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Times Of Refreshing

I found a wonderful word picture this morning.  I was reflecting on how this year’s project season is winding-down right now, and how much we’re all looking forward to resting from our labors, enjoying the fruit of blessed lives that has resulted, and refueling so that we’re ready for next year.  I thought about the Biblical phrase “Times of Refreshing from the Lord”.  I’ve heard this many times, and meditated on it as well. It conveys this idea that God is with us in our rest, restoring us back to strength during times of rejuvenation…but it’s a lot more than that.
The phrase is part of a long, run-on sentence from Acts 3:19-21.  There are a lot of those in scripture, especially when looking at the original language…Greek in this case.  I spent some time looking into it this morning, meditating on the words and their application to my life.  I was surprised and encouraged by what I found, and wanted to pass along to you for your encouragement as well.
Here’s how the sentence looks in a few different English translations:
  • NIV – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
  • NLT – “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
  • NAS – “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

Without getting too technical about translation theory, one can really get to the root of the meaning by looking at a direct word for word translation from the Greek.  Sometimes, the perspective we get is very different than the packaged translations that wrap it all up for us in religious language. I loved this section of God’s word, here’s a literal translation in raw form: 
  • “Change your thinking, therefore, and turn around for the wiping-out of your sins, so that may come opportunities of cooling-off in the breath from the face of the Lord and that He sends the one previously hand-picked to you Christ Jesus, whom it is necessary heaven indeed receives until times of restoration of all things of which spoke God by the mouth of set-apart ones from the age of His prophets.

I’ve underlined a few parts…let me elaborate a bit:
Opportunities – There are two different words translated as “time” in this sentence. This one refers to opportunities (qualitative), rather than time itself (quantitative).  
  • Are you seeing opportunities where God is working?  If not, that probably means you need to change your thinking and turn around from something.  He’s already there, right behind you.  What are you focusing on that’s preventing you from turning around?

Cooling-off in the breath from the face of the Lord – What a beautiful picture this is. Imagine a small child getting all over-stimulated and red in the face, being held face to face in her Father’s hands for a moment while He smiles with loving eyes and blows some fresh air gently onto her face to calm her down.  Their eyes meet, she takes a deeper breath, and feels His pleasure ease into her…encouraging her, literally pouring courage back into her.  Notice that He doesn’t offer to remove the stresses from our lives, only to be there with His cooling breath and His loving gaze.
  • What stresses in your life need the cooling breath of God?
  • Are you struggling with circumstances beyond your control, and You just need God’s courage?
  • Are you locked-up in some specific area of sin that’s causing you to get red in the face?
  • How can you change your thinking and turn around so you can engage with the Father’s face? 

He sends the one previously hand-picked to you Christ Jesus – It’s not that God blows into our faces, cools us off, and sends us away to work harder next time.  It’s that He sends the presence of Jesus into you, literally.  This isn’t a silly, childish fantasy idea; it’s reality.  This is what it means to “live by the Spirit”…the Spirit of Jesus fuses with ours, and we become like Him in this world: Spiritual beings walking temporarily in human form.  The enemy’s temptations & lies, and our own failings, tend to blind us to this truth.
  • Have you forgotten who you are as a son or daughter of the King?  
  • Are you experiencing the fullness of Christ in and through your life? 

Heaven indeed receives – We have a messed-up, limited idea of heaven.  There is, certainly a “heaven” that is spoken of in scripture that has not yet come…the one that is beyond this world, which we are waiting for. However, the heaven being talked about here has already started, it’s all around us, and it’s connecting to us constantly through the conduit of Jesus!  As Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke 17, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”  It’s more like a different dimension than a different location, and it’s here now. The word “indeed” is a conjunction that amplifies what is being said.  It’s like saying “totally.”  The word “receives” is not written in future, present, or past tense, but in a tense called “aorist,” which means infinitive…aka it keeps going and going, it never stops. Let that sink in…
  • Are you feeling connected with the Kingdom of Heaven all around you?  Why or why not?
  • What can you do to increase your connection?
  • What can you release to increase your connection?

Times of restoration – Eventually, in God’s time, this world and it’s struggles will indeed be wrapped-up.  Praise God! We do have this to look forward to, and the hope it produces gives us great hope as we wait patiently, endure hardships, and go about the Master’s work with Him inside of us.  
  • Are you weary of the struggle?  Do you need to turn-around for a fresh blowing of God’s breath to encourage you and keep you going?

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:3-6)

By catalystshawn

Shawn is the founding Minister/Executive Director of Catalyst NW, launched in 2007. Before starting Catalyst, Shawn was a full-time Youth Pastor and Church Planter in traditional churches for 13-years. Shawn and his wife Marina live in Tualatin, OR, and are actively involved with Grace Chapel in Wilsonville. They have 2 adult kids who are their pride & joy, one funny little dog, and a cuddly cat.

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