There’s More: The Power for the Witness

• The Necessity of the Holy Spirit [00:45:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that despite having walked with Jesus for three years and witnessing miracles, the disciples still lacked what they needed, illustrating that human preparation is insufficient without the Holy Spirit's empowerment.
• Pentecost and Church History [00:46:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor clarifies that Pentecost is not merely the birth of a denomination but the birth of the New Testament church, contrasting the Old Testament giving of the Law with the New Testament giving of the Spirit.
• Old Testament Typology [00:49:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor draws a parallel between the Old Testament Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) where 3,000 died due to rebellion, and the New Testament Pentecost where 3,000 were saved, highlighting the shift from law on stone to Spirit in hearts.
• The Nature of the Holy Spirit's Work [01:00:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between the Spirit 'within' (salvation/life) and the Spirit 'upon' (empowerment/witness), clarifying that these are not two different spirits but one Spirit doing different works.
• Salvation vs. Pentecostal Empowerment [00:55:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the debate regarding a 'second infilling,' arguing that while the Spirit is received at salvation (John 20), the power for witness (Acts 1:8) requires a subsequent filling or empowerment.
• The Purpose of the Holy Spirit [01:03:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines that the primary purpose of the Spirit's empowerment is for witness and mission, correcting the cultural tendency to prioritize emotional experiences or tongues over the mandate to be witnesses.
• The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts and Power [01:06:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the gifts of the Spirit are active today and corrects the misconception that Pentecost is about emotionalism or tongues, asserting instead that the power is for witnessing.
• Empowerment vs. Preparation [01:11:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between being 'prepared' (knowing Jesus for three years) and being 'empowered' (receiving the Holy Spirit), stating that believers need the latter to effectively witness.
• Living Out Belief Under Pressure [01:12:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the difficulty of following Jesus, including forgiving others, standing for truth in hostile workplaces, and resisting temptation, requiring supernatural power.
• The Mission of the Church [01:18:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes that the Holy Spirit's power is for fulfilling the mission of telling people Jesus is alive, contrasting the fearful pre-Pentecost disciples with the unstoppable post-Pentecost church.
• The Power of the Holy Spirit vs. Human Strength [01:20:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the disciples' fear before Pentecost with their unstoppable boldness after receiving the Spirit, arguing that the church's unity and effectiveness come from the Spirit, not human effort or organizational details.
• Salvation vs. Empowerment [01:23:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between being saved (forgiveness) and being equipped (empowerment), urging believers who are saved but lack boldness or power to seek 'the more' of the Holy Spirit.
• The Call to Surrender and Receive [01:28:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor invites the congregation to physically come forward and lift their hands as a posture of surrender, asking God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, authority, and power.
• Continued Thanksgiving and Spiritual Walk [01:34:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to maintain a posture of thanksgiving after the service and to engage with the sermon repeatedly to walk in the 'more' of the Holy Spirit.

• Sermon Illustration [00:43:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the historical context of the disciples' three years with Jesus—watching Him preach, heal, multiply loaves, and raise Lazarus—to illustrate that even with such extensive exposure to the 'greatest teacher,' they still felt incomplete until Jesus commanded them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
• Sermon Illustration [00:50:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the Old Testament event at Mount Sinai, where God descended with fire, wind, and thunder resulting in 3,000 deaths due to the golden calf rebellion, with the New Testament event in Acts 2, where God descended into people resulting in 3,000 lives saved.
• Sermon Illustration [00:53:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the narrative of John 20, where Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb, sees the risen Jesus, and then Jesus appears to the disciples behind locked doors, breathing on them and saying 'Receive the Holy Spirit,' establishing that they received the Spirit before Pentecost.
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a series of rapid-fire biblical examples of Jesus' authoritative words to illustrate that His commands are literal and effective: Lazarus coming forth, the loaves and fish multiplying, and the blind seeing, to argue that Jesus' command to 'wait' for power was also literal and necessary.
• Sermon Illustration [01:09:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about having a master's degree but notes that when he witnesses to people about Jesus, nobody ever asks about his education, illustrating that spiritual witness relies on the message and Spirit, not credentials.
• Sermon Illustration [01:14:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical account from Acts 5 where the apostles were arrested, beaten, and forbidden by religious leaders to preach in Jesus' name, yet they immediately returned to preaching because they had the power to live what they believed.
• Sermon Illustration [01:17:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the disciples before Pentecost, who were locked behind closed doors out of fear, with their state after Pentecost, where they became unstoppable and willing to face beatings and death to preach the resurrection.
• Sermon Illustration [01:21:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the example of Peter, who previously denied knowing Jesus and hid in fear, but after receiving the Holy Spirit, went out and preached publicly in the open, resulting in thousands of conversions.
• Sermon Illustration [01:21:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts Peter's behavior before and after Pentecost: before, he hid and denied knowing Jesus; after, he preached boldly to thousands and was willing to be crucified upside down rather than insult Jesus, demonstrating the difference the Holy Spirit makes.
• Sermon Illustration [01:30:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a bank robbery where a robber says 'put your hands up' to explain that lifting hands is a posture of surrender to God, not a magical ritual.

• Pastoral Charge [00:48:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor invites the congregation to ensure they have grasped the core message ('Jesus saves us but the Holy Spirit empowers us') and humorously permits them to wake sleeping neighbors to ensure this point is retained.
• Pastoral Charge [00:48:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor reminds note-taking members to prepare their materials for the sermon's interactive elements.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges the congregation to spiritually 'wait' and seek the empowering promise of the Father for witness, rather than relying solely on their initial salvation.
• Pastoral Charge [01:14:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read Acts chapter 5, specifically verse 40, and jot down notes.
• Pastoral Charge [01:25:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > Unsaved individuals are asked to accept salvation and give their lives to Christ.
• Pastoral Charge [01:28:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > Saved believers seeking more of the Holy Spirit are commanded to leave their seats and come to the front of the church.
• Pastoral Charge [01:30:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is instructed to lift their hands as a physical posture of surrender and request for the Holy Spirit.
• Pastoral Charge [01:34:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is instructed to re-listen to the sermon multiple times and continue walking in the experience of the Holy Spirit.
• Pastoral Charge [01:34:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > Listen to the sermon multiple times (e.g., 10 times) online or otherwise, continue walking in the Holy Spirit, and thank God.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:04:28] Good morning and glory to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. It is good to be in the house of the Lord today. And for each one of you that are here that decided to come and, you know, worship God with us and just be a part of this time of worship and fellowship and sharpening each other. And, you know, it's really important to be a part of a congregation that, um, that is brothers and sisters in Christ and knowing that they are there to support us.
[00:04:59] you along your journey and your walk with Christ and just knowing that they are there for you to encourage you along the way because it's getting hard out there. The world is heavy, but God is
[00:05:13] victorious. And can I tell you something? I always loved to say this is that only a third of the angels fell. Two thirds of the angels are fighting for us. Hallelujah. I'm fighting for the Lord.
[00:05:29] So we do want to recognize Memorial Day for tomorrow, but also just recognizing those that have lost their life while they were in service. I know that we're recognizing the person that has died, but if you are a family member of someone that died while in service, if you'll
[00:05:51] stand for me. Is there anyone here today? If you'll just stand for a moment behind. Thank you, Mandy.
[00:06:03] All right. Let's just go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you. Lord, you know the trauma sometimes that may happen, Lord, for those people that, of their family members, of those that have died in serving our country, Lord,
[00:06:23] and helping us to walk in freedom.
[00:06:26] Lord, we thank you for the sacrifice that they have made for our country and for us to be able to have religious freedom, to be able to stand here today to worship together without any ramifications from the government.
[00:06:43] We thank you, Lord.
[00:06:45] We ask that you would pour a special blessing on each one of these family members, Lord, as, Lord, they have gone through sorrow and grief, Lord.
[00:06:53] We ask that you would speak to their hearts today and that you would love on them today.
[00:06:58] We bless each and every person that is here in this building, Lord.
[00:07:02] Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.
[00:07:06] Holy Spirit, you are welcome to do your work in our hearts and in our minds and in our bodies, Father God.
[00:07:13] Holy Spirit, you are welcome on this day of Pentecost as we celebrate a day that you gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us, to empower us, to be bold for you, to spread the
[00:07:28] gospel. We thank you for that. We praise you and we bless your holy name, Lord, in Jesus' name.
[00:07:34] Amen. And if we'll all stand, let's do the call to worship. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
[00:07:45] His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Hallelujah. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
[00:08:13] and praise him in the council of the elders amen all right let's get your hands warmed up

