The Church's Condition at Christ's Return (part 1)

Intro

Text - Acts 3.19-21

Acts 3:19–21 NKJV

19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Title - The Church’s Condition at Christ’s Return

Background

Jesus gave us instructions in connection with His return

watch and pray

But in what condition should the church be at His return?

Israel was not in the proper condition when the Messiah was manifested in their midst -

there was so much unbelief

true righteousness was lacking

Israel was spiritually bankrupt

Acts 3 - a Prophecy of the End-Time

Precursor - Acts 1 conversation with Jesus

Acts 1:6–7 NKJV

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

the Jewish question - the restoration of the kingdom to Israel

Christ’s response to their questions

don’t focus on that season

prepare for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

you will be my witnesses

Peter’s view in mind -

Jesus will return to restore things, especially the kingdom to Israel

the Jews must prepare themselves through repentance - just like John the baptist’s preaching

But these words were not for the Jews in Peter’s day -

these words are prophetic, and it for the people of God in the last days

The 4 Key words of Peter’s prophecy

Acts 3.19 “19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

Repent - repentance, which results in

times of Refreshing - times of revivals, which leads to

times of Restoration - which culminates in

the Return of Christ

Acts 3.20-21 “20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

How Acts 3 is Fulfilled in the last days

Significance of the 4 Key events

the Return of Christ - is the glorious of the church,

the Times of Restoration - 3 things are involved

Israel - her nationhood and central place in the world will be restored in the last days

the earth - to be restored to her Edenic condition

the church - will be restored to her former of original condition - THIS IS OUR CONCERN FOR THE MOMENT

Times of Refreshing - refers to events in the history of the church

Repentance - is not really an event, but human actions that necessary for refreshing to happen

Reformation Movement - the precursor of end-time events

Initially - the goal of “reformers” was to reform the RCC

they initially believed the RCC was the true church but she needed reforming

reform - change for the better; to improve;

Later - the reformers came to the conclusion that the RCC was the apostate church and the church of the Antichrist.

sadly, Protestant churches today do not believe the same thing

The general focus of the Reformation was to challenge the RCC teachings on salvation, but they retained most of her practices

Holiness Movement - the first real to preparing for the Lord’s return

Sanctification - preparation for the Lord’s return

Hebrews 12:14 NKJV

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Preachers began to focus on calling people to REPENTANCE

these are the days of feiry preachings to bring people to sanctified living

This resulted in REVIVALS (Refreshings) - the Age of Reason (secular history) was also the Age of Revival for the church

The Great Awakening (1726-1740)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1726–1760—The Great Awakening Revives the Colonies

The Great Awakening is the name given to the revivals occurring in the American colonies from 1726 to 1760. The movement was led by the preaching of Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) and George Whitefield (1714–1770) and reached its peak in 1740.

Cornwall’s Christmas Revival (1781-1782)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1781—Cornwall’s Christmas Revival Focuses on Prayer

It started in 1781, when a Christmas morning service in Cornwall, England, turned into six hours of prayer. After a brief break with their families, many gathered again at the church that evening to continue praying. This prayer revival continued daily, with prayer meetings held most evenings until midnight through March. The revival was also unique in that it was interdenominational,

The Second Great Awakening (1787-1825)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1787—Second Great Awakening Begins at Hampden-Sydney College

The second national revival in the United States is known as the Second Great Awakening. The era energized the spiritual life of Americans following the Revolutionary War and confronted two major challenges.

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1787—Second Great Awakening Begins at Hampden-Sydney College

The much-needed revival came first to colleges in the East, where in 1787, Hampden-Sydney College experienced a spiritual awakening. From Hampden-Sydney, revival spread to Washington College, Yale, Williams, Dartmouth, and Amherst. Carried along by students and preachers alike, the Second Great Awakening lasted from 1787 to 1825,

Keswick Revival (1875-)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1875—Revival Is Sparked at the First Keswick Convention

God used Moody to spark a revival in Keswick that birthed the annual summer Keswick Convention, a nondenominational gathering of evangelicals that continues there today. The hallmarks of Keswick are prayer, Bible study, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Thousands have been called into ministry and missions at the Keswick Convention.

Welsh Revival (1904-)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1904—Welsh Revival Spreads around the World

Beginning in 1904, the greatest evangelical awakening of all time occurred throughout the world. The revival started in January 1904 in a church in New Quay, Cardiganshire, and spread from there throughout Wales and continued for two years with thousands coming to Christ.

