Podcasts about elamites

We Hear Them Speaking The Wonderful Works of God Acts 2:5-13 NKJV And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.” 1. The Crowd's Response The Multitude Came Together 2. We Hear Them Verse 12 - 2 Responses To The Gospel: 1) Drawn In With Curiosity 2) Reaction of Mockery Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

ACTS 2:1:17 - FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2026"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.The Crowd's Response5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”Peter's Sermon14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.”To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

Reading 1Acts 2:1-11When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heavenstaying in Jerusalem.At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,but they were confusedbecause each one heard them speaking in his own language.They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,as well as travelers from Rome,both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,yet we hear them speaking in our own tonguesof the mighty acts of God."Reading 21 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13Brothers and sisters:No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;there are different forms of service but the same Lord;there are different workings but the same Godwho produces all of them in everyone.To each individual the manifestation of the Spiritis given for some benefit.As a body is one though it has many parts,and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,so also Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.GospelJohn 20:19-23On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, "Peace be with you."When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you."And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the Holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,and whose sins you retain are retained."

When the Day of Pentecost was Fulfilled Acts 2 by William Klock Luke opens the second chapter of Acts writing, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place.”  [Page 1081 in the pew Bibles].  “When the day of Pentecost had come—or some translations say arrived.  The old King James is better: “When the day of Pentecost was fully come.”  Or it might be even better to say, “When the day of Pentecost was fulfilled.”  The Greek word can mean come or arrive, but it has a powerful sense of filling and fulfilment and I think that's particularly important here.  First, this is the day that the church was filled full of God's presence and truly became his living temple, but second, it was also the day when the promises of God contained within this ancient festival were finally fulfilled.  It's about the fulfilment of God's promises to his people. You see, Pentecost was one of the great festivals God told his people to observe when he gave them the torah.  It was a harvest festival, when the people would bring the firstfruits of their grain harvest as offerings to the Lord.  But it was also a commemoration of the giving of torah.  The Passover marked Israel's deliverance from her slavery in Egypt and then fifty days later, Israel met the Lord at Mt. Sinai.  There he gave her his law and established his covenant with her.  You could say that Pentecost was the day that marked Israel's formal creation as a nation—when the Lord had said, “I will be your God and you will be my people.”  And every year, for over a thousand years, the people took their grain offerings to the temple in Jerusalem, laid them before the Lord, and remembered who he was and who they were and they recalled his promises, while looking forward in hope to the day those promises would be fulfilled.  So when Luke writes, “When the day of Pentecost was fulfilled,” we should hear something powerful in that.  Just as Jesus fulfilled the Passover once and for all in his death and resurrection, God is going to fulfil the ancient festival of Pentecost once and for all. Brothers and Sisters, this is important, because ever since John Wesley, there's been a powerful tendency to see Pentecost more as a stage of personal spiritual growth than as the once-and-for-all fulfilment of God's promise happening within the great story of God and his people.  A hundred and twenty-five years ago, a group of Christians in Los Angeles had an unusual spiritual experience that needed an explanation.  They explained it as an end-times renewal of “Pentecost” and the Pentecostal movement was born—a movement that taught—and in most places still today—teaches that while every Christian ought to experience Pentecost and be baptised into the Holy Spirit, it's a second event, a second blessing that follows a person's conversion and that many never receive—and those who never received it include virtually every believer between the First Century church and the birth of the Pentecostal movement in 1901.  This highlights the danger of interpreting scripture in light of our experiences.  Instead, we need to let the scriptures do the talking and understand our experiences in light of them. Because just as every single man or woman who has been united to Jesus the Messiah by faith is a full recipient of the benefits of his fulfilment of the Passover, just so every single man or woman who has been united to Jesus the Messiah by faith is also a full recipient of the benefits of his fulfilment of Pentecost.  The church—the whole church, not just some part of it that began 125 years ago—is pentecostal.   It takes a lifetime to learn to live into both of these realities, but to separate them or to say, as some have, that you have to earn baptism in the Spirit through the process of sanctification is to horribly misunderstand the scriptures and the story they tell.  I have more to say about that, but let's get straight into that story as Luke tells it and, especially, as Peter will explain it.  So, again, this is Acts 2: “When the day of Pentecost was fulfilled, they [that's the disciples] were all together in the same place. [Probably, the upper room where they had eaten the Last Supper.]  Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then tongues, seemingly made of fire, appeared to them, moving apart and coming to rest on each one of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other language as the Spirit gave them words to say.” This is the fulfilment of God's promises to come and dwell with his people.  After generations upon generations, millennia upon millennia of sin separating humanity from God, this is God's homecoming.  Jesus' death as a perfect sacrifice for sin washed his people clean, it purified them.  It made them fit and prepared them to be God's temple—the holy place where he will dwell.  And now he's sent his Spirit to take up his dwelling in this new temple. It's also a moment of covenant renewal—again, fulfilling God's promises to Israel.  That's why the imagery of Passover and Sinai are so important here.  In his ascension, Jesus is like Moses going up the mountain and at Passover, like Moses returning with the law and God establishing a covenant with his people, this time God sends down his Spirit to establish a new covenant with this renewed Israel.  And this time it's not an external law carved on stone tablets, but God's own Spirit indwelling, renewing, regenerating and writing his law of love on their very hearts.  Hearts of stone made hearts of flesh. And this fulfilment of God's promises, this covenant renewal, this new temple are all part of the answer to Jesus' prayer that it may be on earth as it is in heaven.  In his ascension, Jesus took a bit of earth—our humanity—to heaven, and on Pentecost he sent to earth, to dwell with us, the Spirit—a bit of heaven.  And that Spirit sent by Jesus, the new Adam, breathes the life of God into the new humanity.  Brothers and Sisters, between the Old Testament imagery that God draws on in doing this amazing thing and the careful choice of words Luke uses to describe it, we ought to see a powerful image here of new creation. And new creation doesn't exist simply for our sake.  New creation began with Jesus and now it's come to his people, but it's not meant to stay with them.  When he ascended, Jesus told his disciples that they would carry this good news throughout Judea and Samaria and eventually to the whole earth.  Once empowered by his Spirit, their mission would be, not only to live out this new creation, but to go out with the announcement that Jesus is Lord and that world belongs to him.  And right here we get a sense of that dominion as these one-hundred-twenty disciples begin to unexpectedly speak in other languages.  Why?  Look at verse 5: “There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem at that time.  When they heard this noise they came together in a crowd.  They were deeply puzzled, because every single one of them could hear them speaking in his own native language.  They were astonished and amazed.” Thanks to the Exile, Jews were spread out across the known world, but Pentecost was one of those feasts where everyone returned to Jerusalem.  So there's an international crowd in the city and this work of the Spirit gets their attention.  Luke goes on in verse 7: “These men who are doing the speaking are all Galileans, aren't they,” they said.  “So how is it that each of us can hear them in our own mother tongues?  There are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, and people who live in Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia…[The international list is a long one.  Jews and proselytes (converts), from the known world.]…We can hear them telling us about the mighty works of God—in our own languages!” Notice about this gift of tongues: It was a gift of known languages.  The speech was intelligible.  And it wasn't for any kind of spiritual benefit of the speakers.  This was a miracle—a first work of the Spirit—to announce what God was accomplishing (or fulfilling!) through Jesus and the Spirit and through this renewed Israel—what we call “the church”.  And Luke says they were all “astonished and perplexed.”  “What does it all mean?” they were asking each other.  But some sneered.  “They're full of new wine,” they said.  Then Peter got up, with the eleven. He spoke to them in a loud voice.” None of the disciples was expecting this.  They were expecting something.  Jesus had told them to go back to Jerusalem and to wait.  So they did.  They waited and they prayed.  Like I said last week, these were men steeped in the scriptures.  Combine that with patience and prayer and understanding will come.  And despite not expecting this exact situation, Peter immediately understands what's going on through the lens of the scriptures, of Israel's story, and of God's promises.  And so—verse 14—Peter says to them, “Men of Judaea!  All of you staying here in Jerusalem! There's something you have to know.  Listen to what I'm saying.  These people aren't drunk, as you imagine.  It's only nine o'clock in the morning!  No, this is what the prophet Joel was talking about when he said, ‘In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams; Yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.  And I will give signs in the heavens above, and portents on earth beneath, blood and fire and clouds of smoke.  The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and glorious day.  And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Joel's prophecy was a prophecy of covenant renewal.  Back at the beginning—sort of the first Pentecost, if it helps to think of it that way—before Israel entered the promised land, Moses reiterated the covenant to the people.  If they would be the holy people the Lord had set them apart to be, if they would keep his law, if they would give him their allegiance and not worship other gods, he would dwell with them and bless them in the land.  But if they refused to do these things, he would curse them and eventually exile them—because an unholy people cannot live in God's presence.  And, of course, exile is precisely what happened.  And even when the people of Judah returned from their exile in Babylon, even after they'd rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple, it still felt an awful like the exile wasn't really over.  Judah was ruled by pagan gentiles.  The Lord's presence had never returned to the temple.  And so they hoped in the promises the Lord had made to one day renew his covenant.  Through Isaiah, through Ezekiel, through Jeremiah, through Joel the Lord had promised.  He would not let his people languish in exile forever.  One day he would come and forgive their sins and their idolatry, one day he would come and fix their broken hearts, giving them hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone; breathing new life into dead, dry bones; pouring out his Spirit to make Israel new.  And in that rushing wind, in the tongues of fire, as he and his friends suddenly found themselves speaking other languages Peter recognised the words God had spoken through Joel.  This was the day.  Through Jesus and the Spirit, the God of Israel was renewing his covenant, through Jesus and the Spirit he'd returned to dwell again with his people: men and women, young and old, slave and free.  Judgement was coming soon on the unrepentant, but for those who called on the name of the Lord—on Jesus the Messiah—there was renewal.  And so Peter announces Joel's promise to Israel: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And then he does something astounding.  We're so used to hearing it that we might not even give it a thought, but Peter now takes this passage from Joel that was about the Lord, about Yahweh, about the God of Israel and he makes it about Jesus.  Look at verse 22: “You men of Israel, listen to this.  Jesus of Nazareth was a man marked out for you by God through the mighty works, signs, and portents which God performed through him right here among you, as you all know.  He was handed over in accordance with God's determined purpose and foreknowledge—and you used people outside the law to nail him up and kill him.  But God raised him from the dead! Death had its painful grip on him; but God released him from it, because it wasn't possible for him to be mastered by it.  This you see, is how David speaks of him: “I set the Lord before me always; because he is at my right hand, I won't be shaken.  So my heart was happy, and my tongue rejoiced, and my flesh, too, will rest in hope.  For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your holy One to see corruption.  You showed me the path of life; you filled me with gladness in your presence.” Peter's quoting from Psalm 16.  What's that got to do with any of this.  Well, he goes on: “Men and Brothers, I can surely speak freely to you about the patriarch David.  He died and was buried and his tomb is here with us to this day.  He was of course a prophet and he knew that God had sworn an oath to set one of his own physical offspring on his throne.  He foresaw the Messiah's resurrection and spoke about him “not being left in Hades,” and about his flesh “not seeing corruption.”  [So here's his point.]  This is the Jesus we're talking about.  God raised him from the dead and all of us here are witnesses to the fact.  Now he's been exalted to God's right hand; and what you see and hear is the result of the fact that he is pouring out the Holy Spirit, which had been promised, and which he has received from the Father.”  So Peter's explaining to them that Jesus, in his resurrection, has fulfilled the messianic prophecy in Psalm 16 and what they're seeing happening in the wind, the tongues of fire, and the other languages is the evidence of Jesus' exaltation to his throne.  And in the same way that Jesus' resurrection has fulfilled Psalm 16, his ascension is fulfilling Psalm 110. Peter goes on in verse 34: “David, after all, did not ascend into the heavens.  This is what he says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies underneath your feet.'  So the whole house of Israel must know this for a fact: God has made him Lord and Messiah, this Jesus, the one you crucified.”  Again, what they're seeing is the proof that God is vindicating the claims of Jesus to be Israel's Messiah.  Jesus fulfilled God's promises when he rose from the dead, he fulfilled God's promises when he ascended into heaven, and now he's fulfilling God's promises in pouring out God's Spirit, now seen and heard in the wind, the flames, and the tongues.  Again, God is renewing his covenant as he promised. Luke goes on in verse 37: “When they heard this, they were cut to the heart.  “Brothers,” they said to Peter and the other apostles, “what shall we do?”  “Repent!” replied Peter.  “Be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah, so that your sins can be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and for your children, and for everyone who is far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Notice—this is important—even though, yes, it is individuals who do the repenting, one by one, what Peter is calling for is national repentance.  Israel must repent—from sin, yes, but most of all from her rejection of Jesus as Messiah.  That's why Peter puts so much weight on how all that's happened is proof of Jesus' messiahship.  Jesus had warned over and over that if Israel would not repent, if Israel insisted on rejecting him as Messiah—and Jesus put this rejection in terms of idolatry—judgement would come on Israel and this time it would be permanent.  The Romans would destroy Jerusalem and the temple and the people would be exiled, not for seventy years, not for 490 years, but forever.  As an aside, Paul will pick up this same theme with the Athenians in 17:31.  As salvation was for the Jew first and then for the gentiles, just so would God's judgement be.  He would judge Israel for their idolatry and then come for the gentiles.  So Peter urges his fellow Jews to repent of their idolatry, to put their faith in Jesus as Messiah, and they will become part of this renewed covenant community—this new temple in which God, through his Spirit, has come to dwell. Luke says in verse 40 that Peter “carried on explaining things to them with many other words.”  No doubt walking them through more of Israel's story and more of Israel's scriptures to show them how Jesus and the Spirit have fulfilled them.  “Let God rescue you,” he was urging them, “from this wicked generation.”  Those who welcomed his word were baptised.  About three thousand lives were added to the community that day. And, again, the result is new creation, lived out in this renewed community of men and women.  Pentecost isn't just a personal exercise in spiritual growth any more than Jesus' death and resurrection were.  It's about the formation of a new people of God that would be God's temple in the world.  A temple made of people, transformed from the inside out, a temple that would—that still does—steward God's presence, God's wisdom, God's new creation for the sake of the world.  Luke makes a point of contrasting it with the old Israel, trundling along blindly in unbelief, in idolatry, and heading straight into inevitable judgement and destruction.  In contrast, this new Jesus-plus-Spirit people [verse 42] live out their baptism by “giving full attention to the teaching of the apostles and to the common life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  Great awe fell on everyone and many remarkable deeds and signs were performed by the apostles.”  At the centre of their life together was this apostolic teaching that we see Peter giving: Teaching showing how Israel's scriptures, God's promises were being fulfilled in Jesus.  Truly good news.  And it drew them together as they shared meals—just as Jesus had done—including that last meal he'd shared with them, transposing the Passover meal, the covenant renewal meal of the people of God, transposing it around himself, his death, and his resurrection.  And they prayed.  And this transformed them.  “All those who believe came together and held everything in common.  They sold their possessions and belongings and divided them up to everyone in proportion to their various needs.”  No, they didn't become Marxists.  Luke's point is that they became a family.  They became what Israel was supposed to be.  Not a people who did their own thing; not a people who grabbed and hoarded for themselves; not a people who disengaged from community seven days a week, and then gathered with a group of religious acquaintances for a couple of hours one day a week.  No, Jesus and the Spirit made them a family.  Jesus and the Spirit made them a people of love, of grace, of abundance (even in their physical poverty), a family that witnessed the character of the Spirit and the goodness and abundance of God's new creation.  And the people around them noticed: “Day by day they were they were all together attending the temple.  They broke bread in their various houses and ate their food with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and standing in favour with all the people.  And every day the Lord added to their numbers those who were being rescued.” Brothers and Sisters, our great desire should be that the church today—not just our congregation, but the whole church—should look just like this, simply on a much larger and global scale.  We are no less a people of Jesus and the Spirit than those first Christians in Jerusalem were.  We should be such a family where the scriptures are read and the mighty works of God—the fulfilment of his promise; the good news about Jesus, crucified, risen, and ascended—are not only believed, but lived out and proclaimed.  A family where God's new creation generosity is actively lived out.  A family that not only keeps this covenant renewal meal, but lives out its implications throughout the week.  A family that clasps its hands together and prays that it might be on earth as it is in heaven, not just because Jesus told us to, but Brother and Sisters, because we are the people whose King shares our earthly nature and reigns in heaven; because we are the people who have been, ourselves, plunged into heavenly life by God's Spirit; and because we are people who are ourselves the fulfilment of God's promises and therefore a people of hope and witness of God's glory. Let's pray: Faithful God who never fails to fulfil your promises, you have purified us with the blood of your Son and filled us with your Spirit to make us your temple; give us grace to be that temple, to be your new creation, to be the stewards of your presence and your gospel for the sake of the world; and in your faithfulness, cause our faithfulness to bear fruit for your kingdom.  Through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord and our rescuer, we pray.  Amen.

