Preparing for Times of Refreshing | Stefan Schlogl

Victory Christian Centre, Hutt City, New Zealand

Acts 3:19–21 (NKJV) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

• Peter had just been used by God to work a miracle of healing a lame man who was begging at the temple gate
• A crowd began to gather because of the miracle that just happened
• Peter began to preach to those present about the resurrection of Jesus
• Then he called on everyone to repent and be converted
• He continued saying (if you do), your sins will be blotted out
• Then he prophesied about future events:
o Times of refreshing will come from the presence of God
o And, God will send Jesus Christ (2nd Coming of Christ)
• Jesus Christ had only just ascended to heaven a short while ago
• And as prophesied, He will return to earth to set up His 1,000 year reign

Acts 3:19 (WUESTNT) Therefore repent at once, instantly changing your attitude, and perform a right-about-face in order that your sins may be obliterated, in order that there may come epoch-making periods of spiritual revival and refreshment from the presence of the Lord …

• Peter prophesied times (plural) of spiritual revival and refreshing
• Right throughout the church age, there have been periods of spiritual revival and refreshing “from the presence of the Lord”
• We call these times:
o Revivals
o Outpourings of the Spirit of God
o The former and the latter rain of the Spirit
 The former rain of the Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost
 The latter rain is taking place in these last day before the rapture
 There were periods of intermittent rain for the last 2000 years
• When God’s people repent of their sins, it always brings times of spiritual revival and refreshing
• When times of spiritual revival take place, more people will repent of their sins and get converted

• It is interesting, but many Christians are waiting for god to send revival
• But God is waiting for His people to repent of their sins

• Revivals and times of refreshing are never random acts of God
• Revivals and times of refreshing are always in response to God’s people repenting of their sins and seeking God for His will for their lives

• When John the Baptist came he preached “repentance”
• When Jesus first came, He preached “repentance”
• When Peter first preached, He preached “repentance” (Acts 2:38, 3:19)
• All revival preachers throughout the church age preached “repentance”
o John & Charley Wesley – the Great Awakening (AD. 1700’s)
o Charles Finney - the Second Great Awakening (1800’s)

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

• God says: If My people – those called by My name (Christians)
o Will humble themselves
o Pray
o Seek my face (for His will for their lives)
o Turn from their wicked ways (repentance!)
• I (God) will:
o Hear from heaven
o Forgive their sins
o Heal their land

1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

• Jesus Christ wants to cleanse His church of all stains & wrinkles
• He is leading His church into new levels of holiness

Five sins that prevented Israel from entering the Promised Land

1 Corinthians 10:1–11 (NLT) I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

The five sins were:

• Craving evil things (lusting after evil things)
• Worship of idols (anything that draws our love away from God)
• Engaging in sexual immorality (all sexual activity outside of marriage)
• Putting Christ to the test (contention about water. Is God among us?)
• Grumbling (murmuring & complaining)

Hebrews 12:14 (AMP) Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.

Practical things to do:

• Cleanse our lives of all things that displease the Lord
• Cleanse our homes of all things that displease the Lord
• Forgive everyone who has ever hurt or offended us
• Choose to walk in love towards everyone
• Put God first in our lives (time, talent, treasure)

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

• lay aside every weight
• and the sin which so easily ensnares us
• run with endurance the race that is set before us
• look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith
• consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself
• lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls