
he has is what people give him

and he uses fear and shame
and guilt to control others.

But we don't have to follow him
because we have

the Lord of heaven and earth
as our king.

[applause]

Well, you know what encourages
me most is that here we are,

we just rolled up our sleeves
and we applied true religion.

We applied knowing God,
loving God,

we applied his word from
the Bible to issues of the day.

And we sit here as
an example of a mixture

of different races,
different denominations.

We have things that we are
able to bridge. Why?

Because we're gathered in unity
around the one thing that,

that brings us together
no matter what

our differences are and that's
the Word of God.

The plumb line for truth.

This is true north for politics,
for economics, for spirituality,

for church, for family,
for education, for everything.

That's why we can do this.

Again, we are just unloading
the whole truck for you tonight

and giving you lots to digest.

And so I'd like us now
to once again

move to a time of worship
together.

In theaters across the nation,

we'd like for you
to stand again,

worship with us,
with the worship team.

You know them as Passion.

Their song, "Salvation's Tide"

is what we're going to
sing with them.

Would you please stand?

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪ Oh, give us dreams tonight

♪♪♪

All over the nation tonight,
we seek his face.

♪ Oh, Jesus wash it away,
wash it away ♪

♪ Let the walls come down

♪ Let the lost be found
in Jesus' name ♪

♪ In Jesus' name

♪♪♪

♪ Oh let it be,
let it be so, Lord ♪♪♪

♪♪♪

[applause]

I believe that salvation

and the tide of revival
is rising.

I believe that.

Because we serve a God
who is exalted overall.

Are you hearing a theme
this evening?

Are you hearing the theme?

America's problem is
a heart problem.

It's not primarily
an economic problem,

a political problem
or a racial problem,

it's a heart and soul problem.

And it's a problem that
cannot be fixed

by the government
or by the president.

It can only be fixed by
the power of God working

in the hearts of his people.

Now I've been promising you
for months now on television,

on radio, on social media,
everywhere that I can make

this promise to you that
I would share with you

a strategy that has always
worked and never failed

in every generation
on every continent

to restore and revive a nation.

I'm going to share it
with you right now.

It's amazing.

It's so simple.

In fact, you're not going to
believe it when you hear it

because it's so obvious
you've probably read it

at least a dozen times,
likely more than that,

right here in your Bible.

You can find it in
Deuteronomy, chapter 6.

What if I told you that Moses
himself spoke this to his people

as his last words to them
just before they were

to enter into a land where
the culture seemed too big,

too strong, too dark,
too much for them to handle.

He had just finished leading
them for 40 years in the desert,

he's about to deliver
his final words

and here's what they are:
it's called the Shema.

Deuteronomy chapter 6 and you
find it in verses 4 through 9.

"Hear, O Israel:

The Lord is our God,
the Lord is one,"

or "the Lord alone."

This is a sacred prayer to
Jewish people, the Shema.

The Shema means "listen."

And not just listen,
but, but be careful to obey.

We're not to be just
hearers of the Word,

but doers of the Word.

Listen carefully and obey
what you're about to hear,

Moses is saying.

This is the last words I'm
going to speak to you -

here they are.

The Lord is our God.

Adonai Eloheinu
Adonai Echad.

Know God, he is one God, he is
the only God, he alone is God,

he is the Creator, the loving
Creator that made you,

that made me,
that made this world.

He loves you, he wants
to forgive you

and he wants you to be free.

That's the true God.

And not just free in Heaven,
but free here, now.

Free internally from
the devastating power

of selfishness and sin,

and free externally from
those who are controlled

by that god of this
godless world system

who has been defeated,
yet they still follow his ways

and they seek to oppress
other people

in the process,
just like their father.

He wants us free
from all of that.

Look at the next verse.

"Then love the Lord,"
this God,

"with all your heart
and with all your soul

and with all your strength."

To know the true God
is to love him.

You see, it's the false picture
of God that drives people away.

Some people have this view
of God that is like

this angry old man sitting up on
a cloud with a long white beard

and a furrowed brow just firing
lightning bolts down

at people who make mistakes.

Or on the other side, he's
this namby-pamby Jesus

who's so meek and mild

he just can't do anything
about the evil in the world.

Neither are true.

We have a God who is righteous
and holy and just.

And we see at the cross
his wrath towards sin.

And yet at the cross we also
see his loving-kindness

and his mercy and his
graciousness, his compassion.

