By Guest - Larry
Sparks, West Palm Beach , FL
There is a principle in
the Book of Zechariah that applies to the present outpouring of the Holy
Spirit: "Ask for rain in the time of rain" (Zechariah 10:1). What
does this mean?
How Should We Respond to the Rain of Outpouring?
More than a prophecy of
outpouring, it is a principle of outpouring. More than an Old Testament
prophecy to be decoded within a New Testament framework, this statement in
Zechariah 10 reveals something about how we are to respond to the rain of
revival and outpouring: We are to ask
for more! Ask for increase!
Throughout Scripture,
rain has had a prophetic significance. There is something about water that
speaks of the Spirit of God, and rain signifies an outpouring of living water.
The fact is, it's been raining since the Book of
Acts. It's been raining since Peter got up on the Day of Pentecost and
declared, "You are seeing what was written in Joel. Your eyes are beholding
what was prophesied." Peter announced that Pentecost marked the
inauguration of a supernatural outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would begin
at that moment and continue and increase until the consummation of the age –
until Jesus literally returned to the Earth. From that point onward, there was
no reversal. There was no going backward. There was no option of the New
Testament Church returning to an Old Testament paradigm. The Spirit was
raining. (Photo via Pixabay)
Where Are We on Heaven's Divine Timetable?
Now what? Where are we in
God's divine timetable at this moment in history? Could it be that we are
living in a dispensation – an era – sovereignly marked by God for unique
outpouring and revival? Possibly. More accurately, though, we are doing what
Jesus Himself made reference to: We are pressing into the present reality of
the Kingdom of God (see Luke 16:16). The violent are
taking it by force. The power and the provisions of the Kingdom of God
have been made available to us and belong to the children of God; there is no
begging for what has already been bought, paid for, and placed in your account.
For us to beg God for
outpouring reveals a few issues that need addressing: 1) We are behaving like
orphans (beggars), so we need to get a fresh glimpse of our identity in Christ;
and 2) We are asking for what has already been poured out, which means we need
a fresh glimpse of what Jesus already made available. We are not begging God. We are not trying to twist
His arm. We are not praying under the impression that the length, volume, or
intensity of our prayer efforts have something to do with God relenting and
opening His clenched fists, releasing a "blessing."
Our prayers are intense, yes. They are fervent, of
course. But it is a fervency resulting from the revelation of abundance, not
lack. Our fervency is the result of a divine confrontation: We see the
lifestyle that Jesus modeled for us and the early Church demonstrated. We
desire that. Miracles were normative. The Church was a force of Kingdom effectiveness
and power in the Earth. Entire regions and cities were transformed by the power
of God. We see these examples in Scriptures and something begins to burn within
us: "Do it again, Lord!" There
is NO reason why we shouldn't be seeing such demonstrations of power...and
GREATER! There is no reason why we should not be crying out for the sick to be
healed, the oppressed to be delivered, and even the dead to be RAISED. (Photo via Freeimages)
The only reason I can give for why these things are NOT happening as normatively as they USED to is this: hundreds and hundreds of years of forgotten spiritual inheritance. Lost inheritance. The religious darkness of the middle ages. The seasons where the power of God and miracles were relegated to only a few saintly individuals, then to corrupt royalty, and then to shrines and statues made of stone.
The only reason I can give for why these things are NOT happening as normatively as they USED to is this: hundreds and hundreds of years of forgotten spiritual inheritance. Lost inheritance. The religious darkness of the middle ages. The seasons where the power of God and miracles were relegated to only a few saintly individuals, then to corrupt royalty, and then to shrines and statues made of stone.
The supernatural was not
only forgotten, but it was preached against because
of its association with idolatry and false doctrine. And yet, there have always
been men and women throughout the ages who pressed in to experience the reality
of the Kingdom. They were few and far between, yes, but they existed. Even
Church fathers who are believed to have taught against the supernatural
witnessed God's miraculous power in action.
Is it Possible for Cities, Regions, and Nations to be
Transformed by God's Power?
Now, we are
standing at the dawn of a new day – entire communities of people are pressing
in to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit! It's no longer a scattered few,
here and there. Churches are
believing God for entire cities and regions to be transformed by His
supernatural power. It's coming! The day of "greater than Jonah" is
at hand.
We look to the preaching
of Jonah at Nineveh
as a benchmark for the supernatural, transformative power of God impacting
cities. And yet, Jonah was a prophet under the Old Testament. Jonah did NOT
walk and live under an open Heaven like Spirit-filled saints do today. Jonah
was not filled with presence and power of the Kingdom of God .
Jonah was a vehicle that God used to release a message of repentance to a
sinful city...and he was a broken vehicle at that!
And yet,
city-wide transformation took place in one of the most ruthless and sin-laden
communities on the planet! If God could do it for Nineveh in the days of Jonah, I say,
"Lord, do it today! Save cities and regions! Bring entire communities of
people to repentance! Perform the miraculous in the open streets and
marketplace!"
