Okay, guys, so let me introduce the first day of the seven days of Shekinah.
Today is day one and then we'll meet on Monday, Tuesday, then Thursday, Friday, then Sunday,
Monday.
And I'll send you the timings via email.
So this is one of those messages that defines sometimes an error or the trajectory of a
church and whenever the church is on a trajectory, the earth is affected.
So this is one of those messages.
So let me just pray because I don't have the ability to convey it.
Jesus, I don't know if I've ever spoken a teaching that is more far-reaching than this
one.
I don't know if, not I don't know, it's a way of speaking.
I know that I haven't taught anything that will have the ripple effect that this teaching
will have.
And I'm absolutely incapable of doing it because I cannot make it happen with oratory skills.
And so I seek refuge in 1 Corinthians 2 and say that, Father, I come before you and before
people that are hearing.
I will hear this in the future.
Not with persuasive words, not with fancy words or oratorial skills or any kind of ability
that I possess, but I come and ask, O God, for a demonstration of power by the work of
the Holy Spirit through us.
Through us.
I don't even say through me, through us because what you want to say to us cannot be done
through any one man, two men, three men.
Through us.
And then I also pray, Father, that because it is such a critical message that you want
to speak to the earth, and really this is not restricted or is not meant just for Acts
29, Acts 29 is a player in this drama.
But since, Spirit of God, others have to hear with ears that can hear, I just ask Holy Spirit,
would you give me ears to hear?
Would you give me a mind to understand?
Would you give me, as Jillian was praying, a heart that ignites with passion for what
you're saying?
Would you give us, in this church that we call Acts 29, ears to hear, a heart that is willing
and ignited and a mind that comprehends and feet that then follow?
Would you give us the ability to persevere through this?
And then would you cause the same thing that you do in me and do in the church to begin
to just multiply and gain such potency as every time someone hears it?
All this can't be done humanly, O God, there is no such person that can do it.
It can only be done by your Spirit and so I just ask Holy Spirit for these things.
This is a sheer work of God and it's colossal.
I pray against distractions, I pray against hesitation, I pray against dullness of hearing
and coldness of heart, I pray against the lie that I can handle another 10 minutes or
20 minutes and then I need to take a break, I pray against callousness or a very casual
attitude.
I come against lukewarmness and I pray these in my heart first, I don't for a moment take
for granted that just because I wrote these notes that I understand it.
Become humbly, Abba.
Thank you for the privilege of hearing your voice through your word, through your word
Father, through your word in Jesus name, Amen.
Okay, guys, so continuing from last week, we were talking about the glory of God and
we said that in the Old Testament the glory of the Lord was often referred to as Cabod
Adonai, Cabod Adonai.
We said it was called Cabod Adonai in the Old Testament and in the New Testament it
was called Doxa Curios, Curium or Curios and both mean Lord of Glory and then we said there's
a word that is often used to talk about the glory of God which surprisingly is not found
in the Bible but has become normal usage and that word is Shekinah which by the way
is not in the Bible, it's not a word used in the Bible and Shekinah comes from two words
which are found in Deuteronomy 25, verse 8 and 9.
One is Shekinah and the other one is Mishkan.
We talked about this last week and basically Shekinah simply means the one who dwells,
the one who dwells.
That's what Shekinah means, the one who dwells, the one who dwells.
Mishkan means I will dwell, Mishkan is tabernacle and so out of that comes a word that is not
found in the Bible but that well describes what God wants to do.
I don't know if you can see the picture on the wall but I found a rendition of the pillar
of cloud and fire done by somebody and I was saying to myself, man it must be something
else to wake up every day for 40 years and see this marvelous pillar of cloud and fire
blazing sometimes, moving, tenting.
I want it must have been for people to know that Yahweh was in their midst and somehow
to be able to translate that to a point where I begin to really think that Yahweh is in
me and in our midst and therefore I don't have to worry about the things of the world.
They're all taken care of, provision, presence is there.
It frees me to run after the things of God.
Just a thought on the side.
The other thing we said last week is that the reason the glory of God isn't experienced
the way it is supposed to be experienced is because as a church we have a tendency to
accommodate God's glory and God's glory cannot be accommodated.
It cannot be accommodated.
God's glory should not be accommodated, it cannot be accommodated.
There's only one response to God's glory.
You have to be foolish and surrender.
You cannot accommodate God's glory.
You can't accommodate God's glory.
You can only be foolish and surrender to it.
We talked about that and that's something that's really impacted me over the last one
week that I refuse anymore to give God a corner or two corners or three corners of a room
for his glory.
