PENTECOST NOW
And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh: Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also on my menservants and my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls. Joel, Chapter 3, Verses 29-32.
In the past few years there has been much talk about a NEW PENTECOSTAL Revival which will sweep the entire Earth during the end times.
This latter day Outpouring of the Holy Spirit has been prophesied by many prophetic men and women of God. There is no doubt we are on the verge of the greatest Outpouring of the Holy Spirit since the beginning of time. Many souls will be saved and transformed by this Outpouring of God’s Spirit. A new desire to be HOLY will fully enthrall God’s people, and they will seek TRUE HOLINESS as a new lifestyle.
There will be an Outpouring of God’s grace and mercy on a World lost and dying without any hope for the future. People who never knew God will seek to become HOLY when they see the works the NEW PENTECOST brings. A new Holiness movement will sweep areas of the World where people are searching for a REFUGE from the World’s problems. Yes, “there will be a great falling away,” but also a time of Harvest for those who labor in God’s field.
As times become harder and more difficult, many people will seek help from God and call upon His Name. Although it is not the will of God for people to wait until adverse circumstances envelope their lives, He is still a God of grace and mercy. He is willing to accept all who in sincerity call upon His Name. God “does not want anyone to perish.” His grace and mercy endures forever to those who seek and trust in Him, regardless of what they may have done in their past. The scripture says in Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21, that in the end of the age “all who call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Many are the perils that come upon mankind during his sojourning on this Earth. Many perilous times are quickly approaching. These perilous times which are coming will test the faith and courage of ALL who are living on this Earth. God said in the last days He would have to cut the days short or no flesh would be saved. Mark, Chapter 13, Verse 20.
THE NEW RENEWAL
This new Outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be like nothing the modern day Church has ever experienced. This End Time Outpouring will focus mainly on a mixture of God’s Word and Spirit. For years most Revivals have focused on the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Some of these Revivals were somewhat successful, and many healings and miracles were present to prove that God was in the midst of His people. However, many people who attended these Revivals were not introduced to the Manifest Presence of God. The Doctrines of Relationship and Righteousness were less of a priority than earthly pleasures and materialism. Unfortunately, many people fell away because godly living and personal relationship with the Father had not been taught and promoted the way it should have been.
Other Revivals focused on the Presence of God with many signs and wonders, along with healings and miracles. However, preaching the Word of God was not a priority in these meetings. Unfortunately, many who were present in these miraculous meetings did not become rooted and grounded in the faith. Making Disciples and training people how to live a life free of sin was not a priority for most Church leaders. This caused many new converts to fall by the wayside. Being “rooted and grounded in the Faith” only comes through prayer, obedience, and discipleship training. Many Ministers today are failing to preach the WHOLE GOSPEL.
Over the years most churches and church organizations have failed to finish the work they started after making converts. Discipleship, the main ingredient for retaining converts, was not a priority for the majority of these Ministers. Some church leaders fell into the trap of going to great lengths to make converts, but then left them to the ravenous wolves who were waiting to make them disciples of the Devil.
After many Revivals the new converts were left on their own to forage for spiritual food wherever they could find it. Follow up or Discipleship Training was not on their spiritual agendas. Teaching new converts about the most important things in the Kingdom of God such as “righteousness and holy living,” were not as important to them as getting another convert to add to their account. The failed to realize Salvation is just the first step in making disciples.
Equipping and training the Church for the work of the Ministry is supposed to be the SOUL focus of the five-fold ministry. Many ministers have not fulfilled that mandate given by God. If we are not training converts for the work of the ministry, we are not fulfilling the plan and purpose of God for the Church.
Keeping our focus on God and the final redemptive work of Calvary, and finding His plan and purpose for each life, will again catapult the Church into His Presence. If we continue to walk in faith and seek God daily for strength and wisdom, we can be assured God will give us a FIRM foundation to stand upon when everything else around us is falling apart.
A TIME OF PREPARATION
In order for us to be able to endure and survive the tough times which are ahead of us, we must be preparing for them. In order to be prepared for the times which are ahead of us, we must be taught how to live through them without failing our Lord and each other. These coming years are going to be the times which will truly “try the souls of men.” People say “tough times never last, but tough people do.” Unfortunately, many of the tough times which are ahead of us will last until the return of Jesus. Only those who are rooted and grounded in “THE FAITH” and who are totally trusting God will be able to survive these tough times.
