I want to wrap up the series. I want to wrap it up next week of Revival is
Just so I'm not dragging it too long. So today and the next Sunday
I want to bring it to a wrap and what I want to focus on these next two Sundays is I want to give you I
Want to give you points and scriptures obviously to it so that you can see what a biblical
revival looks like
because like I've already talked about especially last Sunday is that we
In the charismatic full gospel circles
We so desperately want revival that we've
Watered down the actual meaning of what it is and like I gave the examples
We'll hang banners and we'll say revival meetings and it's like people are like oh, we're having revival
Well, technically technically coming from a scriptural perspective
It takes far more than just hanging a banner to say that you're having revival or that you're in revival
It's more than just we had some people healed. So now we're in revival. It's like well
That's a layer of revival
But if we're talking about if we're talking about the revival that we are all waiting for
Especially what the scriptures talk about the last day's outpouring. It's more than just a banner that we hang
It's more than just what we got one or two people healed or one or two people saved
there's far more that a
End-time biblical revival entails or or comes with it and as I go through some of these points
I think once I get to the end I probably won't get to them today for the sake of time
But once I get to some of the last points, I think some of you are gonna be like what?
that's a biblical revival and
That's because when I was studying this out and I began to the Lord began to lead me through it in the
Scriptures of what an of what actual biblical revival entails a
Part of me was like, I don't know if I even want that revival
I'm gonna be honest with you
Because when I saw as a certain principles that go with it or the certain things that go with a biblical revival
It makes you really think do I really want this thing because there is things that follow
So we'll start with this axe chapter 2
At verse 1 that's what we're gonna start if you have your Bibles open up there
and this is
This is the the foundation
To to a biblical revival
Aside from the purpose of it walking in first love and why God is even doing this, but a biblical revival
You have to have the Holy Spirit engaged and leading it a
A biblical revival has to be started by the Spirit of God
Otherwise, it's just a flesh thing
Let's read acts to chapter or acts chapter 2 verse 1 to 4
We all know this really well, and we're gonna work through it here a little bit. It says
When the day of Pentecost had fully come
They were all with one accord in one place and
Suddenly
There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting and
then appeared to them divided tongues of fire and
One sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as
The Spirit gave them utterance. I
Few things here
When the Scripture says that suddenly
There came people think that well
They were probably up there for a night or two
Maybe it was a week that they were only up in the upper room and then suddenly the Holy Spirit came
I want to give you something that I learned years ago that changed my perspective on the Scripture
The suddenly will never come unless there is a waiting
Let me say that again.
The suddenly will never come unless there is a waiting.
If you actually read Acts 2 in the full context,
the reason why the apostles and the 120 were up in the upper room is because the Lord told them to do it.
He said now go and what? Wait.
He said now go and wait until the promised one, the Holy Spirit, the power comes.
They were not up there for a day or two. I believe they were up there for weeks.
There was a period of time before the suddenly came.
Because we read that and we think, okay, if I just get in prayer,
if I go to intercessory prayer one night, boom, it's going to happen.
No, there has to be a waiting for the suddenly to come.
You don't have the suddenly unless there is a waiting of a people that are hungry
and they're desperately crying out for the Lord to come and move.
Touch our hearts, touch our cities, touch our families, touch our nations.
There is a constant waiting and then the Scripture says,
suddenly, suddenly there came a sound from heaven.
When the chyros moment came, that's where time and the prophetic now meet
and the Scriptures are not the Scriptures, the Greek call it a chyros moment.
The suddenly comes and things begin to happen.
That which you've been praying for, fasting for, interceding for years.
Now when the Holy Spirit comes, when the suddenly comes,
what took you years can happen in a moment.
Why? Because the suddenly came.
So a biblical revival, you cannot have it unless the suddenly comes.
And we so desperately want them that in our churches,
we are like, well, we fasted for a month.
We took that Daniel fast in the beginning of the year.
So now the revival has to happen. No, it doesn't.
You wait until God says now it's time.
You sit there and you wait until the suddenly comes.
There is still some dying to our flesh that needs to happen
for us to handle that which God has promised to the church.
There is some more conforming that has to happen into the image of Christ
before God can trust us, before the Father can trust us with the measure of power
so that we would handle it correctly.
Friends, a biblical revival, it starts and it is led by the Holy Spirit.
You can't call it revival unless the Holy Spirit is the one who started it,
unless the suddenly came.
If you actually read the vision book about the Father's Day revival
that happened here at Word of Life in the modular,
it was a suddenly.
Pastor didn't go and advertise. Here we're going to have revival meetings.
Here we're having this and that. No, it was a regular Sunday from what I understand.
It was an ordinary Sunday just like we're having today.
You got some people that are missing from church because they're probably fighting a cold.
But God's like, listen, I'm not working on their time.
I have a time when I'm pouring out my suddenly.
That's why the Scripture says you have to be ready in season and out.
You know, it's interesting and I've caught myself in on this.
