Devotional Day 40 for Friday 4/9

New Testament Reading: Acts 9
Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 8:20-23

What will a great awakening look like?  I believe that answer is found in Zechariah 8:20-23.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

The fast ends today.  Many will hear that God is with his church again.  The inhabitants of many cities that live in Boston shall gather together to worship Jesus.

So what is your role as we are sent out from this fast as we return to churches, towns, cities, and nations?

It is simply to invite people to come seek the Lord with you.  Both believers AND non-believers.  "Come, I myself am going."  Prayer for awakening is useless unless it produces an awakened people that invite others to come with them.

In Acts 9, God worked a powerful miracle to reveal to Jesus to Saul.  Yet, Ananias, a normal Christian who prayed, had to go to Saul and invite him into the kingdom.  He had to lay hands on him and set him free from his blindness  He had to ask Jesus to release the Holy Spirit over Saul.  If Ananais had never gone and INVITED (or maybe more accurately welcomed) Saul into the kingdom, Saul would quite possibly have died blind.

Revival may be breaking out all around us at this moment, and we simply may be missing it because we have not responded to the Lord's promptings to invite others in.  I am sure when we do we will be amazed to find God has already been working in their lives.

What might revival look like for you?  Maybe, there is simply one person who God wants you to invite.  One Saul, one Billy Graham who you invite into the kingdom.  And that one you invited, changes the destinies of nations.  Maybe, there is only ever one, but that one will be waiting in heaven to thank you.

Are you ready to extend the invitation?

Devotional Day 39 for Thursday 4/8

New Testament Reading: Acts 8

Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 8:18-19

Day 39.  Less than 48 hours left in this fast.  Woke up this morning tired.  Walking out of my building, I felt a sense of hunger for God to move.  During my times with the IHOP team ( www.jhopboston.org ), I have tasted of the goodness, joy, love, and power of the Holy Spirit.  During prayer gatherings, I've felt both the joy of the overflow of God's Spirit upon me and the breaking of my heart for the last and the nations.  As I walked to pray, through the early morning light, I found myself praying - oh Lord send revival!

This is more than a 40 day event.  This is about God creating a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, and going in us.  This is about God molding the desires of our hearts to his.  This is about the church being the dwelling place of God's presence and glory.  This is about the nations of the world that have yet to hear of Jesus.  This is about a great awakening unto a great commissioning.  This is about losing our lives so that we find them.  This is about giving all of who we are to what God is doing in this hour and this generation.  This is about knowing our reward is on the other side of eternity not this side.  This is all about Jesus and his great love for us and those who have not yet seen.

Tomorrow, thousands will gather to pray across New England; many of them at Tremont Temple in Boston (click image above).  I believe that in the midst of fasting God has been releasing joy and gladness in the midst of the church of New England per Zechariah 8:19.  Zechariah prophesied that in the midst of fasting there would be seasons of joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for God's people.  I truly believe tomorrow night the church in New England is about to walk into a new season, a season marked by joy and gladness.  The day of deliverance is at hand, the awakening has begun.  God is on the move.  The Lion of Judah is breathing life into his bride again!

This fast was unto a great awakening.  I believe a time of deliverance is on the verge of breaking out for Boston.  As in Acts 8, there will be joy in the city that has never before been known.

Father, for the sake of your Son Jesus and the ones he died for, stretch out your hand that signs and wonders may be done at the name of your servant Jesus.  Holy Spirit, pour out the oil of you joy in our midst.  Bring deliverance and salvation to our city.  Let the kingdom come!  Let joy and gladness fill the streets as the lost come home!

"For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city." 
(Acts 8:7-8)

Devotional Day 38 for Wednesday 4/7

Reading: Acts 7

Looking at the implications of the resurrection from my message on Easter Sunday. (4 of 4)

Jesus is a “life-giving spirit.”  He gives life.  Real life is founded in a live-giving relationship with God.   The God who rose from the dead 2,000 years ago.  It’s not a fading religious memory.  Jesus is alive and he wants to know you.  He wants to heal your pain.  He wants to cleanse your sin.  He wants you to know what a relationship with him is like. 

He’s come to save you from a rules motivated, religious life that leads to death.  Or life led by giving fleshly cravings or addictions that rule your body.  You don’t need to hope that you will get you into heaven.  You can know NOW.

Jesus has freely given of himself to us through the Spirit so we could know NOW that he is alive and is waiting to welcome us in his home in heaven for all eternity.  Jesus has died for our sins that they might be washed away forever.  This is the good news that should be ringing from the churches all across the globe this morning. 

It is the joyous words of the old song, “He lives, He lives salvation to impart!  You ask me how I know he lives – he lives within my heart.” 

And the church bears witness to this reality.  The Spirit of Jesus has come into our lives.  He permeates our gatherings.  Jesus is alive and he’s poured out his life-giving Spirit on this group of humbled people who used to be separated by their sin, but not know HE really is alive.  They’ve experienced his forgiveness.  They know he’s alive.

