We are looking at what it means to be a spirit-filled christian in the 21 century

1. God wants to use us to bring changes into lives around us.

We are going to call these divine appointments.

EXAMPLES:

  • John and Peter walked into the temple and a lame person was there. They prayed for them and the lame man walked. (Acts 3: 1 – 11)
  • Philip walking and Ethiopian man reading from Isaiah and asking Philip to explain it to him (Acts 8: 26 – 38)
  • Paul runs into men from Ephesus who have a relationship with Jesus but don’t know the Holy Spirit (Acts 19: 1 – 7)
  • Paul and Silas were in prison. They are able to share their lives with the jailor of the prison causing him and his family to start a relationship with Jesus. (Acts 16: 16 – 34)

These are a few of the divine appointments in the book of Acts

2. Why don’t we see more of them?

  • Don’t feel adequate to solve problems around us.
  • Don’t know how to read people’s body language
  • Outward appearances can be deceiving

EXAMPLE: Peter ministered to a Roman officer named Cornelius. This meant Cornelius worshiped Caesar, Hated the Jewish people, and was the cause of all the problems that the Jewish people were going through. Yet Cornelius was a God fearing man.

Divine appointments will only happen when we quit reading people by the outside appearances and ask God to help us see their hearts.

  • Our own problems are consuming us.

2 Corinthians 1: 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others when they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

EXAMPLE: Paul was in a shipwreck that was caused by people not listening to his advice. It would have been easy to play the blame game, but Paul prayed that all of them would be saved from drowning. We can blame others for our problems, or we can accept what is happening and use it to minister to others.

  • We need to be the revival we are praying for.

Peter and John raised up a lame man, but they had to act upon that situation.

It did not turn out well as their lives were threatened by the people who turned Jesus over to the Romans.

They had to pray for boldness to share their faith.

Acts 4: 29 – 31

Be the Revival prophecy

Key Point: Be the Revival you are asking for