Participants: Pr. Mark Finley
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000094
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00:11 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:17 When The Spirit Falls with Mark Finley. 00:21 Well we welcome you to our service today. 00:24 And we are looking forward to being blessed again 00:28 by the Holy Spirit. 00:29 - Amen. - It's been a tremendous series. 00:32 I invited Pastor Mark to come back again next year or 00:36 soon as his schedule will permit him to come back 00:39 and to do another Anchors Of Truth for us. 00:43 So we're looking forward to that. 00:45 You know, Danny, last night during our afterglow, 00:48 you shared an experience that you and Pastor Mark had together 00:53 years ago, and then he gave us a little follow up on that. 00:56 Tell us about it. 00:58 I don't know how many years ago. 00:59 It might have been 12 or 14 years ago. 01:02 And we were doing a program on the air, a live program 01:05 here at 3ABN, and we were taking questions. 01:09 And someone called in a question about suicide. 01:13 And so they were talking about someone, 01:15 and I don't remember the details, of someone in their 01:18 family, someone they loved that committed suicide. 01:21 But I said, "Pastor Finley, why don't you just look into the 01:24 camera and talk to the folk about suicide." 01:27 And I'll never forget, he just leaned forward and he 01:29 reached out like this and he said, "Friend, if you're 01:32 contemplating suicide tonight, don't. 01:35 Jesus loves you. He has a plan for you." 01:37 And then he began to address that. 01:39 And I remember when that happened, that we had 01:42 one of our studio lights, big lights, just burst. 01:45 And of course, those hot pieces went all over. 01:47 No one in the studio was hurt by them, but very well 01:51 could have been. 01:53 And I remember that happened. 01:54 Well, 7 or 8 months later I was in, I think it was Jamaica. 01:58 There were thousands of people there. 02:00 Literally thousands of people. 02:02 And because so many people watch 3ABN, 02:04 I was getting to go up. 02:06 I had the church service hour at this big camp meeting facility. 02:10 And they literally put people around you as guards. 02:14 Not for harm, but just so because everybody 02:16 is wanting to say, "Hey, I like 3ABN," 02:17 or ask you questions. 02:19 And so I'm standing with this guard around. 02:21 Then they put us getting ready to go up. 02:24 And just as I'm getting ready to go up, 02:25 there's a young man, he's tall, and he kind of leans over the 02:29 rest of the folk and there was a little lattice fence around. 02:31 And he said, "I just want you to know that 02:33 3ABN has saved my life." 02:35 And I said, "Let him in here a minute." 02:38 And they said, "Oh you can't. 02:39 We're getting ready to go up on the front." 02:41 And I said, "That's alright. Bring him with me." 02:42 So I said, "Let him go with me." 02:44 So I didn't know the man, never met him. 02:46 Young man, he looked like he was 18 or 19 years old. 02:49 So he came up on stage. 02:50 And I said, "This young man, I was getting ready to come up." 02:53 I said, "Now I understand when someone says that, 02:56 that they mean the Lord through the ministry of 02:59 3ABN saves lives." 03:01 3ABN doesn't do it, and I don't do it, and you don't do it. 03:04 But God uses us as vessels of honor. 03:06 So this young man, he came up with me. 03:09 And I asked him, "What's your story?" 03:10 He said, "Eight months ago, seven or eight months ago, 03:13 I was sitting in my room in the evening." 03:15 He lived with his grandmother. 03:17 He said, "I was sitting in a chair. 03:19 Life wasn't worth it. I had tried everything in life. 03:23 I was ready to take my life. 03:25 I sat for two hours getting up the nerve." 03:27 And I believe if I'm not mistaken, that he had enough 03:30 drugs to overdose, and they were in his bathroom. 03:33 And he said, "I was sitting there for about two hours. 03:36 It got dark and I couldn't even see. 03:39 So finally when I got up enough nerve, I stood up. 03:42 And I started to get up, my arm hit something on the chair. 03:46 It knocked it off, so instinctively I picked it up. 03:50 And as I picked it up, it was the TV remote, 03:53 and on came the TV. 03:54 And as the TV came on, immediately," he said, 03:58 Mark Finley looked in the camera and said, 04:00 'Friend, if you're contemplating suicide tonight, don't. 04:03 Jesus loves you.'" 04:04 "Absolutely," he said, "I had never watched that channel. 04:07 Didn't know there was a 3ABN. 04:09 And this man was talking directly to me." 04:12 So he said, "Of course, I counted that as God loved me. 04:17 He cared about me." 04:18 He said, "I've been attending an Adventist church." 04:21 And he said, "I've decided now 8 months later 04:23 I want to be an Adventist minister." 04:25 Then Mark told the rest of the story. 04:27 That's right, the rest of the story was that he ran into the 04:30 young man not long ago. 04:32 And what happened was, the pastor said, "I want you to 04:35 meet my associate." 04:37 And then this young man came forward and said, 04:40 "I am the one who was watching you that night when 04:44 you made that statement and said, 'Don't commit suicide.' 04:48 So I gave my life to the Lord, I've gone through school, 04:51 gone through training." 04:53 And now he was about to have his own district as a pastor. 04:56 And it's amazing. Those stories go on and on. 04:58 You could take to Johnny Dinzey, you could talk to many people 05:01 that's been in master control for years. 05:04 I praise God for a vehicle, for a tool, that He has allowed 05:08 us to be a part of. 05:09 All of us here, we ought to be thrilled that God allows us 05:13 to be a part of a ministry that literally is 05:16 reaching around the world. 