When he was eventually removed from Avondale as a student, Bob developed his own ministry. Before long news reached him of the growing conflict in America over QOD, which was about to be published. Not only did he protest, but its publication intensified interest in his ministry. Indeed, two pastoral interns became to caught up with his claims and teachings that they left their posts to join him. The Awakening Message was thus born with high hopes of quickly ushering in the latter rain.

Because Bob claimed his Awakening Message was a revival of the Minneapolis message and emphasized the generally neglected central pillar of Adventism, Christ's Most Holy Place ministry, many accepted it as the rebirth of the 1888 message of righteousness by faith, which Ellen White declared. "the third angel's message, in verity" and identified with the "loud cry" of the latter rain.

Brinsmead's message was opposed in Australia because of it was considered a passive message that undermined sanctification and the need for active obedience. With a strong focus upon justification by faith, he insisted on the need to cooperate with Christ by going into His Most Holy Place by faith and wait there until He removed one's sinful nature and poured out His Spirit in latter rain power.

Probably because he sought to overcome the charge of a passive approach to the judgment which undermined the role of sanctification, by the time he arrived in the US in February, 1961, he soon found a large following among those who emphasized sanctification and perfection. Little did his followers realize that he actually considered a focus on sanctification to be heretical and that his whole focus upon upon legal justification followed by divine removal of the sinful nature.

Had his followers clearly understood this they would not have been so shocked when, in1970, Bob suddenly began to attack his own message regarding perfection and removal of our carnal natures. A 1969 encounter with Episcopal seminary teacher, Geoffrey Paxton, had convinced Bob that the sinful nature will not be removed till the translation or resurrection. This, of course, was the teaching of Ellen White, whose quotes he had habitually used in support of his doctrine. However, his position was now even farther removed from hers. For he placed his new theology upon a very different foundation and with an anti-perfection that was contrary to her teaching. His view was placed upon the doctrine of original sin, which would reshape his theology in many ways.

This theological shift put him in harmony with Desmond Ford, his erstwhile most significant, Australian opponent, with whom he now found himself in partnership.