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Why One Cry Now?. The stagnant spirituality inside our churches is the greatest challenge we face in transforming our communities for Christ. When God Comes. REVIVAL. “Jesus is gone. Now what?”.
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Why One Cry Now? The stagnant spirituality inside our churches is the greatest challenge we face in transforming our communities for Christ.
When God Comes . . . REVIVAL
God gave them undeniable proof of his power working in THEIR life that would overcome anything they faced in the future.
Acts 2:1-8, 11 “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared
to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
“Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were
amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? . . .we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.’
“the mighty deeds of God!”
Acts 2:37-41 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
What should Pentecost mean to us?
Jesus still works today even though He is not here physically.
Pentecost assures us that God is present with His people to accomplish the mission that Jesus started.
The Spirit is our point of contact with God and He teaches, comforts, guides, transforms, works mighty deeds, empowers us to carry out the Great Commission and brings revival.
What then is revival? The extraordinary movementof the Spirit of Godin the lives of God’s ordinary people producing extraordinary results.
1730–1740 First Great Awakening • 1770s East Coast/Virginia Revival • 1800–1825 Second Great Awakening • 1857–1858 Prayer Revival • 1904–1905 Welsh Revival • NO nation-wide revival! 30 years 30 years 30 years Revival The extraordinary movement 45 years 100+ years
What caused these? The extraordinary movementof the Spirit of God
What led to the revivals? PRAYER AND REPENTANCE!
BEFORE REVIVAL Matt. 26:74-75 “Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don't know the man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter
remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
AFTER REVIVAL Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:19-20 “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”
So what about revival and us? First, we must pray until we realize our inadequacy to do anything to bring revival. Second, we must repent of our sin.
Third, we must call on God to fill His empty vessels and revive us!
Pray with me, Lord, forgive me of any sin in my life so I can fellowship freely with You.
Help me to think like Jesus thought so I can live like He lived.
Give me the desire to think on things that are pure and noble and reject thinking on things that are not.
Renew my mind so I can be transformed into the image of Jesus and not conformed to the image of this world.
Help me to live as a servant of the king and may all I do be for the glory of the name of King Jesus.