And he sacrificed his own son
so that we could live

and be loved by him
and completely forgiven by him

and totally accepted by him,

and adopted into his family
and made complete in him.

This is the true God and to
know him is to love him.

Look at the next verse.

"These commands that I have
given you today

are to be on your hearts."

God gives his commands
in his Word

and they are to be stored up
in our heart.

And to know his commands,
we've got to read his Word.

We've got to know him
and love him,

but then also know his ways.

And then teach them
to your children.

"Talk about them when
you sit at home

and when you walk
along the road,

when you lie down
and when you get up."

In other words, in everything
that you do.

Let your children see you
not only know God,

but loving him with all your
heart and with all your soul

and studying his ways
and applying those ways.

Let them see you doing life
together with your husband

and your wife and your church
and your community

and let that compassion
be visible to them

in everything that you do.

And they will begin to see
and want that by God's grace.

And then, "Tie them as symbols
on your hands

and bind them on
your foreheads."

Now that's a little strange
language in our culture,

but this is, the Jewish
symbolism here is

your foreheads,
speaking of your mind,

and your hands.

In fact, Orthodox Jews
even today will

take the law and commands of God

and actually put them on
their arms with leather straps

and have those commands
right here on their arm

with straps going down
and around their wrists.

And the commands will be
actually physically

on their foreheads
between their eyes.

And the idea there is that
the thoughts of your mind,

the strength of your arm,
the work of your hands,

everything that you
think about,

everything that you do is
according to God's ways.

That they are a manifestation
of God and his Word.

And "Write them on
the door frames

of your houses
and on your gates."

It doesn't just stop
with your mind

or just stop with your heart,

it permeates to the work
of your hands

and all that you do so that
your children are watching,

they're playing
follow the leader.

Their eyes are on you.

Now write them on the door
frames of your house.

And Jewish people today,
just a few days ago were,

are attaching the commands
of God

to the door frames
of their home.

And it's not just for, for them
that they put it there,

it's for those who come into
the home, in the doorframe,

on your porches,
at your front door.

So that those who come and see
that this is a house

where God's ways are being
honored and it's a blessing

and it's wonderful because God's
ways are good for all people.

And then all the way
out to your gates.

This speaks of the seat
of government.

This is where laws are made.

We're in the city gates
in this culture.

Take the ways of God
and his commands,

which are good for everyone,

to protect the good
and to punish the evil

and make sure that your laws
are based

on these good,
eternal principles.

This is an amazing strategy.

And if you think this is
just 3000 years ago for Israel,

take a look at this.

This is a monument that
is sitting on a hill

in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

It is called the Monument
to the Forefathers,

built only 150 years ago
in honor of the Pilgrims

who came and settled this land.

And you know what they
brought over with them?

They brought the Shema in
their hearts and in their Bible.

And their children's
children's children turned it

into the largest granite
monument in the United States.

It is.

It's sitting there today

and it spells out exactly
what Moses talked about.

The very top of the monument,
quickly, is Faith.

She's the largest
of all the statues.

And she's holding a Bible.

In fact it's the Geneva Bible
brought over

by the Pilgrims, specifically.

She's pointing to the one
true God of heaven.

The star on her forehead
represents wisdom

because they read God's word to
understand his commands.

And that faith was expressed
first through their morality.

It wasn't an imposed standard,
it was a heart transformation

that caused them to want
to do the right thing

and love what God loves
and hate what he hates.

And if you look at morality
there, she's holding

the Ten Commandments
in her left hand,

the scroll of Revelation
in her right hand,

and the evangelist
is on her side

indicating that the heart change
must occur through the gospel

before you give a standard
of morality to live by.

Now she has that in her heart
and she's loving God

with all of her heart, she can
now teach it to her children.

And you see here next
to her is Education.

That's a mother teaching
her children.

This was a parent directed task.

And she's teaching her children
in the way they should go

so that when they're old,
they will not depart from it.

And of course, this was
to fill her home

and then go all the way out
to the city gates.

And you see that right next
to her, Law.

There is the man of law sitting
in his chair of authority.

He's holding the book of law,

which is balanced by
mercy and justice.

And it's directly beneath
the book held by Faith's hand,

which is the Bible,
the Word of God,

indicating that the word
and the law of the land

created by man would
never supersede

the laws held by faith,

which are the eternal
principles of God.

And the result would be
on the other side of law,

which is Liberty.

