THROWBACK THURSDAY Reliance: Saul to Paul in 2019

[00:00:00] Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, welcome back. I'm your host, Stephen Menking of On The Objective. The website is ontheobjective.org. I'd also encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our Twitter feed. Just type in On The Objective and all of those materials will come up.

[00:00:16] And I'm excited to bring you another broadcast in partnership with Reliance of the Prepper Broadcasting Network. In past weeks, we have discussed a variety of different topics in terms of being desperately patient, in terms of not rejoicing when our enemies fall, in terms of not letting God find no one, and many other connected ideas.

[00:00:40] And there was a thought that dropped into my spirit over the course of the past couple weeks, and I haven't been able to shake it. And the question is, what would it look like for an Apostle Paul to arise out of this generation? As you're considering this question, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

[00:01:02] Father, we thank you and bless you, Lord, for the day that you have made. Lord, that you have created us and that we are alive. Lord, and given the opportunity to speak your name and to go to you in prayer and to seek your face and to be ministered to by your word and through your Holy Spirit.

[00:01:26] God, we don't deserve any of the good gifts and blessings that you provide us, Lord. Your grace and your mercy and your forgiveness and your comfort and your compassion and your love and your faithfulness.

[00:01:40] Lord, we thank you, Lord, that it's because of the righteousness and the sinlessness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we can come into your presence, that we can, with humility but also with boldness, Lord, beseech you and intercede for this nation, to intercede for our families, to intercede for our brethren.

[00:02:06] Lord, we pray that you would lift up your body, you would raise up your body, you would pour out your Holy Spirit upon your body. Lord, that you would dissolve the divisions, that you would remove the pretenders, that you would save those who are pretending to be part of your church but, Lord, who haven't been born again. Lord, let them receive the gospel, let them receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit that leads to godly sorrow and to repentance. Lord, we need revival in this land. We need it.

[00:02:33] We've always needed it, Lord, but we need it now. You haven't created the billions of people who are alive to be swept away into a devil's hell without knowledge of you. And so, Lord, as people tune in here and as people hear these words in this broadcast, I pray that you would quicken their spirits, Lord, that you would comfort them and that you would strengthen their faith and that you would edify them, that their doubts and their questions would be heard and would be put forth to you, Lord,

[00:03:02] and that you would provide the answers that people are seeking. God, we need revival, so we pray that you would prepare our hearts for it, that you would prepare us as laborers to go out into your harvest, that you would use our lives mightily, Lord, not for our sake, Lord, but for the glory of your name. We bless you, Jesus, and we praise you. We know that all power on heaven and earth has been given unto you. Yours is the name above every name, Jesus, and at your name every knee shall bow.

[00:03:29] And so we pray, Lord, that you would give us an opportunity, open a door for the word to go forth, Lord, that you are on the move and that your miraculous healing and deliverance and freedom, your salvation power, Lord, is accessible to everyone who would come to you and who would seek your kingdom and who would seek your face and who would cry out, Lord, with the spirit of repentance to cry out for salvation and put their faith in you, Jesus. We love you, Lord. We thank you.

[00:03:58] We pray that you would anoint this broadcast, that it would touch the lives and touch the hearts of those who need to hear it. Lord, just get it to where it needs to be. You know what that means. You know what that will take, Lord. And so we commit everything into your hands. We surrender our lives to you, and Lord, we pray that you would bless us and encourage us and nourish us today as you provide us our daily bread at all times. Help us spiritually, Lord. Give us that firm foundation.

[00:04:27] Cause us to be bold and courageous for you. And Lord, work these miracles in our lives. We don't have the strength to do it, Lord, but you do, and you have promised that you will provide us with the strength that we need to fulfill the calling that you've placed on our lives. We love you, Lord, and we bless you. In Jesus' name, amen. So, brothers and sisters, what would it look like for another apostle Paul to arise in this generation?

[00:04:54] Well, what do we know about Saul of Tarsus? He was zealous. He was a Pharisee, part of the strictest sect of religious rulers in Jerusalem of the day. And he had a zeal. He persecuted the church of Jesus Christ because he saw them as rebelling against the religious order

[00:05:21] that he was brought up in, that he had known, that he had learned, that he had perfected, that he had pursued. And so how does a man go from that kind of a position to almost immediately being in a prominent place of leadership in the church, to writing a substantial portion of New Testament scripture, being inspired by the Holy Spirit,

[00:05:48] of making a difference and spreading the gospel in so many different places, of fathering so many spiritual children and leaders in that generation? This man, this man, what would it look like for another to arise? Well, I want to posit you this up front and then we'll read and expound upon some more of these ideas.

[00:06:14] Saul of Tarsus was a powerful religious leader who was an arch enemy of the church, an arch enemy of the cross, an arch enemy of Jesus Christ. He was present and consenting to the death by stoning of the first martyr of the church, Stephen,

[00:06:34] who was brought in front of a tribunal, gave a powerful sermon, saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and was stoned to death. And Saul was consenting to this as the representative of the religious body of his day. So he was cast as the opposition, as the player of evil in the book of Acts.

[00:07:03] And yet, immediately after that, he is converted and then becomes a leader of the church. And I would posit to all of us listening, all of us in this generation, that if our hearts are not prepared for something like this, if we have bitterness, if we have unforgiveness, if we don't have the eyes to see what God wants us to see,

[00:07:31] then we would even resist a move of God of this magnitude, of this importance, of this caliber. You can think about different people who are the arch enemies of the church, or perceived to be the arch enemies of the church by many. What if one of those arch enemies experienced a Damascus Road conversion, experienced a radical transformation, and then preached Christ with boldness?

[00:08:01] What would we do? If we think about this, you might say that this is, to paint a clearer picture, let's say Barack Obama, former President Barack Obama, who many people view as antagonistic to America, and to the church, and to Christianity, and to conservatism. What if Barack Obama, if you perceive him as an arch enemy,

[00:08:29] what if he were radically converted, and then saved, and then began preaching, and speaking, and working in the power of God? Well, would your heart prevent you from acknowledging that move of God? Would you stand against it because of past actions? Would you harbor that same kind of unforgiveness, even though God had extended forgiveness? It's an extraordinary challenge, because when I thought about this,

[00:08:58] I realized that if we're not ready, if our hearts have not been prepared for revival, then that is going to limit what God can do in our midst. Because let's say the Lord generates and affects these miraculous things. If we would reject even a move of the Lord, then how are we supposed to be in a situation

[00:09:27] where he can bless us with revival? If we are not fully surrendered, fully humbled, and fully obedient, then what are we doing? What is our expectation? If the posture of our heart, and our mind, and our spirit, and our soul is not in the right position, the position of humility, the position of deference, the position of acknowledging that the Lord's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, if we cling on to our bitterness,

[00:09:56] if we cling on to our antipathy, then is that preventing the kind of revival, the kind of spiritual awakening that we know that we need? And here I'm speaking primarily to the people who understand that we do need an awakening. There are many in the body of Christ who have simply, who have given up, who have adopted a fatalistic posture, who look around and who have seen the direction that our culture and that our society has taken,

[00:10:26] doing wind sprints away from the cross, running as fast as possible while hurling everything behind, like we're being chased by someone and we're trying to topple all the furniture so that they can't catch up to us. Fleeing with our fists shaken in the air and with gritted teeth away from the place where our salvation can be found, where the place where our deliverance is, where the place where our freedom is, running headlong into the deeper depths of the prisons that we erect for ourselves and that the enemy foists upon us.

