Acts 2:1-4,14-17,21 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.14.But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:21. And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:38-42,46,47 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers46.And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
I first want to say this morning that I am glad to be alive in yr. 2008.
Living for God today is the best time, easiest time and the most rewarding time ever in history of the Church.
I believe w/ all my heart that we are living in the "Rapture generation", when God is about to come back after the church.
It all started on the Day of Pentecost in 33AD, God’s NT church was formed and established with the outpouring of the HG.
We aren’t just another religion, or another church on the corner, but our local church was founded upon the doctrine of the original teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
It started in Jerusalem almost 2,000 yrs ago and it’s still going strong today!!
-When Jesus returns, he’s going to find some born again, blood washed, HG filled saints of God still serving him like he asked us to do 2,000 yrs ago.
-I plan on being in that number when the roll is called up yonder and hope to see each and everyone of you on the other side of glory!
It’s our privilege to continue what God started a long time ago.
Acts 2:1-4And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance
I don’t want to mess up your theology but I don’t believe the Day of Pentecost was just a 24 hr. period.
Vs. 1 it says "when the DAY of Pentecost was fully come"
Everyone say "DAY"
Gk word for DAY is "Hemera" "a period of time; a period of opportunity for service; a period of undefined length marked by certain characteristics; a time of trail and testing; a time of salvation; an appointed time"
We are living today in the time period of Pentecost!
The HG is just as real today in 2008 as it was the 1st time Simon Peter spoke in tongues on the 1st day and gave the salvation message of Acts 2:38.
This is Pentecost!!!
This is the period of time that God has appointed:
-for this world to find salvation,
-opportunity for you and I to do service for
him
-to have testing and trails but we know if we are faithful, at a indefinite pt of time, he¡¯s coming back after his church.
We don’t know the day or the hour but in the mean time, certain characteristics will mark this time of Pentecost: we will be speaking in tongues and operating in the gifts of the Spirit until God decides the Day is over.
Rom.13:11-14a And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,"
This is not the time to be bickering and fighting with each other.
laying up treasures in the flesh.
This is the time period to be focusing on getting saved,
staying saved and winning the lost.
The Day of Pentecost wasn’t just a 24 hr period but its still going on today!
I don’t believe that the church that Jesus died, and is coming back for is going to be some
weak-kneed,sissy,bunch of fearful,spiritually anemic saints of God in the last days, but he’s going to find a strong powerhouse,a muscle bound
vibrant spiritual church on fire when he tells Gabriel to blow the trumpet.
People that are excited about serving God.
worship and praising him.
-not asleep in the pews and overwhelmed with their own needs
but on fire for God just as much as they were in 33AD.
God wants to do miracles in theses last days.
He wants to use us in Sp. gifts and let us be involved in signs and wonders.
The HG we have today is just the same as it was in 33 AD and it’s just as powerful as those original saints had it.
Wondered: How did 3,000 people get baptized and receive the HG in that first 24 hr period?
-the Upper Room isn’t any bigger than our fellowship hall.
-you couldn’t get 3,000 people in there at once to hear Peter preach Acts 2:38 to them.
Even out side of the Upper Room, the streets and courtyard are narrow, you couldn’t get 3,000 people to hear at once.
How did 3,000 people get added to the church that 1st day?
Well I’m Glad you asked !!
Let me tell you what I think!!
1)Those in the Upper Room waiting for the Promise of the father, (the HG) they had already been baptized in water by emersion.
-Jesus had told them to baptize in his name a long time
before Acts 2. -I’ve got to believe they obeyed him.
-I’ve got to believe they were telling others also what Jesus said to do.
Its human nature to not believe right away, you have to convince people; you have to tell them over and over.
2) Not everyone heard Peter preach that Day. The majority of the 3,000 that were saved didn’t hear Peter preach Acts 2:38.
It is geographically impossible. So how did it happen?
-I believe those NT saints had been witnessing and telling
their friends and family about Jesus, about water baptism and the promise of the HG before it ever happened.
-they had themselves been baptized and were so excited, they told others and others told others until it spread all over Jerusalem before Acts 2 ever happened.
-they had been witnessing long before the HG fell.
-they were expecting something to happen, they weren’t sure what it was but knew God was going to doing something fantastic.
-so they witnessed
-so they prayed
-so they worshipped and in Acts 2: 2, it says:
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
After they received the HG in the Upper Room, they ran out and began telling others "Hey, you know what I was telling you about, it happened this morning at 9am over in that Upper Room."
God filled us with his Spirit just like Joel prophesied it would happen and I spoke in tongues.
It was fantastic!
You need to be baptized, you need to get the HG too. Come on we’re going down to the river right now to worship.
God’s dong great things and I want to share with you what I have.
People from all over Jerusalem started repenting, started getting baptized and receiving the HG because the saints had been busy telling them to "expect" something to happen when the church gets to praying and worshipping.
Question:
How many of you really believe God is going to pour out his spirit in these last days?
it’s going to happen right here and we’re going to see Revival of backsliders and lost family and friends come into the church before the Rapture?
It will if we expect it to happen,
if we tarry in prayer and worship and
if at the same time, we’re telling others about it right now.
It won’t happen just because the Pastor preaches one salvation message like Peter did and all of a sudden all of Eufaula gets saved in one day.
-it wasn’t Peters message
-it wasn’t the Upper Room location
It was because the saints had been telling others in the town to expect something to happen.
It was because God was moving, and that they had obeyed the Word of God themselves.
Now’s the time to plant the seeds to friends and family.
Now’s the time to be praying, worshipping, and expecting
something miraculous to happen when we come to church.
Now’s the time to get on fire
You should be letting God move upon you when you walk in those church doors.
This is the Time of Pentecost, this is still the Day of Pentecost!
Its just as real and alive 2008 as it was in 33ad.
You want to know why the devil wants to distract us and get us self- centered instead of soul-centered?
It because of Acts 2:1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
He doesn’t want us to be in "one accord", he wants us disagreeing with each other!
He doesn’t want us to be in "one place", he wants us to miss church for any reason that comes up.
Joel prophesied in Joel 2:23b, 28,32a
".rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately," And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.."
If you don’t believe it this morning!
If you’re all stiff and starching this morning, you better get your umbrella out because it’s going to happen when the saints:
-begin to pray,
-begin to witness
-and come to church expecting it to happen!
Bible says "your old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions"
I want to thank God for the leadership God has given us down thru the yrs.
-thank God for the old men some that have went onto glory
that preached the truth and planted the dream of revival
in all our hearts.
-I also want to thank God for the young men in pews all over the world that have a vision for revival. They are preaching the truth and carrying on this message of Acts 2:38 just as much as Peter did himself.
Thank God for our elders, thank God for our young men!
Keep on dreaming, keep on having visions, keep on, because Jesus is coming back real soon!!!
-he wants to do miracles in our midst
-he wants to show signs and wonders in this Sanctuary .
Its going to get to the point around here, that it doesn’t matter who walks in that door with whatever sins or problems my Bible says (Joel 2:32) "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered"
Why did God wait 10 days before he filled them all with his spirit?
What was he waiting on after he sent them back to Jerusalem to pray and expect?
What was God waiting on? Could he have been waiting on:
-everyone to get to the prayer mtg before he moved?
-everyone to be of the same mind, on same page for revival?
-everyone to start witnessing start telling others?
Could he have been waiting on:
-everyone to finally get excited about being in church and expecting something to happen?
Who knows! I just know that when "..they were all with one accord in one place" = He moved!
Remember I told you once before,The original writing said it this way "..they were all together, together"
(2 diff. Gk words)
Gk. Dictionary says it this way "when they had gathered in the same location and were for one another" "suddenly out of Heaven a sound came"
God can’t move until we are "for one another".
We can come and sit in the same location but nothing will happen until we are "for one another".
John13:34,35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Rom.12:10[Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Gal.5:13 "..by love, serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbor as thyself"
If your not Loving one another the way God commands, your holding up God and the church from experiencing a real move of God and I would suggest to you today that you get your act together.
Jesus gave us many commandments and principles to live by but when they kind of ¡°backed Jesus in a corner¡± one day and asked him to put it all up together.
*He summed it all up in two statements:
Matt.22:37-40
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Maybe Jesus waited 10 days because it took the saints that long to start loving one another, to lay aside their differences while in prayer and start serving one another.
(Who knows!)
Revival is happening all over the world as we speak.
(Facts and figures of HG worldwide)
******************************
Stand:
All I know for sure today is that God has promised us an end time, latter rain, out pouring of the HG.
He will save and deliver our families and friends when we get in "one accord in one place" and start expecting things to happen.
The word Pentecost symbolizes a time of opportunity for souls to be saved, an appointed time for God to test us and deliver us from our sins. -a time of Harvest
Rev. 14:15 ".for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe¡"
If we have been planting the seed by witnessing,
if we have praying,
if we have been expecting God to move,
then look out, its about to rain!!!
I wonder this morning if there is anyone right now that needs to come repent and get rained upon
Is there anyone right now that needs to get right with brother or sister, be for one another, grab them by the hand and say lets go pray together and expect God to move?
I wonder if there is anyone that wants to bring a name of a friend or family member that needs to be saved, a backslider, someone you work with and lay them on the altar right now.
It’s still just as real as it was in 33ad.
The Day or Period of Pentecost is still alive and well this morning.
It’s up to you to respond right now!!!
Saints of God, now is the time to dedicate or rededicate your lives to the one who gave his life for you.
Everyone should be scrambling for a place at this alter this morning.
Please, everyone, come dare to be an overcomer;
Dare to place someone’s name at the feet of our God and trust Him to lead that person to salvation.
Cry out to God for an outpouring of His spirit on this Church and on us His people.
Cry out to the Lord to bring revival to our city, and our loved ones.
Now is the time!
Today is the day for salvation!