Azusa Street Revival (1904-1909)

The Complete Book of When and Where: In the Bible and throughout History 1904—Azusa Street Revival Commences

The Azusa Street Revival began in 1906 when William J. Seymour (1870–1922), an African American preacher who had recently moved from Houston to California, began holding small meetings with his followers in a rundown industrial building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles.

THE 18TH-19TH CENTURIES ARE THE TIMES OF REFRESHING

Revivals prepared the way for the Times of RESTORATION

1906 Azusa Street Revival

restoration of the Spiritual Gifts to the church

1933-1965 - WMB’s ministry

restoration of apostolic doctrines to the church

1966-beyond - the bride’s ministry

restoration of biblical and apostolic leadership to the church - the Five-Fold Ministry

THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES ARE THE TIMES OF RESTORATION

What it Means to be Restored

The Necessity of Restoration

Joel 2 prophecy

Joel 2.12-17 - call to repentance

Joel 2.18-24 - refeshing comes

Joel 2. 25-27 - restoration happens

So much has been lost to the church since the days of the apostles

true doctrines

true experiences in the Holy Spirit

true leadership in the church

Christ returns only to the church that has been restored!

Acts 3:21 NKJV

21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Christ is to remain in heaven until it is time to restore things to the church

The restoration of the apostolic gifts

The Azusa street revival marked the time of restoration of spiritual gifts to the church

Spiritual gifts - means the Holy Spirit is at work supernaturally

Spiritual gifts - makes the church apostolic in experiences

the true church is supernaturally gifted!

The restoration of apostolic doctrine

WMB’s ministry marked the restoration of apostolic doctrines to the church

Malachi 4:5–6 NKJV

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

the “Second” turning of hearts - children back to their fathers

The restoration of apostolic leadership

the Five-Fold Ministry of Ephesians 4.11

Ephesians 4:11 NKJV

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

the 5-fold ministry was NOT fully established to the church in the time of the apostles

the gifts were there, of course

the Bride/Church in the last day is focused on the one-man ministry of WMB

In the Message - but Not Restored?

In the Message - but does not practice the gifts

many mesage churches are allergic to spiritual gifts

spiritual gifts are looked down as childish

In the Message - but afraid to fully stand on THE BIBLE ALONE

they say - that’s why the denominations are divided and confused

15 See, it’s—it’s the devil trying to scare you, bluff you off. And the people’s been taught against this so much till the American mind is so muddled up (if you’ll excuse the expression), till they don’t know what to believe. One says one thing; one says another. That’s the best thing the devil’s has done for his side, get the people confused. Come back to the Bible.    59-0424A - The Faith Of Abraham    Rev. William Marrion Branham

the prophet called us to RETURN TO THE BIBLE

12 Of course, this deals with John the Baptist. But we want to use it in another term tonight: “The Ways of the Lord.” The Lord has always had a way to do things. And so when we think of His ways, we have to go back to the Bible to find out what He said about it.    56-0404 - The Infallibility Of God's Spoken Word    Rev. William Marrion Branham 193 When I first come into the ministry, I thought everything was Pentecostal was one group. I come to find out, they was broke up as bad as the Baptists. The thing I did is stand right in the middle of both of them, say, “We are brothers, that’s all.” Right. As long as you’re firing at one another, Satan don’t have to fire at you. But let that bound be broke, and spread forth your tents way out yonder, and take in every brother, then, I tell you, the great army of God will rise in the Power of Jesus Christ, go back to the Bible. And you talk about a Church for the rapturing grace, it would come to pass when we can tear down our traditions, forget all of our denominational things, and come right back on the basis of God’s Word.    63-1115 - The World Is Falling Apart    Rev. William Marrion Branham

In the Message - but afraid to recognize the leadership of the Five-fold Ministry

message churches are afraid to recognize any prophet besides WMB

many pastors do not recognize the seniority of other ministers

most message churches are independent, claiming sovereignty

Conclusion

JESUS IS NOT COMING TO A -

catholic church

orthodox church

Reformed church

protestant church

baptist church

evangelical church

holiness church

pentecostal church

message believing church

JESUS IS COMING TO THE RESTORED CHURCH

The Church of Christ is ONE, hence -

One in doctrine

One in experience

One in leadership

The blood-bought Church is One

Acts 20:28 NKJV

28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

SONG

Jesus Paid It All