Pentecost Sunday

This is an Apostolic Pentecostal church by more than just our name and more than just our denomination, but by description also. There are some who would choose to classify us as charismatic. I do not care and resist that classification, because it differs quite a bit from what we consider to be a traditional Pentecostal church. We consider this, and we narrow down our definition by saying that we are an Apostolic Pentecostal church. And what we mean by apostolic is that we take our preaching and our teaching and our doctrines from the original apostolic doctrine and not from the forms of Christianity that have developed over the centuries into what is often called orthodox Christianity. Our goal and all that we do is to try our best to get back to the experience that we celebrate today, the birth of the New Testament church.

This is Pentecost Sunday, if you hadn't picked up on that. And maybe you ask yourself, what does that even mean? Well, the festival, the Feast of Pentecost, was was something that God had ordained for His people to keep. But something changed after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, Debbie, I'm going to change my opening scripture. I'm going to go to Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 4, and not use that opening verse I gave you.

Our goal and all we do is to get back to what happened that day. We want to be a part of that. We want to experience that in our lives. We don't want to have a watered-down version. We don't want to have things that have been taken to or added to. We want the real thing. Being Pentecostal means that we embrace and then we emphasize the experience of Pentecost, and what happened in Acts chapter two.

I'm gonna just say this, and I mean it not in an arrogant way. I'm just going to be apostolic today in my preaching, unapologetically so. My message is not mean to offend at all. I'm simply going to bring you the Word of God, and I'm going to bring you a lot of the Word of God today, because I want you to know this isn't my opinion. What I'll bring to you today is based out of the Scripture, because I believe that's the best place to build a message. So I'm going to talk about some things and what it means to be Pentecostal.

We believe that the experience in Acts chapter 2 is still going on today. It's not something that did happen. It's not something that just simply started the New Testament church, but the New Testament church is still alive and well, regardless of what's going on in the world around us. We are not taking a back seat. We are not have to deal with defeat. We have victory guaranteed, and it is on our side. The New Testament church started in Acts chapter 2. There's not a theologian out there worth their salt that would disagree with you on this. The New Testament church started in Acts chapter 2, and it started this way: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come — now I want you to know, there had been other Pentecostal celebrations, but this one was different. This one was the fulfillment of a promise. This one was God keeping His word that He was going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This was men and women who had heard the words of Jesus when He said, you need to go to Jerusalem and terry and just wait, because there's a promise that's coming to you. I know you've seen Me do a lot of things. You've seen miracles. You've seen signs and wonders. You've heard Me talk about things and teaching parables, and you didn't fully comprehend and understand everything. But now that you have seen Me come back from the dead, if you could do just one last thing for Me, go to Jerusalem and wait, because the power that you need is coming your way. It's not going to be just a one-time experience, but what I have set in motion is going to last from this day forward. It's not just going to be something you tell about. It's going to be a life you live. And that's what we believe is still here today, available for us.

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. And they were bitter in them divided tongues, or cloven tongues, depending on your translation, of fire that set up on each of them. And they were all — well, we got a lesson about the Greek on all. All means all. That means every one of them. None of them were left out. None of them didn't experience that. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We believe that that is the New Testament salvation experience, and that that is still alive and well for you today. It is something that you should have as a part of your life. Because of that, we believe and we seek after being filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Mark 16 and 17 says this: And these signs shall follow them that believe. In My name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. The book of James talks about God taming the tongue as something that only He can do, as the governor of the ship. And because of these examples and more that are in the Scripture, we believe that there is a theology of speaking in tongues that is tied to being Pentecostal Apostolic in our lifestyle, in our convictions, how we live our life every day. We still believe in the outpouring of that Spirit in your life, and we believe that it should be something that you have an experience on a daily basis, not just a Sunday thing and not just a Wednesday thing, but a Monday thing and a Tuesday thing and a Thursday and a Friday, and yes, even on Saturday night you can still speak in tongues when God's Spirit moves in you.

Now we do not deny that all over the world that there are good and honest and sincere people who have experiences with God that do not speak in tongues. So please listen to me. They are good people. They have a genuine encounter with God. They have a faith in Jesus Christ and are truly a Christian as much as they know how to be, yet they have not spoken in tongues. God is at work in all kinds of situations, and He is real, and I'm not here to deny anything that they have experienced in their life. But we simply believe that God has set you on a path and you need to keep walking. And please, whatever you do, don't you dare stop until you go all the way through to a full infilling experience of the Holy Ghost. Don't stop until you get what they got in Acts chapter two, when this whole thing started. Don't sell yourself short. We're just having part of what it takes. Be filled with His Spirit. Turn your neighbors, say, be filled. We believe, like Paul said to Apollos, to be instructed in the way more perfectly, or more completely, or more fully. Don't stop by just believing. There's so much more than just believing in God. There's experience in His Spirit. Filling you so that you have no doubt and no reservation that God lives inside of you. I'm preaching to you today, no matter how old you might be, no matter how young you might be, the Holy Ghost is for you. In fact, it is God's desire that you are filled with His Spirit. Let me ask you a question. You've heard me use this example before. What's the first thing that we look for when a baby is born? What is that thing that we wait for that helps us know everything's okay? The cry. There's something about that, when we hear that cry, even if there's other things going on in that room, we feel a little bit better, because we know there is life there, because we heard the cry out. It starts on the inside and it comes out on the outside. I'm telling you, there's a way to know that you have a spiritual life living inside of you. There is a cry that will come out of you.

What I'm preaching about today is is in this church, is that God uses this method to change the world. I feel strongly about this. Some people have this concept and idea that Adam and Eve messed up in the garden and God had to come up with a plan B. Some people think that, like, God was taking back on the fact that they sinned, that He had to say to Myself, oh my, what am I going to do now? They went ahead and messed up right at the beginning. I didn't even get a chance to have more of them. Some believe that God came up with this plan by becoming as Christ Himself, God manifest in the flesh, and through the incarnation He went to Calvary to pay the price for our sins, and stepping down to the depths of hell in His burial He took back the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and ascended back to the grave through the resurrection mourning, gave instruction to the disciples, ascended back to heaven being glorified, and then that glorified Spirit was poured out on the Holy Ghost the day of Pentecost, and the believers are beginning to be filled and added to the church daily. And God said, I'm glad that worked out. I was nervous. I didn't know if it was all going to come together.

I'm going to tell you right now, there has never been a day God's been nervous. There's never been a day God was worried about how the outcome was going to be. He had a plan from the beginning, and that plan was an infilling of the Holy Ghost, evidence and speaking in other tongues. It has always been His plan. What I want to get across today is that the infill of the Holy Ghost was the plan from the start. When you are filled with His Spirit, that indwelling with God Himself, you are made one with God. You are brought into union with Him. And that's what God had always intended with Adam and Eve. There was a maturing process He was taking them through, and they tried to shortcut it, but you can't shortcut God's process. God planned from the start to fill us with the Holy Ghost, to make us one with His Spirit. God breathed into Adam and Eve the breath of life, and man became a living soul, but yet he was not fully full, if you'll allow me to use that that way of describing it. God had always desired to be with Adam and Eve in a very unique way, where His glory would dwell and His Spirit would be in them.

The Holy Ghost we have in us is not only the Spirit of God, but it's also the Spirit of the victorious Christ that is indwelled in us. That's why Jesus said in John 14:7, Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him, but you know Him, for He dwelleth with you — hello — and shall be in you. The disciples are sitting there scratching their heads, saying, what are you talking about? He goes on in verse 21, that same chapter: They that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou givest Me I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are one. God's desire is always to be at one with you and I. Not for us to be distant. Not for us to be far away. Not for us not to have a relationship. Quite the opposite. He desired such closeness that He wanted to feel the very thing that you are. Then the whole purpose for Jesus coming in the first place was to make it possible for you and I to be one with God. He came being filled with the Spirit without measure. And because He gives the Spirit without measure, and because of that, we have the ability to have oneness with Him.

That's why it makes sense when you read Colossians 2 and 9, when it says, For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He wasn't Jehovah Jr. He wasn't half of a God. He wasn't some part. He wasn't some — no, He was all of God. All the fullness of God dwelt in Him bodily. And when you've seen Him and talked to Him, you were talking to God. And we read that Paul, writing to Timothy, First Timothy two and five: For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus coming in the flesh made it possible for you and I to be at one with God.