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:08:23] you guys know this one

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:08:28] this is the stone you believers rejected which which has become

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:13:42] the cornerstone salvation salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved amen amen oh we've got a new one for you

[00:13:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:13:57] you probably heard it on the radio and elsewhere so uh sing along with us when you figure it out

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:14:03] Can you say, yes, I will, this morning?

[00:24:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:24:08] Yes, I will.
[00:24:08] You can be seated.
[00:24:11] Because the Bible tells us, which we sang, right, that He inhabits our praise.
[00:24:17] And he responds to our praise.
[00:24:19] I will always say this.
[00:24:21] There's only two times in life when you should praise God.
[00:24:24] When you feel like it and when you don't.
[00:24:27] Amen?
[00:24:28] And whether we feel like it or whether we don't, the praise will stir.
[00:24:34] And he will respond to praise because he inhabits the praises of his people.
[00:24:39] This morning, before we take off on a couple of things, where's Aaron?
[00:24:47] Where are you at?
[00:24:49] Aaron.
[00:24:50] No, golly, I'm looking way over.
[00:24:52] I'm looking so far over your head.
[00:24:54] But I want to say, come here, Aaron.
[00:24:56] I want us to pray for your family.
[00:24:58] If you got our prayer list, you know what's going on.
[00:25:03] This past week, the 18-year-old boy that was tragically killed on the motorcycle here in Rock Hill was her nephew.
[00:25:10] It's her older sister's son.
[00:25:12] And so, obviously, their family has been going through an awful lot this week.
[00:25:17] the tragedy of that and it's you know and it's just hard to really you can't wrap your your mind even around such of a thing and so they just need uplifting they need encouragement they
[00:25:29] need prayers um because nothing that man can do it's all it's a god-sized job you know only he can encourage only he can bring um perspective only he can bring peace and so if you would just
[00:25:43] kind of if you don't mind doing so just kind of stretch your hand forward this way and let's just pray for their family lord we just lift aaron and her family up to you god all that's going on lord
[00:25:54] that lord the tragedy of this we just we just certainly give it to you lord there's nothing that no man can say nothing that no man can do lord it is something lord that only you can minister
[00:26:06] in and so god we just ask for you to move and to work inside of their family lord for you to just give peace, for you to give perspective. Lord, that peace that Scripture talks about that is
[00:26:17] beyond all understanding, because it is impossible, humanly speaking, to even understand how there could be any peace in such an event as this. And so, Lord, through this all, Lord, we give it to you. And Lord, we just ask for you to just shower your presence upon them. Lord, just pour your
[00:26:33] spirit out upon them. Lord, just move in their lives and in their hearts and in their minds when their minds just go so many different ways. Lord, we just ask, Lord, that you move in that. Lord,
[00:26:45] that you work in that. Lord, that they just feel your loving arms wrapped around them. Lord, that they feel your encouragement, that they feel your peace. God, that they feel your presence in every step along the way. And so, Lord, we just give this to you. Lord, not even telling you what to
[00:27:03] do, Lord, because you know what to do. But Lord, just to lift them up into your presence, into your hands, just asking for you to move in a way only that you can move. Because Lord, we know what is
[00:27:18] impossible with man is possible with God. So Lord, just minister to their family in this time of need.
[00:27:27] Lord, to his parents, to his siblings. Lord, I can't even begin to imagine, but Lord, we give it to you In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
[00:27:38] Yes.
[00:27:42] Very difficult, difficult moments.
[00:27:47] So a couple of quick announcements for you.
[00:27:50] You should have gotten your June newsletter.
[00:27:53] So if you're new with us, we don't give out bulletins every week because we just kind of found that you say the same things every week.
[00:28:01] So you get a monthly.
[00:28:03] So this is your June.
[00:28:06] So if you did not get one of these when you come in, you can get one when you go out. But go ahead and get this on your refrigerator. Go ahead and start marking stuff. Put stuff on your calendar. Because I always encourage you to do what? Get
[00:28:22] involved in something other than just Sunday morning. Sunday morning is great. I want you here every Sunday morning and bring 10 people with you. But we want you to get connected outside of simply a Sunday morning. So there's things in here that you're going to want to get. We've got
[00:28:39] Vacation Bible School coming up in a few weeks. So just as a reminder today, if you have signed up to help at Vacation Bible School, there is a brief meeting immediately following the service over in the kids area. Terry actually has lunch for you, right? She has food. So for some of you,
[00:28:59] that might be okay well maybe i'll help with vacation bible school but if you're like i didn't sign up but i want to it's fine go go to the meeting go to the meeting um and so so that's
[00:29:12] today immediately following that if you have not signed your kids up go ahead and do that um there's a qr code right inside the newsletter for you to do that it's pretty quick and simple so go ahead
[00:29:23] and get that done uh invite your neighbors just do what you know you're supposed to do be the mission right we want to get the kids to the vbs because many times this might be the the the moment
[00:29:34] that the holy spirit reveals to them who he is and it might bring salvation to them um so we we want that's important it's a it's a ministry um and we have some really cool prayer stuff coming
[00:29:46] up you know i i don't probably say this enough but i truly believe it with all of my heart is that prayer is the engine that drives the church, okay?
[00:29:57] I mean, Jesus was very specific when he said, my house is a house of prayer, right?
[00:30:03] I mean, although we worship and we sing and we preach and all that, but he didn't say that.
[00:30:07] He didn't say, my house is a house of singing and my house is a house of preaching.
[00:30:12] He said, it's a house of prayer.
[00:30:14] So we'll have a lot of that coming up.
[00:30:17] Men, we got something coming up for you in June for men's month, really, is what it's going to be.
[00:30:23] It's going to be really cool.
[00:30:25] Youth group, we've got stuff coming on.
[00:30:27] Just read it.
[00:30:28] Todd's got stuff planned for the youth throughout the summer.
[00:30:31] Tonight, let me say this.
[00:30:33] Tonight, because of the holiday weekend, there will not be youth tonight.
[00:30:38] And then it will kick back off next week.
[00:30:41] As well as he has a brief meeting with parents right immediately following the service.
[00:30:47] if you can go see him, of the youth schedule of events for the summer.
[00:30:51] So anyway, read this.
[00:30:53] I really have no intentions of reading your newsletter to you because I am very confident that you are smart people who can read and put stuff on a calendar and say this is something I want to get involved in.
[00:31:05] But there are some sign-up things.
[00:31:07] Everything we sign up for, if you need to sign up, is pretty much out there on that bulletin board.
[00:31:13] That Islam conference is coming up.
[00:31:14] If you want to be a part of that, please sign up because we have breakfast for that.
[00:31:18] So we need to know how many to feed.
[00:31:21] But if you are interested, you didn't either get to hear the last one or you have questions and answers, you want to know more, we have Pastor Joseph who is, the Lord is totally, I mean he is a Christian now, a pastor.
[00:31:36] Grew up in an Islamic family.
[00:31:38] He knows it inside out and wants to give a seminar on what every Christian should know about Islam.
[00:31:44] So that's coming up on a Saturday morning.
[00:31:46] It's all there in this thing that you're going to read, right?
[00:31:50] All right, and so now, if our ushers would come, as they're coming, I want to celebrate Patty to you today.
[00:31:57] Patty graduated, yeah, from Trinity Bible with her bachelor's in Christian Ministries.
[00:32:09] So I asked Patty, what are you going to do with all that, right?
[00:32:13] Because God gives us something, but we've got to do something for the kingdom with it, right?
[00:32:18] So she wants to reach and teach and influence others on how to live an abundant, spirit-filled life, to encourage all who cross her path, set an example, and counsel those who have dealt with abuse or addiction.
[00:32:33] So thank you, Patty, and congratulations on your hard work.
[00:32:42] All right.
[00:32:43] Well, let's go to the Lord in prayer.
[00:32:44] If you have your offering ready, we're going to receive an offering today so we can continue to minister in our community through Encounter Fellowship.
[00:32:55] And let's open the doors.
[00:32:56] Lord, we thank You today for what You're doing in our midst.
[00:32:58] Thank You for what You're doing in our church.
[00:33:00] Continue to pour Your Spirit out upon us.
[00:33:02] Lord, let us never walk in our own understanding.
[00:33:05] Never let us lead in our own understanding.
[00:33:07] Never let us do things our way.
[00:33:09] Let us always be a church that is known for a praying church.
[00:33:13] Let us always be a church that is known for the power of the Holy Spirit being active in our church continue to let us see people being saved set free baptized lord uh filled with your spirit lord that that the burdens and the heaviness of of life lord that people walk
[00:33:30] lord in the spirit and not in their flesh lord lord that they walk in the midst of you because lord you have poured yourself out upon them lord let us continue to make a difference lord in lives
[00:33:42] of people just simply because we're obedient to you and only you and lord we give it all to you we give this offering up to you lord bless it and multiply bless those lord that are obedient to what
[00:33:53] you speak to them to give we just ask for you to pour it out we give it all to you in jesus name