Epistle Reading: Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." Gospel Reading: John 7:37-52; 8:12On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." Nikodemos, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel;2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:9 Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,10 And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.13 Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.14 Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king;15 That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.16 We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.17 Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.18 The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.19 And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.22 Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Join us as we dig deeper into last Sunday's sermon from Pastor Marcus Lane "The Gospel at Pentecost" and hear from Amy Duncan and Nate Zuellig on "Fullness". Digging Deeper Questions: When you think of the "work of the Holy Spirit," what typically comes to mind? Why do you associate the Spirit with these activities?   How does the work of the Spirit on Pentecost impact how you view the work of the Holy Spirit? Does it change how you view things in any way?   The beginning of Peter's speech emphasizes that the Spirit seeks to work in all people to bring us to faith and empower us to speak God's truth. How does this shape how you understand what the Spirit is doing in your own life? Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.   5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."   14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:   17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,     and your young men shall see visions,     and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants     in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood,     before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Intro/Outro Song: "Only One" Nate Zuellig ULC Artist In Residence    "Fullness" Elevation Worship CCLI Song # 7067557   CCLI License # 11254293

24 May 2026 | This week on Pentecost Sunday Pastor Evan preaches from Acts 2:1-11. Acts 2:1-11 The Coming of the Holy Spirit 2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Acts 2:1-36 Acts 2:1-36 - The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Peter Addresses the Crowd 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,     and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood     before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls     on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me.     Because he is at my right hand,     I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;     my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,     you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life;     you will fill me with joy in your presence.' 29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 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. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord:     “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies     a footstool for your feet.”' 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

John names the promise of the Spirit; Acts shows the fulfillment. Private fear becomes public witness. John 16:12-15 (ESV)“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.Acts 2:1-11 (ESV)When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Day of Pentecost First Lesson: Numbers 11:24-30 24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. 26Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." 28And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" 29But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" 30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. Psalm: Psalm 104:25-35,37 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *        in wisdom you have made them all;        the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea    with its living things too many to number, *        creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships,    and there is that Leviathan, *        which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you *        to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *        you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *        you take away their breath,        and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *        and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *        may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *        he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *        I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; *        I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *        Hallelujah! Second Lesson: Acts 2:1-21 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Gospel: John 7:37-39 37On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" 39Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  

This is the Pentecost Service from Greenfield Presbyterian Church in Berkley, MI. SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost 2 When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. 7 They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren't all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? 8 How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” 12 They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” 13 Others jeered at them, saying, “They're full of new wine!” 14 Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! 15 These people aren't drunk, as you suspect; after all, it's only nine o'clock in the morning! 16 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. 18 Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will cause wonders to occur in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be changed into darkness, and the moon will be changed into blood, before the great and spectacular day of the Lord comes. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Pastor Kurt Hoover gives us the word/name "Elamites" to study from Acts 2! I had no idea who this was talking about before recording this...what did you learn from this one?

