The keyword is MIGHTILY. Every spiritual fruit is present in every believer and every church. When the Holy Ghost comes mightily means when the Spirit of Christ manifests Himself in a SPECIAL WAY. Every imaginable sin will still be in us as long as the old man remains, yet when the Holy Ghost comes MIGHTILY the fruit of the Spirit increases. Christ is more MANIFESTLY PRESENT in His Church (Acts 2 & 4).
When the Holy Spirit comes MIGHTILY to a local church, everyone will speak of Christ. "That we henceforth be no more children… But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ… by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph 4:14-16).
We'll move in Joy. Religious leaders motivate their hearers by fear, duty, and works. Yet, Christ motivates His people by love, forgiveness, acceptance, hope, and free grace. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men" (Rom 14:17-18) What else besides joy can fill the building when Jesus Christ is made known? (Rom 5:11) "And not only so, but we also JOY in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation." If joy is gone, if service is motivated by mere duty, then the Spirit is absent.
When the Holy Spirit comes mightily to a place, our eyes won't be focused on our own obedience to the outward example of Jesus Christ. Our eyes will be focused on His obedience to the cross. All of our acceptance with God will be of Him (Of His free grace), through Him (through His blood and righteousness), and to Him (unto the praise of His glory… and not our own) (Rom 11:36). The Holy Spirit will bring into remembrance what it means to walk worthy of the Lord, but love will move our hearts with gratitude rather than greed of gain. Just as breathing is a natural product of being alive, love is the natural product of beholding Christ. After testifying for 11 chapters of God's righteousness to justify sinners through faith in Christ's blood, Paul exhorts us, (Rom 12:1) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
When the Holy Spirit comes mightily to a place, we won't be laughing at poor sinners. We'll have righteous indignation against deceivers and compassion for the perishing whom we know. We'll ask for prayer for people we're concerned for. We'll pray for more grace to be more faithful. We'll make intercession for sinners in private believing the Lord must save. Paul wrote concerning his kinsman after the flesh (the people that he could identify with according to the flesh), "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved" (Rom 10:1). In words that I cannot understand, but would like to know more of the meaning of, he says, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" (Rom 9:3) {It has something to do with love. He that is forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:40-47)}.
People that come into the presence of the assembly will recognize life amongst us; they'll recognize joy and spiritual concern. People who come won't be harassed, but they won't be ignored either. The dominant attitude won't be "Well, if God wills…" Instead, we'll be watching, hoping, and thinking, "Is God willing? Has this person an interest in the Savior?" That sense of urgency that makes the prayer of the righteous fervent, which was evident in the sinners who sought Him in the Gospel's, shall come upon us… not only for ourselves, but in love for others.
The preaching will be with affection, joy, boldness, concern, and total reliance upon God's Word, God's Spirit, and the Righteousness of God's Son. Jesus Christ will be all in all- His life, death, resurrection. Obedience to the Gospel won't be something hurried through in order to philosophize about doctrine, instead hearts will be zealously affected unto good works.
The preacher won't be trying to impress the people or win their esteem. He won't be trying to soft peddle the Word, nor will he purposely agitate hearers because he's trying to get something started. He will prophesy unto the Wind, and cast all reliance upon the Holy Ghost to breathe upon the slain (Ezek 37). Men and women aren't saved because of human lips, the will of the flesh, or the will of man. Men and women are saved by the instrumentality and power of God the Holy Spirit, Who in obedience to Jesus Christ bears witness to His resurrection. (Acts 4:2) "… they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead." Men and women are saved by virtue of union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Preaching won't be explaining, but proclaiming. The explainer of the gospel speaks to men and relies upon the soundness of his doctrine, gifts, and preparation. The proclaimer of the Gospel speaks for God, leans upon the Holy Spirit, has no confidence in the flesh- yours or mine. The Proclaimer seeks to please God, not the minds of men. (I Cor 2:4) "And my speech and my preaching was not with persuasive words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power." When the Spirit comes mightily, witnesses of the Gospel will leave the Word in a mystery, and rather than explaining what we've figured out with much study, we'll proclaim what God has revealed concerning His Son. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory;" (I Cor 2:7)
Brethren won't be dull/ignorant to the sins of one another; Yet, rather than stepping back in suspicion, we'll hope in God to fix what is broken in His saints. We'll pray for an open door to minister unto the fallen (Gal 6:1-3).
Sin won't be spoken of lightly. Sin won't be mentioned just to get to another portion of the message. Our own confession of sin won't be routine and ritual. Sin will be horrible and abominable. I don't have enough appreciation of the vileness and horror of sin as it is an offense unto God. {One day we shall see sin as it really is and shout hallelujah as God sends men to hell (Rev 19)}. But, I do know that sin separates between me and God. (Is 59:2) "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have made him hide his face from you, that he will not hear." I know the experience of nearness to God, and I know the guilt, doubt, and fear of separation (Luke 15:13-19). SIN IS THE ENEMY. (We'll confess more than the famine, more than the want, but "Father, I have sinned" = the Cause of our sorrow.)Sin will drive everyone to Jesus Christ, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal 3:24). Where is Christ now? He is currently at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.
1. You cannot stir it up or make it happen. You cannot force God into doing anything by prayer meetings, revival campaigns, thundering sermons, or anything else. If you're going to deny yourself something, do it by love. Don't try to shove your 'suffering/sacrificing' up into God's face. He is going to judge all men by Jesus Christ, and the obedience of the Son of God is the only righteousness He'll accept (Rom 2:16 / Acts 17:31).
2. The blessing of the powerful manifestation of the Spirit is a gift God sovereignly, wisely, and freely bestows upon a congregation through the merits of Christ shed blood. If you try to make it happen, your efforts shall fail.
1. Our hope is that He's willing to bless. He is willing to give of Himself through the Holy Ghost. He is willing to fulfill every detail of the Covenant of Grace. His willingness is set forth in all of the Gospel promises. The Lord God would not have promised if He weren't willing to perform. Jesus Christ has no obligation to do anything for man other than the obligations He has willingly and freely placed upon Himself.
2. Our hope is that we already have all of the righteousness we need. All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ (II Cor 1:19-20). The saints of old, who experienced great blessings, were blessed through the exact same righteousness that Christ has imputed to us. If Paul was blessed because he labored, then we must work ourselves into a religious frenzy before we can expect anything from God. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). Men would help the righteous, but God has clearly revealed that He loved us when we were sinners. Now that we're reconciled, He will never deny faith (Rom 5:5-11). Paul's zeal was the gift of God and the result of grace, like your feeling the heat of the sun is the result of His shining upon you. And, (I Cor 10:17) "… we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread."
Isaiah 55: applies at all times. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and mild without money and without price… hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David" (vs1-3)." Everything is free; and that is the right price for me. It costs God mightily, but it costs us nothing. Reconciliation is NOT you exchanging your tattered life for the life of God. Reconciliation is God giving you life in exchange for the Blood of His Son (Rom 5:10).
3. Our hope is that He is beginning to unveil the Way. (Mark 5:36) "Be not afraid, only believe…" Believe what? Believe His Word; believe His written testimony as Christ is revealed unto you as the grace meriting only begotten Son. Believe you are perfect in Him. Believe that you've only begun to enjoy entrance into the fullness of God (Eph 3:16-20). Believe while He rocks your boat and exposes the inner depravity of your unbelief. When the two blind men sought mercy from the Lord Jesus, He said, "Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt 9:28-29).
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