We do not accommodate his glory.
To accommodate is to contain within limits.
Instead we become foolish and surrender to it.
You cannot surrender to the glory of God with any of your own wisdom.
It doesn't work.
So much so that God said in 1 Corinthians 2 that listen, 1 Corinthians 1 I think he
says I use my foolishness to confound the wisdom of men so don't come to me with your
wisdom to try and figure this out.
So you cannot accommodate his glory.
You can only be foolish and surrender.
And if you do, if you are foolish and you surrender then you begin to engage, you begin
to participate and you begin to encounter his glory.
And all three words are very deliberate.
They're not the same.
You begin to engage, you begin to participate and you begin to encounter or engage and you
begin to encounter, you begin to engage, you begin to participate.
I think that's the right order.
You begin to encounter as in you meet it.
You begin to engage as in you get acquainted with it and then you begin to participate
as in now you begin to flow in it.
And that's when Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14 comes to pass.
When a church begins to, when a people begin to encounter, engage and participate in the
glory of God because they refuse to accommodate it but foolishly surrender to it, then a people
begin to see Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14 coming to pass either amongst them and then through
them.
And what does Habakkuk 2 verse 14 says?
For as the waters fill the seas, the earth fills up with an awareness of the glory of
the Lord.
As the waters cover the seas, as the waters, as the waters cover the seas, so the earth
fills with an awareness and I love that way of saying it, an awareness of the glory of
the Lord.
As the waters cover the seas, so the earth is filled, earth begins to fill with the awareness
of the glory of the Lord, the awareness of the glory of the Lord.
Where people begin to become aware of the splendor, the magnificence, the power, the
light, the laughter, the joy, the presence of God through a people amongst whom he dwells
just like the nations in the desert viewed this pillar of cloud and fire that would roam
in the night and the day and would hover over Israel and foolish was the king that ever
dared to touch the people of God.
Every so often, and this is where we begin to get into the first bite of what God wants
to do on earth, every so often this awareness of the glory of God which seems withdrawn
when you look around the world, you don't see much of it, you hear about it, you hear
prayers about it, but every so often this awareness of the glory of God which seems
withdrawn comes in like a tsunami across the earth.
Every so often, and it's happened many times on the earth, every so often this awareness
of the glory of God that seems withdrawn suddenly comes in like a tsunami across the earth and
we talked about this last week when we called it his disruptive glory.
And just when you think, you can talk about it, you can pray about it and you don't see
it and it seems kind of withdrawn or it seems absent, out of God's sovereign will it suddenly
comes in like a tsunami and it's his disruptive glory and what does it do? It dismantles and
then rebuilds, dismantles and then rebuilds David's tent or David's tabernacle.
From Acts chapter 15, verse 16 and 17, it always begins in the house of God, as in it
begins first amongst the people of God. Where people who used to talk about it suddenly
become aware that something is coming upon them, crashing like a tsunami, it's almost
like something that's withdrawn but you can see it beginning to come and you don't know
how to respond to it and I would suggest to you again, the mistake we make is we try to
accommodate it again by building a bigger room. No, no, no, no, you can only be foolish
and surrender to it and it begins to wash over with big waves only it doesn't destroy
you and yet it completely destroys you because it's a consuming fire. It dismantles you and
it rebuilds the tabernacle, David's tabernacle. Peter stood up in Acts chapter 15, verse
16 and 17 and he says, and in those days I will rebuild the tabernacle of David. Here's
the thing, the rebuilding may start with the people of God but look at the intent. The
intent is so that the ends of the earth may seek him and the Gentiles may turn to him.
That is the reason why. That is the beauty of the glory of God. His people experience
it so that the ends of the earth may seek him and the Gentiles may know him. Acts chapter
15, verse 16 to 17. In other words, there's a beautiful word for this. I'm going to use
red which you can't see but I hope this time you'll see it. The word for all that I have
described is the seven letter word that sometimes has been bandied around so often that we lose
its sense but it is this idea of revival where God in his sovereign time and sovereign
will and intent decides that I am going to come in with an awareness of my glory, sweeping
through our people into different parts of the world or different regions and I'm going
to revive like I haven't done before for a while. This is what we are looking at and
this is just the intro. Have you got seven days of this guys? I'm not looking forward
to it because I don't know what to look forward to. I'm just looking. I'm just looking. I'm
just looking. So let's talk about what a revival is so that we get this right in the
beginning. The times that we will meet in the future over the next five or six days,
my intent is that we meet for 45 minutes but if we end up being here till 3 a.m. so be
it because I refuse to accommodate what God is going to do. But I'm starting with the
intent of 45 minutes but we'll talk about that a little later. I hope you're clapping
at home. I hope you're clapping in this room. Someone is. So why does God send these odd
timed revivals because it's not a thing that is common. Why does he sometimes send these
times? Why is he planning to do that through this rag tag motley crew? One of the reasons
he sends revival is because his intent is to avert the revivals of the people who are
in the future. So that's one of the reasons. He knows that if he can revive now, a people
group in perhaps Timbuktu or Mongolia or India or Minnesota can avoid or avert disaster.
