Equipping Christians to be Fearless in the World

FLASHPOINT

In the fall of 2020, amidst a turbulent presidential election, Kenneth Copeland called Gene Bailey and told him he needed to produce an alternative to mainstream media news. From that conversation came the show, Flashpoint, in which Gene discusses news of the day from a biblical perspective. He expected the program to run six or seven weeks leading up to the election; it’s still going strong several years later.

According to the Collins English Dictionary, “A flashpoint is the moment at which a conflict, especially a political conflict, suddenly gets worse and becomes violent.” Gene sees many such situations in America and the world today. “Gender confusion is becoming normalized, open borders, and international tensions that were moving in the right direction in 2020 now … at a boiling point again.” He sees a major concern for our country and the world, of course, in Israel and the horrific war brought to her by Iran and its proxy groups.

In response to these and all other “flashpoints,” Gene believes what’s needed is spiritual reform - revival - and that God will use His Church, not political leaders, to bring that about. “Pastors need to pastor. Leaders need to lead. And believers need to believe God for what seems to be impossible. We must remember this fundamental truth: God does His best work in impossible situations. “Don’t lose hope,” Gene exhorts us. Regarding our country in particular, he says, “America is not lost, but we are in a war for the very soul of our nation.”  

AWAKENED, NOT WOKE

“The term ‘woke’ has become almost seamlessly intertwined with the ‘cancel culture’ movement, which has sought to eliminate evidence of and rewrite our history,” Gene says. “Of course, most of us still realize that true and accurate history is full of gems that can give us clues as to how to walk through the season we’re in. Though our society has been in upheaval, God has been at work using political chaos and the pandemic to turn us into awakened people, not ‘woke’ people.” The answer to this ideology is not simply intellectual, Gene believes, but once again, spiritual. He says the Church needs to be awakened, roused from spiritual sleep, inactivity, and indifference. “Throughout our history we have experienced revival, awakening, and reformation in our culture several times. And our current situation shows us that we need God to pour out His power and His presence on us again.” He cites Scripture:

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11  

Believing we’re in the beginning of another great awakening, Gene looks back at one of the great influences of the First Great Awakening, George Whitefield. “In its simplest form, Whitefield’s message was, ‘You must be born again.’ He preached this one message three thousand times, and it changed a nation. The Awakening in America spread. It became not just about George Whitefield’s preaching, but as more and more got saved, it became about one person sharing with another what God had done in their life.” There are many lessons Gene says we can learn from Whitefield:

•    Personal background doesn’t disqualify. Whitefield was born in a bar, lived his childhood in poverty, and as a young man was known for filthy language and lying.  
•    Believers also belong outside the church walls. We’re called to be salt and light in a dark world. “The churches closed their doors to Whitefield, but he found multitudes of hungry people outside. So will you,” Gene says. 
•    Everyone has a gift. “You have a gift and a passion for something. Pay attention to that. God is, and He’s planning to use it for His glory.”  

PREPARING FOR REVIVAL

Gene reminds us that God’s plans for this nation and world will not be thwarted and that the next awakening is already here. Evidence is the Brownsville revival in 1995, the Asbury College revival in 2023, and many more in countries like Iran, Thailand, Myanmar, Algeria, India, and Africa. “Know that revival, awakening, and reformation are not about how good you are or how ‘effective‘ your ministry is. Kingdom life is about yielding to the Lord and saying yes to what He is doing, no matter what it looks like.” Gene goes on to present a number of practical steps we can take to align ourselves with God’s plan. Two of them are:

•    Think generationally. “We’re standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us in revelation of the Word of who Jesus is and of what they’ve done in our world. When we think about our children’s children, and even their children, we will be motivated to run fast and run hard!” 
•    Do everything in love. “Loving others doesn’t mean that we go along with everything, but we must be diligent to keep our hearts right in all that we do. We all have passionate ideas and opinions about the current state of our nation, and righteous anger is of the Lord. Scripture tells us that we can be angry and not sin, so we must pay attention to this,” Gene exhorts us.  

Find out where you can watch Flashpoint at www.flashpoint.govictory.com, and learn more about Gene Bailey at www.GeneBailey.com.