Ignite 3/24 - Revival: Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit 

Jesus is revival because when Jesus came; his life, death and resurrection, we see that the demons left, people were healed, hearts were made alive!

Lyle began with talking about God's business being revival and adding people to His family.
Hebrews 2:4 - "While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
Joel 2:28-29 - "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit."
God says that He will pour out his Spirit. In Acts 2, Peter references, but this is not the end, it was the beginning - the Holy Spirit poured out in the upper room.
John 14:12 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
John 17:18 "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world."
Scripture tells us that God has given us his Holy Spirit.

As Lyle continued, he explained what a human being is made up of - Spirit, soul, and body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, Now may the god of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have a spirit so that we can identify with God. We have a soul that is our mind, will, and emotions (our personality), then we have a body. We can easily be caught up in or dominated by our soul, instead of our spirit. We want to be connected in spirit with God.

Jesus told the disciples that it was better that he went away because he would then send the Helper.

When our spirit is dominating, we are in line with what the Lord calls us to. In Acts 8, we see Philip leave the revival that was breaking out because the Lord said to and he went to the chariot and baptized the man.

Lyle shared a story about a friend who rarely cried before he was baptized in the Spirit, but once he was baptized in the Spirit, he cries much more often because the Spirit has reign over his emotions. The Lord tenderized his heart.

John the Baptist was called the greatest prophet. His greatest prophecy and message was found in Luke 3:16 - "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

The word baptism (greek: baptizo) means to immerse, submerge, totally saturate.

Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit. In John 20:20, it says that Jesus breathed on His disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit.

Lyle shared that he believed that the disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit, just like when he prayed the prayer asking Jesus to be his Lord and Savior, he received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But then there is also baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8, Jesus says that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. This means the same thing as baptism. Often in different denominations, the word "baptized" in reference to the Holy Spirit can be poorly received. We see many synonyms throughout Acts: "filled, poured out, received, baptized, full of, the Spirit came upon, the Spirit fell upon".

There were 4 things that the early apostles were about when it comes to salvation.
1. Belief in the Lord Jesus Christ
2. Repentance of sin and turn to God
3. Water baptism
4. Spirit baptism

Jesus is our model - he was circumcised and dedicated in the temple. 
Many people have been baptized as a baby - we don't remember it, but it was symbolizing our dedication to the church. 

Jesus was the only many who didn't sin, but he still went to the river to be baptized by John. When he comes up from the water, the Spirit descends on Him like a dove. The Spirit "lighted" Him. This all happened before he did ministry. Then Luke 4 tells us that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and then was led into the wilderness. In Acts 1:5 Jesus says that John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 

There was a testimony shared about being baptized in the Spirit, then there was a time for people to receive prayer. To listen to the full service, click here. 

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Ignite 3/17 - Revival: Prayer

Revival: Prayer (Greg Schut)

Before any revival, there are people that labor in prayer for it. As we are talking about revival and wanting it to come, we have to first be praying for it. 

Isaiah 30:19 "He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. as soon as he hears it, he answers you." The Lord doesn't need us, but he loves partnership with us. He invites us in to partner with Him in what He is doing. He's the Bridegroom and we are the Bride. When we cry out to Him, He answers. That is one of His promises. 

At Ignite, we sang the song Yes and Amen. The lyrics say "all Your promises are yes and amen". 

Psalm 22:3 says that He is enthroned on the praises of His people. That is a promise! Scripture is filled with His promises. One of them being that He answers our cry! 

Prayer isn't just a checklist of things you need to ask God for. It is dialogue with our Father. It's relationship - communing with Him. He is jealous for us and for our attention, He wants to commune with us. Greg explained that it's just like when he is gone for a few days from his family. A phone call or skype isn't enough, he has a longing to be in their presence and to commune with them. There is a similar longing with the Lord! 

When we pray, we often forget to slow down and simply be with God. We need to listen and take time being in His presence. 

He has called us to be watchmen, to cry out to Him day and night. Isaiah 62:6 says, "On your walks, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth." He wants us to continually cry out to Him. 

James 5: 16-18 says, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with  nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain o n the earth. then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." Elijah was a man - just like us - and look at the testimony of his prayers! 

Greg them moved into a time of prayer with a few volunteers reading from Joel 2, prefaced by a dream that Greg had many years ago. He was at a place where there was karaoke. Greg was in the way back of the room as the next person went up to sing. Before the man began to sing, he said into the microphone "Joel 2" and Greg just began to cheer and jump and yell, feeling as if electricity was shooting through him. Everyone in the room turned around to look at him strangely. This happened three times. When Greg woke up, he knew it was from the Lord. He had never read the book of Joel, so as he began to read, the Lord spoke to him. Joel 2:12, "'Yet even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments;" The Lord wants us to rend our hearts, to come to Him and pour everything out. 

Later in verses 28-29 it says, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour our my Spirit." This is what is to come. He WILL. This is another promise from the Lord. 