I believe it's coming. Do you know how I know this?
Because a collective voice on Earth
is finally saying "Amen" to everything Heaven has said
"Yes" to. (Photo
via Pixabay)
The Spirit of God is
awakening the Church across the Earth to what she possesses in her spiritual
account. He is awakening us to our
full inheritance. Some mistakenly teach that because of this
inheritance we need to do nothing. This is false. Yes, our account is full.
Yes, we are sons and daughters and have received legal right to boldly enter
in. Yes, Holy Spirit outpouring has been released since the Day of
Pentecost...and is available NOW.
The question: Who
will receive it? Who will say "Amen" to everything God has said
"Yes" to? Heaven is looking for a "Yes" from the Earth.
The Hour of His Manifest Presence
This is not the hour of
men or ministries; it is the hour of God's manifest presence. Miracles will
become commonplace, not because people seek out the miraculous, but because
they seek God. His presence is not some formula that, when inserted into your
equation of prayer, produces your breakthrough. He is your breakthrough. He is
your life. He is your breath. And He is becoming the essential need and deep
desire of His people once again.
His presence is
everything to us, and it is Holy Spirit's great delight to dwell in us, and with
us. He dwells in every Christ-follower because of Jesus' Blood, but there is an
increasing measure of His dwelling with us – among us – manifest in our
communities because there is an increasing hunger to see the fullness of His
power and presence released.
"More, Lord!"
So posture your heart. Back in the 1990s, the
common cry in revival was "More,
Lord!" This is the simple prayer and posture of the heart
we need to assume to experience everything the Holy Spirit wants to release in
our lives. More, Lord! This is not a statement of spiritual greed; rather, it
is birthed from hearts that recognize one of the key characteristics of the
Kingdom: It is ever-advancing and increasing in nature:
"Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:7 ESV). Heaven's travel plan is from glory to
glory (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). (Photo
via Pixabay)
Until Jesus physically
and visibly returns to the Earth and brings this age to a close, it is legal
for us to pray prayers and live lives that press in for more.
Recently, at the
Brownsville Revival 20th Anniversary Reunion, I was deeply moved by the Holy
Spirit as He spoke to my heart: "Don't be
easily satisfied. My people are so easily satisfied when I have made so much
available to them!"
Even if we perceive that
we are thriving in "one level of glory" or one level of dynamic
encounter with God, it is certainly cause to celebrate, but no reason to
stagnate. Why? There is more. This is
a key reality that we must present to an emerging generation if we expect them
to give their lives wholly to God.
Praying a one-time
prayer, going to church on Sunday, and trying their best to live moral lives
won't cut it. A generation must be told that the life yielded to God and filled
with the Holy Spirit is a life of continuous Kingdom increase. No, this doesn't
mean life is without hardship or struggle. It is an increase of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us and
desires to rest upon us in an increasing measure.
The Holy Spirit Upon You!
I am forever grateful that God deposited His Holy
Spirit into my heart. I am endlessly thankful that I am sealed for Heaven and
set up for eternity because of the regenerative power of God's Spirit. While I
live with gratitude for these realities, there is also another fact that we
must consider: The Spirit who lives in us wants to demonstrate through us. He
doesn't come ONLY to get us to Heaven; He dwells within us to produce the fruit
and power of Jesus Christ in our lives. (Photo
by Lillis Boyer "The
Comforter" via elijahshopper.com)
Well, I want everything
that Holy Spirit has made available to me! How about you? I want to see the
Church operating in the fullness of His presence, exhibiting the purity of
Jesus, and manifesting the power of Jesus! I want gifts and fruit. I want character and power. It is absolute
deception to believe it's "one or the other." Jesus never proposed
such a theological framework: gifts or fruit. The Spirit of God deposits it
ALL!
The challenge: Are we
satisfied too easily? Are we settling for too little? I know I am. Remedy? Lift
up your eyes. Look around. It's raining. Can you see it? Can you feel it?
The Holy Spirit is being
poured out in powerfully dramatic ways. How do we respond? Zechariah 10:1 – "More, Lord!" More in my life! More in my
family! More in my school! More in my business! More in my thought life! More
in my words! More in my ministry! More in my church! More in my region! More what? More of everything that
looks and sounds like Jesus.
After all, such is the
ultimate fruit of outpouring: Jesus Christ being more clearly revealed and
glorified throughout the Earth!
Blessings,
Larry Sparks,
MDiv
Website: lawrencesparks.com
Website: lawrencesparks.com
Larry Sparks is co-author of the new book The Fire That Never Sleeps with Dr.
Michael Brown and John Kilpatrick. He is a conference speaker, Charisma
columnist, revivalist, and vice president of publishing for Destiny Image.
Larry travels and speaks, presenting a seminar on Igniting a Revival Lifestyle.
In these sessions, he helps the Church unlock dynamic keys from revival history
that equip people today to walk in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit as
promised in Scripture and demonstrated throughout history. Larry holds a Master
of Divinity from Regent
University in Church
History.
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