Pentecost
Pentecost is when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today the Holy Spirit’s presence is just as powerful and evident in the lives of believers as it was at the time of Pentecost in the Bible.
Pentecost is when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today the Holy Spirit’s presence is just as powerful and evident in the lives of believers as it was at the time of Pentecost in the Bible.
Acts 2 tells the story of a time when the Holy Spirit affected a sermon Peter preached where over 3,000 people came to faith. And the Holy Spirit is just as powerful today as He was at the time of Pentecost.
Jesus poured His life into 12 men, teaching, coaching, warning, and mentoring. And when He ascended into heaven, these disciples were not abandoned! The Spirit of God took over and became the fuel they desperately needed.
Christ’s Resurrection means believers too shall be raised—there is unimaginable dessert coming! But some believers may not be aware that’s not all it means. There’s more than just pie in the sky when we die.
The teaching of Jesus and the apostles is unmistakable. Heaven is for those who have been saved from their sin by trusting in Jesus. Heaven is not a mythical place for all people regardless of their background.
There is a big difference between prophets and politicians. Politicians act in a way to please their constituents. Prophets act in a way to please God. In the Bible prophets often stood alone. They spoke God’s truth and risked losing their lives for it.
Be honest: when was the last time you said something or gave something or wrote something or did something with the single motive of encouraging someone else?
It’s impossible to measure the worth of mutual encouragement. Whether spoken or written, a few encouraging words can make an enormous difference in the outcome of a single event or, in fact, someone’s entire life.
Before Paul put the final period on his first letter to the Thessalonians he issued a double-edged command: “encourage…and build up one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). In a world more sinful than saintly, such a command is necessary because the spirit of discouragement is dangerous.
In Micah 6:8, the bold prophet answered the question many people wonder about today: What does the Lord expect of us? Micah's answer is comprehensive: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. The first of these three expectations means to do what is right, regardless of the consequences. This kind of courageous obedience is illustrated for us in the lives of the first-century apostles.