This is just evidence of how selfish we are.
It's interesting that we will look at our lives and in the season that we're walking in
and we're like, okay, God, you're probably not going to move right now.
The suddenly probably isn't going to come right now
because, well, I'm building a house.
Well, I'm getting a promotion.
Well, my kids are still in school, so it's kind of inconvenient for me right now.
But when it's convenient for me, then you're going to pour out your suddenly.
Have you ever caught yourself in those thought process?
I have.
I have.
Where it's like, okay, you're probably not going to do the suddenly right now
because I'm in the midst of a build, God,
and you know how much time that's consuming God's like, friend, listen,
I ain't working on your time.
I'm not working according to the season that you're in.
I have times that I have set.
And if it's inconvenient for you, that's your problem.
That is evidence that you're not dead to a realm of your flesh.
The suddenly will come whether you're ready now or you're not ready now.
It doesn't matter.
We can take the parable of the 10 versions.
Five were ready.
Why were they ready?
Because they were ready.
Why were they ready?
Because they were ready.
That's my answer for you.
Why were they ready?
Because they were ready.
They were doing what God said.
He said, wait.
Yes, Lord, how do you want me to wait on you?
Ever been to a restaurant?
How do they wait on you in the restaurant?
They serve you.
We wait on the Lord by doing what he's told us to do.
We're serving our master.
So here's my question to you because the reason why I'm asking you this question is because God reminded me on Friday.
I was driving in the morning and I was talking to him.
And he simply reminded me the first two things of why we came here.
He said, son, he said, why did I ask you to come here?
Remember that.
So I said, okay, Lord.
Because sometimes he's got to remind us because we forget and we try to do this.
That and the other.
And he's like, just remember what I asked you to do right now.
In the doing what he's asked me right now is actually my waiting on the Lord.
So what is he asking you to do right now?
Would you not forget what he told you back in open heavens 26, back in open heavens 25, back in open heavens 24?
What did the Lord ask you to do and to maintain?
Go back to that and forget about all the other little things that you think you need to do.
Go back.
Wait on him.
Biblical revival has to start by the suddenly coming and then the Holy Spirit leading.
And you see this thread throughout Acts.
If you want to study revival, just read the book of Acts.
The greatest revival that this world has ever seen.
And we're about to experience one that surpasses this one, by the way.
The apostles are going to ask us, how was it?
Tell me, how was it?
How was the coming of the Lamb?
How was it when you saw the sky tore open and he's coming to tell us?
My wife gave me that perspective years ago and I ponder it.
I'm like, huh, Paul's going to come up to me and he's going to talk to me.
This is cool.
I look forward to meet him and he's going to be asking me questions.
Revival, revival or a biblical revival has the gift of repentance.
Let me say that again, because we look at repentance in a wrong way.
And maybe I'll get into a series next year or something.
We'll see.
Repentance is a gift.
Repentance is a gift given to us by the Father through his Son, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
A biblical revival, or let me just even say a revival.
It is biblical.
A revival, a true revival.
It is a must that the gift of repentance is there.
If people are not repenting in what we call revival, it's not a revival.
It's not friends.
And if you don't believe me, let's open up the scriptures.
We're still in the book of Acts.
Chapter 2, verse 37, let's read that.
Verse 37, it says now when they heard this.
By the way, this is when Peter preached the best sermon of his life.
I think this is like the greatest sermon that the apostle Peter could have ever preached.
They're in the upper room again, just giving those that maybe don't know their Bibles.
They're in the upper room, the Holy Spirit comes.
Boom, they get lit up.
The Holy Spirit lights them up with power.
They begin to speak in other tongues.
I actually believe repentance was already right there.
And I'll tell you why, because they begin to turn and look at the Lord in greater ways.
Which is what repentance is.
And I'll get into that here a little bit.
So then all this happens.
Now all the people in the city begin to hear them speaking in different languages.
What they heard was different languages.
And they're like, these men are drunk with wine.
It's interesting that they never talked about the women.
They just said the men are drunk with wine.
Ever thought about that?
It's like, why only the men? There was 120. There was women there too.
Yeah, it is true.
So they're saying they're drunk, they're filled with wine.
And then Peter gets up and preaches the best sermon ever.
And here in verse 37 it says that when the crowd, when the people,
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart.
That's repentance.
When you sit under a sermon or a preaching that cuts you deep,
friend, that is the beginning of repentance.
It's a gift.
To be cut to the heart is not to be condemned.
To be cut to the heart is to be convicted.
It is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives us.
Cut me to the heart, Lord. Cut me deep, surgically.
Cut me in my spirit.
Give me this gift that is mine because of what your son has done.
They heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter
and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?
The gift of repentance or I should say repentance is this
and I've said this again and I'm gonna try to elaborate here more.
It is the turning away from something
and then turning to someone or something.
We call it as getting new information, changing the way that you think
and I don't disagree with that.
I don't disagree with that, but here's the problem.
