Awakening

Awakening. As the video said at the end, “Lord, awaken Your People with Your Power.” What does this mean? And why choose this topic for the first message preached by this pastor this year?

Awakening was the theme for the AG week of prayer this last week… and I feel it to be very timely and inspired of the Lord.

Before the theme was announced and before this New Year rolled in, I felt in my Spirit the God is getting ready to do something incredible. I have been announcing this for over a year… a feeling that we are on the threshold of an outpouring of God’s power like we have never seen before.

But before we get there, we have some spiritual work to get done… some exercises of faith we must walk through. This year will be one like no other and I believe… God is asking us to move in faith like we have never done before. And it starts… with an awakening.

Awakening defined is simple.

Awakening is an act of waking from sleep. It is moving from a place of slumber to a place of activity.

We awake from our sleep and rise from our beds as we take on the tasks each new day. Whether it be your alarm clock or the 7:00 whistle that wakes you up, there is a sound… something that disturbs you… something that calls you out of your sleep.

Maybe… your routine has been so consistent that you no longer have to have an alarm… your mind has been conditioned to wake up at a certain point in the morning.

No matter the method, we are called from our sleep and brought back to awareness of the day.

This morning… this season… this year… I feel an urgent call from our Heavenly Father… I hear His voice and feel His Spirit urging His church… to wake up. I feel the Spirit of God compelling the people of God to awaken from their sleep.

We have a major problem in America right now… a problem that is not beyond fixing… but is beyond anything we can do on our own. The Church in America… is in decline. The body of Christ is decreasing, not increasing, and I worry that it is because we have fallen asleep.

Let me be clear today: The power of the gospel message of Jesus Christ has not changed.

The presence and power of God has not changed.

The move and the leading of the Spirit of God has not changed.

God remains the same yesterday, today and forever!

So if we know that God has not changed… what is it that has caused a decline in the Church in America?

We could begin to rattle off excuses like the aftermath of a pandemic and the impact of social issues… but I believe it goes deeper than that. The Church… has fallen asleep. And I believe there are several reasons for that.

It is true that we are facing radical shifts in our culture today. We are facing challenges we have never faced before.

We are a society of conveniences. Our comfort drives us more than we are willing to admit.

We are a nation of consumers. We like to get and receive rather than give sacrificially.

We have allowed cultural trends… to creep into the body of Christ.

Now my intent this morning is NOT to beat us up or to start this year off on a hard note… my intent is to echo to you what God has been speaking to my heart about our church.

We have seen God do incredible things at HWC! That goes without saying! God has so much more in store for us. I truly believe the best days are yet to come!

But those days will not come UNLESS we are willing to take our faith to the next level. God wants to awaken within us a new level of faith and a new level of dependency on Him! God… wants to reawaken us to HIS power and HIS authority.

I’ve said this before and I believe it now more than ever… this is NOT a day of retreat for God’s Church… it is a day of advancement! It is high time His people move from a defensive strategy of maintaining and appeasing and get back to boldly declaring that Jesus saves!

Our main verse today comes from Acts 4:31. And I take us there this morning because of what was taking place at this point in biblical history.

Acts 4:31 NIV

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

This verse is a conclusion to a remarkable series of events taking place with the people of the early church. In the previous chapter, Peter and John see a beggar healed in the name of Jesus. This guy was well known and had been lame from birth.

Peter are John tell the crowd what happened and it lands them in heart water with the powers that be. Remember, the religious authorities had gone to great lengths to shut down Jesus’ influence in the city.

They could not deny the miracle that had taken place, but according to Acts 4:17, they did not want the name of Jesus spoken to anyone anymore.

So… we see this exchange take place in Acts 4:18-23

Acts 4:18–23 NIV

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. 23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

Look at what is taking place here… God was on the move… and those who rejected Jesus were coming against His move. They did so with threats and warnings. They tried to shut down the testimony given by Peter and John.

The enemy… tried to put the influence of the early church… to sleep. Satan tried to put a stop to the boldness that had been displayed by Peter and John.

And it is at this point that the people have a choice… will they be silenced? Will they be put to bed? Would they succumb to the pressure the enemy was placing on them through the religious authorities?

Or… would they continue to teach the name that is above all names?

Which Awakening would take hold?

Would Peter and John and the people be awakened to the threats coming against them and back down?

Would Peter and John and the people be awakened to the power of God that prevails over any threat?

And this is the wake up call I believe God is shouting out to His church.

Yes, we have become more aware of the challenges that face us as a church. Yes, we have become more aware of the trends, the immorality, the evil and wickedness that is moving throughout the land. Yes, we have become more aware of the spiritual decline in our society and secular boldness that has come with it. And I fear that in this awareness, the enemy has been slowly… but effectively… putting God’s church to sleep.

The church sleeps in indifference, in passivity and in worry. The church sleeps in a lack of boldness, love, giving, and faith. The church sleeps under the threat of persecution, being cancelled, or being rejected.

The enemy has a loud bark and he knows exactly what buttons to push in order to make the church feel uncomfortable.

But today… is NOT a day to become fixated on the voice of the enemy.

Today is a day of being awakened by the power of our God!

This morning I want us to see two quick things that took place in Scripture that led to the awakening we see in Acts 4:31 - an awakening so powerful that the Word says the room was shaken!