Your gifts, your abilities, your talents, all of the things that make you who you are come alive when He fills you with His Spirit. You become the expression of God Himself. And then everywhere that you go, you're displaying one facet of God's character. And everywhere that I go, I'm displaying another facet of God's character. And when we're living in obedience according to His word, when the angels peer over the portals of heaven and look down, what they see is a mosaic picture of God Himself. I have a part to play. You have a part to play. But we're never fully into it until we are filled with His Spirit. And then God takes all of the things and make you you, and all the stuff that makes me me, and He begins to orchestrate it all according to His plan and His kingdom purpose. And when we do this, we can fulfill everything God intended to do. Oh, to be full of His Spirit. And when we begin to work together, we are an unstoppable force.

This was God's plan from the start, to bring us into union and purpose. Union and purpose. That's why so many people walk around and they feel like something's missing. What's missing is that infilling of His Spirit inside of you, so that it can activate all those talents and abilities and giftings He placed there from the beginning. Why? Because you have a part to play in the kingdom. You're not meant to be a spectator. You're not meant to just sit on a church seat. You're not meant to be just a tithe payer, but you're meant to be involved in kingdom work. That's why God made you the way He made you. That's Why He gave you what He gave you. But you never understand it outside of being filled with His Spirit. Oh, you can play a part, but there's something about a child of God filled with His Spirit, working in the giftings and abilities that God's put inside of you. I'm telling you right now, the reason the devil fights you so hard is because he knows the potential inside of you. If you ever fully realize and activate it, he can't stop you. He can't stop you. He can't stop you. Look at your neighbor, say, I can't be stopped. I can't be stopped. It doesn't matter what hell throws at me, I can't be stopped. It doesn't matter what comes my way, I can't be stopped. Or I may fall, but rejoice not against me, all my enemy, for when I fall, that same Spirit that got Him up out of that grave is in he come by yellow, it's inside of me. I may false God, but I'm gonna get back up, because that victorious Christ is in me. I am victorious.

Paul says it this way, because God's bringing you and I into what the Bible calls reconciliation, God at peace through the blood of Jesus Christ being applied to our life. Anybody thankful for the blood applied? Oh, I'm so thankful it's under the blood and nobody can see it. Are you thankful for that? I'm so thankful He He cast it as far as the east is from the west. Brought into reconciliation. Paul, talking to the church of Corinth, says this in Second Corinthians 5: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to it that God was in Christ, reconciling the world until Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Leave that up there for just a second, Debbie. Not imputing their trespasses. Let me explain that, okay? The word imputing, literal definition of imputing is calculating. In other words, God was not calculating up the number of sins you have committed. God was working on restoration for your life. That's why Jesus came. The enemy wants to calculate how many times you failed. He wants to calculate how many times you cussed, how many times you drink, how many times you smoke, how many times you cheat. Every one of these, this one's put all that stuff in there so that he can wave it in front of you all the time, say, look, it's too big. It's too big. You've been too bad. There's no way. You're no good. You're good for nothing. You're just a let down, a disappointment everywhere you go. And God comes in and says, no, I'm going to feed you in My Spirit. Give Me that list. I'm going to nail it to My cross. And I'm going to look your enemy in the eye and say, I overcome you. Oh, somebody would buy into the fact that my God was enough. My God was enough. I don't have to do anything. He already took care of it at Calvary. I can't be good enough. You can't be good enough. There's not enough good in this, but heat, He took care of it. That blood covered over all of it. Wake up, wake up, and understand who you are.

This reconciliation is done, listen to me, through the preaching of the word, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ. Atonement. Interesting word. Give you something to do at Bible college. And I was realizing the difference between me and you. My pants go all the way to my shoes. Pants go to my shoes. And this dude's up here preaching on this. That's what age will do for you. I can zoom mine up. I love you, Aaron, did a good job. Atonement. It's a made-up word. William Tyndale made the word up because he couldn't describe — and this is, of course, this is how smart he is — he's trying to describe, he's trying to — I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to go past this. Y'all ever tell me I can't go past that? The camera messes up. He's trying to describe at one mint, so he went atonement. Brilliant. I'm gonna start making up some words. But he's trying to describe the process with which we are brought into fellowship with Him. Paul said in Romans 5:11, And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. The atonement. The bringing together. The relationship that was there. This is what the Holy Ghost came to do. When the Holy Ghost fills you up, you have God inside you, His power working on the fact He's trying to reshape you and remake you in His creative purpose for your life in the beginning.