[00:33:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:58] we pray amen jesus replied very truly i tell you everyone who sin is a slave to sin but if the sun sets you free, you will be free indeed. Amen.

[00:36:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:36:11] Please stand with us.

[00:38:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:38:52] There's a place place for we are chosen not forsaken he has made us wonderful in his eyes not forsaken i am chosen not forsaken you say you are for me not again chose forsaken give the lord a praise offering

[00:41:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:41:36] this morning let's praise the king of kings and lord of lords come on now he is worthy of our praise amen look at somebody beside you and say he is worthy of our praise man you know what i
[00:41:59] love about that song in my father's house is a place for you you know what i'm saying so i don't know where you are in life if you're wondering that but i can promise you god has a place for
[00:42:14] you there's not one thing that you've ever been through that he cannot heal amen so if you got your bibles whether they're your printed version or your electronic version turn it to acts chapter one we're going to jump off this time of season you kind of have to jump on and off your series
[00:42:37] a little bit we did it for mother's day and then we're going to jump off of our my way series today because today is a pretty special day in the life of the church the church god's church
[00:42:52] and so um but we'll pick up our the our last my way uh sermon next week to close out that series but i don't know if you've ever in life which i'm gonna assume since you're human
[00:43:08] and you're more than like a day old that you probably would agree with what i'm about to say is that um if you've kind of ever been in this place in life where you you maybe had thought
[00:43:22] that you had everything you needed or everything in order for a particular situation, yet you realized later that you didn't.
[00:43:34] That there was more that needed to be done.
[00:43:38] Or more that you needed for that thing.
[00:43:42] And so that's kind of the place that we find the disciples in Acts chapter 1.
[00:43:49] They kind of found themselves in this thing.
[00:43:52] Because for three years, they had walked with Jesus, right?
[00:43:57] So for three years, they watched Him preach.
[00:44:03] They watched Him heal people.
[00:44:07] They watched Him multiply, do all kind of miracles, multiply the fish and the loaves to feed all of these people.
[00:44:15] They watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead.
[00:44:18] Think about that now.
[00:44:18] I want us to kind of put ourselves in the place of them.
[00:44:23] They have for three years walked with Jesus and saw Him do all of these amazingly miraculous things.
[00:44:32] And they're at this place right now where they had been with the greatest teacher the world had ever known, right?
[00:44:40] You with me?
[00:44:41] I mean, there's never been another teacher and never will be another teacher as great as Jesus.
[00:44:47] So you think of them, and here they are, were the ones that were right under his ministry.
[00:44:58] And they had everything, and they've been taught everything that they would need to talk.
[00:45:02] And yet, right before Jesus ascended, after the resurrection, before he ascended, he says something to them, very surprising.
[00:45:12] He literally says to them, don't leave Jerusalem, go and wait.
[00:45:20] Now, here they are.
[00:45:21] Let's paint this picture.
[00:45:23] You would think that they would be like, we have everything we need to go minister.
[00:45:28] We have everything we need to go and do.
[00:45:30] We have everything we need to go make a difference.
[00:45:32] But Jesus said, you really don't have everything you need because there's more to come.
[00:45:40] So it's essential that we grasp.
[00:45:42] I want us to understand Pentecost.
[00:45:44] All right?
[00:45:46] Because today is Pentecost Sunday.
[00:45:48] but and it's important for the birth of a church but let me let me let me tell you what pentecost is not pentecost is not a denomination now first of all we get you you've pentecostal we're a
[00:46:04] pentecostal church but that's not what the bible's talking about in acts chapter one it wasn't just it wasn't like the birth of a particular denomination okay as a matter of fact let's get it straight. God doesn't know denominations. God didn't create denominations. He created a
[00:46:21] church. Man created denominations. Man created that division, not God. Could you imagine the power of the church today if it was still not divided up the way it is? Amazingly powerful.
[00:46:39] But either way, I'm not going to get on that soapbox, but here we are is that Pentecost is not a denomination and pentecost was really not something that was just meant to be this one-time
[00:46:52] thing that happened pentecost really was something that started way back in the old testament we're going to get there but let me just share this after everything that they had experienced jesus told them to wait right so let i want us to read our our verses here in acts and then that way
[00:47:13] will flow right through this sermon. Acts chapter 1 verse 4. While He was with them, Jesus, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promise, which He said, You have heard me speak about.
[00:47:31] For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit in a few days. So when they had come together, they asked Him, Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?
[00:47:42] And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
[00:47:50] But you will.
[00:47:51] Here's the but.
[00:47:54] He's like, I'm giving you the reason now.
[00:47:57] I answered your questions.
[00:47:59] But let me just give you the reason.
[00:48:02] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you.
[00:48:07] and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
[00:48:17] And so we want to unfold a little bit of this passage this morning on this Pentecostal Sunday.
[00:48:23] But let's start with our encounter point if you're new to us today.
[00:48:26] Hopefully you got your notes when you walked in if you're a note taker.
[00:48:28] Because I do give you the fill in the blanks.
[00:48:30] But our encounter point is this.
[00:48:33] if I if you was to fall asleep after this that you really got this encounter point I would I would be a okay matter of fact if somebody besides you sleeping you have my permission to nudge them but anyway Jesus saves Jesus saves us but the Holy Spirit empowers us
[00:48:53] we need to understand we're gonna we're gonna look at that we're gonna build through that statement this morning is that Jesus saves us but the Holy Spirit empowers us see the disciples were waiting during a jewish feast called the feast of weeks also known as passover which was
[00:49:15] one of the four major feasts in the jewish religion and so pentecost literally means this remember it doesn't mean denomination but the word pentecost means 50th and so exactly pentecost is always 50 days after Passover.
[00:49:36] Passover was the other major feast.
[00:49:39] And so 50 days after Passover was Pentecost.
[00:49:44] In the Old Testament, Pentecost was celebrated the moment God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
[00:49:53] Now I want you to think about, if you have read that, I want you to think about what happened there on that mountain.
[00:49:59] God descended with fire there was wind and thunder God wrote his law on stone tablets but really at that day something else very tragic happened when they rebelled with the golden calf and 3,000 people died
[00:50:16] remember that number 3,000 people died now I want you to fast forward to where we are in Acts and the disciples gathered during Pentecost but this time God came down God doesn't and here God didn't come down on a mountain right
[00:50:34] but this time he comes down into his people and so it becomes important it really becomes if you wanted to sum it up it's really the birth of the new church it's the birth of the New Testament church
[00:50:51] Acts chapter 2 it's not going to be on your screens but it gives us some pretty important illustrations it says there was a very similar to the mountain there was this sound of a mighty rushing wind
[00:51:04] there were tongues of fire and instead of a law written on stone god begins to write his spirit in the human hearts and instead of 3 000 people dying 3 000 people get saved 3 000 people come to life instead of 3 000 people dying come on like the old testament pentecost
[00:51:29] was about God giving His law, but the New Testament Pentecost was about God giving His power to you and to me.
[00:51:37] That's why I say it wasn't a one-time event.
[00:51:40] God didn't say for one time in this moment in history, I'm going to give you the Holy Spirit so you can have power.
