May 17, 2026 | The 10 Days That Changed History | Pastor Jim Kilmartin | Sunday Service | Rock City

Devotional

Day 1: Ashes and Repentant Hearts

The Continental Congress gathered on May 17, 1776, faces gaunt from fasting. They confessed their nation’s sins openly, their words echoing Solomon’s plea in 2 Chronicles. Dust clung to their coats as they knelt, declaring dependence on God’s mercy. Centuries later, the same call resounds: humility precedes healing. [30:56]

God’s promise remains unshaken. When His people lower their pride, seek His face, and turn from rebellion, heaven responds. Jesus modeled this surrender in Gethsemane—face to the ground, yielding His will. National revival begins with personal brokenness.

Where have you substituted self-sufficiency for surrender? Identify one area where pride hardens your heart. Kneel physically today—even for 60 seconds—and whisper, “Your kingdom, not mine.” Will you let your knees ground your soul before God?

“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.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV)

Prayer: Confess one specific area of rebellion. Ask God to replace it with hunger for His presence.
Challenge: Write “HUMBLE” on your palm. Reread it hourly as a prompt to pray.

Day 2: Upper Room Dust

The disciples huddled for ten days in a Jerusalem attic. Sunlight slanted through cracks as they prayed, sweat staining their tunics. No miracles yet—just raw obedience to Jesus’ command: “Wait.” Peter’s fisherman hands clenched in frustration, yet they stayed. The floorboards creaked under their pacing, but the Spirit’s wind would soon roar. [35:07]

Waiting purifies motives. Jesus delayed Pentecost to weed out the half-hearted—380 left, but 120 stayed. God’s power flows through prepared vessels, not hurried ones. The disciples’ endurance birthed history’s greatest revival.

You’ve prayed for breakthroughs. But have you withdrawn from distractions to wait on God? Set a timer for 10 minutes today. Sit silently, phone off, and whisper, “Come, Holy Spirit.” What distractions fight for your attention during the pause?

“On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.’”
(Acts 1:4-5, NKJV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one distraction stealing your focus. Commit to fasting from it for 24 hours.
Challenge: Place a chair in a quiet corner. Sit there daily this week for 5 minutes of silent waiting.

Day 3: Fire on the Unprepared

Flames danced over the disciples’ heads at Pentecost—no seminary degree, no polished speeches. Fishermen and tax collectors became conduits. The fire bypassed Jerusalem’s religious elite, igniting those who’d waited in their weakness. Wind rattled shutters as pilgrims heard Galileans declare God’s wonders. [36:57]

God chooses the unlikely. The Spirit didn’t demand perfection—He wanted yieldedness. Peter, who’d denied Christ three times, now preached with unquenchable boldness. Your past failures don’t disqualify you; they prove God’s power.

Where have you believed you’re “too broken” for God’s use? Text one friend today: “Pray I embrace God’s power in my weakness.” How might your scars become platforms for His glory?

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
(Acts 2:4, NKJV)

Prayer: Ask for boldness to share your story of redemption with one person this week.
Challenge: Light a candle. As it burns, pray for the Holy Spirit to ignite your witness.

Day 4: Gideon’s Hidden Threshing

Gideon threshed wheat in a winepress, knees grinding into dirt. Midianite raiders loomed, but God saw a warrior. The angel’s greeting—“Mighty hero!”—clashed with Gideon’s reality. Yet obedience turned his hiding place into a launching pad. A clay jar shattered, torchlight flared, and 300 men routed an army. [21:29]

God’s strength shines in surrendered weakness. Gideon’s story mirrors our call: small faithfulness triggers divine reversal. Your “winepress” moments—financial strain, anxiety, loneliness—are training grounds for victory.

What “impossible” situation have you avoided confronting? Write it on a scrap of paper. Crush the paper tonight while praying, “Break my fear, Lord.” What step of obedience have you delayed?

“The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’”
(Judges 6:14, NKJV)

Prayer: Name one fear holding you back. Ask God to replace it with faith-filled action.
Challenge: Perform one act of courage today—even if small—that defies your anxiety.

Day 5: Oil on Aaron’s Beard

David remembered the sacred moment—priestly oil dripping from Aaron’s beard onto his robe’s collar. Unity’s fragrance filled the temple. Centuries later, 120 disciples achieved this harmony through ten days of repentance. Grudges dissolved; James stopped resenting Peter’s leadership. The result? Heaven’s valve opened. [48:19]

Unity commands blessing. The early church didn’t agree on everything, but they prioritized love over disputes. Racism, classism, and old wounds melted under the Spirit’s heat.

Is there someone you’ve avoided reconciling with? Send a brief text: “I value you.” Could your humility today unclog blessings for many?

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! […] For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
(Psalm 133:1-3, NKJV)

Prayer: Intercede for someone you struggle to love. Bless them aloud by name.
Challenge: Initiate a conversation with someone outside your usual circle this week.