God has given us time to prepare for the coming Storm, the Great Tribulation, which we now see on the horizon. As people of God we must not waste the precious time He has so graciously given us to prepare for the unholy days which are ahead. God wants His children to be prepared for these times in order that a Great Harvest of souls can be reached and reaped for His Kingdom.
We need to repent of the sins which so easily beset us, and we must quickly and sincerely do so. The time is coming, and is now here, when deception shall engulf the hearts and minds of all men and women who are not rooted and grounded in Christ and His precepts. We must be about the Father’s business of bringing souls into His Kingdom.
Preparing physically for the coming Storm is a necessity. Even more so however, we need to be getting OUR spiritual house in order. If we fail to prepare mentally and spiritually for the Great Tribulation, all the food, guns, ammunition, medications and other supplies we put away will not help us. We will not survive the onslaught of darkness, destruction and death which is coming if we are not rooted and grounded in faith. God is the ONLY ONE who can carry us safely through these turbulent times.
As His Church our destiny is to be the most influential and powerful force for Righteousness and Faith on this Earth. We are to be HIS Ambassadors and Representatives of the Government of God. However, we cannot fulfill the will, plan and purpose of God’s Kingdom here on Earth without following Christ and making sure we are prepared for what is coming. If we are going to be prepared for what is coming, we MUST find Jesus in all His Power, Majesty and Glory.
In many areas Pentecostal Churches have become spiritually weak and devoid of spiritual power. They like to associate themselves with the Acts Chapter 2 Church, but they have become somewhat lifeless and devoid of true Pentecostalism. The Acts Chapter 2 Church was alive and full of righteous works and powerfull manifestations of the Spirit of God. People were saved daily and received into the church.
Many Pentecostal churches have become New Age bastions steeped in tradition and filled with damnable heresies. The name “Ichabod” (the Glory of God has departed) has been written over the doorposts of many Churches today. Instead of being covered by the Blood of Jesus, the hearts of the congregants also have the name “Ichabod” written over the doorposts of their hearts.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 8.
The Apostle Paul stated that: if men or Angels come preaching another Gospel than he preached, they would be cursed. Doctrines of demons have no place in the church or in the hearts of His people. When doctrines of demons are planted in churches, the churches will themselves become cursed and the Glory of God will depart from them.
Many Churches have introduced Islamic doctrines into their teachings alongside the doctrines found in God’s Holy Word. Unless God’s people repent of their wicked ways and humble themselves before Him, there will be hell to pay. Judgment will surely come for those who have denied the faith and taken up and promoted “another gospel.”
Many Churches which once burned with the Fires of Pentecost have become a habitation of demons and a prison for every foul spirit. Their only hope is to repent of their sins and return to Jesus, their First Love. Only Christ can cleanse them from all unrighteousness and renew an upright spirit within them. Because these congregations no longer fear God, “Ichabod” is written above the doorposts of these Churches and their wayward hearts.
If we are going to experience the coming New Pentecost, we must seek to be immersed in God’s Righteousness and Holiness. We must humble ourselves in prayer and continue to seek and to dwell in the Presence of Almighty God so He can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The people at Camp Creek experienced a New Pentecost because they were asking God to cleanse their hearts and minds. They sought to become “Holy, even as He is Holy.” They fasted and prayed for the Living God to pour out on them His grace, His mercy and His pardon. They were all of one mind and in one accord seeking the PROMISE of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. A “Rushing Mighty Wind” filled the room where they were meeting. Then SUDDENLY they were all transformed and filled with POWER from on High.
If we desire to experience a New Pentecost and be filled with POWER FROM ON HIGH, we can do no less than what the 120 did in the Upper Room or what other believers did at Camp Creek in 1896. People must REPENT of the deadly sins of compromise and their lackadaisical powerless meetings and church services which only help promote selfish ambitions and earthly desires. Only TRUE heartfelt repentance can bring godly changes in a person’s life.