For practical tips about prayer leading, Greg shared that it's not something that is practiced and polished, it's simply us praying scripture back to the Lord. Saying that we agree with the Word and that it would be so in our hearts. 

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Ignite (3/10) - Revival: Study of Scripture (Wayne Vermeer)

Revival: Study of Scripture

Wayne started out by sharing about the urgency of the last days before Jesus returns. This is why we need to study scripture and to know Jesus, so that we can stand firm and share what the Word says. 

Scriptures about the importance of the Word:

- Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. 

- 2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by god, ,and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. 

- 2 Peter 1:20 - 21 - No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

- Hebrew 4:12 - For the Word for God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword.

How do I know the Bible is true? "The Bible tells me so" - God's Word is amazing. There are 66 books written by 40 men over the span of 1,500 years with miraculous collusion. The prophecy fulfillment is astonishing - 54 prophecies about Jesus all came true. Taking only 8 of these 54 are all affirmed by history has the odds of 1 in 10^17. How big is that? Texas 5 half dollars deep. Now consider prophecies from both major and minor prophets. Take the prophecies of just Daniel - amazing, incredible odds. Another reason I know that the Bible is true is because I know the author! 

How to study scripture:

- Read your Bible to develop relationship with God rather than knowledge about God. Knowledge will come with the relationship. 

- Read slowly and carefully

- Pay attention to conditionals - converses + contrapositives.

- Understand the difference between "and" + "or". 

- Notice things like adverbs, adjectives, and words like "therefore" + "for".

- Stay away from proof texts - often theologians support their pet teachings with distorting the truth

- Watch the context, avoid pulling scripture out of context.

- Use al pertinent passages to arrive at truth.

- Make your own lists of verses on various topics like baptism as you cover all of scripture.

- Be aware of false premises and false assumptions in developing a teaching or doctrine. 

- Read entire books in one sitting if possible.

- Journal or write as you study scripture.

- Read out loud to involve another sense and deeper comprehension.

- Read various translations (your phone is a great resource for finding other translations!).

- Pray scripture back to God, have conversation with Him concerning scripture.

- Listen to the Spirit as you study different topics. 

To listen to the full teaching, click here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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Ignite 2/17 - Revival: Shifting Atmospheres/Breaking Conformity Pennie Mirande

Steps to Shifting Spiritual Atmospheres

1. Discern - What do you "pick up"/sends/see/hear?

2. Ask - Ask the Lord, "What do you want me to know about this?" What for revelation or understanding.

3. Repent - Repent on behalf of others. Repent also for any way you partnered with it as well. 

4. Release the opposite - Ask God for revelation about what His opposing truth is. Release this blessing over the environment and yourself. Wait for his peace to come.

Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

2 Chronicles 7:14 - "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 - "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ."

Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, please and perfect will. 

Romans 12:2 (Passion Translation) - "Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. 

Psalm 51:7 - "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; was me and I will be whiter than snow."

During the service, there was a powerful ministry time where there was much repentance and release of freedom in this space. You are encouraged to watch or listen to the recording of the service.

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Ignite (2/10) - Revival: Hearing the Voice of the Lord

Revival: Hearing the Voice of the Lord

Lyle Schut shared what the Lord has spoken to him about hearing His voice. 

Malachi 4:5-6  - “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” This was a prophecy about John the Baptist coming. 

400 years later, in Luke 1 we read about Zechariah being visited by an angel, telling him that the prayers Zechariah and his wife had been praying for a child, has been heard, and this child to come would be the one who goes before the Lord. 

In Luke 2, we read about Simeon praying and the Lord spoke that him that he would see the Messiah before he died. How was it that Simeon was able to hear the Lord speak this? He had positioned himself before the Lord.

Then John the Baptist says in John 3:29-30,  ^"The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

John the Baptist was a friend to Jesus, the Bridegroom. The Lord speaks to us out of friendship. He loves us, He is a friend. We shouldn't desire obedience out of duty, it is out of friendship. We can ask the Lord to speak to us out of friendship. 

John the Baptist also positioned himself to hear. He stands to hear him. It's an intentional act to stand. You break out of a slumber position. He stood to hear His voice, he changed position to hear the Lord. Later in Ephesians 6 when we hear Paul talking about spiritual warfare, he talks about standing: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

John the Baptist knew who he was as the friend to the Bridegroom and the one who was sent to prepare the way. 

What if revival looks different that we thought? If it looks like a crazy guy in the desert yelling "Repent! The Kingdom is at hand!" would you go to listen? Will our hearts be hard, or will we be ready with hearts positioned towards the Lord, listening to what He will do? 

To watch the full service, click here. 

To listen to the full audio, click here. 

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Spark Notes (1/20/19) (Mark Vermeer)

Revival: What does it look like to lead someone to Christ? 

Mark began with a passaged from Matthew 9: " Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (35-38).