05:17 Those of you at home, thank you for your love and prayers and 05:19 your financial support of 3ABN. 05:22 Because without you, we couldn't continue to go forward. 05:26 Only in eternity will people like Mark Finley, 05:29 and the Doug Batchelors, and the C.D. Brookes, 05:31 and all of these men have an opportunity 05:34 to see the work when they've gone forward. 05:36 And it doesn't always feel like going forward. 05:38 You don't always... 05:40 Mark may not feel like it today, but we'll never know it. 05:42 He's working under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 05:44 He doesn't complain. 05:45 I know what it's like, you know what it's like. 05:47 Traveling, getting up when you don't feel like it. 05:49 But you know what? 05:51 As he said last night, "God has somebody listening 05:53 that needs to hear what I'm saying." 05:55 So we want to continue to pray for Brother Mark Finley 05:58 and the work that he's doing. 06:00 And all of our evangelists and our people that are traveling, 06:02 taking the three angel's messages into all the world. 06:05 Well this series is entitled, When The Spirit Falls. 06:09 And this morning, he is going to be speaking 06:12 on The Promised Revival. 06:14 Now Pastor Finley has been a pastor, an evangelist, 06:18 around the world, the speaker for It Is Written, 06:21 vice president of the General Conference, 06:25 and currently he serves as special assistant 06:30 to the president of the General Conference. 06:33 But before he comes, we're going to enjoy some music. 06:36 Tell us about it. 06:38 We have Dr. Yvonne Lewis who has been so blessed 06:40 to the Lord with talents and abilities. 06:43 Raised in the Adventist church, left for many years. 06:46 Sang with numerous people like Whitney Houston 06:48 and Luther Vandross and Roberta Flack, 06:51 and a number of those folks. 06:52 But years ago, she walked into Pastor C.A. Murray's church. 06:56 And from there it's all history. 06:58 Now you rededicated your life to Jesus 07:01 and Pastor Murray was able to nurture you and help you 07:05 in that relationship. 07:06 And who would have thought all these years later 07:08 you and he would be working together again. 07:10 It's an amazing blessing. 07:12 I like what Pastor Murray says. 07:13 Pastor Murray says, "I've been dragging Yvonne around 07:16 for 25 years," he says, "with me." 07:18 So we're glad that he did and thank you for blessing us today. 07:22 Amen. 07:44 From the darkness came the light, 07:49 out of nothingness You made life, 07:55 for before the world You were; 08:01 bless Your name forevermore. 08:07 Lord according to Your plan 08:13 You created every man 08:19 just to glorify You, and 08:24 bless Your name forevermore. 08:39 Then into the world You came, 08:44 by the power of Your name, 08:50 and You washed my sins away; 08:55 bless Your name forevermore. 09:01 So I come before Your throne 09:06 with no goodness of my own, 09:12 and I worship You alone; 09:17 bless Your name forevermore. 09:24 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 09:35 I will bless Your name forevermore. 09:46 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 09:56 I will bless Your name forevermore. 10:06 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 10:16 Oh, I will bless Your name forevermore. 10:27 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 10:37 I will bless Your name forevermore. 10:48 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 10:59 I will bless Your name forevermore. 11:09 I will bless Your name, I will bless Your name. 11:19 I will bless Your name forevermore. 11:30 I will bless Your name 11:39 forevermore. 12:00 Amen. 12:03 The title of our series is, When The Spirit Falls. 12:07 And when God's Spirit falls upon us, 12:09 the desire of our heart is to bless God's name. 12:14 When the Spirit falls upon us, the desire of our heart 12:17 is to please God in every single thing we do. 12:21 Our topic is, The Promised Revival. 12:23 Let's bow our heads to pray. 12:24 Father in heaven, as we open our hearts and minds 12:28 to the Spirit, we pray that You would take us far away. 12:33 May this church become a sanctuary where the 12:37 Spirit of God dwells. 12:40 May our hearts be a temple for Your Holy Spirit. 12:45 Teach us through Your Word, change us by Your Word, 12:51 and fill us with Your Word. 12:53 We pray Thee in Christ's name, amen. 12:58 1995, my wife and I moved to St Albans, England 13:04 not far from London. 13:05 About 45 to 50 miles from London. 13:08 We often went down on Sunday afternoons to London. 13:14 London is just a magnificent city. 13:17 You enjoy Big Ben clock tower, Westminster Abbey, 13:23 London's parks, the underground war rooms. 13:26 Of course, one of the great scenes of being in London is 13:31 those magnificent architectural masterpieces 13:36 of the London bridges. 13:39 On one occasion, the story is told of a man that sat 13:43 at the entrance to the London Bridge across, 13:47 we would call it the Thames River. 13:49 My British friends would call it the "temz" river. 13:54 And a man was sitting at the entrance to the bridge 13:56 and he was playing his old violin. 13:59 Now I said playing, but he was probably scratching away at it 14:04 with a very high pitch. 14:05 And the music was absolutely terrible. 14:08 But this poor man had his violin case open, 14:12 and as a few people walked by they would throw in a few pence 14:18 into the violin case. 14:19 And the guy was hoping to get enough money 14:21 to be able to buy some lunch. 14:25 And an elderly stately gentleman walked by. 14:29 Didn't pay much attention to the scratching and horrible music 14:33 on the violin. 14:34 And finally as the guy walked by, he stopped in his tracks, 14:39 turned around and went back to the old man and said, 14:42 "You know, sir, could I just see that violin?" 14:46 And the old man handed it to him. 14:49 And the stately gentleman began to play. 14:52 And as the music floated across the London Bridge, 14:57 people stopped. 14:58 They were absolutely astounded, they were absolutely amazed. 15:05 And somebody said, "That's Paganini, 15:09 the great master violinist." 15:13 Hundreds of people gathered. 15:15 And soon they began to take out their wallets and 15:18 throw in a British pound, which is about a dollar and a half, 15:21 dollar sixty, depending on the exchange rate. 15:24 Throwing in coins and change. 15:27 Pretty soon the old man's violin case was absolutely 15:31 packed with money. 15:33 What made the difference? What made the difference? 15:36 Was it the violin that made the difference? 15:39 The musician. 15:41 Somebody said the violin is in the hand of the master. 15:47 When my life and your life is in the hand of the Master, 15:51 Jesus can play music through His Holy Spirit 15:55 that you can't imagine. 15:57 Left to myself, the notes that I play might be 16:01 discordant sour notes. 16:04 But when the violin of my life is placed in the hands of 16:08 the Master, when the Holy Spirit fills my life and yours, 16:14 that makes all the incredible difference. 16:17 As an instrument in the Master's hands... 16:25 The Bible predicts that just before the coming of Jesus, 16:29 spirit filled lives in the hands of the Master 16:32 will be used in a last day revival. 16:36 And it's that last day revival, that last day move of the Spirit 16:40 that we want to study about this day. 16:47 Unlimited power. 16:50 Revelation 18 verse 1, read it with me from the screen, please. 17:05 The phrase, "great authority," in the King James version... 17:07 This is New King James. 17:09 The phrase, "great authority," is, "great power." 17:11 "I saw another angel coming down from heaven with great power. 17:15 The earth was illuminated with his glory." 17:18 Revelation's prophecies predict that there will be a mighty 17:21 last day revival. 17:23 In fact, this revival is predicted both in the 17:25 Old and the New Testaments. 17:26 Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 14 and onward says, 17:29 as knowledge covers the earth, so the glory of God 17:32 will cover the... 17:35 As the sea covers the earth, the knowledge of God 17:38 will cover the earth as the glory of God. 17:40 So God's knowledge will fill this earth. 17:43 It will go from one end of the earth to the other. 17:46 The Holy Spirit will be poured out. 17:48 The gospel will spread quickly around the world. 18:03 God is going to move in powerful ways that we cannot imagine. 18:09 God is on the verge of doing something incredibly great 18:13 through His people. 18:16 Now the Bible uses terms to describe the 18:18 Holy Spirit in different ways. 18:20 We've studied about oil; the symbol of consecration 18:24 and cleansing. 18:25 We've studied about fire; the symbol of God purifying 18:30 us within and God enlightening the world. 18:33 But today, we look particularly at the symbol of water or rain. 18:45 The Bible talks about the early and the latter rain. 18:50 The early rain watered the seed that had been planted 18:55 and helped it to germinate. 18:57 Now there are some who have mistaken 18:59 the agricultural cycle of Israel. 19:01 They've given the idea that the early rain falls in the spring 19:04 and the latter rain falls in the fall. 19:07 That's not necessarily true. 19:09 In Israel, it was a very agricultural society. 19:12 And everybody, of course, would have a garden. 19:15 Your wheat and barley was a staple of Israeli culture, 19:20 as far as grains are concerned. 19:22 And the wheat and barley was typically planted 19:24 in the September and October of that year. 19:31 And the early rain fell gently to germinate the barley 19:36 and the wheat crop. 19:40 In March of the year, the latter rain fell 19:44 at the end of the agricultural cycle. 19:46 The agricultural cycle of Israel is different than the 19:48 agricultural cycle in our day. 19:50 So the latter rain would fall to begin the harvest process. 19:54 It would ripen the grain. 19:55 The important thing to remember is the early rain 19:57 germinates the grain, the latter rain ripens the grain; 20:01 brings it to harvest. 20:03 So in our lives, God works upon us with His early rain power now 20:09 to lead us to conviction of sin, to develop the 20:12 grace of the Spirit in us. 20:14 But before the coming of Jesus, there will be a mighty 20:16 outpouring of the latter rain that will enable us to 20:19 complete God's work, go through the final crisis, 20:22 and be ready for the coming of Jesus. 20:24 The other aspect of the early rain that is used in the Bible 20:29 is historically. 20:31 The early rain fell at Pentecost. 20:34 The latter rain will fall at the close of this earth to bring 20:38 about the power for the coming of Jesus. 20:41 James chapter 5 verse 7 and 8 talks about this 20:44 early and latter rain. 21:03 God is going to do something miraculous. 21:07 The latter rain of His Spirit will be poured out 21:10 upon His church. 21:12 And the work of God will be finished rapidly. 21:16 I've had people say to me, "There are more people 21:18 being born than are being warned." 21:20 All over the world with over 7 billion people 21:23 clawing at one another for living space on planet earth, 21:26 how can the work of God on earth be finished? 21:29 I'll tell you how it can be finished. 21:31 Not by any human thinking or human reasoning. 21:33 God Himself will finish His work through His people 21:38 as He pours out His Spirit in the latter rain. 21:41 God's power is sufficient enough to take the gospel 21:46 to the ends of the earth rapidly and quickly. 21:49 And more rapidly than we can possible imagine. 