[00:10:55] That is what we have seen. That is what we know. Perhaps for many, for some, for me, that is all that we have known in our society. We have never seen a time where people en masse return to God. We've never seen a revival firsthand. We've heard about them. We've read about them. We understand that they're taking place in other nations, but yet our own nation, our own communities, our own families, our own friends,

[00:11:26] our own churches, even, grow more stale and more powerless and more ineffectual as the forces of darkness raise up a standard and run roughshod over the representatives of Christ. And for some, look to Revelation, look to prophecy and say, well, all these things are promised to us and so I guess that's just the time, so what can we do about it? Nothing. We're going to shake our heads, shrug our shoulders and hunker down

[00:11:55] and hope to get through it somehow by the grace of God. And I would submit to you that that kind of posture is entirely unbecoming of this moment. But it's in that kind of fatalism, it's in that kind of oppositional structure that we can be so rooted to the battle lines that have been drawn in our culture that we could even find ourselves in a situation

[00:12:24] where we are fighting against God. What if there are Damascus Road experiences for the most influential people who have been acting in a way that is the most oppositional to Christianity and to our nation and to freedom in general? What if that happens? Would we still cling on? Would we still say, well, I'm not going to listen to what this person has to say even though they're speaking the truth of the word?

[00:12:54] Would we fight against it or would we celebrate it? Would we give glory to God for radically converting his enemies into powerful warriors on behalf of his kingdom? Or would we remember? Would we remember all of the slights? Would we remember all of the harm? Would we remember all of the damage that had been done by these people and by their actions and by their words? And would we refuse stubbornly, obstinately, intransigently? Would we refuse to get on board

[00:13:23] with what God is doing? Would we just say, okay, well, this must be a sigh-up. This must be some sort of elaborate lies. This must be a conspiracy. This must be something that the Antichrist would do. And maybe all of those things are legitimate reasons and legitimate avenues to consider. it's, I think, okay, based on our biblical example, to look at something like that and to have some level of, well, God, is this really happening?

[00:13:53] But if it's confirmed by the Holy Spirit, if it's given that kind of perspective, then there's no option. We can't be seen to fight against God. We can't. And so, in this situation, perhaps our hearts have not yet been prepared for revival. And perhaps we haven't been asking the Lord to prepare our hearts for revival because we don't think it's possible or we don't think it's coming. But brothers and sisters, God deserves a harvest

[00:14:22] in this generation. And this is a God who created the universe. This is a God who created you. This is a God who sent his son to save you. This is a God who parted the Red Sea. This is a God who raises the dead. This is a God who loves you and who knows you and who wants to be in relationship with you and who wants to be in relationship with the billions of people who don't yet know his name. We have more technology than ever before and yet people in America here even have not heard the gospel. They've dismissed it. We've taken it for granted

[00:14:52] and we haven't gone out. What does that say about the posture of our hearts? What does that say about our preparation for revival? Perhaps deep down in the background of our mind there's still this flickering little bit of hope that yes acknowledge that the Lord can do anything. Nothing is impossible for God. He's a God of miracles and maybe there's even the understanding that given the biblical examples that we look at God does tend

[00:15:22] to work the mightiest miracles in the place where no other source can receive the glory. At the Red Sea it wasn't some military ingenuity. It wasn't some clever tactic. It wasn't something other. It wasn't anything other than the almighty power of a sovereign God to intervene in human affairs and God got all of the glory for it and that continues to this day. So are

[00:15:51] the hearts of God's people ready for revival or have we succumbed to a fatal conceit? Have we succumbed to the bitterness and unforgiveness that would fight against even the raising up of another apostle Paul in this generation? Let's go to 1 Timothy 1 and we're going to read from the New King James Version verses 12 through 17. Let's read

[00:16:20] what Paul writes to Timothy his spiritual son about himself about his own journey. Now know that this is a man who persecuted jailed and even was in a position to affirm the death of. He killed the church. The scripture says that he wreaked havoc on the church and as that kind of enemy after his Damascus Road experience I can't imagine that this is something that you could just get over. He would have needed the power

[00:16:49] of God every day given the contrast to continue to crucify that old man and to forgive to acknowledge the forgiveness of God over that period of his life. And so he threw away all of his religious trappings. He threw away his position. He threw away everything the vain philosophies of the world and all of his own man-made righteousness. And it says in the scriptures that he counted it not just for naught but as waste as dung

[00:17:19] as something that is not worth pursuing but as something that's disgusting. Something that is completely unrighteous. Something that should be removed. And so when we look at what Paul says about himself when he sees the contradictions and the transitions that the Lord affected in him from Saul to Paul

[00:17:49] he writes these things to Timothy and you can feel that the weight of his previous actions are still there. He doesn't just forget about them. He acknowledges them and he understands this change. So in this situation he's writing about the law. He's writing about the gospel. He's writing about the gospel that the Lord

[00:18:18] has given him. And in verse 12 he writes and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me because he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry although I was formerly a blasphemer a persecutor and an insolent man but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which are

[00:18:49] sinners of whom I am chief however for this reason I obtain mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life now to the king eternal immortal invisible to God who alone is wise be honor and glory forever and ever amen Paul is giving glory to God and notice that he is calling his own situation as an example

[00:19:19] to the exceedingly abundant grace of God the exceedingly abundant grace the faith and the love of Christ Jesus who came to save sinners Paul calls himself the chief of sinners and he doesn't say of whom I was chief he says of whom I am chief and he says that it's because of this reason that I obtained mercy so that Christ could show his long suffering and so if we look around at our own lives

[00:19:49] even if we were not persecutors of the church in the way that Saul was but even if we just walked away from God or didn't take his word seriously or heard the gospel and didn't respond to it or tried to do something our

[00:20:20] Lord that he has extended his hand of salvation to save us so brothers and sisters when we see this what would it look like for someone who's an arch enemy of the church in this generation think of think of whatever whatever person you will someone who has opposed the Lord God who vociferously destroys the people of God who

[00:20:51] kills them imprisons them blasphemes them who is an arch enemy of the cross if they receive mercy if they are converted if they are redeemed by the power of God will we give glory to God for that or will we be upset with the Lord that he didn't punish someone that he didn't bring down judgment upon them and this is a question that should

[00:21:21] inform our prayers and our approach to these things because it's an extreme challenge it's a challenge to you it's a challenge to me we can't be found fighting against the Lord but there is something in us that is crying out for revival and in this situation we have to be of a mindset

[00:21:50] that tells us that whatever God wants to do whoever God wants to save then all glory to God for it so brothers and sisters what will we do in light of this information some people will say we should continue to pray for the salvation of our enemies we should continue to pray for the deliverance we should continue to pray that that

[00:22:20] God's will would be done and that that is the that's the safest and most appropriate thing that we can

[00:23:38] to overcome him it is a miraculous divine powerful salvation that does have these unique characteristics I know that the way that Paul was saved was not the way that I was saved but I thank God for both of those experiences and I give glory to God in the highest for it it it's a difficult thing to try

[00:24:08] we as a people will go back and forth will bicker about small things and frankly it frustrates me at times I have to continue to extend mercy and forgiveness but it's something that I need the Lord to help me out with all the time because of the bickering and frankly the nonsense that we'll get involved when and you know I could imagine if an arch enemy of the cross was converted the next day there would be thousands of

[00:24:37] different people pontificating and going to the this is a fiction this is a plot of the enemy other people still would say I don't care what this is you know this person did X Y and Z and so how dare they attempt to do anything else it's the kind of situation where for me I can

[00:25:07] still see I can still feel I can anticipate the roots of bitterness and unforgiveness that would prevent a move of God from coming to full effect it would dampen it it would prevent it and so the enemy knows this God knows this why don't we see this why don't we acknowledge it and why don't we in the course of our understanding

[00:25:36] get into our God and ask him to prepare our heart for revival prepare our hearts as a body for revival of building up and getting ready the laborers who will go forth into this harvest is that going to be you or would you in a situation like this be murmuring in the background would be questioning God about

[00:26:05] the vessels who he has chosen to use it is a significant challenge and something that has really been made clear to me over the past couple weeks that if that were to happen many many many Christians many influential people in Christianity would fail to accept something like

[00:26:39] say God you have to do it some other way in order for me to get on board but brothers and sisters what a powerful thing it was for Saul to be converted what a powerful thing it would be for people who are leading Luciferians for people who are leading atheists for people who are leading opponents of the cross to come to the saving knowledge of

[00:27:09] Jesus Christ to come to that testimony there's a great power in someone who believes something oppositional to Jesus in full measure with full devotion and then is radically transformed that is something that puts the world on notice like what actually happened here this person was a zealot for their cause and now they're saying something that is completely opposed something