Send us Fan MailThe devotion for today, Thursday, May 21, 2026 was written by Weber Baker and is narrated by Johnny Engelke. Today's Words of Inspiration come from Acts 2:1-11:When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” Support the show

On Pentecost, the promise Jesus made becomes reality as heaven crashes into earth with violent wind, tongues of fire, and a Word so powerful it overwhelms every other voice. In this episode we explore how the Holy Spirit doesn't arrive as a vague feeling or private experience, but as God's own speaking—creating faith by putting Christ's death and resurrection into human ears in every language. And in true Martin Luther fashion, the first Christian sermon isn't advice or law, but pure Gospel: you crucified Christ, God raised him from the dead, and forgiveness is now proclaimed for all people without distinction. GOSPEL Acts 2:1-21 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs -- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17  'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18  Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19  And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20  The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' CARE OF SOULS - ADDICTIONIn Care of Souls, a special mini-series podcast from Luther House of Study, Lutheran pastors and theologians come together to explore the deeply personal and pastoral task of preaching to and caring for those struggling with life's challenging situations: addiction, death, family disharmony, and more. Rooted in the theology of the cross and the Lutheran tradition of radical grace, this series offers both theological depth and practical guidance for pastors, church workers, and lay leaders. With conversations, real-life stories, and reflections from the front lines of ministry, Care of Souls equips listeners to enter the broken places of addiction not with easy answers, but with the crucified and risen Christ. Because in the end, it's not about fixing people—it's about preaching the Gospel. Listen to Care of Souls wherever you listen to podcasts or on the Luther House website: Care of Souls - Addiction Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

Sunday 17th May 2026 - West and North SitesSunday 22nd May - Central AMSpeaker - Alice MeadsAlice continues the "Come, Holy Spirit!" series, taking us through the events of the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2.Acts 2: 1-12 (NLT)1) On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2) Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3) Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4) And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.5) At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6) When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.7) They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8) and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9) Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10) Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11) (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12) They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.Recorded at the North Site - 17May2026

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus  (NOT a Morning Mindset resource)   ⇒ Join the MMM Prayer Team: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/PrayerTeam ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:1–11 - When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. [5] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. [6] And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. [7] And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? [9] Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, [10] Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, [11] both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Underwrite one daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: Subscribe to the SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish Subscribe to the HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi Subscribe to the CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/   ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

Ezra 4 New International Version Opposition to the Rebuilding 4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.” 4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a] 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes 6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[b] they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.[c][d] 8 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates. 11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants in Trans-Euphrates: 12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.[e] 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates. 17 The king sent this reply: To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates: Greetings. 18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests? 23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. 24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ezra 4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. The Letter to King Artaxerxes 7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.[a] 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace[b] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.” The King Orders the Work to Cease 17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?” 23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Synopsis: Ur-Namma unifies Sumer and ejects the Elamites. His son, King Shulgi, designs a new empire and begins a push for Zagros domination. “The trustworthy shepherd, king, the sword of Sumer, Ur-Namma, the king of the Land, was taken to the …house…he who was beloved by the troops, could not raise his neck anymore. The wise one…lay down; silence descended. As he, who was the vigor of the Land, had fallen, the Land became demolished like a mountain…He passed away in his prime…abandoned, like a broken jar.” – The Death of Ur-Namma Map of the Near East c. 2112 BC: https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/2112BC.jpg Map of the Near East c. 2060 BC: https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/2060BC.jpg Episode Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/75506172@N07/albums/72177720331669262/ References and Further Reading: https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/A10_References.pdf Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we break down the composition of the Neo-Assyrian Army under the Sargonid dynasty (Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, and their successors) and explain why Assyria's battlefield dominance in the 8th–7th centuries BCE was not just “more men” or “more brutality,” but a specific military system built around logistics, organization, and a flexible combined-arms force.You'll learn what the core Assyrian infantryman looked like in practice: a general-purpose soldier equipped for multiple battlefield roles (spear, sword, bow, and shield), and why that versatility mattered for campaigns, garrisons, policing, construction, and sieges. We also examine how Assyrian military service worked, including seasonal call-ups, corvée-style obligations, land-grant service (ilkum), and the expectation of plunder—structures that helped sustain long campaigns without a fully modern “paid army” model.From there, we move to the elite infantry (often associated with the royal guard) and the implications of lamellar armor in the Near Eastern heat. Armor, discipline, conditioning, and unit performance are treated as connected variables, not isolated trivia. We then reconstruct the iconic Assyrian shield-wall-and-archer system: tower shields, spear line behavior, the archer line directly behind the shields, and how this formation changes the psychology of spear-range fighting by making “safe distance” impossible.The episode also covers the auxiliary/light infantry contingents organized along ethnic lines across the Assyrian Empire—why they were valued, how unit cohesion and veterancy can create tactical flexibility, and how these forces complemented the main line. Finally, we examine mounted forces during the Sargonid period: the maturation of true cavalry, the decline of chariotry into more limited roles, early spear cavalry, horse archery, equipment constraints before saddles and widespread horse armor, and how Assyria used mobility to exploit gaps, pursue breaks, and keep operational tempo high.If you are interested in ancient warfare, the Bronze Age collapse aftermath, Neo-Assyrian history, Near Eastern military organization, imperial logistics, siege warfare, and the military reforms that shaped the ancient world, this episode is a deep, practical reconstruction grounded in how armies actually functioned on campaign and in battle.Key topics and terms for search: Neo-Assyrian Empire, Sargon II, Sargonids, Tiglath-Pileser III, Sennacherib, Assyrian army, Assyrian infantry, Assyrian royal guard, lamellar armor, scale armor, tower shields, shield wall, Assyrian archers, composite recurve bow, ancient logistics, corvée labor, ilkum land grants, plunder economy, auxiliary troops, Itu'eans, Arameans, Hittites, Elamites, Urartu, cavalry origins, chariots to cavalry transition, combined arms in antiquity, ancient battle tactics, Near East military history, 8th century BCE, 7th century BCE.Next episode preview: the campaign of 714 BCE against Urartu—one of the best documented operations of the ancient world, including intelligence, logistics, and royal correspondence.I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories daily on Tiktok and Youtube Shorts.If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhSDonate here: https://oldeststories.net/or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckleyor on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/joinYoutube and Patreon members get access to bonus content produced when and as I have time.

Friday Bible Study (12/12/25) // Ezra 4 (ESV) // Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding 4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.The Letter to King Artaxerxes7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.[a] 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace[b] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”Website: https://mbchicago.org FOLLOW US Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but... #Ezra #DanielBatarseh #BibleStudy #mbchicago #mbcchicago #Bible #versebyverse #church #chicago #livechurch #churchlive #chicagochurch #chicagochurches #sermon #bibleexplained #bibleproject #bibleverse #bookbybook #oldtestament #explained

Listen all the way to the end for a special musical feature about Sargon II. This episode explores one of the most pivotal and least understood turning points in Neo-Assyrian history, examining the rise of a king whose origins, motives, and very name remain contested even after a century of scholarship. These are the Oldest Stories, available at OldestStories.net.In 722 BCE, Sargon II seized the Assyrian throne and entered an eighteen-year reign that forms the best-documented era of ancient Mesopotamian history. Yet for all his inscriptions and annals, Sargon himself remains an enigma. His parentage, early career, accession, and the meaning of his throne name are questions that continue to challenge scholars of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This episode delves deeply into the theories surrounding his origins, including newly translated inscriptions from Assur, shifting interpretations of his name from Sharru-Kenu to Sharru-Ukin, and the implications of his apparent disinterest in his own ancestry. From the ideological weight of throne names to the complexities of logosyllabic Akkadian spelling, we explore how philology, archaeology, and political history intersect to shape our understanding of this king.We also follow Sargon into the disastrous opening months of his reign: the unclear succession, the purge of thousands of internal opponents, the immediate loss of Babylon to Marduk-Apla-Iddina, the Levantine revolts, and the devastating defeat near Der at the hands of the Elamites. These events set the stage for a king on the brink of failure, navigating accusations of ill-omen, political chaos, and the danger of being overthrown before his first year had even ended. Yet they also reveal the moment in which Sargon's extraordinary administrative and logistical genius emerges, allowing him to rescue his reign and initiate the Sargonid Golden Age.Along the way, the episode examines the broader historical context of Chaldean and Elamite politics, Babylonian ritual ideology, the transformation of Assyrian year-dating from limmu officials to palu counts, and the evolving religious presentation of Assur's kingship. It traces the subtle theological and political shifts that distinguish Sargon from his predecessors, as well as the early strategic failures and last-minute decisions that determine the fate of the empire. The result is a comprehensive look at one of the most complex figures of the ancient Near East and the precarious moment at which Assyria's future hung in the balance.If you enjoy the episode, consider supporting the show on Patreon, becoming a YouTube member, or donating directly at OldestStories.net. Your support truly helps this project grow. Stay tuned through the end for the Sargon II musical piece, and subscribe to follow Sargon's campaigns as the imperial war machine finally roars to life in the next installment.I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories daily on Tiktok and Youtube Shorts.If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhSDonate here: https://oldeststories.net/or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckleyor on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/joinYoutube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.

