Parresia · The God of Miracles

Transcript/ notes from Session 4, "The God of Miracles"

Introduction

Welcome to Session 4 of the revival series. This session is entitled, “The God of Miracles.” Just the title had me brainstorming all the miracles in the Bible. I just took a page of my notes and started writing on the back of it. I wrote as many miracles as I could come up with in 3 minutes. [handwritten notes]

The Bible is full of miracles! And miracles still occur today. And every revival is marked by miracles, manifestations of power, and healings, but mostly (and most importantly) the miracle of new birth in Jesus.

It’s all about Jesus

Before I even got started on this message, and I was just pondering the idea of it, the Lord spoke to my heart: “It is in My purview, and it is My prerogative to grant miracles. I grant signs and wonders.”

The word “grant” kept coming up. We cannot manufacture miracles. Only God can do miracles - even if He does them through a human vessel, He is the one who grants signs and wonders. We cannot manufacture revival. Only God can ignite the fires of revival.

It’s easy to get focused on the human vessels He uses or the people with great testimonies, but if you want to see the glory of revival fade, take your eyes off of Jesus and put them on human beings.

I don’t know how to adequately say this, but every time I just put my little toe in the water to talk about miracles, I feel this awesome reverence for Jesus. And I sense a warning from the Father to guard against desire for the supernatural for temporal reasons.

Like the seven sons of Sceva who saw the extraordinary miracles that Paul was performing, and they wanted that power for their own personal gain. It actually backfired on them when the demons they cast out came back on them. (Acts 19)

Today I want to share my favorite story of God granting signs and wonders and miracles - which is the story of Peter and John starting in Acts 3, but first, I want to take a minute and share with you something I have thought about for so many years - why the glory of revival seems to fade and what I believe is our best “heart” preparation for revival.

while putting together this message, I recalled a chapter of a book the I helped to write about 10 years for a friend, Rob Rufus. In one of the chapters he talked about the unfading glory of the New Covenant in revival. Here’s a paragraph from the book:

“…under the New Covenant we are given the gift of righteousness which is a permanent unchanging reality, not based on our fickle obedience or disobedience, but on the perfect obedience of Jesus. The glory of the New Covenant is God's view and opinion of us through grace and 100% grace alone. When He looks at us, He sees the righteousness of God; therefore, the glory doesn't have to fade. The revivals in history would see the glory come, but fade as the church went back under law. [Which means they became man-centered instead of Christ-centered] When the church receives the revelation of the New Covenant, and stays with it, there will be an unfading glory. The power is in the gospel."

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul contrasted the Old Covenant of Law, which he called “ministry of condemnation,” with the New Covenant of Grace, which he called the “ministry of righteousness.” He wrote about the unfading glory of the New Covenant. He wrote,

2 Corinthians 3:9 - For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

There were miracles under the Old Covenant. There have been miracles under New Covenant. There have been miracles throughout the history of the church. There have been revivals, but it always seems that the glory fades. But the “ministry of righteousness” never fades. Why? Because it’s not based on our righteousness! It’s the righteousness of Jesus! And a revivalbirthed and sustained by a revelation of Jesus and HIS righteousness will not fade.

Our “heart” preparation

I believe our “heart” preparation for revival is to grow in our knowledge of Jesus - not in our knowledge of miracles, but JESUS - and His finished work and to behold Him; To set our minds on things above where Christ is - seated at right hand of God - and where we are hidden in Him and to acquire a heavenly perspective.

And I believe that this doctrine that we speak of all the time - the message of pure grace that Paul preached - is not just for the purpose of our own personal intimacy with Jesus which comes when you know that the barrier of separation has been removed by His blood, but the doctrine also teaches us that through our identity in Jesus, we can live as vessels of honor and glory in the world - as His messengers of grace and carriers of His power.

I believe that self-righteousness and self-promotion will not be permitted in the coming revival because it will be based on a revelation of Jesus and pure grace.

I believe that to be prepared to be a landing place for revival is to know that our righteousness is from Him and not of ourselves. If we have that mindset of humility before God, and keep our eyes on Jesus and not on a man or a ministry, I believe that we will find ourselves right in the middle of everything He’s doing. And we will have confidence before God to be ministers of His grace.

The revelation of grace gives us a confidence before God that self-righteousness could never give us. [Self-righteousness might give you confidence before man, but it can never give you confidence before God.]