You can sit in your chairs
and you can get all the information, all the wisdom, all the knowledge.
But if you're not turning to it, if you're not turning away,
let's say this is old information.
If I am not turning away from the old information
and if I am not turning away from it to now turn to new information,
I'm actually not repenting.
Though I can say, well, I got new information.
You haven't repented until you've now turned to the new information
and you're beginning to implement the new information in your life
and you're living it out and you're walking it out and you're living by it.
You are now becoming the scriptures.
You following me?
Are you following what I'm saying?
That's why we see so many people come up and repent
for the same issue over and over and over.
Because you've got the information, but now you're not turning to it.
And you're thinking, pastor, I've repented though.
I've repented it.
God, God, I've done everything.
Turn to it.
Begin to implement it in your life.
So repentance is Peter stands up.
He preaches the best sermon of their life.
In other words, he describes Christ to them in a way
that these men and women, this crowd, has never heard about Christ.
He begins to talk about Jesus in a way that the Holy Spirit came
and empowered and these people began to be cut to the heart.
They were cut.
They're like, whoa, we just crucified the Lamb of God.
We crucified the Lamb of God.
We are the ones that hung Him on the tree.
They were cut to the heart.
They were now shown, listen, you can churn away
from your traditional Jewish-like things from your sin
and you can churn to the Lamb of God who has forgiven you of your sin.
That's repentance.
It is a gift given to us.
And going back to a few parts ago when I preached
is that we must live a life of repentance.
Why? Because every day I have an opportunity
to churn away from self and to look to the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world.
Every day I have an opportunity to repent,
to churn away from the old information.
The information that has produced me nothing.
It has given me nothing in my life.
And I have the opportunity to get new information right here.
Right here. New information.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit for me to implement
and to walk out and to live out.
That's why we must live lives of repentance
as we live lives of prayer, as we live lives of fasting,
as we live lives of serving.
It's all the fundamentals of our faith.
That's repentance.
And you cannot have a biblical revival
unless there is a gift of repentance that comes.
If people are not churning away from old ways
and turning on to the Lord or looking on to the Lord,
that's not revival.
I don't care that you had a bunch of people
delivered and healed. Cool.
But what about was repentance there?
Because you can... ah man, this is...
I got to go here.
You can get somebody healed
and you can get somebody delivered
and that healed and delivered person
will still end up in hell.
There is a whole bunch of people in hell
that are healed and delivered.
But because they didn't repent,
because they didn't turn away and look to the Lord,
are you following me?
Biblical revival must,
when the Holy Spirit actually comes,
according to John 16,
when the Holy Spirit comes,
you know what one of the first thing he does
according to John 16, when Jesus talks about him?
He convicts the world of what?
That's one of the first things the Holy Spirit does.
And you go to churches,
ah I'm not going to go there.
I'm not going to go there.
I get riled up and my flesh gets involved
and I don't want my flesh there.
Romans 6, let's read that too.
This is biblical repentance
or I'm sorry, this is biblical revival
which is the gift of repentance.
Romans 6, verse 20, verse 23,
we know the Scripture.
Romans 6, verse 23,
for the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul is giving new information.
The gift of repentance
is understanding how and what sin is
and what it does.
That's the gift of repentance.
You're saying how?
Because now that I know what sin is
and what it does,
I now see Jesus, the Lamb of God
who has paid for all of this.
So I don't have to look at this.
I don't have to think that this right here
is my future.
I don't have to be tormented by this thing.
Why?
Well, because according to what Paul is writing,
the gift of God, Jesus Christ given to me,
I can now cling to the Lord.
I can now cleave and I can cling
and hold on to Jesus.
I am turning away and I am looking to
a revival or a biblical revival.
The next point here
is it awakens us
from our sleep and our slumber.
It awakens us to greater things of the Lord.
And this is where I really want to get into some stuff.
Because I love how pastor says it.
He says when the dust settles, what's left?
A biblical revival,
according to the scriptures, Ephesians 5.14,
you can put it up on the screen. I'll quote it.
Ephesians 5.14 says this,
Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead
and Christ will shine on you.
A biblical revival must,
must have an awakening that's within us
to greater things of the Lord.
Meaning, meaning that when the dust settles
and all the hype is gone
and all the emotions are gone,
what is left in you?
What's left within your heart?
What have you been marked with?
Did you walk away from a great experience?
We saw some people fall over.
We saw some hooting and hollering.
We saw some dancing.
We saw this, that what was left in you?
Was there a revelation of Christ
that you were awakened to by the Holy Spirit
that despite that we may come to a service
and it's not so hooting and hollering,
you're still maintaining a path.
Why?
Because you have been awakened to things.
You've been awakened to things of the Lord
that now sustain you regardless
if there is a coasting season.
Regardless if you're walking through a wilderness
regardless if you're walking through a drought,
a desert, whatever it may be
but a biblical revival awakens you.
