May 31, 2020 NOTES
NOT EDITED
Empowered and Essential
Empowered and Essential
Acts 2, esp 1-4
SIS—The most powerful and
essential institution in the world is the Holy Spirit filled Church of Jesus
Christ.
What a crazy time it
has been these last three months. This Crazy Covid Crisis
has been hard, especially on marriages, with couples nearly joined at the hip for three
months. One particular couple, Bob and Mildred, had
an especially difficult time. For 63 years they had
enjoyed wedded “bliss,”
with more than a few “wedding blisters.” This time
Bob missed their anniversary Mildred was madder than usual. Bob humbly beseeched her to forgive him. He said, “I’ll do anything if you just
forgive me one more time.” Mildred shrugged
her shoulders and made him a deal. “I’ll forgive
you if tomorrow morning I find a gift in the driveway that will go from 0 to
200 in 6 seconds or less. Obviously,
Mildred had been eyeing a fancy race-car at the local sports car dealer. She warned Bob, “Tomorrow morning, it better
be there. 0 to 200 in 6 seconds or less!” Tomorrow came.
Mildred pulled the curtains back and there it was in the driveway, a
package beautifully gift-wrapped. It was
too small to be something that could go from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds. Maybe it
was the keys and owners manual. Curious,
Mildred went outside to get the box and opened it in her living room. Inside the box was a bathroom scale—0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds. Bob has not been seen since.
This Crazy Covid Crisis has
been a strain on everybody, especially Bob.
There has been a lot of talk
about what businesses or what workers are “essential,” and what businesses are “non-essential.” There is no objective criteria even suggested
for either designation. The only basis
is the “edict of an elected executive.”
We used to call this practice, “tyranny,” or Rex Lex, meaning the “King is
Law.” Our nation fought a bloody war to
instill Lex Rex, meaning the “Law is King.”
We called that form of government a Constitutional Republic.
Now, we are a nation of petty tyrants in my humble opinion. For example, being a barber has been deemed, “non-essential.” I guess if you are a child of a barber, eating can be suspended until the Mayors and Governors feel “safe.” As you might have noticed, I am no big fan of big government or tiny tyrants with “big heads.”
In this arbitrary discussion of what is an essential or a non-essential institution, many governors, in fact most, declared church, “non-essential.” I could go on and on for a long time showing both from the Bible and from the writings of our Founding Fathers that no institution is MORE ESSENTIAL than the Holy Spirit Filled Church of Jesus Christ. But, if you don’t know from experience that the Holy Spirit Filled Church is essential, not even the most erudite exposition from logic or reason is going to convince you.
Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. It is called, the “Birthday of the Church.” I want to show you today from God’s Word not, “IF the Church is essential” but “WHY the Church is both empowered and essential to an eternal degree.”
❶ First, let me clear some debris from our path that has been strewn about on our path during this Crazy Covid Crisis. One, the overwhelming emphasis in conversations is about “dying.” The whole issue with social distancing, hand-washing, masks and “shelter in place” practices is to keep from dying of Covid 19. This is a terrible, misguided way to look at life. The question foremost in people’s minds should not be “How am I going to die.” In fact, the discussion should focus on three other important questions. One important question to ask is: “Who” died for me, not how am I going to die?” Another question concerning death is, “Why” did Jesus die for me? Finally, instead of asking, “How am I going to die,” my biggest concern should be, “Where am I going to spend Eternity.” I am working on a sermon on these three questions titled, “Confucious and the Covid Virus.”
❷ Second, we must as Christians address Biblically the whole notion of social distancing. I am not so much concerned about the “public health arguments” in regard to social distancing. I have two problems with it. First, when social distancing leads to the cancelling of church services, it is in direct violation of the commands of God’s Word. The very word for church means, “gathered TOGETHER.” The idea of “gathered apart” is non-sensical and non-biblical. Second, I am shocked at how “good churches are at social distancing!” In fact, it seems as if we have been avoiding people for decades . . . because, we have in fact been neglecting to regularly and enthusiastically share the gospel in the marketplace. We have been evangelistically distancing ourselves for years. I have a sermon brewing on that also—the Social Distancing Samaritan.
Now, we are a nation of petty tyrants in my humble opinion. For example, being a barber has been deemed, “non-essential.” I guess if you are a child of a barber, eating can be suspended until the Mayors and Governors feel “safe.” As you might have noticed, I am no big fan of big government or tiny tyrants with “big heads.”
In this arbitrary discussion of what is an essential or a non-essential institution, many governors, in fact most, declared church, “non-essential.” I could go on and on for a long time showing both from the Bible and from the writings of our Founding Fathers that no institution is MORE ESSENTIAL than the Holy Spirit Filled Church of Jesus Christ. But, if you don’t know from experience that the Holy Spirit Filled Church is essential, not even the most erudite exposition from logic or reason is going to convince you.
Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. It is called, the “Birthday of the Church.” I want to show you today from God’s Word not, “IF the Church is essential” but “WHY the Church is both empowered and essential to an eternal degree.”
❶ First, let me clear some debris from our path that has been strewn about on our path during this Crazy Covid Crisis. One, the overwhelming emphasis in conversations is about “dying.” The whole issue with social distancing, hand-washing, masks and “shelter in place” practices is to keep from dying of Covid 19. This is a terrible, misguided way to look at life. The question foremost in people’s minds should not be “How am I going to die.” In fact, the discussion should focus on three other important questions. One important question to ask is: “Who” died for me, not how am I going to die?” Another question concerning death is, “Why” did Jesus die for me? Finally, instead of asking, “How am I going to die,” my biggest concern should be, “Where am I going to spend Eternity.” I am working on a sermon on these three questions titled, “Confucious and the Covid Virus.”
❷ Second, we must as Christians address Biblically the whole notion of social distancing. I am not so much concerned about the “public health arguments” in regard to social distancing. I have two problems with it. First, when social distancing leads to the cancelling of church services, it is in direct violation of the commands of God’s Word. The very word for church means, “gathered TOGETHER.” The idea of “gathered apart” is non-sensical and non-biblical. Second, I am shocked at how “good churches are at social distancing!” In fact, it seems as if we have been avoiding people for decades . . . because, we have in fact been neglecting to regularly and enthusiastically share the gospel in the marketplace. We have been evangelistically distancing ourselves for years. I have a sermon brewing on that also—the Social Distancing Samaritan.
❸ Third, this Crazy Covid Crisis and the “Stay At
Home, Social Distancing, Shelter in Place mentality forces us to ask a very, very important
question: “Who is my Master? That is, Who am I going to take my directions
from in regard to how I live my life? Is
it going to be Gavin the Governor (for those in California) or God? Gavin, or God? That’s the question.
God says “gather” but Gavin says “shelter.”
God says “sing” but Gavin says “be silent.”
God says “gather” but Gavin says “shelter.”
God says “sing” but Gavin says “be silent.”
Who is your “Master?” You can’t say, “Well, both.” In important matters of faith, like attending church and being the People of God, we cannot take our cues from anybody but, Yahweh. Elijah said it like this, and I’ll paraphrase a bit for contexualization: “If Yahweh is God, follow Him. If Gavin is your god, follow him.” I’ll paraphrase a bit from the Lord Himself: “You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve God and Governors.”
Now with that debris cleared off our path, let’s get to the heart of Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost means basically, “Fiftieth.” It is one of three major, religious festivals Yahweh commanded the Israelites to observe. It takes place fifty days after Passover, another major festival of the Jews. Acts, chapter 2, describes the “Birth of the Church,” on the first Pentecost Sunday after the death and resurrection of Jesus. A very, very significant event takes place. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, falls upon a small group of 120 disciples praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus when He ascended in to heaven about 10 days before. Here’s what the Word says about that special event Acts 2:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
HALELUJAH! THAT’S SOME GOOD
STUFF! THAT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE A BAPTIST
“DANCE” AND A CATHOLIC DROP HIS CRACKER!
The Holy Spirit came down and the Church rose up. The Church burst onto the scene of history with the brilliance and power of a solar flare. The Indwelling Presence of God, the Holy Spirit, in the life of His Church both EMPOWERS the Church and makes the Church absolutely ESSENTIAL. Let’s look at two distinctive characteristics of the “Birth of the Church” to show why the Church is EMPOWERED AND ESSSENTIAL.
The Holy Spirit is the POWER PLANT for God’s Church.
I grew up in West Virginia on the banks of the Mighty Ohio River. This was “Coal Country.” Coal provided a large amount of the power for our nation at that time. Huge river barges loaded with coal would travel up and down the Ohio River depositing their huge loads at coal-fired power plants that dotted both sides of the Ohio River. The Ohio River, and these power plants kept our nation moving through the Industrial Road to Prosperity.