21:51 Because it is written in Romans chapter 9 verse 28, 21:55 "For He will finish His work. 21:57 He will cut it short in righteousness." 22:00 He will do it through His people. 22:02 But God's going to do some amazing things. 22:05 Look, Joel chapter 2 verse 23 puts it this way. 22:29 The former rain is moderately. 22:32 Now historically, when did the former rain fall? 22:36 It fell at when? Pentecost. 22:38 What happened on the day of Pentecost? 22:40 What happened then? 22:42 3000 were baptized in one day. 22:46 The former rain was what? 22:48 Moderate. 22:49 If 3000 were baptized in a single day here in 22:55 Thompsonville, would you think that was a moderate outpouring 22:59 of the Holy Spirit? 23:01 If 3000 were baptized in one day in your church, 23:06 would you think it was moderate? 23:08 Not at all. 23:10 The early rain is moderate in comparison to what is coming. 23:18 The early rain is moderate in comparison to what is coming. 23:23 The earth will be lightened with the glory of God. 23:28 The prayers that God's people have offered for centuries, 23:32 the Bible studies they've given for centuries, 23:36 the evangelistic meetings that they've held, 23:39 the seeds sown by all of the TV and radio networks, 23:46 all of that is going to come to harvest. 23:50 All of that is going to come to harvest. 23:53 Pentecost will be repeated on a grander, 23:57 Pentecost will be repeated on a larger scale. 24:02 God is going to pour out His Spirit. 24:06 What does the song say? 24:07 Bless His name. 24:10 Look at this reference that confirms this point. 24:13 Great Controversy, page 611. 24:34 Will we see Pentecost again? 24:37 Will it be on a grander scale? 24:39 Will it be on a larger scale? 24:41 Are you looking forward to that day? 24:44 Look as we continue to read, Great Controversy, page 612. 24:47 "Servants of God..." Who's that? 24:49 "Servants of God..." Who is that? 24:51 It's you and me. 24:54 Why are their faces lighted up? 24:56 They're filled with the Holy Spirit. 25:12 Yes, there will be a counterfeit revival, 25:14 but I thank God that Jesus' power is greater 25:18 than the devil's. 25:19 I thank God that what Jesus is going to do is more magnificent 25:23 than the devil. 25:25 It is more splendid than what the devil is going to do. 25:27 That we are living on the verge of very incredible things 25:32 all over the earth. 25:34 God's light of truth will shine. 25:37 You know, it's one thing to recognize the counterfeit. 25:45 I long for that genuine outpouring. 25:48 I long for God to do something special in my life 25:51 and for God to do something special in His church. 25:55 Do you long for the genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit 26:00 in your life and in the life of the church? 26:04 What is holding back this coming revival? 26:08 Why didn't the Holy Spirit come in the fullness of His power 26:14 and latter rain power before? 26:16 Now don't misunderstand. 26:18 Since Jesus ascended to heaven, 26:20 the Holy Spirit as a promised gift has been 26:23 present with His people. 26:25 And God's Spirit has been manifest down through 26:28 the centuries for the last 2000 years. 26:31 But although that is true, it does not negate the 26:35 reality of the fact that just before the coming of Jesus 26:40 there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit 26:43 to finish God's work on earth that is unprecedented 26:48 in human history. 26:49 What is heaven waiting for? 26:52 Why is it that the Holy Spirit in latter rain power 26:56 was not poured out previously? 27:00 Ellen White, in First Selected Messages, page 121, says... 27:14 Now notice, the revival is the greatest of all our needs, 27:18 and it is the most urgent of all our needs. 27:22 To seek this should be, what work? 27:25 Our first work, our top priority. 27:28 I am told that in Scotland, in the banks of Scotland, 27:33 there are 40 million pounds, that's about 60 million dollars, 27:41 of unclaimed deposits. 27:44 In other words somebody dies, leaves money in their will, 27:49 nobody has claimed it. 27:51 I wonder if they're donated to our TV ministries. 27:55 I wish I knew how to access that 60 million. 27:58 I think I know how I could use it a little bit in God's work. 28:03 But think of it. 28:04 Scottish banks, 60 million dollars or there about 28:09 depending on your exchange rate, of unclaimed deposits. 28:15 I wonder if the Holy Spirit is an unclaimed deposit 28:20 in the bank of heaven. 28:32 Does God have something for you that's incredibly amazing? 28:38 What are the prerequisites for receiving the latter rain? 28:43 Let's look at a few of them this morning. 28:46 How can you and I be filled with the Holy Spirit? 28:50 Because the dispensation that we now live 28:53 according to the One who had divine insights from God, 28:57 and I'm quoting, "The dispensation that we now live 29:01 is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit." 29:05 This is the time for the latter rain. 29:07 We need not wait for some time in the future. 29:11 What are the prerequisites? 29:17 That's pretty simple, isn't it? 29:18 Here it is, Zechariah 10 verse 1. 29:20 Let's read it together. 29:26 Zechariah the prophet says, "Ask the Lord for rain 29:30 in the time of the latter rain." 29:32 Review And Herald, August 25, 1896. 29:34 Read it together with me from the screen. 29:46 Are you praying for the Holy Spirit in your personal life? 29:50 Are you praying that the Holy Spirit will indeed 29:54 touch your life? 29:55 Are you seeking, not simply for a few drops of showers, 30:00 but are you seeking daily for the baptism of the Holy Spirit? 30:03 Jesus respects us so much that He will not pour out His Spirit 30:09 upon our hearts when our hearts are in Laodicean complacency 30:13 and we do not long for that extra power of the Spirit. 30:18 Are you praying for the Holy Spirit 30:20 and the outpouring in a mighty way in your own life? 30:23 Are you seeking the Holy Spirit? 