Worldwide Revival: An 8 Day Devotional with NewsboysНамуна

DAY ONE: HEAVEN ON EARTH

“When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a rushing wind came from Heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues as the spirit enabled them.” – Acts 2: 1-4

When you hear the word church, you probably think of a building. You might think of people in your life who you know from a church. Maybe memories of time spent in your own church begin to resurface. Some of us are raised attending church every Sunday. Some of us grew up in households that attended church only on Christmas Eve and Easter. Maybe you come from a household that resented church, or you were hurt badly by individuals within one. Maybe you’re reading this and you’ve never attended a church at all. We all have our own unique relationships with church, and that’s okay.

The modern day church – the physical buildings, with weekly programming and frequent services, can be equal parts beautiful and messy. They’re run by people who, by nature, are sinful. There’s a lot of room for mistakes to be made, and for people to be hurt. Maybe that’s you – you’ve been hurt by the church. Or maybe you’re reading this, knowing deep down that you’re the one doing the hurting. The good news is that there is redemption for both circumstances. It’s no easy thing to build relationships with other Believers, but it’s something we’re called to do. And it’s how God created the Church to be.

The Church we wrote about in Heaven on Earth is no one church building. It’s not about your local church down the street, or any of the church buildings we attend personally. We wrote Heaven on Earth about the establishment of the Church. Inspired directly by Acts 2, the story of the church’s birth on Pentecost was such a timely reminder to us of the importance of what God intended for the Church to be.

Holy Spirit, we call on You // We Welcome You, We Welcome You // Fire Fell in the Upper Room // Prophecies Were Coming True // Every Tongue, They Heard the News // Then 3,000 Turned to You // One Way Jesus, Set Our Hearts on Fire // Send Your Spirit // We Are Crying Out

In Acts Two, we actually see prophecies coming true. In the very way that the Lord prophesied, the Holy Spirit came with a power and revealed Himself to the apostles, so that they could preach the Gospel to others with full confidence. The result? Three thousand people came to know Jesus that very day, and the Church began.

A lot of people know church to be this complicated thing, where people get hurt or can be easily wronged. And that can be true, but there is such beauty to be found in remembering how, why, and when God created the Church. Let it be an encouragement to you as you go into your own churches, wherever those may be. Walk in those doors every time, no matter what earthly weight there may be inside, and embody the passion for Christ that you would have had if you had witnessed with your own eyes the Spirit coming down to Earth that day.