It awakens you to the deep things of God
so that when it settles
you walk away from that thing
and you're like, yeah, that was great
and yeah, it may not be the same
but man, I have a revelation of Jesus
that regardless if I see this, that and the other
I'm still maintaining, I'm still going
because I've been awakened to things.
You can't tell me these things are not.
I've been awakened to them.
That's like you waking up in the morning
and somebody tells you you're still sleeping.
You're like, no man, you're crazy.
I'm awake. Look at my eyes.
Bro, you're sleeping. No, I've been awakened.
I've been awakened from my slumber.
I've been awakened from my dullness.
From my callous heart.
I have been awakened to the things of God
and you can't tell me otherwise.
You could put a gun to my head and say, that ain't it.
I say, bro, you're deceived. I'm not deceived.
It's maintaining things.
It's holding the line and you're going.
That's what a biblical revival produces.
And how many times that I've talked to people
that have been in so-called, I was in a revival
and you look at their life and there is no follow-up.
Like, what happened, man?
Yeah, but we saw people fall over.
Cool. Yeah, but we had people saved.
Cool. But what about you?
What about you?
We see this in the book of Acts.
Revival comes, I'm saying the Holy Spirit comes,
lights up these apostles, never the same.
They're never the same.
Friends, they're never the same.
I believe the reason why the Apostle Peter preached
the best sermon of his life is because he was awakened
by the Holy Spirit to some things about Jesus
that he wasn't, so he stood up in boldness.
By the way, the scriptures tell us they were in one accord.
Where when you read them, when they followed Jesus,
they had some... they weren't so much in one accord, man.
We had two of them go to their mom and say,
hey, can you go ask Jesus if we can be at his right
and at his left?
That's what we saw in the disciples when they followed the Lord.
But now the Holy Spirit comes or they're waiting for him
and the scriptures tell us they're in one accord.
They were awakened to some things that made them say,
man, it's better for us to be in one accord
than try to fight each other.
May we as a church, I feel the Lord on this,
may we as a church, as a congregation,
come to... come to a conclusion
or a settling in our heart.
Listen to me.
That it is better for us to be in one accord
than trying to bite at each other's necks.
You're saying, well, that doesn't happen in our church, pastor.
Come to this side of the pulpit.
May it settle in our hearts
that it is better for us to be in one accord
than to try to fight each other
or point out each other's wrongs.
May we come to the realization
that the apostles did in the upper room
in one accord, waiting for the subtly,
waiting for the promise of the Lord.
Let's go through two more.
Revival or a biblical revival,
you see signs, miracles, and wonders.
And I'll even say this.
I'll quote Pastor Vern here.
The supernatural is at its peak.
A biblical revival must have signs,
miracles, wonders,
and the supernatural at such a peak
that it's with ease.
That the moving and the brewing
of the Holy Spirit and the supernatural activity of the Lord
is at such a peak.
It is at such a peak that it is done with ease.
It is done with ease.
Sometimes I feel like we want it so bad that we work for it.
We're like, if I pray a little louder,
if I scream a little harder,
if I come on, it's like we're pushing it out.
It's like, no, that's not how the biblical revival,
it's with ease.
We see that in the book of Acts all over.
John and Peter are what?
They're going to the temple to pray.
Person there on the side of the road.
Peter wasn't like screaming at him,
get up.
He just made it really simple.
Stand and walk, man.
I don't have silver or gold.
I can't help you, but that which I have,
I give to you in the name of Jesus,
stand and walk.
What happened?
He stood and he walked.
Biblical revival must have
signs, miracles, wonders and supernatural.
Let's read Acts 3.
Let me go back to Acts.
And then we're going to hit one more
and we'll wrap it up for today.
Acts chapter 3.
Versus 1.
This is the story. I want to read it for you.
Now Peter and John went up together
to the temple at the hour of prayer,
the ninth hour.
And a certain man, lame from his mother's womb,
whom they lay daily at the gate of the temple,
which is called beautiful,
to ask alms of those who enter the temple.
So seeing Peter and John
about to go into the temple,
asked for alms.
And fixing his eyes on him
with John, Peter said,
look at us.
So he gave them his attention,
expecting to receive something from them.
Then Peter said, silver and gold I do not have.
But what I do have, I give you
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Rise up and walk.
Can you imagine with such ease,
let's say you're going to Walmart.
Let's say you're going to the Cambridge Walmart.
And somebody in their pajamas
comes up to you and says,
can you give me some money
to this, that and the other?
Maybe they're sitting outside and they're homeless.
And maybe they're crutch.
I'm just trying to make this personal to you
of what actual biblical revival looks like.
With ease.
You're at Walmart.
You got somebody at the front door
asking you for money.
But you legitimately don't have money
because the only thing you have
is enough to buy for your family.
But you obviously see that this person is crippled
and they need something more than just money.
If they were healed,
they could go and work
and make their own money.
So with ease, you tell this person,
sorry, I don't have any money.
But in the name of Jesus, my Lord,
I command you to stand and walk.