30:25 Do you long for greater power in witness for Jesus? 30:29 Do you have a prayer group that you're meeting with 30:31 to seek God for the outpouring of the latter rain 30:35 in the Holy Spirit? 30:37 Do you have two or three people, prayer partners... 30:45 There are churches in North America, Adventist churches, 30:48 where if you would go there at 8:30 in the morning, 30:51 you'd see little groups. 30:53 Three over here, five over there, six here. 30:56 They're praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 30:58 They're praying that God will come down on the preacher 31:00 when he preaches that day. 31:02 That the Spirit of God will be transformational 31:05 in that service. 31:07 My wife and I visited the largest Seventh-day Adventist 31:10 Church in the world in Shenyang, China. 31:14 3500 to 4000 people meet every Sabbath. 31:18 6000 members of that church. 31:20 The 2000 that are not in that mother church are 31:23 meeting in smaller churches that are under that mother church. 31:27 My wife and I sat with the pastor of that church. 31:30 And my wife asked, "What is the key to your power here?" 31:36 And she said, "Oh sister Finley, we meet at 4:30 in the morning 31:44 every day of the week to seek the baptism and power 31:47 of the Holy Spirit. 31:49 Then she said, "Oh sister Finley, 31:52 It's not that we meet every day. I should correct that. 31:57 On Sabbath's, we don't come at 4:30. 32:01 We come at 6:00 in the morning because we're going to be at 32:04 church all day." 32:06 My wife said, "Well, why 4:30 in the morning? 32:08 Why don't you meet at 8 or 9 or 10?" 32:11 The pastor said, "We have busy professionals in our church. 32:15 We have young people that are university students 32:18 in our church. 32:19 And on any morning that you would come, 32:22 there would be scores of prayer groups in this church 32:27 praying that God will give us the Holy Spirit in abundance." 32:31 On the Sabbath, we sat in that church. 32:34 On Sabbath afternoon I was preaching in another 32:38 Chinese church in the morning that had 2000 members 32:41 in the same city that this one has 6000 members. 32:46 And so I came in the afternoon. 32:48 3500 people were there in the afternoon. 32:51 When the pastor made an appeal for baptism 32:54 and the people had to be in her baptismal class 32:57 for a year, they had to study 28 Adventist doctrines. 33:00 I mean, she made an appeal for baptism. 33:03 300 people came forward in the church that morning. 33:07 We saw the Holy Spirit falling. 33:12 Another pastor in China, an Adventist pastor, 33:14 is the pastor of 20,000 members scattered 33:17 in a variety of churches. 33:19 They had a baptism. 33:21 And they baptized for 3 days straight, and they baptized 33:24 between 2000 and 3000 people. 33:28 The latter rain of the Spirit of God can empower us 33:34 to do more than we can imagine. 33:36 But the outpouring of the Spirit... 33:38 And for you, it may not be 4:30 in the morning. 33:41 It may be 6:00, it may be 7:00, it may be 8:00. 33:44 But some time in that day, you are on your knees praying, 33:49 "God, send Your Holy Spirit in a powerful measure." 33:54 1903 to 1906 was the great Welsh revival. 33:57 Every revival in the history of the world 34:01 has been characterized by two things; 34:03 prayer and the study of the Bible. 34:05 1903, Evan Roberts was 16 years old. 34:09 He was in Wales. The churches were largely dead. 34:12 The churches had very few people coming. 34:15 You'd have these large Welsh cathedrals; 5 people, 10 people. 34:19 Evan Roberts was 16. He was the son of a miner. 34:22 And he began to pray, "God, send a revival in my life. 34:25 God, send a revival in my life. 34:27 God, baptize me with the Holy Spirit." 34:30 He prayed for 6 years. 34:32 And in 1903, he came to his home church, the Moriah Chapel. 34:38 And there was a youth meeting. 34:40 And he began to share with those young people 34:41 what God did in his life over that last 6 year period. 34:45 How God had reawakened in his life a new spirituality. 34:49 How God had filled him with the Holy Spirit. 34:52 Other young people knelt and committed their life to Christ. 34:55 Other young people made a decision to follow Jesus. 34:58 A youth revival broke out in that church. 35:01 These young people went to other churches in Wales 35:03 and shared what God had done in their life. 35:06 Prayer groups were organized, 35:07 Bible study groups were organized. 35:09 In a 6 month period in Wales in that tiny country, 35:13 there were a 100,000 converts. 35:16 The Welsh revival had such power that the saloons and bars 35:21 were shutdown on Saturday nights because they had 35:24 too little liquor that they were selling and it was 35:27 costing them more to stay open. 35:29 So they opened for prayer meetings. 35:31 In the London Times, there was an article that talked about 35:34 one particular bar, they call them pubs in England, 35:37 that only sold $1.86 worth of alcohol all night, 35:42 but yet the lights and the salaries were more. 35:45 So they thought they could do better if they opened it up 35:48 for a prayer meeting and took an offering. 35:50 I think that's a good purpose for those bars, 35:52 isn't it; prayer meetings and offerings? 35:55 The judges would open their Bible in the courtroom 35:58 during the revival and give a Bible study and an appeal 36:02 to the criminals to give their hearts to the Lord. 36:04 Three times a day, the schools would have prayer meetings. 36:07 Now there was one major problem in this revival, 36:09 and this is what it was. 36:11 The miners no longer cursed at the pit ponies, 36:14 so the pit ponies in the mines would not work. 36:17 And so the pit ponies needed to learn a new language 36:21 because the miners weren't cursing at them anymore. 