Mentoring Men for the Master

PENTECOST: GOD’S GREATEST MOVE!!!

PENTECOST: GOD’S GREATEST MOVE!!!

Acts 1-5

Today is Pentecost Sunday.  I call “Pentecost God’s Greatest Move.”  God has moved and will yet move in seven ways:

  1. It was a great move when He created the universe and humankind.
  2. It was a great move when He offered Jesus to die for our sins on the cross.
  3. It was a great move when He raised Him from the dead and enthroned Him in heaven.
  4. It was a great move when on the Day of Pentecost He took up His residence in the heart of every true believer.
  5. It will be a great move when He raptures the church to glory.
  6. It will be a great move when He returns to earth to reign for 1000 years.
  7. Finally it will be a great move when He ushers in a new heaven and new earth.

 

But had you ever stopped to think that Pentecost was the greatest move of all in one sense:

  1. We would have no access to the cross or resurrection without the work of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Furthermore, we would have no power to live and witness for Him.  Yet because of Pentecost, “THE POWER THAT STOPPED THE SUN ACCORDING TO JOSHUA 10:13 AND RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD (Romans 1:4) DWELLS IN THE BODY OF EVERY BORN AGAIN BELIEVER.  The question is:  How can we release that power?  We see the answer in the first five chapters of the Book of Acts.  Acts does not mean the Acts of the early Christians, but the ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH THOSE EARLY CHRISTIANS.  And what did they do:  Two Things:  They obeyed Jesus and prayed in one accord.
  3. In the Book of Acts we never see a believer praying alone.
  4. We see those Christians praying unceasingly.
  5. We see them praying together in one accord.
  6. We see them praying with one voice.
  7. We see them praying for one thing
  8. We see the impossible until in 250 years Christianity had captured the vast Roman Empire – by AD 313.

 

Permit me to prove them from the Book of Acts:

  1. Acts 1:14 – “These all, 120, continued with one accord and supplication.
  2. Acts 2:1–  When the Day of Pentecost had come they were ALL with one accord.
  3. Acts 3:8 – Peter and John, lifted a lame man up who began to walk, leap and praise God.  For this they were thrown in prison.
  4. Acts 4:23 says they were released from prison and went to the church and the church lifted up their VOICE (one voice).
  5. Acts 4:29 – They prayed, “Lord, behold the threatenings and grant that your servants may speak thy word with all boldness.
  6. Acts 4:31 – “And when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled TOGETHER AND THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPOKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS.

 

 

But What Is The Relationship Between The Work of The Holy Spirit And Mentoring?  Let us answer by showing the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OBEYING OUR PLEDGE TO THE BIBLE.

 

  1. We will KNOW the Word by diligent study. One can do this occasionally in his own strength but if he does it constantly, and persistently,  which is required, he must have the promptings and motivation of the Holy Spirit.
  2. We will STOW it in our hearts by MEMORIZATION and MEDITATION:
    1. Memorization – The Holy Spirit is our great “Remembrancer” (John 14:26) but not without our taking the time to memorize.
    2. Meditation – is for the purpose of reflecting on the verses memorized in order to understand their meaning for us personally.  To do this we must have the illumination of the great Teacher, the Holy Spirit.
  3. We will SHOW it in our lives by obeying its teachings.  Obeying the commandments of Jesus is impossible without the aid of the Holy Spirit.  Ex:  “Love you enemies” – John 5:44.  “Love your wife as Jesus loved the church” – Ephesians 5:25.  “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37).  No human on this earth can obey such commands without the power of the Holy Spirit, but with that power, we can do the impossible – Jer. 33:3; Ephes. 3:20.
  4. We will SOW it in our lives by our witness.  Sow means to witness, even to do soul-winning.  Jesus Himself told His disciples not to witness until the Holy Spirit came upon them which at the time He had not (that began  on the Day of Pentecost).  Then Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be witnesses (meaning martyrs) in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

If you need further proof of the Indispensable Place of the Holy Spirit in mentoring, look at the other 9 “I’s” and you will see they are impossible to fulfill without the Holy Spirit, but absolutely possible for the Spirit-Filled.

 

AND REMEMBER ABOVE ALL THAT IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH KEEPS THE 10 “I’S” FROM BEING A LEGALISTIC BURDEN, BUT AN ASSIGNMENT JOYFULLY DONE IN OUR LOVE FOR JESUS.  PRAISE THE LORD!

(Matthew 11:30; 1 John 5:3)