Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: We're not trying to create an audience, we're trying to build an army.
Let me say that again. We're not just trying to create an audience, we're trying to build an army. Because you're not going to win battles with a group of people that have audience level buy in when they need to have army mentality.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: Hello, and welcome to the well, an Elam Fellowship leadership podcast. My name is Thomas and I'm excited that you're joining us today as we hear a powerful word from a new friend of Elam Fellowship, Sean Smith.
Today we are excited to bring you part one of two from Sean's message from day three of the 2025 OASIS conference as he discusses what it looks like for each of us to be doorkeepers of revival within our areas.
This is a message that speaks to the heart of what Elim is all about, and you won't want to miss it.
So join us as we seek to open prophetic wells in our lives, in our churches and in the world today.
[00:01:04] Speaker A: Enjoy.
I want to jump in it. And I will say this because I think this is so important.
I believe that right now, some of the greatest opportunity for what God is about to do is being laid at our feet right now. And I think that maybe our greatest battle is that our vision of what God is doing isn't big enough to match what he's actually handing us. That in fact, many instances, God has made stuff available that we've not taken advantage of and laid hold of.
And this is the thing. Revelation awaits capacity. You know that's true, right? Jesus said to the disciples, I have many more things to say to you, but you're not able to handle it. Revelation awaits capacity. And I think this is a season. If I were to say something about the COVID season is that I really feel like if you go to Disneyland or Disney World, you get, I think, what's called a fast pass.
And that's you don't have to wait three hours to get on the Indiana Jones ride. You get that pass, you can get on in 10 minutes. I feel like we'd been crying out for revival. And I'm not saying that God sent COVID 19, but God, the Bible is very clear. There's a time for everything. If you read Ecclesiastes, I believe that God redeemed that and there was a purpose in that season. And what it was is it was a fast pass to get us desperate for God, that if we lose our desperation, if the enemy can give you a platform and you lose your desperation. He'll make that trade off all day, every day. If the enemy can give you popularity, a mailing list, more followers on your social medias, if he can get you more stat amongst your peers in ministry. But it causes you to lose your desperation.
I, I'm. I'm seeing and, and one of the things that it, it. It's saddens my heart is, and I talked a little bit about it yesterday is heroes of the faith that had desperation when they began in ministry. At a certain point, God, I'm desperate for you to move. Lord, we're desperate to see a breakthrough in our city. And they get that breakthrough. They see that level of God showing up and showing off, and they lose that desperation.
And your breakthrough on the bigger scale is tied to the desperation you can hold. And so what I want to live with is a tension of desperation. Now let me say this.
Before God begins to shift history, he first shakes history.
That's what I think Covid was about. COVID brought us, the church, to desperation. It thinned the herd. It was a Gideon reduction plan. But the people that made it back off the online stuff came back more hungry. How many of you noticed that the people came back? There are certain people that say, I'm not okay with programs. I want presents. And I was talking to some of my friends who grew up Pentecostal, but they've seen in their estimation, some extremism in terms of Pentecostal. The moving of the gifts, Spirit. Moving the Spirit in their services. And so they over corrected that pendulum and they went to more of a.
What's. What's the word? I'm going to try to find another word. Rather than secret sensitivity, they went to an attractional model of people.
And the sad part about it, in some instances that the whole attractional model, and please don't think of any movement because that's not my heart at all. But the mentality is, is that I want to cater to the people walking through the door to the extent that I ignore the Holy Spirit. Right.
And, and I just want to say I don't want church that has a larger consumer component but has less Holy Ghost.
I'm an amen myself. Come on, Sean, preach that, bro. That's a good word right there.
I don't, I don't want a mentality, a organizational church structure where I get more buns in the seat, but less Holy Ghost in the room.
Because I feel if we can get more Holy Spirit in the room, at the end of the day, we will get More buns in the seats. If you allow the Holy Ghost to be the Holy Ghost in your midst. Come on, somebody. People are hungry for that. And so I saw this other thing and number one, if we're giving them meat, not pablum, then they're going to be ready for the battles and the struggles and the things they have. But if we were giving them pablum and, and we were giving them a TED Talk instead of Jesus walk, then all of a sudden when the crisis comes, we didn't prepare them. And so many of them didn't make it back. Others are still on their couch sipping their latte, watching you maybe on TV from time to time. But Lord, right now is getting us back to this, that we're not trying to create an audience, we're trying to build an army.
Let me say that again. We're not just trying to create an audience, we're trying to build an army because you're not going to win battles with a group of people that have audience level buy in when they need to have army mentality.
