NJ - Pentecost Sunday

The Power of God

Good morning and welcome to church, it is great to see you all hear as we worship God and thank Him for all He has done for us. If you are visiting with us today, we pray that you will be blessed and that you would encounter Jesus and all He has for you. We look forward to catching up with you after our service around morning tea.

LETS PRAY

Father we love You and thank You, we thank you for Your grace is sufficient for us; we thank You that in our weakness You are strong. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would bring revelation of Your word and give us strength that we may have the power to overcome. Amen

Today we are celebrating Pentecost Sunday, the gift from the Father the helper, Holy Spirit. ( as mentioned in John 14:15-17) the upper room experience where the promise had come to pass.

John 14:15–17 NKJV

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

It was the birth of the church

In Christian tradition, the day of Pentecost is traditionally understood to be the birth of the church. Luke tells us that 3,000 were converted to the new faith. They had come from all over the known world, and after the festival, they returned to their homes, taking the new faith with them.

The feast of weeks / The feast of harvest

Also known as the Feast of Harvest, it represents the first fruits gathered as the result of the labor of those who completed the spring grain harvests in ancient Israel

POINT 1 What is the purpose of Pentecost?

God's purpose at Pentecost was to equip His church with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit so that we would be His witnesses to all the nations, resulting in His eternal glory

After Jesus reserection, 40 days later He gives His final instructions to His disciples / Us.

Acts 1:4–8 NKJV

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; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 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.”

Wait for the promise of the Father, not many days from now

The gift/baptism of Holy Spirit

Wait for the empowerment of Holy Spirit

He will:

empowers you

convicts you

brings revelation of His word

helps us witness to Him

Acts 2:39 NKJV

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.”

Psalm 102:18 NKJV

This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.

We have been call for such a time as this.

If you are apart of the church you are called

You have been empowered by Holy Spirit ( Dunamis Power / Miracle Working Power)

Acts 1:8 NKJV

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.”

DUNAMIS POWER - In biblical Greek, "dunamis" refers to inherent power or strength, often translated as "power" or "might". It's a word used to describe God's power, the power of the Holy Spirit, and even the inherent power of things like the Word of God. The word "dunamis" is similar to the English word "dynamite," implying a power that can be released and have a significant impact. 

In us -

For us -

Through us -

You will lay hands on the sick and they will recover!

God will anoint our words, we just need to open our mouths.

Acts 2:1–4 NKJV

When the Day of Pentecost had 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 the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

POINT 2 Praying in Tongues Is Intimacy with God

1 Corinthians 14:2 AMP

For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].

1 Corinthians 14:2 MSG

If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him.

1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJV

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Paul said I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all

1 Corinthians 14:18 NKJV

I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

Matthew 7:7–8 NKJV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

POINT 3 Rivers of living water

John 7:38–39 NLT

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

If you are looking for an answer that doesn’t seem to be coming, go aside and pray in your heavenly language and the answer will come.

If you ask the Father for Holy Spirit, He will give to you. He gives good gifts Matthew 7:11

Matthew 7:11 NKJV

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Ask in faith

Speak in tongues

if there is anyone that you hold unforgiveness towards someone, you need to forgive them (don’t hold unforgiveness against anyone)

POINT 4 The Harvest is Ripe

Jesus uses us to reap the harvest (THE HARVEST IS RIPE)

Matthew 9:35–38 NKJV

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Acts 2:39 NKJV

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.”