Back To Pentecost

[0:00] Hallelujah. Guys, stay right there. Stay right there in that moment. Come on. I feel the Spirit of God in this house. As it's already been said from the beginning of this service, this is Pentecost Sunday.

[0:15] And let me tell you, this is a notable time in the history of the church. Matter of fact, this was the birthing of what we know as the New Testament church that began over 2,000 years ago.

[0:28] And my prayer this morning is what happened in that upper room in the city of Jerusalem will happen in this room right here at Set Free Church. Did you hear what I said?

[0:39] I said it's my prayer that what happened in the upper room in the city of Jerusalem will happen right here in this room, that the wind of God would blow, that the fire of God will fall, that the power of God will be manifested, that this city will be turned around for the glory of God.

[0:59] I don't know about you, but I sense something shifting in this atmosphere. I said I sense something moving in this place, in this region, in this community.

[1:10] The enemy has done everything he can to hinder and to stifle the move of God. But I come here to serve notice on the adversary that you can huff and you can puff, but you will not blow this house down.

[1:25] For we are rising up. We are rising up for such a time as this. God is breathing upon the bones and he's causing us to arise to be an exceeding great army.

[1:37] If you're hungry for the Lord, will you step out of your seat and come to this altar with your hands lifted up, with your mouth open up and glorify him in this place.

[1:48] Hey! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Dance in your presence Until you come again Lord will sing hallelujah I will sing hallelujah Until you come again Dance in your presence We will sing hallelujah Dance in your presence Lord will sing hallelujah Sing hallelujah And we will sing hallelujah And we will sing hallelujah And we'll sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah.

[2:42] And we'll dance, we'll dance, sing we'll dance in the presence, dance in the presence, dance in the presence.

[2:53] King of glory, King of glory, King of glory, King of glory.

[3:17] King of glory, King of glory, King of glory.

[3:39] Just want to be with you. Just want to be with you.

[3:51] Just want to be with you. Tell me about just want. Just want to be with you. Just want to be with you.

[4:03] Just want to be with you. One more time. Just want to be with you. Yeah. Just want to be with you.

[4:17] Thank you. Hallelujah. One more time. Will you lift up your hands all over this building? Hallelujah. And give the Lord reverence in this house.

[4:29] Come on. I said, will you give the Lord reverence in this house? He is the King of glory. He is highly exalted in this place.

[4:41] Hallelujah. Come on. I wish somebody would give Him glory in this moment. Spirit of God have your way.

[4:57] Spirit of God have your way. Holy Spirit, we pause right now in this room. We pause. We pause, God. And we look to you right now, God.

[5:08] We cannot do another service without you, oh God. God, we cannot do another outreach without you, oh God. God, we can't take one more step without you, oh God.

[5:18] I'm like Moses, God. I will not go unless your presence goes. With me and before me. Hallelujah. We pause. We pause in this moment.

[5:31] Father, we praise you right now. God's feeling somebody with the Holy Spirit right now.

[5:42] Come on. You've been seeking after the gift of the Holy Spirit. God said, now is the time. Now is the time. You don't need nobody to lay hands on you right now. Jesus, the baptizer of the fire and the Holy Ghost, is walking through this altar right now.

[5:56] Come on. Lift up your hands and receive it. Say, Jesus, I receive the Holy Spirit right now. Jesus, I receive a fresh and filling of the Holy Spirit right now.

[6:09] I receive the baptism of fire right now in the name of Jesus. These signs shall follow me. I shall lay hands on the sick and they shall be healed. I shall cast out demons.

[6:21] I shall speak with new tongues. Hallelujah. This is what Pentecost Sunday is all about. God's releasing gifts of the Spirit in this room right now.

[6:33] He rebe sheketelebosaya. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We worship you, God. We worship you, God.

[6:45] Come on one more time. I just want to be with you. I just want to be with you. I just want to be with you. Come on. Come on. Tell him that from your heart. I just want to be with you.

[6:57] Come on. Stay right there. I just want to be with you. Just want to be with you. Come on. Say it from your heart. Mean it from your heart. I just want to be with you.

[7:07] Just want to be with you. Just want to be with you. Yes, God. Yes, God. Just want to be with you.

[7:24] Just want to be with you. Come on. Do it again. Just want to be with you. Just want to be with you. Hallelujah.