Avert spiritual disaster. Physical disasters only take life guys, physical life. Spiritual
disasters end you for eternity. One of the reasons God begins to decide that I'm going
to send a particular form of revival and it's very targeted often. Even though it spills
over, it's often very targeted because God has intentional specific purposes. One is
to avert spiritual disaster that he sees coming. Two, it is to create momentum because
he sees that passion is growing in a people and now he knows that he can create momentum.
He wants to course correct as in help the ship steer back into the navigational plan
that he had for the kingdom. And then the other thing he does through every revival
is he regenerates reformers for the next generation. As in he gives birth to reformers that can
help the generation after you. In every revival this has happened. We don't even hear about
them. Reformers are not guys like Martin Luther and famous people like that. There are many
of them but then there are hundreds and hundreds of small time reformers you'll never hear
of that begin to change people. They'll never write a book, they'll never be heard of. But
this is another reason why God sends revivals because he notices that there is a passion
that is growing and he can use that passion and create momentum by pouring fuel like you
have never seen before. And that the ship that is beginning to veer off because of religious
sophistry or some call it religious technology where you know how to preach, you know how
to cater to groups, you know what music to put on, you know how much smoke to fill the
audience with. Religious sophistry that has caused the church to begin to veer off, false
doctrines or half distorted doctrines that causes the church to veer off. Revival has
the ability to bring course correction so that in a matter of years the ship is back
on course. And thirdly and I love this, it always generates reformers. Thirdly, revival
is a quickening divine visitation. A quickening divine visitation as in the ship is not going
to be a big deal. It is something that quickens, it's like Red Bull. It just gives you such
a shot of quickening divine energy that it rescues people from falling into the dullness
of worldly wisdom and religion. It rescues people. Just when you're beginning to slumber
off because you can't handle the physics anymore or the math anymore and you're just
on the verge of dozing, you get this shot of Red Bull that changes everything where
once again you're alert to what, that is literally how it is. A quickening divine visitation.
I've seen this happen and you've seen this happen in our lives so often where everything
seems dull and then God does just this one thing that will not mean anything to anybody
else but it just jumpstarts you. It gets your engine going when it was absolutely cold and
dead. How God does that, we don't know. But if you can do it with an individual you think
he can't do it with a massive nation. It's the same for him. Four, one of the intents
of God when he sends a revival is he's hoping that we can, that people can move from the
from asking where is he to who is he. The problem today in North America or in any other
part of the world is not that people don't understand God. They don't even see him. The
intent is hey, people are asking where is he. They look at the church and they can't
see him. They look at you and they can't see him and the question is where is he? And this
is the ability that God has to move people from the question where is he to who is he
because they actually see him. Now they want to know who he is because they are beginning
to see him. Glory is visible. When Queen Sheba visited Solomon, her words to Solomon were
I had heard of your fame. I had heard you were brilliant, you were wise, you were wealthy.
But it is only after I've come here and seen it that it has taken my breath away. There
is a visibility to glory. I'm not talking about the pillar of cloud and fire but there
is still a visibility to glory. Remember we talked about this last week that there is
dazzling, the dazzling brilliance of God which can manifest in supernatural signs and wonders.