Acts 2:1-24When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and 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 will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens aboveand signs on the earth below,blood and fire and billows of smoke.The sun will be turned to darknessand the moon to bloodbefore the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who callson the name of the Lord will be saved.'“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Jesus Delivers Us (12) (audio) David Eells – 8/24/25 Saints, I'm going to continue with our teaching on how Jesus delivers us and gives us authority over the demons.  Today, we're going to review what the true and false manifestations of the Spirit are, which are all for the purpose of destroying the kingdom of darkness. We have to have respect for the Word. It will get and keep the mixture out of the Church. Only the Word manifested in the flesh is from God; the rest is from the devil. (Mat.12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Some of it is truth, and some of it is Babylonish religion. The Bible says, (1Pe.5:8) Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Pray for God to help us be sober and watchful because, in different ways, people are giving the devil permission. Remember, the Word says, “whom he may devour.” They're giving the devil permission to devour them by not putting on the true armor, which is all related to the Word (Romans 13:12,14; 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:11-17). Sometimes deception comes little by little. An uneven or weak foundation makes an uneven and weak building (Psalm 11:3; Matthew 7:24-27). Little deceptions that have been laid by false prophets and false teachers lead to ever bigger deceptions. The devil is out to make Christians look foolish so that the Gospel has no credibility. You'll swallow deceptions, too, unless you have a real respect for the Word. You can be “denying … the Master” even while you are saying that you believe in Jesus. (2Pe.2:1) But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them (You deny the Master by following false teachings and false ways, rather than following the Lord.), bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2) And many shall follow their lascivious doings (The word “lascivious” basically means “wanton” or “excess, an excuse for excess.”); by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. These lascivious doings in the churches, passed on by false teachers, cause the “way of the truth” to “be evil spoken of.” (2Pe.2:3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. God is going to destroy those people who deceive His people and lead them astray. Most haven't recognized that that's what's happening, but you can see these false prophets being destroyed. The Bible says the pleasures of sin are only for a season (Hebrews 11:25). The devil deceives you and bribes you with them, and you may go after them, but they won't last, and then what happens? Then you start reaping what you've sown. The devil is bringing some of this lasciviousness into the church so that “the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” I'm speaking here particularly of what some call “manifestations of the spirit.” When the world looks upon these manifestations, they see them as something evil. For example, you're trying to talk to someone about the Lord, and they counter by pointing to some preacher who fell, becoming a fornicator while preaching righteousness. The world uses that as an excuse not to pay attention to you. These ministers, and many others who have fallen away, are causing the way of truth to be evil spoken of. I once went into a church where a lot of people off to one side looked as if they had nervous disorders. They were jerking and twitching. Some were on the floor. Some were throwing their hands up over their heads. I had seen this kind of thing before, and I thought, “Well, that's nice. I hope they get prayed for tonight.” It wasn't long after the service got started when I realized that those were the people they had already prayed for, and that's why they were in that condition. Through prayer, they had received this thing that people call a “manifestation of the spirit,” and now they were acting like people who had a spirit of infirmity. Then the preacher got up and talked about how the principal at the local school had called and told him that he was sending students home who were jerking, twitching, rolling, and so forth. The principal had asked the preacher what he thought about it, and foolishly, the preacher seemed proud of what was happening. I felt bad when I heard this report. These students were obviously in school to give a testimony for the Lord, but the devil had been able to destroy their testimony. That wasn't the Lord, regardless of what they were thinking. It is not the Lord's way to cause foolishness or confusion to destroy His testimony. Here is an example as proof for you. (1Co.14:23) If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues… Now we know that “tongues” is a true manifestation of the Spirit of God, and there's a good reason for tongues. When you pray in tongues, you can pray according to the Will of God because your carnal understanding doesn't get involved. There's no foolishness in tongues, but even tongues have had rules set upon it. This is to make sure that we as Christians don't lose our testimony before the world. (1Co.14:23) If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues, and there come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad? (24) But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all; (25) the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed. They'll say you're “mad,” i.e., insane, from a genuine manifestation of the Spirit. This means that you don't want even a true manifestation in front of unbelievers because you may destroy your testimony and cause “the way of the truth” to “be evil spoken of.” Since this is the case for genuine manifestations of the Spirit, then it is certainly true of some of these manifestations that can't be found at all in the Bible. These students were going to school twitching and jerking and flailing their arms. That's not the Word of God. It is not God's way to destroy testimonies. Manifestations are meant to edify the people around you. Paul exhorted the people who speak in tongues not to get up and address the assembly in tongues because without interpretation it wasn't edifying the people around them. Now, if that's true for a true gift of speaking in tongues, it is certainly true for all these other manifestations. If they don't edify the people around you, then God says not to do it. People with a religious spirit may think they are being spiritual to go out among the heathen and do these old “holy roller” things, but that wasn't Paul's opinion or method. (1Co.9:19) For though I was free from all [men,] I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. (Paul brought himself under submission to the people around him so that he could gain them.) (20) And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (21) to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. (22) To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. (23) And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. This idea is diametrically opposed to the idea of engaging in questionable manifestations among the lost. Paul was talking about being all things to all people so that he might save some, and so he was weak to the weak by meeting them where they were. His teaching was opposed to doing foolish things in front of them, destroying the testimony of God. [“Holy roller” is considered to be a derogatory term and may be applied to any out-of-control or bizarre behavior during worship services. From Wikipedia.org: The Oxford English Dictionary cites an 1893 memoir by Charles Godfrey Leland, in which he says, “When the Holy Spirit seized them ... the Holy Rollers ... rolled over and over on the floor.”]  The Bible doesn't speak of such a habit. Paul said, 1Co 11:1  Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. A Baptist preacher in that assembly got up and testified about how he had real questions in his heart when he had left there. He admitted that he hadn't felt good in himself, and he questioned God about it. He asked God to please tell him what was right or wrong. God spoke to him with this verse (1Co.14:33) for God is not [a God] of confusion, but of peace. The other verse he got was (Pro.3:5) … And lean not upon thine own understanding. If we study and respect the Scriptures, then we're not leaning on our own understanding; we're leaning on God's understanding. It's important that we study Scripture to find our answers. You can't find answers through your feelings. You can't find answers through your wisdom or emotions. You can't get answers from men because you might respect a man too much. He might say something unscriptural and lead you astray. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; (33) for God is not [a God] of confusion, but of peace. There is a difference between manifestations of the Holy Spirit and manifestations of demon spirits. Manifestations of demon spirits may start out needing your permission, but the more they continue, the less they're interested in your permission. The manifestations will become involuntary and possessive. You may begin to jerk and twitch and do things that you're not at all meaning to do, but that this religious spirit is doing through you. There was a time when I was traveling to different groups among Pentecostals, and I had noticed that there were different manifestations in each group. I began to meditate on this, asking, “If this is the Holy Spirit, why isn't the Holy Spirit manifesting His gifts everywhere?” The conclusion I came to is that not everything the Pentecostals are calling a “manifestation of the Holy Spirit” is a true manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Since each particular religious group had its own particular manifestation, it had to be a religious spirit that was manifesting in that group. This is just part of the great mixture out there, and the devil has a reason for manifesting these things. He wants Christians to look silly to the world because that destroys their testimony. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. That means if it's a gift from the Lord, then that prophet can stop the manifestation, and that prophet can start the manifestation. Did you know that? Let's go back and read about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Let's see if jerking, twitching, and rolling are listed in there. And as we read, let's also look to see if these manifestations are involuntary or voluntary. (1Co.12:4) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of workings (Notice that these gifts may manifest differently in different Christians.), but the same God, who worketh all things in all. (7) But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. The Holy Spirit isn't forcing you to do anything; the Holy Spirit is guiding you. The Bible says, (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. The Holy Spirit moves through our will. He doesn't work against our will. The Holy Spirit doesn't do things without our will. You may say, “Well, when He moves on you with a prophecy, that didn't come from your will.” That's right, but your will has to agree with it. The Lord is not pushing prophecy on you. People who don't want that gift don't manifest it. Paul goes on to list the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and many of these were ones that Jesus manifested, so we have good examples of them in the Scriptures. Some of these manifestations that we've been seeing are not mentioned in the Bible. They're excluded from this list because, in this list, all the manifestations are voluntary. (1Co.12:8) For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: (9) to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; (10) and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; to another [divers] kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: (11) but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will. These are the common gifts promised to believers. Are there some listed in scripture that are not given commonly?  1Co 5:3  For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing… I was once given a gift to listen to a factious group across town as they plotted to destroy us. I then made comments about their false assertions that they heard. One of them said in reply, “We know who you are David.” We have a witness who was there in spirit listening and agreed. Jesus and Phillip were translated by the Spirit from place to place, as was I also. These could be included in workings of miracles or discernings of spirits because I have had both of these?  God tells us in His Word what are manifestations of His Spirit because He doesn't want us to accept the devil's counterfeit manifestations. True gifts will destroy the works of the devil and promote the Kingdom. They are not to put on a show but they can confirm the Word. (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; (33) for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. God gave us those verses for our protection. We are not supposed to have people in the church whose spirit is not subject to them, people who are doing things over which they have no control. According to these verses, being out of control does not sound like the Holy Spirit. Many have been witnesses to people falling, twitching, rolling around, and flailing their arms over their heads, etc.. One of the girls who testified on the platform had to have somebody on each arm holding her up. When the pastor came and stood next to her, talking in regard to this twitching movement that she was manifesting, something hit him in the stomach. I saw him double over with a look of pain on his face. Two men went up and got him, as he was looking kind of drunk, and they took him aside and set him down. Everybody was praising the Lord, like it was another move of the Spirit. Well, it was a move of a spirit. It was a move of that fellowship's religious spirit. These spirits like to manifest supernatural signs because people respect them, but not every supernatural sign is from the Lord. Lately, if people see something supernatural coming from a church or a preacher, they think that it's God, but God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). If He is going to use our will, we have to submit our will to Him, and we should be inviting the Lord to use us in these gifts. It's through these gifts that He's going to manifest Himself in supernatural power in His Church, and so we're commanded to seek out these spiritual gifts that are given to us by the Holy Spirit. (1Co.14:12) So also ye, since ye are zealous of spiritual [gifts,] seek that you may abound, unto the edifying of the church. Be suspicious of preachers who are busy imparting other kinds of “gifts,” laughing gifts, rolling gifts, twitching gifts, etc. The Lord moves in supernatural things that edify the spirit, not cater to the flesh, of man. Some of these manifestations of the so-called “Spirit” give people “ecstasies,” feelings of rapture or bliss in their flesh. People have asked, even begged me, to pray over them so that they could have this feeling of euphoria. People have told me, “Oh, Brother David, I really need to go ‘out in the Spirit,'” but that's not what anyone really needs. What we really need is more of God. We don't need some tantalizing feeling in the flesh. God wants us to come away from being moved by our feelings and by our emotions. When a person is weaned from being dependent upon their emotions, then they are stable. Then they can be moved only by the Word. I've seen people claim that a move of the Spirit is upon them, yet their emotions are bouncing back and forth from one extreme to another. For instance, one moment they're crying and then the next they're laughing, the whole time saying that it's a move of the Spirit, but it's a move of demons. These spirits want to have you dependent upon your emotions. If people are moved by their emotions or feelings, they are untrustworthy because they can always be manipulated by the devil. The Bible says, (2Co.11:14) And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel (That's the Greek word angelon and it means “a messenger, {generally} a supernatural messenger from God.) of light. Satan comes as a “messenger of light.” The devil is not so stupid as to come with his pitchfork. We are going to see messengers of light. (2Co.11:15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Satan's going to come as a preacher of the “truth,” as a preacher of the “Word,” otherwise the church wouldn't listen to him. That is how the devil is going to come, and yes, he has been and is doing it all along. We are warned, (2Pe.2:1) As among you also there shall be false teachers… Look around you. If you can't see these false teachers, then you have a problem. You're not respecting the Word of God enough, and are respecting the traditions of men too much. (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. No matter what we do, in word or in deed, we have to do it in the “Name,” which means “nature and character,” of Jesus. Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus jerking and twitching and rolling on the ground and preaching, but we do see Him manifesting the gifts we read listed in 1 Corinthians 12. We can manifest those things because we can do those in the Name of Jesus Christ. If your words or deeds don't agree with what He said or did, don't say or do them. You don't have permission from the Scriptures to disagree in word or deed. Your deeds represent Him. You are an ambassador of Christ. You have gone into a foreign country, i.e. this earth, to represent Him, so your words and actions have to represent Him. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Your words and actions have to be a reflection of Him, but we see no reflection of the Life of Jesus in these false manifestations we're seeing in the churches. We see no foundation for us to accept them. There's a mixture. It's true that most of these manifestations are spiritual experiences, but they're spiritual experiences for the flesh. You may have heard about a manifestation called “being drunk in the spirit,” but the Scriptures tell us instead to be sober (Romans 12:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:6,8; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; etc.) There's no place where the Bible says to be drunk and sober at the same time, because God isn't going to make you drunk and then tell you to be sober. I was thinking about this manifestation when the Lord told me to go back and read this passage in Acts to see if the disciples were “drunk in the spirit.” (Act.2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (5) Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. (6) And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. (7) And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? (8) And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? (9) Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, (10) in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, (11) Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. (12) And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? (13) But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. Mocking they said this. People have to come up with some explanation in order to disprove a miracle of God, and the easiest explanation here is to say that they were drunk. I've run across some nutty explanations of how God parted the Red Sea, too. That's what people do when they don't want to accept the truth; they fight against it with some goofy theory. The Jews fought against Jesus. They fought against the disciples. (Act.2:13) But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. (New wine couldn't explain what these people were doing. The naysayers were trying to come up with an explanation.) (14) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, [saying,] Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. (15) For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day; (16) but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: (17) And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: (18) Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. These disciples were prophesying and speaking in the Holy Spirit. We know they weren't staggering around, being drunk in the spirit, especially since God says, “Be sober.” God is not schizophrenic. Why would He make people drunk when He's telling them to be sober? If a person is drunk, they're not in control of their faculties. When a person is not in control of their faculties, deception and demon-possession are enabled. If you give yourself to some gift of the devil, you did it through your passivity, but we're not supposed to become passive towards the devil. (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Those who administer the devil's gifts in séances, teaching people among the lost to be “prophets,” instruct them to be passive, to be blank in their minds. That's exactly how this spirit comes upon people; it comes upon people when they're not in control, when they're not able to say, “No!” Those mockers in Acts were accusing the disciples of not being in control, but the disciples weren't drunk. Whatever it was that they were speaking in other languages, it was just so convicting to those who were listening that they couldn't stand it. At that meeting I mentioned earlier, people “drunk in the spirit” were staggering all over and falling down. Had any lost person come in, they would have spoken evil of the way of the truth. Those people and preachers who were behaving drunkenly were representing Christ. They were confessing they believed the Bible, but it was confusion from the devil, who takes unfair advantage of people. It's the devil who possesses people and takes away their ability to make voluntary decisions. He's out to make fools of us before the world. The spirits of these prophets were not subject to them. When a person allows some other spirit to come in, it's because they are being passive in mind; then they become subject to that spirit. God doesn't give a person a gift to make him a robot. As the Bible says, (1Co.14:32) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. They are always in control. They can stop a gift or a manifestation, when they want to stop it. It's always been that way when I speak in tongues; I can start it and stop it. Paul said, (1Co.14:15) I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. “I will…,” he said. Paul used his will. The Holy Spirit does the same thing. (Act.2:4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave the utterance. They did it. They spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. God is not going to take away our will. He's going to use our will. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. You may open your mouth in an act of faith that God would fill it, but you do have to open your mouth. After the outpouring of the Spirit in the early part of the twentieth century, Jessie Penn-Lewis traveled the country, looking in on a lot of different Christian groups. Penn-Lewis had discernment and saw a lot of abuse of the supernatural. When God starts something, there is always an opportunity for the devil to come in, too, once God opens the door to the supernatural. Now, as long as churches don't believe in the supernatural, they won't accept it, and so they can't be deceived by it. At the time of Penn-Lewis' travels, many denominations didn't want any supernatural manifestations in their churches; therefore, they didn't have any deceptions from the devil in that regard. However, they did have a lot of deception in that they were neglecting the Scriptural supernatural and neglecting the clear command to receive the gifts and power of Christ. It was when God opened the door by the outpouring of His Spirit that the devil came in to lead people astray with manifestations that are not in the Bible. When a person gets baptized in the Spirit, their eyes are opened to the supernatural, but they are also in a more vulnerable position in that regard. Unless they love the truth, they won't be able to discern and catch the devil when he comes, bringing his supernatural copies. This is like what Jannes and Jambres did with Moses (Exodus 7:8-12,20-22; Exodus 8:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:8-9). They copied almost everything that Moses did, but there came an end to their power (Exodus 8:18-19). The same thing is happening today in the church. “Jannes” and “Jambres” are loose and manifesting their supernatural gifts in the church. These manifestations are not of God because they are not listed among the Holy Spirit's manifestations in the Scriptures, and that alone should make us suspect them. Manifestations that do not destroy the devil's kingdom but merely appease man's appetite for the supernatural are usually not from God. Even as true ministers speak truth which are confirmed with signs and wonders, false ministers speak lies that are confirmed with what the Bible calls “lying signs and wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Is it possible for a person to have a mixture, to be manifesting the Word one moment and some religious spirit the next moment? Yes, it's possible that this can happen. We've all manifested a mixture in our own lives until we learned better, haven't we? So a mixture is also possible among other believers or ministers. Let's read a few things that Jessie Penn-Lewis, with Evan Roberts, reported in the book War on the Saints, 1912 edition. I am not regarding Penn-Lewis as a teacher, and I don't agree with everything in this book, but Penn-Lewis's witness and discernment of the spirits involved is good. [Note: All passages of War on the Saints are taken from Chapter Five, “Deception and Possession”; Chapter Six, “Counterfeits of the Divine”; or the Appendix, unless otherwise stated. Underlining has been added for emphasis and is not found in the original.]   War on the Saints, Dual Streams of Power (David's notes in red) Under the heading “Dual Streams of Power,” War on the Saints states: From such possessed believers… (If you don't accept that believers can be possessed, go back and study the Word. Jesus called deliverance “the children's bread” {Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27}. Only the children of God have a legal right to deliverance, and that right is based only on their faith in the New Testament.) …there can proceed, at intervals, streams from the two sources of power, one from the Spirit of God in the centre, and the other from an evil spirit in the outer man; and with the two parallel results to those who come in contact with the two streams of power. In preaching, all the truth spoken by such a believer may be of God, and according to the Scriptures, correct and full of light—the spirit of the man right—whilst evil spirits working in mind or body, make use of the cover of the truth to insert their manifestations… Why would God permit such a thing? Where there is truth spoken, why would God permit, in the same service, false manifestations to deceive people into receiving some false gift? God permits this for the reason of weeding out those from among His people who don't love the truth. Those who love the truth are not going to swallow a lie from the devil for long. They're going to respect the Word too much. They're going to look in there to see “if these things be so,” like the Bereans. (Act.17:11) Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so. If a person has a noble spirit, they'll search the Word to see if these things are so. If they're not of that spirit, they'll swallow anything just because it's supernatural. They respect the man, so they think, “It's got to be good.” Don't get your eyes on men. The words of men should be under our feet. Now I don't care anything about the game of baseball, but in a dream I once had, I was the first batter up in a baseball game. I stepped up to the home base mound, looked down, and saw a hole in the ground where the base was supposed to be. I was standing there with my bat, and everyone had their eyes on me. I said, “We're going to have to fill up this hole.” I directed everybody to get newspapers to fill the hole, so that we could stand on these newspapers. You may think, “Well, that sounds nutty.” I thought so, too, until I started meditating on the meaning. We have to get the news, the words of man, in total submission under our feet. It's the Good News that's going to make the difference. Man is giving you his news, his word the way he sees it, but we have to overcome the word of man to be able to run the race and to win. Paul talked about this in his letters (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 5:7). So that wad of newspapers filled up that hole. I stood on it, and looking towards first base, I saw chairs for people to sit in, but some of those chairs were obstructing my view of first base. I stopped right there, put my bat down, walked over and started kicking those chairs out of the way so that I could get a good view of first base. We have to get our eyes on where we're going. We have to see the end from the beginning, and we can't let anything get in the way of where we're going. The only way you can get your eyes on where you're going is to pay attention to the Good News. You can look in the Word and see that the true Church and its order are strangely different from the organization that men have been calling the “Church.” That's because people have their eyes on men, and the bad news of men has convinced them that it's right. Get your eyes on the Word, or you'll be deceived. That's what that dream was about. “Dual Streams of Power” continued: In preaching, all the truth spoken by such a believer may be of God, and according to the Scriptures, correct and full of light—the spirit of the man right—whilst evil spirits working in mind or body, make use of the cover of the truth to insert their manifestations, so as to find acceptance with both speaker and hearers. That is to say, there may pour through a believer at one moment, a stream of truth from the Word, giving light and love and blessing to receptive ones among the listeners; and the next moment, a foreign spirit, hidden in mind or body, may send forth a streamlet through the soulish or physical part of the man, producing corresponding effects in soul or body among the listeners… A man doesn't have to lay hands on you to impart his spirit to you. Jesus said, (Joh.6:63) It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life. The words of a man that are spoken through him by an evil spirit are passed on the same way Jesus' words were passed on, but that man's words “are spirit, and are death.” Those words go into you and recreate that spirit's nature in you and make it possible for that spirit to possess you. “Dual Streams of Power” continued: That is to say, there may pour through a believer at one moment, a stream of truth from the Word, giving light and love and blessing to receptive ones among the listeners; and the next moment, a foreign spirit, hidden in mind or body, may send forth a streamlet through the soulish or physical part of the man, producing corresponding effects in soul or body among the listeners, who respond in their soulish or physical part to the Satanic stream, either by emotional or physical manifestations, (Notice that the response is emotional or fleshly. These manifestations are to titillate your emotions or your physical man, rather than your spiritual man. That's the difference between the manifestations of religious spirits and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Also Paul said, we “prophesy in part” which could be part our doctrine and part God.) continued: physical manifestations, or in nervous or muscular actions. In another passage, Penn-Lewis documented that “nerves and muscles are twisted in contortions, and convulsions, such as are described in the Scripture records.” In the Bible these “Scripture records” describe the demon-possessed, but Lewis was witnessing church people with these descriptions. One or the other of the “streams” of power from the Holy Spirit in his spirit, or from the deceiving spirit in mind or body, may predominate at different times, thus making the same man appear dual in character, with short intervals, at different periods of time. “See how he speaks! How he seeks to glorify God! How sane and reasonable he is! What a passion he has for souls!” may be said with truth of a worker, until some moments later some peculiar change is seen in him, and in the meeting. A strange element comes in, possibly only recognizable to some with keen spiritual vision, or else plainly obvious to all. Perhaps the speaker begins to pray quietly, and calmly, with a pure spirit, but suddenly the voice is raised, it sounds “hollow,” or has a metallic tone; the tension of the meeting increases; an overwhelming, overmastering “power” falls upon it; and no one thinks of “resisting” what appears to be such a “manifestation of God!” Under the heading “Mixed Manifestations,” their book states: The majority of those present may have no idea of the mixture which has crept in. Some fall upon the ground unable to bear the strained emotion, or effect upon the mind; and some are thrown down by some supernatural power; others cry out in ecstasy; the speaker leaves the platform, passes by a young man, who becomes conscious of a feeling of intoxication upon him, which does not leave his senses for some time. Others laugh with the exuberance of the intoxicating joy. Some have had real spiritual help and blessing through the Word of God being expounded ere this climax came, and during the pure outflow of the Holy Spirit; consequently they accept these strange workings as from God, because in the first stage of the meeting, their needs have been truly met by Him; and they cannot discern the two separate “manifestations” coming through the same channel! If they doubt the latter part of the meeting, they fear they are untrue to their inner conviction that the earlier part was “of God.” Others are conscious that the “manifestations” are contrary to their spiritual vision and judgment, but on account of the blessing of the earlier part, they stifle their doubts, and say, “We cannot understand the physical manifestations, but we must not expect to understand all that God does.” The most common statement I have heard out of the mouth of those who escaped demon manifestations is, “When I went in there, I told God, ‘If this isn't of You, I don't want it.'” On the other hand, people who want something because everyone else is getting it and who just assume it must be of God, these people get caught. (1Co.4:6) Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other. When churches have goofy manifestations, I hear the same justification today that Penn-Lewis reported. People tell me, “We don't understand everything He does or why He does it.” Well, that's what Scripture has been given to us for! God warned us ahead of time and gave us a list of the manifestations of the Spirit. He doesn't list the manifestations described earlier in the chapter, and they're not manifested in Jesus' ministry or the disciples' ministry. Is God doing something new? No, religious spirits are doing something new, but it's not really new, is it? (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. “Mixed Manifestations” continued: We only know that the wonderful outpouring of truth and love and light at the beginning of the meeting was from God, and met our need. No one can mistake the sincerity, the pure motive of the speaker. Therefore, although I cannot understand, or say I “like” the physical manifestations, yet, it must be all of God. Briefly put, this is a glimpse into the mixed “manifestations” which have come upon the Church of God, since the Revival in Wales; for, almost without exception, in every land where revival has since broken forth, within a very brief period of time the counterfeit stream has mingled with the true; and almost without exception, true and false have been accepted together, because of the workers being ignorant of the possibility of concurrent streams; or else have been rejected together by those who could not detect the one from the other; or it has been believed that there was no “true” at all, because the majority of believers fail to understand that there can be mixed workings of the (1) Divine and Satanic, (Some of them wouldn't believe any of it was true because of what they saw. They don't believe in the mixture of divine and satanic, but there's divine in the human and satanic in the human.) (2) Divine and human, (3) Satanic and human, (4) soul and spirit, (5) soul and body, (6) body and spirit; the three latter in the way of feelings and consciousness, and the three former in the way of source and power. There must be more than one quantity to make a mixture, at least two. The devil mixes his lies with the truth, for he must use a truth to carry his lies. Otherwise, the believer won't accept it. The believer must therefore discriminate and judge all things. He must be able to see so much to be impure, and so much that he can accept. Satan is a “mixer.” If in anything he finds ninety-nine percent pure, he tries to insert one percent of his poisonous stream, and this grows, if undetected, until the proportions are reversed. Where there is mixture acknowledged to be in meetings where supernatural manifestations take place, if believers are unable to discriminate, they should keep away from these “mixtures” until they are able to discern... Under the subheading “Counterfeit Manifestations of Divine Workings in the Body,” we read: Counterfeit manifestations of the Divine life in various ways now follow quickly; movements in the body, pleasant thrills, touches, a glow as of fire in different parts of the body; or sensations of cold, or shakings, and tremblings; all accepted by the believer as from God, but showing what a full entry the deceiving spirit has obtained to the bodily frame; for there is a distinction between the manifestations of evil spirits “with” and “in” the body and mind of the believer; although when they are really inside, they can also make it appear as if they were outside, both in influence and action. When evil spirits are really outside, and desirous of entry, they work by sudden suggestion, which is not the ordinary working of the mind, but suggestions which come from without; “flashes of memory,” again not the ordinary working of the memory, but coming from without; touches and twitches of the nerves; feelings of draught [“Draught” is the British spelling for “draft.”] and sensations of wind blowing on the circumference, etc. Under the subheading “Effects of Evil Spirit Entry to the Bodily Frame,” we read: When the evil spirits are inside, the whole frame is affected, at times with the pleasant sensations referred to, (The “pleasures of sin” are “for a season” {Hebrews 11:25} but then the devil starts taking advantage of ways to bring sickness and destruction to them and their families.) but at others with pains in the head and body which have no physical cause, or else so working with the “natural” that the supernatural cannot easily be distinguished from it; such as accelerating the heartbeat so as to appear palpitation, and in other ways working with the physical causes, so that part has natural ground, and part is from the accentuating force of evil. Depression then ensues in proportion to the previous exhilaration… Many of us have seen people when the “spirit” came on them. They were swinging up and down in their emotions, elated and depressed, laughing and crying. That is what the devil does to people. He wants them to pay attention to, and become dependent on, their feelings and emotions rather than the Word of God, but we have to be weaned away from emotions and feelings. We have to pay attention to the Word and walk by faith, not by sight and not by feelings. The Lord will do this for us if we will let Him. False manifestations try to lead us back to walking by sight, to being dependent on emotions and feelings. Finishing the report from “Effects of Evil Spirit Entry to the Bodily Frame,” we read: Depression then ensues in proportion to the previous exhilaration; exhaustion and fatigue in reaction from the demand upon the nervous system in the hours of ecstasy; or else a sense of drainage of strength without any visible cause; grief and joy, heat and cold, laughter and tears, all succeed each other in rapid changes, and varied degrees--in brief, the emotional sensibilities seem to have full play. The problem is that emotional sensibilities have full play when the devil is in it. And from a chart titled “The True Workings of God, and Counterfeits of Satan,” we read: (2) The counterfeit of the Presence of God is mainly felt upon the body, and by the physical senses, in conscious “fire,” “thrills,” etc. The counterfeit of the “Presence” in the atmosphere is felt by the senses of the body, as “breath,” “wind,” etc., whilst the mind is passive or inactive. The person affected by this counterfeit “presence” will be moved almost automatically to actions he would not perform of his own will (Recall what I have already shown you about the will: God can move through your will, but the devil will move without it.) and with all his faculties in operation. He may not even remember what he has done when under the “power” of this “presence,” just as a sleepwalker knows nothing of his actions when in that state. The inaction of the mind can often be seen by the vacant look in the eyes. (I've also seen this vacant look in the eyes.) In the Appendix under “The Working of Evil Spirits in Christian Gatherings, Section 3, Supposed Manifestations of the Holy Spirit,” it says: From a book recently published, said to contain the very words of the Lord Jesus, spoken through some of His children, and written down as spoken in the first person, the following brief extract is taken, showing the extent of the mediumistic control by deceiving spirits, which by some are believed to be the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus is supposed to have said, “The manifestations of the Spirit, in some things, are very strange. Sometimes He will twist the body this way, and that, and the meaning is dark to you. I want you to know some things about this part of the Spirit's work. I want you to see that they are not useless. If you had spoken in your own tongue, when the Spirit came in, it would have graciously blessed you; but perhaps you might have thought it was yourself, as many have. So the Spirit comes in and speaks in an unknown tongue to you, that you might know that it was not yourself speaking… Whomever is being quoted here, it is not the Lord. This is someone possessed by a religious spirit who is comparing tongues, which is a real manifestation of the Spirit, with twistings and jerkings. These manifestations cannot be compared. They are not the same thing. The false Jesus: Your hands He has often lifted up, and again He has raised your fingers in various ways. Your eyes open and shut by the Spirit now, as they did not before. People's eyes were opening and closing, not at their will, but at the will of this spirit. The false Jesus: Your very head has been shaken by the Spirit, and you have not known why He did this. You have thought sometimes, it was just to show He was living there, and that is true, but there is more in it than that, and He will show you as well as He can, in a few words, what some of these things are… Some things in the manifestations are very peculiar to you. You have gone on wondering about them. Don't think it strange that the Spirit works in you in many ways. His work is more than a two-fold work. It is manifold. This is puzzling many minds. They see the Spirit shaking. They hear Him singing. They feel him laughing, and they are sometimes tried with His various twistings and jerkings, as though He would tear them to pieces. Sometimes it seems He is imitating the animals in various sounds and doings. The false revival, or false prophetic movement, is full of these kinds of Eastern religious spirit manifestations, but these movements have had a strange lack of those manifestations that destroy the works of the devil, as seen in the Gospels and Acts. Satan doesn't cast out Satan. (Mat.12:26) And if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? The false Jesus: This has been all a mystery to the saints. His work, I say, is manifold. He seeks, in some, to show them that they are all one with each other, in the whole creation… If He shows you, by making a noise as of some wild animal, and that you are like that, you must not despise His way of working, for the Holy Spirit knows why He does it. He makes these noises in the animals, can't He make them in you?” This is the reasoning of some kind of religious spirit. It is Satan who turns men into beasts. This is a sign of the false revival spirits of Eastern religions. (Ecc.3:17) I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. (18) I said in my heart, [It is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts. (19) For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath (This is ruach, which is the same Hebrew word for “spirit.”); and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. The beasts of Revelation and Daniel are wicked, lost men, who are moved by their flesh. We must love the Word so much that we won't add to it or take away from it (Deuteronomy 4:2,12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19; etc.) People who don't love the Word are going to add to it. I've made this mistake in my youth because I listened to Pentecostal people. Satan's deception didn't start with us; it started way back before us. When the supernatural from God comes, the supernatural from the devil comes in right behind it to deceive. This is just as we saw happening back with Moses and Jannes and Jambres. When the Lord moves, the devil is going to move to stop it. We thank God that He has given us examples of those supernatural manifestations spoken in His Word. The manifestations of spirits detailed in this chapter help us to pay attention to our senses and to our emotions which cater to the flesh. People are getting a thrill in the flesh, but they're not getting an understanding of what's happening. When the lost of the world look at what's going on, it makes them think little of the Word of God and little of the testimony of the people who are manifesting these things. All this is the devil seeking to destroy our witness and seeking to make the things of God look foolish in the eyes of the world. In the false revival or false prophetic movement, they were making all kinds of beast noises, barking, roaring, howling, and so on, which is what demon spirits do. These people are possessed by Eastern religious spirits, Kundalini sspirits, who usually kill them before their time. A lot of these manifestations, like twistings and jerkings, also happen in Buddhism, yet these uninformed people wrongly think they are peculiar manifestations of the Holy Spirit. If you do follow this kind of thing, you'll lose interest in the Word and will not be able to follow the Spirit of God. To follow the Spirit of God you have to be weaned away from following feelings and emotions. To follow the Spirit of God, you can't go against Scripture which He wrote. Now let me share this testimony:   Delivered from False Revival Spirits and Religion by R.C. When I was twenty-two years old and just married, I was very hungry for God and trying to draw near Him the best I knew how. And the Lord was revealing Himself. I was beginning to have dreams and visions, and experiencing the Lord drawing me, speaking to me, and teaching me. In my hunger for more of God, I began to attend revival meetings for about three or four years with many speakers associated with Toronto, Brownsville, the Kansas City prophetic movement, and even Fresh Fire Ministries. (Many who associated with the false revival or false prophetic movement fell away from the Lord and many marriages failed. Besides the Kundalini eastern spirits, Jezebel spirits were imparted causing women to feel independent of their husbands and even domineering towards them and some become ministers. Amany men and women died early.) My wife and I were happy at first, but after a while I got so minded toward pursuing the Lord, I left her in the dust. (People did warn me many times.) I came across a prophetic power minister from the Toronto movement and got to know him pretty well. In his meetings he had all sorts of manifestations, like the laughter. After people would get prayer, oftentimes, visitations would occur. You would see all sorts of strange signs and wonders. (They lay hands on as many as possible to impart these spirits.) You would smell frankincense and different fragrances. Sometimes in his meetings people would begin to feel fire come on them. (Some of the counselors of this would advise the people to stop calling on Jesus but to just chant, “fire, fire, fire”.)  During one meeting people would begin to see streams of gold in visionary experiences. Our pastor even opened our church to this ministry. (A huge mistake.) We had meetings with a lot of these strange manifestations. The focus was completely on experiencing manifestations, rather than loving Jesus and becoming more like Him, manifesting Him. It was like a meeting was a big show. I was always hoping to experience something new. We went to a retreat with our worship leader and some of our youth. There a prophetic pastor laid hands on me and prophesied to me. I went to the floor and experienced the laughter manifestation. I was not faking it. I felt someone literally laughing through me. (A demon of Kundalini) My wife and I got in an argument about me going to meetings. She wanted me to spend time with her and my son. That night at the meeting a prophet came and prophesied to me, saying, I see you had trouble coming to the meeting tonight. The Lord says, “This is the time I want you to be coming to meetings and getting filled up.” Looking back, that was definitely not a word from God. I told my wife what the prophet had prophesied, and I could tell she got upset. I now know that God would not have put a knife in our relationship like that. At first she was coming near to the Lord, and her heart was softening. But after a time she began to resent the LORD and me due to my lack of attention to her. At times I would get a vision where the “Lord” was telling me to fast, so I would end up fasting. My wife would get really angry. And it was my fault. I began to fast maybe two or three days a week. I went from 140 to 123 pounds, and stayed that weight for about two years. Our marriage was going downhill. When I began to fast more, the prophetic began to increase in my life. I began to listen to teachings from Fresh Fire Ministries about “soaking,” meditative or contemplative prayer. This is described as a practice of meditating on Jesus, while being still for long periods of time. I began to listen to an offshoot ministry from Fresh Fire Ministries, called Abiding Glory Ministries. I listened to the prophetic school they offered, then I began to increase in visions. (This movement became known as the false prophetic movement for good reason.) The enemy was sending new friends from the Bahai faith into my wife's life. She began to come to me with a lot of questions. I remembered hearing the testimony of Sadhu Sundar Singh, an Indian Apostle in the early 1900s. (A man of God.) Satan had come to him and tried to get him to leave the Lord and become a prophet of a new religion that would join religions together. He had refused the devil's offer. But my wife was being deceived into the Bahai faith. I agreed to speak with these people. One of them talked about Isaiah 61 being about Mohammed coming from Bosrah. He said the prophecy there was referring to Mohammed. Then he went on to talk about Revelation 19 when the Lord had a name written on Him that no man knew but Himself. Then he proceeded to say that this was Mohammed. Christianity to him is what going back to the Jewish Law would be to us. (Both the faction movement and this false prophetic movement cause many to fall away in foolish deceptions.) They began to talk with me about the two witnesses. Their point was: How could I believe that these two prophets were going to really breathe fire out of their mouth? They ended with Revelation 19—riding on a white horse, the man with a double-edged sword coming from his mouth. According to these people, I was wrong. Both texts were spiritual, not literal, incidents. They truly had more understanding of Revelation than I did. As I was really humbled, I tried to avoid them for a while. My wife kept asking, “Why can't any Christians disprove these things? Why can't they truly explain Isaiah 61 and Revelation 19 to other Christians to stop them from converting to the Bahai faith?” Many times the Bahai leaders would go to PhD professors of theology and ask them to disprove their interpretation. One of the guys in the room I met was a former Christian. I went home and fasted and prayed for a day. I wondered, Why was the Holy Spirit not with me like He was with Stephen in the book of Acts, helping him to be able to refute them with the spirit of Wisdom. I asked the Lord for the truth. I told Him that if Bahai were truth, I would convert. But I didn't believe it was true. A couple of months later, on the Prophecy Club website, the Lord led me to UBM. Then I began to hear the book of Revelation explained and I knew the Lord was showing me truth. The Lord has been really gracious to bring me out of this deception. It truly has been just His mercy. Here's one example: When my old mp3 player broke (on which I listened to all the false prophetic ministries' messages), my wife got me a new player. But it got stolen. At the time I couldn't understand why … now I know the LORD was keeping me from listening to those messages. Another example is: I would have dreams in which I was under the influence of marijuana. I dismissed these dreams as demonic. I now realize that the LORD was telling me I was “under the influence…” My mother (who prayed for me constantly) and my pastor began to recognize the deception I was in. But I wouldn't listen. If anyone were to start talking about the revival manifestations being false, I would just “label” them as having an unreceptive religious spirit. They were missing this “new thing” GOD was doing. I heard a UBM broadcast where a man was talking about coming out of the prophetic movement. Then UBM talked about deception pertaining to what was going on in Lakeland, FL. At first I was thinking, “Religious spirit?” and then, “What if I'm wrong?” Slowly the LORD began to open my eyes and show me I was in serious deception. Then my wife wanted to separate. She pretty much left the LORD. At this time my wife put our house on the market. I began to fast and cry for my marriage and pray that our house would not sell. But it sold, resulting in me not knowing where to go. The Lord kept telling me to go home. But the false prophetic spirits were leading me to stay and get my family together. Eventually I had no options, so I moved back to Texas with my son. I didn't understand why God had neither stopped the house from selling, nor put our marriage back together. When I got to Texas, I didn't take seriously my mother telling me that I was being deceived under a false prophetic spirit. But one night I was praying for a friend, receiving “words of knowledge” that he was out drinking that night. The next day I asked him about this “revelation.” He replied that he'd been home sleeping. Then I knew I was under falsehood of the devil. I got news that my wife was coming down to bring my daughter for a visit. It seemed, again, like the “Lord” was saying, “Fast.” I began to see how this thing was operating on me…. The Lord gave me a dream that, while watching Christian TV, I was high on marijuana. Two individuals, a lady and my cousin M., were with me. When he went to the kitchen, I got up and could feel unclean spirits all over and inside of me. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Then I woke up…. Through this dream the Lord was telling me that two spirits were controlling me, using the things of God to distract and keep me under their influence. In the dream I got up and went to the bathroom. This represented a place to clean up and get rid of waste. In another dream I was committing adultery with a lady with short hair (Jezebel). It ended the same as the first one: I got up to go to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and woke up. I was trying to get delivered, but my faith was not what it once was. A spirit of unbelief had gotten into my life somewhere. No matter how much I remembered what the LORD did for me, there was an invisible wall of unbelief. I just couldn't break through. During this process, the Lord began to tell me to stop pursuing the prophetic gifts and stop asking for a visitation from the Lord. But the Word says, (Psa.37:4) Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart. So I thought, “No way that I am going to stop.” But when I would start praying, I kept feeling uncleanness in my heart. After the Lord had told me to stop, one night I was praying for the prophetic. The next morning my son said he had this dream: He saw Jesus, but in his heart he knew it wasn't really Jesus. Satan, dressed like Jesus, had asked him what he wanted for a gift. My son replied, “A pony.” Then he opened the gift. Instead there was a demon in the box! NOW I understand that GOD didn't save my marriage (like I thought He would) for a reason—to bring me here to get delivered and restored to Him. God wanted me to stop my pursuit of the prophetic because this was doing nothing but feeding the spirit of falsehood controlling me. The Lord began to reveal to me that I'm not a prophet. I had wanted to be one, but that was not my calling. I'm not saying “don't earnestly desire the gifts,” but rather, make sure your heart is right. I don't know when or how it's going to look, but our marriage is restored by God's grace. (Praise to the Lord!)  I have gone through severe chastening from the Lord, but I thank Him. What I was seeing in the movement was not right, but I ignored that voice. Even when I was in the false revival meetings, I always internally felt the wrongness of it. I'm just constantly crying out to our merciful Lord now for grace. He has shown me that the most awesome possession on the face of this earth is Himself. He is the prize—to fully gain Him and have Him gain us. It was His grace to even open my eyes to see the truth. Else I would have had Him say to me on that day, (Mat.7:21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Verse by verse study through the book of Acts Chapter Two and Verse Nine

