Thursday, July 5, 2012

PENTECOST! OUR 4th OF JULY

Praise the Lord! Let everything that has breath praise His holy name! I pray everyone is enjoying this fourth of July along with their family and friends. I find myself home alone this year as God is doing a new thing in my wife and I's life. As I sit here meditating on God, not wanting to question Him but seeking the grace needed to make it through. Truly it is not good for man to be alone, I miss my wife and because of my disability I am constantly In pain and I don't get out much as I used to. Don't worry though I'm not sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I sit here watching the world celebrate Americas Independence from England. Back in 1776 a group of people stood up and with boldness proclaimed themselves free from a country "greater" than themselves, of coarse they had to then go to war and take hold of it.

While meditating on that, I began to think of the early church. The Shepperd struck and the sheep scattered. In hiding they met in cemetery's and upper rooms. The bible says in Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.


On that day they came together with one accord and they received power from on high, power to boldly stand up and declare themselves as believers in Christ, freed from the power or of sin and from the tyranny of the law of the Pharisee's and Sadducee's. Later That day Peter would go on to preach with boldness and power what today could be called "THE HOLY GHOST DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE!" Acts 2:14-40
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to 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 was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out 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 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:


19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
200 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save youselves from this untoward generation.


Paul would later write in Galatians 5:1
5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

LORD HELP ME TO STAND FAST IN YOUR LIBERTY AND LET YOUR FREEDOM REIGN THROUGH OUT THE NATIONS!
                                 GOD BLESS YOU ALL, Brother Darrell, A watchman

No comments: