Article: Remembering the Feast of Pentecost & A pray for a fresh outpouring of Holy-spirit in our time! | Jobin Sam Varghese

May 31st Sunday – Is remembered and celebrated as the week of Pentecost – 2000 years before the disciples obeying the voice of Jesus tarried in the upper – room on the day of Pentecost to receive the infilling power of the holy spirit. With the might wave of the holy- spirit coming over them – they went out evangelizing and building up the church – with signs and wonders.

My heart today – once again pray along with Habakkuk “ Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day,in our time make them known;in wrath remember mercy” – Habakkuk 3.2

Habakkuk rightly put this – Yes, we have heard /read of the wonders and revival – but let there be anguish in our heart – Lord send your wave of HolySpirt once again over this Land. We don’t want to want to walk around just with the title but with experience of it.

Are we just looking into surviving/ pushing another day or are we deeply tarrying on the Lord send awakening among our midst?

Haggai 1. 14 “ So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,”

In the earlier passage of Haggai – we see people who came back from exile started to build up their own home rather than rebuilding the temple and then we see towards the words 14- the Lord stirred up the people and them came and began the work of the temple.

Could we as Church Members/Leaders come in fasting/prayer and ask the Lord- “ Lord it’s you alone who could stir the hearts of us/ people”. Until we see the lord stirring up the hearts – we would continue to see people busy building up their own houses. May our heartbreak that of Nehemiah when he heard of the broken/ burned walls of Jerusalem?

A view of the Church of Antioch – Act 13
“ Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

The church in Antioch was a very spirit-filled church; you would find this a great element of the church in the first-century as even the people who served on the table where spirit-filled. Gone are those days! Today most of the chairs and so-called “ Worship Leaders ” in our churches are occupied by the one who “ has the skill “Performer’s ”. We see today the worship team keen towards perfection than kneeling in the Lord’s presence and desiring for the spirit to move. Paul in most of the epistles mentions this point “when I came to you I didn’t speak to you in human wisdom/ skill full words but spoke to you in the power of the spirit”. This shows the kind of importance the earlier church gave importance to the spirit movement.

We observe the church at Antioch – it had both prophets and teachers (teaching is required inside the church and preaching outside) this also shows the importance they had given for the word.

Moving further… we read ..
While they were worshiping the Lord in spirit and fasting – the Lord spoke to the church and inspired them to ordain Paul and Barnabas for the call-in their life. Even as we tarry and wait on the Lord as a church/fellowship – that’s where we would start to hear the voice of the holy spirit and the lord stirring up the hearts of the people for mission in different capacities.

It was the church that recognized the calling and who ordained them for the ministry forward. How many of the time are our churches today tuned to hear the voice of the spirit and ask him for his direction to move forward… As we continue to read the chapter we could see these disciples being filled with spirit administer the great works of the Lord.

God asks the prophet, Ezekiel will these bones live ( these bones where the house of Israel itself) – we could today again connect with a lot of surrounding – the spiritual institutions dead – with no impact as the prophet viewed it. But when the Lord sends the wave – we see a great army rising up from there. Could we as church/ Individuals tarry in the Lord’s presence for his promised to send forth his spirit in all beings in the end time and tarry for that latter rain in our midst and see by faith an army God raising up here?
We have been hearing stories of Revival in the 1st century .. 19th century.. Wales.. Azusa street revival etc…Can we join our hearts and pray like Habakkuk– Lord we need your touch once again our country, our church – we want to see your glory filling the temple, people being stirred by the spirt and people turning in repentance to know your alone are the Lord. May the power of darkness and bondages be broken and as the Lord promised – may through our life – the rivers of living water overflow -which flow and transform dead beings to life.

Greater things are yet to come! Greater things are still to be done in this city!