April 30 WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT:  LET GOD DO WHAT YOU CANNOT DO

Acts 2:37 “Now when they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

On the Day of Pentecost, onlookers, now convicted and pricked in their heart, asked the most important question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do (Acts 2:37)?”  This question revealed their desire to want to be better and do better.  Peter gives the answer to their question, “…Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).”  When God gives you the heart to repent, that is Him calling you to come and make a change.  Allow God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Pastor Michael Bender

April 29 WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT:  IT’S SPIRIT-POURING TIME

Acts 2:17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:”

When you pour anything out in the natural, it flows freely and doesn’t stop flowing until the person pouring stops.  All you need is a desire for what is being poured and a cup or container to hold it.  Spiritually, God is the One doing the pouring of HIS Spirit and the timing is perfect – the last days.  He’s seeking a willing vessel that desires to walk after the Spirit and no longer after the flesh!  

Christy Christian

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Although John 3:3 is referring to a spiritual birth, it has a natural birth correlation.  In a natural birth, there is water, the birth, and the cry, which is the evidence of life.  In the spiritual, the water is the baptism in Jesus’ name and the cry is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.  This is the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of God.  We need the Spirit of God now more than ever.

Linda Fitts

Acts 2:15 “For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.”

How fascinating to understand how God meticulously plans events that will alter one’s life journey.  Our text explains how the crowd questioned what happened to these Galileans?  How is it possible they speak in our tongue?  Oh, they must be drunk with new wine! Peter had to enlighten them by reminding them that the promise God made through Joel has happened. “This is That!”

I remember experiencing my “This is That” moment.  It was if I was transported into eternity surrounded by the presence of God.  An indescribable peace enveloped me creating a euphoric experience.  I know that day is forever etched into my memory.

Food processors have become a necessary tool to combine ingredients to prepare something that will enhance the taste of a recipe.  That is the function of the spirit to transform your gifts,talents, personality, successes, and uniqueness to be a new creature in Christ.

Thank God for your “This is That” moment!  Now we have a Comforter, Teacher, Guide, Power Source, Intercessor, Motivator, Sanctifier, Leader, and Deliverer and so much more.

T. Renee Wilson

Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

The pouring out of the Spirit of God has its origin in Genesis 2:7 as it tells us that God (Divine) formed a man’s body and called him man. God breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life and man became a living soul.  God (Divine) connected with what He created by Spirit in order for the Divine to commune and govern humanity by His Spirit which enabled man’s mind to become God-forward.  Adam sinned and all was overthrown (his God consciousness) by the logic of his own mind; the connection was lost.  Humanity is now ruled by the conscience and logic of their own mind as reason and imagination are now in control which God calls the flesh as stated in Romans 8:13.  Thank God for the re-connect for on the day of Pentecost that same Spirit or breath as in Genesis 2:7 is breathed back into us again.  Now we have power not to live by our own thoughts or the flesh and can mortify bodily deeds by a God-forward mind for we are not children of Adam (flesh) but sons of God (Spirit).

Norman Wilson

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endured with power from on high.” Joel foretold of this wonderful prophecy in Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”  The power of the Holy Ghost is different from any other kind of power.  The Holy Spirit is literally the power of God living on the inside of your body.  We, who have been baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost have power that is unlimited and eternal.

Darlene Allen

April 24 WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT:  WHO DO YOU BELONG TO?

Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

In order to be a child of God, we must take on His Name and Spirit.  We, as saints, know this is done by repenting, being baptized in Jesus’ Name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues.  Once we have received the Holy Ghost, we have been born again and are new creatures of God.  We must walk in the Spirit and put away things that are of the flesh if we want to stay connected to God.  Also, as saints, our lives can be a witness to others so that they may see who we belong to and who we represent outside the church building.

Teria Dawson

Acts 2:19 “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:”

This scripture is a quote of Joel’s prophecy in which he predicted an unusual outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days.  Peter is also telling the people that they should not be surprised that the Holy Spirit had been poured out in such a miraculous way.  Today, we see the signs that we are living in the last days.  God is right now pouring out His Spirit for all to receive.  If you don’t have His Spirit, receive it now while it’s being poured out.

Stacey Edwards

Acts 2:43 “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”

Jesus told His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8 KJV).  He then fulfilled His promise when he poured out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  Once we are filled with the Holy Ghost, we have the power to live a holy life in an unholy world, the power to be a faithful witness in a seemingly faithless world, and the power to do signs and wonders in the earth.  When we live according to God’s Word by walking uprightly before God and the world, we become faithful witnesses and God is glorified.  Allow God to get the glory out of your life; stir up the gift in you!

Carlos Robinson

Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

We are currently living in the last days and the Lord is soon to return for His church.  We must not focus on the things in which we see going on around us; we must remain focused on spreading God’s Word and reaching the lost.  Time is so short that we must run like never before, faithfully and unselfishly spreading the importance of being baptized in the name of Jesus and receiving the precious gift of the Holy Ghost to everyone.  I admonish you on today that if you have not secured your ticket to heaven, go ahead and secure it today while God’s Spirit is still available and being poured out; tomorrow is certainly not promised.

Nakiya Conwell