Introduction

Welcome to Session 5 of the revival series. This session is entitled, “God’s Opportune Time and Purpose.” 

I was going to ask you for a preemptive pardon because this message was going to be very long – until this morning when I pitched half of it. I planned to go into great depth talking about the first revival, going verse by verse through wonderful stories in the book of Acts of the first gospel ministers and the people who were touched by God and awakened to Jesus.

With revival on the horizon, it’s a great time to read the book of Acts over and over because it teaches us how God works. And the number one take away for me is that He works in His ways in His timing for His purposes. 

So with that said, I will go straight to the heart of the lengthy message that I had prepared. I will start with a passage that corresponds to Paul’s 3rd missionary journey – towards the end of 10 years of rigorous travel spreading the gospel, performing extraordinary miracles, growing the church, and being persecuted all along the way.

Paul fully presented the Gospel

While in Corinth on this 3rd missionary journey, Paul wrote the letter to the church at Rome.

There is no record of Paul having visited the Roman church at that time.  And there is no biblical evidence that Peter was ever in Rome.

It is believed that the church in Rome was started by Romans – Romans who were in Jerusalem visiting on the Day of Pentecost when 3000 people were saved – 27 years before this letter from Paul was written.

It’s believed that these new converts took the gospel back home with them to Rome after their experience at Pentecost.

Romans 15:15-21, NLT – [27 years later Paul wrote this to them – ] For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by [two things – #1 – ] my message [which is the gospel of grace] and [#2-] by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. 20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about Him will see, and those who have never heard of Him will understand.”

Paul was referring to an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus and eyes and ears being opened to Him and the Gospel of His grace! 

Isaiah 52:13-15, NLT – [The Father says of His Son through the prophet.] “See, My Servant will prosper; He will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw Him. His face was so disfigured He seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know He was a man. [referring to when Jesus was beaten before the cross] 15 And He will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in His presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.” [Until Jesus is unveiled, He appears weak and powerless. Until He is unveiled no one can know Him! They can’t see Him. But once you see Him, will can never unsee Him.]

Paul’s calling was to unveil Jesus – a calling which he received from the Lord Jesus Himself in the encounter on the Damascus Road – 

Acts 26:17-19, NLT – [Jesus said to Paul] “I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” [I think I’ve read Paul’s testimony 100 times. It’s in Acts 9, and retold in 22 and 26]

If we’re praying for revival, we ought to read about the first one – the one that started with many of the disciples who actually walked with Jesus and experienced Pentecost – or like Paul, who encountered the Risen Jesus after doing everything he could to oppose the very name of Jesus.

We should take time to meditate on these stories and learn the ways of God and the ways of men and women who were freshly baptized in the Holy Spirit and a part of the first churches.

In the early years of the church, many thousands were being saved, the Holy Spirit was coming on people with power and gifts, God was doing extraordinary and unusual miracles. 

I imagine from a human perspective that it was hard to manage. You might say “the plowman was overtaking the reaper.” It reminds me of Amos 9:

Amos 9:13-15, The Message – “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people.”

When we read about the freshest and greenest and first revival, we can see that there is no way that men could have orchestrated it. It teaches me that our job is to pray and to be ready and open and willing to yield to the Holy Spirit’s lead and to wait patiently on the timing and purposes of God.

Kairos and Chronos – God’s timing is God’s prerogative 

I want to look at one passage in Acts to renew our minds to that truth.  So let’s pick up where we left off in Acts 3 last time with the story of Peter and John and the healing of the lame beggar. 

You recall that Peter deflected all the glory to Jesus for this healing when the people wanted to worship Peter and John. 

These are the same people who had called for the crucifixion of Jesus, but did not realize it was through the name of this same Jesus that the lame beggar was made whole. Peter said:

Acts 3:17-18, NASB – “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. [Now this is actually remarkable. First, he calls them “brethren” – still considering them his brothers, though they and their rulers had crucified the Lord of glory. They were guilty, but Peter extends them mercy, just as Jesus did when from the cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Peter is appealing to these sinners by setting aside the reproach that they deserve and aiming for their hearts with love.] 18 But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” [So even though they were guilty, it was a necessary fulfillment of prophecy that Jesus would suffer and die – for the ungodly – which, of course, includes us. But Peter is not making an excuse. However – Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Shall we sin that grace may abound? Shall we crucify the Lord of glory so that the prophecy might be fulfilled? Certainly not! But nevertheless grace superabounds. So Peter preached to them mercy of God – ] 19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Let’s meditate a bit on this passage to glean how this might apply to us today.

