Pentacost 2019 Broken Arrow

NLT

Visions and Dreams

This is one of the most preached passages in Christendom. The general focus of this passages in most of this preaching is the tongues and the signs and wonders. These are undeniable. These are things that are possible. These are things that we should want to be happening in all our our gatherings. However the focus on these sexy or incredible things are not possible if the disciples or Apostles are not clear on who they are and who the are representing. Signs and Wonders without Truth is easily dismissed.It is easy to get caught up in the results without understanding the reasons. Prior to all of this the Apostles were together praying. There is no snap shot as to what this looked like in the upper room. There is not a blue print that was given to us. There was only prayer and as they prayed they were drawn together in one accord. The mission reveled was not the brain child of the Apostles but a prompting from the Holy Spirit. These people of which there were about 120 had to decide if they would accept this mandate from God before the Spirit would reveal Himself in a significant way. That is what one accord is…it is not total agreement with each other…but total surrender to God and His will. Once everyone had surrendered and joined together seeking to live our all that Jesus had taught the heavens opened up and touched everyone in the room and through them they touched the world. Peter speaks truth so that there would be not doubt as to why these signs and wonders are happening. 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

NLTThis is one of the most preached passages in Christendom. The general focus of this passages in most of this preaching is the tongues and the signs and wonders. These are undeniable. These are things that are possible. These are things that we should want to be happening in all our our gatherings. However the focus on these sexy or incredible things are not possible if the disciples or Apostles are not clear on who they are and who the are representing. Signs and Wonders without Truth is easily dismissed.It is easy to get caught up in the results without understanding the reasons. Prior to all of this the Apostles were together praying. There is no snap shot as to what this looked like in the upper room. There is not a blue print that was given to us. There was only prayer and as they prayed they were drawn together in one accord. The mission reveled was not the brain child of the Apostles but a prompting from the Holy Spirit. These people of which there were about 120 had to decide if they would accept this mandate from God before the Spirit would reveal Himself in a significant way. That is what one accord is…it is not total agreement with each other…but total surrender to God and His will. Once everyone had surrendered and joined together seeking to live our all that Jesus had taught the heavens opened up and touched everyone in the room and through them they touched the world. Peter speaks truth so that there would be not doubt as to why these signs and wonders are happening. 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

The Power of the Signs and Wonders is only possible when a group of people decide that wherever God leads is where we will go together. 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

It is important that we do the work of understanding who we are and what God wants us to do. If we do not this can lead to foolishness at best and manipulation as worst.The Board, staff and myself have been in prayer and have been reviewing who we believe God has called us to be….If we will all spend time in prayer I believe that God will be able to draw all of us together…I believe he can an will remind us of what is important and what is not…the first Tuesday night of the month is a time where we can all come together and seek God’s will for our selves and our church…Ask God to prepare your heart for the next several weeks, ask God to mold your mind, open your mind and inspire us to action.We all have a part to play. God has a place where you can plug in to the overall Mission and Vision of this local church. I went to the NEO NYI Night of worship and was reminded of my call from a youth pastor to a Lead pastor….OC Supertones Concert and calling into Lead Pastoral Ministry…Every once in a while I have to go back to that day to remember what my part of God’s mission is. When I forget my gifting and my call I am at my worst. You see I understand that I am only good at about three things. Preaching, Vision , and Leadership development. If this is what God has called me here to do then in order for us to begin to seen things like signs, wonders and growth we must all be willing to do that hard work of the gospel. I have found myself these last couple of years trying to keep people happy instead of operating in my giftedness. I want to apologize to you for that. I promise I will walk in the giftedness God has called me here to walk in…will you begin the process of asking God where you fit in?