AFTER YOU PRAY FOR REVIVAL AND REPENT-THEN WHAT DO YOU DO? -MAKING REVIVAL HAPPEN- PART 3- YOU NEED AN EARTHQUAKE
INTRODUCTION
Acts 4:29-31 (ESV)
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
I asked God for a revelation. I asked him why the church wasn’t going forward. The first part of this message was about what the church was doing that was right. Many are praying for Revival (self/church/city/country/and the rest of the world) Some have repented of their sins. But is there a third step that is hindering the church from going forward?
According to Ray Comfort from the Way of the Master; who works with Kirk Cameron and is an expert on Witnessing and only 1-2 % of American Christians share their faith regularly.
· The criteria he used was bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ and trying to bring that person to a decision for Jesus once every 6 weeks on the average. That is shocking! Anytime you don’t move out of the four walls of the church building your church won’t be healthy. So, we must mobilize the troops.
· The church is not turning outward to reach the lost. It is stagnant. Why do you think that Jesus said pray for Laborers (they are few) (They are the lifeline-Evangelists to keep the church growing and there are just not enough)
Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV)
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
We have a commission from the Lord that we by and large just are not doing
· Witnessing (which includes Discipleship) is the life blood to grow the church and to keep it healthy. In the early church, they were always adding to their numbers.
· We need New converts and they need us for growth not only in numbers but inside of our hearts.
· This is an area I am asking and believing God to make me more effective in. I share my testimony and talk about God all the time, but I want to be much bolder in Presenting the Gospel and helping others decide for Jesus. I have reached out to someone in my church who has an expert at Witnessing and has an Evangelistic Gifting also. I have the Holy Ghost fire burning in me, but he can and will provide the Knowledge and fine tuning I need to be effective. I refuse not to be the best I can be in this area.
Mark 16:15-20 (ESV)
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
· Church Revival must produce Evangelism and Discipleship, or it will dry up in just a few years
· You as an individual are not tied to the group and what they do
· HOW SHALL THEY HEAR EXCEPT THERE BE A PREACHER?
· GO INTO THE WORLD PREACH AND TEACH THE GOSPEL
· LABORERS ARE FEW-PRAY FOR MORE-BUT BEFORE YOU PRAY-SIGN UP YOURSELF
SO HERE IT IS THE REVELATION GOD GAVE ME
REVELATION 5-1-18 WHAT ARE WE DOING THAT IS PREVENTING A MOVE OF GOD?
I knew we were looking at Revival in an Old Testament way. God had revealed to me the connection to Evangelism (with Discipleship) as the Life's Blood of the Church for Growth and Excitement (versus ingrown-stagnation) a couple of days before this. I asked him for a Revelation as to why we are not getting Revival, and this is what he showed me.
So, what do you do after you have prayed for revival and repented of your sins. You need an Earthquake!
YOU NEED A QUAKE TO SHAKE YOU LOSE FROM FEAR AND INTO BOLDNESS (IT IS TIME TO GO BOLD)*****
Boldness is the Answer-GOING BOLD *****
· That is what God showed me is missing from the modern church here in America. There are a few who are bold; but not many.
· There are other things needed to: how to share your testimony; how to disciple a new convert, etc. But these things are secondary and totally unnecessary if we are not going to walk in Boldness
· We must realize this that just like some people will never accept Christ/Some won’t accept the Baptism in the Holy Spirit-some won’t be witnesses
So, after you have prayed for revival and repented you need to make yourself available to God and you need this:
1. YOU NEED AN EARTHQUAKE (BOLDNESS)
Remember this, Praying and not going and telling others how they might know Jesus and be saved could be compared to you running into a starving family and you say I will pray for you and you have the means but don’t give them something to eat. So, you should pray for that family and give them the can in your hand also
· OLD TESTAMENT: PRAYED AND REPENTED AND WAITED FOR GOD TO MOVE
· NEW TESTAMENT: PRAYED AND REPENTED AND BELIEVED GOD FOR AN EARTHQUKE (YOU CAN STIR YOURSELF UP AND GO)
· OLD TESTAMENT WAS WAIT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS, GO-YET WE ARE NOT GOING BUT WAITING THAT IS OLD TESTATMENT
· HERE IS A HUGE MISTAKE MANY CHRISTIANS MAKE-IT REALLY IS A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE SOVEREINGTY OF GOD-IF YOU JUST PRAY SOMETHING AND THEN SAY ITS IN YOUR HANDS LORD-THAT SOUNDS GOOD-BUT I WOULD GUESS THAT 99 % OF THE TIME THAT PERSON HAS JUST COMMITTED PRAYER AND REVIVAL SUICIDE. This is a spiritual warfare. God gave you authority and if you throw back on it-guess what-God gave it to you and you gave it to God and the devil has divided and conquered. You must use the authority God has given you and not be double-minded about it. You must follow it through to completion-commanding to manifest. You must not only pray and repent, but you must be Bold and Go. (FAITH WITHOUT WORKS OR CORRESPONDING ACITONS IS DEAD)
· Prayer is Water and Fertilizer but the Word (Witnessing-sharing your faith) is the Seed (No Seed-No harvest) You can’t get a harvest from prayer alone!!!
