“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” (John 10:10 BSB)
“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 NLT)
“When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:16-19 NLT)
Have you ever gone outside on a clear sunny day and even though it looked like rain was out of the question it smelled like rain was in the air? To me, that is what I am sensing in the “spiritual atmoshere.” Regardless, of what it looks like, I can smell revival in the air.
We are living in a time today that is primed for revival. The Bible gives us a clear picture of what it’s going to look like in days like today in which there are some pretty negative things going on. At the same time, it gives us a picture of hope, the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation.
Jesus didn’t come to condemn, He came to save. He didn’t come to leave things as they were. He came to shake things up for the better. That’s what believers are all about. Those of us who are following Christ are supposed to be all about good news. We are here to share the love of God. We’re here to be delivery workers delivering Heaven’s resources to those in need.
Everywhere Jesus went He met the needs of those around Him. As a result, He was like a Rock Star. He couldn’t find a minute for himself. He had to go to great lengths to sneak off long enough to pray or rest. And when He did, it never lasted long. He had to leave the cities. He couldn’t even go in the cities any more. So many people would throng Him that He had to go out to the wilderness; and they chased Him down!
Why did they do that? Because He came to save. He even had to push off the shore in a boat to speak to the crowds at times to keep from being mobbed. Why? Everybody wanted what He was giving. The only reason that changed at the end of His life, was that many were turned against Him by the jealous religious leaders (this had to take place to fulfill His redemptive purpose). In their insecurity and hatred they spread viscous lies (fake news) and stirred up the crowds through manipulative hype (sound familiar?).
At one point, Jesus was the biggest ticket item on planet earth because He came to save, heal, deliver, set free, and much, much more, and backed up everything He said with powerful actions. He was radically changing lives everywhere He went! As I mentioned, there came a point when He was making such uproar that those steeped in religion just couldn’t take it and started a very effective smeer campaign to bring Him down. That same thing is happening today.
When people start to see Jesus as He truly is, not the watered down face of religion or the distorted image from the media, they will once again run to Him. I know first hand that He is so phenominal that I can’t help but go wild in His presence. He is a Rock Star to me!
If you’re a follower of Jesus today, take your eyes off the negative that is all around and put your focus on the Gospel – the power of God unto salvation (forgiveness, healing, provision, deliverance, peace, joy, etc.). Let’s start showing the world the “real” Jesus and see what happens. I think it will get explosive!
I am convinced that it is time for…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 339: Primed For Revival