Praying in the Holy Spirit or Praying in Tongues - 1

Subject:  What Are the Benefits

by Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴  For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
¹⁵  What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. 

--Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in tongues…One of the reasons you want to be filled with Holy Spirit is so that you will have the privilege of praying in the Spirit.

--So what are the benefits of being able to pray in the Spirit?  Probably 90% of my private prayer is done praying in tongues or in the Spirit.

--Please note (this is where many get confused) there is a difference in our praying in the Spirit as our prayer language and giving a message in tongues in corporate worship. 

--Same essence and same Spirit – different function. One edifies the individual and the other edifies the body of Christ…Chapter 14 was to give instruction in use and also correction for misuse.  

1. When you pray in the Holy Spirit God is allowing you to speak directly to Him.

1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV)
²  For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God…

2. When you pray in the Holy Spirit God is giving you power to build yourself up.

1 Corinthians 14:4 (NKJV)
⁴  He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

1 Corinthians 14:4 (NLT)
⁴  A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. 

Jude 1:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰  But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
²¹  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

3. When you pray in the Holy Spirit God can reveal hidden wisdom to you.

1 Corinthians 14:13-14 (NKJV)
¹³  Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
¹⁴  For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

4. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God helps through our weaknesses.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
²⁶  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses…

5. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God will give direction to our prayer.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
²⁶  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought…

6. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God will allow Him to make intercession for us.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
²⁶  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

7. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God will give us the assurance He knows our hearts and He also knows the mind of Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:27 (NKJV)
²⁷  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is…

--Pastor Rick, what does that mean?  While we are praying in the Spirit we do not have to worry if we are miscommunicating with God…He knows our hearts and our motives and He knows what Holy Spirit is thinking.

8. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God is directing us to pray the will of God.

Romans 8:27 (NKJV)
²⁷  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

9. When we are praying in the Holy Spirit God is directing us in spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
¹⁵  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
¹⁷  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
¹⁸  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

10. When we pray in the Holy Spirit God will give us power to be witnesses…to tell others.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

Acts 4:29-31 (NKJV)
²⁹  Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
³⁰  by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus."
³¹  And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

My exhortation to you:

1. Pray in the Spirit as much as you can.

2. Pray in the Spirit when you are struggling and need encouragement.

3. Pray in the Spirit when you need wisdom for something.

4. Pray in the Spirit when you feel weak or temptation is coming your way.

5. Pray in the Spirit when you pray for others and for yourself…you are interceding before God.

6. Pray in the Spirit when you do not fully know what the will of God is…all the time.

7. Pray in the Spirit when you are in spiritual warfare…tear down strongholds.

8. Pray in the Spirit when you have an opportunity to share Christ.

9. Pray in the Spirit for your leadership and church knowing you are praying God’s will.

10. What do I do if I have not been filled with Holy Spirit power and I do not have this prayer language yet? Pray until He fills you and then, keep on praying.

Get Rid of the Box 2

Subject: Being Free from Whatever is Controlling Us

by Rick Welborne

Romans 7:18-25 (NIV)
¹⁸  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
¹⁹  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
²⁰  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
²²  For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
²³  but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
²⁴  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
²⁵  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. 

--Last week we looked at Getting rid of our box when it comes to the size of our God…we discovered since the earth is His footstool, we do not have a box big enough to hold Him.

Natalie Grant – King of the World:

I tried to fit You in the walls inside my mind…I try to keep You safely in between the lines
I try to put You in the box that I've designed…I try to pull You down so we are eye to eye

When did I forget that You've always been the King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world
How could I make you so small…When You're the One who holds it all
When did I forget that You've always been the King of the world

Just a whisper of Your voice can tame the seas…So who am I to try to take the lead
Still I run ahead and think I'm strong enough…When You're the One who made me from the dust

When did I forget that You've always been the King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world
How could I make you so small…When You're the One who holds it all
When did I forget that You've always been the King of the world

Oh, you set it all in motion…Every single moment..

You brought it all to me...And You're holding on to me

When did I forget that You've always been the King of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world
How could I make you so small…When You're the One who holds it all
When did I forget You've always been the King of the world
You will always be the King of the world

--We also looked at how we try to lock God into the box of our religion instead of Him being defined to us by the Word of God…no church denomination has the hold on the King of the World.

--Finally, last week we looked at how it is so imperative that we not put God in a box when it comes to Holy Spirit…some of you have heard…it was for the apostles…it is of the devil…it is so out of order.

--Hear me, Holy Spirit is not an it and He was in the beginning (Genesis) with God hovering over the chaos of this world and He is at the end in Revelations:

Revelation 22:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. 

--Don’t allow what you have heard from others define God the Holy Spirit but allow Him to be defined by the Word of God and by the demonstration of what He can do in your lives. Read Acts as if it is your first time.

--Today I want to talk to you about a reality that we deal with pretty much on a daily basis…we all know many in the world deal with addictions and bondages but the church is not very far behind. If you will be free:

1. We must first acknowledge our struggle with sin.

--A few years ago I was teaching about how all of us struggle with sin and that we have to fight that battle on a daily basis…there were three visitors in the service who approached me when I finished.

--They said the words every preacher wants to hear when he is thru delivering his message to his people…what you are preaching is wrong…you said we all struggle…we don’t…we have not sinned in seven years. I quoted:

1 John 1:6-10 (NCV)
⁶  So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth.
⁷  But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
⁸  If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹  But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.
¹⁰  If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God’s teaching. 

--Being my sarcastic self and being put out with religious Pharisees I said to them…You are saying you have no sin and the Word says that if you say that, the truth is not in you which makes you a liar.

--If you are lying…you are a sinner…you are actually accusing God of being a liar and you do not believe the Word of God!  They did not come back…what a surprise.  Look at Paul:

--Paul said…I struggle…Hear his anguish:

Romans 7:18-21 (NIV)
¹⁸  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
¹⁹  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
²⁰  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 

--Many of you who are sitting here today are struggling with habitual sin and you feel the anguish Paul was talking about…you don’t want to keep sinning but you do.

--Paul said…the law has revealed my sin to me…the Word has brought conviction…but I am still trapped in my sin and in my addiction even though I want to be free. 

--Maybe you are here today and Sunday after Sunday you say in your heart…I want to be free…I want to live the way God wants me to. I love when people say…I know you were preaching right at me.

--Think of the arrogance of that statement…with hundreds of people coming…you really believe the pastor would develop his sermon aimed entirely at you…what if you did not show up!  Oops!

--Maybe…just maybe God sees you where you are and He is allowing conviction to fall upon you so that you can get things right with God…why we give altar calls…a time to get things right.

--Hear me, just because your sin is a secret to the pastor, the church, your spouse, your co-workers, or your kids does not mean it is a secret to God…example…cheating on your fast…Hello! God knows!

--I personally believe that Paul and Holy Spirit wanted us to feel the pain and the struggle of sin in Romans 7 so that when we find the answer it is that much more impactful. Listen to Paul’s cry for help!

Romans 7:24 (NKJV)
²⁴  O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

--Here is one of my fears for the church…we live in our sin and we live with our addictions but we never get where Paul got…O wretched man that I am!

--You see, if we do not acknowledge our sin and our struggle or if we just think…everyone else is doing it or I am not as bad as them or hey, we live under grace now so it really doesn’t matter.

--When we become comfortable in our sin and we have moved so far away that His Spirit is no longer bringing conviction to us…we are in a dangerous place.

--Who will deliver me from this body of death? Listen to this description of this verse.

Adam Clarke's Commentary…for there seems to be here an allusion to an ancient custom of certain tyrants, who bound a dead body to a living man, and obliged him to carry it about, till the contagion from the putrid mass took away his life! Virgil paints this in all its horrors, in the account he gives of the tyrant Mezentius.

--Can you imagine the horror of being bound to a dead body and having to carry that around until the contagious mass infects you and causes you to die…that is what Paul was saying sin did.

2. We must acknowledge our need of Jesus.

--There has to be an answer for this dilemma, there has to be hope in the middle of our desperation, there has to be deliverance from this constant battle with overwhelming sin…with addiction.

--How cruel would God be, how sad would the Word of God be, how frustrating would the Apostle Paul be if we were left hanging with this body of death that is consuming us from the inside out.

--If we have no power over sin, if we cannot overcome the power of addiction, if we are no different than every other person on the planet…where is our hope.

Romans 7:18-20 (NIV)
¹⁸  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
¹⁹  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
²⁰  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

J. Vernon McGee:  This is not an unsaved man who is crying, "O wretched man that I am"; this is a saved man. The word wretched carries with it the note of exhaustion because of the struggle. "Who is going to deliver me?" He is helpless. His shoulders are pinned to the floor -- he has been wrestled down. Like old Jacob, he has been crippled. He is calling for help from the outside.

--Thank God the Apostle almost shouts the answer…the hope to all of us…the deliverance we desire…the freedom we seek…where does he find it?

Romans 7:25 (NIV)
²⁵  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

--He is telling you and he is telling me that our answer is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes from Him.

--Listen to me, Honey, yes, you were saved back there somewhere, you are being saved by the Lord on a regular basis (every day in my account), and you will be saved eternally someday. 

--Either we believe the Word of God or not…we believe we are saved or not…we believe we are free from the grip of sin that was destroying us or not.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Romans 7:25 (NIV)
²⁵  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

3. We must acknowledge our need of Holy Spirit.

--Please, again remember the Bible was written one verse after another, not in chapters. Chapter 8 is a continuation of the thought…the battle with sin that Paul was talking about.

--Paul tells the Romans your first answer to the problem of sin is always Jesus Christ and His power to make you free but he does not stop there…He tells them and us we need Holy Spirit in our lives.

--I believe God sent me to Life Church 28 years ago tomorrow to strongly encourage you with two things… Fulfill the Great Commission thru Missions and depend on Holy Spirit for your power.

