从天上赐下的复兴
五旬节──神赐下的规范
经文
使徒行传二5-21
5那时，有虔诚的犹太人从天下各国来，住在耶路撒冷。
6这声音一响，众人都来聚集，各人听见门徒用众人的乡谈说话，就甚纳闷；
7都惊讶希奇说：看哪，这说话的不都是加利利人吗？
8我们各人，怎么听见他们说我们生来所用的乡谈呢？
9我们帕提亚人、玛代人、以拦人，和住在米所波大米、犹太、加帕多家、本都、亚西亚、
10弗吕家、旁非利亚、埃及的人，并靠近古利奈的吕彼亚一带地方的人，从罗马来的客旅中，或是犹太人，或是进犹太教的人，
11革哩底和亚拉伯人，都听见他们用我们的乡谈，讲说神的大作为。
12众人就都惊讶猜疑，彼此说：这是甚么意思呢？
13还有人讥诮说：他们无非是新酒灌满了。
14彼得和十一个使徒站起，高声说：犹太人和一切住在耶路撒冷的人哪，这件事你们当知道，也当侧耳听我的话。
15你们想这些人是醉了；其实不是醉了，因为时候刚到巳初。
16这正是先知约珥所说的：
17神说：在末后的日子，我要将我的灵浇灌凡有血气的。你们的儿女要说预言；你们的少年人要见异象；老年人要作异梦。
18在那些日子，我要将我的灵浇灌我的仆人和使女，他们就要说预言。
19在天上、我要显出奇事；在地下、我要显出神迹；有血，有火，有烟雾。
20日头要变为黑暗，月亮要变为血；这都在主大而明显的日子未到以前。
21到那时候，凡求告主名的，就必得救。
信息分享
过去几天我们谈到到灵性复兴的意思是「苏醒及生活」。大家都知道，任何一个英语单词的前面若有“re”这两个字母，如复兴（re-vival）、复苏（re-animation）或回归（re-turn），它都有「回复」的意思。复兴是基督的教会再次回复神所赐的规范，但是那「规范」是甚么呢？我认为它就如五旬节时所发生的事情一样。
让我们来看看第一个圣灵降临节的情景，那时数以千计的人为了庆祝五旬节而来到耶路撒冷，挤满这个城市狭小的街道。不过，这个国家却处于属灵的低潮期，除了耶稣基督和施洗约翰以外，以色列已经有超过四百年之久没有先知说话。门徒怀着期望，秘密地聚集在一个房子里，等候耶稣十天前所给他们的应许的实现，那应许是：「圣灵降临在你们身上，你们就必得着能力」（徒一8）。然后忽然间圣灵降临了，将原来胆怯的门徒转变成为火热和不屈不挠的人。他们走到街上充满力量的作见证，以致民众迅速与神建立起亲密和令人振奋的关系。那种氛围充满了至尊真神的力量，导致大家感觉到甚么事情都有发生的可能。
这就是每当复兴来临时，教会回转的一个「规范」。事实上，有明显的证据显示，在过去多个世纪以来，很多教会经历复兴时，都会具有五旬节的某些特点。
「圣灵改变了胆怯的门徒」
进深研究
何六1-11；诗八十7，八十五6
1. 何西阿的劝告是甚么？
2. 当神复兴我们的灵性时，有哪两件事情发生？
祈祷
天父，求您赐给我们另一个五旬节，为所有国家和民族打开天上的窗户，倾倒您的能力。奉耶稣基督的圣名祈求，阿们。
Heaven-Sent Revival
Pentecost - the God-given norm
Bible reading:
Acts 2:5-21
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[a]
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[b]
Message
We have been seeing over the past few days that revival means "wake up and live". As you know, whenever the prefix "re" is used before a word, as in re-vival, re-animation, or re-turn, it simply means "back again". Revival, then, is the Christian Church going back again to the God-given norm. And what is that "norm"? I suggest it is nothing less than what happened on the Day of Pentecost.
Picture the scene with me on that first Whitsunday. Thousands of people fill the narrow streets of Jerusalem, drawn to the city for the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost. Spiritually, however, the nation is at an all-time low. Except for Jesus and John the Baptist, no prophet has spoken in Israel for over 400 years. The disciples are gathered in a house in secret expectancy, waiting for the fulfilment of the promise which Jesus had given them ten days earlier. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8).
Suddenly the Spirit comes and transforms the timid disciples into men who are ablaze and invincible. They in turn go out into the streets and witness in such a powerful way that multitudes are swept into a close and thrilling relationship with God. The very atmosphere is impregnated with divine power to such an extent that one feels anything can happen.
This was the "norm" and this is what the Church returns to whenever a revival comes. Indeed, there is clear evidence for the fact that every revival that has taken place over the centuries the Church has been in existence contains some feature of the Day of Pentecost.
"The Spirit transforms timid disciples"
Prayer
O Father, give us we pray another Day of Pentecost. Open the windows of heaven over all countries and all nations, and pour out Your power. In Christ's Name we ask it. Amen.
Further study
Hosea 6:1-11
Psalm 80:7; 85:6
1. What was Hosea's exhortation?
2. What 2 things happen when God revives us?
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