 Good morning. Before we begin, we will just open in prayer. Father God, we thank You for this time and thank You for this day. And as we start our class, and Smita will take our class. You lead us, you guide us by Your Holy Spirit. We submit all our students and Smita, I am into Your hand. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. So we will finish with chapter 8 today. And then we will be left with the last chapter in our textbook, chapter 9. How are your last two weeks of the semester going? Is it very busy, stressful? Yeah, a lot going on. Okay, so I think today is your due date for your final paper. And then your last thing will be the final quiz, which is a short one. And I've given you some, it's just on the first few chapters of the textbook. It's an open book. So yeah, you can have your books open, but no discussions between people. You can just use your books and do the quiz. So yeah, with the quiz, I've not used exact wording from the textbook. So just be aware of that when you're answering questions. Well, I've not just said the same words that are there in the textbook. You'll have to kind of understand what I've asked and answer that way. It's not confusing, but just to let you know that. Okay. What's that, sorry? Okay, so we'll go into today's class. So we'll look at what do we pray for for revival? I think most of you must have read this chapter already, right? Because of your final paper. So again, like yesterday, we'll just mostly read the scripture passages that are given in your text. So when we're praying for revival, we want to pray according to God's word and pray as we are led by the spirit. The main points given here are just points to kind of give us a starting of what are some things we can be thinking about when we are praying for revival. But we can go further beyond what is written here. As the Holy Spirit leads us when we are praying, as we are reading the word, if we feel led to pray for a certain thing in our specific community in our church, then we can definitely be praying for those things in addition to what is mentioned in the textbook. So the first one is prayers of repentance, consecration, yielding and surrender. Maybe we can just look at the verse that's mentioned there, Psalm 139, 23 and 24. So what we'll do is we'll just take turns, we'll read the point and we'll read the passages and we'll just discuss a little bit. So if someone can just read that the first one. Psalm 139, 23, 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxieties and see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Okay, so you all have already read this chapter. So any things you all want to share about this prayers of repentance, consecration, yielding, surrender? What does that mean when we are praying in that way? Online students as well. We'll be able to hear you here. Pasa, can you hear me? Rinna, you're on mute. Pasa, can you hear me? I think I just needed to raise the volume. Yes. So for me it means you are surrendering yourself to the will of God, like telling to God, not my will, but your will be done. Yes, that we're coming to that place of completely seeking God's will over what we want to see happen. And like Psalm 139 talks about, search me and know my heart. So we are asking God to examine our hearts as we're praying. Like we talked about yesterday as well, having the right heart posture, right, when we're praying. So we can come to God with those hearts that are fully yielded so that we're praying in accordance with his will. We are sensitive to how his spirit wants to move in our communities and we are interceding for that to happen in our midst. Can someone read the next point and the verses that are given there? Acts chapter 2, 17 and 18. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my maid, men servant and my maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. Zechariah 10-1 asks the Lord for rain in the springtime. It is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people and plants of the field to everyone. So based on these verses, what can y'all take away if we're praying for more of God? How can we use these verses as we are praying? What are some promises that are given to us in these verses? When we ask God, we'll send, right? Because in Acts 2, it's God's will like we did in Acts 2 that in the last days, he himself will pour out his spirit so that all flesh will manifest. The gifts of the spirit, so prophecy and tongues and other gifts of the spirit that are given will be manifested in the midst of the church and on all flesh. And then Zechariah 10-1, so if we read it in the NKJV, it says, ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. So looking at the latter rain as the rain that comes before the harvest. And the harvest will happen at Jesus' second coming. So God himself encourages us to pray asking God to pour out his spirit at that latter rain time. And so in accordance with God's will. So why are all these verses given here? Because what we're talking about is we want to pray God's word. Because this is something that God himself has promised. A revelation of God's desire for the church and for the world. So we already have that with us. What we are doing is interceding for those things to come to pass. So we're taking God's word and we're holding on to those promises and we're praying those promises. Allowing God to fulfill his will in our midst. Can someone read point 3 please and the verses there? Pray for the manifestation of the glory and power of God. Acts chapter 4 verse 29 to 31. Now Lord look on thy threads and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servants Jesus. And when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were filled, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Thank you. Isaiah 64, 1 to 3. Oh that you would burst from the heavens and come down. How the mountains would quake in your presence. As fires cause wood to burn and water to boil your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies will learn the reason for your fame. When you came down long ago you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations and oh how the mountains quaked. Thank you. So what are some things we can take from these verses when we're praying for God's glory and power to be manifested in our midst. Some takeaways from these verses. To just reflect on what God has done in the past and just praise Him for that and bless Him for that