And this person up and starts walking.
That's the supernatural at its peak.
It's done with ease.
I long for that.
I've said this before, I long for the day
where I don't have to lay hands on people
to get healed.
But because they enter this building
and because God has trusted us
with a measure of power
that people get healed
from the moment they walk in through those doors.
I long for that day.
You know why?
So that no man can take credit.
You're saying, why are you so against
laying hands on people?
I'm not.
I think it's a privilege and an honor
to lay hands on people and pray for them.
I'm not against it.
But I long for that day
that the presence of God
is so thick and tangible
that we are in that revival
and the supernatural is at its peak
that no man has to lay hands
so that no man can take credit.
So that no man can take credit
that all glory can be on to him.
Let's go through one more.
John 15.
Let's open up the Gospel of John.
This is one that we talk about
but we don't...
We don't pin it to...
This is part of a biblical revival.
This is John 15.
This is the Lord talking.
Verses 18 to 25.
Let's read it first here.
Jesus says,
If the world hates you,
you know that it hated me
before it hated you.
If you were of the world,
the world would love its own.
Yet because you are not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you.
A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me,
they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word,
they will keep yours also.
Let me just pause there.
A biblical revival.
Always.
Listen to me.
Always has persecution that follows.
But we never talk about that.
We talk about persecution.
But we never combine that with revival.
That's why I'm saying
the more and more that I was going through these points
and studying it out,
the more and more I'm like,
Do I even want revival?
You see,
this might be a harsh statement
and I'm still weighing it out in my spirit.
I think I've settled it.
But I don't think...
Yeah, I can say it confidently.
Here in the western world,
we actually have not experienced persecution.
What we call persecution
is...
is minuscule in the eyes of
people that are actually experiencing persecution.
Here's an example.
You lost your job
and you know how many times I've heard people say,
Man, I lost my job.
I'm being persecuted because I'm a Christian.
Are you sure?
It wasn't because you were late.
Man, I'm being persecuted.
Ah, that devil.
He's working through my boss
because he just knows I'm a Christian
and I do Bible studies.
I did Bible studies
and they fired me for that.
Are you sure you were doing Bible studies
in the hour that you were given
to do your break,
or are you doing Bible studies
in the midst of your work?
I've heard that, too.
I've heard people say,
Well, I was doing Bible studies.
Okay, when were you doing it, though?
Well, I mean,
you were called for that eight hours
to work that line or that machine, whatever.
That's not the time for you to be a Christian.
Like, and what I mean be a Christian
is do Bible studies.
You can be a Christian another way while still working.
What we call persecution
is by no means persecution
here in the Western world.
Persecution, according to the definition of it,
is something that's far more
than just your feelings were hurt.
Have you noticed that,
that we call things persecution
when our feelings get hurt?
I'm persecuted by my family.
No, just died of your flesh.
And what your family says about you
won't even matter.
Who cares what people think about you?
I've died to that years ago.
Seriously, I'm like, I don't care.
You like me?
You guys remember back in 2024
when I was here for Open Heavens?
I kept on saying this phrase
and then Pastor Vern came up.
I said, I don't care if you guys like me or not.
I'm not here to be liked.
I'm here to bring you to gospel.
And then Pastor Vern came up
and he said, hey, we don't like you.
But then you added something.
See, I could have stopped there.
I could have stopped there
because you did say we don't like you.
You said, we love you.
So what we call persecution
is not what the Bible calls persecution.
And here's what I found really interesting
as I was studying and looking at this
is that where there is biblical revival
there is always persecution.
And where you find persecution
you find the power of God.
Oh, you got to hear me.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
If you read the book of Acts
because I literally just went through it this week
just to reconfirm that what I'm teaching is correct
and I'm like, man, this is awesome.
You read the book of Acts
from Acts 2 when the revival starts
all the way up to where you get to like
chapter 28 when you're into the life of Paul.
And you find this pattern.
Where greater persecution came
there came greater power
that God bestowed upon them.
Where greater persecution came
and if we handle that persecution correctly
God says, I can trust you with more power.
You're saying, how do I handle persecution correctly?
According to the scriptures it says
I find it all joy when trial and tribulation is here.
You see, I believe one of the reasons
why we as a church lack in the power of it
here in the Western world
because how many times have we heard
why are we seeing the supernatural in Nigeria?
Why are we seeing the supernatural in Mexico
in these other countries?
Why are we seeing the supernatural?
Look what's happening to our brothers and sisters
across seas.
They're being beheaded.
They're being put into positions
where it's actual, true persecution.
And now they're handling that right.
God says, yeah, I can trust you with power.
Where power is found in the scriptures
you will find persecution.
Where persecution is found in the scriptures
you will find power.
They go hand in hand.
And if we mishandle
the persecution that comes
we will lack in the power
that God actually wants us to give.
So if we as a church are asking for revival
if we are saying God we want to be a part
of the end time revival
friend buckle up.
I said friend buckle up
because the persecution is going to hit you
like a train.