[00:27:39] happened here it calls people's attention to that kind of situation and that's part of the challenge if one of the enemies of the cross one of the powerful enemies of the cross gets radically saved and then attracts a lot of attention for it that was going to take attention away from other people and from other ministries and so that is one of the motivating factors behind what could potentially be this bitterness in heart well this person

[00:28:09] was cursing God for so long and here I was trying to labor faithfully and I kept my flock I did what I was called to do

[00:28:52] extremely bitter bitter father I obeyed you father I have been here all this time and I didn't waste your money I didn't run away from you I didn't just behave in a manner that was unseemly and yet here there's the return of this prodigal this one who did so much wrong who went away who squandered the resources that you provided and you reward them you reward them

[00:29:23] remember remember what the father said in the parable of the prodigal son he said you are always here with me and everything I have is yours but your brother was dead and is now alive would we be in that same situation when every fiber in our being every natural component of our soul is pulling us to be

[00:29:53] bitter pulling us to say what's going on here if we were in that position what would we do because we may be placed in that position so what will we do if that happens if that comes to pass

[00:30:37] this is right after the stoning of Stephen it says now Saul was consenting to his death at that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles and devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him as for Saul he made havoc of the church entering every house and dragging off men and women committing them to prison

[00:31:07] the same people who he dragged off to prison were eventually in a position to give glory to God for his conversion is that the kind of spirit that we what is that preventing it might very well be preventing the conversions and the revival that we need so desperately

[00:31:38] so we cannot brothers and sisters stand and be counted against what God wants to do in this generation so let's read through in the very next chapter we're very soon after Paul consents to the stoning of Stephen let's read about the Damascus road and let's make some observations here and let's ask some questions about our

[00:32:17] verse 30 because the rest of the chapter focuses on some different aspects moves away from Paul then Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus so that

[00:32:47] still breathing threats and murder this is the situation that Saul is in before he is converted he is an arch enemy of the cross verse three as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him Saul Saul Saul why are you persecuting me and he said who are you Lord then the Lord said I am Jesus

[00:33:17] whom you are persecuting it is hard for you to kick against the goads so you'll notice here Saul as a religious man clearly understands that he's experiencing something unlike anything else that he has experienced and that this is something supernatural something that's coming from God now he says who are you Lord there are many different contexts of of the word Lord it in of something the head of the household

[00:33:46] this is a supernatural kind of experience he is in the most important moment of his life thus far how does he respond there's a note in my there's a note in the margins of my Bible in this passage that says good questions Paul well Saul at this point asks two critical questions and if you're ever looking for

[00:34:16] something to ask the Lord this question is a good place to start there are other questions that he asked but this one is the best place it's worth noting that the first question that he asked was who are you Lord critically important who are you Lord and then in verse six so he saw trembling and astonished said Lord what

[00:34:46] do you want me to do when was the last time you asked God that question when was the last time you sought his will for your life in that direct of a manner we acknowledge his authority he is Lord and Savior and God so it makes sense Lord

[00:35:16] what do you want me to do what is your will for my life but specifically what do you want me to do and Jesus gets specific with him then the Lord said to him arise and go into the city and you will be told what you must do all right so he tells him to go into the city and says you will be told what you must do sometimes we don't get everything right up front but Saul is irrevocably changed here and is now following

[00:35:46] completely different sets of orders he he he going to round people up in the synagogues at Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem for imprisonment and now he has a completely different mission all in a moment all because of Jesus all because of a couple questions who are you

[00:36:17] to Damascus and he was three days without sight and neither ate not drank verse 10 we're going to hear about Ananias who goes to Saul and is instructed but he knows who Saul is listen to the balance here and you can only imagine what's going on in the mind of Ananias but

[00:36:47] listen pay attention to how he responds verse 10 now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias and to him the Lord said in a vision Ananias and he said here I am Lord so the Lord said to him arise and go to the street called straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he is praying and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so he might receive his sight

[00:37:17] then Ananias answered Lord I have heard from many about this man how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem and here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name would that be your response Lord why do you want me to do this who is this this this guy is our enemy he's opposed to the cross what what's going on this is our reaction

