Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-41
Today, we are going to spend a little bit of time in chapter one and the majority of our time in chapter two. If you’re reading this blog or tuning in online and you are not quite sure why we’d be reading about wood cutting tools, it’s not that kind of “axe.” A-C-T-S. It is the shortened name for historically what’s referred to as “The Acts of the Apostles.” Essentially, Acts chronicles for us the goings on of followers of Jesus during the time after his resurrection and ascension. After God raise Jesus and then Jesus went to prepare a place for you and I. Today’s topic is “real revival.” Let’s start in an unlikely place, Acts 1:12-14.
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Acts 1:12-14 NIV
Let’s just take a moment to reflect on where these folks are at. Physically, they are in an upstairs room in a place they were staying at in Jerusalem. We don’t know if it’s the same room they had the Last Supper at. Verse 3 tells us Jesus had appeared to them and spoken with them over a period of 40 days. (Acts 1:3) So they spent over a month with the Resurrected Jesus and all of a sudden “Woosh!” up in a cloud, hidden from their sight. Jesus ascends into Heaven.
What do you think that must have felt like? Have you ever had a good friend seem to try and hang up on you or end a conversation quicker than you’d like? How did that feel? I imagine the disciples desired to be around Jesus all the more now that he was Resurrected. They could run around the temple and rub it in the high priest’s face “Look! Here’s the messiah. He’s back! Don’t you look stupid!?”
They could run around the temple and rub it in the high priest’s face “Look! Here’s the messiah. He’s back! Don’t you look stupid!?”
But the bible says Jesus appeared to the disciples. But he was not planning on sticking around permanently like this. As surely as he would go to heaven, he would send the helper… the comforter. The Holy Spirit. And so, they go back to their upper room and wait, and pray…and wait some more…and pray some more.
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Celebrating Pentecost
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
Acts 2:1 NIV
Stop. Pentecost? What’s that?
First, this was a special day in time that the disciples were experiencing. As Jews, they would observe and recognize their own holy days. Pentecost, meaning 50, came 50 days after passover. It was originally established as a celebration of the “firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest.” (Leviticus 23)
So on this holy day, “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” They were all together in this one place. The scripture doesn’t say they were eating or drinking. They weren’t having a party. They were intently, collectively praying to God.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on [only the apostles,] … 4 [The Apostles] … were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:2-4 ?
Nope. I think I typed that wrong. Verse 3. “The holy spirit came to rest on EACH OF THEM. All of them were FILLED with the Holy Spirit.”
That means not just the apostles, but “the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and …his brothers.” That means the nearly 100 other people not even named in this passage, but referenced…were filled with the Holy Spirit.
That’s exciting news! It’s not just for the top Christian leaders! Not just for the people who seem to have the closest relationships with Jesus…Anyone can be filled with the Holy Spirit. So what does the Holy Spirit do in a person or situation? The Holy Spirit brings…Revival.
The Holy Spirit Brings Revival
Revival – Have you ever stopped to think about that word? Revival. Outside the church, people may recognize the word from the band “Creedence Clearwater Revival.” Maybe the thought of big tents and faith healers come to mind. But if you stop and think about the word revival it is part of the word revive. That word has a few definitions, but the main one we think about means “to restore to life or consciousness.”
When we think of restoring to life, often we think of the technique called CPR, Cardiopulmonary Respiration. Have you ever received CPR training? Jacki and I did back in the day. One thing they will tell you is the rhythm of the chest compressions.
You should do about 100-120 chest compressions a minute until help arrives. The helpful thing they tell you about how to count those compressions is to do it in rhythm with a BeeGees song. You guessed it: “Staying Alive.” They say disco is dead? It could save your life and you might never know it!
Circling back to revival. To be revived takes an outside power. A cold lifeless body can’t will itself into existence. There must be an outside power. EMT or someone trained in CPR could be that for you or me. But spiritually, we want to be revived. We ask for revival…or at the very least, complain we don’t have it.
From this, I think we can learn something very practical.
- We can not MAKE revival happen.
- No matter how hard you try, how hard you pray, how much you fast. If you are in a tradition that says special prayers like “hail mary” or rubs prayer beads. It does not make the Almighty work harder, faster, or more potent.
- We CAN provide the best conditions for revival to occur.
- Pray, fasting, gathering together and praying in agreement with one another prepares our hearts for the filling and the work of the Holy Spirit.
- When I paint a wall, quite often I just want to slap some paint up there and call it good. But sometimes you need to prime it. Before that you might need to scrape the old stuff away. Fill in holes where you put nails and hang pictures. Wipe down the wall or dirt or dust…I’m getting exhausted just thinking about all this! Then maybe you can lay down a couple coats of paint.
- When we meet together, agree together in prayer…we are preparing our hearts like preparing a wall for painting. We are providing the best conditions possible for revival to occur.
- One other factor to revival, specifically the coming of the Holy Spirit was Jesus’ Promise.
- ““Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4b-5 NIV)
- “…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.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Jesus’ promise. Disciples Faithfulness. It was the perfect conditions for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The perfect conditions for Revival.
Many Added
One thing that has become a measurement of a successful revival is the number of people whose lives are changed. Who come to Jesus, ask for forgiveness of sin, Trust and Jesus and commit to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives. These initial salvations used to look like the altar up here at the front…lined with people. Every pastor and leader in the church prayed one on one with each person who came.