Welcome to Day 2649 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2649 – New Testament Orientation – The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey Putnam Church Message – 06/08/2025 Sermon Series: New Testament Orientation Message 7: The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey.   Last week, we explored: Jesus' Message to Gentiles & Jews - the Cross Core Verses: Hebrews 3:1-2 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) This week is Messager: 7 of 12 Title: The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey. Core Verses: Acts 1:8 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) Today is Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection Sunday. On this day, many representatives of the Israelites who had been taken into exile in the Assyria and Babylonian empires were in Jerusalem. The countries mentioned are also very similar to the nations dispersed at the Tower of Babbel being reunited again. The dispersed nations were being reunited to begin the construction of God's kingdom throughout the known world. As we get started this morning, let me set the stage by reading the account of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-12 On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. 7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9 Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. The precursor to this passage is our core verse for today: Core Verses: Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in...

Acts 2:1-21 - The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Peter Addresses the Crowd 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,     and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood     before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls     on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Acts 2:1-41 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.  7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?  9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”  12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”   14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!  16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.  25 David said about him:  “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,  27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' 29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.  30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.  31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.  32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 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.  34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”' 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”   41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Acts 2:1-12 NASB  1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.5 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Pastor John Ryan Cantu brings this week's message, “Pentecostal Posture." Donate to Sister Elida Alanis's Memorial Fund Kay Verse: Acts 2:1-21 ESV: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” Sermon Topics: Holy Spirit, Pentecost If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org. Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 10:48 - Acts 2:1-21 ESV 13:26 - Pentecostal Posture

