That Times of Refreshing May Come
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Peter and John went to prayer meeting and end up in a heap of trouble.
Peter and John went to prayer meeting and end up in a heap of trouble.
Focus:
Function:
Peter and John went to vespers prayer meeting and end up in a heap of trouble.
Peter and John went to vespers prayer meeting and end up in a heap of trouble.
(Read in full.)
They laanded in jail. What were they thinking? Shoulda given the lame man what he wanted. Alms. Spare change.
Refreshing faith is infectious. Bone dry faith is deadly
They laanded in jail. What were they thinking? Shoulda given the lame man what he wanted. Alms. Spare change.
When refreshing spirituality (read ) meets dry religiosity (read ) there’s bound to be trouble.
Shoulda given the lame man what he wanted. Alms. Spare change.
ot in big trouble—that’s what they did. For picking on a poor, lame man. Carried to the temple gate called Beautiful that morning—like the morning before, and the morning before that—to beg. And Peter and John gave him what he wasn’t asking for.
He was asking for alms. Not goods. Spare change.
They got in big trouble—that’s what they did. For picking on a poor, lame man. Carried to the temple gate called Beautiful that morning—like the morning before, and the morning before that—to beg. And Peter and John gave him what he wasn’t asking for.
He was asking for alms. Not goods. Spare change.
“Please, Mister. Not asking for beer. Just spare change. Please, Mister, have pity on an old, lame man. Pleeeeease, Mister, have pity...”
Maybe they’d seen conmen
Subway is right around the corner. A foot-long tuna on wheat with chips and a drink. Turkey sandwich on honey oat bread, with chipotle sauce, a bag of barbecue chips, and a sprite!
“May I buy you lunch instead?”
Tried this trick once—me and my son, one Sunday noon, off of Harbor Blvd, in San Pedro. Went to see the Battleship Iowa. Walked up to a Subway, and an old man in tattered clothes comes up to me. “Please Mister, do you have a couple dollars to spare?”
“Sorry, Sir, but I’ll buy you lunch.”
He hesitated, and said, “Sure.”
What do you want? Come on in with me and order your lunch. It’s on me.
“Oh, no! They won’t let me in there. Just order for me.” So I did.
Got him a footlong turkey sandwich on honey oat bread, with chipotle sauce, a bag of barbecue chips, and sprite.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you, Sir! Thank you!”
I felt good!
We ate our sandwiches, my son and I, and headed back to the dock. Around 3 pm—as Peter and John were arriving for prayer meeting—we went back to Subway to load up on drink. It was a very hot summer day. The old man is gone. I noticed a full subway bag in the trash by the Subway entrance. “No!” I opened it and in the bag is an unopened, uneaten turkey sandwich on honey oat bread, with chipotle sauce, barbecue chips, and sprite.
And all the righteous hair on my body bristled!
And all the righteous hair on my body bristled!
But even a subway sandwich
All the righteous hair in my body bristled!
Just wanted to be at the prayer meeting.
Watched a You Tube video the other day on Facebook about a street beggar who went straight to the liquor store after he’d gotten a $100 bill from a kind man. Actually, it was a setup. The cameraman followed him all the way to the liquor store, and exposed him to the world. Now that’s mean.
“Please, Mister. Not asking for beer. Just spare change. Please, Mister, have pity on an old, lame man. Pleeeeease, Mister, have pity...”
“Please, Mister. Have mercy.”
But their money straps were empty.
“How I wish the Lord were here now, Peter. Maybe he’ll tell us to go dig and find some temple coin by that tree over there. Remember that time, Peter, when the Lord told us to cast our net? Then we can give this man what he’s asking for.”
But when you’ve had times of refreshing—and you have no money in your pocket—what do you give a lame man asking for alms?
“Yeah, I remember, John.”
“I miss the Lord, Peter. I miss him so bad.”
“I do, too, John.”
But Peter and John were not the same disciples. They had experienced some mighty things one could wish were repeated here and now. I am in the pain of childbirth praying, wishing, begging that the mighty things Peter and John had seen may be repeated here.