And I love this. I love this, because even though we mess up — okay, I'll speak for me. I mess up. You guys are perfect, but I mess up. But what I love about this is, when I mess up, He still has a purpose and a plan for my life, and He'll take the mess that I make of it. He says, give that to Me and I'll weave it together back into My story of redemption for you. So He'll take the ashes of my burnt down life and say, bring, I'll give you something beautiful for that. Just come close to Me. Just be obedient to My word. Let Me take all your failures and all your mistakes and all the labels has been placed on you and bring them to Me. I'll fill you with My Spirit, and My Spirit will start the process of atonement, start the process of reshaping, start the process of remaking you back to where I wanted you to be to start with. You're not disqualified. You were just on a detour. But get rerouted back to where He wants you to be. Stop wallowing and all of that mess. When you have the Holy Ghost, you have the power inside you to make the necessary changes you need to make. You're not by yourself. You can't do it by yourself. You can't be honest. Look at your neighbor right now, say, I can't do it by myself. Hey, you got to have that Spirit. That's why you need it every day, not once a week, not once a month. Now, every day.

You've heard me do my my pre-flight check with you guys, right? That's why I pray every day. I do what the old-timers — hey, bam, do cardio regular, sorry, just catch up with me — old timers called it praying through. Praying through what? Praying through, you spoke in tongues. Why? So you know. See, here's the deal, right? I gotta, I gotta debunk a couple of things. Number one, the Holy Ghost is not tongues, okay? The Holy Ghost is not tongues. The Holy Ghost is the sign that you're filled with this Spirit. What for? So people can see you just flapping around like you don't know what's going on, just just firing off stuff, and they're just a bunch of gibberish? No, no. It's for you. Your Holy Ghost isn't for me. You speaking in tongues is not for me. It's for you, so that you know that you know that you know. That's why we don't teach you to speak in tongues. No, it's a heavenly language that God fills you with. Now we know it's real language, because I've had the benefit of being overseas and seeing Individuals who don't know any English feel the Holy Ghost speak English. So it's it's a language. It's a dialect. It's there, but it's nothing learned, okay? It's for you. Say this for me: The Holy Ghost, that speaking of tongues, is for you, so that when you get out and the enemy tries to say you don't have His Spirit, he said, yes I do. It's in the same way — and I view it, and and I've taught it this way because I believe it — it's the same way that the stone was rolled away from the tomb. Did Jesus have to roll the stone away from the tomb to get out of there? No, He could walk through it. He does it a little while later, and He comes in the room, disciples. He didn't have to have that. But why was the stone rolled away? It was a sign that something inside had changed. Do you hear what I'm saying? You speaking in tongues is a sign that something inside you has changed.

I get a break, get back to my notes. When you have the Holy Ghost, you have the power inside you to make the necessary changes, because you've got to have it. You cannot do it by yourself. The kingdom of God has been planted in you. I got more notes than I'm ever going to get through today. The kingdom has been planted in you. The kingdom, not some lesser version, not some watered-down thing. No, the kingdom. When you fill the Spirit, the kingdom — Jesus said, all power and heaven earth have been given unto Me. All of that, it's in you. It's in you. It's in you, that power. Kingdom has been planted in you. And this is why you need to be filled with the Holy Ghost, because you need that power to get you through.

The infilling brings Ephesians 1 now to make more sense, when it says in verse 22: And He hath put all things under His feet, and gave to Him to be the head of all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. That Holy Ghost brings you into union with Him, and He fills you with His Spirit, so that you have the ability to fulfill the kingdom work He has established in you from the beginning. This brings glory to God. When He fills us with His grace, when He fills us with His Spirit, God receives glory from this. Today God Almighty is receiving glory, because we are worshiping Him in this place, full of His Spirit and full of truth.

