Years ago one of the teens in my seminary church asked me to come to the next meeting of his High School Christian Club and share my testimony. I agreed and went-but before I began, the club sponsor asked me to identify which denomination I was a part of. In my reply I said that I wanted both him and the club members to understand that first and foremost I was a Christian-but that I PRACTICED my Christian faith within the Baptist church. In other words, I told him I was a Christian FIRST and a Baptist SECOND-and if I were asked that question today, I’d say the same thing.
Now-don’t get me wrong. I like being a Baptist for many reasons. But, I’m still a Christian FIRST and a Baptist SECOND because denomination is a man-made concept and as such all denominations have flaws-even the Baptist denomination. In my opinion one of the flaws found in the Baptist denomination is the fact that-other that Easter and Christmas-we don’t observe the Christian calendar. We don’t celebrate the same high and holy days that other Christians around the world do. About ten years ago most Baptists DID finally start celebrating the four Sundays of Advent and a few of us have Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services but we don’t observe Ascension Sunday or Lent or the other special days on the Christian calendar-including PENTECOST SUNDAY-and I for one think that’s a sad thing-because by ignoring these special days we miss out on a powerful teaching tool that could be used to remind ourselves and our children of important spiritual truth.
Sermon:
This morning, as we continue our study of Acts-Dr. Luke’s church history book-we come to his record of the events leading up to and including the FIRST Pentecost Sunday. And I hope that our study will prepare us to understand why Pentecost Sunday-which I believe this year falls on May 30-is worth celebrating-even by Baptists! I mean, a LOT happened on that first Pentecost Sunday, pivotal things that we need to remember if we are to be all we need to be as a local church!
Before we continue, let me remind you what has happened so far in this history of the early church. Our resurrected Lord has just spent 40 precious days with His disciples. Jesus has used this time to teach them-to prepare them to be His witnesses throughout the then known world. Can you imagine how wonderful it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus those 40 days!? Today we pick up in verse 12 of chapter 1-immediately after Jesus has ascended to heaven.
And-we’re going to be covering a lot of ground so I’d like us to break it up and begin by first looking at the rest of chapter 1-via The Visual Bible, which uses the complete text of the NIV.
12 – Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
13 – When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
14 – They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 – In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)
16 – and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus-
17 – he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.”
18 – (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
19 – Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 – “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his place of leadership.’
21 – Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 – beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 – So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 – Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen
25 – to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.”
26 – Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Okay-let’s stop at this point to make sure we understand this part of the story by dealing with four basic questions.
A. First, exactly who were these 120 people meeting in Jerusalem?
Well, verse 13 says that Peter and the rest of the eleven remaining disciples were there and that Jesus’ female followers were present as well, including His mother Mary. Luke also tells us that Jesus’ half brothers were part of this group-including James who eventually led the church in Jerusalem and wrote the epistle that bears his name. You may remember that at first James and his siblings did not believe in Jesus. But-when He rose from the dead they realized that He was indeed the Messiah. Okay that accounts for about 20-what about the other hundred? Who could these people have been? Well, I don’t know for sure, but perhaps Nicodemus was there. After all John chapter 3 tells us of the night that he had come to Jesus with questions. It also tells us that Nicodemus knew that Jesus’ miracles could not be explained other than by the power of God. So maybe Nic put his faith in Jesus after His resurrection. And, maybe Joseph of Arimathea was present as well. Remember? He had provided the tomb for Jesus’ body and had apparently paid the funeral expenses. He knew that the actions of the Pharisees in arresting Jesus were wrong so I like to think that he became a disciple of Jesus and that he was present. I feel fairly sure that those Emmaus disciples, Cleopas and Mary, were there too. Luke 24 tells us that they had returned to Jerusalem and they probably stayed when Jesus appeared to them. Mary, Martha and the resurrected Lazarus were probably there as well. I think Zacheus might have been in attendance. And maybe the rest of the 120 were the other people Jesus had healed: the lame, the blind, the lepers-even Malchus-the man whose ear Peter cut off and then Jesus healed.
But understand-all these people-these FIRST followers of Jesus-they would be he nucleus of the emerging church. God would use them to turn the world upside down. They were a very diverse group-most of them uneducated-but their actions in the next few years prove that LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT. We must remember this principle!
B. Okay-next question. Where exactly, were they meeting?
Well, we know that it was no farther than a Sabbath’s day walk from the Mt. Of Olives-about a half mile-which would put it just inside the Eastern gate of the city, not too far from the Temple.
Luke also tells us that they were meeting in the UPPER ROOM of a house. Back then it was common for homes to have upper rooms, used for a variety of purposes, and this one must have been part of a large house because it could accommodate 120 people. It was PROBABLY the same upper room where the Last Supper had been celebrated and where Jesus had appeared to the disciples after His resurrection. Some have identified it as the house of John Mark’s mother where Peter came after his miraculous release from prison in Acts 12.
C. This leads to a third question-how long did they meet there? How long did they wait?
Well, that’s not hard to figure because Pentecost was a Jewish feast that was celebrated fifty days after Passover. In fact, that’s what the word “Pentecost” means: “50.” And, since Jesus was taken back to Heaven forty days after the resurrection, which occurred at Passover, that would leave a ten day period in which the disciples waited in Jerusalem.
D. Okay-one more question: What did they do during those ten days of waiting?
Well, in verse 14 Luke tells us one thing they did was PRAY-in fact he says they did this CONSTANTLY-and that makes sense because they would have had a lot to pray about. I’m sure they praised God for sending Jesus. Perhaps they prayed for His speedy return. I think their prayers were also full of the confession of sin as well. Peter and the others must have asked forgiveness for their cowardice the night of Jesus’ arrest. I imagine they also asked God for the strength and guidance they would need to fulfill His great commission. In any case one important fact you and I should take from this is the importance of prayer. The history of the great revivals in the church show that they have always been preceded by times of prayer by Christian people.
And then, during those ten days I think there was also some time spent MENDING RELATIONSHIPS among the disciples. Commenting on this Lloyd John Oglivie writes,
“I have always felt that Pentecost happened not according to a date on a calendar but in response to reconciliation among the disciples. There were deep tensions among them during and after Jesus’ ministry…Until they were together on their knees, fully open to God and each other, the Holy Spirit could not be given.”
But they did more than pray and work for unity. They also STUDIED SCRIPTURE. Presumably this is what Jesus Himself had been doing with them during those 40 days prior to His ascension.
And this makes sense because this is what He did with those disciples on the road to Emmaus. Remember? Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” So, I think before He ascended Jesus reviewed the hundreds of Messianic prophecies in the O. T. After He was taken back to Heaven perhaps Peter and the others said, “Why don’t we study these passages ourselves?!” Peter showed himself to be a good pupil because as you will see in a moment, when he stood up to preach on Pentecost Sunday he referred to these same Old Testament Messianic Scriptures. I think they also studied all the Old Testament had to say about the Holy Spirit-and this would have made sense because Jesus had told them that’s what or rather WHO they were waiting for and Peter’s Pentecost Sunday Sermon referenced some of these texts as well.
And then, their ten-days of Bible study led them to do one other thing: FIND A REPLACEMENT for the traitor, Judas. They used a common O. T. practice to discern God’s will-they drew lots to select Matthias for the job. By the way this is the last record of lots being used because in a short time the Holy Spirit came and made His dwelling in all Christians-since then He has been available to guide us in decisions. Well, with all this prayer support and Scripture study and Matthaias’ selection, all was in readiness for the dawning of Pentecost Sunday. Let’s look at what happened next.
Acts 2:1-47
1 – When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 – Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 – They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 – All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 – Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 – When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7 – Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 – Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
9 – Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 – Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 – (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
12 – Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 – Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.'”
14 – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15 – These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
16 – No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 – ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 – Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 – I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 – The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 – And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 – “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.
23 – This Man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.
24 – But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.
25 – David said about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
26 – Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope,
27 – because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28 – You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 – “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
30 – But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
31 – Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay.
32 – God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
33 – Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
34 – For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35 – until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
36 – “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, Whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 – When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 – Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 – The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 – With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
41 – Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 – Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44 – All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 – Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46 – Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 – praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Now, I like The Visual Bible but in my opinion they didn’t do justice when it comes to giving us an accurate picture of what Pentecost must have looked like. Perhaps their budget was too small to provide special effects that would represent what happened that day-and they definitely needed to hire a few thousand more extras. So, use your imaginations as I try to augment what you have just seen by describing what it was like for the Holy Spirit to descend on those 120 people.
A. First, it was AUDIBLE.
Luke tells us that it was LOUD-not unlike the sound that accompanies the arrival of a tornado or a hurricane. Plus-it came without warning-and it came “from Heaven.” Sue and I have often biked down the trail that leads to Alexandria and it passes Reagan National. We always stop to watch-or rather listen to the planes take off. They go right overhead. Well, Luke’s description of Pentecost reminds me of this because when the Holy Spirit came it must have sounded like the deep, deafening roar of a Boeing 747 at take off. I mean, the noise coming from above must have shaken the entire city-it was loud enough that thousands of people heard and came running to investigate. Luke tells us these people were “devout”-in other words, they were very familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures so they knew that wind often represents the presence of God. Well, this loud sound of a rushing wind would have declared to these people “God is here. God is at work.”
B. The second thing this text tells us about the miracle of Pentecost is that it was VISUAL. I mean, when those people followed the sound and arrived they SAW something.
Verse 3 says that resting above the heads of those 120 disciples were what appeared to be tongues of flame-reminiscent of the fire that did not consume the burning bush that Moses saw.
Among the Jews of that day it was a commonly held belief that an appearance like fire often encircled the heads of distinguished teachers of the law. So, to see this aspect of the miracle of Pentecost would have told these devout Jewish men, “Listen to what these people have to say, for they are sure to speak the truth.”
C. Finally on that first Pentecost Sunday, there was what you might call an ORAL miracle.
You see, these 120 disciples-men and women-began to use their tongues to speak in the exact languages of all the people who had come from nations all over the world to celebrate Pentecost. I mean, these unlettered peasants were miraculously able to speak in more languages than you would hear at the Olympics! This was indeed a powerful miracle because these Galileans were known for speaking the Aramaic language with a peculiar accent that many considered uncultured and uneducated. Yet on that day those who came heard these men and women speaking in at least twelve different localized languages-and not just the languages-they got the exact dialects and accents right. This reminds me of our second mission trip to Saltillio, Mexico years ago. Daniel was trying to use his high school Spanish and having some difficulty understanding the people from Saltillio because he was used to Americans speaking Spanish-not Mexicans speaking Spanish. He was used to people speaking Spanish with an American accent and that’s the way HE spoke it so it was hard for the people in Saltillio to understand.
Well, the thousands of devout Jews who came running to see what was going on did not have that problem because these 120 people were able to speak the languages of all these thousands of people as if they had lived in those distant lands all their lives. Charles Swindoll writes “In this way the newborn church made its first infant cry, joyously proclaiming the gospel of Christ in words the whole world could understand.”
Now, one of the flaws in certain denominations is that when it comes to Pentecost they focus on the wrong thing. They focus on the wind and the fire and especially the speaking in tongues. And-as amazing as this part of Pentecost Sunday was-it’s wrong to FOCUS on it because to do so is to miss the central message of this event. You see, the truly wonderful thing about all this…the thing that jumps out to me about the first Pentecost is that this miraculous experience-as wonderful as it was-was a means to an end and not an end in itself. I mean the significance of Pentecost is what happened as a result of the coming of the Holy Spirit and that’s what I want us to focus on.
1. For example-because of Pentecost-the disciples themselves were CHANGED.
Understand-in a very real sense these disciples were wanted men. It took a lot of courage for them to obey Jesus and return to Jerusalem because as His disciples they were associated with a convicted and recently executed criminal-an Enemy of Rome. I’m sure they would have rather headed for the hills. It is no wonder that they spent these ten days fearfully hiding behind closed doors. The Pre-Pentecostal disciples were like a company of soldiers in a hide-out during war, surrounded by the enemy that outnumbered them a thousand to one. It was as if they were in an abandoned and damaged castle with sporadic rifle fire rattling on the stones as they huddled together in the darkness. But when the Holy Spirit of God came and dwelt in each of them they threw the doors open and came charging out in public as bold, courageous witnesses. Before, they were like frightened mice. After they were like lions, roaring out the “mighty deeds of God.” (Verse 11)
And you know, we should be just as bold and courageous but the fact is many of us live out the Christian life “behind closed doors” afraid to share our faith for a variety of flawed reasons. Well the fact is we have no excuse-we can be just as forthright as those 120 disciples because you see, if we are Christians-each of us has experienced Pentecost. The Bible teaches that the moment we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sin and come into our heart and life-HE DOES. At that instant the same Holy Spirit comes to live in us. From that moment on He is always ready and willing to give us not only the opportunity to witness but the courage and the necessary words as well. We can be just as lion-hearted as these men and women were! As Vance Havner once said, “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.”
Another thing-the best proof that a person is a growing Christian is whether or not they witness-whether or not they share their faith. I mean a flaw in many denominations is their belief that Pentecost shows you are not a Christian if you don’t speak in tongues-but that is not what this text says. Nor is it what the Bible teaches. No this text and others like it show that the best indication that an individual has given his or her life to Jesus is whether or not they are a faithful witness of Jesus Christ. Truly Spirit-filled believers don’t draw attention to themselves-instead they always point people to Jesus. This is what our Lord was getting at in John 15:26 when He said, “When the Counselor comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, He will testify about ME.” Henry Martyn once wrote, “The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions and the nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” That’s what happened to those people. I mean, the disciples were expecting power to rule-but when Jesus came to live in them they received was power to witness. And this is because the Holy Spirit generates the passion within to carry out Christ’s command.
I remember when I first met Sue. I was home for Christmas break from seminary and we went to the movies with a group of other college-aged kids. We fell in love during those few weeks and later when I returned to seminary the first thing I did was tell all my friends and several strangers that I had met the most wonderful girl in the world. That’s the way it is when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we meet Him and come to understand all He is-we can’t wait to tell someone else! It’s news too good to keep. Well, let me ask you-based on this “litmus test” would people be able to say that you are a Spirit-filled Christian-that Jesus Christ lives and rules in your heart and life? I mean, would we ever be accused of being “drunk”-filled with the Holy Spirit of God?
2. And then a second thing that happened as a result of Pentecost is this: the first Christian SERMON was preached.
Peter-the same man who a few weeks earlier had cringed before a lowly servant girl and denied his Lord now boldly delivered the first Christian sermon to thousands of listeners. By the way, this is the first of SEVERAL sermons included in the book Acts. In fact many scholars outline the book according to it’s powerful sermons. This centrality of sermons in Luke’s history of the church should remind us of the importance of preaching-a fact we see underscored throughout the Bible. For example, in Mark 16:15 Jesus said, “Go into all the world and PREACH.” In 1st Corinthians 1:17-18 Paul writes, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to PREACH the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In 1st Cor 9:16 he said, “Woe to me if I do not PREACH the gospel.” In 2nd Timothy 4:2 he wrote, “PREACH the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.” In Romans 10:14 he asked, “How can they call on the One they have not believed in And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard…and how can they hear without someone PREACHING it to them?”
And Peter I the guy who started all this preaching on Pentecost Sunday! It wasn’t a long sermon-only about 4 minutes-DON’T GET ANY IDEAS-but in this brief sermon Peter presented the basic tenets of the Gospel: That Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, that it was God’s purpose for Him to die on the cross, that He rose from the dead on the third day and that to be saved we must repent of our sins. This is the same basic sermon that Billy Graham and the other great evangelists down through the millennia have preached-and like Peter-when they have preached it people have responded by the thousands. It is just as Jesus promised in John 12:32, “If I be lifted up I’ll draw all men to Me.”
