Times of Refreshing

Acts 3:19, "Repent and return...that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

I shared with you yesterday about the need for REVIVAL but I don't want this to simply become a "lofty" goal...no, I hope to see this become a necessity in the church. We (the church as a whole) has spent too much time and energy focused on how to advance our churches through buildings and finances rather than seeing God's Kingdom advance through revival among God's people.

Acts 3:19 shows us what we need to do to receive times of refreshing:
1) Repent
2) Return

Monday evening I was preaching a revival service in Galax and the text I used was Revelation 2 when Jesus was speaking to the Church in Ephesus - the church that had left it's first love. Jesus said to Remember from where they had fallen, Repent and do the first works. Remember - Repent - Return. Over and over again Scripture makes it perfectly clear: if we want to see God move in our midst we need to repent and return to Him.

My question is "When did we leave?" What is it that got the church off course? When did we begin to follow after things that were not of God? Sure, we see this in individual lives quite often but Jesus was speaking directly to the church in Revelation. It's the church that needs to repent. Then and only then can we expect to see times of refreshing from the Lord.

The church may not notice (and more often than not will not admit it) that they have wandered into a desert. It's DRY - there's no water. It's DESTITUTE - there's nothing to sustain life. It's DEAD - there's no life out here! And yet here comes the leadership trying to say "Everything is good." Is it any wonder that multitudes choose to ignore our invitation? Is it any wonder that we can't get people interested in the things of God? The reason many of them would rather go somewhere to have fun is because they don't view church as a place that fulfills any particular need in their life. OH how we must become fountains of living water again! They are thirst but can we offer them a drink? They are hungry but can we offer them the bread that satisfies?

The time has come for the church to experience times of refreshing so that we can lead others to the water of eternal life. It's time for the church to see an outpouring of God's Spirit. Lord, let it rain...let it rain...open the floodgates of heaven!

Fellow believer please hear this plea - cry out to God for times of refreshing among His people. Repent of the things that hinder God's movement in your life and Return to the Lord. God longs to revive and refresh His church. Will we long for Him?