Pastor Deborah
On the day Pentecost was being fulfilled, all the disciples were gathered in one place.
Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house from out of the HEAVENLY REALM.
The roar of the wind was so overpowering it was all anyone could bear!
Acts 2:1-2 TPT
It was all amazing and strange to the disciples there. They were equipped with Holy Spirit. None from natural realm. They were inspired to speak in tongues
This was what happened on the day of Pentecost
Each one spoke different language
Everybody need inward filling. Filling of holy spirit.
Own spiritman and holy spirit filling you.
Then all at once a pillar of fire appeared before their eyes. It separated into tongues of fire that engulfed each one of them.
They were all FILLED and EQUIPPED with the HOLY SPIRIT and were inspired to speak in tongues—empowered by the Spirit to speak in languages they had never learned!
Acts 2:3-4 TPT
They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the FAVOR of all the people.
And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were coming to life.
Acts 2:47 TPT
They met daily to...
Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Listening to Apostles' teachings. From their teachings what we have now is the New Testament
Acts 2:44
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
Acts 2:45
and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Increase in their numbers.
Vital church begin to grow. They were listening to teaching, thanking God and praising the Lord.
One of the things that came out of them was boldnes. Boldness to preach the gospel.
The council members were astonished as they witnessed the BOLD COURAGE of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training.
Then they began to understand the effect JESUS HAD on THEM simply by SPENDING TIME with him.
Acts 4:13 TPT
Only Paul was trained. The rest were untrained.
The first thing is holy spirit.
From ordinary men they became very different.
Jesus must have had effect on them. Christianity is not just doing. It is new life !
ALL the believers were ONE in MIND and HEART.
Selfishness was not a part of their community, for they shared everything they had with one another.
The apostles gave POWERFUL TESTIMONIES about the RESURRECTION of the LORD JESUS, and GREAT MEASURES of GRACE RESTED upon them all.
Acts 4:32-33 TPT
They learnt when they were with Jesus
ONE in MIND and HEART
This can only be done by Holy Spirit and the work of God
Don't do anything yet until you are equipped with Holy Spirit.
Some who owned houses or land sold them and brought the proceeds before the apostles to distribute to those without.
Not a single person among them was needy.
Acts 4:34-35 TPT
A record noted what happened in the first church. It is not meant that now you need to sell your property. It is the heart changed. When you realised how much Jesus loved you and died for you. First the heart fillef with love and want to give. Not the one who give out of guilt.
Born again Christian is not like that.
Your heart is the one that got born again and got saved
Giving from the new heart
When the Holy Spirit touched people, the people's hearts changed
So in this situation, you should just leave these men to themselves.
For if this plan or undertaking originates with men, it will fade away and come to nothing.
But if this movement is of God, you won’t be able to stop it.
And you might discover that you were fighting God all along!” Gamaliel’s words convinced the council.
Acts 5:38-39 TPT
Movement of God. A big stir had happened in their city. Every where miracle happened and they were talking about Jesus and loving God with their heart
Any ministry if it is of God, no one can stop it. God don't fight against God.
Acts 17:6
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
They turned the world upside down. The people there saw and heard and they were the one who saw them turn the world upside down.
Preaching Jesus Christ as the Only Way. There is no other way.
During those days the number of JESUS'S followers kept MULTIPLYING GREATLY.
But a complaint was brought against those who spoke Aramaic by the Greek-speaking Jews, who felt their widows were being overlooked during the daily distribution of food.
The twelve apostles called a meeting of all the believers and told them, “It is not advantageous for us to be pulled away from the word of God to wait on tables.
Acts 6:1-2 TPT
One of the things that will happen when Holy Spirit is presence and leading the people.
The apostles were mature enough to do everything.
We want you to CAREFULLY select from among yourselves seven godly men.
Make sure they are HONORABLE , FULL of the HOLY SPIRIT and WISDOM ,
and we will give them the responsibility of this CRUCIAL MINISTRY of SERVING.
Acts 6:3 TPT
The one who were chosen to serve -
Character, full of Holy Spirit, God's wisdom
How you know someone is full of the Holy Spirit?
Wisdom - God's wisdom
That will enable us to give our full attention to prayer and preaching the word of God.” Everyone in the church loved this idea.
So they chose seven men.
One of them was STEPHEN, who was known as a man FULL of FAITH and OVERFLOWING with the HOLY SPIRIT .
Along with him they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas from Antioch, who had converted to Judaism.
Acts 6:4-5 TPT
Live in the realm of faith
Faith is the way we make decision and conclusion
Faith means I believe what God says.
Whatever we believe we will take the action.
Steven was one who believed God
Nothing is impossible
God's chosen - full of faith and overflowing with Holy Spirit
We are serving from our spirit
Serve God with spirit and not flesh
Romans 1:7
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stephen's name - God treasure you
God loves you and no conditions attached
Been full of faith and overflowing with Holy Spirit, serving table is very important.
All seven stood before the apostles, who laid their hands on them and prayed for them, commissioning them to this ministry.
Acts 6:6 TPT
Simple ministry of serving table. Serve God with the spirit. A lot of patience, this is the fruit of the spirit
Develop the wonderful virtue of patience
Been shepherd is not easy. Moses was put as shepherd 40 years and he had to hear the "meh meh" before he served.
Patient training. Characteristic of the fruit of spirit is developed.
God knows if you have the heart to serve the Lord
GOD’S WORD reigned supreme and kept spreading.
The number of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem quickly GREW and INCREASED by the day.
Even a great number of Jewish priests became believers and were obedient to the faith!