…Listen to Paul in these next eleven verses and see how many times he mentions Holy Spirit in the context of helping you in your battle with sin. Eleven times…why do we ignore Holy Spirit?

Romans 8:1-11 (NKJV)
¹  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
²  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
³  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
⁴  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
⁵  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
⁶  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
⁷  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
⁸  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
⁹  But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
¹⁰  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
¹¹  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

Fire Works

Subject: With All That We Are Facing - What Works?

by Rick Welborne

Hebrews 12:2229 (NIV) 

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 

23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 

24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 

25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 

26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 

27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shakenthat is, created thingsso that what cannot be shaken may remain. 

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 

29 for our "God is a consuming fire." 

--As we begin this new year we must set some priorities…something that works in the face of trials and tribulation.

–So what do we do? How do we stand? What works in our lives?  How can we be more than conquerors? I want to share with you that Fire Works...

1. Fire works when God’s people are in bondage or under oppression. 

Exodus 3:28 (NLT) 

2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 

3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 

4 When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 

5 “Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 

6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. 

7 Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 

8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land...

–God shows up in a fire (the God of the Jews and the Christians) and says I see the oppression of My people and I have come down to rescue them. Commercial – knee pads.

–The God Who is a consuming fire sends Moses to rescue His people from the hand of Pharaoh...two to three million people are led out of their captivity by God’s hand!

–Pharaoh’s army is drowned in the sea...God took care of the enemy...Fire Works! Cloud by day and fire by night.

–We all have probably heard the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel in a showdown with the prophets of Baal...the odds were against Elijah...seemed hopeless.

–I am here today to tell you that when everything seems helpless...Fire Works!

–Israel was about to see fireworks in an amazing way...we will see it too!

1 Kings 18:3640 (NKJV) 

36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 

37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." 

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 

39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" 

40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.  

–Even when you are outnumbered or the odds are against you...Fire Works!

–What if the enemy comes after our leadership in the AOG or our church?  Fire Works!

Numbers 26:10 (NLT) 

10 But the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers. This served as a warning to the entire nation of Israel. 

2. Fire works when my life is a mess and I am not right with God.

Malachi 3:13 (NLT) 

1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 

2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 

3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD. 

–If you will endure Him when he comes...you need Him to cleanse you and set you free.

The Consuming Fire will burn away the dross, the sin in your life...Fire Works!

Hebrews 12:25 (NIV) 

25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 

–How sad will it be to have lived the greatest part of your life for the Lord and then to throw it all away right before He comes back...nothing is worth that.

–You think God will burn you up if you try to fall on His mercy but remember the bush with Moses...it was consumed by God yet without being destroyed.  Fire Works!!!

–Lord, I want to come back to you but I can’t see the way!  Fire Works!  Israel:

Psalm 105:39 (NLT) 

39 The LORD spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness. 

–Come back to Him...Fire Works!!

Zechariah 13:9 (NKJV) 

9 I will bring the onethird through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.' "

--As you fast and pray…the heat may bring stuff to the top…un-forgiveness, bitterness, grudges, sin…Fire works…as He brings it up repent and let Him remove the dross. 

3. Fire works when we seem to be so weak and impotent.  

–The disciples fit this description...you talk of persecution...their leader had been killed, Peter had denied the Lord, most of them had gone back fishing...

–Thomas could not believe that Jesus could possibly be alive...he watched Him die a brutal death.

–What works when it seems the enemy has won a major victory and everything seems to be so hopeless?  Fire Works!

–Remember what John the Baptist said:

Matthew 3:1012 (NIV) 

10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 

–Why would God baptize us in the Holy Spirit and fire...because Fire Works! God Works!

–Jesus appears to the disciples and shows them in fact He is alive and that He has a job for them to do.

Matthew 28:1820 (NKJV) 

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. 

–No problem, Jesus, we could barely stand when you were taken and crucified and now you want us to go into the whole world and preach your Gospel...Right!

–We want to do this but we are powerless...how many of you have felt powerless in the light of all the setbacks our country has had under this present leadership?

–Jesus said...No problem...Fire Works!!  You do not have to do it on your own...Go to Jerusalem...I have a gift for you to help!!!

Acts 1:68 (MSG) 

6 When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" 

7 He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. 

8 What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." 

–Very important...they did what He said...they went to Jerusalem and they waited...what happened?  The fire fell!

Acts 2:14 (NKJV) 

1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 

3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

–Fire fell on each of them...the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit...they were all baptized in Holy Spirit...they were filled...Did the Fire Work?

–Peter who could not stand before women and children and testify about Jesus...stood and preached to the multitude.  3000 saved.  Fire works!

–As they spoke in tongues people could understand in their own languages...Fire Works!

–In a world that was anti-Christ and it was dangerous to be a Christian...Fire Worked!  How do we know our Consuming Fire...God Holy Spirit works?

Acts 17:6 (NKJV) 

6... "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 

–Fire Works now...over 2 billion people confess to be Christian and it all started when Fire fell from heaven on 120...Fire Works!