A Personal Revival

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

the renewal of the mind means having a new direction of thought and intent...

submitting to a new way of thinking.

to follow after the will and direction of the Holy Spirits leading and purpose.

Acts 9:1–19 KJV 1900

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

Introduction

1. Every revival is a personal revival.

wherein every church revival must start with personal revival.

unless we adopt the direction and mindset that God would have us have…how can we be an affective witness to others?

2. A “Damascus Road” experience (as Saul had) will and should change the direction of your life, never to be the same again

Conversion Is about Radical Change

1. Jesus spoke about being “born again.”

in this, Jesus was speaking of not the natural birth…but being born into a new family…the family of God.

an opportunity to become a new person

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1. Becoming a Christian involves a change of citizenship.

Ephesians 2:19 KJV 1900

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Paul described it as being adopted into God’s family.

we are no longer children of this world but rather, an actual part of the family of God.

DAMASCUS ROAD EXPERIENCE

Saul the Persecutor

Acts 9:1–2 KJV 1900

1. Saul believed in God with all his might, and he believed he was doing God a favor by persecuting the Christians.

2. It is possible to be sincerely wrong.

there are many people out there that are sincere about serving God but do not as of yet have the full truth.

Intervention from Heaven

“As Saul was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone

down around him” (Acts 9:3, NLT).

1. The light from Heaven blinded Saul so that his spiritual vision could be cured.

so that Saul could begin to see through his spiritual eyes rather than his own or the traditional eyes.

“He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting

me?’” (Acts 9:4, NLT).

2. Notice, the Lord did not say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute My church?”

a. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus. this church is his church.

3. Saul asked two questions on the Damascus road.

“Who are you, lord?” (Acts 9:5, NLT).

“What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10).

4. Saul realized he was on the threshold of a radical change, but he did not know how to begin.

5. There are many people in the same position, and that’s where we come in

THE ROLE OF ANANIAS

1. God always has placed the responsibility for proclaiming of the gospel in the hands of mankind.

a. Jesus could have told Saul the plan of salvation, but instead He directed Saul to go into the city of Damascus where he would be told what to do. Then God sent Ananias to a house on a street that was called straight....where Saul was staying.

isn’t it interesting that Saul was in a house on a street called straight....

Matthew 7:14 KJV 1900

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

perhaps God was sending a message about the way that Saul was to go.

2. we all have our role we play in the conversion of a soul?

one plants....one waters and God gives the increase.

3. the bible does instructs us to pray and to fast.

b. but there is more than just that; we have to become involved in the lives of people.

some of the so called “worse” people have become the most dedicated believers.

when we are sensitive to the spirit leading, we begin to see beyond the outward to see the inward.

the song “he looked beyond my faults and saw my need”

we are not lead by sight but by the spirit of God.

Hearing from God

“Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision,

calling, ‘Ananias!’

‘Yes, Lord!’ he replied.

The Lord said, ‘Go over to the street that is called straight, to the house of Judas. When you get there,

ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now’” (Acts 9:10–11, NLT).

“Carrie Eastridge, the mother of Nona Freeman, was urged by the Holy Ghost to stop her car get out, and preach the Acts 2:38 message.

She stopped and looked around for her audience, but there was no one in sight.

i’m sure she questioned it somewhat....but She preached anyway, as the Lord had commanded.

As she began to preach she was unaware that her message had woke up a drunken man hiding in the drainage pipe underneath the road.

He heard her message and heard her drive away.

He later made his way to the nearest city and sought out a Pentecostal church.

He received his own Pentecostal experience that forever did away with his old drunken life! (Johnson, Winter 2011, 71–72)

That man experienced a personal revival because of the sensitivity and obedience to a woman of God.

Faith and Works

1. Faith and works go hand in hand.

James 2:18 KJV 1900

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

2. We must complete to the best of our ability the task assigned to us.

3. While Ananias may not have understood fully what was happening, he did as he was told.

4. This is the essence of real faith.

James 2:20 KJV 1900

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:26 KJV 1900

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

if we have no works that reflect the faith that is within us…then do we still have true faith?