[00:37:48] the first reaction in dealing with the Lord in a vision this is the natural this is the Lord don't you know do we not think that Jesus is aware of these things now note the Lord's response we don't get the kind of condemnation of Ananias for asking that kind of question we get a clarification and an encouragement Jesus clarifies the picture

[00:38:18] he brings things into proper resolution so Ananias is asking Lord really we know this guy he's thrown people in prison he's coming here to do the same thing he's coming here to persecute our people verse 15 but the Lord said to him go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles kings and the children of Israel for I will show him how many things

[00:38:48] he must suffer for my name sake notice that we don't have in scripture another response recorded from Ananias it just says in verse 17 and Ananias went his way it seems to communicate a picture that that confirmation from the Lord was enough for Ananias he didn't get trapped into bitterness he was willing to yield to the will of the Lord even

[00:39:17] when it didn't entirely match with his own expectation but this word from the Lord this blessing this confirmation is enough and in verse 17 and Ananias went his way and entered the house and laying his hands on him he said brother Saul the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you came has sent we

[00:39:56] don't have a lot of inside information about those kind of conversations but you can imagine the other disciples at Damascus would need some convincing is this a trap is this a trick we know who this guy is or better yet we know who this guy was this is no longer the Saul of Tarsus who persecuted this is the converted Saul of Tarsus

[00:40:25] Paul the apostle and it is a critical challenge for us to understand that those disciples in Damascus did not oppose this there may been questions there may have been doubts but when the forgiveness and the grace of God is mobilized then

[00:40:55] it's not something that we can retain bitterness in our heart towards imagine if there was fellow believers into prison maybe even led to their death what if there were people who were relatives of Stephen who Saul consented to stoning they would have had to give all of that up

[00:41:25] not just to acknowledge but to celebrate what God had done in the life of this man and this is the heart of Christ for this generation when the disciples were walking with the Lord and there was a town that didn't want to receive them and they asked him should we call down fire from heaven and Jesus said you don't know what spirit you're of what are the things of eternal import what are the things that really matter can we receive

[00:41:55] from God the strength to let go of our bitterness to forgive or are we going to be like one who owed them and found disfavor with their master the one who had forgiven the much larger debt so after Saul spends some days with the disciples at Damascus he has his marching

[00:42:25] orders verse 20 immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues that he is the son of God then all who heard were amazed and said is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem and has come here for that purpose so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests they knew what Saul was coming to do and here he is doing the exact opposite and the people were amazed this was something notable this was a change this was a transformation

[00:42:54] this is something that caught people's attention in verse 22 but Saul increased all the now after many days were passed the Jews plotted to kill him an ironic twist of fate but entirely expected he is now their arch enemy and he is in an immediate position and he likely knew that this was

[00:43:36] and the and thus begins the rest of Paul's life where he narrowly escapes and sometimes doesn't escape is imprisoned is beaten and he because of the transforming power of God and the forgiveness that God bestowed upon him threw everything else away is willing to endure all these things as light afflictions putting his zeal into practice

[00:44:05] but for the kingdom of God and growing ever more tender ever more forgiving as a reaction and as an understanding of what God had done for him so after he escapes he goes right to Jerusalem and when Saul had come to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple I can see that happening

[00:44:34] clear as day hey guys Saul's here what lots of murmuring lots of confusion lots of doubts in this case even fear because they know what he had done to others and in fact perhaps we might say that all of these are all of these are justifiable but when we get confirmation confirmation from the Lord that this isn't just a trick it's not just a

[00:45:05] trojan horse will we still fight against God in verse 27 but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to to kill him when the brethren found out they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus

[00:45:35] so the brethren doubted were afraid were confused kind of questioned what was going on but when it was confirmed to them what had happened either from Jesus directly or from the witness of another fellow believer through the agency of the Holy Spirit they accepted and

[00:46:05] they didn't decry that we know of that Saul at this point Paul was getting a lot of attention he was getting a lot of positive attention because of what he was able to do he was also getting a lot of negative attention from the religious leaders of the day and so brothers and sisters as we begin to wind down here I would ask you what if that happened today