There is the honor and majesty of God and there is the power and authority of God. We
talked about these three different aspects of glory last week. Go listen to it, disruptive
glory. The fifth reason is revival brings in a new quality of life, a new quality, revival
brings in a new quality of spiritual life, a new quality of spiritual life, a new quality
of spiritual life that comes through knowing the greatness, that comes through knowing
the greatness and the nearness of a holy God. The greatness and the nearness of a holy
God. I love that. The greatness and the nearness. Revival brings into the hearts of the people
who experience this awareness of who he is. Both an awareness of the greatness of God
and the awareness of his nearness and that he is a holy God. Something that every revival,
every bonafide revival carries is an awe for the holiness of an awesome God. Psalm 110,
verse 3 puts it this way. David says, oh God can you enlarge my heart? This is what happens
with revivals, our hearts are enlarged. Can you enlarge my heart that I may run in your
path? This is what happens. Your heart is enlarged. It can carry, it has a capacity
for God that you have not yet plumbed. So I'm going to say this next sentence maybe
three, four, five times. Not because you need to hear it but because I need to declare it
on our behalf. Not because you need to hear it five times but because we need to declare
it. So feel free if you want to. So here's what I'm saying. I say to you that today the
spirit of God is releasing the winds of heaven. I take that from Zechariah 6.5. I say to you
that today the spirit of God is releasing the winds of heaven from this place across
the earth, contending, reviving and breaking specifically upon the young. Specifically
upon the young. I'm going to write it so that we can repeat it. I was asking God can you
make it more dramatic and he said I'm doing this so can you leave that alone? So I'm going
to write it just as I heard it. I say to you that today the spirit of God is releasing
the winds of heaven. I say to you today, I say to you today, the spirit of God is releasing
the winds of heaven. The spirit of God is releasing the winds of heaven. The spirit
of God is releasing the winds of heaven. The spirit of God is releasing the winds of heaven
from this place. When I say place I mean a people in this area right now. So I'm going
to write it down. I'm going to write it down. I'm going to write it down. I'm going to
write it down. From this place across the earth, contending, reviving, breaking upon
the young. By young I mean not children, but children of God. I'm going to write it down.
I don't want to put an age limit on it, but the young as in the generation that is not
50 yet. One is below 50. That is all I know. I don't know how low the lower limit is, but
I know that it is the teens, the 20s, the 30s, the 40s that God is desiring to do this.
So I'm going to read this a few times again and again. I say to you that today the spirit
of God is releasing the winds of heaven from this place across the earth, contending, reviving,
and breaking upon the young. Young men, young women. I say to you today the spirit of God
is releasing the winds of heaven from this place across the earth, contending, reviving,
and breaking upon the young. One more time. I say to you today that the spirit of God
is releasing the winds of heaven from this place across the earth, contending, reviving,
and breaking upon the young. One more time. I say to you today the spirit of God is releasing
the winds of heaven from this place across the earth contending reviving and
breaking upon the young one more time I say to you today the Spirit of God is
releasing the winds of heaven from this place across the earth contending
reviving and breaking upon the young one last time I say to you today that the
Spirit of God is releasing the winds of heaven from this place across the earth
contending reviving and breaking upon the young amen one of the scriptures
that I remember long ago God showing was from Isaiah 62 it was it was more the
idea of Isaiah 62 and I just want to read it and then read you a couple of
things that people send me Isaiah 62 reading from the message verse one to
three and it was his idea this has happened long ago at the beginning of
Acts 29 maybe Heidi and Chris may remember it because it happened just
prior to us going to Montreal for a for a mission trip of sorts I remember
seeing torches that God would send from Acts 29 and that was like more than 12
years ago man and Isaiah 62 one says regarding Zion I can't keep my mouth
shut regarding Jerusalem I'm reading from the message I can't hold my tongue
until her righteousness blazes down like the Sun and her salvation flames up like
a torch foreign countries will see your righteousness and world leaders your
glory you'll get a brand new name straight out from the mouth of God you'll
be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand a jeweled gold cup held high
in the hand of your God one more time regarding Zion I can't keep my mouth
shut regarding Jerusalem I can't hold my tongue until her righteousness blazes
down like the Sun and the salvation flames up like a torch foreign countries
will see your righteousness and world leaders your glory you'll get a brand
new name straight from the mouth of God you'll be a stunning crown in the palm
of God's hand a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God amen in
November someone in this church sent me this email it said years ago I had a
dream and vision years ago but she sent it to me on November 26 years ago I had
a dream and vision I was looking down on Canada from a great height I saw a
torch suddenly appear and swirl from the west to east and it came back to BC it
hovered over BC and as I looked down I saw three flames in the torch that was
November 26 this morning someone sent me a text not knowing any idea what I was
preparing and I began to weep as I read it it said I saw a world map dotted all
over with small flames burning more flames will be ignited they seem