Now, you may think, “That’s very interesting-even amazing Mark. But what’s that got to do with me? After all, I’m not a preacher. That’s your job” Well, if you think that way, you are in error. You see the word “preach” literally means “to proclaim” or “to tell.” And, as a Christian, you have the same God-given responsibility to proclaim the gospel that Peter and the others had. In fact, all Christians should study Peter’s Pentecost sermon because it’s the job of all Christians to deliver it’s content any chance they get and the fact is, you guys and gals out there in the “pews” get more chances to do so than I do because you have more contact with the lost than I do. I preach once a week-but you could deliver the same good news that Peter did that day several times a week-even though I get paid to do it and you don’t. I guess you could say, when it comes to preaching, I’m paid to be good but you have to be good for nothing.
3. And then the final thing that happened that first Pentecost Sunday was this: the CHURCH was born!
And what a birth it was! 3,000 men, women, and children became Christians and experienced NEW BIRTH that day! Now when there are two children born they’re called twins…then comes triplets…quadruplets, etc. I wonder what you would call 3,000 babies born on to the same parent! Can you imagine how proud our Heavenly Father was on that day as the church was born!? And what a wonderful church it was! I mean these people got church right! Look back at verses 42-47 and you’ll see what I mean. First, they continued to do what the 120 had already been doing-study the written Word of God. They did this because as new born Christians, they hungered for spiritual food so, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” In so doing they showed the sincerity of their faith because as Jesus said in John 8:31, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.”
They also devoted themselves to prayer-knowing they could do nothing without God’s power. William Barclay expressed it this way: “They always spoke to God before they spoke with man; they always went into God before they went out to the world; they could meet the problems of life because they had first met God.”
And they worshiped-not privately-put publically in the temple courts, right under the noses of the same people who had plotted to arrest and crucify Jesus. Another thing-they experienced amazing fellowship. A “sweet, sweet Spirit was in that place!” They shared IN their common experiences of joy and sorrow and they shared WITH one another material gifts and words of love and encouragement. They were happy people who couldn’t get enough of each other-they met EVERY DAY. And this new church was literally awe-inspiring! The lost people in Jerusalem saw all that God did through these first Christians. They saw how loving they were and all this made them want to follow Jesus. As Luke says in verse 47,”And the Lord added to their number DAILY those who were being saved.”
Invitation:
Now, I’m sure you’d agree that the behavior of these 3,000 new believers show us what a truly Spirit-filled church should look like. And-when I say “Spirit-filled” I mean a body of believers who are led by the Spirit of our Lord, a group of Christians who function as the Body of Christ-and acknowledge Jesus as the head. To me these first blessed days in the history of the church show us what a local church is to look like and act like when every believer follows Jesus as Lord. In this month’s issue of Discipleship Journal, Paul Thigpen writes,
“Not long after my conversion to Christ He showed me just how intimately He is joined to the church. I’d had a particularly trying day, and I found myself praying, ‘Jesus, I’d give anything for a big hug from You. Couldn’t You somehow find a way to do that?’ Later that evening I attended a church service. One of my new Christian friends came up to me afterward and said, ‘When I was praying for you earlier today, Jesus told me to give you something from Him.’ Then he threw his arms around me and gave me a brotherly bear hug. I wept. Christ and His body were acting in perfect unity as the head moved His arms-and I had no doubt that they were Christ’s arms-to answer my prayer.”
When we do this Redland-when we allow Jesus’ Spirit to direct our thoughts and actions we have the same effect on the lost. Our Spirit-filled fellowship will draw people to Jesus. In fact, it’s another way of lifting Jesus up. And remember, as I pointed out earlier, Jesus said, “If I be lifted up I’ll draw all men to Me.”
Let us pray.
Father God,
I ask that Your Spirit would fall on us here at Redland this morning. Convict us of our need to be the kind of church we read about here in Your book. Give each of us an insatiable hunger for Your Word. Show us the importance of prayer. Open our eyes to each other’s needs….help us to have that kind of sweet fellowship. Make ours a church that inspires AWE in the hearts of all the people who pass by…daily add to Your body here at RBC, those who are being saved. Convict each of us of our need to acknowledge Your Son as our head-following His will in all things.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
As we stand and sing I invite you to come as the Spirit leads.