There's something special about being at a church that has Spirit-filled truth going on. It's more than just being lost in the Spirit. There's a lot of people that are going to feel the Spirit of God today, but there's something about understanding apostolic truth. It's different. It's different. It's different. It's just different. I'm talking about what happened and why I got poured out on the day of Pentecost all those years ago, Acts 2. It started with that truth, and it's that truth I want inside of me. Here we are, lifting up our hands, giving God glory and praise. Be filled with His Spirit, because Jesus has put Himself in you, and the devil loses every time. I wish you believed that. I wish you — I wish I just had two or three of you truly buy into what I just preached right there, and that makes sense, and walk out of these doors knowing, I am victorious. Some of you have been going around your head down far too long. Child of God, are you filled with His Spirit? Then what are you afraid of? What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of death? Death means heaven. That means they're threatening you with heaven. What are you afraid of?

And I asked him, well, well, how does it work? That's a good question, you smart folks. The Holy Ghost comes in when you yield your spirit. You have to do it. I've said this before. I think it'd be great if I just put up a bunch of yield signs right up in here, the whole altar, just just plant them all the way down through your heel, because that's what it takes. All right? You can't buy this. You can't buy this experience, no. All right? And you can't simply wish it into existence. You have to come down and yield. And that moment when you yield, He'll fill you with His Spirit. There's not some kind of recipe you're going to go through. It's yielding to the Spirit of God. If you want to be filled with God's Spirit, you've got to learn to yield.

This is one of the reasons why we play music during alter times. It's not so that people can't hear other people praying. That's that's one thing, yeah. We, I mean, I get that sometimes you want to be, you know, not to where you can talk to God and not everybody just, oh, I'm going to get his list of things he did. No, no, no. But we do that because we see Scripture shows us that spirits can be soothed and yield when music is played. But it also goes the other way too. Guess who knows that as well? The enemy. That's why he uses music to do a lot of deceptive things out there. You got to be careful. Your spirit can be affected both ways. Boy, that was free. Somebody right now needs to do a little deleting on your on your phone. So you got some stuff you're pumping into your ears you shouldn't be listening to, and it's affecting your spirit. I feel the Holy Ghost right now. Somebody right now needs to take care — you know who it is, I'm speaking to right now — and you're trying to get through something in your life, and you have found it to be a hindrance that you can't get through. You need to delete some stuff. I'm just going to leave that right there. Somebody needs to take that home with you.

If you have not received the Holy Ghost, you must first believe that that that God is, and that God's desire is to fill you. You have to repent of your sins, the wrongs that you've committed in your life. And you must understand that becoming a Christian is a contract, and it's a contract that does not expire. Please let me explain before you write me off. He has already fulfilled His obligation on His side of this contract. See, here's the deal. You can't even come to God unless His Spirit draws you. That's what the Word of God says: No man comes except the Spirit draw. So the fact that you're being drawn means He's working on you already. He's already doing His part. You come in, you ask for forgiveness, and the Bible says that if you ask, that He's faithful and just to forgive, according to First John. He's faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. He does His deal. He come in, He says, yeah, I'll take care of that. You being truly repentant, truly sorry for your wrongs, understand this: The gospel demands a covenant relationship. Always has. Always has. It demands a covenant relationship. For you to be brought into this, after you repent, one should arise and be baptized. I've taught about this before, but baptism is not simply a public profession of a private faith. Baptism is entering into a Covenant relationship with Him. It's the marriage ceremony. You become a part of the bride of Christ. Now I know our world's a bit confused about women right now, but I'm going to tell you right now, it's a bride. It's a bride. It's it's it's the bride of Christ. You become a part of that bride.

Now let me ask you a question. In the marriage ceremony, where is the I do? Now I've said this before. When chassis and I got married, she started out that morning as Chastity Hancock, but before that ceremony ended she became Chastity Allen. She took on my name. She became my bride. Where do you take on the name and the waters of baptism? You go down, you're buried in water in Jesus' name. You come up out of there buried there. You take on that name. And just like marriage, the bride takes on the name. And this covenant is binding. And if even if you walk out the door and say, you changed my mind, I don't want to be a Christian, I'm sorry, too late. I know it's not popular, but leaves, listen to me. You you are, you were in a covenant relationship. That's why we go to great lengths and make sure everybody knows what they're getting into before we baptize you know. I I, please understand my heart. I'm not against big baptismal pushes and these these things that take place. They're all well and good. But let me tell you something. They need to know why they're getting baptized, because they're entering into a covenant relationship in that moment, and they are going to be held accountable to the terms of the covenant. Second Peter 2:21: 4 had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then after they have known it, than turn away from the holy commandment delivered unto them. Please listen to me. Backsliders are under greater judgment because they're still under the terms of the covenant, even if they're living contrary to it. It does not nullify nor negate the terms of the covenant. That's why we go and we do all we do to make sure, before you're buried in baptism, you understand you're taking on that name and you're entering into it.