1 John 3:21 - Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, [Why would our heart not condemn us? Because we know that all of our sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus. We can go boldly before the throne of grace because “As jesus is, so are we in this world.” “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us - ] we have confidence [We have parresía] toward God.

When we are immersed in the heavenly truth and reality of who Jesus is, what He has accomplished, who we are in Him, and what we have in Him, we will have confidence before God with no condemnation, and we will have boldness through the “ministry of the Spirit” to share the gospel, and the humility to deflect all the glory to Jesus as His power is manifested through us.

His purview and His prerogative

Again - how and when God works has always been and always will be His purview - the extent or the scope or function of His works, and His prerogative - which His exclusive right and power to command. And Jesus Himself is the perfect example to us of One who yields and submits to heaven’s direction and timing.

John 5:19 - “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

John 14:10-13, NASB - “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. [He is speaking of when He will send the Holy Spirit] 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” [So the Son glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies the Son - like in John 11:4 - “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Glorify means to honor and magnify. The miracles are meant to honor the Father and the Son]

And just as the Son can do nothing apart from the Father, we can do nothing apart from Jesus:

John 15:5, NASB - [Jesus said - ] "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

God grants

So we ask, and God grants. The most important thing we can ask for is repentance. Ask God to grant repentance - a change of mind - an awakening to grace, and He will grant it. And He often grants repentance with a supernatural encounter, a dream, a vision, a word, a sign, a wonder, a miracle, a healing. He has infinite ways to reach people!

On January 22, 2021 - I wrote the following in my prayer journal:

Several times in the night as thoughts of impossible situations entered my mind, I said over and over,“Jesus, I don’t know how You’re going to do it, but I know You’re going to do it. Thank You. Jesus, I don’t know how You’re going to do it, but I know You’re going to do it. Thank You.”

Ever since then, that is a common thing I say to the Lord. “I don’t know how You’re going to do it, but I know You’re going to do it.” You might think that someone would never repent - that they are “impersuasible and contumacious” (the definitions of “rebellious” that we saw in Luke 1:17) but nothing is impossible with God. He will turn the hearts of the rebellious to the wisedom of the righteous.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 -[Paul taught Timothy - ] Opponents [of the gospel] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance [metanoia - a change of mind.] leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses [and here’s the change of behavior that comes when one repents - they will] and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

The word “grant” (in “God will grant them repentance") is the Greek word didōmi (did’-o-mee) - to give something to someone; to give to one who is asking; to let someone have; to permit one; to furnish, to endue, to bestow a gift. In other words - we ask, God grants, we receive.

And the phrase, “in the hope that God will grant them repentance” literally means “if at any time God will grant them repentance” - in other words, the timing is up to God. Our job is to gently instruct, we share the Good News, but it is God who changes minds and hearts. And He can do it at any time by any means.

And this is so reassuring to me because it isn’t up to me. That’s a load off of my shoulders. I just pray, and I keep in mind God’s will and His desire:

2 Peter 3:9, NASB - [He is] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:4 - [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If you doubt God’s willingness to answer our prayer with a “YES!” in Jesus, go back and listen to Beholding Jesus in His Amazing in Grace, Session 13, “Jesus, Our Yes!” - which happens to be the most popular teaching I have done in the past two years. It seems that people really want to believe in the promises of God.

Back to God “granting” - in Acts 2 we see God granting signs and wonders at Pentecost:

Acts 2:18-20, NASB - [Peter preached] “this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; 18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy. 19  ‘And I will grant [didōmi] wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below…”

Acts 14:1-3, NASB - [When Paul and Barnabas were in Iconium, those who were opposing the truth were poisoning the minds of the people.] Therefore they [Paul and Barnabas] spent a long time there speaking boldly [parrēsiazomai - the adverb form of parrēsia] with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting [didōmi] that signs and wonders be done by their hands. [God granted signs and wonders to confirm the gospel.]

Romans 12:6-8, NIV - We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. [“given” is the word didōmi AGAIN - to grant, to give to one asking, to let have; to permit one; to furnish, to endue, to bestow a gift.], If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

The point of this exercise of looking at scriptures that use the word “grant” is to remind us that EVERYTHING is a gift from the Lord. When we look at it this way, we are in position to receive. When we are in position to receive and not to strive, then that’s when the miracles come!

Peter and John went to pray…

My favorite example of God granting signs and wonders is the story of Peter and John which begins in Acts 3. This was right after Pentecost. It was an exciting time to be a believer, but a dangerous time to spread the gospel.