But when you’ve had times of refreshing—and you have no money in your pocket—what do you give a lame man asking for alms?
And the lame man stood up and walked.
You give him what you’ve got!
They had seen times of mighty refreshing. And they gave the man the only thing they had—the only one that filled their soul.
They gave the lame man Jesus!
They gave the lame man Jesus!
And they landed in jail. Trouble!
But trouble didn’t come before dusk. For four to five crucial hours the man danced, jumped, and shouted. And Peter took the unique opportunity to speak to the prayer warriors at the temple, and cut them to the heart:
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
And the the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees wanted it stopped immediately. There are always those who would resist what they do not know. What they haven’t experienced. It’s human nature. How little they know of God’s holy fire.
As the believer begins to awaken, recognition of his need for revival progresses to desperation for it. He renounces sin, seeks the mind of God, and submits to God. The Holy Spirit becomes a fresh wind blowing across his soul, awakening the child of God from spiritual slumber.
In their book titled, Firewall: How God Has Shaped History through Revivals, co-authors Alvin Reid and Malcolm McDow studied revival movements from Old & New Testament all the way to modern times. They discovered that the Spirit uses six types of revival:
Personal revival, which takes place in the life of the believer
The six types of revival are personal, institutional, regional, specialized, national, and global.
Revivals always begin with personal encounters with God and travel through concentric circles to their conclusions.
Institutional revival, which takes place in a church, school, or some other institution
And they always have four elements present—the very four elements present when a person accepts Jesus for the very first time.
The four basic elements of revival are: (1) sense of desperation, (2) confession of known sins and laying aside of doubtful habits, (3) serious and sustained effort to obey the Spirit at every turn, (4) passion to share Jesus publicly.
A sense of desperation
-Alvin Reid and Malcolm McDow, Firefall, 8.
Reid and McDow continue:
“As the believer begins to awaken, recognition of his need for revival progresses to desperation for it. He renounces sin, seeks the mind of God, and submits to God. The Holy Spirit becomes a fresh wind blowing across his soul, awakening the child of God from spiritual slumber.”
In Peter and John we see two Christians fully awake in Jesus. And so, can anyone blame them for giving the lame man the thing they had?
Is this what we really want?
Revival is trouble. It is upredictable. It spreads like wildfire.
And be careful what you wish for. For revival is trouble.
Oh God, bring us one prayer meeting like that, and we will transform this sleepy town for you!
How many women and men does the Spirit need to revive a congregation? One. One! Then one more! Then one more! I am in the pain of childbirth begging God that this would happen here! Join me in praying for it!
Dare we say that this is our need today?
Dare we say that this is our need today?
And that the small group ministry we wish to start is only a means to this end? To spark and sustain revival?
Dare we ask for these times of refreshing?
“Oh, but careful what you ask for, Pastor. You just might get it. There’s trouble in that unpredictable fire. Trouble. And when it does come, then what?
Why, you could end up in jail after prayer meeting.
And once the mighty times of refreshing comes, then what?
Well, “When the fire is falling, get as near as you can to the flame.”
***Explain The Gatherings mission, vision, guiding principles, focus, and commitment here***
Two angels were looking at a small gathering of believers one day.
Two angels were looking at a small gathering of believers one day.
Two angels are looking at a small gathering of believers one day.
“Do you think God will send revival to this small group of people?
“Well, the Lord is always looking to break out among His people.”
“True, true. Yes, I remember the last tim his fire fell on this people. A hundred sixty years ago. "
“Yes, I remember the last tim his fire fell on this people. A hundred sixty years ago. Remember?
“Oh yeah, I remember. Boy were they on fire then! But here’s the real question.”
But
“But here’s the real question.”
“What’s that?”
“The real question is, Can God trust them with another revival?”
And the angels kept waiting for the fire to fall.
Question for Discussion
Question for Discussion
How might God use me to spark and sustain a revival where I am?