[7:35] Just want to be with you Oh, Jesus Just want to be with you Just want to be with you Say it one more time Just want to be with you Just want to be with you Just want to be with you Hallelujah, one more time Put your hands together for Jesus in this room Hallelujah We bless your name We bless your name We bless your name God, we honor your presence God, we honor your glory That's in this house Hallelujah Bless your name, God Bless your name, God God, we sense the weightiness Of your glory in this room God, we thank you right now

[8:36] That hearts and lives are being restored Marriages are being restored Homes are being put back together God, the backslidden is being set ablaze again God, we thank you for That the lukewarm are being set ablaze again, oh God Hallelujah to your name, God We thank you That this church is being set ablaze once again, oh God God, we're not going out, God With just a smoke, God But we're going out with an ablaze of the fire of God And so, Father, we thank you right now We give you the praise, God And may we look back, God, on this day On Pentecost Sunday of 2024 And know, God, this was a defining moment In the history And the life of this church And this ministry, oh God Holy Spirit, have your way In the remainder of this service In Jesus' name Let the church say amen

[9:37] If you have your Bibles I want you to turn with me to the book of Acts You know where I'm going Acts chapter 2 Starting in verse 1 For the next few moments of time And I'm going to be as brief as I possibly can And we're going to open these altars right back up Acts chapter 2 verse 1 I'm going to bring to you a message entitled Back to Pentecost Back to Pentecost Acts chapter 2 verse 1 And the Bible says 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

[10:38] And one sat upon each of them And they were all Somebody say they were all Filled with the Holy Spirit And began to speak with other tongues As the Spirit gave them utterance I ask you this question today What do you think of When you hear the word Pentecost Or Pentecostal Maybe you think of A certain church Or a certain denomination Maybe you think of A certain hairstyle Or attire Maybe you think of A particular mindset Or way of worship You see none of these thoughts Are truly correct Because I come to submit To you today That Pentecost

[11:39] Is not a particular church It is not a particular denomination It is not a hairdo It is not an attire It is not just a particular way Of worship But Pentecost Is a way of life Pentecost Is a movement Did you hear what I said I said it is a movement And it is not grandma's movement It is not grandpa's movement It is not yesteryear's movement But it is an active movement Even in the year 2024 I want to submit to you This morning That Pentecost Is the very DNA Of the New Testament church Did you hear what I said I said Pentecost Is the very DNA The very fabric The very foundation Of the New Testament church

[12:39] At the end of the day All Christian churches And circles And denominational affiliations Can trace their roots All the way back To the upper room In Acts chapter 2 Maybe you're sitting here today And you say Well my upbringing was Baptist Or Methodist Or Presbyterian And the list goes on and on Have you really studied All the denominations That we have Across this globe All the different types Of churches And circles And affiliations You know And so many different divisions And so many different Understandings And mentalities But the truth is If we as the church No matter what our label Or our logo is If we as the church Would glean a proper understanding Of the scriptures All of our roots Can be traced back To an upper room In the city of Jerusalem Over 2,000 years ago On the day of Pentecost

[13:39] When the spirit of God Was poured out You see the word Pentecost Designates the 50th day After Passover Which was a feast day Also known as The feast of weeks Of the feast Of harvest It was on this day In the book of Acts That the Holy Spirit Was poured out On 120 followers of Christ Who were gathered in An upper room In Jerusalem It was on this day Yet again As I've already mentioned That the church Was birthed You see The average Christian And the average church Are somewhere Bogged down Between Calvary And Pentecost They have been to Calvary For pardon But they have not been To Pentecost For power Did you hear what I said I said the average Christian

[14:41] And the average church Are somewhere Bogged down Between Calvary And Pentecost Many have been To the cross To receive forgiveness Of their sins And their iniquities But not so many Have been to the upper room Until they've been Endued with power From on high Bethlehem means God With us Calvary Calvary means God For us But Pentecost Means God In us The average Christian Is much like The believers In Ephesus Were When the Apostle Paul Came to them In Acts chapter 19 In verse 2 and he asked them this question.

[15:35] Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?

[15:47] And they replied that they didn't even know what the Holy Spirit was. I said the average Christian and the average church are just like the believers in Ephesus were when the great apostle Paul came to them.

[16:04] And this is what he was asking. He said, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Now let me teach you just for a moment. When one is converted, when one is born again, one receives the Holy Spirit.

[16:19] Because you can't even be saved unless the Holy Spirit draws you to Christ. Unless the Holy Spirit pricks your heart and lets you know it's time for you to repent. You can't get saved when you want to get saved.

[16:31] You can only be saved when the Holy Spirit draws you to the cross of Calvary. But the truth is that there is a subsequent experience after the born again experience.

[16:43] And that's what you and I as Pentecostals, as Charismatics, as Spirit-filled believers, this is what we teach according to the entirety of the Scriptures and the Word of God.

[16:54] And that second experience, my brother and my sister, is identified as the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.

[17:07] Now I know the modern day church have seemingly gotten away from this truth and this principle because it makes so many people uncomfortable. And so many people have developed this mindset and this mentality.

[17:19] Is all of that really necessary? Do I have to worship like grandma worship? Do I have to praise like grandpa prays? Do I have to speak in those unknown tongues?

[17:30] Let me tell you, this gift of the Holy Spirit is not optional, but it is for every believer. And if you are going to be effective in the kingdom of God, you must stop looking at this gift as if it is just some add-on accessory.

[17:48] You ladies know what I'm talking about. When you want to look cute, you pull out your add-on accessories, right? Come on. You pull out your watch, your Rolex.

[17:59] You pull out your jewelry. Come on. You put on your earrings. You put on your makeup. You get all dolled up. All of those are add-on accessories. You can live with them. You can live without them.

[18:09] But can I tell you, that's exactly what the church has developed as their mindset. Either we can live with it or we can live without it. But I come to remind somebody today, the Holy Ghost is not an add-on accessory.

[18:22] If you're going to be effective in this day and this hour, you must be filled with the Holy Ghost and with the fire. If you're going to do exploits for the kingdom of God, you must have the third person of the Godhead in operation in your life.

[18:43] You see, this is the day of Pentecost substitutes. We have the mindset in the church, well, if we just have the best worship team, if we just have the cameras and the lights and the smoke machines, if we just have a pastor who has their master's or their Ph.D.

[19:05] or their doctorate or whatever degree or label we want to smack on somebody, if we'll just have all of the ministries and the outreaches, who needs the Holy Spirit?

[19:18] And we would never say that, literally. We would never vocalize that, but that is exactly what a lot of our mindsets are. Who needs all that hooky, spooky stuff? Let me tell you, as long as I'm standing up here and as long as I'm the pastor of this church, we're going to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.

[19:41] We're going to teach the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I don't care who it hairlips or who it makes nervous. I don't care if you withdraw your tithes, take your tithes and go down the road because we are unashamingly Pentecostal, charismatic, tongue-talking, devil-casting out, laying on hands, top of a church.

[20:02] That is who we are. That's what Pastor Steve built this church to be, and that's what I intend for us to continue to be in the name of Jesus. I said we're going back to Pentecost.

[20:20] I'm going to talk to you this morning about the promise of Pentecost. The promise of Pentecost. In Peter's sermon in Acts chapter 2, verses 38 and 39, the great Peter replied, Repents.

[20:31] This was after the upper room experience. He spoke to the multitudes that were gathered in the city, and he said, Repents and be baptized. Repentance. Repentance. Repentance. Every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

[20:45] And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Look at this. He said, This promise is for you. Somebody look at your neighbor and say, It's for you. And not only you, but he said, It's for your children.

[20:59] And for all, look at this. For all who are afar off. In other words, this damnable doctrine that says that Pentecost, that the gifts of the Spirit died out with the last literal disciple and apostle, is straight from the pits of hell.

[21:21] Peter said, This gift, this promise of the Holy Spirit is for you, is for your children, is for your grandchildren, is for this generation, is for the next generation, is for all those who are afar off.

[21:39] And it's for all those whom the Lord our God will call. So I ask you this question. If you're still struggling whether all of this is still for today, maybe you was brought up in a traditional church that wasn't Pentecostal, that wasn't charismatic, and they taught that this isn't for today, that that died out with the last apostle or the last disciple or whatever garbage that they come up with, let me tell you, I ask you this question.

[22:10] Is Jesus still calling people? Is he still saving people? Is he still setting people free? Is he still delivering people? If he's still calling people, Peter said that it's for everyone whom Jesus calls.

[22:28] So what was the promise that Peter was referring to? It was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, both men and women. Peter answered in verses 16 through 18 in Acts 2, he said, This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, that in the last days God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people.

[22:50] Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

[23:08] Let me tell you, that last day outpouring of the Holy Ghost began 2,000 years ago. It is not died out. It is not stifled. But it is ever increasing and ever crescendoing.

[23:21] And if we want to be the church that Jesus bled and died for, Pentecost is not an option. But we must get back to Pentecost. We must operate in the promise of Pentecost.

[23:36] Who made this promise? None other than God the Father himself. In Acts 2, verse 33, it says, Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

[23:52] In Acts chapter 1, verse 4, it says, On one occasion while he was eating with them, Jesus gave them this command. Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for what?

[24:03] The gift, the promise of my Father, which you have heard me speak about. Now notice what is very interesting. Right there in Acts chapter 1, verse 4.

[24:16] It says that this was a commandment of Jesus. Is that not what it said? It says, And Jesus gave his disciples this commandment, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift that my Father promised.

[24:32] speaking of the Holy Spirit. See, I come to burst the bubble this morning that would cause you to believe that this gift, this promise, this infilling was a suggestion of Christ.

[24:47] He did not suggest that you and I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but he commanded us to be filled with the Holy Ghost and with the fire of God.

[25:00] It is not a suggestion, my friend, but it is a commandment of Jesus Christ. And if you are a believer sitting under the sound of my voice this morning, I come to let you know that this promise of Pentecost, it is for you.

[25:15] It is for your children. It is for your grandchildren. It is for your family. It is not a suggestion, but it is a commandment. Seek after the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

[25:28] I promise you. It will change your life. It will transform your life. I was brought up in church. Church is all I know. You know my testimony.

[25:38] I don't have a wild one. A pretty boring one. Church is all I know. This is all I know. Some of y'all, y'all's testimonies far outshine me.

[25:49] But can I tell you, being brought up in the Pentecostal church, being around all of this stuff all of my life, it would be easy to just grow numb to it.

[26:00] And sometimes I've had to wrestle with that. It would be easy just to treat this as if, you know, this is just, you know, what we do, or this is just who we are, and you know, whatever.

[26:12] But can I tell you, there was something that happens. I remember when I got saved at the age of 16. I remember for the first time when I realized that, you know, I had to have my own personal encounter with God, my own personal relationship with Christ, and I surrendered my heart and my life to Christ at the age of 16.

[26:32] But later that year, I realized there was something missing. It's not that the work of Christ is incomplete. No, no, no, no, no. You see, the same Jesus that shed his blood for the forgiveness of your sins to write your name in the land's book of life is the same Jesus that shed his blood so that you would be a candidate to receive this sweet Holy Spirit of God in your life.

[26:56] And so I realized there was something missing. I knew I was saved, Sister Barbara. I knew my name was written in the land's book of life. I knew I was born again. I knew my past had been forgiven.

[27:06] But I realized that there was just something that was missing in my life. And I realized it was this gift. It was this promise. It was the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

[27:17] And so I began with everything within me to seek after this promise that was promised to me by my Father God. I began to go to church service after church service, revival after revival, wherever I could get into an atmosphere of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

[27:34] I'd be one of the first to get in the altar. God filled me. God baptized me. And let me tell you, I struggled for a long time before I ever received this promise. You want to know why?

[27:44] Because self was in the way. It's not because God was withholding it from me. See, that's where a lot of you are at today. You've struggled with receiving this gift and you feel like you're not a candidate.

[27:55] You feel like you're not worthy. You feel like you've not done enough in your life. Let me tell you, this is a gift from God. All you have to do is say, God, I want it. God, I receive it.

[28:06] But what's holding you back is probably what was holding me back for months and months and that was myself. Because I had too much self.

[28:18] I had too much pride. I had too much ego. And I was always questioning, well, what is it going to look like? What is it going to feel like? What's it going to cause me to act like?

[28:29] Let me tell you something. When you throw all that out the window and when you come before God and say, I don't care what it sounds like. I don't care what it feels like. I don't care what other people say about me.

[28:41] God, you said this is for me and I want it. That's when you receive the gift. And I promise you, when I receive the baptism in the Holy Ghost, you're talking about a change. You're talking about a transformation.

[28:52] It gave that 16-year-old teenage boy who was backward as cornbread, it gave him a boldness. It gave him an authority.

[29:03] It gave him an anointing like he had never seen a witness or experienced before. I'm telling you, if he did it for me, he'll do it for you. This is not a suggestion. This is not an option.

[29:14] You ought to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire. It will do wonders in your life. You say, well, I feel like I'm doing pretty good without it. That's your problem.