36:24 Revival affects what you eat, it affects what you drink, 36:27 it affects how you speak. 36:29 How did that revival start? 36:32 By a young man, Evan Roberts, seeking God. 36:36 If you want revival, that begins on your knees. 36:39 There are some people who say, "Oh, I wish the church 36:41 would be revived. 36:43 The church is in apostasy." 36:44 Oh bless your soul. 36:46 Get on your knees and pray that you'll be revived. 36:49 Because revival always begins with one man. 36:51 It begins with one woman. 36:53 It begins with one boy, it begins with one girl. 37:00 A heart that is totally committed to Jesus. 37:02 This is not some ultra perfectionism where you 37:05 never make a mistake. 37:06 But it is where your heart is totally committed to Jesus. 37:16 When all they want is to please Him. 37:18 When they do not venture on Satan's ground. 37:21 When they say, "God, in my heart I long to please You." 37:25 I love John 8 verse 29. 37:27 It's one of my favorite passages in the Bible. 37:28 Let's read it together. 37:40 I repeat this text hundreds of times 37:43 throughout the week and the month. 37:45 "I do always those things that please Him." 37:48 God give me an undivided heart. 37:51 God, give me a heart that it totally, completely, absolutely 37:56 consecrated to You. 37:59 Jesus prayed in Gethsemane... 38:04 You know, I say to Jesus, "Lord, help me not 38:06 venture on Satan's ground. 38:08 Help me not go on Satan's territory." 38:10 I went on Satan's ground one time. 38:12 I was taping for It Is Written television. 38:15 And I ventured on Satan's ground. 38:18 Have mercy. 38:20 God did have mercy on me. 38:21 Here's the story. 38:23 We were taping at Pergamos. 38:25 And there in the book of Revelation on Pergamos, 38:28 it talks about the altar of Satan. 38:31 And we were in front of an iron fence. 38:36 And we were taping it. 38:37 You know, television producers have interesting 38:40 ways about them. 38:41 And they said, "Mark, you're taping about compromise. 38:45 You're taping about the need to stand true. 38:48 Climb over that iron fence, climb up on Satan's altar. 38:51 It'll be a great shot for the cameras." 38:54 There was a little sign that said, "No trespassing." 38:59 I neglected the sign, climbed over the iron fence, 39:02 climbed up on the altar of Satan. 39:05 That is in Turkey. 39:06 You know, Pergamos, the seven churches; 39:08 Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira. 39:10 So I was there at Pergamos. 39:11 We were doing a series on the seven churches. 39:13 I went out on the rocks on this altar. 39:16 I was going from one rock to the other. 39:17 Kind of the ruins. 39:18 I put my foot down and right there by where that pulpit is, 39:21 there was a nest of vipers. 39:25 This is no preachers exaggeration. 39:27 I mean, vipers about this long. 39:30 And one of them curled his head, diamond shaped head, 39:34 green viper, and he went, "ssst." 39:36 I will tell you, I don't think I have ever 39:39 been as scared in my life as I was on the altar of Satan. 39:42 I jumped, ran, came over the fence. 39:46 My producer said, "Pastor Mark, we didn't get the picture." 39:49 I said, "You go and I'll get behind the camera, please." 39:54 Wouldn't that have been some headline in the 39:56 Review And Herald? 39:57 "Pastor Mark Finley Killed by Snake on the Altar of Satan" 40:01 If I go down, I'm not going down on the altar of Satan, 40:04 I'll tell you that much right now. 40:08 I said that to say this. 40:11 Never venture out on Satan's territory. 40:15 Never venture out on Satan's territory. 40:18 God will have a group of people with an undivided heart. 40:26 You see, each test God brings to you... 40:35 The issue is not diet. 40:39 It's what's in your heart. 40:40 The issue is not dress. 40:42 It's what's in your heart. 40:44 In other words, if you are tested on the area of dress, 40:49 if you're tested on the area of diet, 40:52 if you're tested on the area of amusement, 40:54 if you're tested in the area of criticism or gossip, 40:58 the external manifestation of the thing that you're tested on 41:04 is a revelation of whether you're willing to surrender 41:07 everything to Jesus. 41:11 God gives us tests so that we will know 41:16 what's in our hearts. 41:18 And if we cling to the thing that His Spirit points out 41:22 in our life is wrong, He reveals to us 41:27 that we love the thing more than we love Him. 41:30 But when we say, "Jesus, I'm giving that thing to You, 41:33 because I have an undivided heart. 41:35 And Lord, all You need to do is show me what pleases You, 41:39 and I want to do it. 41:41 And show me what doesn't pleases You, and I don't want to do it." 41:44 Spiritual power comes when you have an undivided heart 41:48 and you're linked to the Source of unlimited power. 41:53 Testimonies, volume 8, page 19 says, read it with me please. 42:16 There is no limit of what God wants to do through you. 42:19 No limit to the usefulness of the one who puts self aside. 42:24 When God brings us up to those tests, 42:26 we say, "Jesus, I thank You." 42:28 The third prerequisite for the reception of the Holy Spirit. 42:33 Every great revival comes when people pray, 42:37 when they have an undivided heart, 42:38 when they saturate their minds with the Word of God. 42:41 Go back to the New Testament, revival in Pentecost. 42:45 Jesus saturated the minds of the disciples 42:48 with the Old Testament; He quoted it. 42:49 They constantly, if you read the gospels, 42:52 quote after quote from the Old Testament. 42:54 A revival in Acts based on the Word of God. 42:57 Go to the reformation; the Word of God was central. 43:00 Go to the great Wesley Methodist revivals; 43:02 the Word of God was central. 43:03 The Welsh revival; the Word of God was central. 