Sermon Summary

We gather to renew a national and personal devotion rooted in Scripture and history. The Continental Congress modeled corporate humility, fasting, and prayer before the nation’s founding, and the call in Second Chronicles 7 14 frames our present action: if God’s people will humble themselves, seek his face, repent, then God will forgive and heal the land. We commit to that posture and to a practical outworking of it through prayer, fasting, civic engagement, and intentional ministry to younger generations. A focused call to invest in Compassion Commission intends to turn a one-day event into a sustaining movement that ignites Gen Z and the children who follow them. We pledge to steward resources and time so that a revival movement can take root in the city and state.

The narrative of Ascension and Pentecost in Acts clarifies the spiritual rhythm required for supernatural outpouring. After the resurrection Jesus taught for forty days, then ascended and commanded the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. Ten days of unified prayer in the upper room prepared a purified people who received the Holy Spirit and transformed the world. Waiting was not passive. Waiting included humility, purification, and unity until heaven could pour through pure vessels.

Purity and unity matter more than speed. The text contrasts covenantal blessing, human mistakes, and merely permissible things that are not beneficial, calling for discernment as part of preparation. Division, speculation, and impatience scatter the promised power. True preparation looks like confession, forgiveness, and sustained prayer until our lives and our fellowship become credible conduits of God’s presence. We call one another to repent, to seek the Holy Spirit, and to be the pure church for whom Christ will return.

Key Takeaways

1. Humble, seek, and repent now We must practice corporate humility and private repentance as the pathway to God’s mercy. Confession is not a one-time act but a posture that opens heaven to heal communities. When we set aside pride and return to God’s standards, restoration follows in ways that affect families, cities, and nations. [30:56]
2. Wait for the promise with patience Waiting for God’s timing refines motives and prepares character. God’s command to remain in Jerusalem shows that timing and disposition matter more than hurry. Patience cultivates dependence and positions us to receive authority and power that cannot be rushed. [86:59]
3. Purify before the outpouring Sanctification precedes power so heaven can flow through clean vessels. The ten days between Ascension and Pentecost were a season of inward work that made the outpouring irreversible. True revival requires personal honesty, repentance, and the removal of hindrances to divine presence. [106:57]
4. Pursue one accord in unity Unity is a spiritual condition that invites God’s blessing; it is not mere agreement on issues. When hearts align around Jesus and not around politics or cultural preference, God commands a blessing. Unity demands humility, forgiveness, and sustained communal prayer so the Spirit can move without hindrance. [103:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:35] - Historical call to fasting and prayer
[30:56] - Reading Second Chronicles 7 14
[35:44] - Prayer for Gen Z and compassion movement
[38:16] - Fundraising and call to give
[48:19] - Graduates honored and commissioning
[83:35] - Ascension teaching and Acts 1 overview
[103:17] - Unity, Pentecost, and one accord
[106:57] - Ten days of purification explained
[129:52] - Altar call and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV)
“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father… you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Observation Questions

According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, what four actions does God require of His people to bring healing to their land?
In Acts 1:4-8, what specific command did Jesus give the disciples before His ascension, and what was the purpose of the “Promise of the Father”?
The sermon emphasized that the disciples’ 10-day wait before Pentecost involved “purification, unity, and prayer” ([01:46:57]). What practical examples of preparation were highlighted in this season?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think humility is listed first in 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a condition for God’s healing? How does pride hinder corporate and personal revival?
Jesus told the disciples to “wait” in Jerusalem, but the sermon clarified this was not passive ([01:26:59]). What does active waiting look like in a spiritual context?
The sermon contrasted “permissible things” with “beneficial things” using the “Keturah principle” ([01:20:03]). How might this distinction apply to modern distractions that delay spiritual readiness?

Application Questions

The call to “humble yourself” includes both personal repentance and corporate action ([30:56]). What is one area of pride or compromise in your life that needs confession this week? How could you intentionally address it?
Waiting for God’s timing often feels countercultural. What practical step could you take this month to cultivate patience (e.g., fasting, limiting media, intentional prayer) instead of rushing outcomes?
The sermon stressed that “purity precedes power” ([01:46:57]). What habit, relationship, or mindset might be hindering the Holy Spirit’s flow in your life? How will you address it?
Unity is described as a spiritual condition, not just agreement ([01:43:17]). Is there unresolved division in your family, workplace, or church? What would it look like to pursue reconciliation or forgiveness?
The disciples’ 10-day preparation led to a movement that “transformed the world” ([01:51:12]). How could you intentionally invest time this summer to pray for Gen Z or younger generations in your sphere?