Do you want to see revival? This story shows you what it looks like. It's awesome, but it’s so messy! It’s powerful, but scary! It’s glorious, but raw and real -there was no need for smoke machines and gourmet coffee, and world class musicians to attract people. All of that becomes so insignificant when the Spirit of God moves. And He moves through untrained and uneducated people whose only qualification was that they had been with Jesus. God always chooses the foolish to shame the wise.

Peter and John were heading into the temple to pray as was their custom, and a lame beggar who was carried every day to the temple gate was lying there as they walked by, and he asked them for money.

They probably had walked by him many times before, but this day was different. Why? I believe it’s because God drew their attention to this man.

I’m just going to read the story, verse by verse, so we can meditate on it and learn how God works,

Acts 3:4-15 - And [Peter] fixing his eyes on him [the lame man], with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he [the lame man] gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. [This is what a divine appointment looks like. I plan on talking about chronos and kairos next time, but think of it this way: the daily chronos of their lives intersected in a moment of God’s kairos. It was a due time for this man to experience the power of Jesus Christ. And it was due time for Peter and John to cause a spiritual explosion. So Peter got this man’s attention - that’s the first thing that happened.] 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: [what did he have? power!] In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” [Peter knew who he was in Jesus; he knew what he had in Jesus, and he knew how to give it away. He was prepared at that moment to release the power granted to him by God.] 7 And he took him [the lame beggar] by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. [Isn’t that a beautiful picture! The man is healed and goes straight into the temple, praising God!] 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they [the people] were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. [So this is the crosswords. What do you do when they start thinking it’s YOUR power and godliness that works the miracles? What could have happened if Peter and John had received the praise of the people? They could have capitalized on this moment and started a great ministry from this miracle. And then they would could have exerted vast authority over the people. But that’s not what they did.] 12 So when Peter saw it, [He saw the people running towards them and -] he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” [And then he LAMBASTS them! I want you to think about this - this is no way to start a ministry!] 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he [Pilate] was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and [YOU!] asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and [YOU!] killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 

Peter absolutely refuses to receive any glory - and instead excoriates them and gives glory to the One whom they so despised and rejected that they had Him crucified.

The night of Peter’s greatest shame

And think about this: Peter went back to the moment of his greatest shame: the night that Jesus was given over to Pilate, and Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus. That night he wasn’t bold. He was a coward. What happened between then and now? Why is he so bold?

That night, Jesus, who was betrayed by Judas, was brought to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Jesus was questioned by Annas and at one point He was slapped in the face by the officer in charge. Why? For speaking the truth about being the Son of God.

He was taken to Caiaphas. After a sham trial, Jesus was convicted of blasphemy. Caiaphas couldn’t execute Him, so he sent Jesus to the Roman governor Pilate.

It was the custom at Passover to commute a prisoner’s sentence. And Pilate wanted to release Jesus because Jesus had done nothing wrong according to Roman law.

But the religious leaders chose a robber and a murderer named Barabbas to be set free. So the soldiers scourged Jesus. They twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They mocked Him and struck Him with their hands.

John 19:6 - Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, [all bloodied up] they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate, knowing Jesus was innocent, said to Jesus -

John 19:10-11 - “Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”

Jesus entrusted Himself to the one who judges righteously. He came to die. Then Pilate brought Jesus out and put Him in the judgment seat. And all the people shouted,

John 19:15 - “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

The people went along with the lie. They were propagandized and brainwashed. And no one would dare to associate with Jesus. Even Peter denied Him. All abandoned Him. Everyone was afraid.

Fast forward, past the resurrection to the day that Jesus was ascended back to the Father, and He said to His disciples:

Acts 1:5, 8 - “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now… 8 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.”…”

When the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, all of Peter’s fear melted away. The power of the Holy Spirit gave them all boldness - parrēsia - to speak the truth no matter what persecution lay ahead - even unto death.

Peter boldly preached at Pentecost

At Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter boldly preached:

Acts 2:22-24, 32-33, 36-47 - “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, [notice that everything centered on Jesus] a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it… 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” [What did they see and hear? The heard them speaking in languages they did no know!]…36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” [We don’t make Jesus Lord - God did that!] 37 Now when they heard this, [Heard what? Some ROUGH words!] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. [And on that day 3000 people were saved! Do you know how many people died at the foot of Mt. Sinai with the law was given? 3000. Which goes to show: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!” (2 Corinthians 3:6)] 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, [that’s the awe and reverence for Jesus] and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, [That’s because they were Jewish] and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

That’s the end of Acts chapter 2. And then you get to chapter 3 - Peter and John went to pray, they met a lame man on the way….

Back to verse 15, chapter 3 - So it was Peter and John’s choice not to accept the praises of the people. They gave all glory to Jesus - verse 16 - Peter says:

Acts 3:16 - “And His name, [Jesus’ name] through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him [Jesus] has given him [this man] this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

• It was Jesus doing it, not them.
• It was His authority, not theirs.
• It His power, not theirs.
• It was His godliness, not theirs.
• It was His righteousness, not theirs.

Peter and John arrested

Peter and John continued to preach to the people in the rest of chapter 3 - but not everyone was excited about this lame man walking and leaping and and praising God or this message about Jesus Christ -

Acts 4:1-4:20 - Now as they [Peter and John] spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them [Peter and John], and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. [I looked up the word “men,” and it’s referring to grown men. You add the women and children, and you have thousands upon thousands of people! Now THAT’S revival! And God confirmed the gospel with a miracle!!] 5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. [The religious leaders gathered in Jerusalem to decide what to do with Peter and John. Verse 7 - ] 7 And when they had set them [Peter and John] in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name [or authority] have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, [What did the Holy Spirit fill Peter with? Boldness and words! Jesus had promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would give them the words they needed! He told them in Luke 12:11-12, NASB - “do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” You see - everything we need is provided! So Peter said to those persecuting him - ] said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, [in other words, if we’re judged because of HOW this man was healed - ] 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ [Isaiah 66:1 - “Heaven is my throne and earth is My footstool. Where then is a house YOU could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?” “God does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24-25, NIV)] 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness [parrēsia] of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. [Being with Jesus is what qualified them!] 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them [Peter and John] to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” [What name? The name of Jesus.] 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”

So the religious leaders let them go for fear of the mob who were glorifying God after witnessing an undeniable miracle. Where did Peter and John go from there? Straight to a prayer meeting with their fellow believers who prayed for them.

Acts 4:29-30 - “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant [didōmi] to Your servants [Peter and John] that with all boldness [parrēsia] they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” [Who grants sign and wonders and healings? Who grants boldness to preach the gospel? God does - through the holy name of His Son Jesus!!!] 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. [parrēsia]

The next few verses in Acts 4 tell us about the unity of this group of believers. They shared everything, took care of each other, and had one single purpose in life: to get the Good News to as many people as they could. That’s church! That’s what the body of Christ does!

Acts 4:33-34 - And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked…

In chapter 5 we see a continuation of the power and growth of the church as the revival continued -

Acts 5:14-16 - And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

So they kept preaching, more people were being saved, all kinds of miracles were breaking out, and as you might expect...the religious leaders were “filled with indignation” and put the leaders of the church back in chains.

Acts 5:19-20 - But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” [And so they did!]

Then they were dragged back into court. But this time a “teacher of the law held in respect by all the people” named Gamaliel advised them:

Acts 5:38-39 - “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

So after a farewell beating and another worthless threat to stop telling people about Jesus, they let God’s men go.

Revival is messy. I had pages and pages of notes I wanted to share about the messiness of revival and the reliance we must have in Jesus, but this story of Peter and John took over. I’ll have to share the rest next time.

Conclusion

To be prepared for revival is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

1 Peter 5:5-6 - “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…[Due time is the Greek word “Kairos” which I will get to next time.]

We are citizens of heaven, not of earth. It’s a totally different system.

John 3:6-8 - That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind [a metaphor of the Holy Spirit] blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Anyone and anything of the Spirit cannot be manufactured in the flesh. We cannot manufacture revival orsigns, wonders, miracles, or healings. They are granted by God to point to His Son so that people will believe and be born again.

Trying to produce it with your hands or with your determination or with your fasting or religious rituals or dead works is like trying to control the wind.

Revival is about looking to Jesus and only to Him. The coming revival will be Christ-centered. There will be no self-righteousness, striving, and self-promotion in the grace tsunami. Why? Because the revelation of grace itself ensure it.

Once we see the unfairness of the great exchange - see our own sin in the body of the Lamb of God and then realize that God would forgive us and call us righteous, then we won’t need to get rid of self-righteousness. The awakening to grace will do that for us. We’ll be humbled and forever grateful.

And then no matter how foolish we look, no matter how much the enemy throws at us, we will say like Peter and john -

Acts 4:20- “We cannot but speak the things which I have seen and heard.”