while you're in the waiting season. Yeah, pray for what God has done in the past and praise Him while you're in the waiting season. So that's based on Isaiah 64. Yeah, and Isaiah 64 also is just recognizing the power of God's presence. When God's presence comes the earth is moved. So His glory will physically change what is happening in the world around us. And so praying that kind of prayer for God to come and bring that kind of physical transformation in our midst. Recognizing the power of God. And Acts 4, 209 to 31. Anything from there? Acts 4, 292, 31. So that is what Anand just read. So there we see the disciples praying for increased boldness, right? Praying for the Holy Spirit to come and empower them and for the Holy Spirit to also display signs and wonders through them. So give us a boldness to preach as well as affirm the work that we are doing by showing signs and wonders. And so we pray that we can pray that verse as well to ask God to give us the boldness as a church to be taking the Gospel, to be affirming that message with signs and wonders. The next point, can we read that point and the verse with it? What are things on so many? Jesus said many people sit down. Now there was much class and space. So the men sat down in number about 5,000 and Jesus took the notes and when he had it, then he took the notes. John 16, John 16, 18, and when he comes, he will convict the world of its sins and God's righteousness and of the coming judgment. The world sin is that it refuses to believe in him. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. So here you see Jesus promising that he is going to send the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is going to be convicting the world. Pray for that, pray for the Holy Spirit to move in our midst, move in our communities to bring that kind of conviction so that people turn to Christ. So praying for the salvation of souls. Point 5, read the point and the verse with it please. I said 269. With my soul I have desired you in the night and with my spirit within me I will seek you early for when your judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Yeah, so here we are praying for people to learn God's righteousness. So God himself to be revealed in our communities for his kingdom to come in our communities for his justice to reign in our communities. So we are praying for transformation in the communities in which we live. And then the last one, exercise kingdom authority and dominion. We did it yesterday, right? This is what Jesus says to Peter. I will build my church and on this rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So that promise that we have that kind of kingdom authority to be bringing down strongholds to be destroying the works of Satan in our communities and to be bringing the kingdom of light there. So for us to pray that that would be seen in the church that kind of authority that is already given to the church. We have those keys that are in our hands but that we would be able to exercise that and see God move in our midst. So prayer and fasting is key to seeing revival happen in our midst. So we look at a little bit about this, about prayer and fasting and we might have a short or class today. We will end with this and come back next week and do chapter 9. Okay, so we see here Matthew 9, 14 and 15 if someone can read that. 9, 14 and 15. One day one day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked why don't your disciples first like we do and the Pharisees do. Jesus replied do wedding, guests, morn while celebrating the groom? Of course not but someday the groom will be taken away from them and they will fast. So we see here Jesus talking about when the bride groom is not there that is the time when his disciples will be fasting. So right now we are in that waiting period for the bride groom to come and so in this time the role of the church is to be fasting and praying in readiness for the coming of the bride groom. So we look at three points that Derek Prince mentions in his book shaping his treat through prayer and fasting. He talks about fasting intensifying prayer. So why do we fast and pray? We fast because in that physical hunger or just like when we don't have that focus on our food, on feeding ourselves, all of those things we actually are able to focus more attention on spiritual things. We are able to give our full attention to what God wants to do. So it makes our prayers more it comes from a place of greater hunger. So that kind of physical hunger I think transfers to a spiritual hunger almost. So we are able to use all of that energy to pray into what God wants us to pray for. Fasting brings deliverance and victory. We see that also in the example where Jesus cast out the demon from the little boy. So his disciples ask him why couldn't we cast that demon out and he says this is only possible through fasting and prayer. Through fasting we are in a place where we are spiritually stronger and we're able to carry out these kinds of deliverances. See that kind of victory over the kingdom of darkness. And then the third one is fasting prepares for God's later in life. And the example here is given from Joel. We see so Joel 2, 23, 28 and 29 is where the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is promised. But before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in chapter 1, 14, 2, 12, 2, 15, 16, all those verses so we'll just read those quickly but all those verses talk about fasting. So there are three times when it's talking about fasting and after that is the promise of the Holy Spirit being poured out. So we'll look at those verses. Someone can just read all those verses that are mentioned there. Joel 2, 23. You can start with Joel 1, 14, 2, 12, 2, 15, 16 and then we'll go to Joel 2. Joel 1, 14, consecrate a fast, call a secret assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God and cry out to the Lord. And then 2, 12. Joel 2, 12. Now therefore says the Lord turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning. 2, 15 and 16. Blow the trumpet in giant, once created fast, call a secret assembly, gather the pupil, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes, let the bridegroom go out from his temple and the bride from her racing room. We see those three verses all talked about fasting and so preparing ourselves and one of the ways in which we prepare ourselves is fasting and then we can go on to Joel 2, 23, 28 and 29. 