· This is where God calls men and women who want to change the World for Jesus to Go) We are Jesus with skin on to others
· Please let me say this: There are countries where the people’s hearts are hard, and missionaries have had to pray for the softening of their hearts for a period (sometimes years) before a harvest can be reaped.
2. SO HOW DO YOU GET AN EARTHQUAKE:
YOU NEED THE SOURCE OF POWER: WHERE DID JESUS SAY THIS SOURCE WAS
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8)
You need the Mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I have said many times before if it weren’t for the Promises of God and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit speciafically: Speaking in tongues I would be dead. It gave me the power I needed to overcome.
Something this is weird or of the devil or not for today. Millions around the world speak in tongues. It puts you into such a higher power arena.
Some will ask can you do this without the Baptism and Speaking in Tongues. Yes, but you will have much less power and that is not how God designed it. You need it.
3. SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS THE KEY-IT IS THE ONLY HANDLE WE HAVE-WE CAN STIR UP THIS POWER WE NEED TO BE BOLD TO WITNESS OR DO ANTHING
4. THE BENEFITS ARE AMAZING
· Builds you up
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” (Jude: 20)
· Keeps you in God’s Love
“keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude: 21)
· Love is Oil for your Faith
“but faith which worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6)
· Unlimited Power (YOU AND I NEED THIS ADDITIONAL POWER)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8)
· Rest and Refreshing (kind of a spiritual vacation)
“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28: 11,12)
· Protected Hot line to God
“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” (I Corinthians 14:2)
5. Look at Peters life before and after Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with Speaking in Tongues
· Peter Before-Denied Jesus three times and then
· Peter after -preached the inaugural message on the Day of Pentecost when the Great outpouring began (3000 people saved)
6. -Satan has pulled one of the biggest lies of all on the church.
· You do have to pray and repent but then we feel we must wait. You will be waiting for decades. Haven’t you already?
· How long have you been praying?
7. After you pray and repent then the NT Mandate is to BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BELIEVE FOR BOLDNESS AND THEN GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.
· There is available the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED IT AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM AND HAVE LET IT GO DORMANT TO-STIR UP THAT GIFT
· Let me say this too. Things we need to go along with Boldness
· Practice our Testimony
· Learn Scriptures for Witnessing
· Have some questions to ask people
· Have someone help you who is gifted at this (go with them and witness)
The Problem is that these other things don’t matter if we don’t’ have boldness (Because we aren’t going to go forward; just gonna go around in circles)
8. So, if you are praying for Revival for Your:
Self/Church/City/County/World and have Repented of your sins and want to make yourself available for him to be a Laborer in the Harvest-that is where the action is. That is where miracles take place and you aren’t walking in boldness the you need an Earthquake (A quake to shake you lose from fear and into Boldness for him.)
PRAYER TIME:
Are you ready for an earthquake?- IT’S TIME TO GO BOLD/
IT’S TIME TO GO BOLD and START A FIRE IN YOUR HEART AND OTHERS/
I SAID IT’S TIME TO GO BOLD AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS THROUGH
THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
For those who have Already Received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and have just neglect to Speak in Tongues
Pray this:
Lord Please forgive me for taking this gift for granted.
I stir up this gift now in Jesus name. I believe you fill me up to overflowing. Now start speaking in tongues again.
For those who have never received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of Speaking in Tongues
Pray this:
-Begin Praising the Lord in English
-Now quit speaking in your native language
-And with simple child-like faith receive -And start speaking in Tongues.
-Refuse to speak in English. It may just be a Word of two. A syllable or two. Just keep at it. It will grow.
-You may feel weird at first.
-You might question is it me or is it the Holy Spirit doing this. It’s both. The Holy Spirit gives you the language as you open your mouth and speak it out. It’s like on demand.
-This is so important. Don’t take no for an answer. - Keep doing it until you break through
(If you are unable to break through now; then continue to do this at home until you do)
- God will help you! This is so important.
