Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets (Acts 3:19-21).
An astounding miracle had happened at the Temple: a man lame from birth was healed and was walking, jumping and praising God. Crowds gathered around Peter and John who was used by God to heal the man. Peter seized the opportunity to declare that the Jesus they crucified has been raised from the dead, and it was not they, but this risen Jesus who healed the lame man. Peter than said these promises: If they would repent and believe in Jesus, their sins will be forgiven and wiped off completely like whiteboard ink. He also promised two more things that would be theirs if they responded to Christ’s finished work: first, times of refreshing; and second, the restoration of all things promised by the prophets of old.
The latter blessing of the restoration of all things is in the future. It is set by God: “until the time comes”, the risen Jesus will remain in heaven. When the time comes, Jesus will return, and the promise of the restoration of the manifest, realized rule of the kingdom of God upon a new heaven and new earth will be fulfilled. All that the old testament prophets prophesied of the future kingdom will be actualized. God’s plan to unify all things in Christ, where things in heaven and things on earth unite (Eph 1:10) would be firmly established. Not only will the sons and daughters of God obtain the freedom and glory of the children of God, so will the whole of creation be set free from its bondage to corruption and futility (Romans 8:20-23). This blessing is made possible for the redeemed because of the finished work of Christ.
The former blessing is “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” between the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost till the Day of the Lord Jesus return. The believers experienced a time of refreshing in the presence of God, but Peter prophesied that there would be more such “times” and seasons throughout the last days and all over the world where people repent and believe in the good news of God’s love and grace. In fact such times of refreshing would be a necessity for they are the empowering and sanctifying beauty treatment for the Bride to be ready to wed the Bridegroom. Until the Bride (comprising Gentiles and Jews who believe in Jesus) is ready, heaven will still retain Jesus. God’s time is contingent upon the Bride’s readiness not only in empowerment and sanctification, but also in the salvation of souls through the proclamation of the Gospel to all the peoples of the earth before the end comes(Matt 24:14).
This is part of a planned series of writings on the topic, “The A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”. I am writing it alphabet by alphabet. Thus far the others that I have written can be found HERE.
It is obvious why this post took the longest time ever. What blessing that is derived from Christ’s finished work begins with the alphabet “Q”? I was wavering between “Quenching of spiritual thirst” and “Quietude” and finally decided to write about both!
Quenching of Spiritual Thirst
We can clearly observe in society that there is an insatiable thirst in humans that cannot be satiated by material wealth, great achievement, human love, powerful control, extreme thrills, nor worldwide fame. No matter how much of these a person has, there is always a feeling of emptiness, meaninglessness, a yearning for more. It is as if there is a hole in the heart that is yet to be filled. It was St Augustine of Hippo who described this emptiness well in this prayer in his autography: “Thou has made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee”.
Jesus recognized that human beings are not mere flesh and bones but have an eternal spiritual dimension to them. He saw that to quench that undying spiritual thirst of humans, sinful man has to be restored to right relationship with God. This is made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Knowing his finished work will make available a reconciliation of separated humans with God, he told the Samaritan woman: “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water (from the physical well) will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (the Spirit) shall never thirst; but the water (the Spirit) that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (italics mine).” The spiritual blessings of the Spirit’s presence in us are multi-faceted and satisfies the deepest void and hole in our life. It is so complete that one may not have any of the earthly possessions or experiences that humans mistakenly seek, and yet be able to find full satisfaction and deep contentment through a trust relationship with Christ. In another setting, Jesus gave this invitation to people: “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink.” It is by coming to Christ and believing in his finished work on the cross that we can truly find satisfaction and true contentment. Our thirst will finally be quenched.
Quietude is another blessing
The dictionary defines “quietude” as “a state of stillness, calmness and quiet in a person or place”. The picture I get is of a person with utter serenity and unruffled poise in the midst of the challenges and difficulties of life. Jesus death and resurrection proclaims God’s character to us. God is love and seeks our well-being and wholeness. God is good and intends only good, never harm. God is wise and knows the best means and plans to achieve his purposes. God is all powerful and in total control though sometimes it appears that nothing is going right. When we exercise child-like faith in this loving God, we cannot help but find our troubled soul gradually find itself stilled, and calmed, and quietened. Our prayer will be, “Father, I do not understand, but I trust Your love, Your goodness, Your wisdom, and Your power. When we do this “quietude” will be established within our soul.
This is part of a planned series of writings on the topic, “The A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”. I am writing it alphabet by alphabet. Thus far the others that I have written can be found HERE.
Providence is God’s governance, care and control of the universe because he is Almighty God and Creator. God’s providence existed before the cross and the empty tomb and it moved events, people and history towards that turning point when Jesus died and rose again to defeat sin, death and the devil. Providence had always worked for the growth and the good of God’s elect, the vast family of God. It will continue to do so till the end of this age is consummated through the return of Christ to the earth to establish an eternal kingdom. For us believers, this providence that is focused on our good is one of God’s many blessings bestowed on his much beloved children.