43:05 You go to the early Advent history and the great revival 43:09 in the 1800's, the great second advent awakening; 43:12 the Word of God was central. 43:13 There are some so-called, quote unquote, 43:16 "so-called" revivals today that are hyped up. 43:19 A lot of music, a lot of emotionalism, 43:21 but there's not much deep Bible study at all. 43:25 Not much deep Bible study at all. 43:27 I say to you today that the genuine revival that 43:30 comes from heaven's sanctuary, the genuine outpouring of the 43:34 latter rain, will come when people are praying, 43:37 will come when people are seeking God. 43:39 It is a revival that is rooted in God's Word. 43:49 There is no instant revival. 43:51 There are no shortcuts to revival. 43:54 Some people want a shortcut to revival. 43:56 We live in an age where there's an instant everything. 43:58 You take a baked potato. 43:59 You put the baked potato in a microwave oven. 44:02 You stand back and you push it. 44:04 And normally the baked potato would take you... 44:07 I don't know how long. 44:08 Ladies, how long does a baked potato take to bake? 44:10 I don't bake, my wife does. How long? 44:12 An hour, okay. 44:13 You put that thing in the microwave. 44:14 You pierce it a couple of times with the fork. 44:17 And you stand back and you put the microwave on 3 minutes. 44:20 You say, "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. 44:22 I've got something to do." 44:23 I mean, it's an instant everything today. 44:25 People think that they can have instant Christian experience. 44:29 There is no way for an instant Christian experience. 44:31 The Holy Spirit is poured out in revival power 44:34 as we kneel before Jesus. 44:37 If we open the Word, Psalm 119 verse 25. 44:45 Psalm 119:28 44:52 Psalm 119 verse 81. 44:59 The Word of God is central in revival. 45:02 The foundation of revival is God's Word. 45:04 And I will say to you very plainly with no apology. 45:08 If you are not spending time in the Word of God, 45:12 you will have a superficial complacent religious experience. 45:17 Revival comes as I open my heart in prayer. 45:21 Revival comes as my heart is undivided. 45:23 Revival comes as I saturate my mind with God's Word 45:35 What do you say? 45:38 The fourth prerequisite is to... 45:42 If you're praying and studying the Word, 45:44 if your heart is undivided, you will long to have 45:46 positive relationships with anybody else. 45:48 If there is bitterness in your heart or jealousy in your heart, 45:51 if there is anger in your heart. 45:53 When a church is filled with discord, it will not have 45:58 the Holy Spirit's power for revival. 46:00 When there's argument on the church board, 46:01 when there's conflict between pastors and members, 46:04 when there's conflict between the elders, 46:05 conflict among deacons. 46:07 You know, we see that revival take place in Acts chapter 2. 46:11 The Bible says... 46:16 What does that "one accord" mean? 46:18 They were all together. 46:19 Now unity does not mean uniformity. 46:22 Unity does not mean we're all going to think the same. 46:24 Unity does not mean that we are all going to 46:28 view things the same. 46:29 Unity does not mean that we won't have 46:32 our different opinions. 46:33 Unity doesn't even mean that we're all going to see 46:35 every truth in the Bible the same. 46:39 When you look at the disciples, they had 46:40 different personalities. 46:42 James and John, there was Peter, there was Andrew and Phillip, 46:46 And you know, James and John, the son's of thunder. 46:48 Thomas had a tendency to doubt, and Phillip was reflective, 46:51 and Matthew was very exact. 46:53 And Peter spoke sometimes before he thought. 46:56 You know, how would you like to have a church board like that? 46:58 I mean, with Peter who speaks before he thinks at times, 47:01 and Matthew who writes everything down, 47:02 and Phillip who's reflective and you never know 47:04 what he's thinking, and James and John; 47:06 if things don't go their way, they kind of burst off 47:08 in the son's of thunder. 47:09 And you say, "How do you know that that's my church board?" 47:12 Well, um... 47:13 You know, Jesus did not lead them 47:16 to deny their personalities. 47:18 He didn't. 47:20 Unity is not uniformity. 47:21 We're not always going to see the same. 47:23 But here's what unity is. 47:24 We're unified in Christ. 47:27 Christ has broken our hearts. 47:30 Secondly, we're unified in the biblical message of truth 47:34 and its fundamentals. 47:35 There may be some things we see differently. 47:38 But the fundamentals of truth, we're unified in. 47:41 And thirdly, we are unified in a divine remnant church 47:46 that we believe is the messenger of God for this earth today 47:50 that will take the gospel to the world. 47:52 What really unifies us is Jesus, His Word, 47:56 His church, and His mission. 47:59 And we are unified on the mission. 48:05 They may have had their differences, 48:07 but this overwhelming passion drew them. 48:10 Notice Testimonies, volume 8, page 21. 48:32 Oh Jesus, help us put away bitterness. 48:35 Help us put away conflict between us. 48:37 May the barriers be broken down. 48:39 Help us put away dissension so You can pour out Your Spirit. 48:43 May there be unity in God's church, 48:46 unity among the ministries, 48:47 unity among the churches, 48:49 unity among the conferences, 48:51 unity among the people, so we focus on the one thing. 48:54 I don't want to spend any energy arguing. 48:56 I don't want to spend any energy debating. 48:58 Do you? 48:59 I want my energy to be given to spread the gospel 49:03 of Jesus in the last days. 49:04 What do you say? 49:06 Praise God, praise God. 49:07 Do you know somebody that you need to forgive? 49:10 Somebody that has hurt you or brought you pain. 49:13 Think of Corrie ten Boom. 49:16 You know, Corrie ten Boom was in a German prison camp. 49:19 And there her sister died. 49:24 When Corrie ten Boom came out of the prison camp, 49:28 she preached all through Germany about the need 49:31 to forgive people who don't even deserve their forgiveness. 