{"id":332,"date":"2015-09-02T18:25:31","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T23:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=332"},"modified":"2015-09-02T18:25:31","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T23:25:31","slug":"that-times-of-refreshing-may-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2015\/09\/that-times-of-refreshing-may-come\/","title":{"rendered":"That Times of Refreshing May Come"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><h3>The Restoring Power of Corporate Repentance<\/h3>\n<p>The midweek prayer meeting at a church in our town was fairly well attended\u2014but something seemed to be missing. Some people came out of duty but didn\u2019t participate. Others left wondering if their prayers really mattered.<br \/>\nThen, about a year ago, things began to change. The Holy Spirit prompted the group to pray through Ezekiel 37. They began to repent\u2014individually and on behalf of their own and other churches in the city\u2014for being like the dry bones in Ezekiel\u2019s valley. They confessed resistance to change, disconnection from each other, disregard for the Spirit of God, and failure to pray and live in ways that would impact the city.<br \/>\nThe refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit began to breathe new life into the group. Before, only a few who attended actually prayed. Now, participants are jumping in quickly to voice what is burning in their hearts. As word spreads and answers to prayers are reported, others are joining the meetings. It\u2019s not unusual for the midweek prayer gathering to last two hours or more\u2014and no one wants to leave. The excitement, energy, and corporate agreement that fill the room are amazing.<br \/>\nActs 3:19 tells us, \u201cTherefore repent and return [to God], so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord\u201d (NASB). When we open the door to God\u2019s presence through true repentance, we experience His power.<br \/>\nIt is too bad that many of us have an incomplete understanding of repentance. We tend to associate it with tears, sorrow, and guilt. While these may accompany repentance, they do not define it. Focusing exclusively on the emotional components of repentance may even bring a sense of hopelessness to a church.<br \/>\nWe can see an example of this misunderstanding during Samuel\u2019s time. Sin permeated the nation of Israel, including gross iniquity among the sons of Eli the high priest. God had allowed Israel to be defeated in battle and the Ark of the Covenant to be taken captive by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:10-11).<br \/>\nEventually, the Philistines returned the Ark (see 1 Samuel 6), and it was brought to Kiriath Jearim. However, the presence of the Lord did not return, and \u201call the house of Israel lamented after the LORD\u201d (1 Sam. 7:2, NASB). In other words, the children of Israel wailed and cried out for the return of the presence of the Lord, but they did not repent over the sin that had led them into the situation.<br \/>\nThe prophet Samuel saw what was going on. He said to the people, \u201cIf you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone . . . He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines\u201d (7:3, NASB).<br \/>\nSamuel further instructed them to \u201cgather all Israel to Mizpah.\u201d They gathered, fasting and praying and saying, \u201cWe have sinned against the LORD\u201d (7:5-6, NASB). Together they acknowledged their sin and offered sacrifices. As a result, the Lord brought about victory over the Philistines. The nation was restored, the people were refreshed, and the Lord returned to protect, defend, and establish Israel.<br \/>\nThe prophet Joel also issued forth God\u2019s promise to refresh and restore His people when they repent before Him: \u201cReturn to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning&#8230;. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly&#8230;. Then the Lord will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people\u201d (Joel 2:12-18). What was true for Israel in the days of Samuel, and what was prophesied by Joel, is also true for us today.<br \/>\nTrue corporate repentance involves a collective change of mind, purpose, and action. It requires us to confess together what is contrary to the will and ways of the Lord and to adjust our thoughts and actions accordingly. When we do, we experience God\u2019s reviving presence in our midst. He releases His Spirit to bring a fresh vitality to our prayers, and He empowers us to live together as He desires.<br \/>\nCorporate repentance unlocks the door to God\u2019s presence and power in the church. Let\u2019s use the key that God has provided to enjoy Him and the times of refreshing He offers.<br \/>\n\u2013By Jacquie Tyre<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 11px\">Used by permission of Pray! Copyright \u00a9 May\/June 2006, The Navigators. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Restoring Power of Corporate Repentance The midweek prayer meeting at a church in our town was fairly well attended\u2014but something seemed to be missing. Some people came out of duty but didn\u2019t participate. Others left wondering if their prayers &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"That Times of Refreshing May Come\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2015\/09\/that-times-of-refreshing-may-come\/#more-332\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">That Times of Refreshing May Come<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>That Times of Refreshing May Come - The Disciplemaker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2015\/09\/that-times-of-refreshing-may-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"That Times of Refreshing May Come - The Disciplemaker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Restoring Power of Corporate Repentance The midweek prayer meeting at a church in our town was fairly well attended\u2014but something seemed to be missing. 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