Sermon Clips

History was not only changed in the moment that the fire fell from heaven upon the 120 in the upper room. History was changed in the ten days that prepared the vessels for the fire. That's that ten days cannot be forgotten. That ten days is the preparation of the vessels to be pure so the purity of heaven can come through. We cry out for revival. We cry out for awakening. But the one of the problems is we rush into it and we're an impure vessel. We're a broken vessel. But God wants to bring a preparation, a humbling in this hour so that he can truly pour out his spirit on all flesh. [01:50:52] (45 seconds) #TenDaysOfPreparation

I want to hear the voice of God, not the whispers of man. I charge you to wait. Don't run. Don't get too antsy. Don't be so worked up that, oh, I got the promises. I got the anointing. I got the calling, but God's gotta work you over. He's gotta sometimes, some of y'all gotta get put in the slow cooker. Yes. You gotta get in a slow cooker because because the juice has gotta be real good. Those of you that got great calls on your life, don't rush it. Let the juices start to come forth. Yeah. Dwayne likes that. He's gonna get it. You got that taste that's coming. Let god work you and develop you. Glory. Hallelujah. Yes, sir. [01:37:27] (50 seconds) #LetGodDevelopYou

The preparation process as he went and he had a word, everyone's gonna bow down to me. I'm gonna be all of this and that, and then he gets thrown into a pit, and then he gets sold into slavery, and then he gets put into a prison, and then he gets forgotten about even though he had prophetic dreams. And then God said, ah, I think you've made it. I think you've cooked long enough. You've been in the you've been in the the roaster long enough, young man. It's now your time. Don't rush the promise. Don't outrun the promise. That's good. That's good. Yeah. [01:35:55] (42 seconds) #DontOutrunThePromise

We sometimes jump. We sometimes get antsy. We sometimes get all worked up that I gotta bounce because I can't quite I do you ever feel that? I'll just pause here. Do you ever feel that where you're like, I know something's coming, but I but I don't know what it is and you get nervous. You get nervous, and you're like, oh, I gotta do maybe this, maybe that. And you get all worked up, and the Lord is just saying, settle. Settle down. Yes, sir. Hold your horses. Let's go here. He says, just wait. He says, wait. But wait but wait is a word for some of you today. But wait Go ahead, pastor. Can I say it again? But wait for the promise of the father. [01:28:41] (49 seconds) #WaitForThePromise

But I'm a tell you what, it wasn't easy. The waiting was not easy. I served in another man's field. I served in another man's church. I love to preach the gospel. I love to preach the word. But there were things that God had to do inside of me of a preparation season so that I wouldn't be one of those people that are all over the Internet falling right now. I wouldn't be one of those that that got burned of a fire and then all of a sudden fizzled out because my character wasn't aligned with the calling. Amen. Your character cannot be left behind and let your calling say, oh, here I am. Well, Joseph's a great example of a man that had a great calling, but the preparation was real. [01:35:00] (56 seconds) #CharacterBeforeCalling

Follow me. Because often we will do this with God. We will assume that God will do something. We have speculation. Therefore, when they came together, they said, Jesus, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? Hey. Why not? Right? You just rose from the dead. Man, nothing can hold you back any longer. You're you're making you're making harvest. You're making fish come from wherever we fished all night long. But right now, is this the time? It's a speculation. It's an assumption. And sometimes you and I speculate with God. Sometimes you and I assume on God, that we assume God's gonna do it a certain way. And God, if you allow him, he will speak to you and he'll adjust your thoughts. He'll adjust the way you see in things. [01:31:25] (53 seconds) #TrustGodsWay

God had a promise for me to become and prophecy for me to become the mayor of that small town. But out of my stupidity and my immaturity, I was like, let's I wanna go how about it's just like one house out of the city limits. This is not gonna be a problem. Well, you can't be the mayor of that city if you don't live in that city. God will foil your plans if you are fighting against them. His promises and his purposes are so important. In verse four, it says here, and as they were assembled, he commanded them, don't leave Jerusalem. I have something important for you in this place. [01:28:00] (42 seconds) #DontLeaveJerusalem

And I'm a tell you, this is your altar call. Don't wait for me any longer. If you know you need to get to the altar to give your life to Jesus, if you need to get get to the altar and say, I am throwing the wounds, the hurts, the unforgiveness, I am throwing it off right now. Let me help you. Stay up in your place of prayer. But he says, you gotta forgive those people because if you don't forgive them, neither are you forgiven. Your sins will be held on you. Your unforgiveness will be held on you until you release them of their their trespass against you. [02:03:50] (41 seconds) #ButGodMoments

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May 17, 2026 | The 10 Days That Changed History | Pastor Jim Kilmartin | Sunday Service | Rock City

Devotional

Day 1: Ashes and Repentant Hearts

Day 2: Upper Room Dust

Day 3: Fire on the Unprepared

Day 4: Gideon’s Hidden Threshing

Day 5: Oil on Aaron’s Beard

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

May 17, 2026 | The 10 Days That Changed History | Pastor Jim Kilmartin | Sunday Service | Rock City

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