Prayed…
Show us Your glory, Father
There is a task ahead for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we must see Your glory
We must have Your glory, we must be filled with the glory of God
Thank You that You allowed us to live now in this day and in this hour
Yes, Father, You have given us the charge, the command, and the commission to go!
What You have required of us can only be accomplished by Your hand and Your power
We are gathered here today in Your presence and in Your name, Jesus
You have empowered us to accomplish Your great plan and Your great purpose, Father
No, You did not leave us as orphans, but You gave us everything we need for these last days
You gave us Your Word, You gave us Your blood, You gave us Your precious Holy Spirit
Yes, Lord, You gave us the gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit!
All of You and none of us, so that You will be seen and You will be glorified
Thank You that You have called us to be co-laborers with You
We trust and honor You, when we ask, You give
You are the giver of every good and perfect gift!
Thank You for Your mercies are new every morning and Your grace is sufficient for every task
We love You, and we receive Your love for us, it is such a great love, Father
Thank You, thank You, thank You!
Hallelujah!
Shared…
The following commentary to Acts is taken from The Revival Study Bible:
Acts
Work of the Spirit, Changing the World
Acts might be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit; it is not really just the story of special people, but of our extraordinary God in special times of work with and through people. The crowd who huddled in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost had no false illusions about their inherent suitability for the task of taking back a whole world. “Tarry,” He said. “Wait. Before you go, wait.” And day after day, they did. Forty days of seeking. You cannot do a supernatural task without a supernatural Savior. There never has been a revival in history without the preparation of the Upper Room. Gathered together, in one place, in one accord. Unity. Continued in Prayer. These are the essential conditions.
Before nine o’clock that morning, God put on a birthday party for the world, complete with candles, that sent out the Church speaking ordinary words in an extraordinary way with such abandonment, ecstasy, and noise that they were mistaken on the streets as being drunk or mad.
The tragedy of our time is that we are rarely so accused. We are not drunk and we are not mad, and if we are, it is not often because of extraordinary visitation. Revival brings the Church back to their first love, not the cold and calculating response to the pressure of the world, not legal pronouncement nor cold and bullying moralism, but joy in the morning.
Sometimes we think of “His-story” as something that has already been written and not a movie in the making. Yet there is no amen in the book of Acts. God is not yet finished working in His world.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
(Acts 1:8 Revival Study Bible)
Acts 1:8 The fruit of revival
The Church will be on fire, burning with a desire to serve Him. Christians will be compelled to bring others to know Him. There will be a new missionary emphasis in the Church. We will turn our eyes to a world that is lost, dying, and going to hell because these souls have not accepted God’s plan. Prayer meetings will be jammed, people will love the hour of prayer and spend time in communion with God. The Church will add new members… We are praying that thousands of people will be swept into the Church during the days we are here. Would it not be great to see the members of the Church filled with the Holy Ghost? They will be if revival comes. Not only will the Church members be revived but also many more will accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:14 One accord in prayer and supplication
In the early dawn of Christian history, there was a preparation of the Church before it received an increase. Look at the obedient disciples sitting in the Upper Room, waiting with anxious hope; every heart there had been ploughed with anguish by the death of the Lord, each one was intent to receive the promised boon of the Spirit. There, with one heart and one mind, they tarried, but not without wrestling prayer, and so the Comforter was given, and three thousand souls were given…
Martin Luther was not the only man that wrought the Reformation. There were hundreds who sighed and cried in secret in the cottages of the Black Forest, in the homes of Germany, and on the hills of Switzerland. There were hearts breaking for the Lord’s appearing in strange places… in the palaces of Spain, in the dungeons of the Inquisition, among the canals of Holland, and the green lanes of England. Women, as they hid their Bibles, lest their lives should be forfeited, cried out in spirit, “O God, how long?” There were pains as of a woman in travail, in secret places there were tears and bitter lamentations, on the high places of the field.
The Cause of True Revival
Acts 2:1–14
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote: The mere worldly man does not understand a revival; he cannot make it out. Why is it that a sudden fit of godliness, as he would call it, a kind of sacred epidemic, should seize upon a mass of people all at once? What can be the cause of it? It frequently occurs in the absence of all great evangelists; it cannot be traced to any particular means…Yet it has come, just like a heavenly hurricane. What then is the cause? Our answer is, if a revival is true and real, it is caused by the Holy Spirit and by Him alone.
Acts 2:1 The core wants more
It has been called the 80/20 factor. It seems that in all organizations, the church included, twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work. These percentages are not too far off from that on the day of Pentecost—five hundred were invited to the Upper Room and one hundred and twenty showed up. Could that be the key to the “suddenly” they experienced in verse two? The writer could have said, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come they were together.” He chose to emphasize their unity with the words, “all,” “one accord,” “one place.” In every organization, there is a core. The core is committed body, soul, and spirit; and understands “all,” “one accord,” “one place.” The Holy Spirit is looking for people who really show up!
The Wind of a Revival Tornado
Acts 2:2
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God moved in “like a violent rushing wind.” Each word is significant. Wind denotes respiration or a breeze. It is frequently rendered “breathe” because in the spiritual sense, it is the bringer of new life and the sustainer of the life it brings. Violent denotes the power to move things and rushing indicates the ability to carry or bear something. These three words point to God’s power to breathe life, power to move opposition, and power to bring the accomplishment of God’s will. That kind of action is perhaps best demonstrated by the activity of wind known as a tornado.
Like a tornado, a revival draws attention to an unseen power.
Like a tornado, revival purifies the atmosphere.
Like a tornado, revival brings awesome power. In an atmosphere of revival, believers and sinners alike are bought low in humility and repentance, and then are raised in power to live righteously victorious in an anti-God, sin-filled world. Revival finds its way into places where spiritual drought abounds and the water of God’s truth no longer springs up into everlasting life. It goes where the fruit of the Spirit is no longer evident and the tree has become barren. Where hearts have become like the dry, cracked desert sand; where there is moisture and very little life.
We should all pray, “Bring the violent, rushing wind, Oh God! Bring a revival tornado!”
Acts 2:3 Fire falls!
Revival is not about getting “fired up” as much as it is getting under the “fire fall.” In the natural, fire goes up. In the supernatural, fire comes down. Elijah called down fire from heaven on the sacrifice. Fire came down on Mt. Sinai. Fire came down on the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. As they waited, divided tongues as of fire sat on each of them. The fire fell in Jerusalem because that is where He told them to go. Fire falls where God tells you to go. Fire falls on what He tells you to do. Fire falls on obedience.
Be filled with the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18
The Spirit-filled life is not just a life endowed with the gifts of the Spirit in the Church. We must read this verse in context, where God puts the text on Spirit-filled life next to marriage, then raising of children, and finally, how to be a good employee. The Spirit-filled life is not meant only for church service but for every realm of life. The Spirit-filled life is not just someone who believes in tongues; many… need to learn how to speak with the Spirit’s guidance in English first.
The word, “filled” or pleroma, carries some very powerful definitions from the original language. The word means to man a ship with someone who is capable of steering it. The word means to put a qualified person in the driver’s seat. You can have a plane that is full of people, but it is when the pilot gets on board that it is now “filled.” It has the right man to steer the vessel. The Spirit-filled life has God in charge. Many look to a certain pastor or prophet for their life.
The word also means to furnish a house with possessions. The day you were saved, you were bought with a price, but it is the Holy Spirit who must furnish you. It is to take that which is empty and fill it up. He will furnish you with His gifts, His fruits, His enduement of power.
The word also means to cover the ground with fertile soil. It is to take normal ground and cover it with soil which can produce. It gives something potential that it would not have had before. The day the Holy Spirit comes into your life, He can do what you could never do for your life.
To be Spirit-filled means I am able to grow and move forward in my walk with Christ because the right Man is steering the vessel. It means the believer has a potential that he has never had before. It also means having gifts and furnishings available that you could never have afforded or have had.
Continued Praying…
We are looking for a greater awakening and revival in the church, oh God
Our hearts are joined together, and we are looking for You to come like a mighty rushing wind!
Touch our hearts and touch our lives, speak to us those things that must be changed and rearranged
We are looking for an encounter with You, an encounter with God almighty!
Opening our hearts to receive the fullness of what You desire for us, Father
No, we don’t want to be stuck in the same place any longer
Yes, Father, there is more, more of You to be had, and more of You to be seen
There is a greater outworking of Your presence, of Your power, and of Your glory in these last days
We are hungry for more of You, and our hearts are joined and united together in one accord
Father, we will do all that You have called us to do, and we will go where You have called us to go!
Revive us unto You and unto Your glory!
Give us a greater revelation of Your power and of Your glory operating in and through us
Father, You never intended the church to be sick, sad, ashamed, or lacking in any area
We are looking for a greater change and transition in that regard
Church, be revived and filled with the very life and breath of God!
No, we will not stay this way, but we will continue to move ahead to the things of the Father
We lift up the transformations and transitions before heaven today!
You have called us to go out and preach the gospel to all of the people
Father, we are looking for a greater outpouring of Your Spirit in these last days
We are calling for a greater awakening and a greater revival in the church of the living God
Thank You for pastors, teachers, prophets, evangelists, and apostles who are stirred up and on fire for You!
They are filled with Your Spirit and have utterance in the Holy Ghost to deliver words from heaven!
Grant unto them words to pierce and to penetrate the hearts of Your people
They have words to bring about change and to bring about atmospheric changes!
We call in a harvest of souls into Your kingdom, Father
Pour out upon us a fresh anointing from heaven today!
You are coming down in Your power and in Your glory
Stir us up, Father, none of us, and all of You!
Give us ears to hear and eyes to see all that You have for us in these last days
We apply the blood of Jesus over the church and over every member of the body of Christ
Touch those that are lost, sick, and broken, Father
We ask that You would bring about supernatural change and transition in the church
Declaring for every chain of bondage to be broken in Jesus’ name!
Give us the words to speak and to minister life to the broken and helpless, oh God
Come, come, come in a greater degree and a greater measure, Father
Thank You for allowing us to live now in this day and in this hour
You have given us everything we need to fulfill Your plan and Your purpose
Grant unto us supernatural strength and energy of and by Your Spirit, oh God
We will continue to press, and continue to seek Your face, Father
Declaring for a greater outpouring of Your Spirit all across this nation
This nation will fulfill the call and the destiny that You have ordained her to do!
We apply the blood of Jesus all across this nation, from sea to sea and from shore to shore
You called this nation to be one nation, under God!
Yes, You have given us the freedom and liberty to worship You
We apply the blood of Jesus over our President, over his family and over his cabinet members
Declaring that no weapon formed against them shall or will prosper in Jesus’ name!
No lies, no deception, and no deceiving spirits shall come near them in the name of Jesus
Give them eyes to see and ears to hear, Father
Grant unto them a greater revelation of who they are and whose they are!
Surround President Trump with godly men and women who impart Your wisdom to him
Thank You for the anointing upon his life, that anointing destroys burdens and removes yolks
We call for supernatural change across this nation, Father
Pleading the blood of Jesus over everyone that You have anointed and appointed in this nation
You have called them for such a time as this!
Strengthen them of and by Your Spirit, oh God!
Enlighten them and give them wisdom and understanding
Give them spiritual eyes to see the path that You have set before them, Lord
We resist every work of darkness that would inhibit the change of this nation!
Declaring that we are moving more to the right and to the righteousness of God
Calling for the church to stand up and take her place of authority in Christ Jesus
No, anarchy will not prevail in this nation!
The church is arising and taking her place!
We will not quit, but You will continue to stir us up and keep us alert to the things of Your Spirit
Give those men and women a greater voice, and that Your voice would be amplified, oh God!
You have equipped us to do all that You have called us to do, Lord
We will not give in, but we will fight the good fight of faith
Father, we thank You for the revelations of who we are in Christ Jesus
Give us strength to take that bold step of faith into all that You have for us
It’s not by might, not by power, but by Your Spirit
We trust in You, that You will do a new thing
Giving You all the glory, honor, and praise today!
You are so faithful, and we bless Your wonderful, holy name
There is freedom in You, freedom to move as You move us, Father
You are such a good, good, Father
We love, honor, and worship You today, Lord