Part 2 - Trinity Fellowship - Raton, New Mexico

THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH (THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES-PART 2)

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

May 15, 2005

May 22, 2005

Trinity Fellowship

Raton, NM

Scripture

Acts 2:1-21; 40-47

“THE DAY OF PENTECOST”

THE 50^TH DAY AFTER THE SABBATH OF PASSOVER WEEK.

FOR CHRISTIANS, IT’S SEVEN WEEKS AFTER EASTER, RESURRECTION DAY.

FOR THE JEWS, IT WAS ALSO THE “FEAST OF THE HARVEST” OR THE
DAY OF FIRST FRUITS.

THE IDEA OF “FIRSTFRUITS” IS SIGNFICANT TO US, BECAUSE JESUS WAS THE FIRST BORN OF THE RESURRECTION. AND SO, THESE BEING SAVED IN JERUSALEM AT THIS FIRST REVIVAL WERE THE “FIRSTFRUITS” OF JESUS.

“THE HOLY SPIRIT ARRIVES”

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DIDN’T JUST “ARRIVE” ON PENTECOST. HE WAS PRESENT IN THE WORLD SINCE THE BEGINNING.

HE WAS EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT:

ACTIVE IN:

* CREATION (GEN 1:2 “THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID; AND DARKNESS WAS ON THE FACE OF THE DEEP. AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD WAS HOVERING OVER THE FACE OF THE WATERS”)

* REVELATION KNOWLEDGE (Is 61:1-3 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH…TO HEAL…TO PROCLAIM…TO COMFORT…TO CONSOLE…TO GIVE…”)

* EMPOWERMENT (EX 31:2-6 “THE LORD SPOKE…’I HAVE CALLED BERZALEL…AND I HAVE FILLED HIM WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, KNOWLEDGE, AND ALL MANNER OF WORKMANSHIP…”)

* RENEWAL (Ps 51:10-12 “CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME. DO NOT CAST ME AWAY FROM YOUR PRESENCE AND DO NOT TAKE YOUR HOLY SPIRIT FROM ME”)

“THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED”

JESUS PROMISES IN JOHN 14:15 THAT “IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. AND I WILL PRAY THE FATHER, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER HELPER THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER—THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE IT NEITHER SEES HIM NOR KNOWS HIM, BUT YOU KNOW HIM, FOR HE DWELLS WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU. I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS.”

THE DISCIPLES WERE NO STRANGERS TO THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS SAID THEY KNEW HIM, FOR HE DWELT WITH THEM.

BUT HE DID NOT DWELL WITHIN THEM

“THE NEW TESTAMENT WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”

THE N.T. CLARIFIES FOR US MORE CLEARLY WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS; WE SEE CLEARLY THAT HE IS AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON, DISTINCT FROM GOD THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON. WE SEE WHO HE HIS BY WHAT HE DOES:

*SPEAKS (ACTS 1:16)

*TEACHES (JOHN 14:26)

*WITNESSES (JOHN 15:26)

*SEARCHES (I COR. 2:10)

*WILLS (I COR 12:11)

*INTERCEDES (ROM 8:26-27)

ALL OF THESE ACTIONS ARE WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON DOES. HE’S NOT AN “IT”. JESUS CALLS THE HOLY SPIRIT “HE,” OR “HIM.”

WE WENT AND BOUGHT SOME PLANTS THE OTHER DAY. THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK AT, AND ADD DECORATION TO OUR HOME AND YARD, AND THEY GROW AND RESPOND TO WATER AND NOURISHMENT, BUT THEY DO NOT SPEAK, TEACH, WITNESS, SEARCH, WILL OR INTERCEDE FOR ME. THEREFORE, I REFER TO THESE PLANTS AS AN “IT.” I DON’T SAY, “MY NEW PLANT, HE…” I SAY, “MY NEW PLANT, IT…”

I PLAYED GOLF YESTERDAY, AND I USED SOME TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT OUT THERE, CALLED “GOLF CLUBS.” ONE PARTICULAR CLUB IS CALLED A “PITCHING WEDGE.” IT DRIVES ME CRAZY. BUT IT DOES NOT SPEAK, TEACH, SEARCH, WILL, OR INTERCEDE. IT MAY WITNESS TO MY INABILITY TO PLAY GOLF. BUT IT IS STILL AN “IT,” NOT A “HE.”

SO STOP REFERRING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS AN “IT.” THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A “HE,” A COMPLETE INDIVIDUAL.

“THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”

*GLORIFY JESUS CHRIST

--SHOWS WHO JESUS IS (JOHN 16:7-15)

--SHOWS WHAT HE MEANS TO US (ROMA 8:15-17)

*ENLIGHTENS US (EPH 1:17-19)

*REGENERATES (JOHN 3:5-8)

*SANCTIFIES (GAL 5:16-18)

*TRANSFORMS (2 COR 3:18)

*GIVES GOD’S PEOPLE GIFTS TO SERVE HIM WITH (I COR 12:4-11)

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S REAL MINISTRY BEGAN ON PENTECOST, AFTER JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AS HE PROMISED.

WHY DID GOD NEED TO SEND THE HOLY SPIRIT? BECAUSE IT WAS THE FINAL STEP IN REVERSING AN UNNATURAL SITUATION WHICH HAD BEEN INTRODUCED BY THE DEVIL IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN: DEATH.

IN THE NEW STAR WARS MOVIE, YODA MAKES A COMMENT THAT DEATH IS A NATURAL THING.

NOW, AS MUCH AS I LIKE STAR WARS, AND THERE ARE MANY SPIRITUAL ANALOGIES TO BE SEEN IN THE STORY, I DISAGREE WITH YODA’S COMMENT ABOUT DEATH. GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN DID NOT INCLUDE DEATH.

DEATH CAME ON THE SCENE ONLY BECAUSE OF MAN’S DISOBEDIENCE.

DEATH IS NOT NATURAL, FROM GOD’S POINT OF VIEW.

AND GOD SENT HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO INDWELL MEN AND WOMEN TO BEGIN THIS REVERSAL THE DEATH PROCESS…TO INSTILL NEW LIFE…ETERNAL LIFE…INTO US.

AND HE SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT ON PENTECOST, NOT ONLY BEGAN TO BAPTIZE HIS PEOPLE WITH HIS INDWELLING PRESENCE, HE BEGAN THE LAST AGE OF THIS EARTH, THE LAST ERA THAT WILL ONLY END WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURNS AGAIN.

THAT’S WHAT IT MEANT WHEN WE SAY THAT THE CHURCH WAS BORN ON PENTECOST.

FROM THE TIME YOU ARE BORN AGAIN AND RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT ACCORDING TO THE FULLNESS THAT JESUS PROMISES, YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF CHRIST’S BODY.

AND THAT BODY, UNTIL HE RETURNS AGAIN, IS HIS CHURCH.

AND WHEN HE RETURNS AGAIN, IT’S GOING TO BE TO SNATCH UP HIS BODY, HIS CHURCH, OUT OF THE VERY PRESENCE OF THIS PERVERSE GENERATION.

YOU WANNA GET SNATCHED UP?

GET INTO HIS BODY.

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