Coal fell out of favor as a power source. Environmental regulations made it almost impossible, and certainly unfeasible to continue operating these power plants. Each of these power plants had huge smokestacks rising like modern Towers of Babel hundreds of feet into sky. One such plant near my home was the Mitchell Power Plant. Mitchell Power Plant in Moundsville, West Virginia. It has a 1204 feet tall chimney, which was built in 1971. This smokestack was once the tallest in the world for a short period of time. It is currently the fifth tallest. The Mitchell Plant is still hanging on, but it seems her days are numbered. Just up the Ohio River a few miles, a similar plant, the Kammer Plant, was erased from the economic map. Huge explosions reduced the towering smokestacks to a pile of rubble in a matter of seconds.
These “Power Plants” became obsolete. They have outlived their usefulness. As someone has said, “These power plants have become the victims of better technology that produces power more efficiently.”
The Holy Spirit is the Church’s Power Plant. He is God. He does not become outdated and obsolete. The Holy Spirit does give way to “newer and better strategies and technology.” What the Church needs now is not “better ways to Live Stream, but more of the life of the Holy Spirit streaming through the people in the pews! When we consider the activity of the Holy Spirit in a church—our church, any church—we see TWO IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS. One, He is the ❶ Presence of God In Us. Two, He is the ❷ Power of God Through Us.
❶ The Holy Spirit is the PRESENCE of God IN us.
As those 120 disciples were praying in an upper room that day, SOMEBODY ELSE JOINED THEM FOR WORSHIP! GOD ENTERED THE ROOM! GOD ENTERED INTO THEM! Look at verses 2-4—I can hardly stand still as I read this--
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Holy Spirit came down and the Church rose up. The Church burst onto the scene of history with the brilliance and power of a solar flare. The Indwelling Presence of God, the Holy Spirit, in the life of His Church both EMPOWERS the Church and makes the Church absolutely ESSENTIAL. Let’s look at two distinctive characteristics of the “Birth of the Church” to show why the Church is EMPOWERED AND ESSSENTIAL.
The Holy Spirit is the POWER PLANT for God’s Church.
I grew up in West Virginia on the banks of the Mighty Ohio River. This was “Coal Country.” Coal provided a large amount of the power for our nation at that time. Huge river barges loaded with coal would travel up and down the Ohio River depositing their huge loads at coal-fired power plants that dotted both sides of the Ohio River. The Ohio River, and these power plants kept our nation moving through the Industrial Road to Prosperity.
Coal fell out of favor as a power source. Environmental regulations made it almost impossible, and certainly unfeasible to continue operating these power plants. Each of these power plants had huge smokestacks rising like modern Towers of Babel hundreds of feet into sky. One such plant near my home was the Mitchell Power Plant. Mitchell Power Plant in Moundsville, West Virginia. It has a 1204 feet tall chimney, which was built in 1971. This smokestack was once the tallest in the world for a short period of time. It is currently the fifth tallest. The Mitchell Plant is still hanging on, but it seems her days are numbered. Just up the Ohio River a few miles, a similar plant, the Kammer Plant, was erased from the economic map. Huge explosions reduced the towering smokestacks to a pile of rubble in a matter of seconds.
These “Power Plants” became obsolete. They have outlived their usefulness. As someone has said, “These power plants have become the victims of better technology that produces power more efficiently.”
The Holy Spirit is the Church’s Power Plant. He is God. He does not become outdated and obsolete. The Holy Spirit does give way to “newer and better strategies and technology.” What the Church needs now is not “better ways to Live Stream, but more of the life of the Holy Spirit streaming through the people in the pews! When we consider the activity of the Holy Spirit in a church—our church, any church—we see TWO IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS. One, He is the ❶ Presence of God In Us. Two, He is the ❷ Power of God Through Us.
❶ The Holy Spirit is the PRESENCE of God IN us.
As those 120 disciples were praying in an upper room that day, SOMEBODY ELSE JOINED THEM FOR WORSHIP! GOD ENTERED THE ROOM! GOD ENTERED INTO THEM! Look at verses 2-4—I can hardly stand still as I read this--
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Glory to God when He
enters a room “stuff starts happening.”
A mighty hurricane force wind, tongues of fire dancing over each
disciple, and a new ability to speak languages they had never heard before!
Tell me . . . would you like to be in a Church that has that kind of worship service?! That ain’t never gonna’ happen online folks. That’s a “Gathering Thing!” Notice verse 4 especially. It says, And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Tell me . . . would you like to be in a Church that has that kind of worship service?! That ain’t never gonna’ happen online folks. That’s a “Gathering Thing!” Notice verse 4 especially. It says, And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
This
is the very essence of being saved—God takes up residence
in your life. Your spirit comes alive
when it is “plugged into God’s Spirit.”
