Hebron Christian Faith Church - Vision 2011
Vision 2011 "A Year of Restoration"
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons & your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants & on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” Joel 2:28-29
This is an incredible prophecy, given 800 years BC, promising a future outpouring of God’s Spirit accompanied by supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit upon ALL of God’s people, young & old, male & female. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, quoted these verses on the Day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit had come upon 120 disciples who were waiting, all in one accord, in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus (Acts 1:5). Tongues of fire sat upon each of them & they all spoke with other tongues. Answering accusations of drunkenness from the on-looking & mocking crowd, Peter stood up to explain that the ‘phenomena’ being witnessed was not drunkenness but in fact was that which “was spoken by the prophet Joel...
It is evident from the use of the term “pour out of My Spirit” rather than “pour out My Spirit” that this is not referring to a once-off occasion but many different measures of the outpouring & that His anointing can increase and wane in different measures at different times. Certainly this would seem to be the case throughout church history & past revivals. Another indication that this prophecy points to a time beyond just the Day of Pentecost is the use of the term "all flesh". In other words the promise is for all God’s people not just 120 disciples. Pentecost was simply a first-fruit, a down-payment guaranteeing the fullness to come in latter times. It was a small portion, with more coming throughout history & in particular, since the famous Azusa Street ‘Pentecostal Revival’ in 1906 which touched the whole globe in 3 years!
Having heard from the Lord our vision for this year, I am persuaded that He is wanting to pour out His Spirit in greater measure than ever before at Hebron, with accompanying demonstrations. This is our inheritance. However, it won’t just happen ‘sovereignly’ as some think:“The Lord will do whatever He wants, if its His will.” No, we have a part to play as well. The church in the UK, by & large, is in crisis & desperately in need of healing & restoration. Yet for the most part we’ve failed to recognise it. Everything carries on as if “all’s well” & all we need is a little tweak here & a little tweak there when actually Christians all over are hurting, confused, disillusioned & many are on the verge of giving up. Meanwhile the world laughs & mocks both the Church & the bible as irrelevant yet we pretend everything’s fine! We’re in denial. Churches across the land are starving for the real presence of God in & starving for the supernatural in our midst. We’ve lost our cutting edge. Like the iron axe-head that fell into the River Jordan while the prophet ‘worked’, he had to go back to God to retrieve it. Likewise we must awaken & return to the Lord with all our heart & He “will restore the years the locust have eaten” (v25).
Complacency has replaced commitment, most everything seems to come before God. Many are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God & are more excited about shopping than coming to church. We want our ears tickled not our hearts searched, we want to be entertained & not challenged. Christians of the 1st century weren’t Baptist or Methodist or Pentecostal but people knew their ‘religion’ worked because it transformed lives. They experienced the presence & power of God, they were healed & witnessed miracles. God came down & helped His people & they were never the same again!
Why should the nations say “where is your God?” (v17) We need a fresh outpouring! But as in the days of Joel, the qualifying condition is found in the word “afterward”. After what? After a WHOLE-HEARTED & CORPORATE hunger to change & turn back to the Lord, then God will pour out of His Spirit & restore His blessing & bring us back to a place of supernatural power & glory!