What is persecution? Let me read it to you here.
Just so you are understanding
persecution is a cruel treatment.
It's cruel.
It's by no means they're being nice to you.
It is a cruel treatment.
They have disregarded who you are.
They can care less.
I don't care who you are.
They will treat you even if you were the son of Trump
I don't care who you are.
They will treat you with cruelty.
They will disregard you as a human being.
They don't care who you were in the military.
They don't care what position you held
in whatever government.
They don't care.
They will persecute you
and treat you cruel to the point
that you are going to feel like a worm.
But you say
I find joy in it.
But I find joy in it.
Why?
Because God is trusting me with Himself.
The Lord is trusting me with Himself.
He is trusting me
to now handle the power
to be a witness, to be a martyr to these people.
I sometimes ponder
about my bloodline,
about my dad, my uncle, my grandpa
and sometimes I'll get into deep thinking
and I almost like shiver in my skin
because at 18 years old
I'm thinking of myself when I was 18
what I have done, what my dad did.
At 18 years old
to have a gun pointed to your head
they didn't care who he was.
We don't care that your last name is Kandratyuk.
We can care less that you served for two years.
We don't care.
All we care about is that
unless you deny Christ right now
there's going to be a bullet in your forehead.
At 18 years old
I would sit and I would be like
man, what would I do?
Like honestly, like what would I do?
I put myself in the
book of Acts
to be stoned like the Apostle Paul.
You go to a city
to preach the gospel
and here in America
we have now used the pulpit
to be liked by people.
I want you to hear me here.
We have used
this stage right here
to be liked
by the people.
But according to the scriptures
where revival was
every city that Paul would go to
he would be hated.
And the further he went the more he was hated.
You know what? Somebody wants prophesied
and I'm not going to say their name
but they know who they are because they're in this room.
Somebody prophesied to me
and I'm like whoa.
They said
how do they say it?
I'm trying to remember word for word.
They said
in the latter days
of your ministry, when I'm going to be
traveling, all that stuff
not going to get into details.
They said in the latter day of your ministry
people are going to hate you
more than they're going to like you.
And I was like whoa.
Maybe I don't want to preach anymore.
It's kind of nice to be liked
by your church people.
Not that I don't care
but you know it's...
but it gives you a perspective
of what actual persecution is.
They will treat you cruelly.
They will treat you unfairly
and that's not unfairly like
you get two cookies but I get
four. It's not that kind of unfair.
It's like oh you're a Christian?
Yeah you can't even get on this bus.
You're going to have to walk 40 miles.
I don't care.
Oh you're a Christian?
I don't care that your baby's hungry
at home. I can't sell you
this formula.
Oh you're a Christian?
Yeah all the money that you had saved
in your account. Yeah it's gone.
We've given it to whoever needs it.
See now that's persecution.
Treating you cruelly.
Treating you unfair. Let me read some more here.
They are very hostile
towards you.
They could simply hate you
because you're white.
They could simply hate you
because
your religion, your beliefs, your identity.
They don't need a reason.
Biblical person like
you read the book of Acts and you read it's like
they had no reason
because here they're giving the truth.
Here they're talking. They're going...
Paul is going way back.
Stephen in Acts 7
goes way back and talks about
the patriarchs.
And he talks about Abraham, Moses
and he talks about all the forefathers
and he unveils to them the truth
that Christ is from that
lineage of people.
They didn't care.
They didn't care.
All they heard was
this guy right here
is preaching about some guy
that died and rose from the dead.
Let's stone him.
A Biblical
revival
has persecution that's tied to it.
You can't have it.
You can't have a revival
unless there's persecution.
And the way we handle persecution
will depend on how much power
God will entrust us with.
Can I hit one more pastor?
He's shrugging his shoulders.
I'm going to hit one more
and then maybe next Sunday.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Second Thessalonians 2.
Are you guys still good?
You guys still good? Okay, I want to hit this last one here.
He's shrugged his shoulders. Usually he's like,
yeah, go ahead or don't do it or
I'm looking to you.
And he's saying, look to the Lord, son.
I can hear it now.
Second Thessalonians 2.
I got to read you this
because this is something that
shook me and really had me say
do I want revival?
Second Thessalonians 2, verses 1
and 3.
I don't know what it says on top of your Bible
but on top of mine
above chapter 2, it says the great
apostasy.
Verse 1.
Now brethren,
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our gathering together
to him, we ask you
not to be soon shaken
and mind or troubled, either
by spirit or by word
or by letter, as
from us, as though the day
of Christ had come. So in
context, we got people
in Thessalonica that were believing
that Jesus already came.
That's the context
of it. So Paul is like, hey,
calm down. He hasn't come yet
because here is the signs
because here is the signs
that we will see before the coming
of the Lord.
Revival
is part of the coming of the Lord.
Just making sure we're on the same page.
Verse 3.
So Paul comforts them.
He says, let no one be... I don't know if this is comforting,
but he's trying to comfort them.
