Revival - 4

Revival - 4

Three Secrets to The Revival in The Hebrides

by Rick Welborne

2 Chronicles 7:11-16 (NKJV)
¹¹  Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.
¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
¹³  When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
¹⁴  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
¹⁵  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
¹⁶  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 

1. The people of the Hebrides placed their faith in a covenant keeping God.

Kathie Walters - "The Hebrides revival 1948-1952 - was a powerful move of God in response to the prayers of seven men and two elderly ladies who refused to let go of God and who wouldn't take "NO" for an answer - They believed He was a covenant-keeping God and that if they kept their part, God would be true to His promise to "Heal their land." The power of God moved from town to town and the presence of God fell upon whole communities.”

--These people believed the tremendous fact that revival lay within their power…within their reach. A covenant is an agreement binding on both parties.

--If God is a covenant keeping God and He is, this promise (If My people) is binding upon Him as well as on us if we keep our part of the covenant.

--If we keep our part...then, He must fulfill His. Obviously the responsibility falls on us because God wants His children to live life fully. 

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--If God is God, then what He says is true. His Word must come to pass. I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  

--God has promised revival and He is waiting to send it. Waiting on us to repent, waiting on us to humble ourselves before Him, and waiting on us to seek His face.

--This being true, God is waiting on His people to keep their part of the covenant. 

--The people of the Hebrides staking everything on this fact, began to meet three times a week in a little bam to keep the conditions of the covenant.

--They were confident that their covenant keeping God would stand by His promise and hear from heaven.

--Each night that they prayed they renewed their faith in God's promise and boldly declare in the Presence of God that revival was coming.

--Nothing could deter them from believing that revival was coming even though it seemed slow in arriving.

--They absolutely believed that God would send revival! Listen about Duncan Campbell:

"Duncan Campbell, in his biography by Andrew Woolsey, describes the revival as "A community saturated with God." He goes on, "The presence of God was a universal, inescapable fact: at home, in the church and by the roadside. Many who visited Lewis during this time became vividly conscious of the spiritual atmosphere before they reached the island." 

"The scripture, 'Wither shall I go from your Spirit, or wither shall I flee from your Presence?' took on a very real meaning. One night a man went to the parsonage in great concern of his soul. He was brought into the study and the minister asked him, 'What happened to you, I have not seen you in any of the services?' 'No,' he replied, 'But, I can’t get away from the Spirit.'" 

2. The people of the Hebrides humbled themselves before God. 

Walters - "The little band of prayer warriors made their way to the farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight Duncan Campbell asked John, the local blacksmith, to pray. John rose to his feet with his cap in hand and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those who were present." 

"In the middle of his prayer he stopped and raised his right hand to heaven and continued, 'Oh God, You made a promise to pour water on the dry ground, and Lord, it’s not happening.' He paused again and then continued, 'Lord, I don’t know how the others here stand in Your Presence; I don’t know how these ministers stand, but Lord, if I know anything about my own heart, I stand before You as an empty vessel, thirsting for Thee and for a manifestation of Thy power.' He halted again and after a moment of tense silence cried, 'Oh God, Your honor is at stake; and I now challenge You to fulfill your covenant agreement and do what You promised to do.' 

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,

--God is holy and humanity must humble itself before Deity. 

James 4:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
⁷  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
⁹  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
¹⁰  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 

--Before a man can stand on holy ground, he must be clean.

--One of the men in the barn rises from the hay and reads these verses from Psalms 24:

Psalm 24:3-5 (NKJV)
³  Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
⁵  He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 

--These Words fell upon the people as fire from Heaven and burned into the hearts. God, are my hands clean and is my heart pure? These verses really sober me up from Isaiah’s revelation of God in the temple: 

Isaiah 6:8-12 (NCV)
⁸  Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom can I send? Who will go for us?“ So I said, “Here I am. Send me!“
⁹  Then the Lord said, “Go and tell this to the people: ’You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn.’ 

