Understanding the Nature and Impact of Revival
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
Revival, or spiritual awakening, is a divine visitation intended to revive the church and draw the attention of the world to God's mighty hand. It is a sign that confirms God's work within the church, building up His people and extending blessings to those outside. [00:01:00]
The question arises at once: does it have that effect? Are all convinced by it? And it is in order that we may consider that question I call your attention to this famous and well-known section in the second chapter of the book of The Acts of the Apostles. [00:02:32]
Throughout history, revivals have been accompanied by various phenomena, both physical and mental. These include emotional responses, physical manifestations like falling to the ground, and mental phenomena such as extraordinary gifts of speech or prophecy. [00:09:02]
The true explanation for these occurrences lies in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as prophesied by Joel and witnessed in the early church. While some may attribute these events to psychological or even demonic influences, the transformative results of revival point to a divine origin. [00:36:13]
It is crucial to approach these phenomena with caution and discernment, recognizing that they may be indicative of a powerful spiritual stimulus. We must be vigilant against quenching the Spirit and remain open to the genuine work of God, while discerning and restraining any false or spurious manifestations. [00:48:06]
Our focus should not be on the phenomena themselves but on seeking God's glory and the outpouring of His Spirit. We must pray for a true revival that glorifies God and advances His kingdom, while being careful to differentiate between the work of the Spirit and the work of fanatical men or unseen forces. [00:51:04]
The phenomena accompanying revivals, such as emotional responses and extraordinary gifts, are not essential but often occur. These manifestations can be misunderstood or dismissed as hysteria or psychological manipulation, but they may indicate a powerful spiritual stimulus. [00:05:53]
The Holy Spirit affects the whole person. Other influences do; any powerful stimulus affects the whole person. Have you listened on your wireless to the broadcasts of football matches and so on, or have you been to such places? Haven't you seen people into the excitement shouting until they lose their voices? [00:43:11]
We must remember that the phenomena are not of importance in and of themselves. The phenomena therefore should not be sought; they should not be encouraged; they should not be bursted on. The phenomena, if I may use a modern term, are epy phenomena, incidental, occasional, concomitant, and not a vital essential part. [00:46:19]
The suggestion with regard to brainwashing, to give it its general term, completely fails in the matter of Revival because it completely fails to explain the beginning of a Revival. Now take for instance what happened in Northern Ireland. There it happened in the case of one man to start with. [00:20:17]
The character of the men who have observed these phenomena would, I have thought, have been sufficient in and of itself to exclude this particular diagnosis. If ever there was a cool, rational, intellectual man, it was the great Jonathan Edwards. He observed these phenomena 200 years ago and he believed that they were of God. [00:28:49]
The results that follow hysteria are utterly useless; it's enervating. There is something almost disgusting about it; it's a waste of energy and it leads to no purposeful or beneficial result at all. It's something of which one should feel ashamed in every respect and in its results included. [00:29:49]
Ask a question about this sermon
The question arises at once: does it have that effect? Are all convinced by it? And it is in order that we may consider that question I call your attention to this famous and well-known section in the second chapter of the book of The Acts of the Apostles. [00:02:32]
Throughout history, revivals have been accompanied by various phenomena, both physical and mental. These include emotional responses, physical manifestations like falling to the ground, and mental phenomena such as extraordinary gifts of speech or prophecy. [00:09:02]
The true explanation for these occurrences lies in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as prophesied by Joel and witnessed in the early church. While some may attribute these events to psychological or even demonic influences, the transformative results of revival point to a divine origin. [00:36:13]
It is crucial to approach these phenomena with caution and discernment, recognizing that they may be indicative of a powerful spiritual stimulus. We must be vigilant against quenching the Spirit and remain open to the genuine work of God, while discerning and restraining any false or spurious manifestations. [00:48:06]
Our focus should not be on the phenomena themselves but on seeking God's glory and the outpouring of His Spirit. We must pray for a true revival that glorifies God and advances His kingdom, while being careful to differentiate between the work of the Spirit and the work of fanatical men or unseen forces. [00:51:04]
The phenomena accompanying revivals, such as emotional responses and extraordinary gifts, are not essential but often occur. These manifestations can be misunderstood or dismissed as hysteria or psychological manipulation, but they may indicate a powerful spiritual stimulus. [00:05:53]
The Holy Spirit affects the whole person. Other influences do; any powerful stimulus affects the whole person. Have you listened on your wireless to the broadcasts of football matches and so on, or have you been to such places? Haven't you seen people into the excitement shouting until they lose their voices? [00:43:11]
We must remember that the phenomena are not of importance in and of themselves. The phenomena therefore should not be sought; they should not be encouraged; they should not be bursted on. The phenomena, if I may use a modern term, are epy phenomena, incidental, occasional, concomitant, and not a vital essential part. [00:46:19]
The suggestion with regard to brainwashing, to give it its general term, completely fails in the matter of Revival because it completely fails to explain the beginning of a Revival. Now take for instance what happened in Northern Ireland. There it happened in the case of one man to start with. [00:20:17]
The character of the men who have observed these phenomena would, I have thought, have been sufficient in and of itself to exclude this particular diagnosis. If ever there was a cool, rational, intellectual man, it was the great Jonathan Edwards. He observed these phenomena 200 years ago and he believed that they were of God. [00:28:49]
The results that follow hysteria are utterly useless; it's enervating. There is something almost disgusting about it; it's a waste of energy and it leads to no purposeful or beneficial result at all. It's something of which one should feel ashamed in every respect and in its results included. [00:29:49]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Sep 09, 2024. Do you have any questions about it?