Luke 24;49
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Matthew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Acts 1:4-8
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
During WWII there were bombs made called incendiary bombs. They had one purpose and that was to SET THINGS ON FIRE.
This gospel we preach is a FIRELIGHTER. On this Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit is here to either kindle the fire in your heart or put a fire there.
On the Day of Pentecost the power was evident by tongues of fire.
Unless the fire falls, what do we have?
Unignited saints. Empty words and no passion.
Yet if we can get those coals from His fire to touch our lips, the body of Christ would be like a censer full of burning coals, igniting the prayers of pure worship.
O’ this baptism of fire.
Baptism is associated with DYING.
Rom. 6:3
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Church, I need the baptism of fire. I want it.
Elijah said “The God who answers by fire, HE IS GOD.”
You can’t hide this type of fire. A hot, fire shut up in my bones type of fire.
It’s a fire of power for witness.
It’s a fire of power for service.
The Bible is our fire guide. His plan on Pentecost is for us to burn like He burns.
Churches should be furnaces and not freezers.
Listen, Fire follows a path:
1. FIRE flows through Honor
2. FIRE flows through Purity
3. FIRE flows through Prayer
4. FIRE flows through Praise/Worship
5. FIRE flows through Practice
6. FIRE flows through Passion
7. FIRE flows through Unity
8. FIRE flows through Thankfulness
9. FIRE flows through Grace
10. FIRE flows through Humility
11. FIRE flows through Joy
12. FIRE flows through Giving
Pentecost – fifty
50 days after Passover
The disciples were gathered in Jerusalem before He ascended to His Father. They were told “Stay here UNTIL you are endued with power from on high, to become witnesses for Him.”
When the Holy Spirit was poured out He filled them and the house.
120 men/women
Luke 3:16
John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Acts 2:3
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
Isa. 33:14
The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
Church, you are on a collision course with your adversary, but you were built for the battle and created for that conflict.
Your armor prophesies WARFARE and your enemy is about to encounter a God with whom he cannot contend, nor can he fence in or flee from God’s presence.
So the God who has been fighting with you is about to fight for you.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Apart from the Spirit of God we can do nothing.
We are ships without the wind or chariots without steeds to pull them, like branches without sap, we are withered.”
Joel prophesied Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
Peter said angels would desire to understand this mystery.
Zechariah said it would fall like rain.
Amos said prepare for it.
Hosea said we would have to break up the fallow ground to get it.
Malachi said he would come SUDDENLY to His temple.
Pentecost promises us POWER. Now the God in Christ becomes the Christ in us and as Jesus put a face on the Father so now we put a face on Jesus to this dying world.
Yours for revival,
Pastor Francis Armstrong
