“PENTECOST SUNDAY”
BAPTISM OF LOVE
May 19, 2013 – Week 21
Welcome to New Life Church, a community of believers that gather together for celebration services on Sunday.
Our Sunday service is designed to call people into the love of God, week after week, resulting in passion for Jesus Christ and compassion for people.
New Life Church is called to be His House of Prayer and Healing to all who are hurting, weak, and brokenhearted or held in bondage. New Life Church is a place you can be nurtured and grow to be what God has destined each individual to be.
“Children’s Bible Hour” and “Extreme Faith” for Youth are during this service.
BELIEVER’S WORSHIP PROCLAMATION
GRACE PROCLAMATION
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. - (Acts 2:1-4)
ALL: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.”
(Acts 2:17a & 21b)
PASTOR’S NOTES
PENTECOST – FILLED WITH LOVE
Pentecost was the 2nd Feast Celebration God gave to Israel. Pentecost means fifty and takes place 50 days after Feast of Passover. Pentecost is a Festival of Harvest. Thus, we immediately see the effect of being filled with the Holy Spirit- 3000 souls are saved after Peter’s anointed message.
Aren’t the signs of Holy Spirit’s coming amazing? We call them wonders or miracles. The sign of a “mighty rushing wind” denotes the mystery of trying to discover, “where did that come from?” The sign of “tongues of fire” that came upon each one implies the purification-sanctification of the empowerment. The sign of “unknown” or other tongues was how the initial message went forth. Each foreigner present heard praises to God coming from Galileans! There is one more sign that is not mentioned by name but certainly can be seen in affect; that is the sign of “Love.”
God is love. (I John 4:8) Isn’t it logical to know if you are filled with God the Holy Spirit you are filled with Love? We would be accurate in saying the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a Baptism of God’s Love. The believers began to desire to be together and to help one another. The next chapters are filled with signs and wonders and yet there was persecution to make life difficult. Yet the new faith birthed in the upper room grew in an expositional way.
What about this Pentecostal experience today? Israel just celebrated Shavuot (Pentecost) this past Wednesday. The Feast of Harvest is a perpetual feast. Think of it this way: the Passover sacrifice that Jesus gave is still cleansing from sin today! So, shouldn’t we see the action of Holy Spirit still powerfully being used to bring in the harvest of souls?
What impact can I expect from being filled with the Holy Spirit today? If I could bottle Love and let you drink it all day long what kind of person would you become? If we are what we eat and drink, wouldn’t I become more “Loving?” Being baptized in God’s love creates the greatest power available to mankind in the whole universe! Love never fails! (I Cor. 13:8) Being enabled to pray in the Holy Spirit is an added empowerment I call having received your love language. Have you been filled with Holy Spirit Power?
