Revival: Night 3

Living out Revival

LAST NIGHT….. BEST NIGHT…

Not done yet….

We live our life surrounded by signs….

Road signs tell us what’s coming, how fast we can go, give us direction and detours

Exit signs

Warning signs

Restroom signs…. And can we just be clear… don’t give me a picture or a fancy name

people have signs:

A diaper bag is a sure fire sign someone has a small child

A wedding ring… a sign of a spouse

You see signs speak often before someone does…

Signs paint the picture before they story is told

So what is the SIGN of Revival

What is the EVIDENCE that someone is filled with the HOLY SPIRIT

What does life look like tomorrow

It can’t simply be louder worship

It can’t simply be goosebumps

It can’t simply be the emotions we felt in this room

All of that has happened…. But it has to be something DEEPER

Ephesians 5:17–18

“17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,”

This line…. “Be filled with the Spirit” Carries the idea of continually being filled and refilled and refilled…

Which means Revival may have a starting line, but there is no finish line.. there is no end date.. there is no point at which the filling stops and the flow stops…

If Revival stops when we close and lock the doors to this building tonight then we missed the entire point

All throughout the book of Acts we see the early church being “filled with the HOLY SPIRIT”….

Our prayer as we were preparing for these nights would be that we as individuals would be OVERFLOWING with the Holy Spirit

That we don’t walk out of this place… saying “I can’t wait for next years Revival Nights…”. Rather we would carry REVIVAL with us

So what are the signs we should look for in our lives and in each other…

1.) Spirit Filled People are BOLD PEOPLE

I’m going to pull us back to Acts just before the day of Pentecost… Jesus described what to expect and what to do with an outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1:8

“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

Notice JESUS never describes an encounter with the HOLY SPIRIT with emotion…. But always with POWER

God doesn’t fill us for entertainment…. He fills us for empowerment

The first sign of the day of Pentecost wasn’t excitement…. It was BOLDNESS

PETER

Before Acts 2… Peter DENIES JESUS… 3 times to a servant girl… FEAR gripped Him

But I just have to tell you FEAR looses its grip when the HOLY SPIRIT pours out…. Fear looses its hold when the LORD is my STRONG HOLD… Boldness grows where the HOLY SPIRIT FLOWS…..

Now AFTER Acts 2…. After the filling of the HOLY SPIRIT that same PETER who denied JESUS 3 times…. Would preach to 3,000….. because God is in the business of exponentially redeeming….. because when the HOLY SPIRIT FILLS…. Boldness flows

Again we see peter in Acts 3, boldly speaking, acts 4 boldly speaking… boldness became a cornerstone of the early church

Same PETER…. Different FILLING

The HOLY SPIRIT didn’t Change PETERS personality…. HE Empowered it with BOLDNESS

If the result of these nights…. Isn’t MORE GOSPEL STORIES… MORE BOLD TESTIMONIES>….. MORE LOST PEOPLE encountering JESUS, then I fear we craved an experience and lacked the empowerment…

Acts 4:31

“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.”

**We want the experience of the room shaking…. God wants the result of the world changing**

Now notice… this is AFTER PENTECOST…. AFTER Acts 2… it says they were all filled AGAIN…

Because Boldness requires continual filling… thats why were are going to have another REVIVAL Service…. This Sunday 8:15/9:30 and 11… that is why we are going to have another one… the NEXT SUNDAY… because we leak, and when we leak… we loose the boldness that the HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS US….

And EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD needs to hear the GOSPEL and we can’t do that without the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT

*filled people talk about JESUS

*Filled people share JESUS

*filled people build HIS KINGDOM, not their own

2.) Spirt Filled PEOPLE overflow with JOY

Acts 13:52

“52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Now this happens DURING the persecution of the early church Same

-friends are being arrested for the gospel

-friends are being threatened and even killed

-churches are being attacked

YET… they were FILLED WITH JOY

Why… because when you are FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT and the world squeezes you….. you spill out JOY

If you are full of the world… you will get the fruit of the world

Romans 14:17

“17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,”

Maybe tonight is the night you realize… you’ve been full… of the wrong stuff

FEAR, Politics, social media, anxiety, disappointment, hurt.

Then when the squeeze happens.. you spill out anger… hurt… NOT JOY…

The work of the HOLY SPIRIT is confirmed with JOY

3.) Spirit filled PEOPLE WORSHIP differently

I’m reminded of Paul and Silas…. Sitting in prison

Acts 16:22–26

“22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

Spirit filled People when it seems the world is against them

Spirit filled people worship when others worry

Spirit filled people worship in the darkest time… about MIDNIGHT

Sprit filled people worship in prison, in frustration, in doubt

Because the worship of SPIRIT FILLED people bring freedom to them AND THE PEOPLE around them…

Your worship isn’t just about YOU>…. So don’t let the flow stop

**A worship filled mouth is evidence of a Spirit filled heart**

4.) Revived People CHANGE THE WORLD

Spirit Filled people live by PURPOSE not PREFERENCE

Spirit FILLED people live on MISSION

One more time go back to

Acts 1:8

“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

You WILL BE… the purpose of the outpouring was power for the purpose and the purpose was PEOPLE in JERUSALEM… .PEOPLE in JUDEA…. PEOPLE IN SAMARIA

Let me say it like this…. The purpose of this OUTPOURING…. Is PEOPLE in BLUFFTON, PEOPLE IN OKATIE, PEOPLE IN RIDGELAND, PEOPLE IN BEAUFORT…. Every neighborhood, every man woman and child in this region would hear the gospel…… FROM YOU …..

I believe this is the beginning of the fulfillment of the vision God gave me a year ago… living waters flowing into every neighborhood in this area…. HIS SPIRIT being poured out through HIS PEOPLE….

SALVATION:

CHARGE

Acts 8:17

“17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Don’t leave here EMPTY…. We are going to pray over people and lay hands on them so they receive the HOLY SPIRIT and are EMPOWERED for PURPOSE