Nothing just happens.....God demands a process. Though we all love the promises God want to jump right to the Product of the Promise but we must go through the process.
There are two important words that arise in attaining God's promises of the Spirit...they are hunger anc continue. Without either we will miss out on what He has for us.
a. Matt. 5:6, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. hunger: Gk. ‘peinao’ to famish, to crave, starving.
1. Ps. 42:1, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.”
Panteth (yearneth): to long for. “ The hart is fond of feeding near the waters. When hunted he will take to the river, stay submerged as long as his breath permits, then swim down stream in the middle so as not to touch the branches of trees on either side. He thus prevents the hounds from finding his scent. Sometimes he will stay in the water submerged with only his nose out, until he is routed. In a chase he becomes faint and longs for the water intensely. “
b. Acts 1:14, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
1. They continued. Continuity is a necessity if we are to receive all that God desires for His
church. Never ever give up! If God said it will come, it will come. Note Deut. 7:9,
“Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who
keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who
love him and obey his commands.”NLT
2. With one accord. A divided house is a house that is living beneath the fullness of God’s
promise.
Agreement is a necessity if we are to see God do what He has promised to do. When even two come in agreement it changes the direction of things...from sickness to health...from sorrow to joy...from poverty to prosperity. Always look for someone to come in agreement with you. Matt. 18:19, Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
3. In prayer. His house is a house of prayer. Matt. 21:13, And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
Note II Chron. 7:14 “If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. “
4. In supplication (petition).
Part III. The Product:
a. Acts 2:1-4
1. Sound of a mighty rushing wind, it filled all the house. “No one was left
out!!”
- Cloven (divided) tongues, like as of fire and it sat upon each of them. “Purity”
Matthew 3:11-12 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:”
In Matthew 21:12-16 we find Jesus stepping into His Father’s house. Upon entering, the first thing He noticed was the disorder that was present. Men everywhere was busy, but busy doing the wrong things. Instead of using His house to bring glory to His Father by sharing good news with other men, they were using it for selfish gain. Gone were the days in which His house was a place of sacredness and respect. It had become a den of thieves. Jesus immediately began the task at hand. “ He threw out the money changers and those that sold doves. “ He purified His house!! Therein begins the process of becoming empowered For Purpose. God’s house must be a purified house!
Purity has become a lost word in the vocabulary of many in the church. We, in our search for what God is saying to His church and our on going goals for successful ministries, have ceased to consider important the message of a pure holy life; a life free from sin and worldly entanglements. Is it just possible in our search for faith to move mountains and our longing for prosperity-proof spirituality that we have taken on the spirit of the world? A spirit that refuses to accept “ don’t “ or “ you can’t “ as a part of the Christian life. All we want to hear is “ do “ or “ you can “. If this is the case, then may God help us to realize we’re on a journey into mechanical Christianity. A Christianity that does no more than appease the desires of the self, without concern of what pleases God.
3. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and begin to speak with tongues as
the Spirit gave them utterance. “Surrendered Control”
This experience as can be noted here was all inclusive. All were filled; each
of them received the experience. The same experience is available for all
today. The only barriers that keep anyone from receiving this great
experience are self constructed barriers.
b. Acts. 2: 11: They spoke the wonderful works of God.
c. Acts. 2:14-35 Peter preached the Word (Jesus).
d. Acts. 2:37 Conviction fell upon them.
e. Acts 2:38 Repentance
f. They gladly received the word and 3000 were saved.
g. Miracles Acts 3:1-8 The cripple man at the Gate Beautiful was healed.
Conc. A church was born..........a church that was nothing compared to the formal, ritualistic church before Pentecost. Signs and wonders begin to be the order of the day. Thousands begin to turn to Christ. The message of the minister ceased to draw attention to himself and begin to preach Jesus and Him crucified. Throughout this great move the devil didn’t lie down and die. The church suffered persecution. It had a different affect than what was intended. It made men stronger not weaker! The persecuted became the preserved!!
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