让我们只来思想一个差别──最后的成果。一群聚集参加流行音乐会的人，在经历了极度刺激和兴奋的感官后会有甚么结果？我有一位不是基督徒的家人在参加过流行音乐会后对我说：「没错那地方令人感到极度兴奋，但当曲终人散后，那种兴奋也就荡然无存。」若把这种感受与五旬节所带来的兴奋和狂热相比较的话，我们看到五旬节的兴奋和狂热是能够流传到其他地方去。

一位美国旧约圣经学者肯特（Charles Foster Kent）说：「在五旬节那天，那种抑制的感觉被释放出来，形成不可抗拒的属灵热潮，标志着全球基督教宣教运动的开始。」我对他这句话有一点补充：「那种抑制的感觉被释放出来，形成不可抗拒的属灵热潮」，这股热情的产生，不是来自环境，而是来自圣灵的浇灌。不过他说：「标志着全球基督教宣教运动的开始」倒是正确的。当神激发起复兴的力量时，那狂热和兴奋涌向四面八方，不仅仅是感染和影响现在，也要影响未来的世代。

「复兴的力量影响现在和未来」

进深研究
诗三十三11，四十五17，七十二5，七十九13；徒二1-21

1. 诗人的见证是甚么？
2. 彼得重新肯定了甚么？

祈祷
神啊，当我因着亲近您而心灵满溢兴奋和热情时，让它流传出去，感染别人。求您让这些感受不要只停留在我的内心，而要转化成为光和能量，好让我可以靠着前行。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。

Heaven-Sent Revival

Day 324

An excitement going somewhere

"One generation will commend your works to another..." (v.4)

Bible reading:
Psalm 145:1-13

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.

11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.[c]

Message

I remind you that the question we are looking at is this: Is revival a manifestation of crowd hysteria? We have seen that though on the surface there may appear to be little difference between the scenes reported at meetings where revival has broken out and the frenzy and excitement observed in many of today's pop and rock concerts, underneath there are great differences.

Let me deal with just one difference - the matter of final outcome. A crowd coming together for a pop concert experiences a high degree of emotion and excitement, but what does it result in? A family member of mine who is not a Christian and who attended a pop concert said to me afterwards: "It was tremendously exciting being there but the trouble is, the excitement doesn't go anywhere." Compare this with the excitement and fervour that was evident on the Day of Pentecost. It was excitement and fervour that went somewhere.

Charles Foster Kent says: "On the Day of Pentecost this pent up feeling broke out into an irresistible wave of spiritual enthusiasm that marked the beginning of the world-wide Christian missionary movement." I have a little problem with his phrase, "a pent up feeling broke out into an irresistible wave of spiritual enthusiasm", for it was not an enthusiasm worked up by circumstances but an infusion of the Holy Spirit. However, he is right when he says it "marked the beginning of the world-wide Christian missionary movement". When God moves in revival power the fervour and excitement goes somewhere - it influences and affects not just the present but also the coming generations.

"Revival power affects the present and future generations"

Prayer
O God, whatever excitement or fervour fills my soul as a result of my contact with You - let it go somewhere. Grant that it might not stay in my feelings but be translated into light and energy by which I might walk. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

Further study
Psalm 33:11; 45:17; 72:5; 79:13
Acts 2:1-21

1. What was the psalmist's testimony?
2. What did Peter reaffirm?

本文英文版权属 CWR 所有，承蒙允准刊载。
背景音乐版权属赞美之泉音乐事工所有，承蒙允准使用。