Kairos – times of refreshing

Acts 3:19, NASB, again – [Peter preached] Therefore repent [metanoeō – change your mind] and return [epistrephō – to cause to return, to bring back; to turn one’s self about, to turn back; to come back – to what? To the face of Jesus! (2 Corinthians 4:6)], so that your sins [hamartia – to miss the mark; to err; to be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of righteousness and truth – can you see that “sin” begins in the mind with wrong believing?] may be wiped away, [exaleipho – “obliterated” or “canceled.”] in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

I want you to notice that there are 3 different words referring to “time” in Acts 3:19-21 – “times of refreshing”, (vs 19) “period of restoration”, and “ancient time.” (vs 21)

“Times (of refreshing)” is the Greek word “kairos” and it means opportune time, window of time, the right time, due time, the decisive season waited for, the time when God acts, the appointed time in the purpose of God.

“Kairos” is a time when God intervenes with a special occasion within a chronological timeframe according to His purpose, purview, and prerogative. We have no control over this!

But this is what we are praying for and believing for and declaring from the scriptures.  We are coming into alignment with God’s plans and purposes as we pray for Him to supernaturally intervene and awaken people to Jesus, heal them, and restore what the enemy has stolen.

This is what we do in the meantime as we wait on God, and we rest in His finished work. We know it’s already done in heaven. We pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The word “REfreshing” means “the blowing of the breath AGAIN intensely.” This passage in Acts 3 is right after Pentecost in Acts 2 where God intensely blew the breath of the Holy Spirit.  

REfreshing is “The blowing of the breath AGAIN intensely.” This tells us that revival was not just for the very beginning of the church when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost – Pentecost was just the beginning of kairos times of refreshing.

When people repent and return to Jesus and experience times of refreshing in His presence, this is what we refer to as “revival.” The root of “revival” comes from a French word derived directly from Latin which meant “to live AGAIN”; “to RETURN to a flourishing state.”

God breathes the breath of the Holy Spirit, causing people to come alive and return to a flourishing state. 

But how can we say “RE-vival” or “RE-turn” or “RE-fresh” when someone is lost and dead in their sins? “RE” indicates that there was life at one time. I believe this is because in God’s heart He knew every single one of us before we were even born – even before the foundation of the world. 

He knit together every person in their mother’s womb. He knows the plans that He has for each one! He has a wonderful plan for every believer and for those who don’t yet believe.

No one was born to die – except for Jesus. No one was born for hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for people. (Matthew 25:41) People only go there when they reject the grace of Jesus Christ that would otherwise save them.

2 Peter 3:9, NASB – [God 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.

Jesus was born to die, but every single one of us was born to live with a purpose in the perfect plan of God.

Chronos – periods of restoration

Back to the passage in Acts 3 – 

Acts 3:20-21, NASB – [“so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord -] and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. [aiōn – an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity. In this context means “Since the world began” – an expression meaning that all the prophecies ever given would be fulfilled. And there will come great harvest followed by a period at the end of time when Jesus will come again and restore all things.]

Now, the word “period” in verse 21 is actually a plural word in the Greek: it’s “periods of restoration of all things.” Here’s the progression:

• There’s Repentance and returning to Jesus,
• which brings refreshing from the presence of the Lord,
• which leads to periods of restoration of all things through Jesus.

“Period” is the Greek word “chronos” from which we get our word “chronological.” It’s a span of time, unlike kairos which is a special occasion. Chronos has a beginning and end. It might be a long time. It might be a short time.

But everyone who experiences the kairos times of refreshing in the presence of Jesus will have a chronos period of restoration. 

