Sunday, June 8, 2014

The Power of the Holy Ghost (Pentecost Sunday)

Acts 1:7-8 And he (Jesus) said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth...

God is not a man that He should lie; therefore, when we read about the promises of God in the Holy Scriptures, we should take Him at His word, regardless of just how impossible that promise may seem to us. Years ago, a minister told me that he had a message from God for me; obviously, just as any other sane person would do, I thought he was crazy, for the message he had for me was that I would live for God, that I would preach the Word of God... In my mind, I simply decided that this guy was nuts, didn't he know I was a "gangsta" we don't serve God... Or so I thought...

Acts 1:13-14 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren...

You see, God had a plan for me, a plan for my life that He wanted me to know, and although I hadn't agreed to His plan, the price for my services had already been payed for in blood and the seeds of what would become my ministry sewed in prayer. Prayer is indeed a powerful thing; while I terrified the streets with madness, my parents tarried, waiting, praying that my mess would some day become a message for all to see... You see, my parents tarried, they waited for the promise, and they prayed in one accord, with unity, and God delivered on that promise... This is the message of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, the promise was fulfilled, and just as God fulfilled the promises of old, and just as He fulfilled the promises to my parents, He will fulfill His promises to you... But you will have to tarry and wait, you will have to pray in unity and Faith, and we will have to all be on one accord... God Bless... Amen...

What are we missing today? Why is the world in the condition it's in now? Why are we not seeing the mighty examples of God's Power like they did in the days of old? Well, quite simply, I believe it is because we are missing unity in prayer, fasting, and as one unified Body of Christ, and without unity, we simply cannot stand. Almost everything good that happened in the New Testament after the Gospels was centered around prayer. Wether the Apostles were headed to a prayer meeting, leaving a prayer meeting or participating in a prayer meeting, this is when the majority of miracles, and other mighty things happened. There are many examples of this throughout the book of Acts and other New Testament books; however, one of the most important examples of this can be found in Acts chapter two.

Acts 2:1-4 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...

Now, it's important to realize that the importance of this event is not simply regulated to one set of denominations, or one branch of Christianity; in fact, there were no Catholics, Baptist, Pentecostals, or Methodist in the upper room when this occurred, there were only followers of Jesus Christ, they were all just Christians. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Peter, the foundation, Matthew, Andrew, and Phillip, and so many other Apostles and Disciples, all followers of Christ. So, what is the importance of this upper room event anyway? Well, this is the day that was prophesied by the prophet Joel, this was the Holy Ghost baptism described by John, and this was the activation of the promise given to the Apostles by Jesus Christ in Acts 1:8, you shall receive Power! That promise that Jesus made to His Disciples all those years ago, is still in affect today! When you tarry and wait on The Lord, your reward shall be Holy Ghost Power! The same Power that rose Christ from the dead, the same Power that opened blinded eyes, un-clogged plugged ears, and the same Power that is the Source of Living Water is available to us today because Jesus died, rose again, and ascended up into Heaven! Holy Ghost Power, released by the Prayers of a Unified Body, has the Power to heal, the Power to restore, the Power to break chains, and the Power to Save! That's the Power of the Holy Ghost... And it's available to all who Believe! It's Freely Given, just ask Him, and He will give it... God Bless... Amen...

What is this Holy Spirit of which you speak? And why are those who proclaim to have it always seem so happy? Why do they seem so joyous? Are they drunk? Well, these are great questions, and instead of giving you some long drawn out explanation, I will defer to Peter's explanation... His answer says it all...

Acts 2:14-21 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: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved...

The Power of the Holy Ghost is so Amazing, and yet there are those who deny it's power, there are those who say they don't want it nor do they need it; however, there are many more who want it but simply do not know who to attain it, it's simple, we just ask...

Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard this , they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?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...

The Power of the Holy Ghost, the Power that Heals, the Power that Saves, and the Power that Restores is available to All who Believe. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter given to us by the Father , the Comforter is the Spirit of Truth, (John 14:16-17) the Holy Spirit is the Promise that God will never leave us alone... The Holy Ghost is He who will teach us all things, He who gives us Peace, (John 14:26-27) and the Holy Ghost He who will Testify to us and through us of God's Greatness! (John 15:26, 16:7) The Holy Ghost is a freely given Gift, available to those who Believe, to those who turn away from sin and evil, and to those who are Baptized in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

I've seen the Power of the Holy Ghost; ask, and you shall receive... God Bless... Amen...



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