As a soldier, Paul often talks about soldiers. And so this is so important. Now here is what I think is most important in terms of. Well, actually, let me just go to the scripture, because I'm going to do this to save time is in Acts 12, 5, 17. I love this passage. I'm going to read a little longer portion of scripture, but go with me on this. Acts 12, 5, 17 says, Peter was therefore kept in prison. But constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. Somebody said, that's good.
And when Herod was about to bring him out that night, Peter was sleeping, sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers. And the guards before the doors, excuse me, before the door, were keeping the prison.
Now, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him. And a light shone in prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, arise quickly. And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, gird yourself, tie on your sandals. And so he did. And he said to him, put on your garment and follow me. So he went out and followed him. And he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. Stop right there. Could it be in this next season that as God is releasing us out of a period of time that felt like it was so containing to the church, could it be that God is going to begin to release things so awesome we're going to think we're dreaming. We've dreamt this. But Lord, you're actually going to release that. This is what it says here. Peter didn't even think it was real. He thought he was dreaming.
Verse 10. And when they went past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gates that lead to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. They went out, went down the street, and immediately an angel departed from him. And now let me jump down to verse 12.
So when he considered this Peter, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. And there were many gathered together, praying. And as Peter knocked on the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, you are beside yourself. Some translations say you are crazy. Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, it is his angel.
I'm convinced that in this season, God is about to break out in a way that I believe it's beyond anything that we've ever envisioned or imagined.
In fact, maybe the greatest challenge in this day is the scarcity mentality that isn't ready for God to begin to bring in massive harvest. I couldn't help but weep, and I'm sure many of you saw it too. And my spiritual father was a catalyst during the Jesus People movement. But when I saw that movie, the Jesus Revolution, I remember watching that as they're chronicling, you know, this incredible move of God in the late 60s and early 70s. And I'm weeping in a movie theater for a couple reasons. Number one, I'm weeping in this movie theater because I'm. I'm. I'm like seeing this and beginning to relive the stories I. I wasn't aware of. I was pretty young during that time. I wasn't aware of all this stuff that was going on. But I could. I could appreciate it in retrospect. But the other reason why I was weeping was I had this sense that God, you're doing it all over again, that we're on the brink of a new Jesus People Movement 2.0. And that God, you're about to show up and show off and even the beginning. This year, I was doing a conference called the Start of the Year Conference in Tucson, Arizona. And a man of God that has spoken in my life many times, we've had lunch, and he's a friend of mine, Dud Sheetz said something. When he says something, he's such an intercessor. I peeked and I go, okay, what he's saying? And he says to the group, he opened up the conference and he said, I just want you guys to know the third great awakening has begun. I've been in a prayer closet. God spoke to me. He says, revival is about to blast through the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe that we're in that moment now. This is our challenge. Because revival challenges you to be hungrier than your history.
One of the first things that revival begins to call upon is that you have to be hungrier than your history. Now, typically, what happens when we first give our life to Christ, we're hungry, we're desperate. Some of that is we got needs in our life. Maybe some of us had some bondages, maybe some of us had some addictions, we had some struggles we had in our life.
And so there's that desperation, like, lord, I need you to be Jehovah. Rapha, I need you to be Jehovah. Nissi, I need you to be a Jehovah. Jireh. But all of a sudden, we walk with the Lord for a while. And as we walk with the Lord for the while, those immediate felt needs aren't as pressing. And maybe we step into ministry and then we go back through a new desperation. Lord, I need you. I know that was the case for me. I got a D plus in high school speech at America's number one phobia public speaking. And all of a sudden I'm thrown in front of all of these people. And it was just, it was, I told you the story last night. And so there's desperation. But then we begin to walk with the Lord for a period of time. Now watch this. If my hands are a trajectory, these are vectors, right? We first come in the kingdom, and our trajectory, our hunger, our expectation is high. But over a period of time, our trajectory, expectation, desperation, hunger for God begins to lower. And in some instances, I believe many saints and check out with a lower trajectory of desperation, hunger, and expectancy of God than when they first got saved. And I believe one of the first things revival calls upon is for you to get back. I to get back in this position where we're desperate, we're hungry, we are expectant for God to move. Expectancy is huge. Oral Roberts years ago was asked, as he's doing these crusades back in the day, healing revivals, late 40s, early 50s tents, all this kind of stuff that was going on. And he was used of God to see some tremendous, tremendous miracles. And heard the voice of God. And there was the fruit of that. So someone said, oral. What is the secret to hearing the voice of God? His answer shocked me and haunted me at the same time. How many of you want to hear that? Okay, not enough. Okay, tomorrow at 9:00, I will share with you. No, he said, the secret to hearing the voice of God is being so desperate and being willing to work on it. And so that begins to tell me that desperation isn't just this kind of floating, kind of intensity of heart, but you're willing to act on desperation. What brought Jesus to Zacchaeus house? Zacchaeus was desperate, right? But he got up in a tree because the Bible says he was of short stature, if you will.
When we put desperation on display, that's when Jesus comes to our house, that he got up in a tree. So he's putting desperation. Who is willing to put desperation on display? Now this is, this is important. Now here is the. Where we begin with this passage. You ever experience a dead end in your life? You ever experienced closed doors? You ever experienced something that didn't look like there was going to be any, like, opportunity afterwards for something to happen? Here is the situation of the early church. Now, give you a background. They're all in Mary's house. Some of the early Bible scholars and experts would say this is the Jerusalem headquarters, the early headquarters of the church, Mary's house. All of the intercessors are there and they're all praying. Well, the context of them praying is Peter had been apprehended by bloodthirsty King Herod. And they knew his threat was legit because Herod had previously, just before this, captured James, the disciple, had him beheaded. And that is, you know, obviously Stephen, in terms of he was a deacon, but this is the first martyr of the actual disciples and apostles.
So I imagine this is not their first prayer meeting. I imagine that when James got captured by Herod, this same group also met in a room and they prayed. And evidently the outcome wasn't what they were praying.
And I feel like sometimes the challenge of revival is there are people that have prayed for revival, but somehow it seemed like it got cut off. Somehow it seemed like James had literally beheaded. It seemed like the revival you prayed for got cut off. You're back in a position where. But you're not quite believing and praying the same way. Because it's human nature to hedge ourself towards praying and stretching ourselves out for something that maybe we don't think we'd see in our lifetime. And sometimes revival can hit you. Now, let's go from Peter's aspect.
Peter, this is. This is a selling point. I'm an evangelist. This is a selling point of the gospel. On the night before you're supposed to be beheaded, martyred, this guy is sleeping. No, no, no, no. Y' all not hear me? Not just sleeping, right? Come on, look at this right? For a minute. How many of you think that if an angel showed up in your room tonight, who's been in this celestial glory on the sea of glass before the throne, the elders on both sides and holy, holy, holy. How many of you think if an angel showed up in your room tonight, you would know about it? Right?
I'm a sound sleeper. My wife, she's a light sleeper. A dog can bark three blocks away. She would peek up, wake me up, what's that? I listen, I go, I think that's a dog. Three blocks away. And I go back to sleep, right?
In college, I slept through fire alarms. But I'm convinced if an angel showed up in my room, I would wake up. Peter is sleeping the night before his execution. How hard is he sleeping? An angel. The Bible says an angel struck him. Now, you imagine if angel first comes in the room, goes, ta da, and the guy drooling. That's not enough. The angel has to strike him. But here's the point I want to make.
What kind of peace can God give you that the night before your execution, you are sleeping so sound you're in REM to an extent that an angel could show up and has to hit you to wake you up In a day where people are suffering from anxiety, and we have hand over the fist pharmaceutical meds for anxiety, we're the most medicated generation. We even have ministers of the gospel and leaders that are dealing with sleepless nights and stress and anxiety. And here is a guy right before his execution, and he knows that the last dude this happened to didn't come out good.
And you still have that kind of peace.
And I feel like there's an invitation for God to call us into some of the deepest peace we've ever had. Hey, NASDAQ may go down, but the economy of God goes up. Come on, somebody. I don't know. There's wars, rumors of wars, people saying there's gonna be a third prophesying there's gonna be a third world war and all that. And I don't know that. That's not something I've been given. But I'm telling you what, I am not gonna prioritize The Third World War over the Third Great Awakening. My focus is on God bring to our nation and the nations of the world. And I think this is an important aspect. Now here is Peter in this prison.
And the thing about divine visitations, the divine visitations comes in the void of a human solution.
How is Peter getting out of prison? It's not like in this moment, Herod's gonna have a change of heart and go, you know what? I just feel like I should let you go right now. You. It's cool what you're doing. Bless you guys. If you guys need anything, I'm here for you. I just want to help you. No, no, no. Divine visitations happen at a time where there's no human solution. The angel shows up. So now here's the connection. People over here praying, they don't realize their prayers are releasing angelic activity. They don't see that angel, but an angel is being released because the Bible talks about it. We just read it the. That as they were praying in this room, this upper room with Mary, an angel of the Lord shows up, right?
Hits Peter. Peter stands up. He has two chains on him, right? Two chains. And I want to stop for you to think Peter in this passage. I want to use Peter as a metaphor of a move of God. I'm going to use Peter as a metaphor of revival. And I believe there's two chains because I believe that the chains that held Peter, these two chains, are the two chains. And I'm not gonna speak very long on them. But I believe one is the chain of tradition.