He says, let no one deceive
you by any means.
For that day will not
come unless the falling away
comes first. Biblical
revival produces
a great falling away.
Especially if we're talking about
the end times revival. You're saying,
what are you talking about, pastor?
Matthew 24.10
Jesus quotes that many,
many will leave.
So if we're talking about the end times revival,
according to what Paul is writing
to the Thessalonian church,
he's talking about a great multitude
will fall away in the midst
of this revival.
That means this could be loved ones.
That means that this could be people
that we have brought to the Lord.
This means
this could be so many people
that in the midst of the gathering
of the harvest that the Scripture tells us
that people have called the billions
whole harvest, in that midst
you will actually, according to the Scripture
you will actually see
people falling away from the faith.
Biblical revival
produces a falling
away. Not that God wants it
to happen, but because
there is a lack of
repentance, because there is
a lack of looking on to the Lord
because there is a lack of actually
the Holy Spirit leading
because there is a lack of all these
other things
people are going to start turning away.
When I preached this at a different church
I told the people this
I said, may we have
a revelation of the Lord
not what pastor says
not what grandma says
not what grandpa says, but would I
have
a revelation of Jesus
to such a measure
that it would sustain
me in this day
that I would know him
in such a measure
that I would not find myself
in a company of people
that are falling away in the midst
of all this revival that's happening
you will find people
as the Pharisees
he's operating under a demonic
spirit
we will hear that stuff
people will be so offended
by the way that God is going to move
I shared this story before
and I'll share it again as a reminder
the Lord told me once
he said son, he said
if you don't know me in private
he said you will be offended
by the way I move in public
offense
causes us, I'm not even going to get into that
we've hit that so hard it should be
drilled in your head
but a biblical revival
according to what Paul is writing to the
Thessalonians church he says
but the day of the Lord won't come
meaning that Jesus won't return
on the cloud yet
until we see the great falling
away
you sure you want revival
no I'm being honest
you don't have to answer that
but are you sure you want revival
are you sure you're ready
and sustained enough in the Lord
that when the suddenly comes
you don't find yourself
in a company of those that are rejecting
the Lord rejecting
brothers and sisters in Christ
but you're with the company
that is standing and finding joy
in the persecution
that's a question
that we should really ask ourselves
Am I sustained enough in Jesus? Is He really my source?
Am I not living off of what is preached on a Sunday?
But am I living a day-to-day, daily bread with God that I am sustained enough
that when this suddenly comes and all these things follow
that I don't find myself in the company of those that have fallen away?
You with me?
Let's stand for prayer. Do you want to say anything after, pastor?
Okay, let's pray. Father, we thank You.
We thank You, Lord.
We thank You for Your Word that is a lamp unto our feet.
It prepares us. It prepares us.
It sets our feet and readies our feet for battle.
Father, we thank You for Your Son.
We thank You for Your Spirit. Precious Holy Spirit, help us.
Help us, Holy Spirit.
Help us to be led by You and not our emotion, not our traditions.
Help us to be led by You that we would see Christ and see Him rightly.
Father, we thank You that You are patient with us
and that You see that we as a church, we are waiting the best that we know how.
We are readying ourselves, God, the best that we know how.
Give us tools. Equip us even more.
Awaken us.
Awaken us, God, that when this suddenly comes,
that when this suddenly comes, God,
we are found ready with oil in our lamps
and the door is not shut in front of us.
Just pray in the spirit for a little bit.
Can you do that? Just pray in the spirit all over this place.
Heba soto.
Reba soto manayela.
Leta mano robo shati eila.
La besoto romoma.
Berarobo sola.
We are polling on You, Lord.
We are polling on You.
That You would ready us as we are readying ourselves.
That You would set our feet firm.
La beso ryenda.
Le besoto ramani eita.
Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, we love You.
Holy Spirit, we love You.
I don't feel like I should move here.
I feel like we need to just stay here for a bit, Pastor.
We gather oil, Lord.
We gather oil in our lamps.
La besoti eiba.
Holy Spirit, we love You and we honor You.
So as the Lord continues to do things for us and in us and with us,
there's going to be people who come against us.
That's just the way the two kingdoms wrestle with each other.
Kingdom of light, kingdom of darkness.
We're going to get criticized for the building.
Wait till it goes up.
Wait till the shell goes up.
There's going to be all kinds of negative talk about us and whatever.
I mean, that's how it works.
But the thing that I wanted, that I felt the Holy Spirit said emphasize this
is something He taught me.
Oh, He talked to me about a year, year and a half ago,
and that's handling persecution correctly.
If you didn't, Matthew 5, the Beatitudes are actually getting a person
in the position mentally and emotionally to handle verse 10 and 11 and 12.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.
Well, if we haven't learned how to be a peacemaker, be pure in heart,
be merciful, hunger and thirst for righteousness, the Beatitudes,
if we haven't learned those, it's going to be difficult
when the righteous for righteousness' sake persecution comes.
