Revival and Persecution arrive together. What caused the early Church to expand beyond Jerusalem? How did this Pentecostal Fire 2000 years later, reach you and I? The persecution of the early church caused the greatest missionary revival ever seen. Without this persecution, the early church would’ve stayed in Jerusalem, instead it compelled it to go into all the world.
The Person of Jesus
Jesus is coming soon! What is happening now, in the very words of Jesus, are the signs and the evidence of the times immediately before His Return. God knows what is happening here on earth. He is not distant or remote. The only lasting peace will be when Jesus returns. When we look at the horror of war, it is easy to give into despair. But, JESUS IS COMING BACK! And I believe this must be very soon.
Living in fulfilled prophecy
Prepare the Way of the Lord
The Coming Kingdom!
Through Christ we are receiving a Kingdom which is unshakable. But what is this Kingdom? In the Gospels Jesus begins to describe something that is mysterious, unknown – but yet it is a Kingdom that we are to be part of. He said, His Kingdom is ‘not of this world’ – it’s true. The Kingdom will not come with observable signs, nor can we say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ Paul says, 1 Thessalonians 5.1ff, “Of the times and the seasons you have no need that I write to you, for you know that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they say ‘Peace and safety’, sudden destruction shall come on them, as travail on a woman with child, and they shall not escape.” So the final moment of the return of Christ is sudden and unexpected. As Jesus said, there’ll be two in a bed, two in a field – two in a factory – one taken, the other left. That’s how sudden it will be, even for the believer.
Signs of the times - Be not afraid the Kingdom of God is near
I want to speak encouragement to you, because difficulties we are all living through due to Covid, but not only that, in the last few months there’s been very serious flooding in Britain, and even worse in Germany and Holland – unprecedented. And massive floods in China, which they claimed were the worst in a thousand years. On the other side of the world in America, vast fires in Oregon, out of control, smoke so dense you could hardly see. And the same in Siberia! It does look as if there are strange things happening. But I want to turn you to Luke 21. Jesus said, “When you hear of wars and commotions, don’t be terrified!”
The Day of the Lord
In 1 Thessalonians 5.2-3, the Apostle Paul writes, “You know perfectly that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes on them as travail on a woman with child, and they shall not escape!” We know this, the Lord’s Coming is as a thief in the night. Ah, but, look how Paul is putting it here. We have to be prepared, we have to be ready, we have to prepare… Because in v4, Paul says, “YOU, brethren, are NOT in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief!” Paul is saying, as far as the world is concerned, the Coming of Christ will be a sudden unexpected happening – but you, brothers and sisters in Christ, should not be in such darkness that the Coming of the Lord will overtake you as a thief! The suddenness of the Coming of the Lord is a shock to the world, but not so to the Believer, who should be expecting it.