“Revival and the ‘Normal Christian Life’”. Acts 2:32-47 WBC 21/3/4am
INTRODUCTION: “measuring you for blessing”
I guess there are 23 main reasons for me tackling this subject, this morning:
1) My introduction back to faith in 1982
- lots of us came to faith at the same time in B/S
- 40 of us newly converted teenagers squashed into ‘the mansefields’
- man, now, in Xian service
- soon, my best friends Roland, Greg, Dave and I were all worshipping God together
Just thought it was ‘normal’
Later thought “this is a taste of ‘revival’, awakening”
2) You’re going to hear lots on revival this year (cf chapel down the rd)
= centenary of Welsh revival, 1904
- hundreds of thousands came into the kingdom worldwide. 100,000 in Wales in 2 years
- Evan Roberts. 25 year old
- Started with hymn ‘here is love’ (in Welsh is shshshshshsh”
But you may hear only one side of the story
3) MW Leaders away
discussing stuff from last sun pm
- if God is ‘measuring us for blessing’- what do we ask for?
o If it’s a ‘blank cheque’- what do you write next to ‘pay’ as the signature at bottom is ‘in my name’
Can WRITE anything but
• Want to be like Solomon & ask for the BEST thing
• God will only honour… pay… what’s ‘in His name’
Our questions were: do we ask for revival? Do we know what it entails/costs? ACTUALLY- IS it what’s best?
We felt drawn to ask for:
1) relationships- between leaders… particularly. We didn’t even use the word ‘unity’ (as this can confer ‘uniformity’ and we’re not wanting that). We want deep relationships with each other as we believe that is the foundation for all else. (Seriously!)
2) Souls. We want to see more people saved. People need Jesus. We want MORE. We want LOTS. We want for that to become the ‘norm’
I chose this passage as it has
- revival in it. 3000
- souls: ‘the Lord added daily’
REVIVAL?
As I understand it (demonstrated here)- revival is the awakening of God’s people that goes on to bring in an influx of conversions
= v. real phenomena
- = sociological and spiritual
- = God at work, His blessing coming down into (often) prepared soil
= in our history
- last one was either the Hebridean revival of 1949… or maybe the one in East Anglia (about then, or maybe ’47)- stopped when it got to Suffolk!
1904- Welsh revival. Went worldwide
Soon after that- revival started in a church in Azusa Street, LA. 1906-1909
- has changed the world! WE are a product of it
- missionaries were taking it out even before there were churches
1856- huge awakening in Ulster & N America
And the ‘Great Awakening’ (as it was called) that burnt 1735-1790
- in our land- the 2 wesleys & Whitfield
o Wesleys single-handedly stopped a revolution similar to the French (historians think)
o Country completely turned around
> “Methodism”. V Methodical
(now almost dead, along with much of Wales)
o kindled in foreign lands- Cambuslang (near Glasgow!) 1742
o in N America- Jonathan Edwards (good jumper, I hear!)
o millions converted (that’s millions THEN)
It’s a key anointing… ‘spark of God’ on just a few people—that lights a flame that cannot be put out
- Illustr: Robert mentioning ‘grace’ and revival
It’s a contagious idea, isn’t it? Open heaven. God draws near. “Seized by a power of great affection”. People drawn magnetically to God
Of course, it IS happening in our day- just not much in Europe (but don’t despair)
- significantly : S. America. Africa… Argentina
o huge awakening. Conversion rate outstripping birth rate
? Know what was key to it starting in Argentina? Argentina & the sinking of the General Belgrano
- and here’s something significant I want to say about revival (GET REAL)
o = how it starts, burns and ends
- many want this… pray for this- but have no idea what they’re asking for! The cost. The reality
- see it as a ‘placebo for all ills’- “won’t have to evangelise”
o IT’S NOT LIKE THAT
Start
Often revival starts from key - prayer (here- the 120)
- persecution or problems. Humbling. Poverty of spirit. Cry to God
- people
And those things are often painful… and the people are not perfect!
- THIS IS NOT A PROPHECY: talking with Paul (drummer) re ‘The Passion’ & it being ‘bloody’
- “reckon we’ll have a bloodbath of our own” he said (terrorism)
- hit me: “better pray that if it does happen God will use it as our General Belgrano” (note my wording)
- intercessors: get to prayer (& you can’t predict this, now, as I’ve auto-suggested it to you!)
I’m only asking the question: do you want that? Really?
- can you please pray that God will use anything
Burns
And what about how revival continues?
- look back on ‘glorious halcyon days’. But time re-writes every line
o at the time- it was a MESS! A Godly one!
o God at work… but ‘people’ in there, too
You need to understand this- so if you see a work of God you don’t discard it or the people
- (like the Pharisees did; ‘it is by Beelzebub….)
- where God moves in power it doesn’t mean it’s perfect (or palatable!)
o here, Acts 2, manifestations= v unpalatable to some
- Nigeria- I have some grave concerns. Specifically over the disciples being like Zombies
o But GOD is at work
The tension for leaders is how do we guide/fan this flame without exploding or putting it out!
And here’s the other side of the coin that I NEED to tell you about, from history
- (not to pooh-pooh, but so we can learn. Many aren’t honest, here..)
- Evan Roberts- went of his trolley. Became unhinged. Overdid it
o Became a recluse & wrote books with Jessie pen-Lewis that confused all the converts. Had them doubting the Revival & God
- Basically: he was empowered but not WISE. Burnt out
o Didn’t value the body as well as the spirit
But was only 25! Key things became: testimony and singing
It’s there in scripture. Elijah 1 Ki 18:45- spiritual revival & runs 17 miles under God’s power - & then has a breakdown
And the great awakening stopped overnight because of a suicide
But Wesleyan and Pentecostal revivals burnt on- as applied ‘mind’ as well
- 1 Cor 14:14 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
So- wrt the working of God- in revival: you will be ‘out of your depth’
- but not ‘out of your mind’
God DOES offend the mind to reveal the heart, sometimes
- but He won’t contradict the sound principles in scripture of
o wisdom… the Bible itself… looking after body, mind & spirit
o (cf- he told Elijah- ‘get some food & sleep’)
“EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD”
So- Revival is a marvellous thing. To be welcomed. To be thought about, seriously! So- can make the best of it if it comes
But I’m not sure I see a readiness/preparedness in our society
- aren’t 3000 people coming to Jerusalem seeking for God, YET
BUT as we talked as MW leaders we recognised
- how far we’d come
o sharing of values & hearts
o 25 years ago very few were looking for greater moves of God- those who were were castigated
a few conversions: now regular conversions through Alpha
This IS a phenomena that is building and
Zech 4:10 ‘do not despise the day of small beginnings’
I want you to be encouraged and expectant
- not spec for revival- but for –greater things of God
- God to act! (He longs to!)
And it doesn’t take much for things to turn around
- (my sermon: ‘believing for breakthrough’: tipping point is reached and one or 2 key people, events, can start a flood
o like ‘The passion’. Use it as tool
I expect God to move! To be God & show His power.
- you should, too
But IF God’s offering us a blank cheque- what am I wanting to write on it?
- revival? (IS that promised in scripture? What is promised?)
NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE
I’m writing ‘the normal Christian life’
- “oh Ewen! Boring! Coward!”
- no- you misunderstand! “You are in error for you neither know he scriptures nor the power of God”
What you… I… am experiencing is not NORMAL. There IS more than this!
Normal= “the Lord adding regularly”
- what you see happening regularly and routinely in Acts
o normal birth: people saved & getting the whole package- repentance to father, belief in Son, Baptism in Spirit, incorporation into church. (The normal Xian birth)
o normal life: regular conversions, growth, division, multiplication, periods of test, prophecy, occasional dramatic leading & work of God
remember I said about my ‘birth’: initially ‘this is normal’… ‘no it’s revival… abnormal’
- recognise now: that’s NORMAL Christianity!
o We’re in abnormal UK!
And I’m believing God… asking God… for more of the NORM!
- but open to ANYTHING (though not so open my brains fall out)
o This is HIS church- and we want Him to be Lord of it
And I’m not going to wait around
- to use something god has given me (that may help 2 people- like this Film)
o ‘faint heart never won fair maid.. or fair ‘seeker’
- wait around for those who want to lag behind
- wait around to believe God for ‘the normal Christian life’, here
o & much more if He wants