Providence is God’s care and control of the universe, of history and of nations, of the church and its individual believers. It is his will and power to cause things to gravitate towards the end he intended. By involving himself in human history through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gave us an excellent model of his providential and redemptive love for humanity.
The oft-quoted verse in Romans 8:28 refers to God’s providence. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The “all things” is God’s ability to control all things in the universe and to cause all things to work for his good purpose for “those who love God”, that is, his children. This gives us great assurance and comfort about the past, the present and the future. We do not have to worry. Whatever happens to us, whether good or evil, all we need to do is to trust in his providential and redemptive love. He will cause all things to work for his good purposes.
Even in the face of seeming betrayal, suffering and abandonment, Joseph of the Old Testament, found God’s faithful providence in action in his life. Out of jealousy his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt and virtually destroyed his life. However, God’s care and governance over the circumstances of his life, propelled him to the office of Prime Minister of Egypt, second in authority only to the Pharaoh. His long trial and experience of God’s intervention and control of events led him to say to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20). This is God’s providence towards those he chose to covenant with.
Philip the evangelist experienced God’s providence when the Spirit transported him supernaturally to the desert road to catch sight of the Ethiopian eunuch, who while on his way back to Ethiopia, he happened to be reading a scroll of Isaiah’s prophecies, precisely when Philip approached his chariot. He explained to the eunuch the prophecy the eunuch could not understand, and he preached the good news about Jesus to him. The eunuch confessed his faith in Christ and was baptised in water. Tradition has it that he spread the gospel when he returned to his homeland.
God’s providence is often confused with God’s provision. God’s provision is God’s supply of our needs – material and spiritual. Apostle Paul confidently declared that God would supply all the needs of the church in Philippi according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phi 4:19). To the church in Corinth, he wrote: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” and “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:8,11). God’s provision is one of the many ways we experience God’s providence but it is “technically” distinguishable from it.
What does providence look like today? That job vacancy that opened up right after you quit your job and the interviewer was somebody who was impressed with your integrity in his past work dealings with you. You bumped into an old friend who was as keen and passionate in starting a similar business that you have been praying about. That unplanned meeting with an uncle who shared with you a verse that resolved an issue that deeply troubled you in prayer. “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (Ps 37:23 NLT).
This is part of a planned series of writings on the topic, “The A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”. I am writing it alphabet by alphabet. Thus far the others that I have written can be found HERE.
People never change. Throughout the world people endlessly search for satisfaction and honor through the accumulation and enjoyment of all that the world offers. People accumulate the latest, biggest, desirable and most expensive of objects and they seek all kinds of pleasures, old and new. Despite feeling an emptiness in these pursuits, they assume what they need is more of the same. It all ends in futility: trying to catch the wind.
King Solomon tried everything “under the sun” so as to quench his thirst for satisfaction and honour. He did this by building a formidable armed force and impressive buildings, having a harem of hundreds of wives and concubines, trading with other countries and filling up the royal treasury, displaying his intelligence, knowledge and diplomatic skills, and having the respect of his own people and surrounding nations. Despite all his endeavors to seek fulfillment through these earthly means, instead of finding fulfillment he found a meaninglessness about these empty pursuits. His journey, described for us in Ecclesiastes, a book of the Old Testament, is one shared universally by millions around the world throughout history. Even in this century.
This emptiness of heart cannot be filled by anything but the love of God through Jesus Christ and his finished work! No one can overcome this thirst for satisfaction and honor except through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This is what the apostle John meant when he said in 1 John5:4,5: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
“The world” is of course not creation – the earth and the sky. It is a term that describes the world system of values that spring out of human pride and rebellion against God since the fall. Values like hedonism, materialism and status seeking. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). This anti-Christ world system seek to press everyone into its mold. The only ones who can overcome this and fight the temptations of this anti-God system is the Christian who has forged a faith relationship with Christ, who by faith has found a deeper satisfaction, honour, and filling up of that emptiness in our hearts with the love of God.
Experiencing being filled with God’s love through the Holy Spirit, takes away that desperate search for love, honour and satisfaction in all the wrong places. We find our restless hearts rest and are at peace once we dwell in Christ’s love, and in the true Christian community. The crazy pursuit of more possessions, more money, more thrills subsides greatly. Paul expressed it this way: “May I never boast except in the cross of Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and me to the world” (Gal 6:14). Paul’s opponents in Galatia boasted in keeping the Law and sought honour through their obedience to rituals and rules. Paul is saying, This sort of thing no longer satisfies or brings true honour. Rather real satisfaction and honour comes by experiencing the cross and the new life in the Spirit. He does not care for the kind of joy and honour received from external keeping of the Law.
Christians who do not abide in the love of God and instead seek satisfaction and honor outside of Christ will be unhappier than even the people of the world. They have their feet on two boats – they will lose balance, get wet and drawn away by strong currents. They will need to call out in faith on the name of the Lord, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, save me from drowning.” By faith you overcome the anti-God world system. This faith is focused on Christ, who himself overcame the world when he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and throughout his ministry.
