Normal or Supernatural - 3
Subject – The Church Must Decide – Are We Pentecostals
By Rick Welborne
Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV)
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
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."
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
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."
--Today we are celebrating Pentecost Sunday, or at least, as a Spirit-filled church, we should be celebrating the fact that God sent Holy Spirit to be with us after He left.
--My prayer is that we are not just Pentecostal in name only but that we are truly baptized or filled with Holy Spirit power. Are we Pentecostal? Are you Pentecostal?
--Sometimes I wonder if we even know what it means to be Pentecostal or Spirit-filled. Someone told me a church close to us was also Spirit-filled. How do you know?
--Well, they sing the same songs we sing, some of their people lift their hands, and, oh yeah, some of them even clap their hands during the worship. What?
--Jesus was definitely telling the disciples (the 120) that when they received Holy Spirit, they would receive power. Dunamos – dynamite power. Can we say we have dynamite power?
--He also goes on to tell them what I believe is the main purpose of sending this wonderful power, so they can be witnesses locally and all over the world.
--Pentecostal churches (Spirit-filled churches) should be growing because of the power of God to be witnesses. Having Holy Spirit should make us more effective witnesses.
John 16:7 (NKJV)
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
1. Jesus is taking the disciples from the normal to the supernatural.
--The disciple had witnessed Jesus being crucified, being buried, and placed in a tomb. They ran, they fled, they deserted Him. Three days later, He rises from the dead.
--Even though He is back, He is really back. Their hearts, their dreams, their destinies have been crushed. After revealing Himself twice to them, they still go back fishing. The safe and the normal.
--Jesus did not call the disciples to be a part of a normal life but He was calling them to a life that was not only going to change them, but to a life that was going to change the world.
--Jesus knew that if this band of believers were going to make any kind of difference in this world, it would absolutely take supernatural power.
--I believe I have a word for the church today. No matter what Covid 19 was or is God’s plan is the same for us.
--Some of you are still walking in fear and that is understandable if your source is the news and all of those supposedly experts. An ex is a has been and a spurt is a drip under pressure. Paul says:
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
--If we have a spirit of fear it did not come from God. So who did it come from? It came from the media; it came from committees put together by our government.
--Let’s get real, fear does not come from the Lord, it comes from the pits of hell, it comes from the enemy of our souls, Satan. If he can make us fearful, he can neutralize us.
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
--Satan is like a roaring lion but he only has the power that we give to him. I am not telling you the virus is not real, but I am telling you not to walk in fear but power, love, and a sound mind. Lord, give us a sound mind!
2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV)
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up (fan into flames) the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up (fan into flames) the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
--Someone help me preach a little bit this morning, you will never go from the normal to the supernatural until you fan into flames the gift inside of you. What gift? The gift of the Father…Holy Spirit!
--The reason you are numb and the reason you are in such a funk is because you have allowed the enemy to give you a spirit of fear, or frustration, or suspicion.
--I have said this to many people individually but let me say it to Life Church and those who are live-streaming with us. No matter what you think Covid 19 is or what our government is doing the answer is the same:
A. Our response is to get on our knees and pray.
B. Our response is to seek God with all our hearts until we find Him.
C. Our response is to fulfill the Great Commission with every fiber of our being.
D. Our response is to evangelize everyone we come in contact with every day.
E. Our response is to be filled with Holy Spirit power and to stir up that gift within us.
F. Our response is to be faithful to God in every area (attendance, giving, service) with all our hearts.
--Our job is not to forward fear on the internet with every kooky video that comes across FB or Messenger. You will be held accountable for every crazy thing you have forwarded without verifying. Please stop. Pray!
--Until you have done the above list with all diligence and with all your heart, please just remain quiet. Please!
Proverbs 17:28 (NLT2)
28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
--If we will go from normal to supernatural we must make our way to the upper room and wait on the Promise of the Father until He comes in power and glory.
Luke 24:49 (NKJV)
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
2. To go from normal to supernatural we must wait and we must worship.
Luke 24:52-53 (NKJV)
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
--After Jesus rescued the disciples from going back to the normal, He promised them something supernatural if they were willing to tarry or wait to receive Him.
--I love what these verses say…they worshiped Him and they were continually in the temple. They were focused on worshiping Jesus and them being continually in the temple, signified their diligence.
--Please don’t tell me that you want another Pentecost when you only give God a token of your worship and your time with Him is so minimized based on your important schedule.
--I hope Covid 19 pushed you into your prayer closet where you sought God and worshiped Him with all your heart instead of spending all your time on your phone or computer.
--I have said this often but let me say it again, pressure was never supposed to push you away from God or away from His church, pressure should push you into a deeper relationship with God.
--Let me continue, I hope you realized thru Covid 19 that church is more than just a building or a mass gathering, it is saints who have shut their doors and spend time alone with God.
--Even though all of us love getting together for church, what do you think the early church did when they were being hunted like animals and what believers do in the Middle East, in China. Church is home too!
Matthew 18:20 (NKJV)
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
--When was the last time you had a personal Pentecost with the Lord that while you were praying and seeking Him? He came and baptized you with Holy Spirit power and fire.
--Many times when I am diligently praying for someone who is lost, someone who is terribly sick (Greg Mundis or Pastor Larry Boone), or someone going thru trauma, Holy Spirit shows up! Wow!
--I cannot begin to tell you how awesome it is for me when Holy Spirit shows up when I am seeking Him! Sometimes when I am riding 20 or 30 miles on my bicycle, tears are flowing down my face. Not from pain.
--We have so many tools to help us draw near to the Lord in worship and waiting on Him. What did the disciples have? Memories and promises. No worship, no air pods, no Podcasts! Just a relationship.
--Let us stop making excuses about why we are so miserable and let us wait on the Lord and let us worship Him with all our hearts. Seek Him until you find Him and until He fills you!
--I am not going to tell you that worship is always easy nor will it always be convenient but if you will be the man or woman of God He wants you to be, you must wait and worship even in difficult times.
--Abraham had waited for what seemed like an entire lifetime for the son of promise and now the Father is telling Him to take you son, your only son, and sacrifice him where I tell you.
Genesis 22:5 (NKJV)
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
--In Covid 19, in the midst of a fear propagating media, in your own sickness, or in your own mess, wait and worship. Have your own Personal Pentecost.
3. Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father.
Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV)
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
--Jesus said (so it must be important), don’t leave Jerusalem but wait on the Promise of the Father. Who is this Promise of the Father? He tells us. You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 10 days
--On the Day of Pentecost what happened? While they waited, while they worshiped, while they obeyed Jesus,
suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house.
suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house.
--They were all filled with Holy Spirit power and they all spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. Why would God choose the Day of Pentecost to pour out His Spirit? Great question.
Day of Pentecost - Historically, Pentecost (Shavout) is a Jewish feast celebrating the giving of the Torah and the summer wheat harvest. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover and was marked by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the event.
--Our question was why the Day of Pentecost? My answer…Jesus is always interested in people and in their salvation. Pilgrims came to Jerusalem to celebrate. God saw the most potential for people to be saved. 3000
--Please do not give me the hogwash that this was just for them. Not for today. Read the Word!
Acts 2:38-39 (NKJV)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
--Pentecost is for you, for all of us! Will you receive His gift? Holy Spirit is available for you today!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.