Revival
Acts 20:7-12 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
This passage is describing what was going on in the midst of a revival that started in Ephesus, and began to spread throughout Asia Minor. The people were hungry for truth.
Paul was not, by His own admission, a captivating speaker:
I Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The people didn't stay up all night because it was an exciting meeting... one kid was literally bored to death... the people came and tarried because they were hungry for God, and they knew Paul had some information that would fuel their own pursuit of God. They had an end-time vision.
Paul was willing to preach all night, not because he thought he was that interesting, but because he knew the information was THAT important. Look what He said to the elders of the Church at Ephesus as he was sailing by one last time:
Acts 20:26-31 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
Paul believed he was living in the end times:
I Corinthians 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,
If you want to know the Biblical model of how to live in the end times... the story of believers doing the end times right... look at Paul, James, John, Jude, and Peter...they all believed the same thing and lived the same way.
Right now, very few will take the time to sort out the necessary information. Let me say this clearly: you are nearly out of time to get started nailing this stuff down. If you don't learn the easy way... by those who know what is happening telling you so you can get ready, then you WILL learn the hard way. This is an end time promise:
Isaiah 28:9-13 “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.
What this passage is saying is that it takes time to buy the oil. BUT, if you don't take the time now, you will have to live out the truth of each precept later. It is worth it to understand the truth now, so you can be on the right side of it THEN! The antichrist armies are clearly rising up...
Part of the oil you need for the Matthew 25 "long dark night" is the oil of Revelation and understanding. When you lack vision or revelation, you don't live constrained... you do whatever "feels right.". That is much different than doing what IS right.
Getting revelation changes your direction... you go where you are looking. if you won't take the time to build your understanding "precept by precept" God has a plan to do it for you... the hard way: with foreign speaking people ensnaring you where you live. Believe me, there is a sea change coming to America. You can see it as the internet is being regulated, and the swat teams are coming out all over the country. As pastors are being called out by the government for what they are preaching, and the races are being re-divided... you are on the cusp of coming into the same police state conditions Asia Minor was living in while revival was breaking out:
Acts 19:40-41 For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
There is much you need to know. You don't need to learn it from any one person, but you do need to take the time to settle down and find out what the Bible says. It takes time. It takes intention. It takes love. Do you really want to be married to Jesus? If so, you should find out what the wedding entails and requires. If you don't care to find out, maybe you don't care to be married at all?
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
... Yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught...
This passage is describing what was going on in the midst of a revival that started in Ephesus, and began to spread throughout Asia Minor. The people were hungry for truth.
Paul was not, by His own admission, a captivating speaker:
I Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The people didn't stay up all night because it was an exciting meeting... one kid was literally bored to death... the people came and tarried because they were hungry for God, and they knew Paul had some information that would fuel their own pursuit of God. They had an end-time vision.
Paul was willing to preach all night, not because he thought he was that interesting, but because he knew the information was THAT important. Look what He said to the elders of the Church at Ephesus as he was sailing by one last time:
Acts 20:26-31 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
Paul believed he was living in the end times:
I Corinthians 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,
If you want to know the Biblical model of how to live in the end times... the story of believers doing the end times right... look at Paul, James, John, Jude, and Peter...they all believed the same thing and lived the same way.
Right now, very few will take the time to sort out the necessary information. Let me say this clearly: you are nearly out of time to get started nailing this stuff down. If you don't learn the easy way... by those who know what is happening telling you so you can get ready, then you WILL learn the hard way. This is an end time promise:
Isaiah 28:9-13 “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.
What this passage is saying is that it takes time to buy the oil. BUT, if you don't take the time now, you will have to live out the truth of each precept later. It is worth it to understand the truth now, so you can be on the right side of it THEN! The antichrist armies are clearly rising up...
Part of the oil you need for the Matthew 25 "long dark night" is the oil of Revelation and understanding. When you lack vision or revelation, you don't live constrained... you do whatever "feels right.". That is much different than doing what IS right.
Getting revelation changes your direction... you go where you are looking. if you won't take the time to build your understanding "precept by precept" God has a plan to do it for you... the hard way: with foreign speaking people ensnaring you where you live. Believe me, there is a sea change coming to America. You can see it as the internet is being regulated, and the swat teams are coming out all over the country. As pastors are being called out by the government for what they are preaching, and the races are being re-divided... you are on the cusp of coming into the same police state conditions Asia Minor was living in while revival was breaking out:
Acts 19:40-41 For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.” And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
There is much you need to know. You don't need to learn it from any one person, but you do need to take the time to settle down and find out what the Bible says. It takes time. It takes intention. It takes love. Do you really want to be married to Jesus? If so, you should find out what the wedding entails and requires. If you don't care to find out, maybe you don't care to be married at all?
Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
... Yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught...
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