Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul. I want to speak tonight on the subject, the church, in the midst of revival. the church in the midst of the Bible, concentrating our thoughts especially on those three verses of scripture. Let's just buy in a further word of prayer before we come to consider God's word tonight and let's pray that God will meet with us and bless his word to our hearts. Father, we pray that thou would let it come. O Lord, we pray thee. Let the showers of blessing fall. Lord, we ask tonight that as we have been waiting, as we have been praying, Thou will come and revive the hearts of all. Write Thy Word upon our souls tonight, Lord. I pray Thou will put Thy Word into my mouth and Lord, fill me with Thy Spirit. Bless our time around Thy truth tonight, we pray. May we be as those who sit at the Saviour's feet. And, O God, wilt thou visit amongst us here tonight and send us days of heaven upon earth. Bless us to this end. Bless every soul gathered in this meeting. Abide with us. Now, Lord, we pray for Jesus' sake. Amen. The subject of genuine revival is one that ought to interest every true believer in Jesus Christ. This is not a theme that is exclusive to ministers. It's not a topic that is reserved for the spiritually mature. It's not something that is just for the elders or church leaders or Christian workers. The promise of God's power and the prospect of God's blessing is something that should excite and interest and appeal to every child of God. That is especially so in days of spiritual declension, when there is evidence of apathy and carelessness towards spiritual things, when there are signs that some have left their first love. When there are indications that the scriptures are neglected and the place of prayer has been forsaken, when professing believers are taken up with the world and are fascinated by the pleasures of sin, when earthly things become more important than heavenly things, then there is a spirit of idleness and the souls of men are not regarded as being precious. When those things appear, Our desires for revival ought to reach fever pitch. The Church of Christ cannot afford to be careless in this matter. Christian, we have a great commission to fulfil. We have a great gospel to defend. We have a great Christ to preach. We have a great multitude to win. We have a great enemy to fight, we have a great promise to claim, and we cannot do it without the power of the Holy Spirit. And therefore we must be earnestly praying, as the psalmist prayed, Wilt thou not revive us again? There must be no doubt in our minds about this matter, that revival really is the need of the hour. The Church of Jesus Christ needs a glorious, supernatural, sudden and mighty intervention of God, whereby we are filled with his Spirit and endued with his power. Nothing but real revival will do in these days. And yet while that truth is undeniable, it's also true that when revival is not a present reality, When we're not living in revival, there is a tendency to forget what real revival is. Despite the fact that history is full of gracious movements of God, despite the fact there have been times of tremendous blessing in the past, we are inclined to forget what revival is and what revival means and what revival produces. We really lose sight of the aspects of revival. I think that has been due in part to the deception of the charismatic movement. This counterfeit system has adopted the terms and the language of scripture, they talk of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they boast of gifts and of renewals and of tongues and they claim this is all in accordance with biblical revivals. But the charismatic deception is a different spurt. It's not of God, and it has led to confusion. And as this melee is ongoing and these claims continue, Christians have lost sight of what revival really is. That's why it's important to study Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2. These verses in these chapters throb with the power of God. They describe the nature of true revival. They burst with divine intervention. They demonstrate the essence and the effect of such a mighty work of God. They outline really for us the principles and the power of a heavenly visitation. And there's no doubt that this revival in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 1 on the day of Pentecost is the greatest revival of all time. No revival was ever so sudden. None so wonderful in its immediate effect and none so lasting in its results as what you have here in Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2. Ernest Baker in his book on revivals in the Bible had this to say, this revival made the apostles, it created the church, it caused its expansion, it inspired the epistles that spread Christianity throughout the whole known earth. And that makes these chapters, Acts 1 and Acts 2, among the most dynamic and among the most dramatic chapters in all of the Bible. If you want to know about revival then read and study and meditate on Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2. I know over the past weeks we have sought to highlight some of the primary lessons from these verses. We have thought about the nature of revival, how it is all of God. We have thought about the responsibility we have in waiting for revival, not passively but actively in prayer. and submitting ourselves to the Word of God and showing a deep concern for the cause of Christ. We've thought about the glorious experience of revival, how God comes and fills his people with the power of the Holy Ghost and empowers them for service. We've thought on how the distinctive feature of revival is preaching and preaching Christ. Then last Lord's Day we thought on the conviction and the conversion of sinners in revival. That's what you have there in verse 37 and 38 of the chapter. It's a chapter that depicts for us the church in the midst of a glorious awakening. I want to come to the closing verses of this chapter tonight and think on that theme, the church, in the midst of revival. What difference will revival make to the church? Notice with me first of all, there are three things I want to draw your attention to. Notice with me first of