This is part of a planned series of writings on the topic, “The A to Z of Christ’s Finished Work”. I am writing it alphabet by alphabet. Thus far the others that I have written can be found HERE.
The Asbury revival has sizzled the internet with exciting sounds and images, and claims and counter-claims of an authentic spiritual outpouring from heaven. The debates generated seems to me to stem partly from semantics. When I am asked, “What do you think of the Asbury revival?”, I find myself at “PAUSE”. I pause because of there are a few definitions of revival.
The word “revival” carries a range of different meanings. In the United States, it can mean an organised series of meetings with the goal of awakening God’s people to the gospel and outreach to the unsaved in the community. To others, it refers to the awakening and quickening of believers who have grown cold, apathetic, and indifferent in their love for God and people. This can happen in private prayer, in a worship service, retreat or prayer meeting. For others, it has to be a prolonged, wide-scale outpouring of the Spirit that is unplanned, with definitive signs of the Spirit’s power and transforming activity, resulting in lasting spiritual fruit and social transformation.
The Asbury revival is unplanned, so the first definition is out. The second definition may be the closest to what has been happening at Asbury. For the Asbury revival to pass muster with the third definition, what is required is observation over a longer period, and this uncertainty is multiplied because the Asbury University announced a decision to end the revival gatherings on the 24th of February 2022. While looking at the Asbury University website, I chanced upon the term they officially used to describe the services: “spiritual renewal”. Interestingly prudent!
The Asbury revival began suddenly when students in the chapel service continued to pray on after the service ended. Repentance and tears flowed and the presence of God was unusually palpable. That service would continue for about 16 straight days of non-stop worship, prayer, confession of sins, repentance, testimony and social media uploads. It would draw an estimated total attendance of 50,000 to 70,000 participants, drawn from the university and all over the United States.
Videos & Articles
Type in “Asbury revival” on YouTube and a list of videos and commentaries on the revival would appear. There are gainsayers and doubters giving their opinions with video titles like, “The Asbury Revival is not of God”, “Asbury revival is very dangerous” and “Fake Asbury revival worship is being led by Homosexuals and Queers”. There are other videos that feature warm hearted testimonies of believers who experienced a healing encounter with God in prayer. Then there are simple quick videos of scenes of the revival services. Lastly, there are those news reports by TV networks both Christian and secular. Two good YouTube videos I have watched are “Seven Days Straight at Asbury Revival” and a lengthier, heavier discussion “Is Revival Happening?”.
Google “Asbury revival” and you will see a list of interesting articles about it. The one article I would highlight now would be “The Aftershocks of the Asbury Revival” where the spiritual-socio-political factors that made young people ripe for such a move of the Spirit were described: a longing for deeper sense of connection with God and each other; political polarisation and social fragmentation including racial injustice; global pandemic, economic uncertainty and wars; the acute hunger among young people for hope, for the real, the authentic.
Preach and Teach About Revival
If you are a pastor or preacher and you want to talk about revival to your church or audience to help them make sense of what has been happening in Asbury revival and in the Revival of 1972’s in Singapore, what would be a good text to use? There are quite a number of them that can be used for preaching or meditations:
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Ps 85:6
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Ps 19:7
I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isa 57:15
The valley of dry bones passage. Eze 37:1-14
The river flowing from the temple passage. Eze 17:1-12
O Lord, I have heard of the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. Hab 3:2
For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Eph 5:14
(If there are other passages you have used in preaching about revival do add a comment. Share the blessing with other readers).
Acts 2 : Distinct Features of A Revival?
The one passage that has the most insights and inspiration would be St Luke’s description of the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Here is a possible outline you can use. It is from two chapters of Arthur Wallis’ book titled “In The Day of Thy Power” (subtitle “The scriptural principles of revival”). I read this book and this in his Acts 2 outline listing and explaining the distinctive features of a revival. I hope this will be helpful to preachers and pastors. They can do it in a two-part or three-part series with invitations to the front to pray for revival in their souls, churches and nation.
The Sovereignty of God: “When the day of Pentecost arrived…” (verse 1)
Spiritual Preparation: “they were all together in one place” (verse 1b, 1:14)
Spontaneous Working: “…there came from heaven..” (verse 2)
God-consciousness: “…a sound like a mighty rushing wind…divided tongues as of fire appeared to them …” (verse 2,3)
Anointed Vessels: “…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (verse 4a)
Supernatural Manifestation: “..began to speak in other tongues ..” (verse 4b)
Divine Magnetism: “…the multitude came together…”(verse 6)
Apostolic Preaching: “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted his voice” (verse 14)
Supernatural Blessing: “…there were added that day about three thousand souls” (verse 41)
Divine Simplicity: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers” (verse 41-45).
To read the full script of Wallis’ exposition of this text go HERE and HERE. I trust this has been helpful and if you have anything you would like to express about the Asbury revival feel free to comment. The comment box you need to click on is below the title of this post.
If you are curious about a definitive Singapore revival go HERE to watch a video done by Salt & Light about the Revival of 1972.