If a Christian could take a “spiritual
DNA test” it would reveal that you are the very sons and daughter of Almighty God
through the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Paul declares in Rom 8:9
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But, of course, we cannot take a “spiritual DNA test.” So how can we know if we are truly saved? How can we know that the Holy Spirit has filled us with the PRESENCE of God? The Holy Spirit is not only God’s PRESENCE in us, but
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But, of course, we cannot take a “spiritual DNA test.” So how can we know if we are truly saved? How can we know that the Holy Spirit has filled us with the PRESENCE of God? The Holy Spirit is not only God’s PRESENCE in us, but
❷ God’s POWER through us.
It is God’s Presence that gives us God’s Power. It is God’s Power that THROUGH us that makes us ESSENTIAL as His Church. Let me go back about 10 days to what Jesus told the disciples right before He ascended into heaven. Acts 1:8 records these words of Jesus:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This is what the disciples were praying about and waiting for in the room that day.
Now
that word, “power” is a popular, especially among “Greek Scholar Wanna-be’s. The word in Greek is, “dunamis.” “Du” in Greek transliterates into English as
“dy.” This word could be spelled in
English, “dynamis.” Of course,
that looks a lot like our word “dynamite.” Down through the centuries, the word
came to mean “explosiveness,” thus, it became
the name of a stick of powerful explosive stuff used to blow
up
mountains to build railroads and such.
Some “Wanna-be Greek Bible Scholars” will tell you that dunamis means “dynamite” power. Of course, it could not have meant that when the Bible was written because dynamite had not yet been invented, and would not be invented for almost another 1900 years.
We must be careful not to read back our understanding of words and ideas into the New Testament. That’s your Greek lesson for the day. However, even with that note of caution, there is an idea of “mountain moving power” inherent in the word “dunamis.” It can mean “great strength.” I think, when you relate it to the “Power of the Holy Spirit,” explosive could also be a way to describe the application of this word.
Certainly, when the Holy Spirit fell upon that small group of praying believers, there was an “explosion” of God’s Presence, not only with those disciples, but into the world. The gospel spread with such an explosive force in the next few decades. The 28 chapters of Acts covers about 30 years. The equivalent of 1990 to our present day. In that time, the church grew explosively. I’ve read estimates of 100,000 in those 30 years to as much as 300,000. I’ve read estimates that by the time of Constantine in the mid-300’s, there may have been 20 to 30 million Christians. So regardless of the actual number, Christianity went from being persecuted illegal religion at the time of Acts to the official religion of the Empire 300 years later.
The word that is almost always used with the discussion of the growth of the early church is: explosive. The key identifying characteristics of a Holy Spirit filled Christian are: love and witnessing. Look at v4 again: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Some “Wanna-be Greek Bible Scholars” will tell you that dunamis means “dynamite” power. Of course, it could not have meant that when the Bible was written because dynamite had not yet been invented, and would not be invented for almost another 1900 years.
We must be careful not to read back our understanding of words and ideas into the New Testament. That’s your Greek lesson for the day. However, even with that note of caution, there is an idea of “mountain moving power” inherent in the word “dunamis.” It can mean “great strength.” I think, when you relate it to the “Power of the Holy Spirit,” explosive could also be a way to describe the application of this word.
Certainly, when the Holy Spirit fell upon that small group of praying believers, there was an “explosion” of God’s Presence, not only with those disciples, but into the world. The gospel spread with such an explosive force in the next few decades. The 28 chapters of Acts covers about 30 years. The equivalent of 1990 to our present day. In that time, the church grew explosively. I’ve read estimates of 100,000 in those 30 years to as much as 300,000. I’ve read estimates that by the time of Constantine in the mid-300’s, there may have been 20 to 30 million Christians. So regardless of the actual number, Christianity went from being persecuted illegal religion at the time of Acts to the official religion of the Empire 300 years later.
The word that is almost always used with the discussion of the growth of the early church is: explosive. The key identifying characteristics of a Holy Spirit filled Christian are: love and witnessing. Look at v4 again: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Then,
look also verses 14-21.
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and
addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known
to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not
drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But
this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And
in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on
all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even
on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my
Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders
in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and
vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and
magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone
who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
When
the Holy Spirit fell upon that group of praying disciples, the Power of
Almighty God was manifested through Devil-thumping, life-changing,
culture transforming preaching. Notice that
Peter applied Joel’s prophesy to what was taking
place at that time. One of the basic
principles seen in many prophetic utterances in the Bible is what scholars call
“dual-fulfillment.” There is coming yet another such time when the Holy Spirit will be poured out
in a like manner with all kinds of “signs and wonders” and cosmic
manifestations. I believe we are in that day today. I believe we are seeing the “Rebirth of the
Church—a Second Pentecost.”
