Today in the U.S. and around the world we can clearly see the signs pointing to Christ’s imminent return, Matthew 24:1-35. Consequently, Jesus called us to be the light of the world, a city on a hill, and the salt of the earth until the very end of the age, Matthew 5:13-16.  We as His disciples should be ushering in the greatest harvest of souls church history has ever known.

However, many churches in the U.S. seem more like the lukewarm church John described in Laodicea than the revolutionary church found in the book of Acts, Revelation 3:14-22.  Therefore, this series and today’s sermon is designed to help us return to the radical movement God called us to be and to once again see the world changed from inside out.

SERIES TEXT

Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

DEFINITIONS

  1. Spiritual Revival: A Holy Spirit inspired awakening and returning of the church to their first love for God and a self-sacrificing love for people that impacts the community with salvation and community transformation, Psalm 80:16-19, Hosea 6:1-3, & Habakkuk 3:2.
  2. Cultural Revolution: The inward turning of a society’s value system to the commands of God resulting in forsaking sin for the righteousness of God in the culture as a whole, Jonah 3:7-10, Acts 8:4-8, & Acts 19:19.
  3. Receive Power: Jesus promised that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues (languages), would give us all the power and ability we would need to bring His transforming message to the world, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:16-20, & Zechariah 4:6.
  4. Christ’s Witnesses: Ordinary disciples making known the message of the gospel with the extraordinary power of God, Mark 16:20 & Romans 1:16.
  5. To the Ends of the Earth: We are to continue in making disciples of the nations and being Christ’s witnesses until He returns, Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20, & Acts 3:19-21.

FIVE HEART REVEALING QUESTIONS

  1. Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? And your neighbor as yourself, Matthew 22:37-40?
  2. Are fully obedient to all the commands of God, John 14:15 & 1 John 2:3-4?
  3. Whenever you sin and break one of God’s commands are you quick to repent and change your mind/behavior, 1 John 2:1-2;3:9?
  4. Do you completely submit your family, career, finances, and ministry to the perfect will of God, Romans 12:1-2 & Luke 22:42?
  5. Do you fear God more than man’s opinions, death itself, and personal embarrassment, Proverbs 16:6, Matthew 10:28-19, & Revelation 12:11?

 

2 Chronicles 7:13-15, 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

Acts 3:19-21, 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. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”