And there's liberty man.

His sword is sheathed.

That represents the sword
of the Spirit

because tyranny
has been overthrown.

He's wearing the helmet of
salvation, the belt of truth,

the gospel sandals of peace.

The chains on his wrists
and ankles are broken.

Tyranny, symbolized
by the lion,

you see that on his shoulder
the claw is just there,

the hide is draped
over his back.

And he's vigilant, looking out.

He's ready to defend his faith,
his family and his nation.

He's the product of the Shema.

And to his left is his wife,
her name is Peace.

And she's holding a basket
that's overflowing

with blessing for her family.

This is a fantastic strategy.

And what, what cinches
this for me is

Jesus himself when he was asked,

"What is the greatest
commandment of all?"

He answered without hesitation
and quoted the Shema.

"You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart,

with all your mind,
with all your soul

and with all your strength."

This isn't just an ancient
strategy,

it's an eternal strategy.

It is the only strategy
from your heart flowing

to the works of your hands
into your home

and out to the city gates.

It always works
and it never fails.

I am so excited and honored
to be partnering

with an organization called
My Faith Votes.

They have a mission to mobilize

the 90 million Christians
in America

to let their light shine
and to make their voice heard

and their vote count
at the upcoming elections.

Did you know that there were
25 million registered

Christian voters during
the last presidential election

who voted for no one?

They simply stayed home,
did not show up.

Christians are the largest
single voting block

in our nation, Christians.

If we engage, if we participate,
the results would be miraculous.

If we would engage and not be
discouraged and hide in a corner

but actually be salt and light
at the city gates,

we could absolutely,
100 percent,

unstoppably determine
the direction

of the future of our country
for our children.

Please watch this video
from My Faith Votes.

I'm Sarah and I'm
a fifth-grade teacher.

I pledge.

My name is Ben and I've been
the dad for two years.

I pledge.

I'm Nathan.

My family's been farming for
over 150 years and I pledge.

I pledge allegiance
to the flag...

Of the United States
of America...

And to the Republic
for which it stands...

-One nation under God...
-Indivisible...

With liberty and justice
for all.

"One nation under God."

We say it, we believe it.
Do we live it?

The last three presidential
elections were decided

by an average of
just five million votes.

More than 25 million Christians
who were registered to vote

did not vote in the 2012
presidential election.

Do the math.

-I pledge.
-I pledge.

I pledge.

Join 90 million Christians
on November 8, 2016.

Together we make the vote.

One of the things I love so much
about My Faith Votes is

on their website they have
what they call

a personal voting assistant

to help walk you through
the whole process.

It's called Turbo vote.

It's amazing.

You should go there and check
it out at their website.

Why are we doing all of this?

A lot of people are taking time
out of their life to come here

into the theaters all across
the nation and we're doing this

because we've got a lot
of skin in the game.

I know I do.

I have six children.

Francis has seven.

You have children that are
looking to you for answers

and hope for the future.

We're passing the baton
to the next generation.

I would like to introduce you
now to two very young ladies

who, they're not very young,

but they're young ladies who are
very important to me,

they're very precious to me.

One of them is my daughter
Bella and the other is a friend,

a singer and songwriter,
Abby Ward,

and they would like to sing
a song for you to remind us

where our true hope
comes from.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

[vocalizing with music]

[vocalizing with music]

♪♪♪

[applause]

How are you feeling?

You may be seated.
[laughter]

So what do we do?

What should we do?

First...pray.

We pray.

Revival begins with prayer,

heartfelt, fervent,
believing prayer.

We need prayer warriors.

Like did you see that movie,
"War Room"?

Did you see that movie?

[applause]

Remember Miss Clara, the older
woman who was teaching

the younger woman how to pray
for her marriage,

for her, for her family,
for her nation?

That's what we need.

You know, I, I actually invited

a very special friend
to come tonight

and I'm wondering
if she's here yet.

Miss Clara?

-Yeah, I'm here.

[light laughter]

[applause]

I'm on my way, you know it
takes me a while sometimes.

It takes me a while sometimes,
Kirk. [chuckles]

My knees don't do
with they used to do.

Oh, my goodness gracious.

It's a blessing to be here
with all of you.

And I would like for
all of you to join me

with your hearts as I pray.

[instrumental music]

You've done it again, Lord,
you've done it again!

And you are good and you are
mighty and you are merciful!