Acts 4:24 tells us what the people did

Acts 4:24 NIV

24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

The people prayed. They went right to God. And the two points I want us to see take place within the context of their prayer.

They Turned to His WORD.

I can’t imagine how the people felt as Peter and John laid out what they Sanhedrin had expressed to them. They had been told to stop spreading the name of Jesus. These guys were serious. These guys were no joke. The threat was very real.

But instead of taking these words to heart, the people of God did something else. They took God’s word to heart. Reading on in Acts 4 you find the people quoting Scripture within their prayer - Specifically Psalms 2:1-2

Psalm 2:1–2 NIV

1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

The early church knew of the challenges they faced. They knew the severity of the threats spoken by the Sanhedrin. But instead of standing on those words, they stood upon God’s Word.

You see, the church will fall asleep if we lose sight of the Word of God. Whose word are we taking to heart? Whose word are we standing on.

The word of our culture is God is not needed. The word on the street is the Bible is out of date, no longer relevant to our way of life. His ways and His truth no longer have the impact they once had in our nation. And the church can feel the weight of this shift.

I don’t believe for one moment that the people didn’t begin to feel some discouragement as Peter and John gave their report. I believe they felt a similar weight that we feel today as our nation turns from God.

But they are reminded in Scripture that those who plot against the Lord… are plotting in vain. GOD WILL PREVAIL. THE BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEEN WON. THE VICTORY BELONGS TO THE LORD!

The word on the street was given but it was the Word of our God that prevailed!

So I want to challenge us today. I want to encourage us today. Is there a “word” in your life that is dragging you down? Is there a threat, a thought, a fear, a temptation, a worry, a doubt, a statement, or a message that is keeping your faith… asleep?

Maybe this “word” was spoken by a friend, a family member, a circumstance, a season, a hardship, an authority, or by the trends of this day. Whatever the case, it has bothered you, it has troubled you, it has consumed your thoughts, it has pacified your faith.

This was the effect the sanhedrin HOPED to have on Peter and John. This was the effect the enemy HOPED the threat would have on the early church. However, as they sought God through prayer… they remained steadfast in HIS WORD.

The world might have a lot to say… but it’s all noise to distract you from the truth, promise, and power that is found in God’s Word!

Be awakened today through the Words that God has given us! Fight hope and renewal not in what the world says, but in what our God says today! His Word WILL prevail! Do you believe that today?

So the next time the enemy tries to put your faith to rest with a negative or oppressive message, come alive and be revived by the Word that will stand throughout all of time!

They asked for His POWER.

As the people prayed to God, I see something very interesting. They didn’t ask God to stop the threats they had received. Look at their request in Acts 4:29-30

Acts 4:29–30 NIV

29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

They didn’t ask for the threats to stop, instead, the asked for God to fill them with His power. “Enable your servants” they prayed. And the power they asked for was to do something very specific - to speak God’s Word with what? GREAT BOLDNESS.

They stood on His Word to overcome the threat. Now they ask for God’s power to speak His Word with boldness.

They knew that they would need God’s help to overcome the obstacles ahead. They knew that if left to itself, their flesh would fail… but God’s POWER would prevail.

I need to say something as lovingly as I can this morning… we do not have the power to overcome the challenges of this world on our own.

The odds are stacked against us… without the help of God. And I know we realize this but the Church as a whole is beginning to fail in this.

When our praise is substituted for performance, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When our need for His presence comes second to our preferences, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When mission is buildings and budgets, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When church planting looks more like church franchising, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When career becomes more important than calling, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When my way takes the place of servant leadership, we are falling asleep in our faith.

When comfort dictates our level of commitment, we are falling asleep in our faith.

All of these examples place our self in front of the need for His power. And we wonder why the Church in America is in decline!

Church, I am resolved, I am determined that it will not be said of HWC that we are a powerless church, that we have substituted the things of this world for the things of God. Let it never be said of this church that we have given in to the secularism surrounding us… but instead we have given all to GOD!

My desire is for this church to experience the power God has for each of us! My desire is to see this very place shaken by the outpouring of His Spirit. We have some changes coming that are going to move us in this direction but I believe God is calling us to a place of change… to a place of awakening right here and now.

Closing

Are you ready to wake up this morning? I know we are aware of the issues… but how aware are you of the presence and power of God?

I’m looking for people who would join me today in prayer… people who are willing to receive what God has for you not just on this day, but on every day this year.

This must begin with a relationship with Jesus. This must begin by placing our faith in Him.

Maybe God has awakened your need for a Savior today. You feel God calling you back… calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Will you answer? Will you call on His name? Will you repent of your sins, ask for forgiveness, and come alive in Jesus?

Secondly, I want us to respond as the people of God responded in Acts 4.

They didn’t let the word on the street discourage them or put their faith to sleep, they were awakened and more aware of God’s power and presence.

This year, we will face challenges… but these challenges will not be bigger than our God.

This year we will face difficulties, but our God will prevail.

If we want God to move, then we need to move, first. We need to move from these chairs into the altar. And as we do, come with this prayer on your hearts.

Enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness. Empower Your people through the name of Your Son, Jesus.

REJECT any word, message or fear that might be trying to put your faith asleep. MAY OUR SOULS BE REAWAKENED BY THE POWER OF OUR GOD TODAY!

God, shake this place with Your power and presence!