This can unfortunately be the goal we force rather than the genuine result of the revival of the Holy Spirit. Pastors and church boards saying “well we only have 3 people come to pray and they were the same 3 people who always come down to the altar every week. This revival must not have been any good.” Think of it this way, without the Holy Spirit’s power, without God’s grace…there can be no life change. No desire to move away from selfishness and toward godliness. Many times we call special week long services “revivals” in hopes that a “Revival” would actually happen. In the end we are left asking ourselves, “was it really worth all that extra effort? No new converts. No baptisms or members.”
And church, it’s not about us. It’s about His kingdom.
We don’t make revival happen. I repeat “We don’t make revival happen!” We can’t.
We provide the best conditions for revival to occur. We rest in Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit. The Power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
But here in the book of Acts, We see the power unleashed. Peter speaks a powerful message and then scripture says his message concluded like this:
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:40-41 NIV
3000. Can you imagine that? From 12 to 11 to 11 plus one to 120, then jump to 3,000 people! How did that happen?
The Promise of Jesus. The Faithfulness of his Followers. The Right Conditions for Revival.
Jumping back to just before Peter preached, the followers of Jesus…“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
What did they say when they were enabled to speak in these different tongues, these languages? If you blink or read too fast, you might miss it.
“we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Acts 2:11b NIV
Empowered with the Holy Spirit, enabled to speak different languages, and the natural outpouring of this is they declare the wonders of God.
They don’t walk people through the sinners’ prayer. They don’t talk about how sinful man is. Their only output of this holy unction is to say how wonderful God is.
Have you ever been around a friend and they have a new special someone in their life? Maybe us adults aren’t use to it, but when you are a teen or even a young adult and you have a new sweetheart, that’s about all you talk about.
A few young ladies comparing notes about their Friday plans.
“My sweetie boyfriend (He’s so dreamy, BTWs) is taking me out this weekend for a nice dinner to celebrate our anniversary.”
Friend:
“Haven’t you been dating for like…3 weeks?”
“I know right, It’s like time just flies when I’m with him!”
Couple of guys talking after class:
“No, I can’t shoot hoops after school. I’m going to hang out with my girlfriend. We’re going to study…algebra.”
Friend: “you’re not even in algebra!”
“And I never will be unless she helps me study!”
I hope you get the point. We’ve all met someone who is very infatuated with their sweet heart, so much so it’s all they talk about. It’s all they think about. They doodle in their notebook in class instead of …taking notes. They text each other while in class, hoping their teacher doesn’t catch them and read it outloud. They think about only their love.
For the disciples, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, what came out of their mouth…regardless of the language…was declarations of God’s Wonder!
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, there’s no faking it. We can’t help but declare his wonder. The wonder of our own changed lives. The wonder of healing miracles that stand as evidence to us in our faith. The wonder of creation! Science may explain and theorize all it wants, but God created the Heavens and the Earth. Wow! That’s something amazing and extraordinary.
Peter Preaches
And So to clarify to the hearers of these proclamations [What on earth was going on?!] Peter stands up, clears his throat and speaks clearly, loudly and without hesitation. People wanted to know what was happening with these people speaking in languages they could understand so Peter quotes Joel
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Acts 2:17-21 NIV
He brings out a text the Jews there would recognize. He claims the scripture fulfilled right then and there. He goes on to preach a marvelous message. Here’s the highlights:
- Jesus – God did miracles through Him
- You didn’t believe in him
- You had him killed.
- God Raised him from the Dead.
- He’s the “Lord” that David talks about Psalm 16 & 110
And then he brings it home.
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:36-39 NIV
And this is the point we read about earlier where God added to their number. They Jumped to 3000 in just a moment. Later in Acts 2:47b it says, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
More adding. God was doing it. God was reviving his people. That’s real Revival.
You can’t fake God’s CPR! There’s not enough BeeGees tunes to create Spirit filled followers of Christ.
It takes an Act of God.
Final Questions – What does this all mean for me?
- What should I do when I desire revival?
- Make the environment Holy Spirit friendly. Pray. Pray for your church, neighbors, nation, leaders, lawyers, laypeople. Pray for the unsaved to be drawn to Jesus. Pray that Jesus’ Promise would be fulfilled. Pray And Wait. Wait. Not something we enjoy, but wait nonetheless. When God’s ready, it’s “go” time! We better be prepared, prayed up, waiting and ready.
- What should I do when I am filled with His spirit?
- I’m pretty sure you won’t need my instruction for this, because you will naturally declare the wonders of the Lord! So don’t worry about it.
- Do you feel as if you need a refilling? Perhaps practice declaring the wonders of God. You may just have silenced the Holy Spirit, filling things in your heart and life that aren’t glorifying to God. Maybe they aren’t bad, but just not the Best.
- I can’t speak like Peter! How can I preach a big soul winning sermon?
- No one said you had to preach a big lengthy sermon…or even a sermon at all. But it might do you good to make sure you know and affirm the basic truths of faith and salvation. Thankfully, Peter did spell it out for you and me!
- We need a savior
- God sent Jesus, man rejected Jesus
- Jesus died for our sins
- Jesus was resurrected and now is with the father in Heaven.
- This verse might be worth memorizing: Acts 2:38
- “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
- No one said you had to preach a big lengthy sermon…or even a sermon at all. But it might do you good to make sure you know and affirm the basic truths of faith and salvation. Thankfully, Peter did spell it out for you and me!
Viroqua Naz 