This year, we have depended on technology and political/social activism to bring us together during this on-going pandemic, but the reality is that many of us are physically, emotionally, and spiritually weaker than we've ever been. And with countless Christians isolated from their communities and seeing their church homes closing their doors indefinitely, the Church is no exception to this weakness.
But what if what looks like a decline in the church... is actually a beginning for spiritual awakening? Is there hope that our churches would be so SHOOK that we would experience the kind of revival that would shake our faith and bring personal revival to us, our neighbors, our cities, and the world? Scripture shows us that this hope is real. For the next 12 weeks, we'll be looking through the early chapters of Acts to draw from what the early church understood about Jesus and our shared faith. As we draw out the essence of Christianity from this Scripture, we'll pray that the Lord brings about a new revival that we've never seen before.
Pray for these 2 things along with us throughout this series:
1. Lord, ignite a great awakening and spiritual revival within our cities.
2. Start with me.
This sermon explains that the early Christians, though ordinary, revolutionized the world by living and dying with an extraordinary purpose. Their radical lives were a result of being "cut to the heart" by the gospel—specifically, by the conviction of Christ's death and resurrection—which led them to submit to His Lordship and live lives marked by a freedom from sin's power.
This sermon uses the Day of Pentecost from Acts 2 to discuss what it means to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" and how this spiritual filling can lead to revival. It draws a parallel between the first Pentecost (when God gave the law on Mount Sinai) and the second Pentecost (when God gave the Holy Spirit), arguing that Christians today live in an ongoing "Pentecost" where they are called to live daily by the power of the Spirit.
This sermon contrasts the early church's powerful, world-changing impact with the current state of Christianity. The speaker argues that the early Christians were motivated by their belief in the objective truth of Christ's resurrection, which fueled their sacrificial love and empowered them to act with courage during times of great trial.
