An Amazing God...An Amazing People 5

Hello Everyone,

The Spirit-filled disciples were an amazing people … they show us that —

Amazing People Are People With An — Experience

Amazing People Are People With An — Explanation!

Amazing People Are People With An — Exhortation!

Exhortation is an old word that means — words that encourage or inspire!

Amazing people want to see others become amazing people so they look for the ways and words to inspire others to become all they were created to be!

Words that change lives are — relevant!

Peter was answering the question the crowd was asking … now there's a novel communication approach!

Verse 12: 'What does this mean?'

Verse 14: 'Let me explain this to you!'

Life-changing communication doesn't begin with the question — what am I going to say?

Life-changing communication begins with the question — Who am I trying to talk to … what are the real needs and issues that they're wrestling with?

Spirit-enabled words that encourage or inspire … meets people where they are!

Words that change lives are — Christ-centered!

The theme of Peter's exhortation … was Christ!

If we really want to help people live amazing lives … it won't happen with indoctrination … it will happen with an introduction to Jesus!

Do you want to be —an amazing people?

Do you want to live such an amazing life that people will wonder what happened to you … and if it can happen to them?

Acts 2 gives us the key characteristics of a truly amazing life!

Amazing People Are People With An — Experience!

Amazing People Are People With An — Explanation!

Amazing People Are People With An — Exhortation!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil                                                            

An Amazing God...An Amazing People 4

Hello Everyone,

The purpose of the Spirit-Filled Life!

Acts 1:8 —

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

The purpose is two-fold:

"Be my witnesses" - emphasizes who we are!

"Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria" - emphasizes what we DO!

The precedents for the Spirit-Filled Life!

It's important to watch what happened when the Holy Spirit worked in and through those He filled … because it sets the precedent for the ways the Holy Spirit wants to work in and through us!

Let's look at four occasions when people experienced a personal Pentecost:

Acts 2:4 — "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

Acts 8:14-19

14 "When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Acts 10:44-46

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God."

Acts 19:6,7

"6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all."

There are two constants in each passage of people being filled with the PERSON and POWER of the Holy Spirit:

All were filled - the fullness of the Holy Spirit isn't for a select few it's for every hungry believer!

All spoke with tongues - languages they had never studied or learned previously.

The release of unrestricted praise and prayer was the universal experience of them all!

One of the most needed enablings of the Holy Spirit has been misunderstood, misused, and misrepresented!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil            

An Amazing God...An Amazing People 2

Hello Everyone,

What made the disciples so compelling to the crowds that gathered?

Answer is Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The answer to the question is:

It was the experience they had with the PERSON and POWER of the Holy Spirit!

The men and women who went out of the upper room weren't the same men and women who went in to the upper room!

There's an incredible difference between knowing about someone and KNOWING someone … experientially … personally just ask the upper room disciples they went from knowing about the Holy Spirit to knowing the Holy Spirit and their lives were never again the same!

(We are meant to have a personal experience with the Holy Spirit)

To experience the person of the Holy Spirit and the ability He brings is vital for two reasons:

Our Experience with the Holy Spirit is a — confidence builder!

It's been said that —

A person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an argument!

Illustration —

A number of years ago … a great evangelist by the name of H.A. Ironside was preaching on the streets when a well known professor who was a very vocal and active atheist … began to heckle him and his message!

Ironside kept trying to preach but this bitter professor kept yelling — "There is no God, Jesus is a myth!"

Ironside kept preaching … the antagonistic professor got more belligerent and began to taunt Ironside by shouting — "I challenge you to a debate! Are you afraid to debate me?"

Ironside knew that a debate wouldn't prove much … but he needed to respond to the attacks … so he said — "Sir I accept your challenge … but on one condition! When you come to the debate, I ask that you bring with you ten men and women whose lives have been changed for the better by the message of atheism! Bring some alcoholics and drug addicts who have been set free by atheism's power … bring former prostitutes, criminals and outcasts a let them tell us how atheism has lifted them out of the pit!'

"And sir,' Ironside said — "if you can find ten such men and women, I will be happy to debate you. And when I come, I will gladly bring with me two hundred men and women from this very city whose lives have been transformed in just those ways by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

The professor … walked away.

A person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an argument!

Our Experience with the Holy Spirit is a — communication builder!

We communicate effectively what we know by experience!

"Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" 

The more my heart and life are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The more relational experience I have with Him.

The better I'm able to communicate the amazing life I'm called to live!

The Spirit-filled disciple’s model one of the first keys to being an amazing person … it's the characteristic of — experience!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil            

An Amazing God...An Amazing People 3

Hello Everyone,

The Apostle Peter wanted the curious and confused crowd to understand what they were hearing and seeing!

Look at verses 12-14 —

12 "Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?'

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you…

The curious crowd reacted to the dynamics of Pentecost in 3 ways:

Some were bewildered and amazed.

Some asked honest and sincere questions.

Some ridiculed and mocked the Spirit-filled disciples!

The reactions of the crowd to the Spirit-filled disciples is still the reactions many have to the Spirit-filled life —

There are people who aren't opposed to a Spirit-filled life, they're just curious and amazed about it!

Others are hungry for an amazing life? They sense deep within that there's got to be more to life than what they're living? And they ask — "What's this Spirit-filled life all about?"

Still others are critically sarcastic? Their attitude is — "These are flaky people addicted to emotion or experience ... they're just people who love the feeling of being intoxicated? With anything!"

The apostle Peter wasn't defensive or threatened by any or all of the reactions to the Spirit-filled life … by the enabling help of the Holy Spirit Peter gave them a biblically based explanation for the amazing praises and prayers they were hearing in their native languages!

And that’s what we need a Biblical base explanation about the dynamics of Spirit-filled life is the Word of God.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil   

An Amazing God ...An Amazing People 1

Hello Everyone,

A famous British preacher by the name of G. Campbell Morgan … writes about the accusation toward the Spirit-filled disciples on the day of Pentecost — the accusation of many in the crowd was that the Spirit-filled disciples were … drunk!

Morgan writes:

"[Carefully consider] Peter's answer to the accusations — 'These are not drunk as ye suppose' — that is, in the way you think. Compare this with Paul's injunction in Ephesians 5:18 — "Don't be drunk on wine … but be filled with the Spirit." The one is a false and destructive method of attempting to realize life in its fullness. The other is the true and effective method.

Has anyone ever charged you with being drunk with your Christianity? O God, how seldom men have thought us drunk. We lack the flashing eye, and the pulsating song, and the tremendous enthusiasm of an overwhelming conviction. That is what the city needs to ... create the opportunity for prophetic proclamation!

The church's responsibility is that her members be so Spirit-filled that the Spirit may be able to produce the new phenomena required to startle this age. The church has been far more anxious about wealth, and theologies, and organizations, than about the Spirit ... what's the use of preaching when the world is not amazed?"

How many believe that God wants us to be — an amazing people?

How many believe that amazing people are hard to ignore?

The world can't help but check out people whose lives are so full of life that they are compellingly different!

Every one of us have been created to live an amazing life … a life of incredible purpose, passion and power … but we can't live that kind of amazing life on our own!

We can't live an amazing life without an amazing partner …a SUPERNATURAL partner that's why Jesus promised His disciples a partner … who would be with them and in them forever … because the fullness of their lives depended on how full they were of the Holy Spirit!

In Acts 2 we not only encounter some amazing people … we discover some of the key characteristics that made them so compelling to their generation!

This week for my e-votion An Amazing God…An Amazing People

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil