Title Boo Boo / Acts 11:19-26
boom boom
In verse 25 of today's text, it is written, "I taught a great crowd, and at first they were called Christians." An external and quantitative revival is when the number of people who believe in Jesus increases, and an internal and qualitative revival is when they are recognized and called as Christians. We can say that the former is growth and the latter is maturity. The believers who were scattered due to persecution crossed the Jewish barrier and began to preach the gospel to the Gentiles as well. Verse 21 says, “The hand of the Lord was with them, and many believed and turned to the Lord.” It shows that true revival is possible when the hand of the Lord is with you. I am very grateful when I think of the grace of revival that has been given to our church. The grace given so far, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, is really precious, but we also look forward to the grace that will be given to our church this year. I long for God's revival that will unfold after this. I hope that revival will occur in each of our hearts, in our homes, and in the church, and furthermore, in Gwangju in this area, the revival of the gospel. Then, what is true revival from God?
I. revival of the word
According to the text, Barnabas went to Antioch and gathered the saints and taught them. As the church grew greatly, he realized that he could not handle the work on his own, and invited Saul, who had been trained in the Arabian desert for three years, to the church in Antioch. At that time, everyone was wary of Saul and did not accept him. With the grace that Saul (Paul) received, he began to serve the church in Antioch with the word, and finally, he was called a Christian and grew so much quantitatively and qualitatively that he sent overseas missionaries. The root of this great revival was the Word.
Through Christ who came as the Word, the written Word, and the proclaimed Word, I want a real work of revival to take place in you. The Bible describes the Word as a two-edged sword. Also called a bat. Let the Word pierce and split your hearts like a sword, and let it break through things that are hard and hard like a bat. The Word is fire and oil, a lamp and milk (milk). With these words, God transforms, repents, burns, guides, and nurtures us. I want this revival of the Word to happen through this summer education. When we all yearn for worship and humbly open our hearts to the Word given through worship, true revival will begin in each of our lives.
II. revival of prayer
The early church believed in the promises of the Lord and put all their energy into prayer. With the power of this prayer, the work of revival took place in the Jerusalem church. Many miracles have happened. He became a witness of the resurrection who did not yield to persecution. As the threat grew, they gathered more earnestly and prayed fervently. At that time, the work of the Holy Spirit came upon us strongly. The world has become unbearable. ability appeared. The gospel covered Jerusalem. Even a great multitude of priests succumbed to this way. It is because the revival of prayer was in the early church.
A revival in prayer transforms our hearts and transforms our lives and circumstances. The chains of darkness are broken and the chains of curse are broken. The power of darkness, Satan is retreating. When Moses fasted for 40 days twice, his face lit up so that the people could not see Moses' face. When Jesus began his public ministry, he fasted for 40 days and then resisted Satan's temptations. The Lord was the Son of God who did not need to pray, but whenever something important happened, he prayed all night. Before the cross, he offered an intercessory prayer for the disciples and us. When a revival of prayer occurs within us, spiritual powers are restored and true revival begins. Don't brag about praying in the past. When a revival of prayer occurs in us today, we can overcome temptation and live according to God's will.
Ⅲ. Revival of Sharing and Serving
At that time, the Antioch Church was a refugee church founded by the people of the Jerusalem Church who had been scattered due to persecution. But they preached the gospel not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. It was hard to imagine at the time. In spite of the chosen people's consciousness and the restrictions of the law, these people received grace, so they shared grace with the Gentiles and shared the gospel of the cross. This is true revival. Have you received any grace? Please remember that when you share that grace, the recipient becomes rich, as well as the person who shares it.
Exodus 18 records the scene of Moses meeting his father-in-law, his wife, and two sons during the exodus. That night Moses testified to his family of what God had done. The father-in-law and his family received great favor and moved from him, and offered a sacrifice to Jehovah the next day as a great sacrifice. Sharing of grace always brings such a wonderful revival. What grace have you received? Do not bury that grace and share it with others. Do you have a God-given gift? Don't let the talents you receive become dead. If we leave it according to the talents he has given us, the Lord does not see how much or how little it is. As much as we share and serve, God blesses us and gives us grace. Do you feel that your faith is not growing even after you have believed in Jesus for a long time? Love the word. Please pray. Share the grace God has given you and serve with the talents you have received. Then it will revive. The Holy Spirit always knocks on the door of our hearts. Please open the door for the Holy Spirit to work.
God's will for creation is revival. But Satan's job is to stop it. The God of Eden has given us the grace of revival. But Satan has broken it without a doubt. But God sent Jesus Christ to restore it. Through his cross and his resurrection, revival has come to us not as a possibility but as a reality. What does the revival of the church established by the Lord mean? More and more people believe in Jesus, and those who believe in Jesus are recognized as Christians. It is to live the life of a disciple, the life of a witness. Deciding to lead the new believers to the church, and serving the rural areas as a short-term missionary in August are all things we do for revival. I want the revival of the Word, the revival of prayer, and the revival of sharing and service to begin in each of you. Furthermore, I earnestly wish for this revival to come upon your families and our church.