The Pentecost outpouring in the books of Acts was a spiritual event of the first order, one that set a precedent for other unexpected outpourings of the Spirit. When the Spirit of God later “fell” on the household of Cornelius, all present spoke in unknown languages (Acts 10:44-46). Many outpourings of a similar kind have taken place throughout church history, most of them overflowing doctrinal and denominational divisions, and bringing together God’s people. Those of us who were not present at that particular Pentecost — and that’s all of us who are alive — are really Cornelians. But Pentecost is the same by any other name!
Unexpected experiences are more often witnessed by those who minister in many places among different people. But the more we build a spirit of expectancy in our own church, the more frequently they are likely to happen. So what happens, you ask, when faith grows to the degree that a church expects the unexpected? The answer is anything and everything!
Revival can result when a church desires it and stirs itself to seek God. But when the Spirit of God is “poured out” and “falls” on a group of believers unexpectedly, what happens is extraordinary. Those who experience the spiritual phenomenon never forget it, and for many it becomes the touchstone for every later move of the Spirit of God.
Such outpourings are needed in our churches more than ever before. I should warn, however, that when the Spirit of God arrives unexpectedly, two things change quickly: the first of which is our heart attitude to God, and the second our attitude toward others. As the flood of God’s Spirit overflows our churches and enables us to rise above the things that divide us, the number of those awakened or revived increases greatly, and closer fellowship takes place in the rising stream of spiritual revival! We should all pray and work together to that end.