SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation

Give To SermonIndex
Text Sermons : ~Other Speakers M-R : Revival Messages : A New Pentecost Is To Be Expected

Open as PDF

A New Pentecost Is To Be Expected
By Elmer G. Klassen

The time of dominance over the lives of most Christians by Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman and Anglican priests is fading. The rapid decline of church attendance in these and mainline Protestant churches is a strong indication that authority is being taken from church hierocracies who want to speak for the church but are not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Formalism, liberalism and hypocrisy of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have taken root in many of these churches and they are therefore no longer recognized as true churches by the masses of the people. The decay of morals and the disrespect of God’s laws worldwide can be credited in a large part to the failure of churches with a Pentecost. The rejection of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Word of God has caused many of these churches to cease being the Church of Jesus Christ.

The rejection of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Word of God, replacing them with the philosophy and psychology of this present age is also affecting the evangelicals of North America. We have not only omitted the day of Pentecost from our calendars but this day is also being ignored by evangelicals as a time to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. As one who has lived most his adult life in Europe I have been shocked year after year by the arrogant rejection of the Holy Spirit in North America by quenching Him on the day that our forefathers celebrated with much respect and appreciation as Pentecost Sunday. This is an indication that something vital is missing in our theology.

In our bookstores we find many books on prophecy. We are being informed about the coming of the Antichrist, the coming of a world dictator, a worldwide government and of the fulfillment of prophecy which is to prove to us that the coming of Christ is near. We know that Christ's coming is near by reading the Scripture,. not by reading the newspapers. Efforts to knowing when Christ is to return to earth rather than to educate us Who is coming is a very poor stewardship of our time. There are not many books telling us that Christ is coming as a judge and that in this dispensation we are to prepare for judgment day, yet many books encourage us to make effort to combine the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of God rather than to be overcomers of the former.

There are some good books published recently, however, on the coming awakening, the coming revival and the coming of the rapture of the church in preparation for judgment day, but books giving Christians promises of outpourings of the Holy Spirit and giving saints faith to believe that God will hear the prayers for a sweeping national and worldwide revival are still rare. For encouragement to pray in faith and in expectancy it becomes necessary to find old books in libraries that tell us of repeated Pentecosts in church history. If we do not have Scripture to give faith for a new Pentecost, in new outpourings of the Holy Spirit, church growth, in the completion of the Great Commission, then how are we to pray in faith? If we do not expect to be witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit then why pray for revival?

The Bible promises and the Holy Spirit have confirmed that we can expect the coming of supernatural visitations from God in our time such as we read in history books, visitations that not only changed the church but also changed society for generations. We are benefactors of such visitations. Shall we now ignore them because we have been taught otherwise in our seminaries?

There is reason for every committed Christian in our once Western Christian nations to be concerned. We do not lack books, tapes, videos and prophets in our churches who tell us what we are to do. But how often do we hear about promised pentecostal power? The promises of pentecostal days is what we must learn from Scripture. We are promised Pentecostal outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the “last days.” The days of outpourings will be in this dispensation. These days are being promised to “all people.” God wants us to witness these days of “power from on high” upon God’s people. God has promised these special days of power to those who will pray corporately, whose expectations are not of this world. God’s promises are for those who delight in doing what God wants and are prospering in all they do because they love God, His people and have all they need because they are seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. While the nations rage and waste their time in doing what is doomed to failure the saints of God by just asking can expect to inherit the nations.

When we pray for outpourings of the Spirit of God we may also be praying for persecutions. The church has been persecuted in the past because the church has been successful. The church is not persecuted because of strange behaviors but because she is able to do what the world can not do. When the hearts of people are being changed, critics will point to their strange, peculiar actions but it is not the strange phenomenon that disturbs them. It is a church gaining power over the evil one and therefore over people which is causing persecution of the saints.

The Pentecost we read about in the book of Acts was a strange occurrence to the world, but what was so disturbing to the people was the power that was being taken from the religious leaders. The behavior of the Pentecostal Christians in the book of Acts let the world know that there was coming a change in leadership. Someone else was getting everyone’s attention and the control of the people. They feared that it was God, and suddenly new leaders would be speaking for the believers in God. It was now only a matter of time and the religious leaders of that day would be without a job and without their income. Pentecost shifted the authority from the worldy-educated to the Holy Spirit filled leaders. Suddenly the respected and educated authorities were ignored because of their hypocrisy and lack of divine power. The ones who had been with and were obeying the Lord Jesus Christ were the ones who were respected.

A God-sent Pentecost promises to make hypocritical prophets jobless and useless. When the day of Pentecost had fully come it meant a change of leadership for the people of God in Jerusalem and later the world, for Jew and Gentile.

When we pray for Pentecost we are praying for just that. The “Someone” we read about in the book of Acts does His work through Spirit-filled men who are respected as such. They are the ones who desire honorable responsibilities, are the ones who have a good reputation as family men, not new Christians, disciplined, not proud, good stewards, prosperous in what they do and with a great love for God, His Kingdom and God’s people. Pentecost puts such men into leadership of the church. The others are just ignored.

There will be outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the last days such as we read of in the book of Acts and in church history. You have probably studied the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts. On August 13, 1727 there was an outpouring in Germany which has affected much of the world. You may read about it in the book, Power From On High, by the Moravian Evangelist John Greenfield.





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy