Have you ever binge watched a show? That’s when you watch one episode after another, after another… You can find yourself in front of the tv for hours at a time because it’s just so good. You get to know the characters and you care about what happens to them, so you keep on watching.
Well, we’re going to binge on the Holy Spirit a little bit more. The sequel continues! The book of Acts is sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles because it is all about what the Apostles did once they received the promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling them. It was amazing! They did signs and wonders, healings, and Peter even raised Tabitha from the dead!
But the book of Acts has also been called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. For in this script, the Holy Spirit has the lead role. In fact, remove the presence of the Holy Spirit from the book of Acts and you have nothing. It was only through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit working in and through the apostles that they were able to accomplish anything.
Once they had received that power on the day of Pentecost, their lives were forever changed. And they couldn’t shut up! They were convinced. Convinced of the Messiah, convinced of the Holy Spirit, and convinced of their purpose. A holy transformation had taken place. The Word had been applied to their heart and there was no stopping them from telling it to everyone. They had a sense of urgency, a concern for the salvation of souls. A light bulb moment, and it caused Peter to preach like never before.
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 2:36
Church, do you have a passion for the lost? A missionary heart that wants to see everyone receive salvation? The authors of The Trellis and the Vine conclude that “…a Christian with no passion for the lost is in serious need of self-examination and repentance.” Paul said it like this:
“…you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers…”
Romans 13:11
I pray that you haven’t been lulled to sleep, letting the world go its own way as if it doesn’t concern you at all. Salvation is for all, and it’s the responsibility of every believer in Christ to spread the message of the Gospel to everyone we encounter. So what stops us? Maybe we’re not fully convinced yet. Maybe we need a Pentecost in our lives, a catalytic conviction! What is that? To be continued…
Join us this Sunday for the next sequel in the series: Holy Spirit – the Sequel: Catalytic Conviction. You can worship in-house at 10:00am (masks optional), or you can also join us online. For online worship go to www.umcgt.org.
Breakthrough Prayer is moving forward! Do you have a prayer card? If you can’t come to the church, contact the church office and we’ll send you one. I encourage you to pray it not only at 11:24 am, but for every meeting and small group you do. Let’s saturate the church with prayer!
July Sabbatical We’ll be taking a sabbatical for the month of July. It’s not a month off, but it’s a month of planning and visioning for the rest of the year. We will have regular Sunday worship as well as our Food Truck Friday for July. Sunday School classes and small groups have the option of taking a break or not, so please check with your group leader. Wednesday night Bible Study and Thursday night Prayer Line will be on sabbatical but I encourage you to use that time for personal prayer and study. Church hours will remain the same.
“So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 MSG
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
P.S. Zufan is taking vacation on July 5-8, so the office will not be open. Amee will be working from home, Jeffrey and I will be in and out. If you need to access the office or the building, please contact me, Amee or Jeffrey for entrance.
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