Pentecost, the Christian “Day of Descent of the Holy Spirit”, also marks the birth of the early church. It is one of the most important holidays of Christianity, marking the importance of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives, giving them incredible talents and gifts, and inspiring public witness to the Gospel. It fulfills the promise of Christ's “Comforter” to help Christians sanctify their lives and better walk the path of sanctification after Jesus' ascension to heaven.
Recently, Pastor Y from a church in eastern China preached on the topic of "Revival," sharing how Christians should prepare for Pentecost.
A spiritual revival happened as the disciples, facing persecution, had to gather together, according to Acts 4:23-31.
The pastor said, "Though they were a group of ordinary civilians who had no religious leaders, nor social status, knowledge or authority, they overcame difficulties in a remarkable way, that is, they all came to God firmly together to seek Him. What they prayed for was not for God to change the circumstances they faced, but for God to work in them and encourage them to be gospel witnesses. This was God reviving them through His Spirit."
Pastor Y also cited several famous spiritual revivals in history, including the two great spiritual revivals in North America and the great spiritual revival in Korea. These revivals of the Holy Spirit all began with a group of people who were facing a crisis in their churches and families, and whose faith was lukewarm and had lost its vitality. However, they refused to stay in this state, so they rose up and gathered in one place, just as the disciples did at that time. This small group of people devoted themselves to seeking the Lord, the one true God. From the prayers of such a small group of people, revival continued to spread to the churches, and even to the unbelievers. They prayed and sought the presence of God, spoke the word of God, testified to the gospel and glory of God, and finally ushered in revival.
"We all long for revival, but what is it? Revival is not that I feel good and that God has solved one of my problems, but that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Christians have come to truly know God and have faith. The Holy Spirit woke up Christians who were sleeping, and their lives came to life and began to be on fire for the gospel and Christian glory, making them desire to hold on to Christ alone, willing to give themselves up for Christ, and witnessing to the glorious gospel of Christ," he added.
The pastor claimed that since revival is a work of God, not a human act, Christians should do some preparatory work because God needs some “firewood” to light the fire.
He suggested believers ask themselves if they were aware that there was a spiritual crisis in them, in their families, and in their churches.
"Nowadays, many people are caught by modern high-tech facilities such as the Internet and mobile phones, some by sins such as judgment, envy, rivalry, and wrath. Have we become accustomed to these, and do we desire to be renewed and changed by God? We need to have a sense of crisis," he stressed.
The pastor urged believers to always gather together to pray, communicate and seek God.
"Although it is impossible to gather together amid the epidemic, we still have the opportunity to share with each other. We need to find some ways to access the gospel and to be found by our Lord, longing for revival from the depths of our hearts," he said.
The third step was to pray as no revival comes without prayer.
"We need to pray often and make prayer our daily routine. Hold on to God and keep praying and pleading for His revival."
Finally, he exhorted the congregation to light the fire of the altar, and to welcome the revival of the Holy Spirit.
- Translated by Wylie Sun
五旬节，是基督教的“圣灵降临日”，也是早期教会的诞生的日子。这一天也是基督教最重要的属灵节日之一，标志着圣灵在信徒生命中的重要地位，使他们得到不可思议的才能和恩赐，并激发公众对福音的见证。它实现了基督的“安慰者”的承诺，在耶稣升天后，帮助基督徒的生命圣洁，更好的走成圣的道路。
近日，华东教会的一位Y牧师以“复兴”为题讲解了圣经使徒行传4章23-31节，分享了教会的弟兄姐妹应该如何预备五旬节。
在使徒行传4章23-31节所记载的就是一次属灵的复兴。当时门徒们正面临着逼迫，他们不得不聚集起来。而且他们都是一群小民，没有什么宗教领袖，也没有社会地位、学问和权威。所以，他们用一种非凡的方式来解决困境，那就是大家一起坚定的来到神的面前来寻求神。而他们祈求的，也不是让神改变他们所面对的环境，而是祈求神在他们自己身上工作，给他们胆量可以放胆为福音做见证。这是神借着祂的灵复兴了他们。
Y牧师还列举了历史上有名的几次属灵的复兴，包括北美的两次属灵大复兴以及朝鲜的属灵大复兴等。这些圣灵复兴的工作都是从那样的一群人开始的，他们面对教会和家庭的危机，他们的信仰也是不冷不热、失去了活力。可是，他们又不愿意只是这样的活着，就像当时的门徒们一样，他们起来聚集在一处，专心地寻求主，竭力地寻求那独一的真神。从这样一小撮人的祷告开始，不断扩展到各个教会中，甚至拓展到了不信的人当中。他们单单祷告寻求神的同在，诉说着神的话语，见证神的福音和荣耀，最后来到了复兴的结果。