¹⁰  Make the minds of these people dumb. Shut their ears. Cover their eyes. Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed.“
¹¹  Then I asked, “Lord, how long should I do this?“ He answered, “Until the cities are destroyed and the people are gone, until there are no people left in the houses, until the land is destroyed and left empty.
¹²  The LORD will send the people far away, and the land will be left empty. 

--How does these Words affect us? Conviction or apathy.

--Here were people who were willing to meet the demands of a holy God.

--Their personal cost was not even considered in light of God's glory. 

--The price has never changed thru the ages: broken-ness before God, an emptying of one's self in all areas, a forsaking of all sin and habits, and total surrender to God and His purposes.

3. The people of the Hebrides travailed in prayer until they prevailed.

--Every true revival that has broken upon the face of the earth has been proceeded by the people of God travailing before God on their knees.

--Travail - birth pangs - agonizing in prayer to bring forth God's purposes. 

--The people in the barn were undeterred by the cold and discomforts of the barn, undeterred by the seeming silence of God, undeterred by the fact that no one else seemed to be interested in revival.

--They were undeterred by the fact that the world seemed to be just as godless as ever. They continued to travail before God. 

--They continued on their knees or their faces to cry out to God's throne. 

--Their prayers were not halfhearted displays of oratory but wrestling with God.

--These prayed as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane.

Hebrews 5:7-9 (NKJV)
⁷  who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,
⁸  though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
⁹  And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

--Men who had made a covenant with God stood in the gap and prayed.

--In their desperation they stormed the throne of God. We do in a crisis but what about daily going after God? 

--Their praying was characterized by their burning passion, their concern for the lost, and their absolute confidence in God.

--They prayed until they lay helpless and exhausted. 

--What depths of reaching out to God! God help us!

--They prayed until they travailed, the travailed until they prevailed.

--They prayed until God answered.

--Travailing must always proceed prevailing. Listen to what happened when revival came:

Walters - "Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with drinking men of the village, was closed. 14 young men who had been drinking there were gloriously converted. Those same men afterwards could be found three times a week with others down upon their knees before God, praying for their old associates and for the spread of revival. It was in this village that within 48 hours, many young people had surrendered their lives to Christ, and could also be found in the prayer meetings!"

--I think many times we assume that revival will just impact the church but that is definitely not the revival I am praying for…I want it to spread like wildfire into the community!

Play the Video! Charamastica – God Stepped Down

Result: Revival & Transformation.

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 10

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 10

Subject: An Unoffended Life

by Rick Welborne

Joshua 6:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
²  And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
³  You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
⁴  And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
⁵  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 

Matthew 11:1-6 (NKJV)
¹  Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
²  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples
³  and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
⁴  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
⁵  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
⁶  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

--Listen to the context of this setting with John the Baptist: Jesus is doing miracles everywhere He goes…He is healing diseases, casting out demons, and restoring sight to the blind.

--Unfortunately, it seems that poor John the Baptist is missing out on the miracles and he definitely needs one in prison. Jesus is rescuing almost everyone except His most faithful follower. 

--You remember John was Jesus’s cousin as well. It just seemed as though Jesus could have worked just one more miracle and rescued him or at least organized an elite team to rescue him.

--Wow, instead of rescuing John Jesus sends him a message thru his disciples and tells him about all the miracles that are happening. Instead of rescuing him He sends him this message:

Matthew 11:6 (NKJV)
⁶  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

--Have you ever felt like God was doing miracles for everyone else (even people who obviously did not deserve it) but you were being passed by? God seems happy to answer others prayer but not yours.

--I wonder if that was how John the Baptist felt? What do you do when you feel like God is answering everyone else’s prayer but not yours?

1. We try to live our lives unoffended by God. 

--Of course we are not in prison waiting for our heads to be cut off but Jesus promises us that we will be blessed if we aren’t offended. It is so easy to be offended or to take up someone else’s offense.