But listen to me. God Almighty also said, I'm married to the backslider. Why did He say that? Because He's married to the backslider. He's married, just like you got married up there. And I understand that contractual agreement is to know that it comes with conditions, that I'm supposed to hold up on my end of the bargain. Now it's not too much. He's already done all the heavy lifting. All He's requiring of you and I is to simply be obedient. That's why it's important that you understand what the Word of God says, and not just simply go off of how you feel. Facts and truth doesn't matter about how you feel, because some days I don't feel like anything, but it doesn't negate the Word of God. It is forever settled, and it is true. And if I'm going to make it to the sunny bakes of deliverance, it's going to be because I was obedient to the Word of God.

You got to hate somebody to baptize them without proper understanding. You heard me say that right, because it enters into a contractual agreement with Him. So repent, be baptized. Now what? Filled with His Spirit.

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. He said, what must I do to be saved? He's a little nervous, Hank. I imagine he's a little guy like you. His ears probably poked out too. I love you, Hank. Good looking guy. Yeah, he's a good looking fella. He wanted to know, because he'd seen things going on he couldn't explain. He's a good Jewish boy. He was raised right. Actually had a seat on the council. This is somebody who had knowledge and understanding about how things were. But this man Jesus shows up, and man, He's teaching stuff they never heard before. And it's hard to refute or deny someone who's opening blinded eyes and ruining every funeral he showed up at. How how do we handle this? So he goes in and says, I need to know, because I feel like what I have been taught, my understanding, is not quite where it needs to be. Because can you please tell me what it is I need to do? To which the response comes back, he must be born of the water and the Spirit. Nicodemus, he's he's a reasonably intellectual guy. You know, he could operate velcro shoes. He begins to say to himself, wait a minute, are you telling me that a man has to be born again, like he has to enter a second time into his mother's womb? Now we we may laugh at that when we read that in the Scriptures, but he's asking sincerity, because he's seen a man raise somebody from the dead. He's seeing limbs coming back and blind eyes open. So if this man said you had to go back to mama's tummy, guess what, he'd probably be like, all right, I guess you got to show me how that happens. Now we laugh at it, but you got to think, he's seen stuff he's never seen before, so that probably isn't too far-fetched to ask the question. He said, no, no, that's not what I'm talking about. There's a spiritual, there's a water and there's a spiritual. There's being baptized in Jesus' name, and then it's being filled with the Spirit. There's there's a lot more to it, Nicodemus, than where you are. Nicodemus is trying to roll his mind around it. I remember the Holy Ghost hadn't been poured out. Yeah, there hadn't been the day of Pentecost where it was fully yet. But he's asking the questions.