insignificant on their own but altogether they actually light up the
whole world and this is just the beginning and as I listened to this man
I just thank God for the assurances he gives you because who are we to even
think that God would want to start something on the earth but that is the
beauty of a revival God picks some of the most Nazareth like places so that no
one can boast in his presence so listen to the promise or the prophetic word
that we need to grab a hold of that we need to you'll have to put it up the
PowerPoint that we need to grab a hold off because we cannot walk into this
without knowing what God is saying and so I'm gonna put it up on the screen I
pray God that some of you will print it out and put up this these simple words
on your mirror or wherever you put stuff so that you can see it I pray that one or
two or three of you will make a banner that we can hang here every time we do a
service or hang wherever we go next because I'm not sure that this place
will be able to contain it and so here's what it says that if I we forgive me
because I don't understand this I don't understand this and so here's what it
says so don't be afraid I am with you every time it refers to children remember
the young eh so don't be afraid I'm with you I will bring your children from the
east and gather them from the west I'll send orders north and south I will say
to the north give them up and to the south do not hold them back return my
son from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth I want them back every
last one of them who bears my name every man woman and child whom I created for
my glory yes personally formed and made each of them how wonderful and beautiful
they will be the young men will thrive on abundant grain and the young women
will flourish on new wine you will raise up young men and young women bishops
strong apostolic ministries strong teachers going out from your company and
they will reproduce this anointing across the earth and then it talks about
the young adults that we presently have your young adults or young people will
freely join you at the break of dawn with all the vigor of youth resplendent
and holy armor on the day of your conquest this is the word that is being
released to us now we may put it on banners that we may wave it as a banner
that it'll start in Jerusalem and then go to Judea and Samaria at the ends of
the earth the people that are in their teens in their 20s in their 30s and their
40s will suddenly become aware of not just where is he but who he is that
they'll begin to somehow have their hearts affected because of this tsunami
like disruptive glory that God wants to express through us he'll do in his own
wonderful awesome way and it won't just be something that's limited to this
region this is why I've been saying right from the start almost like a
statement of faith because I need to believe it too that we stand in one of
the most momentous occasions in this church that will affect history for
years on end when I was thinking thousand generations today what's that
line be it thrown upon the praises of a thousand generations I wasn't thinking
of the ones gone past I was thinking of the ones going forward there there'll be
thousands of generations of nations cities small villages and towns that
will begin to recognize who Christ is and that there'll be praises that come
from a thousand generations not of the past not that are seated in heaven but
that will come in the future this is the prophetic word this is the
promise if you don't have a promise you don't know what to stand on this is what
God is giving us write it on your doorposts stick it up on your mirrors
make banners of it it'll set the ship back on course
let me just read it once again so don't be afraid my god we should be afraid
because we don't know how to do this so don't be afraid I am with you I will
bring your children from the East and gather them from the West I will send
orders not in South I'll say to the North give them up and to the South to
do not hold them back guess who's doing a tea return my sons from afar and my
daughters from the ends of the earth I want them back every last one who bears
my name every man woman and child whom I created for my glory yes personally
formed and made each one how wonderful and beautiful they will be the young
men will thrive on abundant grain of the young women will flourish on new wine I
love that that they will have abundant grain as in substance a new wine as in
the spirit you will raise up young men and young women bishops strong apostolic
ministries strong teachers going out from your company and they will reproduce
this anointing across the earth your young people will freely join you as in
the ones we already have will freely join you freely join you at the break of
dawn as it's ready as soon as the Sun rises with the vigor of youth
resplendent in holy armor on the day of your conquest and that's what some 110
was three I don't know which version it is one of the things I've been asking
God is why us why us why us and here's his response for the last 15 years
through thick and thin you have lived out Genesis 26 18 like Isaac you dug
again the wells which were dug in the days of your father Abraham and had been
clogged up by the Philistines after Abraham's death and you have renamed
them using the original names of your father that the father had given good it's
a beautiful scripture I mean such an odd reason why he why us go to Genesis 26
verse 17 and 18 Genesis 26 verse 17 so Isaac moved away from there and
encamped in the valley of Gerar and settled there Isaac reopened the wells
that have been dug in the time of his father Abraham with the Philistines that
stopped up after Abraham died and he gave them the same names his father had
given them and the sense that I had was God saying listen you doesn't matter
whether you were small or whether you were big doesn't matter whether you had
plenty or you had little doesn't matter whether miracles were happening or not
happening the one thing that you guys kept doing is you kept going back to the
