When I first came to Ireland 3 years ago I was pleased to notice that there were some people in my congregation who had experienced a powerful visitation of God before. The Nazarene Church had been used by God in a local revival some 40 years ago in Dublin (1967). A Nazarene Evangelist from the Middle East by the name of Samuel Doctorian was invited by a small congregation to come to Dublin and speak for a week. When he came, God powerfully entered the meetings, so much so that he cancelled all his following commitments and stayed for 30 days. The meetings grew daily until they had to move to a very large venue and many people came to know the Lord. Some miraculous healings occured and God was mightily present among his people. When I asked Fred Stephens, one of those first hand witnesses of this revival, to share in our evening service, God also visited us and the meeting turned into a praise and worship time where nobody wanted to go home. It went on for over two hours, whereas normally a Sunday night Service rarely goes longer than an hour. Another sign for me that the Spirit of God is stirring.
What convinced me more than anything else though was a talk that Tony Stone gave in May 2010 in our church. He spoke about several signs that point to the fact that God is about to send revival. These signs are everywhere and I see them in my own experience. What are they? He spoke about 4 areas:
1 There are signs in the world
2 There are signs in the powers of darkness
3 There are signs in the church
4 There are signs in the Holy Spirit
You can listen to this talk online when you log on to http://www.nazarene.ie and navigate to the sermon section of the website. It is Dr. Tony Stone Sermon 1. A very worth while talk to listen to. Here just a brief summary.
1 There are signs in the world
Tony stone convincingly argued from the biblical witness that when the world turns away from God and starts rebelling against God's law - then it is time for God to work. Psalm 119, 126: "It is time for you to act, o Lord, for your law is being broken". There has been a massive turning away from God's law in recent years in the Western hemisphere, so much so that the generation that is growing up right now has no clear values anymore. The sense of right and wrong has been lost in society. Laws are being introduced that are defying God's law. Although this is very negative in and of itself it serves as a sign that God will not tolerate that forever. It is time for God to act. We pray that he will act in sending revival, not in judgement.
2. There are signs in the powers of darkness
Whenever God is about to do a mighty work on earth Satan attacks immediately before or immediately afterwards. In recent years the attacks have been very obvious in many churches. There have been church splits, divisions, strife and frictions. Church after church is going through the mill. The Nazarene Church in Greystones has had a very difficult time in it's not so distant past. And while many good things are happening I can feel the onslaught of the attacks from the powers of darkness in my personal life very much. This is another sign that God is on the move.
3. There are signs in the church
Tony Stone was talking from his experience in the UK. Many churches have a new hunger for prayer and a healthy inward look, where wrong priorities and sinful patterns are recognized and repented of. Here in Ireland there is a new need for prayer growing in the churches. Arise Dublin is one such movement of churches coming together for prayer and seeking of God's face. Aontas and the Irish Evangelical Alliance have both stressed the need for prayer in their respective member churches. Prayer is moving to the forefront of church life again. In my view this sign is not so strong here in Ireland yet. I'd love to see much more of a hunger for prayer and repentance in my own congregation, but things are changing for the better. They most definitely are.
4. There are signs in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is creating a hunger in the church. And hunger is always preparation for fullness. There is a new hunger for Prayer, a new hunger for Praise, a new hunger for Purity and Holiness, a new hunger for the Power of God. I can witness this in my own life and in some people in my congregation.
So all the signs are in place. Now it is up to us to act accordingly: to seek God's face in prayer and wait on him for revival.
What convinced me more than anything else though was a talk that Tony Stone gave in May 2010 in our church. He spoke about several signs that point to the fact that God is about to send revival. These signs are everywhere and I see them in my own experience. What are they? He spoke about 4 areas:
1 There are signs in the world
2 There are signs in the powers of darkness
3 There are signs in the church
4 There are signs in the Holy Spirit
You can listen to this talk online when you log on to http://www.nazarene.ie and navigate to the sermon section of the website. It is Dr. Tony Stone Sermon 1. A very worth while talk to listen to. Here just a brief summary.
1 There are signs in the world
Tony stone convincingly argued from the biblical witness that when the world turns away from God and starts rebelling against God's law - then it is time for God to work. Psalm 119, 126: "It is time for you to act, o Lord, for your law is being broken". There has been a massive turning away from God's law in recent years in the Western hemisphere, so much so that the generation that is growing up right now has no clear values anymore. The sense of right and wrong has been lost in society. Laws are being introduced that are defying God's law. Although this is very negative in and of itself it serves as a sign that God will not tolerate that forever. It is time for God to act. We pray that he will act in sending revival, not in judgement.
2. There are signs in the powers of darkness
Whenever God is about to do a mighty work on earth Satan attacks immediately before or immediately afterwards. In recent years the attacks have been very obvious in many churches. There have been church splits, divisions, strife and frictions. Church after church is going through the mill. The Nazarene Church in Greystones has had a very difficult time in it's not so distant past. And while many good things are happening I can feel the onslaught of the attacks from the powers of darkness in my personal life very much. This is another sign that God is on the move.
3. There are signs in the church
Tony Stone was talking from his experience in the UK. Many churches have a new hunger for prayer and a healthy inward look, where wrong priorities and sinful patterns are recognized and repented of. Here in Ireland there is a new need for prayer growing in the churches. Arise Dublin is one such movement of churches coming together for prayer and seeking of God's face. Aontas and the Irish Evangelical Alliance have both stressed the need for prayer in their respective member churches. Prayer is moving to the forefront of church life again. In my view this sign is not so strong here in Ireland yet. I'd love to see much more of a hunger for prayer and repentance in my own congregation, but things are changing for the better. They most definitely are.
4. There are signs in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is creating a hunger in the church. And hunger is always preparation for fullness. There is a new hunger for Prayer, a new hunger for Praise, a new hunger for Purity and Holiness, a new hunger for the Power of God. I can witness this in my own life and in some people in my congregation.
So all the signs are in place. Now it is up to us to act accordingly: to seek God's face in prayer and wait on him for revival.
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