Bill Johnson, I've heard him say it many times. And Bill has made a great point that up to this point, he says no movement of. Or maybe I would say this. No group of people have been at the forefront of two consecutive moves of God because many times when revival breaks out, people think that was the move. And because this move doesn't look like that move, this move can't be better than this. And so all of a sudden, God's got to fall on a new group in a new move and a new revival. But I believe, Elam, you guys are different. I believe you got your spiritual. You know, you put your finger in your mouth and you put your finger up and you could feel the wind. I believe that there's this, like, transparent humility.
This. This. This aspect that I'm sensing was around you guys, and I love you. I feel like I'm part of your tribe already. I. I feel like there is this thing where you're. You're Leaders, but you're learners. You're willing to be students. You're willing to be Jesus. Brought a little kid out. Say, unless you become as one of these, you're not going to even see the kingdom of God. That you have to have that childlike trust. And. And this is part of it. I believe that there is a chain of tradition that holds back revival.
That maybe people that maybe you were involved in, I don't know, maybe. Maybe you around the Jesus people movement, maybe you saw the renewal and the things are going on in Toronto, maybe, you know, Pensacola, maybe there's different types. But I'm telling you, and again, I'm not revival police or anything like that, but I believe that all of these were stirrings and they're water in a thimble compared to Lake Superior revival that God's about to give us. I mean, the kind of revival where you don't have to go to the church, right? The revival spills out and brings transformation in a community.
Peter wasn't just in a prison house. He's about to get let out. The other chain that holds back revival, and this is very real.
These are two things I kind of prayed about. And I said, what are two things? And I felt like one is a chain of tradition. Write it down. The second one is the chain of fatigue.
I think many times revival catches the church when she's.
Maybe there's been revival.
Excuse me. Maybe there's been spiritual warfare fatigue where you've had to battle so much. And as I've traveled and I'm talking to people, it's amazing how many leaders that I'm talking to right now that they just begin to open up or they come for prayer and they go, I am so exhausted, Sean.
Man, we have been praying and pressing so hard. The warfare has been so great. And so you get battle fatigue. You get weary over. And sometimes the enemy is just trying to nickel and dime you. What Daniel says that he would attempt to wear down the saints of the most High. One of the strategies of the enemy is to wear folks down before moves of God come.
And I would say, you know, what's the answer to it? Obviously, the answer is the Lord. But you know what the answer really is? Is making it to God's waiting room. Because the Bible says them that wait upon the Lord, he will what? Renew their strength. They will mount it with wings as eagles and run in not glory, walking, not faint. My wife and I, we got a room in our house called the waiting room. And that that room is used to Wait before the Lord. We just wait. People say, sean, in this, in this season, what's your quiet time like? And I feel like obviously the components is there should be worship, there should be word, there should be petitions. But the aspect and meditation. But the aspect that I think we leave out is waiting. Right now in this season, I'm spending more time just waiting on the Lord. The Holy Spirit's love language, right? You know, the, the five different love languages, physical touch, like verbal affirmation, acts of service, et cetera. Mine also on there is airplane flight upgrades, like when I'm flying, because I, I don't, I don't demand first class. I fly coach, right? But I've flown enough to where the American Airlines at. Sean Smith, would you please come to the desk? I go, I feel so love right now.
And they're giving me an upgrade, right? The Holy Spirit's love language is when you wait on him.
And I think there's this sense to be so quick. And even in services, there are times when I just love when leaders, Pastor Phil, others where they just take a moment. Let's just linger here for a moment.
More can happen in a five minute, two minute, whatever holy spirit deviation than 50 services of our own planning.
But back to the point, I think sometimes we get so fatigued and let me say something about being weary, right?
Weariness isn't always because you've taken on too much.
Are you ready for this?
This might shock you.
Weariness sometimes isn't that you've taken on too much, but you've taken in too little of what would renew you, what would quicken you. It's not just that you've taken on too much, it's that you're taking in too little of what would quicken your spirit. And this is important.
[00:24:19] Speaker B: Thank you for listening to today's episode of the well An Elam Fellowship Leadership Podcast. I pray that you are blessed and encouraged by this time. If you would like to hear the rest of today's message, be sure to tune in next time. You will be blessed if. If you would like to hear more exciting content just like this, be sure to give this podcast a like and a follow. Wherever you get your podcasts and share this podcast with your friends, we will have more exciting content from Oasis and beyond dropping very soon and you don't want to miss it. We are excited about what God is doing here at Elam and we would love for you and your friends to come along on this ride.
So until next time, my name is Thomas and from all of us here at El Elam. God bless.