Luke 17:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
²  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
³  Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
⁴  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
⁵  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 

--Offenses are going to come and we have to make sure that we guard our hearts from being offended. It is a choice. Be careful who share your mess with.

--You may get over it in a day or so but the person you share it with may carry it for a lifetime. Be careful running home and telling mom and dad what a jerk your spouse is…they pick up that offense.

--John Bevere’s book…Bait of Satan is a wonderful tool in training you how to live a life unoffended by people. Today we are talking about not being offended by God or toward God.

Jeremiah 12:1 (NLT)
¹  LORD, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy? You don’t see when they close their doors.

--There are many couples or individuals this could apply to you or maybe you feel like it is you. God has used people in incredible ways to pray for and see miracles in other people’s lives.

--They prayed for the salvation of another family’s prodigal and God answered. They prayed for a friend’s healing and they were healed. A friend was going under financially and God showed up as you prayed.

--You even have family or friends who live ungodly lives and we feel God should judge them severely and they win $150,000 thru a lottery ticket. I know that person! Just not fair.

Jeremiah 5:27-28 (NKJV)
²⁷  As a cage is full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
²⁸  They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend. 

--If we would be honest with one another…many of us live in this place where we are wondering why God can be so good, so generous with others, so merciful but not with us…where are you, Lord?

2. We live in the ellipsis of life.

Ellipsis – is the triple dot punctuation. Ellipsis indicates a pause in speech or an unfinished thought.

--Every time I write anything…I have always used ellipsis but just did not know what it was called. When I pause for effect in my sermons I am using ellipsis. 

--When we are waiting on God to answer a prayer for us, we are in a period of ellipsis. It is a divine pause where we are simply waiting on God to complete the thought…to complete the miracle.

--We usually use the NIV for this portion of scripture because it says plans…but listen to it in NKJV.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NKJV)
¹¹  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
¹²  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
¹⁴  I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

--For whatever reason God has chosen…we have a Lord Who uses ellipsis for His honor and His glory. What makes no sense to us and what seems so unfair to us is just God being sovereign. 

Isaiah 55:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
⁹  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰  "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,
¹¹  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 

--What would have happened to Joseph when God made him wait 22 years for his dreams and visions to come to pass? A pre-mature deliverance may have put him in the wrong place. 

--I am sure Joseph asked God more than one time…what is going on in my life? Did I really receive dreams from you or was it just my own desires coming through?

--Even ungodly Egyptians seem to be blessed with their servants and overabundance of food and luxuries. He was in a pit, sold into slavery, accused of adultery, forgotten in prison. It is not fair!

--Could it be that this is one of those ellipsis moments where we can say with Esther and Mordecai…For such a time as this. God is not as interested in our comfort as He is in His will.

--Listen to what Joseph had to say after approximately 22 years of abuse and what appeared to be abandonment by God…you see he chose not to be offended by what God was doing…he lived unoffended.

Genesis 45:4-8 (NIV)
⁴  Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!
⁵  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
⁶  For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.
⁷  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
⁸  "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 

--You see, the last chapter has not been written…God is still working on your book (on your life) and He is still working everything for your good if you love Him.

--Listen to the testimony of this couple from an Assembly of God church in the Washington D C area. They were used mightily by God to pray miracles for others but struggled having their prayers answered.

John and Heidi – Living an unoffended life is not some Zen-like experience. It is living a life surrendered to His sovereignty, His majesty, and His love. Jesus promises blessings if we are not offended when He does things for others. And if He does it for them, He might do it for us. I don’t know why God does what He does. I do know that 100% of the prayers I don’t pray won’t be answered.

--You can give up or you can hold on. You can let go or you can pray through. You can get frustrated with God or you can choose to live an unoffended life. 