[00:46:35] what if it happened that the person in your family or in your immediate circle who's the most hostile to God the most hostile to Jesus the one who's always making fun and belittling and mocking and scorning what would it look like for us to not just avoid rejoicing when they fall or asking for

[00:47:07] active the most eye catching the most potent tool for the kingdom of God even outshadowing us perhaps we are at the forefront in our families as being the people most identified with the Lord and then this other person who's withstood and battled against and scorned and ridiculed for so long causing so

[00:47:37] much hurt so much pain so much division so much heartache so much lost sleep so many prayers what if they become the preeminent force for God in your family what would you do or if that's not a salient enough example what if one of the people who represents every single thing that stands against in politics let's say

[00:48:07] or in religion someone who it seems either directly or indirectly someone who would have been entirely satisfied and extremely pleased to see every mention of Jesus wiped away every instance of the Ten Commandments expunged every cross torn down and every Christian thrown away as a

[00:48:37] vestige of history what if that person gets radically saved saved what if that person becomes a leader in the Christian community how many would refuse to accept it even when it's confirmed by the Holy Spirit I think it's totally legitimate as we see by the scriptural examples for us to be wary of these sorts of things wolf in sheep's clothing so to speak but if we see if we know if we hear this is something that God is doing this is something that

[00:49:07] the Holy Spirit is orchestrating there's power and there's fruit being born for the kingdom of God by this person what would we do what would you do what would you say would you harbor bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart or would you understand that the work of God in this generation isn't always powerful

[00:49:38] testimonies for the Lord are those who come from the exact opposite side of the equation who come from as far away as far off as possible those who are the enemies of the cross those who hate God and who hate the name of Jesus that when they are converted when they see the grace extended to them when they see all of these things that they become the most on fire believers in an entire generation

[00:50:07] what if revival comes from these people would we accept it would we celebrate it or would our hearts not be released to give the praise and glory to God because of the lives that these people have led before that kind of a conversion brothers and sisters if our hearts are not ready for revival however God chooses to effectuate it if our hearts are not ready for a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit

[00:50:37] then how can it come God has to make our hearts ready and I pray that he would do so with each and every one of us I'm not saying that this is going to happen but I am telling you that soul and I don't know I don't know what would happen in that kind of a situation I don't know if it's functionally and theologically preventing us from having revival I

[00:51:07] just know that our hearts need to be prepared our hearts need to be ready there's still dross that needs to be cleansed if we are not wholly given over to the work of God and to his cleansing and how can we expect the good outcome that we need and if we're still stuck in the mindset that there won't be any good outcome that there's no possibility of a good outcome

[00:51:37] why are we limiting this kind of bitterness maybe we're not going to see what so many have been praying for for so long so let's not oppose God let's give him all the glory even in advance for what he is going

[00:52:20] not oppose the radical conversion and the coming to prominence of enemies of the cross who are now leaders for the cause of Christ I can't even say in my own heart that I would be ready for something like that I would probably still ask the same kind of questions but if God confirmed it if God showed it to me would I celebrate it or would I grit my teeth against it it it's a question brothers and sisters that we have to ask ourselves

[00:52:49] and we just pray that the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit would get us ready would make us ready would prepare our hearts for what is to come we don't have another option we don't have another choice we don't have another tactic it's God or nothing for this generation it's revival or an alternative

[00:53:18] that I don't even want to contemplate because we know what it looks like and it's not good brothers and sisters it's not good so let's prepare our hearts for revival so that we can remove as many obstacles to that as possible let's cry out to God at Times Square Church here in New York City we will be fasting and praying for revival locally and then nationally and then internationally on three days next week on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday that's March 12th

[00:53:48] 13th and 14th go to the website we ask you to join us in prayer and fasting for revival prepare your heart God wants to move in this generation God needs to move in this generation and woe betide us if we brothers and sisters harboring things in our heart prevent that from having the full effect that it could we would regret it for all eternity I thank you for joining me here

[00:54:18] today for reliance as thanks again for joining us and we'll see you next time God bless