49:35 And she said this. 49:37 She established a home for people who had 49:40 been in prison camps. 49:41 And she said, "As I've talked to thousands of those that 49:44 could not get over their bitterness, anger, 49:46 and resentment, those people never healed." 49:50 If there's somebody in your life that has hurt you once, 49:54 don't let them hurt you again by harboring bitterness 49:57 in your heart toward them. 50:00 Coming to Jesus. 50:03 Four prerequisites. 50:05 The Holy Spirit is poured out on those 50:08 who have an undivided heart. 50:11 The Holy Spirit is poured out on those who pray. 50:14 The Holy Spirit is poured out on those who are able to say, 50:19 "I forgive you," even before the person asks for forgiveness. 50:25 The Bible says in Romans chapter 5 and verse 8, 50:29 when we were enemies Christ died for us. 50:34 Oh Jesus, fill my heart with the desire to pray. 50:39 Fill my heart with a desire to study Your Word. 50:42 Oh Jesus, give me an undivided heart. 50:45 And may the spirit of forgiveness just flow through 50:50 my life. 50:51 May I be able to reach out my hand to every brother 50:54 and every sister and say, "Yes, I forgive you." 50:57 May you be able to reach out your hand to those that have 51:00 hurt you, those that may not even desire it. 51:03 If you're watching by television, maybe somebody 51:04 hurt you deeply and you feel badly about it, 51:08 there's a bitterness or anger in your heart, 51:10 tell Jesus, "Lord, I don't want anything in my heart. 51:13 I want to extend the forgiveness of Christ." 51:15 Here's the fifth prerequisite. 51:17 The latter rain will fall on a praying church, 51:20 a Bible studying church. 51:22 It will fall upon a church with members who have 51:25 undivided hearts. 51:27 And it will fall on a forgiving united church. 51:31 But there's a fifth prerequisite 51:32 that the latter rain will fall upon a church that is 51:35 actively in labor for others. 51:38 Now is the time to share Jesus' love and grace with others. 51:42 Look, would God pour out His Holy Spirit on us 51:46 to witness to others if we have no interest in witnessing? 51:50 If I am not witnessing today, why is God going to 51:54 give me the latter rain power to finish His work 51:56 to witness if I have no interest in witness? 52:00 It is now time... 52:05 It's now time to say, "Jesus, I want to 52:06 get my priorities straight. 52:08 Jesus, You put me on earth for a reason. 52:10 Jesus, I want to witness of Your love and power to others." 52:14 I love that old hymn, I Surrender All. 52:17 You know, the first line goes like this. 52:19 All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. 52:23 I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. 52:30 You know, that hymn was written by J.W. Van DeVenter. 52:37 It was written in 1896. 52:40 And Van DeVenter was a very prominent artist. 52:44 And he had a future in art. 52:46 He was going to make a lot of money. 52:48 But there was something in His heart that was tugging at him. 52:53 This nagging desire to go into ministry. 52:57 He got on his knees and began to pray. 52:59 He opened the Bible and he began to study. 53:02 He said, "Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit. 53:04 Give me direction, meaning, and purpose 53:06 in my life." 53:09 And as he was praying, words came into his heart and mind, 53:13 "Make a full surrender." 53:15 He opened his eyes and began to write these words; 53:18 All to Jesus I surrender, 53:20 all to Him I freely give. 53:23 I will ever love and trust Him. 53:28 As he wrote those words, he made a decision. 53:31 "I will not follow the lucrative profession as an artist. 53:37 I will go into ministry." 53:40 Is God calling you to make some decision 53:42 with some habit in your life? 53:44 Is God calling you to make some decision 53:46 to enter into His service in some way? 53:49 Is God calling you to a deeper prayer life? 53:51 A deeper Bible study life? 53:53 What is God's call in your heart? 53:55 Let's stand together, wherever you are, 53:58 here in this audience, let's stand together. 53:59 Sing with Pastor John, all to Jesus I surrender, 54:02 as a prayer. 54:04 This is our prayer, your prayer, my prayer, 54:07 of commitment to Jesus. 54:08 All to Jesus, wherever you are sing it with us. 55:04 Let's sing that next verse together as a prayer. 56:03 We're going to pray. 56:06 Do you long for that day that the Holy Spirit will be 56:09 poured out in abundance and the work of 56:11 God on earth will be finished? 56:12 Do you long for that day? 56:14 Do you long for Jesus to do something special in your life? 56:17 Oh Father, we are so thankful that You invite us 56:23 to a deeper commitment and surrender than we have 56:27 yet thought possible or imagined. 56:30 We open our hearts to You right now. 56:33 Grant to us undivided hearts. 56:36 May nothing be in our hearts that would hinder the 56:38 outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 56:41 Grant us the spirit of Your grace, Your mercy, 56:44 Your forgiveness. 56:46 Help us place our priorities on the one thing 56:49 that really matters; souls won for Your kingdom. 56:52 And Jesus, just now, we thank You so much 56:57 that there is no limit to the usefulness 57:01 of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working 57:05 of the Holy Spirit in their life. 57:06 Oh Jesus, our prayer is do it for us and do it now. 57:11 In Jesus' name, amen. 57:15 May the Lord bless you and keep you. 57:17 May His grace shine upon you. 57:18 And as you go, may God give you peace, 57:22 now and forever, and fill you with His Spirit. 57:25 Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17