blueprint renaming things as I named them digging up the ancient paths of the
spirit not getting caught up in trends not getting caught up in the latest
whatever that you kept going back like Isaac and digging up the wells that your
fathers had dug for you but the Philistines had stopped and you went and
dug them up again and you renamed them not what you wanted to rename them you
renamed them not what the world wanted you to rename them you renamed them
exactly what your father Abraham had renamed them why us that was one of the
reasons that was one of the reasons that you've kept coming back to the
blueprint renaming things as I named them digging up the ancient paths of the
spirit I I see now how much sense it made to have Elijah's from the past help
launch us into the Elisha year that we are stepping into when we asked Eddie
and Mike and Chad and Roland to come and just pray over the church as it enters
2021 the other reason was such a strange beautiful one and God was saying your
young people are free your young people are free they have learned to run after
the things of the kingdom because they trust my goodness to take care of the
things of life your young people are free and they have learned to run after
the things of the kingdom because they trust my goodness to take care of the
things of life I wish someone had taught us older ones that really early I wish I
had learned it ages ago where you never have to worry about the cares of life
because and how it frees you to pursue the things of the kingdom why us those
were two reasons I love the first reason the second reason I kind of knew first
reason is beautiful that for the last 15 years through thick and thin you all
have lived out Genesis 26 18 Isaac dug again the wells which were dug in the
days of his father Abraham but had been clogged up by the Philistines after
Abraham's death and he renamed them using the original names his father had
given him so what will this look like what are some of the patterns that we
can expect what what will this look like and what are some of the patterns we can
expect I felt God saying go look at Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 2 and Habakkuk
makes a statement in chapter 3 verse 2 saying oh God I have heard of your fame
I stand in awe of your deeds renew them in our day and in our time time make
them known oh God I have heard of your deeds I I've heard of your fame I stand
in awe of your deeds renew them in our day in our time make them known and I
felt the Lord saying that one of the things you have to do is look at some of
the parallels in the revival that happened in the Hebrides islands off the
coast of Scotland in 1949 where the old and the young participated when I say
that this revival will happen amongst the young I do not mean that we who are
older will not get a part to play in it I mean this picture that's up on the
screen those were two sisters in this little town of Lewis on the island of
in the Hebrides islands one was 82 one was 84 their names were Peggy and
Christine one of them was blind the other one had stenosis but one of the
things that they would do is that these two old women would pray and at that
time in November 1949 there was not a single young person who attended public
worship not a single young man or woman who went to church on that island and
they began to pray and one of the sisters had a vision she saw the church
of her father's crowded with young people and the guy in the middle is a
guy called Duncan Campbell who was instrumental in that revival and who had
no intention of coming and joining the revival but these women saw him in a
vision and sent word he refused first and they sent word again and God changed
his plans and he turned up even today there are some that remain from that
revival in 1949 because there were some young people that got saved then that
were interviewed just a few years ago and every time you came to this place
where you asked them tell us what happened there would be this odd silence
in the room because there were not enough words to express what God did what
will it look like when we begin to see that it's not the sight of it that
attracts me it is what it can do to the world isn't this what you live for is
this why you why you wake up every day
everything God does has the old and the young guys you look at Acts chapter 2
verse 17 or Joel 2 it says your old men will dream dreams your young men will
see visions you see the birth of Christ and John the Baptist you have Zechariah
and Elizabeth very old old so old that they can't have children and then you
got Joseph and Mary it's never one or the other it just so happens that the
target in this case are the ones that are younger the ones that are below 50
especially the teenagers the 20s or 30s the 40s so that everything can be
steered back on course quietly there was Anna and Simeon I pray God that over
this next week and the weeks following that this church not because of
deliberate intentional times of prayer but because of the spirit of prayer
that'll I pray the Holy Spirit will cause to wash over us that we will begin
to just call each other in groups of twos and threes not what you may have
been doing but things that are spontaneously crafted by God that you
will go for walks and you will begin to pray to this promise of this word that
God has given saying oh God I've heard of your faith I stand in awe of your
deeds renew them in our time make them known oh God not for our sake father but
for the sake of the earth and what you want to do it's on in Isaiah 62 verse
6 & 7 God actually invites us saying hey give me no rest till I establish what I
have said give me no rest I'm posting you as watchman so that you can begin
your work and that you will give yourself no rest that's the first
statement in Isaiah 62 verse 6 but in Isaiah 62 verse 7 he says but listen I
don't want you to give me rest harass me don't give me rest
even in this revival in Hebrides the church began to meet in a barn and they