Mark noted the two words that stuck out to him in this passage: compassion and ask (pray). 

He then explained 4 keys to leading someone towards Christ with those two key words in mind. 

1. I have to know Christ myself. 

"You can lead a steer to water, but you can't make him drink". We can lead someone to Christ, but we can't force them to choose Christ. It has to be our example (more in point 2) that is what leads them to choose Christ. We must know Christ more than "sort of". It must be an intimate knowledge of Christ - relationship - that is an example to others. 

2. I have to demonstrate that there is more. 

We must show compassion in our own hearts. Compassion is love called to action. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. What is born in the heart reaches the heart. It is out of the heart that we love. 

3. I need to be equipped with the proper tools. Scripture is the ultimate guide and play book. It's not something overly complicated - we just need to share the story we have and walk people through the scriptures. 

4. I need to seek out opportunities. Be asking the Lord for opportunities to give witness of His love. Mark led the congregation through an exercise. Each person was given a card and an envelope to write a name on. The name would be someone that each person would commit to praying over for 30 days. They then sealed the envelopes, addressed them with their own addresses and placed them a basket. Sealing the envelop was a symbol of our eternity sealed with Christ. Mark will mail the envelopes to each person in 30 days as a reminder to check in on that person. 

If you would like to participate, think of someone who is far from God that you want to commit to praying over for 30 days. Place their name somewhere that you will remember to pray for them. Pray that they would encounter Christ. Pray that you would be given an opportunity to witness to them. 

If you would like to watch the full service, click here.

To listen to the full service, click here.  

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Spark Notes (1/13/19) (Mark DeYounge)

Revival: How to Share the Gospel - Mark DeYounge

The 5 P's of Sharing the Gospel

Person of God

Proclaiming Christ

Posture of Christ

People to Love

Practical Steps

Person of God

Our inspiration to Proclaim Christ comes from the Person of God. 

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,  the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

The Lord first touched Isaiah, then Isaiah said "Here am I. Send me!". 

It starts with a clear picture of Who God is for Who He Is. Not Who God is for who we want Him to be. 

Jesus continues this notion of who God is. Jesus told many parables about who God is. Luke 15:4-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

God is the kind of God who radically runs after one lost sheep. Jesus is so missional. Isaiah shows us how holy God is, the Jesus embodies who missional He is. 

Our inspiration to share the gospel starts with understanding that God reached out and touched Isaiah. And Jesus ran after the sheep. God is in the business of being a missionary. The mission of God preexisted the Church. 

The gospel of Matthew ends with this: then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We sometimes get stuck thinking we are then sent FROM the presence of God, but we need to remind ourselves that the commission is a great invitation for us to JOIN him. He is already before us and he is inviting us to join him in his redeeming work. 

Proclaiming Christ is not just a means to an end - Jesus isn't just this "golden ticket" that gets us to heaven. Francis Chan puts it this way - "What if you could have all the glories of heaven, but God wasn't there. Would you still want it?" Heaven is so glorious because the person of God resides there! We want to proclaim Christ because we want others to know the person of God. 

Proclaiming Christ 

Romans 10:13-15 says  ^" for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Christ doesn't wait for us to measure up or clean up, but he meets us in our brokenness and gives us his righteousness. 

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come upon them giving them power and they will be His witnesses. Jesus is telling them to go to their every day places, the places they travel, and to even their enemies and tell them the gospel! 

How do we witness? 

Eye witness: Do we testify to what God is doing in our every day life?

Character witness: Do we testify regularly to the various dimensions of God's character? 

Expert witness: Do we testify to what God says in scripture? 

We are called to be faithful with what God has given us. We may not see fruit instantly, but we are called to be faithful in walking in the manner the Lord has called us to! 

Posture of Christ

Christ didn't come to this world to be served, he came to serve. As we share the gospel, are we so inspired by this missionary God, are we willing to give up our rights? Jesus commands us to love one another the way that he has loved us. Are we willing to wash the feet of those around us? The Word (Jesus, the eternal God) became flesh and lived among us. Do we, like Jesus, step towards those who need the gospel? 

People to Love

Sharing the gospel isn't about "winning people to Christ" in the sense that we merely want numbers and see it as a tally mark. It is about truly loving the person so that you have a desire for them to know the person of God.  1 Thessalonians 2:8, "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." We should delight in who they are as image bearers of God.

Practical Steps

1. Write down the name(s) of 1 or 2 or 3 people that the Lord puts on your heart to share the gospel with in the next week. 

2. With those names in mind, how can you bear witness to those people? What is a characteristic of God that you can share with them? (Character witness)

3. What is a verse from the Bible that you can share with that person? (Expert witness)

4. What is something going on in your own life or that you've seen God do in someone close to you's life that you can share with this person? (eyewitness)

5. Take your personal story and consider sharing your own testimony in these four pieces: creation, fall, redemption, restoration.

To watch the full service, click here. 

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