Have we seen this kind of HOLY SPIRIT POWER in our church? “Tongues of Fire?” “Hurricane winds blowing.” “Signs of blood, fire, and vapors of smoke?” And most importantly, are we seeing an army of Christian believers prophesying to those in the community?
I sure ain’t seein’ this . . . but I sure want to! Are we really a Holy Spirit-filled Church, Empowered and Essential, if we cower in fear before the Covid Virus? One of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual or a church is the “explosive preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ with signs following.” Oh, how we need that. We each need that “power!” of God’s Presence.
First and foremost, a Holy Spirit-filled Church is marked by the Identifiable Presence of Almighty God in their meetings. God’s Presence can be felt as a “weight of glory” on our souls. Second, a Holy Spirit-filled Church that is Empowered and Essential is marked by a supernatural ministry in which many people are getting saved.
In days long past, when a person died there was really no way to tell they were dead (unless they died a violent death and important parts were missing). One way they tested to see if a person was “alive or dead” was to hold a mirror up to their nose. If the person was alive, their breath (pneuma, spirit, wind) would fog up the mirror.
The Greek word for “spirit” is pneuma. This is related to “breath or air.” The only way to tell if a person is truly saved is whether or not they have the “Spirit, or Breath of God” in them. That is, a person is saved if they have been “filled with the Holy Spirit” just like those disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost. A Holy Spirit-filled Church is EMPOWERED AND ESSENTIAL. The Holy Spirit is what “empowers believers” and makes the Church essential.
If God were to hold a mirror up to your nose, would you be “spiritual dead, or spiritual alive?” Does your life reflect the kind of “Holy Spirit Encounter” we read about today? If that question did not “sting” a little, then I’m pretty sure you aren’t saved. Because, if we are saved and we are honest, we would have to confess that our church services, and our individual devotion to God looks absolutely nothing like that first Encounter with the Holy Spirit in Acts.
Have we seen this kind of HOLY SPIRIT POWER in our church? “Tongues of Fire?” “Hurricane winds blowing.” “Signs of blood, fire, and vapors of smoke?” And most importantly, are we seeing an army of Christian believers prophesying to those in the community?
I sure ain’t seein’ this . . . but I sure want to! Are we really a Holy Spirit-filled Church, Empowered and Essential, if we cower in fear before the Covid Virus? One of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual or a church is the “explosive preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ with signs following.” Oh, how we need that. We each need that “power!” of God’s Presence.
First and foremost, a Holy Spirit-filled Church is marked by the Identifiable Presence of Almighty God in their meetings. God’s Presence can be felt as a “weight of glory” on our souls. Second, a Holy Spirit-filled Church that is Empowered and Essential is marked by a supernatural ministry in which many people are getting saved.
In days long past, when a person died there was really no way to tell they were dead (unless they died a violent death and important parts were missing). One way they tested to see if a person was “alive or dead” was to hold a mirror up to their nose. If the person was alive, their breath (pneuma, spirit, wind) would fog up the mirror.
The Greek word for “spirit” is pneuma. This is related to “breath or air.” The only way to tell if a person is truly saved is whether or not they have the “Spirit, or Breath of God” in them. That is, a person is saved if they have been “filled with the Holy Spirit” just like those disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost. A Holy Spirit-filled Church is EMPOWERED AND ESSENTIAL. The Holy Spirit is what “empowers believers” and makes the Church essential.
If God were to hold a mirror up to your nose, would you be “spiritual dead, or spiritual alive?” Does your life reflect the kind of “Holy Spirit Encounter” we read about today? If that question did not “sting” a little, then I’m pretty sure you aren’t saved. Because, if we are saved and we are honest, we would have to confess that our church services, and our individual devotion to God looks absolutely nothing like that first Encounter with the Holy Spirit in Acts.
Hundreds of Mayors and nearly all 50 Governors declared the Church to be “Non-essential.” I was in Hawaii with a broken heart at the time and that broke it even more. Fact is, I had to confess as a pastor that my Church isn’t even “ESSENTIAL” to many people who actually have their names on the roll! That is a smack in the face. This was an epiphany for me.
The Church that is EMPOWERED will be seen as ESSENTIAL.
Will you pray with me in a minute, and confess to God that we are not ESSENTIAL to our community because we are not truly EMPOWERED by the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Let every one of us leave this place today determined and devoted to praying for a “Fresh Falling of the Holy Spirit on our lives and Church.”
The most powerful and essential institution in the world is the Holy Spirit filled Church of Jesus Christ. Let’s decide now to be THAT kind of church!
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