And you keep taking care
of me, Lord,

when I don't deserve it!

Thank you, Jesus,
you are Lord!

Send me another one, Lord.

Guide me to who you
want me to help.

Raise up, my Lord, who will
call upon your name.

Raise up those, Lord,
that love you,

that trust you and seek you.

Raise them up, Lord,
raise them up!

Lord, we need a generation
of believers

who are not ashamed
of the gospel!

Lord, we need an army
of believers

that hate to be lukewarm.

That will stand upon your Word
above all else.

Raise them up, Lord.

Raise them up.

Lord, I pray for unity among
those that love you.

I pray, Lord, that you would
open up their eyes

so that they can see
your truth, Lord!

I pray, Lord, for your hand
of protection and guidance.

Lord, we need a generation
that will

take light into this world.

That will not compromise, Lord,
when under pressure!

That will not cower, Lord,
when others fall away!

Raise them up, Lord,
raise them up!

Lord, we need warriors
that will proclaim

that there is salvation
in the name of Jesus Christ.

Warriors who will fight
on their knees, Lord.

That will proclaim, Lord.

Give you all that
they have, Lord,

worship you with
their whole hearts!

Lord, call us to battle that
we may proclaim you

King of kings and Lord of lords!

These things I pray with
my whole heart, Lord!

Raise them up, Lord,
raise them up!

[applause]

Amen.

[applause]

Do you know what's
happening right now?

Do you realize what's happening
all across our nation?

More than just two
or three of us are

gathered in the name of Jesus.

Amen?

We are worshiping together,
we are praying together,

we are calling for God to
tear open the heavens

and revive us together.

Our light is shining.

In fact, I want you to see
something right now.

This is a picture of what
is happening

at this very moment
around our country.

Look at this map of
the United States.

This first light is Chicago,
where we are at the Cathedral,

and the theaters around us.

Each point of light you now see
appearing is another theater

in the U.S. that is
praying with us,

worshiping with us and learning
how to revive our nation.

Look how many theaters are
with us together right now.

This is you, this represents
you in these rooms,

thousands and tens
and tens of thousands.

We've got all the dark places
surrounded.

And this doesn't even account
for the tens of millions

who are not with us right now,
which is why you need to go home

and bring them back with you
next week for the rebroadcast

of "Revive Us,"
Monday night on the 24th.

It works.

From our hearts to our hands
to our homes to the city gates.

Here's what I want
you to do: pray.

Everyone can do it.

Pray with your whole heart,
believing prayer.

Think.

Think about what you've
heard tonight.

You've heard deep truths,
thrilling, inspiring truths.

Think about those things,
talk about them with those

in your theater tonight
and at your home tomorrow

and at the workplace tomorrow.

And then vote.

That is one physical way
you can let your light shine.

If you don't, you're putting it
under a basket.

Pray, think, vote.

Because when our family
gets together

and the Spirit is moving,
we are unstoppable.

I want to give you a blessing

as you drive home tonight
from your theater.

My pastor always gives
this blessing to us

at the end of a church service.

I'm not your pastor, but I'd
like to give this to you anyway.

It's straight out of the book
of Numbers,

it's the Aaronic Priestly
Blessing.

And we give this to our children

as we put our hands
on their head

every night before
they go to sleep.

And I like to give this to you.

Would you just join me now,
in theaters as well,

and raise your hands
to the ceiling

like you were about
to receive a blessing,

a gift from your Father
in heaven.

Now I realize I just made
all the Baptists

very uncomfortable in
the room. [laughter]

But the Pentecostals
are thinking, all right!

It's about time, let's get
this party started!

Whoo!
[cheering]

All right, easy, easy.

[laughter]

And now may the Lord bless you
and keep you.

May the Lord make his face
to shine upon you

and be gracious unto you.

May the Lord lift up
his countenance upon you

and your family
and give you peace.

In Jesus' strong name, we pray.
Amen.

-Amen.
[applause]

Now before you leave
the theater,

for post-event activities,
post-event action activities.

There's many there
for you to help you.

And remember, you have
the theater to yourselves

as a community for
the next 10 minutes.

We have bought the time,
it is a time for you

to stay in the theater if you
wish to pray and to discuss.

Meet other people who have come

for the same reason
you're there.

You might not even
know them

and they can become
your new friends.

We hope this has been
a blessing to you.

It sure has been to us.

We thank God for you.

Good night.

[applause]

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