PAUL’S CONVERSION EXPERIENCE

A Changed Desire

If we remember the definition of repentance…change of mind.

1. Saul went from being a persecutor of the church to being a proclaimer of the gospel.

“After regaining his strength Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is indeed the Son of God!’

All who heard him were amazed. ‘Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?’

‘And didn’t he come here to arrest them

and take them in chains to the chief priests?’” (Acts 9:19–21, NLT)

Saul went from the worst to the best in a moment.

1 Timothy 1:15–16 KJV 1900

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

1. Conversion completely changes your desires.

2. When people are born again, the Spirit of God within begins to lead them to become more like Jesus Christ.

a. You begin to hold in great esteem the things you once hated.

b. You lose your appetite for things you once loved.

3. Among the many positive changes in the life of a new believer is the desire to tell of the wonderful things God has done for him or her.

A Commission to Missions

1. The Lord shared with Ananias the great commission He had for Paul in the work of missions

“But the Lord said, ‘Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake’” (Acts 9:15–16, NLT).

Ananias informed Saul that he would be a witness to “all men,” not just the Jews.

Acts 22:15 KJV 1900

15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

we are his witnesses to proclaim to a lost world the gospel of Jesus Christ....to shed light and hope to a dark and hopeless world.

Willing to Endure

1. Paul’s Damascus Road and Straight Street experiences put a fire in his belly that drove him beyond the ordinary.

2. He endured many tribulations for the sake of a high calling.

Philippians 3:14 KJV 1900

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

3. The bible later records a summary of some of his most memorable experiences in suffering.

2 Corinthians 11:23–28 KJV 1900

23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

But for Paul, a man who experienced such a powerful revival and transformation, it was worth it all.

when all is said and done…is there anything that is more worthy of our time and effort.

Jesus Christ gave it all for us on Calvary…he truly deserves our best in this life.

CONCLUSION

1. A personal revival will change the direction of a person’s life, and he or she will never be the same again.

a. Charlie Metjay was the first man that the missionary Charlie Yadon met when he arrived in Hoonah Alaska, to start a church in 1947.

Metjay was a man bound by the chains of alcoholism.

Later, Brother Beam, who pastored in Juneau, baptized him in Jesus’ name.

Through the years, Charlie Metjay was the epitome of a repeat backslider, but that all changed in 1978, when he experienced his own personal revival.

As he had done so many times before, he got out of his seat and headed to the altar. But this time it would be different; God wonderfully filled him with the Holy Ghost on the way to the altar.

And from that day until the day he passed from this life to his eternal reward in 1988, he never again touched a drop of alcohol.

2. A personal revival today will make a tremendous difference in your tomorrow and perhaps the tomorrow of someone else.

2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV 1900

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

the story of the POA.....

In July of 1950, evangelist G. A. Mangun and his wife, Vesta, arrived in Alexandria and began leading a small group of about 40 people, setting into motion the fervor for souls and the dedication to prayer and fasting that still drives The Pentecostals of Alexandria today. Sunday School Bus Routes began in 1953. Two years later, the church at the corner of Sixteenth and Day streets was built. By the next year, attendance was up to 281.

Rev. Anthony Mangun and his wife, Mickey, took the helm in 1980.

Process 2000 began in 1994, pushing for a congregation of 2000 by the year 2000. By 1997, the year the Family Life Center opened, attendance was at 2157. In 2000, the year of Jubilee, The Pentecostals of Alexandria celebrated 50 years and a commitment to carrying the legacy of the past into the future.

Now in the 20's, the POA is over 70 years old. By God's favor, we have withstood the test of time. Over the decades, we have witnessed many changes in the world and in our community; however, some things remain the same. - Twenty-four Hour Prayer is still an essential part of who we are, along with reaching for souls, and making disciples.

the purpose of reading this is not to compare but to inspire......

i believe that largely, the growth and success of the POA was not due to luck or chance but because of the commitment to prayer and fasting.....the commitment to lost souls.

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