[00:51:47] Otherwise, God would have expected us to live this Christian life without the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and we know that's not true.
[00:51:57] And so the disciples needed more.
[00:52:01] Here they were.
[00:52:02] They thought they had everything.
[00:52:03] But Jesus goes, no, wait a minute.
[00:52:05] You need more.
[00:52:06] There's more.
[00:52:07] So Jesus tells them to go and to wait.
[00:52:10] And because even though they had walked with him, we could say it this way, they still needed the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
[00:52:18] Right?
[00:52:18] They didn't understand exactly what Jesus was talking about at the moment.
[00:52:22] They didn't understand what was truly going to happen.
[00:52:25] But there's something really important in Scripture that I need you to grasp.
[00:52:29] Because one thing that is important is that we understand the Holy Spirit so we can walk and receive that Holy Spirit, right?
[00:52:41] So, in John 20, 22, let me read this to you.
[00:52:46] And I want to unfold this.
[00:52:48] I'm going to go a little slow to unfold this, not because I think that you hear slow or that I think you're a slow processor, but I really need you to get this to understand why Pentecost is still so important in 2026.
[00:53:02] Alright, this was Jesus.
[00:53:04] Alright, let me say this.
[00:53:05] I'm going to get you to this point.
[00:53:06] You remember, you may remember, if not, I'm going to go ahead and tell you.
[00:53:11] In John chapter 20 was when Mary Magdalene ran to the tomb.
[00:53:15] And she saw the tomb was open and the body was not inside.
[00:53:20] So Mary, immediately thinking that the body had been moved, runs back and tells the disciples, and Peter, and that describes the other disciple, went to the tomb, saw it, went inside, realized that the body of Jesus was not there,
[00:53:37] went back to the house where they was, and then Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.
[00:53:44] First, she doesn't know who He is, but then, through conversation, she realizes that she is speaking to the resurrected Jesus, right?
[00:53:56] So then she goes back to tell the rest of them what had happened, that she had talked to Jesus.
[00:54:03] Here's where we pick up.
[00:54:05] When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they were afraid of the Jews.
[00:54:14] But Jesus came in.
[00:54:15] Remember, He walks through the locked doors, right?
[00:54:18] stood among them and here's what he said to them peace be with you having said this he showed them his hands and his side so the disciples rejoiced when they saw the lord this is huge that you get
[00:54:35] this today all right because here they are for the first time that they see the risen jesus the risen Savior. And Jesus said to them again, peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also
[00:54:53] send you. After saying this, listen to this. After saying this, he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. Pause there for a minute. How many of you realized that the disciples received the Holy Spirit before Pentecost.
[00:55:19] I'm not mad.
[00:55:20] It's what the Bible says.
[00:55:23] That Jesus breathed on them and said, Rehold the Spirit.
[00:55:27] And this is before He ascended.
[00:55:29] Now, next.
[00:55:32] Or is that the last one?
[00:55:33] Okay, perfect.
[00:55:35] So, let me pull this together to you.
[00:55:37] Because I know there's this...
[00:55:41] In the church world of today, there is this debate, which I don't even understand, according to Scripture, why it's a debate, is that is there a second infilling of the Holy Spirit?
[00:55:58] Do we just receive the Holy Spirit when we're saved?
[00:56:02] If so, why is there a need for another Holy Spirit?
[00:56:05] Okay, I'm going to make sense of all of that to you today.
[00:56:09] Because I need you to understand the power of what Jesus said was going to happen at Pentecost, but also the fact of the power of what happened right here when Jesus was with them and they received the Holy Spirit.
[00:56:23] Let me just sum this up.
[00:56:25] Yes, we do receive the Holy Spirit at salvation.
[00:56:29] I'm just going to tell you, it's scripture.
[00:56:30] We've just seen it.
[00:56:31] This was salvation, all right?
[00:56:34] Because think of what has to happen for a person to be saved.
[00:56:37] If you're saved in this place today, these three things had to happen at some point in your life for you to be saved.
[00:56:44] If you're not today, know that you're a Christian, please understand these three things happen for salvation to happen.
[00:56:53] First of all, for salvation to happen, you've got to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
[00:56:58] Am I right?
[00:57:01] Guess what the disciples did?
[00:57:04] They walked with Him.
[00:57:05] These same people that He just said, I'm going to breathe on you, receive the Holy Spirit, they knew He was the Messiah.
[00:57:12] They walked with Him.
[00:57:14] They watched Him.
[00:57:15] They believed it.
[00:57:16] They knew he was the Messiah.
[00:57:18] There was no doubt in their mind that Jesus was the Messiah.
[00:57:23] And so they had that prior to his death.
[00:57:26] Now, we have to do it now that he's dead, but they got to understand him as the Messiah before he died, right?
[00:57:32] Second thing that has to happen for a person to be saved, right, is we got to believe that Jesus died for our sins and victoriously rose from the grave, right?
[00:57:45] I mean, if He wasn't the sin bearer, then He wasn't the Messiah, then He couldn't die in my place for my sins.
[00:57:54] So I've got to believe that He was the Messiah, and I've also got to believe that He died and rode victoriously for my sins.
[00:58:02] You with me?
[00:58:04] This was that moment for them.
[00:58:07] Because Jesus told them multiple times, right, that He was going to die for their sins.
[00:58:12] That He was going to come back on the third day.
[00:58:14] But the Bible tells us they did not understand that.
[00:58:18] They didn't understand what Jesus meant when he said that.
[00:58:20] But at this moment, the second thing that needed to happen for salvation was here.
[00:58:28] They were able to see the victorious, risen Savior right in front of them.
[00:58:35] And so salvation happened because the two things that need to happen for a person to be saved.
[00:58:41] Listen, salvation has nothing to do with us cleaning up our life.
[00:58:45] you can't clean your life up enough to be saved salvation has everything to do with what Jesus did for us he will clean our life up we just need to trust him we just need to believe
[00:59:01] and we need to to to grasp these things and so here in this moment is the second part of that where they seen the resurrected Jesus.
[00:59:13] And so this was salvation in John chapter 20.
[00:59:18] And guess what happened?
[00:59:19] They received the Holy Spirit.
[00:59:25] And so when we get saved, we do receive the Holy Spirit.
[00:59:31] But still, then why did Jesus say if He'd already breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit, then the natural question is then why did He tell them to go wait for the Holy Spirit?
[00:59:46] Right?
[00:59:48] That's a pretty important question.
[00:59:52] The same reason you and me need it.
[00:59:55] When you read the Bible, one Holy Spirit, right?
[01:00:00] One Holy Spirit.
[01:00:02] It's not like the Holy Spirit that comes when I get saved and another Holy Spirit comes when I am filled with the Spirit.
[01:00:10] It's not that.
[01:00:10] It's one Holy Spirit.
[01:00:13] However, if you read in the Scriptures, you will see that spirit there's times when the Bible says the spirit within talking about the same Holy Spirit and the spirit upon when the spirit comes upon someone
[01:00:31] same Holy Spirit they had received at salvation the Holy Spirit but Jesus says go wait because there's more to the Holy Spirit that you ain't got yet there's more so you go wait And so here's what happens.
[01:00:50] You receive, he said to them in Acts 1.8, you're going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes.
[01:00:54] What?
[01:00:55] Upon you or on you.
[01:00:57] So Scripture shows us a very consistent pattern in the early church that at salvation, the Holy Spirit comes within us.
[01:01:07] Bringing life, bringing forgiveness, bringing relationship with God.
[01:01:13] Right?
[01:01:14] Because without that, we don't even understand that.
[01:01:16] we were like the disciples he was telling them i'm gonna die and i'm gonna raise again on the third day they didn't understand that but when the holy spirit when we get saved and the holy
[01:01:27] spirit comes in us it brings life it brings forgiveness and it brings a relationship with god but in the book of acts we also see believers are being filled and empowered by the holy spirit
[01:01:40] coming upon them and that is for witness for boldness for mission and so we we we even see in acts chapter 8 we see this this pattern continue where believers people who are already believers were already saved experienced this deeper empowerment through the holy spirit's work
[01:02:02] as they prayed and for strengthened or strengthened in their faith so here's the simple biblical truth of all of that the spirit within brings salvation and new life the spirit upon brings empowerment for witness and mission and i may say again because i don't nobody to ever go say i said
[01:02:23] something i didn't say because we live in a crazy world that people will try to say i said something there are not two separate holy spirits it's just one i want to say that very clear it's one
[01:02:38] holy spirit but it is one holy spirit doing a deeper work in the life of a believer and so that is exactly what jesus was pointing to in acts 1 8 and here's the truth that still
[01:02:58] applies in 2026 to you and me is that you can know jesus and still need more of the spirit's power in your life and so let's pull i want to give you three things this morning if you're
[01:03:14] taking notes that the holy spirit gives believers right first is this the holy spirit in 2026 gives believers power for witness right what does jesus say in acts 1 you will receive power in 1a
[01:03:31] when the holy spirit comes upon you i'm just gonna for for the sake of of of putting it out there Jesus wasn't mincing his words Jesus wasn't saying one thing And meaning something different Jesus didn't do that
[01:03:51] When Jesus said Demon come out He didn't mince it They had to come out When Jesus said Lazarus come forth Death had to leave Right?
[01:04:05] When Jesus held up And blessed the fish and the loaves They had to multiply They could not not multiply death could not stay in lazarus when he said lazarus come forth when he healed the
[01:04:23] blind the disease had to leave when the lady with the issue of blood reached down and touched the hem of his garment and healing left him into her her disease had to leave you with me right
[01:04:37] jesus wasn't mincing his words or somehow messing up the words when he said you will go wait go wait for the promise of the father go up in the upper room stay there and wait there's
[01:04:52] more for you you're saved you know who i am you know i'm alive do you know at that moment they could have immediately went out and preached the living savior to people that jesus rose from the
[01:05:06] dead they could have preached that because they had witnessed it and they had saw it so jesus wasn't prolonging their mission he was empowering them for their mission and so when he said you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses that's what he
[01:05:33] meant he didn't say you will receive this power when the holy spirit comes within you it's important it's very important to know that it's salvation i received the holy spirit but it's also important to know that Pentecost wasn't a one-time event for the church it was it's still our empowerment
[01:05:59] for today and we can get so caught up and I just feel the need to say this is not in my notes and this usually gets me in trouble but I feel the need to say this because in our denomination
[01:06:17] Well, before I say that, I am 100% believe in all the gifts of the Spirit.
[01:06:29] And that all the gifts of the Spirit are active today.
[01:06:34] I believe that.
[01:06:35] I do not see as many times as I have read through Scripture where God has removed certain gifts.
[01:06:45] Okay, so I believe that.
[01:06:46] But I will tell you, in our denomination, we have had a tendency to highlight and give more importance to the gift of tongues than Jesus did.
[01:07:00] And so, when I read this, Jesus didn't say, you will receive power to just run around, be all emotional, and speak in tongues.
[01:07:10] That's not what he said.
[01:07:14] He said, you will receive power to be my witnesses.
[01:07:19] And sometimes people have thought that Pentecost is somehow the event that makes you crazy or go crazy.
[01:07:35] But that's not what Jesus said.
[01:07:37] Jesus said the Holy Spirit is going to come upon you and you are going to be my witnesses.
[01:07:44] So when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, why that is so important in 2026 is because we still need to be witnesses of the resurrection.
[01:07:55] We still need to be witnesses of the gospel.
[01:07:57] We still need to be witnesses that God is alive and that His Spirit is active and He will do in your life the impossible that you cannot do.
[01:08:09] He's real. He's alive. He's powerful.
[01:08:12] And He is here and He is active right now.
[01:08:15] That's the power for witness.
[01:08:16] And so we've got to be extra careful with our witness.
[01:08:22] I can't say, in our men's group, we're just talking about this.
[01:08:25] This past week, about our witness, right?
[01:08:31] And so it's important that we understand the power of our witness.
[01:08:38] The Holy Spirit gives you power for witness, but you need to understand as a believer, there is a power in your witness.
[01:08:47] And so we have to be extra careful that we don't say one thing and act another way that hinders that witness.
[01:08:58] If I'm saying I belong to God, I am a Jesus freak, I'm His guy, I'm on mission for Him, then I've got to make sure that I understand there's power for my witness, but there's also power in my witness.
[01:09:16] Right?
[01:09:17] And so Jesus didn't say in Acts 1.8 that, hey, you're going to get all this power so that you can have some better strategies in life.
[01:09:26] He didn't say you're going to get all this power for education.
[01:09:31] That's why I encourage Patty and anybody else that says, look, the Lord is, I've went through this education, I've grown, I've understood that what are you going to do with what God has provided for you?
[01:09:44] But even outside of that, if God has done something in your life, then you've got something to witness to someone about.
[01:09:52] You know what is so funny?
[01:09:55] I have a master's degree.
[01:09:57] But do you know, nobody has ever asked me that.
[01:10:01] Nobody that I've ever witnessed to, nobody that I've ever told Jesus loves them, nobody that I've said, if you call out to God, He will come into your life, He will set you free, He will work.
[01:10:10] Nobody said, well, before you tell me that, can you tell me what kind of degree you have?
[01:10:16] Nobody.
[01:10:18] They don't care about that.
[01:10:21] What they care about...
[01:10:22] So, my point is, you may go, I don't know how to witness.
[01:10:28] They didn't either.
[01:10:29] They had no idea what Jesus was talking about.
[01:10:32] Witness?
[01:10:33] We just know to go do what you were doing, Jesus.
[01:10:36] We don't know anything else.
[01:10:38] And Jesus was like, that's why I'm telling you there's more.
[01:10:41] There's more, there's more, there's more.
[01:10:43] Go, wait.
[01:10:44] let the Holy Spirit come upon you and then you will receive the power to be my witness and so Jesus didn't let's say it this way here's your good one liner if you want to write it down
[01:11:00] Jesus didn't send them out prepared he sent them out empowered they were prepared when he told them to go wait they spent three years with him probably three and a half years with Jesus watching everything He did,
[01:11:20] being a part of everything that He did.
[01:11:22] Like they were prepared.
[01:11:24] You couldn't have been more prepared than them.
[01:11:26] But Jesus says, I'm not sending you out prepared.
[01:11:29] I'm sending you out empowered.
[01:11:31] Now go wait for the Holy Spirit.
[01:11:34] I swear, I'm just going to be obvious in the church today, in this room today.
[01:11:39] Many of us have received salvation, but we lack power because we haven't opened ourselves up to that yet.
[01:11:48] And we're prepared as people can be, but we need to be empowered.
[01:11:55] That's what Jesus says.
[01:11:56] Second thing is that what the Holy Spirit gives to believers is this, the power to live what you believe.
[01:12:05] That's in key.
[01:12:06] I can't say that enough.
[01:12:08] Because following Jesus, if I'm honest, following Jesus isn't always easy.
[01:12:18] Is it?
[01:12:20] Like, when you follow Jesus, He calls you to forgive people.
[01:12:27] He calls you to...
[01:12:29] Actually, commands you to forgive people, but I'm trying to be nice about it today.
[01:12:34] He calls you to...
[01:12:35] Forgiving people isn't easy.
[01:12:38] So, the power to live what you believe, following Jesus, is not always easy.
[01:12:45] Standing for the truth isn't easy all the time.
[01:12:48] especially if you might be in a place in your workplace where you as a Christian are a great minority of the people that you work around.
[01:13:00] And you listen to the things that they may say and the lies of the world that they have heard and they have bought into and they believe and then they look at you and go,
[01:13:13] what do you think?
[01:13:15] Right?
[01:13:16] And you got to choose.
[01:13:18] Am I going to stand for the truth here?
[01:13:19] or am I just going to not make waves

