AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD Acts 2:16-21 16 But...
AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
Acts 2:16-21
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’
INTRO:
This passage was written right after the upper room experience. The people were accusing them of being drunk. They had just had an encounter with God. An encounter with God is not just a feel good, it is a life changing experience. Moses had an encounter with God at the burning bush. Saul had an encounter with Him on the road to Damascus. These are just two examples of life changing encounters with God.
An encounter with God is something we all need to seek when we come to the house of God. An Encounter is a meeting face to face. Another definition is a meeting with hostile purpose; hence, a combat; a battle. When we come to the house of God and get face to face with Him, He will prepare our hearts for the battle that lies ahead and will help us win this battle. We need to come to church with praise on our lips, and a song in our heart, and expectation of what God is going to do. When we come expecting something He won’t let us down. There are things we must do in order to have an encounter with God.
Prepare Your Heart.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-23
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This preparation must take place before we ever enter the House of God. We need to pray constantly, and demonstrate the good things of God in our daily living. Having a thankful heart, and staying away form evil.
Avoid Distractions.
Mark 8:13-19
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”
They were distracted by the fact they only had one loaf of bread. Not realizing that they were with the provider. They let the things around them turn their focus from Jesus.
We don’t need to let the things around us distract us from our worship to God. The devil will distract us if we allow him to. He will try to hinder our worship, so that we will not experience the fullness of God when we come to the house of God.
1. We stand too long. 2. Someone’s in my seat. 3. Where are we going for lunch. 4. Can you believe what they are wearing.
Open Our Hearts To Total Worship.
John 4
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We need to come in with our hearts open to the things of God. We don’t need to hold back anything from Him. We need to come in and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Give Him all the praise and honor and glory that He deserves.
Conclusion
We need to come into the house of God expecting an encounter with Him. Not letting the devil distract us from what God has for us. Our worship should be with our whole heart soul mind and strength. When we come prepared to encounter God, He will show up with a life changing encounter.
All Scripture is NKJV