began to claim the promise that was given to them in their case the promise
was from Isaiah 44 verse 3 which said I will pour water on him that is thirsty
and I will cause floods upon the dry ground pour water on him that is thirsty
pour floods upon the dry ground and they would begin to take that promise and
pray guys remember what I said last week this is not something that we are
initiating this is not our this is not our responsibility the odd thing with
revivals guys is that you cannot produce it but you can quench it or opt out of
it you cannot produce it but you can quench it or opt out of it and the thing
is if it is quenched and you opt out God will go around you because he is going
to do it
one night a deacon in the church in this little island of Lewis isle of Lewis
deacon in the church got up and he began to read Psalm 24 I've been listening to
some 35 or how many times but it begins to read Psalm 24 and at some point
the psalm says who shall I send the hill of the Lord and he lifts up both his
hands and he says oh God are these hands clean and is this heart pure and
something breaks in the meeting are my hands clean is my heart pure and that is
the conviction that I pray we will have a that will grip us today after I
finish teaching that will spend some time over one or two things that we can
start praying and then we'll go every day and what happened then 72 years ago
had never happened for the last hundred years
this cannot happen without the acknowledgement of an awesome God and
without an acknowledgement of holy presence I go back to what this
beautiful what this bottle says pure life begins now pure life begins now
blazing purity pure life begins now
remember a method of operation a what is the promise what is the promise oh God
if this is your promise this is what I'm gonna take these are the arrows that
I'm gonna strike the ground with this is what I will use like these two old women
who were 82 and 84 used and we begin to strike the ground we begin to say you
said we begin to challenge God saying oh God you said I challenge you or God
that because you said you must do and you can demand like Derek was saying
when we began you can have all of us all of us all of us all of my life you can
have I'm giving it to you or God it rightfully belongs to you what I'm doing
is just my reasonable sacrifice
I'd so suggest to you guys that if possible adjust your schedules because
preparing for revival is best engaged live preparing for revival is best
engaged live as in it's not a pre-recorded event so to the extent
possible free yourself up because this is not something you can pre-order or
experience by scheduling an appointment so I realized some of us are working
some of us are working night shifts some of us are coming off long days and I
realized that but to the extent possible may you be able to just shift
prioritize maybe the word prioritize puts guilt on you so let's say adjust
shift so that you can partake of the 45 minutes or the 7 hours I got no idea I
don't know which one to choose either
because I got no idea I've never done this before
go listen to disruptive glory
I had no idea I'd be talking about this this week these things have been brewing
but I didn't know we'd get here so fast the next seven days not seven continuous
days will be skipping Wednesday Saturday try to tune in 715 p.m. Monday Tuesday
Thursday Friday Sunday Monday we'll have zoom and I'll send you the link we can't
meet here and cultivate an awareness say cultivate an awareness and an internal
appetite cultivate an awareness of an internal appetite cultivate an
awareness and an internal appetite one of the ways you cultivate an awareness
and an internal appetite is by swearing звуч food one of the things that I heard
Derek advised somebody was, hey why not let your phone be for the last hour and
a half of the day. Put it aside. You don't need to grab the phone. You don't need to
have a last look at Facebook. Put your phone aside. Learn how to sleep in the
frequencies of God. Sometimes cultivating an awareness and developing an internal
appetite for his presence is so darn simple you would think surely it must be
more profound. No. I know that there are people here that are praying. I know
young adults here that have decided that for 40 days they're going to spend time
pursuing God. I love this. I love this. I can see why God is setting us up. I also
want to lay down this idea that Acts 29 is anything. That's one of the things I
certainly want to do today. Saying oh God we devolve this thing called Acts 29. We
do not even do this under that banner. God can't care to who would say this
move in, can you put the prophetic word back guys, this move in the Hebrides
Islands happened with the Presbyterian Church. It always happens with Nazareth.
One of the things we'll have to lay down is any definition that we are proud of.
This cannot happen through an individual. It cannot happen through a group of
leaders. It happens through a people and it happens surely by God. We can quench
it. We can opt out of it. We cannot produce it.
Let me end. Guys, presence requires intimacy. Presence requires intimacy. This
is not new for you but I just need to reiterate it during a time like this.
Presence requires intimacy. Intimacy requires time and I realize some of us
will not be able to participate our live stream online. Don't worry about it. Don't
feel guilty. Find time. Set it aside. God will meet you man. God will meet you as
you cultivate an appetite and awareness. God will meet you. Doesn't matter if it's
two hours later or four hours or a day later but be very deliberate about this.
Intimacy requires time and missed intimacy births things of the flesh.
According to John 3, 6, flesh gives birth to flesh, spirit gives birth to spirit.
Missed intimacy births things of the flesh and makes you irrelevant.
And I don't want to become irrelevant in a time when God is moving with intentional
relevance. I don't want to as a pastor be able to teach this and then miss out on
intimacy because I do not prioritize my time and therefore birth things of the flesh.