[01:13:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:13:22] and go, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[01:13:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:13:24] One of those things.
[01:13:26] I'm just telling you, following Jesus isn't always easy.
[01:13:30] Here's another one.
[01:13:32] Maybe I'll get some hands on this one.
[01:13:34] Or is it just me?
[01:13:37] I'll be the one.
[01:13:38] Resisting temptation is not always easy.
[01:13:41] Is it?
[01:13:42] It's not.
[01:13:46] To say I'm a Christian and I come to church, so great.
[01:13:52] But you're not going to live that life on your own.
[01:13:55] You're not going to live it.
[01:13:57] You're not going to live it on your own.
[01:13:59] You've got to have a supernatural power greater than yours to live a Christian life.
[01:14:05] Let me tell you, I cannot say it enough.
[01:14:07] You'll hear me say it a hundred times.
[01:14:09] Pentecost wasn't a one-time event.
[01:14:11] If it was, we'd be in a whole lot of trouble.
[01:14:16] The same power that came upon them that day is the same power that's present for us today.
[01:14:26] And so we ought to have power to live what we believe.
[01:14:30] Let me give you another good prime example.
[01:14:32] You remember in Acts chapter 5?
[01:14:33] If you didn't, I want you to go read this this week.
[01:14:37] Jot this down.
[01:14:38] It's Acts chapter 5.
[01:14:39] I want you to read the whole chapter, but specifically in verse 40.
[01:14:44] But read the whole chapter.
[01:14:45] And if you remember, the apostles were arrested for, remember, what were they arrested for?
[01:14:54] They weren't doing bad things.
[01:14:55] They were just going around and preaching in the name of Jesus.
[01:15:00] Something we take so for granted that we have the freedom to go do.
[01:15:04] Here they were just going around telling people about the resurrection of Jesus.
[01:15:08] They had been empowered.
[01:15:09] The Holy Spirit had come upon them.
[01:15:11] Man, they were power.
[01:15:12] They were witnessing.
[01:15:13] They were sharing Jesus.
[01:15:14] They were sharing the resurrection.
[01:15:16] And the Sadducees and the Pharisees didn't like it, so they arrested them.
[01:15:22] Beat them.
[01:15:24] Bad beat them.
[01:15:27] And then, here was their game plan.
[01:15:29] This is why I want you to go read this.
[01:15:32] This was their game plan.
[01:15:34] You know, I'm not going to say this.
[01:15:35] You know the world's always got a game plan against you living the life that you want to live, that God's called you to live.
[01:15:44] You best believe that the world, the devil's got a plan against that.
[01:15:49] So here they were in their heart.
[01:15:51] They had this game plan.
[01:15:52] Here's how we're going to stop these crazy people going around telling everybody that Jesus rose from the dead.
[01:15:58] We're going to beat them.
[01:15:59] really good.
[01:16:02] We're going to teach them a lesson, then we're going to let them go, and we're going to say, don't be preaching in the name of Jesus anymore.
[01:16:09] And that's what they did.
[01:16:10] They arrested them, they beat them, they let them go, and they forbid them, that's what the Bible says, not they encouraged them, not they asked them not to, but basically saying, this is going to be your future
[01:16:23] if you don't quit that stuff.
[01:16:25] Forbid them to speak in the name of Jesus again, and the disciples left there with all that beaten, and went right back talking in the name of Jesus again.
[01:16:33] Literally said, we cannot stop preaching and teaching about what we saw and what we know because they had the power to live what they believed and it didn't matter what the world wanted them to live like.
[01:16:48] What mattered was the Holy Spirit was upon them and they had the power to live what they believed.
[01:16:55] And so, I'm telling you, when the Spirit is guiding you, When the Spirit is upon you, you will have the power to accomplish everything that you need to accomplish for Him.
[01:17:11] I mean, if you think about this, before Pentecost, these same apostles, these same disciples, same people, they were literally locked.
[01:17:22] We just read it in John chapter 20.
[01:17:24] They were locked behind closed doors when Jesus had to walk in.
[01:17:29] Because they were so fearful.
[01:17:32] Same people.
[01:17:34] Holy Spirit comes upon them.
[01:17:36] They're like, I don't care if you beat me.
[01:17:38] I don't care what you do to me.
[01:17:41] I don't care if you kill me.
[01:17:43] I can't stop preaching and teaching in His name because He is so inside of me and He is so on me that I know that I have the power to live and to witness everything that I believe.
[01:17:59] It's like it doesn't really matter.
[01:18:02] This is the contradiction.
[01:18:04] It's the same people.
[01:18:06] Same people, same Jesus, same resurrection, same all of that.
[01:18:12] But the only difference was Jesus said, go wait for something more.
[01:18:17] Well, when they got the more, it changed their life.
[01:18:22] Now, third thing and last, I'm doing pretty good.
[01:18:24] The Holy Spirit will give you, as a believer, power to fulfill the mission.
[01:18:33] I really can't say this enough.
[01:18:36] The Holy Spirit isn't coming upon you to give you the power to just feel good.
[01:18:39] just to feel good and feel happy today and do nothing with that.
[01:18:47] Now, the Holy Spirit is going to make you happy.
[01:18:48] Don't get me wrong.
[01:18:50] I'm not saying that.
[01:18:51] We're not receiving the Spirit just to simply be happy and do nothing with it.
[01:18:59] Oh, you're going to feel good.
[01:19:03] But before Pentecost, here they were afraid.
[01:19:06] If Jesus would have sent them out prior to Pentecost as prepared as they were, it wouldn't have taken no time for them to be beaten and scourged and said guys we might want to rethink this
[01:19:21] we know we saved hey we know he was the Messiah we know he rose from the dead we received the Holy Spirit we're saved let's just hang out behind locked doors until one day when we go to heaven
[01:19:34] can I tell you that's a big problem in the modern day church is that all we want to do is know we're going to heaven and we could care less if anybody else gets there.
[01:19:47] As long as we come to church, feel good when we leave, keep to ourselves all week long, all's good.
[01:19:53] But that ain't what Jesus said.
[01:19:56] You're going to have power to be my witnesses.
[01:19:59] He's trying to say, you're going to have the power to fulfill the mission.
[01:20:04] We're part of a mission, y'all.
