 Good afternoon, everybody. Pastor even good to join, good for you to join us. Yeah, well thank you. Welcome to Unfiltered. Today, Pastor, it's something that's still current and going on is the revival again. We spoke a little bit at Asbury and it seems to be getting traction and a lot of people are going and experiencing from themselves and there's long lines and even people are posting this is a true spirit of God, a true movement. And you go, it's really too early to tell but I wanted to get your feedback on it's been a few days since we've really brought it up and I think you're going to mention some of this in your Bible study tomorrow. Can you give us some updates or what do you think about this now? Has it been a few days since we brought it up? Since Sunday, we brought up in our men's mentoring class. Well, this isn't the first time that there's been a report of quote unquote revival and Asbury Seminary. I mean, back in 1970, there was a report of a revival that broke out for several days and so this isn't a new thing and it's not a new thing there in Asbury. The thing that I find interesting about it and I'll mention this in a little more detail though it's not going to take a large part of the study it's really at the introduction really relates to the importance of the word of God and the importance of the word of God as it pertains to him reaching people and changing hearts and inspiring and invigorating them by the power of the Holy Spirit and so it's really related to that. So with the Asbury incident that's taking place right now some people I call a revival. I find it interesting on the one hand we already spoke of this but I'll say briefly we as believers and I believe every genuine believer every genuine evangelical believer really is asking for the Lord to pour out his spirit and so revival is going to be the fruit of the power of the Holy Spirit as he moves upon people and as he brings them to a place of repentance and it's going to be centered on the word of God. So when someone is claiming that there is a revival taking place the first thing we have to do and we should do is to spend some time investigating whether these things are so. There are those who are saying oh you're trying to quench the power of the Holy Spirit you're being critical and that is the typical response of those who don't read their Bible the typical response. Now I'm not saying that they're necessarily insincere Christians I would think that the person who was so quick to say that more than likely has a real desire to see God move maybe to the point where they're not using discernment because they'll say do not despise prophecy you know they'll say do not quench the spirit. It's interesting that Paul spoke of that to the Thessalonians and he said that they're not to quench the spirit they're not to despise prophecy but he went on to say but prove all things. And so human emotion being what it is and the heart of the human being being what we have as a heart which is prone to failing to judge or be critical in our analysis of things. If we like it we accept it that kind of attitude. I think that it's interesting to see so many who are very quick to say oh it's the real deal. I don't know how you know whether it's the real deal in a couple of weeks. The real proof of revival is the fruit of revival like I've mentioned again I'll be sharing this about Josiah how that he received the kingdom when he was around eight years old. He served as king for the nation for I think 31 or 32 years and as the temple was being cleansed and the book of the law and one commentator said that more than likely it was the book of Deuteronomy but it is not stated but the book of the law was found. And then the priest read it and brought it to Josiah and read it and then it caused him to grieve and then he assembled the people and the priests and all and read this to them and then there was a command that went out for them to return to the word of what God has commanded and then the nation went through a time of spiritual life being revitalized and see that's what happens. Just because there are numbers of people showing up for something doesn't make that a genuine revival. I don't know why people don't see that but they don't because perhaps it's the longing of their hearts to see God move and they want to see God move. Who does it? I do you do. But the idea of traveling to experience something like that, if you're not experiencing that kind of presence of God in your devotional life and your prayer life, it isn't something you go to catch. It's not like some kind of revival virus that you go and stand in line for five hours and walk in and sing some Christian songs because the word is not being emphasized in this revival quote unquote. From everything I've read and from firsthand a firsthand report of an individual who was there pointed out that there'll be scripture quoted perhaps but what apparently was the catalyst was the teaching out of a passage in the book of Romans chapter 12. And people that the students just responded to that they wanted to love and all of that's good. But if it's not built on the word of God and there's not a discernment amongst those who are celebrating and evangelizing this and the quote unquote pastors who are sending their staff there to experience it. I don't know what they think they're gonna do. Put it in a bucket, bring it back and pour it on the church. It makes no sense to me. So on the one hand we all want revival and no I'm not going to be as the early Christians were when Peter was jailed they had a prayer meeting and seeking God to release them and then Peter shows up at the door and they don't believe it's him. I don't want to be that Christian but I do believe that you test all things, that you see whether they line up with what scripture says that you make sure that as a believer you're spiritually mature enough to discern the wheat from the chaff. And so I think it's wise to have a wait and see attitude. I also believe it wise to say God fall upon us and every church ought to see that this perhaps is a work of the Lord. I'm not saying it's not but if so Father we want your spirit to move amongst us too. And yeah that would be amazing. And in some ways we see even with our own fellowship God doing a good work and the word is taught here. My concern pastor is the expertise that is now coming from young people who are now claiming this is a real deal when I received a video from one of the brothers here at the church