In light of all that is going on and all that is coming, I truly believe with all of my heart that the people of God — especially leaders of His people — will once again search the scriptures in desperation and will see things they never saw before and cry out for things they’ve never cried out for before.
The fed up are about to pray up.
I’m convinced that this fresh gaze upon the word of God will cause the veil the enemy has placed on the understanding of God’s people to be lifted and they will feel burdened by a longing that desires to see the power of God in operation and the Spirit of God poured out.
I believe that there will be those that will read things like the book of Acts and become agitated over the discrepancy with what they study and what they themselves have never experienced.
I feel as though the people of God are about to be inspired… they’ll come alive inside with hope as they are pierced to the heart by the revelation of truth found in the words they’ll read.
And I believe with all of my heart that we will once again conclude that the Holy Spirit is in fact the church’s greatest need.
His presence alone is the greatest evangelist.
A quick glance at Acts 2 reinforces this fact.
Here’s a concise list of all that transpired when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost:
Uneducated men spoke in languages they were never taught (Acts 2:4).
The cowering were emboldened to preach (Acts 2:14).
Three thousand were saved in a moment (Acts 2:41).
The disciples (new and old) devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching — they were hungry for it and wanted to follow it (Acts 2:42).
They devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42).
They devoted themselves to taking communion (Acts 2:42).
They devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (Acts 2:43).
Many signs and wonders were taking place at the hands of the apostles (Acts 2:43).
The disciples were extremely generous and giving toward one another (Acts 2:44-45).
They were of one mind (Acts 2:46).
They had meals together and met in one another’s homes (Acts 2:46).
They were glad and sincere (Acts 2:46).
They had favor with all the people (Acts 2:47).
God was adding to their number day by day those that were being saved (Acts 2:47).
Dear reader, none of those things were the result of human effort.
We desperately need to understand and see that.
There is no amount of evangelistic effort that can produce such results.
Years of planning and seminars on church growth could not accomplish this.
Entertainment does not carry with it a ‘sense of awe.’
This is the result of the presence of one person: the Holy Spirit.
His presence is attractive.
His entrance seizes the attention of all.
Lest we forget, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh — both saved and unsaved.
When the Lord keeps this promise, the result is a consciousness of God Himself.
The sinner is convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment (see John 16:8).
The saint is given power to be a witness (see Acts 1:8).
Indeed, agitation is stirring within many to see what they read in the scriptures.
It’ll be as though they are reading it for the first time.
Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
Only the Holy Spirit can take what He’s inspired and make it come alive within us.
As a result, there will be many who will no longer wish to continue doing church the way we’ve been doing it.
Pastors and leaders will rather walk away than stay and maintain the status quo.
Truly, their hearts are about to be broken for something new… something that’s real… something that’s been promised.
I truly believe that the people of the Lord will rather be taken up if the Lord does not pour out His Spirit.
That’s the desperation that will characterize this remnant that is awakening.
In the same way that Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die” (see Genesis 30:1), this remnant will cry out, “Give me the Holy Spirit, or take me home now.”
Why?
Because the people of God are beginning to hunger.
They are tired of being barren.
They are wearied by what’s been dry.
They are tired of human effort that yields no lasting change.
They are fed up with the incongruence between what Jesus said was possible and what they themselves live.
But I prophesy this… the barren will sing.
The barren will rejoice (see Isaiah 54:1).
God will pour out water upon the thirsty and streams upon the dry ground (see Isaiah 44:3).
The Holy Spirit will be poured.
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds
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