3. Even now!

--Mary and Martha had a very good opportunity to be offended at Jesus. Their brother Lazarus was dying so they sent for Jesus.

John 11:5-6 (NIV)
⁵  Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
⁶  Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

--What? Lazarus is dying and Jesus knows it but it appears He purposely stays where He was two more days… He intentionally let Lazarus die and then had the gall to say He was asleep…let’s go wake him up.

--What kind of God-man is this that even death is sleep to Him…notice the only people who were upset or potentially offended had no idea what Jesus was up to. 

John 11:2-4 (NIV)
²  This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
³  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
⁴  When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 

--Watch this…Jesus owes Mary…she had shown ultimate humility and worship when she poured perfume on His feet and wiped His them with her hair. Sometimes we feel God owes us for some reason.

--The two sisters even use psychology on Jesus…Lord, the one you love is sick. That is funny to me. Jesus knew Lazarus was sick and obviously Jesus loves everyone. 

-- Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."  Listen to Martha’s declaration of an unoffended life.

John 11:21-22 (NIV)
²¹  "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
²²  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

--Most of us would have stopped with v 21 if you had been here Lazarus would not have died. Martha adds the conjunction but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

--Even when it seems like God is four days late, it’s too soon to give up on God. Even when it seems like your dream is dead and buried, it’s too soon to give up. Even now!

--God can reverse the irreversible! Even now He can say Lazarus come forth…dream come forth…healing come forth…prodigal come back to God…Even now!!

--Don’t quit…Don’t give up because there is an “Even now!” on its way! Live unoffended by God!

Revival – 3 – Evan Roberts – The Welsh Revival

Revival – 3 – Evan Roberts – The Welsh Revival

Subject: Keep Showing Up

by Rick Welborne

John 20:19-29 (NLT)
¹⁹  That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.
²⁰  As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!
²¹  Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
²²  Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
²³  If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
²⁴  One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.
²⁵  They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
²⁶  Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.
²⁷  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
²⁸  “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
²⁹  Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” 

--This portion of scripture was so impactful on Evan Roberts and because he could never quite get passed these verses, they ended up leading him into a great revival. 

--Evan was not your ordinary young man…he came from a very dedicated Christian family…I just wonder how much the percentages go up for young people to experience revival when their parents are dedicated to God. 

--He owed much to his family because you would rarely see him without his Bible and was often found doing very in depth studies of God’s Word. Felt he would someday be a preacher.

--He felt it was reasonable service to attend the means of grace…to always be faithful to church.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)
²⁴  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 

--He was working in a coal mine when an explosion took place…He escaped but when they found his Bible they found it opened to the verses about revival:

2 Chronicles 6:37-41 (NKJV)
³⁷  yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness'; 

³⁸  and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:
³⁹  then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.
⁴⁰  Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.
⁴¹  "Now therefore, Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, And let Your saints rejoice in goodness. 

--Many believe that the dream Evan kept circling in prayer was revival for Wales. From our text a verse that he could never shake from his heart and mind was this:

John 20:24 (NKJV)
²⁴  Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

--He wanted to make sure he was in the right place when Jesus showed up and that in no way was he going to miss God’s visitation when it came. How many are apathetic and careless about God’s presence.

Luke 19:41-44 (NKJV)
⁴¹  Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
⁴²  saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
⁴³  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
⁴⁴  and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

--Let’s look at the reasons why Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus showed up.

1. Thomas did not show up because he did not believe Jesus was alive. 

--Sadly Thomas was labeled “doubting Thomas”. He had to see for himself…did not trust others testimonies.

It does not matter what you say…I must see.

John 20:24-25 (NLT)
²⁴  One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.
²⁵  They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 

--Show me a miracle or a manifestation of the Lord or I will not believe.

John 4:48 (NKJV)
⁴⁸  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."

--Pastor, we have heard you say and even heard you pray for God’s manifest presence to show up…Yes, I have not because I do not believe but because I do, He can show up.

