Revival comes only in answer to prayer—prayer that disturbs the peace of paralysis.
The phrase ‘We interrupt this broadcast’ has been used frequently by radio and TV networks when breaking into a program in progress to deliver important news or information. The descent of the Spirit at Pentecost was important news or information. The descent of the Spirit at Pentecost was key to victory in the real war of the worlds, known as the great controversy.
Oh, how we need a repeat of that disturbance today! In these last days, and in preparation for the final crisis, God wants to interrupt your regularly scheduled life with His Holy Spirit, so you begin to really live.
What if the disciples did not wait to be clothed with power from on high? Where would that leave them? Unclothed, in weakness from below! And how many of us start our days exactly like that! All dressed up and spiritually naked! Looking good but without any power to love other people; no power to honor my spouse; no power to properly guide and nurture my children; no power to reflect Jesus in my workplace; no power to do anything but be my weak, unregenerate self.
And the church body is no better off. With all our programs, committees, and policies, if we don’t wait to be clothed with power from on high, we are unclothed, in weakness from below! The scandal is that everyone can see that the ‘emperor has no clothes’! We must have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or we die! We will not be able to give any convincing proofs to each other or the world that Jesus is alive (Acts 1:3)!
How should we wait for Heaven’s divine interruption? Like the disciples did. [Ellen G. White, in her book The Acts of the Apostles, contemplates this waiting time.]
The disciples prayed with intense earnestness for a fitness to meet men and in their daily intercourse to speak words that would lead sinners to Christ. Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship . . .
These days of preparation were days of deep heart searching. The disciples felt their spiritual need and cried to the Lord for the holy unction that was to fit them for the work of soul saving. They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely. They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they claimed the power that Christ had promised.”
- Humbled their hearts in true repentance;
- Confessed their unbelief;
- Intense earnestness for a fitness to . . . lead sinners to Christ;
- Putting away all differences;
- Putting away . . . all desire for the supremacy;
- Christian fellowship (that’s accountability);
- Deep heart searching;
- Felt their spiritual need;
- Cried to the Lord for the holy unction;
- Weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls; and
- Claimed the power that Christ promised.
My friends, heavenly interruptions are preceded by earthly intercessions. This kind of praying taps into God’s agenda instead of ours. And failure to pray this way is why so many Christians live less than abundant lives personally and struggle with a lack of power in their relationships.
Because when Revival is over, when the special spiritual retreat ends, when the sun sets on Sabbath—as the old TV and radio announcers used to say, ‘We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress’—we resume right where we left off! I know because I resume! I resume. And resuming will be the death of us.
That means we’ve got to ditch our old programming and take up Heaven’s programming: a call to prayer that will require time, humility, faith, honesty, death to self, accountability, spiritual hunger, and looking outside of ourselves to the needs of others.”