all the increase of the church in the midst of revival. Every revival of true religion has led in varying degrees to the enlargement of the church of Jesus Christ. When God is pleased to pour out his Holy Ghost and power When God is pleased to fill His servants with unction and answer the prayers of His people and send the Word with authority and clarity, it is inevitable that a saving work will be done in the hearts and the souls of sinners. Preaching Christ in the power of the Spirit of God is God's means of convincing and convicting and converting sinners. And when that happens, souls will be added to the Lord. Revival always makes that impact. Look at verse 40 of this chapter, coming to the conclusion of Peter's message we read, and with many other words that he testifies and exhorts saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation. You ought to note Peter's passion there as he preached. That word testify, with many other words that he testified means to earnestly charge or solemnly affirm. The word exhort means to beseech or to entreat. And I can't help when I think of these words in verse 48 that Peter was absolutely earnest about this particular work. Here's a man and he's preaching for souls. He is preaching as a dying man to dying men. He is giving himself entirely to this work. All of his strength, body, soul and mind is channelled in this direction. He is preaching Christ. with the anointing of the Holy Ghost. And as a result of that preaching, souls were added unto the church. Look at verse 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Now that's a classic example of Christ building his church. and the gates or the councils of hell not prevailing against it." The church was enlarged. The church was added to. The word added there in verse 41 could also be translated by the word increased. The church was increased. It's important to notice here that this was not the work of the apostles. You mark the language of verse 41 very carefully. It's clear that it was God himself who added to the church. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day they were added on to them. It doesn't say the same day they added on to their own number. It says the same day there were added on to them about 3,000 souls. It was the Lord who did the adding. Look at verse 47, praising God and having favour with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. The building up of the church of Jesus Christ is the work of the Lord Himself. Yes, we must pray. Yes, we must preach. Yes, we must watch for souls. We must be evangelistic. We must be zealous in our witnessing for the Lord. But we cannot, by our own strength, add sinners to Christ. We cannot, by our own strength, add sinners onto the Church. We cannot increase the Church by our own efforts. This is God's own sovereign work, and while He does it continually, for the Lord is always adding to His Church, souls here and there, ones and twos, coming to the Lord, He also does it in times of great awakening. And the Church, in the midst of revival, is an increasing Church. when souls are added to the Lord. You'll notice here how suddenly this increase came. Acts chapter 2 records events that took place in one day. I want you to link with me the words of verse 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Mark that little phrase, when the day of Pentecost was fully come. And then look at verse 15. Peter answers those who are suggesting that these apostles who are preaching are men who are drunk. And Peter says, For these are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. It's the same day that's in focus here. Then look at verse 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day they were added on to them about 3,000 souls. In the space of a few hours, God had added to His people. Within a very short time, the ranks of genuine believers had been swollen and it all happened suddenly. That day commenced like any other. The apostles had been waiting in prayer. They were looking for the blessing. They were expecting God to move. But there was nothing to suggest it would come just when it did, when all of a sudden, I'm then taking the language of verse 2 here, when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit came in power and the apostles began to preach and souls were saved and the church was increased, the seal of the day. It was a sudden work of God. That's what you have in Malachi chapter 3 and verse 1, when you have that theme of God moving suddenly for the blessing of his people. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he shall come, saith the Lord. He shall come how? He shall come suddenly. He shall come suddenly. That is the great hope of the church tonight. We often think, how will anything ever change? How long will it take to see unsaved people born again? How long before the Church of Christ is revived? How long before we see the Gospel flourish in tremendous power? How long? And the cry of the earnest Christian is, Oh God, how long must we wait? Listen, believer, God can send revivals suddenly. And those souls that have been prayed for for years, and those souls that have been hardened in sin for many years. Those souls can suddenly be added to the Lord. It happened here in one day. God can move suddenly those sinners that appear so careless and seem so cold and so indifferent to the gospel. those who have been holding out against the Lord, those who have been convinced of sin, maybe even convicted of sin, but have gone out of service after service, still out of Jesus Christ, still unconverted. My friends, listen, suddenly God can move and those very same souls can be added to the church in the same day. God can move suddenly. That's not despair, it only takes a moment. This increase that happens in the midst of revival can come suddenly to the church. Is that not what excites us about the things of God? I know these are hard times, and I know these are barren days, but listen, they can change oh so suddenly. Notice too that this was an extensive and substantial increase, three thousand souls in one day were added to the Lord. I mentioned figures last Lord's Evening regarding revivals and it is estimated that 500,000 souls were saved in America between 1857 and 1859. 100,000 saved during the Ulster Revival in 1859. 50,000 saved in Wales during the same period. tens of thousands saved during the Welsh revival of 1904 and 105 and hundreds of souls won during the revival ministry of W.P. Nicholson and in every case there have been multiple conversions and hundreds of thousands added to Christ. Even with those figures in mind there is nothing to match what happened here in the day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls in one day. Add it to the Lord. No wonder one commentator said revival advances the gospel with amazing swiftness. It's like a fire. It's like a fire that spreads through dry forests. When we were out one, contacting with the Reverend Andrew Foster, he showed us mountains that had been destroyed by a fire that swept over hundreds of acres last year. I made the point to them, why do they not make a channel through the forest to break the fire, take the trees out of it, leave a large space between one set of trees and the other set of trees and make a natural break so the fire can't jump across. He said when the trees heat up in the fire they just burst with an explosion and they carry the flame right across even whatever breaks they have. And the fire just spreads to the next set of trees and right throughout the forest. That's what it's like in revival. The gospel advances with amazing swiftness. It's like the fire that spreads through the dry forest. It's like the rain that comes Not with a drop or two, but in torrential showers. It's like the flood on the dry ground. Multitudes are swept into the Kingdom of God. And believer, is that not what we desire? To see this entire district of ours, never mind the province, But just to see this desire, this district of ours, and multitudes being brought into Christ, and then that spreading like a fire throughout the province, down across the border, right across the nation. My friend, listen, God can do it. God can add on to our numbers men like flocks. He can increase the church. not only suddenly but he can increase the church substantially in a short time. This increase within the church and revival was absolutely genuine. Acts 2 does not record the kind of empty emotionalism that is so prevalent in some religious circles today. These are days of easy believism, days of shallow commitment, days of questionable professions. It's not entirely uncommon, you know, for preachers just to stop with somebody and ask them, would you like to become a Christian? And if the person says yes, just put their hand on their head and have a word of prayer and pat them on the back and tell them, well, on you go, you're saved now. No real work of grace has been done at all in the heart. And there's no experience of genuine salvation. That poor soul goes away out into the world to try and live a Christian life, but it's absolutely impossible for the very simple reason that they've never become a Christian. No work of grace has been done. It's been a very simple, easy believism that has led to a great deception, great trouble, great chaos. in many, many places. That's not what happened in Acts chapter 2. Look at verse 42. Read it in connection with verse 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. There's a public confession of faith in Christ. And the same day there were added on to them about 3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly. How could they have continued in the Christian life if they had never commenced the Christian life? Here are people who are persevering. Why? Because a work of grace has been done. Because they have genuinely separated from their sin and genuinely added to the Lord. And the day of Pentecost was a day of genuine conversions. And a day of great increase for the Church of Jesus Christ. And I long for such a day like that to be here. Is that not what we often think of when we think of revival? Oh, for souls to be added to Jesus Christ. In their scores, not just one or two. We are extremely thankful when God moves in the hearts of one or two. Though what must it be to live in the days of revival when hundreds and thousands are coming to Christ? The church in the midst of revival is a church that increases. Souls were added on to them, about 3,000 of them. Christians pray for revival. Notice the interests of the church in the midst of revival. It says something about the terrible state of Christianity tonight, you know, that it has become very difficult to tell the difference between the world and the Church. These are days when the Church has given itself over to entertainment instead of evangelism, today where it's more concerned for pleasure than for prayer. When its energies are concentrated on earthly things and the heavenly things are left behind. The Church of Christ is so terribly mixed up. Its priorities are askew. That's why you will see churches with big advertisements, barn dance and barbecue. That's why you will see churches with all kinds of entertainment business going on and there's so little living for God and so much living for self and the church in many cases has its interests all wrong. I tell you that's so far removed from the church in the book of Acts. You look at Acts chapter 2 verse 42 here. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread And in prayers, those are the things that interest a church in the midst of revival. If I can bring it down even more personally, those are the things that interest a child of God in the midst of revival. Those are the things that become important to the believer when God blesses him. He's not concerned for the things of the world. He's not concerned for all of the trappings of the flesh. The child of God that knows the blessing of God has a desire to continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. And what's true of the individual Christian knowing the blessing of God is true of the Church of Christ. These are the things that interest the Church when God sends revival. Notice what they are. There's an interest here in the truth of scriptures, the truth of the scriptures. He speaks about the apostles' doctrine. Some Christians have the idea that doctrine is not that important. It doesn't really matter what you believe. It's almost got to the stage where if anyone mentions the name of God, their views are accepted as if it was gospel truth. Doctrines are so often viewed as some kind of stuffy, unnecessary aspect of Christian living. Not so with these believers. That term, the apostles' doctrine, refers just simply to the doctrine that the apostles were preaching, the doctrine they were teaching. And we know that it was based upon the word of God. You read Peter's sermon, you'll find numerous references to the Old Testament scriptures there. These men preached the word. The scriptures of truth when they explained that those things concerning Christ and their ministry was according to the law and to the testimony and therefore their doctrine was sound doctrine and the church here in the midst of revival continued steadfastly in that doctrine. They had an interest to read and to study and to meditate and to learn and to know the scriptures. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. The Bible was paramount to this church. pre-eminent in this church. That's what we need to be today. It's an age of catchy fleas. It's an age of sentimental sentences. It's an age of slogans, all designed to catch the eye. Some of you may have seen the advert recently, a picture of a burger. When I first saw it I thought it was an advert for Burger King, and that's the impression. The only advert are the words, The Church, the place of the Bigger King. Not a lot of scripture there. The Church in revival has a desire for the truth of the There's a continuing steadfastness in the apostles' doctrine. There's a love for the word of God. There's a desire in the soul of the believer to devour the word of God, to feast on it, and then to preach it out. That's what we need. That's what happens when the church is in the midst of revival. There's an interest in the truth of the scripture. There's an interest for fellowship with the saints. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship. You mark the order there, it's doctrine first, then fellowship. The ecumenical movement would reverse that, the devil would reverse that. He says no, that's a fellowship regardless of doctrine. God says no, there can be no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. But where doctrine is right, Doctrines based upon the word of God, fellowship can follow and there ought to be fellowship among the people of God. The church that's in revival, people will long for fellowship with the saints. Look at Hebrews chapter 10. This is a very important theme that Paul deals with in this chapter. There were some of the Christians and the Hebrew believers and they were being drawn away. Paul says, listen, have boldness there. We have boldness through Christ. He reminds them of Christ in the midst of their trouble. He points them to the Lord. And he says, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veal, that is to say, his flesh. And he reminds them, listen, Christ is all you need. You have access to God through Christ. You have fellowship with the Lord through Christ. 21. And having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 22. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, without wavering, for it is faithful that promise. 23. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is. but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." What's he arguing here? Because of Christ, we ought to fellowship together and we ought not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. There ought to be a coming together, saint with saint, seeking to worship God. And that's what happens in revival. We do a terrible dishonor to Christ and a terrible disservice to his church if we fail to assemble ourselves together. These new converts continued on to the sound of God's word and they did it together. All that believe were together and that all things come. That's what happens in Revival. That's why, you know, attendance in God's house increases in Revival. because there's a desire for fellowship. It always strikes me when you drive around the countryside and you see a church here and there, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, up a concrete road, perched on the side of a concrete hill. If you were to know the history of some of those churches that were built in the midst of revival, there hardly seems to be any houses around them. The people in the revival times wanted to meet with God, wanted to fellowship together, and so they got together, coming many miles some of them, and met together in God's house. In those days of revival, Christians didn't want to go home from meetings. That's true of almost every revival, the services lasted for hours. No watching the clock there. No wondering when is he going to stop. The question was why did he stop? Let him preach again. There was an interest in fellowship around the word of God. Notice also there was an interest in remembering the sacrifice in verse 42. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. The reference to breaking of bread is a reference to the remembrance of Christ's death. The sacrament, this ordinance was important to them. They understood that their spiritual life rested on the Saviour's death and resurrection. They understood that what they had spiritually flowed to them from the cross and from that final sacrifice for sin and this was not an empty or meaningless feast. They knew that their standing with God was due to the one who offered himself as a sacrifice for sin and they continued in the breaking of bread. The Lord's table was precious to them. Many, many seasons of revival in Scotland took place at the Lord's table. The church in revival and the believer in revival have an interest in the table of the Lord. It's not just viewed as something that's added on, it's something that's viewed as being very precious. There's an interest in remembering the sacrifice. Note their interest in supplication. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking up bread and in prayers. I take the reference here to both public and private prayers. They continued in prayers. They continued steadfastly in prayers. These people had an interest in prayer. They had an interest in supplication. You know if we are honest with ourselves tonight There are many Christians who presently have little desire for a place of prayer. Prayer time can be announced, it can be preached on, it can be exhorted, but the seat is empty and their voice is not heard in prayer. Their closet is empty and their voice is not heard before the Lord. I can only come to the conclusion that in some cases, not in every case, I know it's impossible for everybody to be out at the pyramid all of the time, but I can only come to the conclusion that in some cases there is no interest in prayer. Christian, that's a tragedy. If there's no other Proof that we need revival, you have it there. That interest in the place of prayer has weaned amongst God's people. Here are believers, some of them just converted, and they're continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And one feature of revival is that the prayer meetings burst with Christians anxious to pray. You read the account of the Ulster Revival in 1859, and almost every night of the week there were not only one prayer meeting being held in connection with a church, but multiple prayer meetings being held within a church. Why? Because our revived church has an interest. That's the difference revival makes. It not only affects the apostles, and we considered that when we thought about the glorious experience of revival, it affects the whole church. Let me ask you this question. Are these the things that interest you tonight? Are you interested in the apostles doctrine? Christian, let me ask you this. How much do you love the Word of God? How much do you love the fellowship of God's people? How much do you love the Lord's table? How much do you love the prayer meeting? Let me summarize it all. How much do you love the Lord? How much do you love the Lord? Or is it the case that our interests are so fixed on earthly things? We're so anxious about ourselves that we have little interest for God? I tell you, we need revived. We need revived. And if you have no interest in prayer, no interest in fellowship, and no interest in the Lord's table, and no interest for God's Word, and you're a professing believer, it's time you get back to the Lord. It's time you get back to the Lord. The interest of the Church in revival. Oh, that this interest would be our interest. and our hearts would be revived. Look at the impact of the church in the midst of revival. A revived church is a powerful instrument in the hand of God. Look at verse 43, And fear came upon every soul. How can that not be explained? Here are these men, three thousand of these men and women, three thousand have been added unto the Lord. They continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. Here are people who take their Christianity seriously. Here are people who are dead earnest in their following of Christ. And look what happens. Fear came upon every soul. These Christians who were living for God made a tremendous impact upon their community. Someone has said, the inference is clear, the Lord's people were consistently pursuing the things of God, with the result that they all see it became conscious of God, of eternity, and of their own spiritual danger. Here were people who were so living for God, who were so living for God, that they all converted or afraid. The fear of God fell upon them, and the impact of this revived Church was felt right across the entire city. The ensemble took note of what had happened. The blessing of God and the testimony of the Church was a powerful thing at this time. I don't think it's insignificant that verse 47 flows on from that and says, and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. Such was the impact of these believers that the fear of God fell upon the unsaved and they in turn got converted. That's the impact of a church in the midst of revival. The unconverted see a difference. The fear of God is upon them. They come, they experience the joy of salvation. That's what we need to see, Christian. That's what we need to see. God's people living for God. With all their heart, and all their mind and all their soul and all their strength and the unsaved will see that and they'll see this is different. And they'll want it too. That's what revival does. And oh, that God would send such a day and such a blessing amongst us for his own glory. A question we need to pray as never before for God to move. It's not just enough to pray. We've got to live for Christian, if I'm speaking to you tonight and you're backslidden, you've lost out with God, you've grown so cold and you know that what these men and women were interested in in Acts 2 you're not interested in tonight, or so little interested in, it's time you give back to the Lord. Return Hosea teaches, return and take with you words and say, receive us graciously. God will have mercy on you. Who can tell? The will of God was to move in revival and fear was to come upon every soul. And the Lord was to add daily unto the church such as should be seen. May God do it for His own glory and for the extension of His own kingdom, for Jesus' sake. Let's bow in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we have one simple prayer tonight. Lord, send us revival. Awaken us, Lord. O God, quicken Thy people. Revive us in the midst of the years, Lord. Deliver us, Lord, from becoming so cold, so careless, and so indifferent that men can hardly tell if there's any spiritual life at all. God, set our hearts on fire for Thee, we pray, and bless our souls tonight. Send us a revival, Lord. Let the work begin in me, gladly dethroning each rival. Yield I my heart unto thee. O God, do not pass us by. Come, Lord, come, I pray. Revive every weary heart tonight, save the unsafe. Restore the backslider. Lord, let us see Christ afresh, we pray. Turn this town of ours from sin unto God, from its drunkenness and its wickedness and its carelessness unto Christ. Lord, glorify thy name in the saving of souls, we pray, for Jesus' sake. Part us with thy blessing now. Remember, Lord, the young folk as we meet with them. God, sweep through our youth fellowship, we pray. And bless every head bowed before thee. In Jesus' precious name, Amen. God Bless.