--If we believe in the resurrection power of Jesus, let’s believe that power can show up and change us and make us alive. Save the lost, heal the sick, and set the captives free. Listen to Paul defend the resurrection:

1 Corinthians 15:12-22 (NIV)
¹²  But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
¹³  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
¹⁴  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
¹⁵  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
¹⁶  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
¹⁷  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
¹⁸  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
¹⁹  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
²⁰  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
²¹  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
²²  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 

2. Thomas did not show up because he did not value the fellowship of other believers.

--If you truly do not believe Jesus is going to show up, it makes it uncomfortable to meet with others who believe He is going to be there…why are they so excited.

--We even judge people who can seem to have an extra-ordinary hunger and desire for Jesus to show up. We often have a lady who dances in our services…I used to wonder why she did that so often. With such zeal.

--I decided one day to ask…her answer may surprise you…it did me. She said I dance because I expect God to heal me. Heal you of what? I have severe rheumatoid arthritis all thru my body and I believe God will heal me!

--Doesn’t it hurt you to dance…She said it hurts me to stand or walk but faith tells me to keep dancing until He heals me. Maybe before we judge people we might should find out what is going on in their lives.

--If we will value fellowship with other brothers and sisters we may want to walk a mile in their shoes instead of looking down our religious noses at them…Ouch or amen!

--If we are gathering in His Name we have a biblical right to believe He is going to show up:

Matthew 18:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 

--Jesus is very much pleased when we want to meet together and wait on His Presence to come. Learn to run to God’s House when there is adversity, not away from it.

3. Thomas did not show up because He did not understand what Jesus wanted to do for them.

John 20:19 (NLT)
¹⁹  That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 

--First of all Jesus wanted to show up and fill them with peace…they were afraid of the Jews…who or what are you afraid of in your life?

--Next, He wanted them to know for sure Who He was…the risen Son of God…feel My hands and My side. Third, He wanted them to know what God’s will for them was…As the Father sent Me…I am sending you!

--Fourth, He wanted them to receive Holy Spirit into their lives…He breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit…the Ruach…the Breath of God!

--Fifth, He gave them power to see people’s sins forgiven.

--Evan Roberts kept showing up day after day at church until a preacher (Seth Joshua) came to preach. Seth Joshua found it unusually hard to preach at that meeting because he felt such resistance and hardness of heart.

--At the conclusion of the service Joshua began to cry out over and over again…Bend us, bend us, bend us, O Lord! Bend us, bend us, bend us, O Lord! Bend us, bend us, bend us, O Lord!

--Many believe that these were the words that God used to start the Welsh Revival or at least, it was a marker for those who believed revival came at that time.

--A young lady who was in that service (Maggie Evans) stood and cried out in agony of soul begging God to forgive her as she repented. This is surely a sign of revival.

--A young man by the name of Evan Roberts rolled off of his pew into the aisle and lay there unconscious for a long time…when he awakened He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and was infused with power.

--He went to his principal of the school (Mr. Phillips) where he was attending and asked permission for a school meeting where he could share what happened to him. 

--Mr. Phillips thinking that it was only a passing fad granted young Evan his request…the rest is history…a revival broke out that shook a nation.

--All this happened because a young man was determined to be so hungry for God that he was going to keep showing up. 

--What about us…but pastor, others are not showing up…it is not about the number who show up as much as it has to do with the hearts of those who do!

The 1904–1905 Welsh Revival was the largest Christian revival in Wales during the 20th century. While by no means the best known of revivals, it was one of the most dramatic in terms of its effect on the population, and triggered revivals in several other countries. "The movement kept the churches of Wales filled for many years to come, seats being placed in the aisles in Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Swansea for twenty years or so, for example. Meanwhile, the Awakening swept the rest of Britain, Scandinavia, parts of Europe, North America, the mission fields of India and the Orient, Africa and Latin America."

--Lord, do it again!