[01:20:07] We are part of a mission, a Jesus movement that people need to know this Savior.
[01:20:16] And you and me are not going to be able to fulfill that mission without the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:20:27] Because, let me say it this way, they were locked in a room before Pentecost.
[01:20:34] And after Pentecost, they were unstoppable.
[01:20:37] They could not quit going around and telling people Jesus rose from the dead.
[01:20:44] Because, let me explain something to you.
[01:20:47] That's what unified the church.
[01:20:51] Do you know why the church didn't split in that day over a bunch of denominations?
[01:20:58] It's because they were unified on the thing that really mattered.
[01:21:01] It's that Jesus was the Messiah and He died and He rose again and the Holy Spirit is upon us and we got something to do.
[01:21:11] They weren't worried about what building was where and what bills were where and what color this carpet was.
[01:21:20] They weren't worried about those things.
[01:21:22] They were worried about telling people that Jesus was alive.
[01:21:25] So much that they said, you can beat us, you can scourge us, but you can't stop us because we're unstoppable, not because of themselves, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit that was upon them.
[01:21:41] And Peter, like Peter, the one that couldn't even say yes, I knew Jesus.
[01:21:47] when Jesus was arrested, literally goes out and preaches in the open and thousands of people get saved.
[01:21:56] The same Peter that couldn't even mention the fact and tell that I knew Jesus, I was one of his disciples.
[01:22:03] The same Peter that had to hide from that was the same Peter that said, you can kill me if you want, but don't insult my Jesus by crucifying me like him.
[01:22:14] Don't crucify me upside down.
[01:22:16] That was a whole different Peter.
[01:22:18] But yet it was the same Peter.
[01:22:20] What was the difference?
[01:22:22] It was the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:22:26] Because the Holy Spirit changes ordinary people into empowered witnesses.
[01:22:31] That's what the Holy Spirit does.
[01:22:32] So the same Spirit that filled the upper room is the same Spirit that empowers you and me today.
[01:22:42] It's the same Spirit.
[01:22:45] Newsflash, there's not a 2026 version of the Holy Spirit.
[01:22:51] It's not.
[01:22:53] It's not like, well, the world is this way, so Jesus was like, well, God was like, let me give a new version of the Holy Spirit.
[01:23:00] No, it's the same Holy Spirit.
[01:23:03] Same power, same authority.
[01:23:07] So here's the big truth today.
[01:23:10] I want to tie all this together for you as we close.
[01:23:14] Jesus saves you, but the Holy Spirit equips you.
[01:23:19] Salvation forgives you, but the Spirit empowers you.
[01:23:24] And just like the disciples, right, some believers today are saved.
[01:23:28] but still living without the fullness of what God has.
[01:23:33] Some people are saved, but there's more.
[01:23:37] Stand with me, if you will.
[01:23:45] I want you to just, where you are, just kind of bow your head and close your eyes.
[01:23:48] Nobody's really looking around.
[01:23:49] It's not important.
[01:23:50] Jimmy, y'all come on up.
[01:23:57] When Jesus told them to wait, listen, He wasn't withholding something from them.
[01:24:05] He was preparing to give them something greater.
[01:24:10] And maybe today, where you are in this place, Maybe it's somebody that's watching online.
[01:24:16] But the Holy Spirit is stirring that same thing in your heart.
[01:24:21] I know there's more.
[01:24:23] I know I'm saved.
[01:24:25] I know that I'm going to heaven.
[01:24:27] I know, but there's something more.
[01:24:30] And I want it.
[01:24:32] You love Jesus.
[01:24:33] You believe in Him.
[01:24:34] But deep down inside, you sense it.
[01:24:37] There's more.
[01:24:38] God wants to do in my life.
[01:24:41] Not in somebody else's, but in mine.
[01:24:44] Maybe you could say, I need more boldness.
[01:24:47] Maybe you need more power.
[01:24:49] Maybe more effectiveness.
[01:24:51] Maybe more of the Holy Spirit working through you.
[01:24:54] I don't know.
[01:24:55] But I will say this, the same promise that Jesus gave those disciples is still true today.
[01:25:02] God still fills believers with His Spirit.
[01:25:05] God still empowers the church.
[01:25:07] And He still equips people.
[01:25:09] because the mission of Jesus has never been meant to be carried out in human strength.
[01:25:15] It has always required the Holy Spirit to be carried out.
[01:25:21] And so today, I'm going to ask you to take a bold step.
[01:25:25] Well, first I want to do this.
[01:25:26] If you're in this place today and you don't know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you absolutely are not 100% sure that you've been saved.
[01:25:36] And I want you to, today, that stirring that you're feeling, don't ignore it.
[01:25:42] So today, if you want to give your life to the Lord, today you want to leave this place knowing salvation has taken place in you.
[01:25:51] And I'm going to lead you in a prayer, but please understand this.
[01:25:54] It's not the words you speak, meaning don't just repeat something after me.
[01:26:00] I'm just helping guide you through what you're speaking to the Lord.
[01:26:06] But pray with me, dear Jesus.
[01:26:08] I believe just as the Bible said that you were born of a virgin, that you lived a sinless life, that you were the Messiah who walked this earth.
[01:26:24] And God, I believe also that there was death, you were crucified, and Lord, that you rose again on the third day.
[01:26:37] And because of that, Lord, you are offering me salvation.
[01:26:42] Not because I could earn it, not because I'm good enough to earn it, not because of anything other than a free gift, of salvation, that you died in my place. So today, God, maybe I don't understand it all the way,
[01:27:00] but today I want to receive salvation. I want to leave this place knowing that my sins are forgiven. I want to leave this place knowing that I've been set free, not by my own will,
[01:27:13] but by yours, Lord. So today, God, I ask for the gift of salvation. I ask for you to step out of heaven, step into my life. I ask, Lord, for you to forgive me of every sin I've ever committed.
[01:27:27] God, I ask you to save me and take residence in my life today and in my heart today. God, I surrender my whole life. There's things, God, that might be hard for me, but I know you're
[01:27:38] going to give me the power to do it. And so, Lord, today I give it all to you. And today I'm asking for you to save me. Now, for everyone else and for the person that just may have given