23. We glad the new children of giant and rejoice in the Lord your God for he has given you the former reign faithfully and he will cause the reign to come down for you, the former reign and the later reign and the first month and 28 and it shall come to pass after all that I will pour out my spirit on all place, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dreams, your young men shall see visions and 29 and also on my men servant and on my men servants I will pour out my spirit in those days. Thank you. So we see that in order to see that outpouring so before God promises that outpouring there's first that call to consecrate ourselves too fast to seek the Lord so the promised Holy Spirit is an outcome of that. So that is something for us also to recognize that that is an important step as we're praying for revival and that is something that we should be able to commit to set aside food, set aside time to just seek the Lord in that way fasting and praying. We'll read two more verses Isaiah 58 6 to 14, two more passages Isaiah 58 6 to 14 Isaiah 58 6 to 14 is this not the fast that I have chosen to lose the bonds of weakness to undo the heavy burdens to let the oppressed go free and that you break every year. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out. When you see the neck that you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh then your light shall break forth like the morning your healing shall spring forth speedily and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be read, read, read God then you shall call and the Lord will answer. You shall cry and they will say here I am. If you take away from your midst the pointing of the finger and speaking weakness if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul then your light shall down in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the known day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in thought and strengthen your bones you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old west places. You shall raise up the foundation of any generation and you shall be called the rapper of the bridge, the restores of the streets to dwell in if you turn away your food from the sabbath from doing your pleasure on my holy day and call the sabbath a delight the holy day of the Lord honorable and shall honor him not doing your own ways not finding your own pleasure not speaking your own words then you shall delight yourself in the Lord and I will curse you to ride on the high hills of the earth and feed you with the heretic of Jacob your father the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Thank you Nikhil. So we see here apart from fasting so this passage begins with is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen so apart from fasting there should be a way in which we are living our lives there should be justice in the ways we are dealing with people so it calls here for removing of oppression from those who are oppressed so this is for Israel as a nation so how can the church then take that and be a part of seeing justice in our midst right in the church and in our communities how can we see those who are oppressed being set free the poor and the needy being taken care of people who people who are talking against other people or people who are pointing fingers at other people those kinds of things should not be happening in the church so apart from fasting apart from that spiritual aspect of it there is also a holiness in the way we live right so when we are living in holiness is also a way to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord we fast and we also live in a way that is worthy of him worthy of his presence in our midst and then we look at this last part which is while we are seeking revival it is a huge thing right to think about okay if a God comes we are going to be responsible for being people who steward his presence who create the environment that allows him to fully manifest his glory and his will in our midst we see people who then carry that presence into other places it is a huge responsibility it's not just we don't look at it just as a blessing that it's going to come but also a responsibility for us and that can be overwhelming for people to think okay that's something that I am carrying I'm going to be responsible for so to think about okay where are we personally spiritually are we ready what are we ready for to start where we are ready and to pray for God to prepare us for more so we start where we are and we ask God to keep preparing our hearts to get us ready for what he wants to do just to encourage us that we don't have to be at some high spiritual level to begin playing this way we can start where we are but we can also keep pursuing a growth in spiritual maturity in readiness for God so we'll read this last passage Ecclesiastes 4 9 to 12 and this passage is basically to encourage apart from praying as individuals we also want to be praying as a community so gathering with others and praying asking God for revival and why is it important so we look at this passage Ecclesiastes 4 9 to 12 few are better than one because they have good reward for their labor for if they fall will lift up his companion but to him who is alone when he falls for he has now on to help him up again if two lie down together they will keep warm but how can one be warm alone so one may be overpowered by another two can withstand him and a three fold card is not quickly broken okay so yeah this is just an encouragement that it's better to have at least two people or more in any situation right to always have the company the support of other people and so the same applies for when we are praying for revival to have other people who are praying alongside us who are encouraging our faith if one of us is kind of waning in zeal on passion someone else is able to step in and encourages so having that kind of community along with whom you are praying who are able to kindle that passion and fire within you and you're able to do it for them as well so we can continue from here or we can stop for today and continue to the next chapter next week we all have a preference so we definitely have time to finish whatever we've been covering before the end of the semester but if you all want to stop for today and work on assignments and things that we can do that yeah okay so we'll we'll stop here for today and we'll continue in chapter nine next week thank you