Scripture – NIV
2 Chronicles 7:1-2 –
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.
Jonah 3:5 –
The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
Acts 2 –
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him:
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Isaiah 55:1 –
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
John 6:35 –
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Psalm 34:8 –
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
2 Chronicles 7:3, 14 –
When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Bob’s thoughts:
Sometimes I wonder, if God calls us to join a church, would we miss the differences we experience now. We worship here often, mostly because of family.
But each church has something that makes it unique. This one has a window wall behind their platform. For some time, the windows were concealed behind dark drapes. Today I thought how it could liven the message to have a mini-skit outside: Santa checking his list or kneeling at the cross, the Easter Bunny leaving a basket, even something stationary like a jack o’ lantern. It could be something depicting a point from the message or Scripture.
I was remembering a church where occasionally a group performed a brief skit at the chancel dealing with the message for that day. Funny or straight from the Bible, people walked away remembering the message.
The pastor here frequently does something similar with a short clip or photos on the screen. Mostly it makes it personal and people take that home.
There is a lot of talk of an upcoming revival at the church and I pray that it is so…it’s something we all need.
Jan’s thoughts:
With two grandchildren with us for the weekend, we again visited the church to which they are accustomed, with the added blessing of seeing the rest of our family who attend here.
The outdoor work continues, and it was announced the project is running on time, which is good news since the season of excitement is here for this church. They have their 3-evening Awakening Conference beginning tonight, November 3 they will hold their Chili Cook-Off, and November 9 is the annual Kidzgiving where they fill shoeboxes with gifts for kids around the world in partnership with Operation Christmas Child. Then, of course, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and before we can blink an eye, it will be 2020.
The current sermon series is Ready for Revival and today’s message, Hungry, was presented by Student Ministry Director Julie Moran. This was the first time I’ve heard Julie preach, though my grandson was pleased to inform me she has preached before.
She spoke about the idea of being present for once-in-a-lifetime events, such as the Immaculate Reception, Woodstock, or a specific, very memorable Tractor Day at Riverside School. Then there are events described in the Bible such as the Dedication of Solomon’s Temple, the conversion of Nineveh, or the Day of Pentecost. Events that changed many people and would certainly have changed any of us had we been present.
After defining revival as “when hearts are changed for Christ” Julie spoke about some large-scale revivals around the world over the last several hundred or more years. There is no question but that God was and still is pursuing the hearts of people everywhere. She stated that revival comes when we are hungry for God and when we are humble, which she defined as knowing who you are in the Presence of God.
I appreciated her stories about spiritual hunger and how, without much thought, we automatically scroll through our phones or binge watch TV in an attempt to satisfy an emptiness that only Jesus can fill. She called it “filling up with spiritual junk food.” How appropriate. I will absolutely remember that.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You will bless this time of revival in Your church. Fill us all anew with Your Spirit. Amen.
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