Acts 6:7 TPT
They all looked to Jesus
The preachers or pastors are not god.
They are the vessels
Stephen, who was a man FULL of GRACE and SUPERNATURAL POWER, performed many astonishing signs and wonders and mighty miracles among the people.
Acts 6:8 TPT
First - Serving tables
Understanding new nature will make us not want to try
Each one has our own righteousness
This upset some men belonging to a sect who called themselves the Men Set Free.
They were Libyans, Egyptians, and Turks.
They all confronted Stephen to ARGUE with him.
Acts 6:9 TPT
God gave Stephen wisdom to talk. They were unhappy
Argue - is word wrestle
But the HOLY SPIRIT gave Stephen REMARKABLE WISDOM to answer them.
His WORDS were PROMPTED by the HOLY SPIRIT, and they could not refute what he said.
Acts 6:10 TPT
So the Men Set Free conspired in secret to find those who would bring FALSE ACCUSATIONS against Stephen and LIE about him by saying, “We heard this man speak blasphemy against Moses and God.”
The Men Set Free agitated the crowd, the elders, and the religious scholars, then seized Stephen and forcefully took him before the supreme council.
Acts 6:11-12 TPT
The high priest asked, “Are these accusations true?”
Stephen replied, “My fellow Jews and fathers, listen to me.
The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was living in Iraq and before he moved to Haran in Syria.
God said to him, ‘Go! Leave behind your country and your relatives.
Begin your journey and come to the land that I will show you.’
Acts 7:1-3 TPT
“Why would you be so stubborn as to close your hearts and your ears to me?
You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just like your forefathers!
Which prophet was not persecuted and murdered by your ancestors?
Name just one!
They killed them all—even the ones who prophesied long ago of the coming of the Righteous One!
Now you follow in their steps and have become his betrayers and murderers.
Acts 7:51-52 TPT
You have been given the law by the visitation of angels, but you have not obeyed it.”
When they heard these things, they were overtaken with VIOLENT RAGE FILLING their SOULS , and they gnashed their teeth at him.
Acts 7:53-54 TPT
BUT STEPHEN, OVERTAKEN with GREAT FAITH, was FULL of the HOLY SPIRIT.
He FIXED his GAZE into the HEAVENLY REALM and SAW the GLORY and SPLENDOR of GOD —and JESUS , who STOOD up at the right hand of God.
“LOOK !” Stephen said.
“I can SEE the heavens opening and the Son of Man STANDING at the right hand of God to welcome me home!”
Acts 7:55-56 TPT
He did not care about the accusations about him. He began to preach.
The high priest asked, “Are these accusations true?”
Stephen replied, “My fellow Jews and fathers, listen to me.
The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was living in Iraq and before he moved to Haran in Syria.
God said to him, ‘Go! Leave behind your country and your relatives.
Begin your journey and come to the land that I will show you.’
Acts 7:1-3 TPT
“Why would you be so stubborn as to close your hearts and your ears to me?
You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just like your forefathers!
Which prophet was not persecuted and murdered by your ancestors?
Name just one!
They killed them all—even the ones who prophesied long ago of the coming of the Righteous One!
Now you follow in their steps and have become his betrayers and murderers.
Acts 7:51-52 TPT
You have been given the law by the visitation of angels, but you have not obeyed it.”
When they heard these things, they were overtaken with VIOLENT RAGE FILLING their SOULS , and they gnashed their teeth at him.
Acts 7:53-54 TPT
BUT STEPHEN, OVERTAKEN with GREAT FAITH, was FULL of the HOLY SPIRIT.
He FIXED his GAZE into the HEAVENLY REALM and SAW the GLORY and SPLENDOR of GOD —and JESUS , who STOOD up at the right hand of God.
“LOOK !” Stephen said.
“I can SEE the heavens opening and the Son of Man STANDING at the right hand of God to welcome me home!”
Acts 7:55-56 TPT
The person who is sensitive died already. It is the old man. You are now new creation
Defend the gospal
Stephen saw the heavenly realm in the midst of persecution
His accusers covered their ears with their hands and screamed at the top of their lungs to drown out his voice. Then they pounced on him and threw him outside the city walls to stone him.
His accusers, one by one, placed their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul of Tarsus.
Acts 7:57-58 TPT
As they hurled stone after stone at him, Stephen prayed, “Our Lord Jesus, accept my spirit into your presence.”
He crumpled to his knees and shouted in a loud voice, “Our Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.”
And then he died.
Acts 7:59-60 TPT
We need to build our spiritman.
Bless them who persecute you
BELIEVE in ME so that RIVERS of living water will BURST out from WITHIN you, FLOWING from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!”
John 7:38 TPT
The righteous are bold as a lion
God send us angels
Grow! Let the Holy Spirit fill your lives
If we conform to the world, the church will become a social gathering
God is still God
Jesus was prophesying about the HOLY SPIRIT that believers were being prepared to receive.
But the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out upon them, because Jesus had not yet been unveiled in his full splendor.
John 7:39 TPT
River of love and wisdom
Drink river of living water. Life will come out. No script given to anyone.
River just flows. The more we drink the more the river flows.
The splendor of His resurrection.
Jesus suffered so that we can receive the living water.
We are willing to go through
Die to ourselves but not in self-righteousness way.
It is your choice.
How much of your lives will you give to Him
God is self sufficient. We need Him, not He needs us
When God calls us, whether to simple ministry of serving tables, before we go further, be humble.
Let the Holy Spirit pours upon us. Out of Christ and into the church.
Overflowing with grace and faith and holy spirit
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