Verse 11,
Blessed are you when they revile you, persecute you
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.
So it puts us in a position, persecution, exactly what Pastor Igor said,
it unleashes the power of God in our life.
The more we're persecuted, the more the power flows.
That's that word, blessed.
Empowered to prosper or move forward and have success.
Blessed are you when you're reviled, you're persecuted,
you're spoken evil of, all kinds of lies are being said about you.
This increases the power of God.
Did you catch that in that verse?
Okay.
Here's the correct way of handling those things.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
That is the correct way of handling it.
Rejoice when people are lying about you.
Rejoice and be glad when people are saying all kinds of evil against you.
Now you don't forget the last two words of verse 11 or last three words.
For my sake.
If you're out there acting like a fool and they're talking about you and saying,
what a jerk, you deserve it.
This has to be for the sake of I am trying to live for God.
I'm trying to do what he asked me to do and now I'm being lied about.
I'm being spoken evil of.
People are reviling me.
They're persecuting me.
It's got to be for the kingdom's sake.
But the attitude when that stuff happens is rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
So easy to talk, hard to do.
So I'm going to give you one thing the Lord told me a year, year and a half ago.
I don't think this is news to anybody.
There's a number of videos out there about Word of Life and TBO that are really bad.
I mean, they are...
I'll just say that.
I could describe, but I'll just say that.
So after the first couple came out,
I don't know the exact timing.
It was after the first couple or so came out.
This wasn't the Holy Spirit.
This was the Lord.
He asked me this question.
He said, what would you do if you ended up talking to face to face,
ran into the person who's making these videos about you?
What would you do?
And I did exactly what that little sign language was.
I said, I know what I would feel like doing.
You know, the flesh side, I know what I would feel like doing.
Human like everybody else.
Just all quiet.
He didn't respond to that.
It's all quiet.
I said, finally I got the gumption to say,
well, what should I do?
Because it could happen.
What should I do?
And this is what the Lord said.
He said, you should thank him.
Thank him?
Yep, you should thank him.
I said, why should I thank him for that?
And this is what he said.
He said, track it.
With every new video, within two to three months,
you gain families and your income goes up as a church.
And I thought, well, that's interesting.
So I'm going to track it.
You could predict it.
Because I'm not looking for him.
Someone would come to me and say,
hey, you know what?
There's a new video out about TBO, Word of Life.
Oh, really?
Good or bad?
Well, it's bad.
Okay, when did it come out?
And they'd say, well, last week, two weeks ago, whatever.
And I said, okay, I'm going to track it.
Within two to two and a half months,
we gained one or two families and the income
went up noticeably.
Every time.
You know, in my head still goes, thank them.
But that would make sense.
You're helping our cause.
Because the power of God moves forward
when persecution comes.
If we handle it correctly.
So when this starts happening in our lives,
in your lives, in the church,
we have to learn what Pastor Igor was talking about.
Or we can literally, how would you say,
paralyze God from doing what He wants to do.
We have to learn to handle this correctly,
not get a bad attitude, not mouth off back to them,
not get back in their face and bless God,
I'll give them a piece of my mind
and, you know, that whole thing.
We have to learn to handle it correctly,
which is rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
That's going to take a work of the spirit in us.
I mean, that's just what it is.
And that's why I've got you standing.
So Lord, we as human beings struggle
to do what you ask us to do.
We as human beings, especially Americans,
rose color everything,
like even some of the things Pastor Igor was saying this morning.
That is the territory of the moving of the Spirit of God,
and that's what comes with it.
But we in America don't like to think down those lines.
We just want the candy and the good things,
but we don't necessarily want the bitter things that come with it.
And there are bitter, it's both.
There's things that are not happy things.
There will be people who will for once and for all
choose a dense God when he begins moving in our midst.
And they could be your spouse,
they could be your children,
they could be your relatives,
they could be your best friend, someone at work.
But once the Spirit moves,
he will force them to a choice.
And they've been dancing on the edge
and playing on the edge
and kind of one foot in the world
and one toe in the kingdom
and just kind of doing...
They may just totally walk away from the whole thing
because the Spirit of God moved.
Revival came.
There will be people who will fall over dead,
like Ananias and Sapphira.
That comes with the power of God.
And Father, we just want you to know right now
by your Spirit,
prepare us so we handle these things correctly.
So that in the middle of you doing great things,
we don't handicap the whole thing
by picking up the wrong attitude.
So right now as a body,
we stand before you and we say,
Holy Spirit, teach us in these things.
Because the Scripture makes it plain.
The deeper we get into the last times,
the more these things will increase.
The world will grow more evil.
We have to be able to handle these things
in a godly, righteous manner
for the power and the blessing of God
to continue to grow and move forward.
So we're asking, teach us,
change us,
not just give us knowledge,
change us and help us submit
to doing it your way, not our way.
In Jesus' name.
Amen. Amen.
Be blessed. Have an awesome day.