Previous entry's on the implications of the Resurrection:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Devotional Day 37 for Tuesday 4/6

Reading: Acts 6

Looking at the implications of the resurrection from my message on Easter Sunday. (3 of 4)

So what are the Implications of the Resurrection?  

It changes everything! Here are possibly two of the most important implications.

1.     As we have already looked at, Jesus was more than a man, he was God

a.     This means his words are more than great teaching, they are the path to life.

b.     As God, Jesus could not remain dead.

2.     Jesus is a “life giving spirit.” (1 Cor. 15:45)

Jesus said himself, “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh in no help at all.  The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63)

What is Jesus getting at?  He’s saying, “Look, I came to give life.  Death has had humanity hopeless and fearful, mourning and grieving for too long.  But my kingdom is not of this world.  My kingdom doesn’t use militaries and politics, success and money aren’t necessary here.  My kingdom has the antidote to death – it’s methods are the opposite of the way this world thinks.  The poor get lifted up.  The humble receive salvation.  The meek inherit the earth.  The lowly find grace.  The King shows up as a peasant boy.  The Messiah gets nailed to the cross.  And dead men rise again!  Everything is changed.  Death is defeated.  I’m all about life.  Life to the full.  This is what I’m wanting to get across to you a relationship with God is possible because I’m alive!”

Paul would sum up Jesus’ words in his letter to Corinth, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6)

In other words, if I just gave into every impulse of my flesh – it would lead to destruction in my marriage, my job, and my life… it would eventually lead to death – it would kill me.

And, if I tried the opposite of living for worldly pleasures and embraced aestheticism or strict moral living.  If I embraced to trying to live by religious laws and rules I would die trying to achieve that.  I’d live a completely frustrated filled life – either feeling like God owed me something or  feeling guilty because I never measured up.  Both paths lead straight to Hell.

BUT, the Spirit gives life.  Jesus defined “life” in his teachings.  

He said, “This is eternal life – true life, real life NOT the life this world offers with its fading pleasures and desires –eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ who He sent.” 

  (John 17:3)

Devotional Day 36 for Monday 4/5

Reading: Acts 5

Looking at the implications of the resurrection from my message on Easter Sunday. (2 of 4)

It was not just Peter who preached that Jesus was the Son of God – both a physical man AND a life-giving spirit.  It was the witness of all 11 of Jesus’ of disciples and the entire early church (and the church through the ages) that Jesus rose from the dead.

Strangely, as this fledging group of believers testified to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead and the implications of that fact for their lives and the lives of their listeners, the religious and governmental authorities who persecuted them so intensely were never able to produce Jesus’ body despite the fact that any evidence against Jesus’ resurrection would have immediately destroyed the testimony of the early church and halted the progress of Christianity. 

The empty tomb that the women and Peter & John claimed to have seen remained empty.  The body of Jesus was never found.  In fact, there has not been a single shred of evidence since Jesus rose to suggest that he has not risen.  Justin Martyr writing an open letter to Caesar just 100+ years after Jesus died boldly set forth the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.  No critical response to that letter from that era has ever been found despite the letter’s wide spread influence in the Roman Empire at that time.  The historical evidence against the resurrection is non-existent.  Instead, there are a series of hypothesizes that seek to explain why Jesus’ body was not in the tomb – none that have ever been satisfactorily explained or found to be true.

Thus, many have concluded that Jesus was not only the Son of God, but he rose from the dead.

Devotional Day 35 for Sunday 4/4

Reading: Acts 4

These next 4 days, we will look at the implications of the resurrection from my message on Easter Sunday.

“It is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit… The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” 

(I Cor 15:45-46)

It is impossible to understand what we are celebrating or why we celebrate unless you can answer the question – Who Is Jesus?

Millions of people have different answers to this question. Elton John recently gave his opinion when he said, “I think Jesus was a compassionate, super intelligent gay man who understood human problems…”

Yes, opinions on Jesus abound…

Ghandi considered Jesus the greatest moral teacher to have ever lived.

Others have suggested Jesus reached a heightened state of enlightenment.

Some religions consider him a great prophet.

In fact, Jesus is held in very high regard by most of the people in the world. You won’t find too many people out there spewing negative opinions about Jesus.

In Acts 2, Peter presents us with the real question that defines who Jesus is.  The questions is did Jesus really rise from the dead?  On this question hinges all the opinions and debates throughout history about who Jesus is and was. 

If Jesus was a “life-giving spirit,” if he was the Son of God, then he could not have stayed dead.  He could not have rotted in the tomb outside of Jerusalem.  He could not merely be a man.  And this what Peter is pointing to in Acts 2.  Jesus is not like King David whose bones eroded in his tomb.  Jesus is alive forever – he will never see corruption.

Devotional Day 34 for Saturday 4/3

Reading: Acts 3

What are the results of the resurrection?  First, we see the formation of new community that is committed to each other and prayer. (Acts 1)  Second, we see the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit. (Acts 2)  Thirdly, we see a community that bears witness to who Jesus is through serving the poor, healing the sick, and testifying to who Jesus is before crowds and societal leaders.