That would be so sad. That would be so sad. I don't want to be held accountable for that.
I'm just talking about me right now because I have a responsibility in this.
So during this week and I pray God that this week be so life shaping for all of us that
it'll affect the rest of our lives but during this week let's not sacrifice seeking him
for more immediate priorities. Let us not sacrifice seeking him for more immediate priorities
because we have priorities and they are immediate and they are calling out to us but this week let's
not sacrifice seeking him for more immediate priorities and every time you feel guilt know
that it is not of God. God brings wisdom into this situation not guilt.
God doesn't change our priorities using guilt. God changes our priorities using wisdom
and favor. He gives great favor and wisdom when it comes to priorities that need to be shifted.
In Songs chapter 5 verse 2 to 7 and I've often referred to this in the past in Songs chapter 5
verse 2 to 7 you find that there is this woman who is in the midst of a lot of trouble.
There is this woman and she hears a knock on the door and it's a lover and there is no question
of her love for him. It's just that he has come at an unexpected hour.
She loves him but he's turned up at an unexpected hour. She's put on her robe. She's in bed and
should she really at this unexpected hour when she should be sleeping should she go open the door?
And so his presence was not repelled by rejection but by hesitation or distraction with lesser
things. In her hesitation in her being distracted he goes away and the streets will not recognize
our royal connection if we don't carry his aroma. The streets will not recognize
his royal our royal connection to him if we don't carry his aroma which is why I'm saying
try and see if this can be a time where our lives are shaped. I've been telling God oh father please
let me not fall into the trap of having taught this and then not being able to engage it wholeheartedly.
That'll be so easy.
In every revival that God has brought on earth prayer was and is always a starting point
whether many or few a united desperate cry that agrees with God will watch heaven take over.
A united desperate cry that agrees with God will watch heaven take over. A united desperate cry
a united desperate cry that agrees with God will watch heaven take over. This is not the kind of
praying that we hear of tarrying some nights you will wait on him some nights you won't.
But what is important is that in my heart in my somewhere deep inside me where rivers run
there I must begin to develop a united desperate cry with anybody else
and if I do and if we agree with God we will watch heaven take over. And this teaching I'm
not teaching this just to Acts 29 I'm teaching this to anybody who we walk with who we are
connected with which is why it's so critical that I lay down the Acts 29 label on on behalf of the
people of Acts 29. I lay down the Acts 29 label. We will have no confidence in our name or our past
or our strengths before we have absolutely no confidence in it.
You put your confidence in what a church may have accomplished it becomes flesh and it becomes an
idol. We have no confidence in the money we have we have no confidence in our young adults they
are flesh and blood. We have no confidence in our pastor we have no confidence in our teaching
we have no confidence in what Acts 29 has accomplished we have no confidence in our
mission work we have no confidence in the different places that we may have gone to we have
absolutely no confidence in it. We refuse to be self-sufficient we refuse to be self-sufficient.
We have nothing we don't even have our name anymore. I lay down that label
for we are going by a way we have not gone before. Joshua chapter 3 verse 4 and 5
I'm taking you by a way you have not gone before
and yet verse 5 actually says
Joshua chapter 3 verse 4 and 5
verse 4 and 5 yeah
do not come near in order that you may know the way you shall go for you have not passed this way
before then Joshua said to the people consecrate yourself for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders
among you that's my hope eh that's my hope is everything okay Don yeah
good
it's 3 35
yeah
let's just ask God what we need to do on this first day of the seventh
at some point I'm going to ask Joan to pray Joan's mum comes from Inverness I just felt that
because God said there are similarities to this as happened in the Hebrides island I just
thought I'll ask Joan at some point to pray over zoom
but other than that I've got nothing else so let's see where we should go
so
and then I know we'll sing that song where it says I see the I see a I see a generation
we'll I see the king of glory we'll sing that at the end
guys I really don't know how to go about this eh so just be patient
so
so I'm gonna ask uh yeah let's just
father
we just want to empty ourselves just want to empty ourselves
we just want to empty ourselves empty ourselves of all self-sufficiency empty ourselves
of any name any claim any fame that we operate under
empty ourselves of
that which is not blazingly pure
I think that's what we'd like to do today
and at some point raise our arms to you and say is this heart pure and are these hands clean
that's where we want to start today
we want to operate only under one name
the king of glory strong and mighty in battle to whom the whole earth belongs
and who established the heavens and the earth and founded them we want to ascend your holy
hill today we want to start there so father