我们都渴望着复兴，可是复兴是什么？
Y牧师讲到：“复兴的外在特征，并不是我感觉很美好，神解决了我的某个问题。而是那些自以为是基督徒的人在圣灵的浇灌下，真正的认识到了神和信仰。”圣灵叫醒了那些原本沉睡的基督徒，他们的生命活了过来，开始真的为福音和基督徒的荣耀而充满火热，单单想要抓住基督，愿意为基督舍弃，见证基督荣耀的福音。
很显然，复兴是神的工作，不是人的作为。可是，作为基督徒的我们，却需要做一些预备的工作，因为神要点火也需要一些柴火。那么，基督徒该做哪些预备的工作？
1.我们是否知道：我的里面、我的家庭、我的教会等有属灵的危机？现在的时代，很多的人都被网络、手机等现代高科技设施抓住；也有的人被论断、嫉妒、纷争、恼恨等罪抓住。我们对这些是不是已经习以为常了，是否有寻求神得到更新和改变？我们要有危机意识。
2.大家要常常聚集在一起祷告、交流和寻求神。虽然现在面对疫情，很多时候无法聚集在一处，可是我们还有有机会可以彼此分享，不管怎么样一定要得着福音，也要被主得着，从内心的深处渴望得着复兴。
3.每一次的复兴没有不是通过祷告得来的，要常常的祷告，让祷告成为我们的日常。抓住神，不断地祷告恳求神的复兴。
最后，牧师劝勉大家说，要点燃祭坛的火，点燃柴火，迎接圣灵的复兴。
迎五旬节华东一牧师分享：基督徒如何预备属灵的复兴
Pentecost, the Christian “Day of Descent of the Holy Spirit”, also marks the birth of the early church. It is one of the most important holidays of Christianity, marking the importance of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives, giving them incredible talents and gifts, and inspiring public witness to the Gospel. It fulfills the promise of Christ's “Comforter” to help Christians sanctify their lives and better walk the path of sanctification after Jesus' ascension to heaven.
Recently, Pastor Y from a church in eastern China preached on the topic of "Revival," sharing how Christians should prepare for Pentecost.
A spiritual revival happened as the disciples, facing persecution, had to gather together, according to Acts 4:23-31.
The pastor said, "Though they were a group of ordinary civilians who had no religious leaders, nor social status, knowledge or authority, they overcame difficulties in a remarkable way, that is, they all came to God firmly together to seek Him. What they prayed for was not for God to change the circumstances they faced, but for God to work in them and encourage them to be gospel witnesses. This was God reviving them through His Spirit."
Pastor Y also cited several famous spiritual revivals in history, including the two great spiritual revivals in North America and the great spiritual revival in Korea. These revivals of the Holy Spirit all began with a group of people who were facing a crisis in their churches and families, and whose faith was lukewarm and had lost its vitality. However, they refused to stay in this state, so they rose up and gathered in one place, just as the disciples did at that time. This small group of people devoted themselves to seeking the Lord, the one true God. From the prayers of such a small group of people, revival continued to spread to the churches, and even to the unbelievers. They prayed and sought the presence of God, spoke the word of God, testified to the gospel and glory of God, and finally ushered in revival.
"We all long for revival, but what is it? Revival is not that I feel good and that God has solved one of my problems, but that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Christians have come to truly know God and have faith. The Holy Spirit woke up Christians who were sleeping, and their lives came to life and began to be on fire for the gospel and Christian glory, making them desire to hold on to Christ alone, willing to give themselves up for Christ, and witnessing to the glorious gospel of Christ," he added.
The pastor claimed that since revival is a work of God, not a human act, Christians should do some preparatory work because God needs some “firewood” to light the fire.
He suggested believers ask themselves if they were aware that there was a spiritual crisis in them, in their families, and in their churches.
"Nowadays, many people are caught by modern high-tech facilities such as the Internet and mobile phones, some by sins such as judgment, envy, rivalry, and wrath. Have we become accustomed to these, and do we desire to be renewed and changed by God? We need to have a sense of crisis," he stressed.
The pastor urged believers to always gather together to pray, communicate and seek God.
"Although it is impossible to gather together amid the epidemic, we still have the opportunity to share with each other. We need to find some ways to access the gospel and to be found by our Lord, longing for revival from the depths of our hearts," he said.
The third step was to pray as no revival comes without prayer.
"We need to pray often and make prayer our daily routine. Hold on to God and keep praying and pleading for His revival."
Finally, he exhorted the congregation to light the fire of the altar, and to welcome the revival of the Holy Spirit.
- Translated by Wylie Sun
Pastor: How Christians should Prepare for Pentecost?