[29:27] That's your problem. If the enemy can convince you, you don't need this. Let me tell you, you're going to find yourself, it may not be today.

[29:37] It may not be tomorrow. It might not be next month. It may not even be next year, but you're going to find yourself burned out. You're going to find yourself discouraged and depleted because let me tell you, the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father.

[29:52] It's not an it, but he is a person. He deserves honor and reverence and respect in your life. I'm telling you what, the Holy Spirit wants control of your mortal being.

[30:03] He wants control over your mouth. He wants control over your hands and your feet. And I promise you, when you receive this infilling of the Holy Spirit, he will do wonders in you and through you.

[30:14] Can somebody say amen? Amen. I said that's the promise of Pentecost. It's the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. What is the price of Pentecost?

[30:26] Can I tell you, if we're going to walk in this Pentecostal power, it's going to cost us something? Huh? I said it's going to cost us something if we are going to walk in this Pentecostal power and experience.

[30:40] Just as the early church, you see, we must be willing to pay the price. What is the price that we're going to have to pay? Reproach. Disruption.

[30:53] Maybe even persecution. That's the price of Pentecost. You see, on the day of Pentecost, they were mocked as being fools and drunkards.

[31:05] A few days later, Peter was chastised by the religious rulers for inciting insurrection. Later, they would be thrown into prison. They would be stoned. They would be beaten.

[31:16] Some of them were even killed, all because they refused to be silent and fall in line with the culture of the day. They lost family. They lost livelihood.

[31:28] They lost their social status. Can I tell you, there's a price that we're going to have to pay if we're going to walk in this Pentecostal blessing and experience. If the original New Testament church had to be willing to lay it all down, who do we think we are that we're not going to have to lay some things down?

[31:44] Huh? If they were willing to face reproach, if they were willing to face persecution, if they were willing to face imprisonment, if they were willing to face losing their social status, who do we think we are that there's not going to be a price that we're going to have to pay to walk in this anointing, to walk in this power?

[32:04] I'm telling you, there's a price for Pentecost. You see, the Holy Spirit does not move at our call. Did you hear what I said?

[32:17] See, we think we can dictate the Holy Spirit. Can I tell you, the Holy Spirit is not a lesser than God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Son. And who do we think we are that we got the inside scoop on the Holy Spirit and we got him on our leash and we put him in the back closet somewhere until we feel it's appropriate to let him out.

[32:36] Let me tell you, either the Holy Spirit is going to be the CEO of the church or he's not going to be anything in the church. Huh? I said the Holy Spirit does not move at our call, but we move at his call.

[32:48] If we long for spiritual revival, then we must be willing to surrender what? Our calendars and our convenience. Did you hear what I said?

[32:58] I said if we want this Pentecostal power, we must be willing to surrender our calendar and our convenience. We must embrace what I like to call Holy Spirit disruption.

[33:13] See, some of y'all don't like that. I can tell by the countenance on your face. I can tell some of y'all already looking at your watches and you wonder when this loudmouth preacher's going to shut up and let you go so you can go stuff your face at Golden Corral or wherever you choose to go.

[33:30] Huh? Can I tell you, if you want to walk in this Pentecostal power, it's going to cost you something. You're going to have to be willing to throw out your schedule. We're going to have to be willing to throw out the order of service.

[33:43] We're going to have to be willing to set our pride down. We're going to have to stop worrying about how cute we are and how it's going to mess up this and mess up that. Let me tell you, if you want the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, it's going to inconvenience you.

[33:59] Are you willing to be disrupted? Are you willing to be inconvenienced? I can think of many adjectives to describe the early church, but comfortable would not make the list. They allowed the Holy Spirit to totally turn their lives upside down, and as a result, they turned their cities upside down.

[34:18] That's the price of Pentecost. Let's talk about the power of Pentecost. Turn with me to Acts 1, verse 8. These are the very last words of Christ.

[34:29] How many of those last words of an individual are very notable? They're very important. Very noteworthy. Acts 1, verse 8. The last words of Christ. This was after his death, burial, and resurrection.

[34:41] This was before his ascension. And this is what he said. He said, But you shall receive what? Power. When the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

[34:57] You shall receive power. I'm talking about the power of Pentecost this morning. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. So I ask this question.

[35:10] Where is the power? Huh? Where is the power? You see, as a traveling evangelist and revivalist for so many years, in and out of churches, across denominational barriers, can I tell you there's very few churches that have the power of the Holy Spirit.

[35:30] You know what I found as an evangelist and revivalist? Churches, we've learned how to be pretty, but we don't know nothing about the power. Come on. We have the lights.

[35:42] We have the cameras. We have the smoke machines. We have the beautiful praise teams and choirs. We have the fancy pastors and teachers of the Word of God. We're pretty, but there's no power.

[35:53] The Bible says that in the last days, his people would have a form of godliness, but they would deny the power thereof. Can I tell you what? It's time that we be endued with this Pentecostal power yet again.

[36:06] We're praying. We're declaring that 2024 is the year of the harvest. God's sending them in left and right from the north, the south, the east, and the west. But my question is, when they come into this place, are they going to be met with the power of the Holy Ghost?

[36:21] Because you see, what I see God sending into this place, they're broke. They're busted. They're disgusted. They're full of demons. They're full of addictions and strongholds and bondages. They don't look like us.

[36:32] They don't sound like us. They don't dress like us. And you know what they need? They need Holy Ghost power to explode on the inside of them. Who do we think we are that we're going to set the captives free?

[36:44] Who do we think we are that we're going to cast out demons? Who do you think we are that we're going to heal the sick when we are void of this Pentecostal power? He said you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

[36:59] Mark chapter 16, verses 17 through 18. I like to refer, you know, the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they all have their own different flavor and stance of how they presented the life and the ministry of Christ.

[37:13] And in Mark, I like to, all of the Gospels, they close with what we identify as the Great Commission. Where Jesus, after his resurrection, appeared to his disciples and he gave them the mission, which is still the mission of the church today.

[37:24] That you're going to go into all the world and you're going to preach this Gospel to every nation. You know what I'm talking about? You're going to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Well, I like the way Mark looks at it.

[37:35] Mark must have been Pentecostal for sure. Because he gave a different take on the Great Commission. He gave it from what I like to refer to as a Pentecostal perspective.

[37:46] After he told them, you're going to go into all the world and you're going to preach the Gospel, you're going to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He went on and he added this element and this intricate detail.

[38:00] And he said, and these signs will follow those who believe. Do I have any believers in this house? Do I have any believers in this house?

[38:11] Let me tell you, these signs ought to be following you. Notice, it didn't say you follow these signs. It said these signs will follow you. What does that mean? That means that I don't have to go around chasing miracles.

[38:23] I don't have to go around to this hot shot and that bishop and that apostle and that prophet just to get my miracle. My Bible says if I'm a believer, these signs are going to follow me.

[38:34] What are the signs? In my name, they will cast out demons. You say, that sounds scary. That sounds like a horror show. Can I tell you demons are real?

[38:46] Just as God is real, the devil is real. And we're fooling ourselves if we think we can just put everybody through counseling. Come on, I believe in counseling. I believe in counselors.

[38:57] I believe in therapists. They're a gift to the body of Christ. But can I tell you, there's some things that cannot be counseled out. There's some things that have to be casted out. Did you hear what I said?

[39:08] There's some things that have to come out by prayer and by fasting. And the Bible says, these signs shall follow those that believe. In my name, in the name of Jesus, they will cast out demons.

[39:22] They will speak with new tongues. You say, that's not for me. Oh, yes, it is for you. They will speak with new tongues. They will take up serpents. And if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.

[39:35] They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. That's more than just for the five-fold ministry. It doesn't matter what your title is. Apostle, pastor, evangelist, teacher, prophet.

[39:49] Let me tell you, if you are a son and a daughter of God, this promise is for you. This power is for you. These signs shall follow you.

[40:00] That's the power of Pentecost. And then last but surely not least, as the praise team is coming back up, I want to talk about the purpose of Pentecost.

[40:13] What is the purpose of all of this Pentecostal stuff? What is the purpose? Is it so we can just, when we leave this place, say, oh, my God, the pastor was on fire.

[40:24] Oh, my God, the praise team was smoking today. Oh, my God, we had a wonderful church service. God moved and people were falling out left and right.

[40:35] And, you know, we didn't even have preaching today. My God, I've heard it all through the years. All of that is wonderful. All of that is tremendous. All of that is needed and necessary.

[40:47] But can I tell you, there's a greater purpose for this Pentecostal power than for you and I to shout and to run the aisles and to fall on the floor? I'm not belittling all that.

[40:57] I thank God for all of it. But the purpose of Pentecost is this. We read Acts 1-8, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Can I tell you there's a purpose for that power?

[41:10] It goes on and tells us what the purpose is. Jesus said, when you receive this power, then and only then shall you be my, what? Witnesses. Witnesses. Witnesses.

[41:20] Where? In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the ends of the earth. Can I tell you, you have received this Pentecostal power for you to be a witness of Jesus Christ in the marketplace, in your place of business, in the school system, wherever God takes you, whatever your sphere of influence is.

[41:40] You've received this Holy Ghost power, not just to speak in tongues, not just to cast out demons, not just to lay hands on the sick, not just to prophesy, but you have received this power to be a witness, to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ so that all people will come to know him as their Lord and as their Savior.

[42:03] You see, Pentecost was the feast of harvest. We said this is the year of what? Of the harvest. Can I tell you, the harvest and Pentecost go hand in hand.

[42:16] We can't have the harvest without Pentecost. Huh? I said it is the feast of harvest. Harvest is at the very heart of Pentecost.

[42:26] You see, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter left the upper room. See, a lot of us, what we would have done, we would have camped out in the upper room. And we would have had all the rest of our life soaking service.

[42:40] That's what we like to call it. And we would have just sat there in the third heaven somewhere, just all caught up in the presence of God. Let me tell you, all of that is wonderful. We have encounter services around here where our only agenda is to encounter the power and the presence of God.

[42:53] But can I tell you what? There comes a time where you've got to wipe the tears away, where you've got to dust yourself off, where you've got to get up from the carpet, and you've got to say, you know what?

[43:04] This power that has been given to me, I'm going to go change my community. I'm going to go change my world. I'm going to go change my family, because to whom much is given, much shall be required.

[43:16] He gave you the Holy Spirit to change your world. You shall be my witnesses. Peter left the upper room, and he preached this gospel. And the Bible says 3,000 souls got saved.

[43:31] They were birthed into the kingdom of God. You see, God has not given us the Holy Spirit to enjoy alone while the world around us rushes into hell.

[43:42] We dare not forget the needs of lost people, the people that God loves, the people that Christ died for, the people that God has commanded us to evangelize.

[43:54] This, my friend, is the purpose of Pentecost, that we will be world changers, that we will be evangelists, that we will be a prophetic voice in this day and in this hour, that multitudes will come to know Christ as their Lord and their Savior.

[44:14] Stand to your feet all over this place. Back to Pentecost. Back to Pentecost. You see, church, I'm a firm believer that sometimes in order for us to go forward, how many wants to go forward in your life?

[44:31] How many is tired of being just stuck in a rut? You're tired of business as usual? You're tired of the form and the mechanics of Christianity? You just feel like it's just, your life is so mundane.

[44:45] Your life is senseless. It's void. It's without purpose. I know I'm talking to somebody today. I come to let you know, in order for you to go forward from where you're at, from this stuck place, this dry place, this barren place, in order for you to move forward, you got to go back.

[45:04] Did you hear what I said? In order for you to go forward in the kingdom of God, to go forward in the things of God, to go forward in the purpose of the calling of God on your life, sometimes you got to just go back.

[45:16] And what I'm commissioning us to do as a corporate body set free, we're going back to Pentecost. If that bothers you, if that makes you nervous, I go ahead and let you know I release you in Jesus' name.

[45:31] We don't want to lose nobody. But if that makes you nervous and that bothers you, this might not be the place for you. But I'm here to tell you, we as a church, we're going back to Pentecost. We're going back to the entirety of the gifts of the Spirit.

[45:44] We're going back to manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. See, you can't operate in the gifts until you learn to manifest the fruit. That's why the Apostle Paul said, I can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if I don't have love, I'm as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.

[46:00] Don't tell me how much you speak in tongues. If you don't love your neighbor as you love yourself, sit down somewhere. Say, Pastor, I'm a prophet, but you can't even speak to your neighbor, but you want to prophesy to a congregation.

[46:15] Sit down somewhere. I said, we're going back to the gifts, but we're going back to the fruit. We're going to start loving the unlovable. We're going to start loving those that don't look like us, those that don't think like us, those that don't operate like us, those that don't have the same skin color than us.

[46:32] We're going to love them with the love of God. That's what the baptism of the Holy Ghost is. It's a baptism of unconditional love. Hallelujah.