Points to Ponder Week of 2/13/23

Revival. It can be a controversial term that’s loaded with opinions surrounding it. However, one thing is true, there are moments when God’s people supernaturally surrender, the Holy Spirit moves powerfully, and people get saved and become sold out for God’s glory. In fact, in this modern day, there are rumors and reports of this very thing happening at Asbury University with students and faculty worshipping the Lord and many giving their lives to Christ. I pray that we would see a move of God like this all over America and in our churches, but one question I often ask is, what if God really did it, what if He actually sent us 500 people one Sunday who dedicated their lives to Jesus? What would we do next, are we prepared and positioned to raise these young Christians to become mature disciples of Jesus? 
This is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost. Peter stands up and preaches the Gospel to the crowds and the response is incredible, 3000 people (way beyond the hypothetical 500 above) are saved and baptized. So what did they do with these 3000 new members of the church? Did the apostles high-five each other with exhausted arms from 3000 baptisms, believing they had accomplished the task and could move on to another activity? No, the task of the church had just begun and they intentionally moved into a lifestyle of gathering in the temple and in each other's homes, submitting to the teaching of the apostles, praying together, sharing life and possessions with one another, and sharing the Good News with others as God’s Spirit continued to move and demonstrate power. As they disciple these new disciples and live life together, God continues to move and sustains the church, adding to their number everyday people being saved. So what practices in Acts 2:41-47 have you seen have an impact on your life? Are you joining in on the process of becoming and making mature disciples? Let’s pray that God would move in the hearts of people and that He would help us be positioned to receive a harvest of men and women being saved and set free in the days, months, and years to come.