THE POWER OF PENTECOST
By Pastor Jim Jarman

To many times, we as Christians loose sight of what happened after Jesus was resurrected. The book of Acts which was written by Luke and co-insides with the book of Luke, that reminds us that after Jesus was resurrected from the dead that He spoke with His apostles for forty days teaching them things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Now, I want us to take a very close look at the power of Pentecost.

Pentecost Is Power Being Demonstrated: The power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is manifest power. (I Corinthians 12:7) The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. This power is not simply our faith in power. It is not a matter of going through a routine service or believing that the power of God is at work, invisibly. His power should be seen and be manifested. There should be effects, both physical and personal, that can be attributed to the power of God. People's lives should be affected in some tangible way. The Holy Spirit is not a theory or a statement about what goes on in some distant land, that we're not aware of, or some soft breathing influence. His power, and I'm talking about the power of the Holy Spirit, is power made manifest in us.

Dunamis -vs- Energema Power: There are two forms of power, the one most Christians speak of is dunamis. We can identify with that word because we use it so much in English; dynamo, dynamite, dynamics. But actually, those words express power under wraps. Dynamite is simply a grey substance, which you can carry in your briefcase. But be careful though! It is a power pack. It is latent power that is stored up with in it. Paul use another word called energema; meaning energy. When the power of dynamite is released, it becomes energy. Energy is power let loose. In (I Corinthians 12:6), the same word is translated "operationas" (KJV) which refers to power in operation. The "working of miracles," in (I Corinthians 12:10), is a combination of both words; power operating in energy.

Let's face it. Christianity is either supernatural or nothing at all. We have a supernatural Jesus, with a supernatural ministry. This creates a supernatural church, with a supernatural Gospel, and a supernatural Bible. Come on and lets face it, if you take the miraculous away then you have taken Christianity's life away. The church becomes an ethical society, or some social club, when it is intended to be the grid system for transmitting the power of God into this powerless world.
Pentecost Gave Us the Keys of the Kingdom: The Christian age is the power age. In the Old Testament, we read of the God of wonders performing marvels at the Red Sea and under Elijah and Elisha. And there are many more wonders that God did in the 39 books of the Old Testament. Like when the Holy Spirit power fell on upon a few individuals and the prophets. Then Jesus gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19). Those keys are not dangling from Peter's belt at the Pearly Gates. The keys are the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, and the Holy Spirit. He opened the Kingdom and today we have the same keys. Peter saw what nobody on earth had ever seen. Three thousand people in one day, turning and repenting, giving their lives to the Lord and being born again. Then the apostles went out and put the power of those keys to the test. The dead were raised; the deaf, blind, and crippled were restored to full health. Multitudes gave their lives to Jesus Christ, and a new thing arose in the world, which is the church, the true church of Jesus Christ.

A Mighty Rushing Wind: Pentecost is the giving of the Holy Spirit to the world, in manifest form. It is God at work in the physical and material world. We only know of one form of the Spirit, and that is in manifestation. Pentecost is the moving of the great Holy Spirit; as a "Mighty Rushing Wind" from heaven and the "Flaming Tongues of Fire." The Holy Spirit is always at work. There is no Spirit without movement, any more than there is a wind without movement. A wind that doesn't blow isn't a wind at all. Wind is never quiet, and it's not just an atmosphere. The Holy Spirit is a mighty rushing wind. No one can stand still in the mighty force of a gale wind. What I'm saying is that, where the Holy Spirit is there is movement there is action, there is freedom and there is the miraculous power of God in total operation.

The Character of the Holy Spirit: Any talk of miracles, as belonging to the past, denies the very purpose and nature of the Gospel, as well as the character of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent to work in this world. Deny the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit and you deny what Christianity is supposed to be. God's power is in action, in the resent age, of living men and women. That makes this age the Christian age. Perhaps we ought to call this the Holy Spirit age or the Pentecostal age.

Sometimes, people have suggested, that the Acts of the Apostles ought to be re-named the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Well think about it. The book describes the Acts of the Apostles, as its title indicates, but it certainly does not give an exhaustive account of all the acts of the Holy Spirit. He did not cease to operate at the end of Chapter 28. The Day of Pentecost is already 2000 years long. The Acts of the Apostles carries on uninterrupted to the acts of the early church and then to the acts of God's people today. The Book of Acts tells of the day of small things, which paved the way for the acts of today. It is a book that is still being written! Joyce and I carry on with the work that the Apostles began, together with you. We are partners and co-laborers, together in the ministry of Jesus Christ, in God's harvest fields. Remember this; it's a great day to be a Christian.

CATCH THE VISION
Our mission at Agape Life Family Church is to take back the family, evangelize the lost and awaken the saved so they can live empowered lives by the Word of God and through the power of the great Holy Spirit. At Agape Life Family Church we're making a difference for the Kingdom of God by preaching, teaching and training believers how to study and grab hold of God's Word, and how to walk by faith and not by sigh. Agape Life Family Church, we're touching our community one heart at a time.
ALFC, we're more than a church, we're family!!!

CATCH THE VISION
Our mission at Agape Life Family Church is to take back the family, evangelize the lost and awaken the saved so they can live empowered lives by the Word of God and through the power of the great Holy Spirit. At Agape Life Family Church we're making a difference for the Kingdom of God by preaching, teaching and training believers how to study and grab hold of God's Word, and how to walk by faith and not by sight. At Agape Life Family Church we're reaching our community one heart at a time.
ALFC, we're more than a church, we're family!!!