Restoration

Restoration is the Greek word “apokatastasis,” [a-pok-a-ta’ stas-is] and it means “a reconstitution of the perfect state before the fall;  a return to its former state;  to restore a thing to its former situation.” It can be used as a medical term, as in restoring health and wholeness.

This word is only used once in the Bible by Lukę, the medical doctor who wrote the book of Acts. It has a medical connotation – to make things healthy and living again.

The verb form of apokatastasis (apokathistēmi) was used 8 times in the Bible when someone would be restored physically, like the man with the withered hand. 

Mark 3:5 – [Jesus said to the man] -“Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored [apokathistēmi]  as whole as the other.

How can we apply this framework of repentance, returning, refreshing, and restoration as we pray for revival?

I think we should make it personal. First, remember your own testimony of awakening to Jesus. And the reawakenings and renewals to Jesus that you have experienced, and those kairos times of refreshing in your own life, and the restoration that followed. If He did it for you, He will do it for others. 

And then it is my opinion that every believer who is praying for revival should begin with their own family and friends. What better place to start than with those you know and love! Ask for God’s perspective. Ask for imaginations of His perfect plan.

Sometimes do you look at people whom you know and love who have wandered off the path, and they change, and you think, “That’s not who they are!”

Maybe they have become rough around the edges or they are anxious/ depressed/ angry or maybe they have taken on habits, behaviors, language, mannerisms, and clothing of the culture, and you think, “I know them! That is not who I know! That is not who God made them to be! It’s a lie!”

And I’ve actually had heavenly glimpses – of those I have prayed for – in their restored state – in the state that God desires for them. So that’s what I ask for, and I imagine for, and I know that Jesus will do immeasurably more! 

2 Corinthians 5:16 – Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh…[We regard them according to the Spirit. From God’s perspective.]

So we are praying for awakening, repentance, returning, and opportune times of refreshing to come from the presence of Jesus, followed by periods of restoration – a reconstituting of things to be restored to their former state before the fall – before that loved one wandered –  before the sin of unbelief entered their heart, before they were attacked or abused or enticed by the enemy and led astray.

Patience in the chronos while we await the kairos

That’s what we pray for, but we have no control over how and when God does it. I heard this word from the Lord to share with you as I was preparing: “Hang in there!” – with these scriptures:

Habakkuk 2:3, The Message – “If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

Psalm 126:5-6 – Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. 

Psalm 30:5 – Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

And if we get tired of waiting, and we take matters in our own hands, there is grace for that!

2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

And then I kept hearing this: “the unforced rhythms of grace” from –

Matthew 11:28-30, The Message – “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? [Trying to make your own way] Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. [It’s something we have to learn!] I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus teaches us how to live freely and lightly

Now, I want to share a passage that teaches us from Jesus Himself how to live freely and lightly in our chronos as we wait for God’s kairos.

Kairos is God’s purposeful timing. Jesus’s birth, His death, and His resurrection were the pivotal kairos moments in all of history. On the cross before He breathed His last breath, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Tetelestai! That is a kairos declaration, not a “chonos” statement.

Everything in the life of Jesus led to that moment when the purposes of God were fulfilled. And Jesus fully understood this throughout His life. That’s why He walked freely and lightly every single day. That’s why He was never hurried or worried.

And He is our example. If we understand God’s purpose in His timing, then we can walk freely and lightly – in the unforced rhythms of grace – yoked with Jesus.

We will live in restfulness. We won’t try to push or pull. Our actions and words and thoughts will align with God’s purposes. 

John 7:3-6, The Message – [Following is a passage where Jesus uses the word “kairos” to refer to the timing of His miracles.] His brothers said, “Why don’t You leave here and go up to the Feast so Your disciples can get a good look at the works You do? [Speaking of Jesus’s miracles. Now these are Jesus’s natural brothers talking to him. This is His family. At this point they are not believers. So this is the way the unbeliever thinks. And the way an unbelieving believer thinks. They said -] No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If You’re serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world.” His brothers were pushing Him like this because they didn’t believe in Him either. 6-8 Jesus came back at them, “Don’t pressure Me. This isn’t My time. [kairos] It’s your time [kairos – we can force our own kairos, but it won’t be the kairos of God]—it’s always your time; [Now this isn’t the word “kairos.” Is the word “hetoimos” which means “to be ready.”. NKJV – “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.”]…”

In other words, Jesus is making the contrast between Himself and His brothers – He would not budge without the Father’s direction because His readiness for His kairos time would be determined by God alone.