showing that somebody was there for five hours and not once was the word of God even given. And so my concern with especially the younger folks that are folks that shows I'm old that are quick to use emotionalism to peg it as a true movement of God. And that tells me that are they really in their word then to see the instances where God moved his spirit moved when on Pentecost or when Peter was preaching the word of God we saw the spirit moving. And so we see those examples in the Bible but yet some people are so quick to say you're just quenching the spirit of God. But you know here you go a great segue into this scripture. Yeah the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 waiting in the upper room. They poured out speaking in unlearned languages speaking in tongues. But those who are around began to mock them and they said these men are filled with new wine and what is it that the apostle Peter did? He said men of Israel listen and he said these men are not drunk as you suppose but he went on to say but this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel who said so whenever a spiritual event occurs it needs to have a biblical foundation or else it's suspect. And so the problem we have is the emotion laid in Christian today the young expert who Googles spiritual answers without experiencing times of meditation and seeking God themselves other than well I wonder and then they type out something now they're a genius because they read something you know that's what's taking place in a lot of places I'm not saying everybody I'm saying that it is. And then I have read the comments that are being made and many of them are just don't quench the spirit and you're a judge and don't be critical and all of this is just if it's the spirit of the Lord then why is the church attacking itself? Why is the church not following Christ's words when he said that you're not to judge according to appearance but he said you judge a righteous judgment? Jesus told us to do that from Deuteronomy from the Old Testament to the New Testament it speaks concerning the scriptures give us so much concerning false teachers, false prophets, false spirit, a false gospel. I'm not saying this is false at all I'm simply saying you test to see whether it's true and how do you test it by how you feel? Well if you're a Mormon you can say oh I have a Holy Ghost burning in my heart so by my feelings I know it's true. But is that how Christians are supposed to be done? No, are we supposed to judge things by outer appearance or are we supposed to pray and seek the Lord look for scripture and then wait on him to move and to make a right judgment? I'm telling you the church is not led by babies the church is not to be led by spiritually immature who are emotionally laden and those who are of that sort are more dangerous in the body of Christ than of hell. So a wiser and more mature and a spiritual reaction to this is pray that it is real, pray that God is moving and pray that should he choose Lord fall upon me too, every church should do that but when you're putting your staff into a plane having them stand in line for five hours they come back and tell you what they think is happening and then they see it's the real deal with no scripture with no support of any sort they're just emotionally laden like the rest I don't know and I'm not knocking it I'm saying we've been praying for this a lot longer than most people that God would fall and then finally and I know our time is up but finally I don't like it being compared to the movement of when the Jesus movement I don't like that, I don't believe that it's accurate or even true there are those who are saying that Pastor Chuck said that it was those who were sparked by the Asbury revival that were the light there and that's just not true, I was there I don't remember ever hearing you know what's happening here in Asbury Theological Seminary that we were already seeing God move and so John I just think that people need I don't want to quench the spirit I just wanted to flow in it properly according to God's word and I'll stop I wish I had more time maybe this is something we can visit down the road is what are the comparisons that you see and comparisons or differences that you see being part of the movement and seeing this from an outside perspective because what I mean outside it's not happening here in regards to location but you've seen it from a distance I'd like to one day check out what those look like in the similarities and the dissimilarities that you see I'll like to tell you this and we'll close with this John because I don't want to hold him any longer I can say as this is there was in the movement of the Holy Spirit that we experienced it was centered on the word of God there was no emotion at all there wasn't a hyper-emotionalism at all at Calvary Chapel we'd sit on the carpet and we'd hear a Bible study we'd worship the Lord in song and we'd tell people about Jesus so people may have come to try but normally the people who come to try to do that are people who are spiritually dry because they're just not seeking the Lord in the way that they ought to in the first place so I want to get ignited by what's going on with you you do not get on fire necessarily just because somebody next to you is you seek the Lord yourself and Lord I want that in my life and so again, you know oh I'm just an old man what do I know I've only been teaching 49 years John what do I know, right I'm a veteran of the Jesus movement or true revival but there's going to be somebody who hasn't been saved for four years who's questioning well I don't respect that that is just an immature evaluation you need to pray through seek the word and ask God move on me what's wrong with that and time will tell time will tell Pastor, thank you so much for sharing that and thank you guys for tuning and just a couple of things tomorrow is our Wednesday evening service we're taking us through the book of Romans I invite your friends and family to come join us it's been so far a rich study and a lot of scriptures and just great foundation to be built on God's word and then on Saturday for any of those who serve in any capacity at our church we have our servant Saturday ministry morning at 9 a.m. in the banquet hall and so Pastor David likes to invite you guys to come out who those who serve in our church in any capacity like to have you join us and Q and A some worship and we'll see what the Lord does thank you guys for joining us God bless you