[01:27:53] their heart to the Lord. If you, you're going to be bold here, but you got to be bold if you want more. In this place today, if you know there's a stirring inside of you, you know there's more
[01:28:10] of God that you want in your life. Maybe more boldness, more power, more effectiveness, more of the Holy Spirit working for you, the power to live what you believe, the power to be His witness,
[01:28:23] whatever. But you know there is more to the God that you serve and you want it. I'm going to ask you to come down front. I just want you to walk down. Just get out of your seat. Come on down
[01:28:34] right now. Jonathan's leading the way. I don't care if you've been saved 50 years. This is irrelevant. If you want more, you want the more, I want you to come. Because you're saying to God,
[01:28:50] I want the more. And I'm willing to get out of my seat to go get it. I want you to come. Keep coming. I'm going to wait. I want you to come. I can't express what Jesus said is important here.
[01:29:09] I want the more. We're not telling God what it is. We're just saying, God, I want it. I want every bit of it. God, if there is something else you have for me, I don't want to leave here without
[01:29:21] it. I'm going to do something. Praise the Lord for you. See teenagers down here? Come on. Is it get any better than that. The teenagers say, if there's more of God, I want him. You know something
[01:29:50] about a young generation. I don't know if y'all know this or not, but this younger generation, they don't like phoniness. They don't. They're like, I want something that's real. And so what I'm going to do is I'm going to pray over you as a whole, but I'm going to ask you to do something.
[01:30:10] I am going to ask you to just lift your hands. That may be foreign to you. And you may go, I don't even know why you're asking me to do that, but I'm going to explain this. This is a posture.
[01:30:21] There's a certain posture with this, and it's a posture of forgiveness. I mean, a surrender, right? When somebody goes to rob a bank, what do they say? Put your hands up. You know why?
[01:30:34] It's a posture of surrender. So what we're doing today is we're getting in a posture of surrender to the Lord. And we're saying in this, God, I surrender it all to you. That's why this is
[01:30:48] important. Now I'm going to pray and you're going to pray and you're going to say, Lord, I want this Holy Spirit. I want this Holy Spirit to come upon me. I want to walk. You can say it in all
[01:31:06] your own words. I want the more. I want your authority. I want all of the Holy Spirit in my life. I want the Holy Spirit to come upon me. And whatever it is that you think you need,
[01:31:18] I want to be more bold.
[01:31:19] I want to be more whatever.
[01:31:22] You're not asking me for it.
[01:31:24] You're asking him for it.
[01:31:27] It's his spirit.
[01:31:28] But I'm going to pray over you.
[01:31:29] Lord, today I come before you.
[01:31:31] To all of those who are in this place today that says, I want the more.
[01:31:37] God, I want more of your Holy Spirit.
[01:31:39] God, I want more of your authority.
[01:31:41] I want more of your power in my life.
[01:31:43] I want more of boldness.
[01:31:45] I want more of everything.
[01:31:47] God, what they're saying with hands lifted up is God, I come and surrender to you because Lord, I want every bit.
[01:31:54] I need it all.
[01:31:56] Lord, I need the power to live what I believe.
[01:31:58] Lord, I need the power of witness.
[01:32:00] Lord, I need it all.
[01:32:02] I need the power of healing, God, that can only come from your Holy Spirit because Lord, my heart has been hurt.
[01:32:09] My life has been torn apart.
[01:32:10] I don't know what they've been through, Lord.
[01:32:12] I don't know everybody's stories and testimonies in this place.
[01:32:15] God but you know every hair that's on their head God you know every cry You know every tear that's been shed Of something in their life You know every struggle Lord that they've been through
[01:32:25] So God today we pray the more down We pray the Holy Spirit to come upon Lord if they're here They know they're saved And Lord they know that the Spirit is within them But Lord they're asking for the Spirit upon them
[01:32:40] So God today Lord I ask For you to grant their request God, I ask, Lord, that the Spirit would come upon them.
[01:32:49] Lord, that they would leave this place filled.
[01:32:52] Lord, they may not even recognize it.
[01:32:53] It may be sometime this week when they recognize it.
[01:32:57] I don't even know.
[01:32:58] Because, Lord, but I do know this, that, Lord, you have promised this.
[01:33:04] Pentecost wasn't just a moment in history, but, Lord, this was your birth of the church.
[01:33:10] Lord, this was your power for the church.
[01:33:13] This was your power for the people, God.
[01:33:15] Lord this had nothing to do with man it was all to do with you so God today we pray the more God we give it all to you in the name of Jesus we ask
[01:33:27] it Lord it's here your spirit is here in this place it's here on this earth so God today feel each and every one of them fresh anointing fresh authority fresh power God in their lives let there be testimonies
[01:33:43] that come from this moment Lord, that You have given the more to every single one of them.
[01:33:50] God, we love You and we thank You.
[01:33:53] We call out upon You and only You because only You can give it.
[01:33:59] So Lord, we claim it and we thank You in Jesus' name.
[01:34:05] When you leave this place, I want you to keep thanking God for that.
[01:34:09] I want you to go back because in my life, when I begin to read the Word and understand and begin to pray, then the Holy Spirit will speak to me in ways that humans can't
[01:34:21] so I'm going to ask you to take this sermon go back I don't care listen to it 10 times online whatever you got to do to get that and continue to walk in that and thank God for the more
[01:34:31] of the Holy Spirit in your life Amen let's leave here encouraged Jimmy I don't know if you got I don't even know that we need a closing song let me just play one thing alright
[01:34:43] play one thing for them

[01:34:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:34:45] you guys know this

[01:34:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:34:46] that stomach hurting look at brother bob y'all have a the altar call was the benediction

[01:35:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:35:53] you may go in peace take the spirit with you and share it with everybody you come across shalom amen