Their “readiness” for their “kairos” wasn’t dependent on God’s timing. The Passion Translation puts it like this:

John 7:6, TPT – “My time of being unveiled hasn’t yet come, but any time is a suitable opportunity for you to gain man’s approval.”

In other words, you have a human perspective; you don’t understand how God works. Any time is fine with you because you don’t have a sense of God’s purposes. You may as well just go here or there driven by the motivations of men without any sense of your part in the alignment of God’s plan.

There is no reason for you to wait on God, to go against the grain, or to do anything counter-intuitive.

John 7:7-8, The Message – [Jesus continued – ] “you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it’s up in arms against Me. It’s against Me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don’t wait for Me. I’m not ready. It’s not the right time for Me.” 

That passage gives us perspective, not only on God’s timing for kairos, but how to rest in His promises when we encounter pressures to move ahead of God and take matters in our own hands.

And another thing I see is that Jesus only said and did what He heard the Father say and what He saw the Father do. This tells me that in order to live freely and lightly we must hear the voice of the Spirit and see from the heavenly perspective.

We are ready for God’s kairos

Galatians 6:9, TPT – [So, my fellow brothers and sisters – ] And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season [the due season – kairos] of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! 

You know what my word association with kairos is? It’s “ready.”

1 Peter 3:15 – Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…

Before Jesus was ascended back to heaven, He said – 

Acts 1:7-8, NASB – “It is not for you to know times [chronos] or epochs [kairos] which the Father has fixed by His own authority, [but we have a job to do in the meantime] 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Our job is to keep on keeping on spreading the good news. And when they come knocking and asking, “What must I do to be saved?”, we will be ready.

That’s exactly what the jailer asked Paul and Silas. Do you remember the story? They were just going about their business, spreading the gospel and manifesting the power of God.

They cast the demon out of a fortune teller, which cost her owner his fortune. So he caused an uproar and had Paul and Silas thrown in jail.

Acts 16:25-34 – But at midnight [in their jail cell] Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. [Paul and Silas were passing their time – their chronos – their minutes, hours – doing what they do – praying, singing praises. And then kairos hits!] 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he [the jailer] called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he [the jailer] brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they [Paul and Silas] said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he [the jailer] took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Did you see that last part? “All his household.” When I send yall the links to this message, I’m going to send a list of scriptures that give us God’s desire for families. Meditate on those scriptures if you have any doubts about God’s will for your loved ones.

From July 9, 2023 – Kairos is coming, and we are ready:

Lord, I know that You are aligning everything for the kairos time of the coming revival and great awakening. Our job is to be ready. And we have been getting ready, day by day. Like Elijah, we keep praying. Even though You told him the rain was coming, he still intensely prayed for the rain. We pray for the rain of revival and awakening, and we prepare ourselves to minister to the tsunami of souls You are bringing into the kingdom. We will continue to plant the seeds of prayers, tears, and Your word. May every seed we sow produce a 100-fold harvest.

Four words: Repent, return, refresh, restore – this is what I pray for! Amen!?

All Sufficient Merit

I want to end with a song – not a Christmas carol as I had originally planned – but a song that reminds me of why we celebrate Christmas.  

Of course, Christmas is about the birth of our Savior.

It was a moment in history when everything in God’s purposes and plans aligned for Him to send His love gift to mankind. Jesus was born in due time!

Galatians 4:4 – when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…

But why was Jesus born? He was born to die for us.

Romans 5:6 – For when we were still without strength, in due time [kairos] Christ died for the ungodly.

So we’re going to listen to a beautiful song by Shane and Shane, entitled “All Sufficient Merit”  And as we worship our wonderful Jesus, allow yourself to be overwhelmed with gratitude, and as you praise Him, think of others that you would give anything to experience this love of Jesus. And ask Him to unveil Himself in this way to those you have been praying for.