Monday - Acts 2:1-12When the day of Pentecost came, they wereall together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed tobe tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterlyamazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “Theyhave had too much wine.”

Reading 1Acts 2:1-11When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heavenstaying in Jerusalem.At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,but they were confusedbecause each one heard them speaking in his own language.They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,as well as travelers from Rome,both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,yet we hear them speaking in our own tonguesof the mighty acts of God."Reading 21 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13Brothers and sisters:No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;there are different forms of service but the same Lord;there are different workings but the same Godwho produces all of them in everyone.To each individual the manifestation of the Spiritis given for some benefit.As a body is one though it has many parts,and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,so also Christ.For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.GospelJohn 20:19-23On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midstand said to them, "Peace be with you."When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you."And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the Holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,and whose sins you retain are retained."

Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: `In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

Entrance Hymn #516 Come Down, O Love DivineSequence Hymn #513 Like the Murmur of the Dove's SongOffertory Anthem Precious Spirit, Breath of Peace (Martin)Communion Anthem Veni Sancte Spiritus (Berthier) Lawren Casagrande, soloistPost-Communion Hymn #506 Praise the Spirit in Creation THE COLLECT OF THE DAYO God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christyour Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.FIRST READING Acts 2:1-21When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came asound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, theyasked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in...

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. John 14:16 NLT The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2 NLTThe plans of God are carried out by the authority of the Father, the work and word of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit!But when the Father sends the Advocate (comforter) as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26 NLTNevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:7- 8 ESV Holy Spirit is God with us always! When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… for he will take what is mine and declare it to you…. John 16:13 & 15 NLTThe works of Christ and the Cross are accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” Acts 2:1-11 NLTThis encounter with Holy Spirit was a once off, but a normal part of the New Testament narrative! Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.“No,” they replied, “we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:2 NLTGod also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:4 ESVAll these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:11 NIVBut when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NLTWhere the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom! 2 Corinthians 3:17The gifts of the Holy Spirit will always enhance and empower the fruit of the Spirit!But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22 NLTWhen the gifts of the spirit are evident and active, the fruit of the spirit is beautiful and bountiful.  

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. John 14:16 NLT The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2 NLTThe plans of God are carried out by the authority of the Father, the work and word of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit!But when the Father sends the Advocate (comforter) as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26 NLTNevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:7- 8 ESV Holy Spirit is God with us always! When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… for he will take what is mine and declare it to you…. John 16:13 & 15 NLTThe works of Christ and the Cross are accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” Acts 2:1-11 NLTThis encounter with Holy Spirit was a once off, but a normal part of the New Testament narrative! Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.“No,” they replied, “we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:2 NLTGod also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:4 ESVAll these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:11 NIVBut when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NLTWhere the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom! 2 Corinthians 3:17The gifts of the Holy Spirit will always enhance and empower the fruit of the Spirit!But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22 NLTWhen the gifts of the spirit are evident and active, the fruit of the spirit is beautiful and bountiful.  

On Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out with power, transforming the fearful into the bold. The Spirit is not just a gentle helper — but the fire and breath of God that equips the Church for its mission. Acts 2:1–13 ESVWhen the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

First Lesson: Genesis 11:1–9 1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech.” 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.9Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Psalm: 104:25-35,37 25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *         in wisdom you have made them all;         the earth is full of your creatures. 26 Yonder is the great and wide sea     with its living things too many to number, *         creatures both small and great. 27 There move the ships,     and there is that Leviathan, *         which you have made for the sport of it. 28 All of them look to you *         to give them their food in due season. 29 You give it to them; they gather it; *         you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. 30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *         you take away their breath,         and they die and return to their dust. 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *         and so you renew the face of the earth. 32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *         may the Lord rejoice in all his works. 33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *         he touches the mountains and they smoke. 34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *         I will praise my God while I have my being. 35 May these words of mine please him; *         I will rejoice in the Lord. 37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *         Hallelujah! Second Lesson: Acts 2:1-21 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Gospel: John 14:8-17, (25-27) 8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 15”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. [25”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.]

Epistle Reading: Acts 2:1-11WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." Gospel Reading: John 7:37-52; 8:12On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." Nikodemos, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Pentecost EVERYdayActs 2:1–13 (ESV) When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”Acts 2:41–47 (ESV) So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.God's Presence, Inside UsA constant theme is “God With Us”Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV) It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.Emmanuel, yet He's leaving….John 14:18 (ESV) “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.John 14:16–17 (ESV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for HE DWELLS WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU.God's Power, In UsGod's power, observed in JesusGod's promise, you will function in similar fashionJohn 14:12–14 (ESV)“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.But how?Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”This is available to all.Acts 2:16–19 (ESV) But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;Acts 2:43 (ESV) And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.God's Transformation, Through UsSo often we feel like we have to convince people of the reality of Jesus.Peter was previously ineffective in convincing others because he was all over the map in his own convincing.Acts 2:41 (ESV) So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.The Spirit came upon him… and he simply shared the truth, but that truth is empowered by the Spirit within him.John 12:32 (ESV) And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (ESV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

June 8, 2025 Acts 2:1-21 (ESV) 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

At Bethany, We are God's People who are: Gathered! Connected! Sent!We want to connect with you through this Podcast! Leave us a comment! Tell us where you are at! Leave a Review to help our audience grow!--June 8, 2025 -- Pr. Kevin Kritzer -- "Holy Spirit" -- Acts 2:1-21(2) When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. 2 Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer. 4 All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. 5 Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. 6 They gathered when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke.7 Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are speaking are Galileans. 8 Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects? 9 We're Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We're people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We're Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done.” 12 All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, “What can this mean?” 13 Others said jokingly, “They're drunk on sweet wine.” 14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them, “Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so pay attention to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning. 16 Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: 17 ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women. They will speak what God has revealed. 19 I will work miracles in the sky and give signs on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will become as red as blood before the terrifying day of the Lord comes. 21 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'http://www.bethanylutheran.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.facebook.com/Bethany.Long.Beach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/c/BethanyLutheranLongBeach

Contact us at: thewavecolumbus@gmail.com, or www.thewavecolumbus.com or daniel@thewavecolumbus.com ContentActs 2:1-10When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Acts 2:42-47They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.Contact us at: thewavecolumbus@gmail.com, or daniel@thewavecolumbus.com or www.thewavecolumbus.com

What is Pentecost? When did this happen in relation to the crucifixion and resurrection? What is the significance of the tongues of fire? Dr. Croghan turns to Martin Luther's Small Catechism: "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel." This is the Holy Spirit's work, to deliver the Gospel to you. The Holy Spirit comes to convict you of your sin. The conviction comes when you say, “Your sins are forgiven.” You have mercy. You have the Gospel. CARE OF SOULS - ADDICTIONIn Care of Souls, a special mini-series podcast from Luther House of Study, Lutheran pastors and theologians come together to explore the deeply personal and pastoral task of preaching to and caring for those struggling with life's challenging situations: addiction, death, family disharmony, and more. Rooted in the theology of the cross and the Lutheran tradition of radical grace, this series offers both theological depth and practical guidance for pastors, church workers, and lay leaders. Because in the end, it's not about fixing people—it's about preaching the Gospel. Care of Souls - Addiction GOSPEL Acts 2:1-21 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs -- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17  'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18  Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19  And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20  The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

In John 14:26, Jesus promised, ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.' No matter where we are the Holy Spirit is our constant companion, our Advocate and Helper. He empowers us to understand God's truth, comforts us in uncertainty, and reminds us of Christ's love and wisdom in every season. In a city that never sleeps, let's pause and invite the Holy Spirit to ignite our hearts. We are never alone; God's presence is with us, teaching, guiding, and connecting us to His unending grace. If you are new to Community Church, WELCOME! We would love to get to know you. Please fill in the following form and we look forward to connecting with you: https://bit.ly/cc-new-connect You can find all timely and relevant links from this service on https://bit.ly/cc-links You can also find out more about us at https://communitychurch.hk/ ================ This Week's Scripture: // Acts 2:1-13, 41 // The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Luke wrote “Acts of the Apostles” as a sequel to his Gospel. The book picks up after the ascension of Jesus to chronicle the life of the early Church. That makes the Easter season a great time to pray through Acts of the Apostles. Previously on The 40 Days for Life Podcast, we introduced you to 9 People You Meet at Christ's Birth AND Planned Parenthood and 10 People You Meet at Christ's Passion AND at Planned Parenthood. Today, we introduce you to 10 People You Meet in Acts of the Apostles AND at Planned Parenthood: Matthias Peter Annas and Caiaphas Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, residents of Pontus and Asia, Phrygians, Pamphilians, Egyptians, Libyans, Cyrenians, Romans, Cretans, and Arabians  The Athenians Mark Demetrius the Silversmith Barnabas The Sadducees Paul

Why is there violence in the Bible?Why did the authors of Deuteronomy present parables of genocide? Why did the gospel writers posit a story about tribal, religious, and political betrayals, acts of treason, and violent acts by the hand of God? Why do both Testaments deal with war, cruelty, violence, and the threat of God's wrath? The New Testament is not new in its content. It is the same old content directed at a new audience.The Bible is not a bunch of broken fragments from different writers patched together arbitrarily. This is a boring orientalist theory invented by German colonial scholars that nobody who knows what they are talking about takes seriously anymore.J,E,D,P,Q. The last one is my favorite. If you can't find the source, there must be an all-powerful imaginary source called “Q.” It was such an excellent idea that Gene Roddenberry named an entire race of fictional narcissistic deities “Q.” Good job, biblical scholarship! You're so “mystical.”For heaven's sake, pick up a copy of Tarazi and catch up.As inconvenient as it is for Westernized (Hellenized) Christians, Paul's teaching of grace—his repurposing of Roman gratia in submission to the teaching of the Cross—was a reapplication of Deuteronomy's literary wrath against Israel's sense of self-entitlement and self-importance. A redirection of God's judgment against the latest monsters to invade and occupy Mesopotamia. Deuteronomy was something like a “directed conversation” held indirectly with all parties in which God himself warns everyone, beginning with Israel:“The land belongs to me. It put you in, and I can talk you out. ”The New Testament repeats this warning to a new audience: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13) This verse or “sign” is the novelty of the prophetic self-destruction of the Temple and of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and its sign is clear: the Emperor has no clothes.I wish Congress understood Deuteronomy. But how could they? Even Western scholars, let alone the clergy, don't get it.“Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” (Deuteronomy 29:4)Remember, the writers of the Torah, who wrote under the pen name “Moses,” were something akin to disillusioned and disaffected State Department employees.So why did Scripture deal with violence head-on, placing all violence in the hands of the unseen and indepictable God? Let me count the ways for you. For all of you “evolved” and “enlightened” Westerners.The following are notable genocides and massacres committed by invaders against occupied populations, starting from the Mesopotamian era through the Greek and Roman periods.Conquest of Sumerian City-States by Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BC)Gutian Invasion and Destruction of Akkad (2150 BC)Destruction of Ur by the Elamites and Amorites (2004 BC)Destruction of Mari by Hammurabi (1761 BC)Destruction of Babylon by the Hittites (1595 BC)Elamite Conquest of Babylon (1155 BC)Assyrian Destruction of Susa (647 BC)Destruction of Babylon by Assyrians (689 BC)Persian Conquest of Elam (540 BC)Destruction of Thebes (335 BC)Siege of Tyre (332 BC)Destruction of Carthage (146 BC)Massacre of the Lusitanians (150 BC)Gallic Wars (58–50 BC)If you want to get a sense of the cruelty and horror of each of these events, read Deuteronomy!“NOTHING CHANGES UNDER THE SUN.”

Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”   Key Words: Holy Spirit, Fire, Pentecost, Language, Mighty Work, Call, Save Keystone Verse: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)     Bulletin