And I need you to know that that what Peter did in Acts chapter 2, in verse number 38, after he preaches this pivotal message, and he stands before them and preaches with such conviction that these men, these studied men, are seeing and witnessing all these people speaking in tongues — and Peter, to whom Jesus said, I'm going to give you the keys to the kingdom, he stands up, because all of a sudden the revelation clicks in his mind after he's been filled with His Spirit. All of a sudden Peter's like, oh, I see what's going on. This is that. What is what? This this outpouring. You saying this, you think is drunk. It's too early in the day for anybody to be drunk. But what you're seeing is that that was prophesied, that has finally come to pass. This Jesus whom you crucified, you didn't understand who He was, but He was coming to fulfill everything that was set in motion from long time ago, because He had a plan, a plan from the very beginning, and that plan is being fulfilled right now in this moment. This is that that was there. And he preached with such convictions, they said, what do we have to do? To which the response comes in verse number 38: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the mission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For this promise is unto you, and to your children, and all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. That means me. That means you. Oh, I'm ending. I got to wrap this up, because I went way, way too long. But God's fixing to fill somebody with the Holy Ghost today in this place. When you come down to an altar and when we pray for your spirit to be filled, God will feel you if you will yield. Can you imagine for me — is that, I'm gonna bring this so close I'm in right now — but I was thinking today, and that just didn't mean, there's just, just listen to this, okay? Can you just imagine for a moment the emotion of those men and women who were filled in that, in that prayer chamber there on the day of Pentecost? Now I've been in some — I've been in some crazy church services. I'm talking about just wild. I mean, kicking the sheetrock in, hanging on the chandeliers, you know, biting the backs of the pews. Just crazy church. I've been in foreign countries where I've seen 20 and 30,000 people at a time worshiping God, just when you can watch the waves as God's presence will move across that congregation, coming back, just just stuff this, like, wow, wow. I understand why when, when, when, when, uh, John was trying to write in Revelations the sound of many waters in heaven. What that is is I stood in front of those crowds, Sister Kennedy, and it overpowered the PA system, people's voice is worshiping God. But I can't imagine what that first church service was like, because had nobody done that before. I don't know about you, but this is my big imagination. I can just see them as they're sitting there speaking in tongues and look at somebody else speaking of tongues. They're like, just the emotion of the moment, how amazing it would have been. Suddenly a sound from heaven like a russian mighty wind. The vision of cloven tongues has a fire. I know somebody, somebody, they want to struggle with this. Okay, I, I, I get this. Uh, I'll give you, I'll give you a short version, okay?

Moses builds a tabernacle for the first time. They pray, and what happens? Fire falls in the tabernacle, right? You with me? Theologians, nod, blink. There we go. Solomon builds a temple. What happens, George? Fire falls, right? But only once. It didn't fall every day. He fell once. So once in the tabernacle — once, because what He's saying is, I'm doing a new thing here. It shows initial time, Sister Sue. First time in the tamron in the wilderness, it fell, from God's saying, I'm here. I'm here. Solomon's temple, it's it's a different venue. It's a building. He never had a house. So what do you do? He said, all right. Solomon gets up and does all those sacrifices. He calls, and what? Firefalls. God's saying, I'm here. Acts chapter 2: Suddenly there came a sign from heaven as if a rushing mighty around put all the house where they were sitting. Clothing tongues as a fire. What was He saying? Now I'm here. I'm not in the temple anymore. I'm here. I've come out from behind the veil. No longer does somebody else have to talk for you. You can talk to Me, and I'll be in you. Oh, happy day. The moment, that moment, turned everything else upside down. Jesus was with them, and He was gone. And now they are full of Jesus, and the whole world was to be consumed by Him. They were not just hiding, trying to survive, because the climate of the day was to kill them. But now they had God with us, and they realize that God is in us. Talk about gaining the upper hand. Now their witness would declare the power and purpose of God's plan. Why? Because He had saved their people from their sins.

It's Pentecost Sunday. I don't know where the musicians at. I told them to come. Maybe they left. But we don't have to have that for God to move. We don't. God desires to move. So I'm going to pray a very simple closing prayer, and that is simply this: for God to fall again today, just like He has always done from that day to this. And if you need the Holy Ghost, I invite you to come. Come to an altar and be filled with His Spirit. If it's been a while since you spoke in tongues, I invite you to come to an altar and be refilled with His Spirit. I don't know about you, but I would confirm in me that God is still here. Let's pray. Bow your heads. Jesus, I thank You so much, because You have been here in such a real way already today. You have touched our lives. We have felt Your presence so strong. Now, God, Your truth has been preached. Your word has went forth. Your seed has been planted. Now, God, we turn it over to You to do what You do. God, take the brokenness of our lives, weave it into Your story of redemption. Lord, if there's anyone in this place that has not yet been filled with Your Spirit, God, I pray that they would feel You pulling at them right now, Your Spirit drawing them into a right relationship with You. Though there's someone here that it's been a while since they have felt You strong, been a while since they have spoken tongues, God, I pray that You would draw them to a place where You can refill them again. Let it be done, Lord, so that You receive the glory. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, and amen.

This altar is open. I would invite you to come. This experience is for everyone, every man, woman, and child. I would invite you to come. Don't miss this chance, this opportunity. Hallelujah, Jesus. Yeah, come on, push in, gather round. Spend a little time with Him right now. Spend a little time with Jesus. Hallelujah. God, I need You in my life.