Search the transcript 0:00 as I continue in this discipleship teaching series that we've been on now, I don't know how many weeks this is, but however many it is, I'm going to teach on this subject today within that discipleship series, Do You Come Running? I want you to look at somebody around you, if you're comfortable doing so, and ask them, say, Do You Come Running? Do You Come Running? 0:32 Like, well, I don't know. It just depends on what I'm running to. You know, let me think about that for a second. And everybody has to consider, I'm going to wait until you tell me what I'm running to. And we're going to do that today. I'm going to read to us what has been stirring in me. I think I mentioned this last week, but 0:53 But what's been stirring in me, and I'm going to read something that's very, very familiar. I'm going to read a lot of Scripture, almost this entire chapter this morning. So if you have your Bible, I would ask that you would turn with me to the book of Acts. 1:08 the book of Acts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. So if you find Matthew in the Second Testament, turn right just a few books, and you will find Acts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. For those of you that use a digital Bible on your phone, 1:27 I don't know if you turn right or left, you just do search and it will show up. But Acts, the book of Acts this morning, I want to read something to us and I want to talk about it for just a few moments and the significance of it. What is being said here and what isn't being said here and then how does that apply to you and me? So let's open our Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 2. 1:54 Acts chapter 2, something you're very, very familiar with probably if you've been in the church for long, if you've been a believer for very long. I'm not going to be reading something to you that you probably have not heard, but I want to give an understanding of it, hopefully, that will change our position if our position needs to be changed. Amen? So this is what it says. 2:21 It says, 2:35 The Holy Spirit will be sent to you. He will be a teacher. He will be a counselor. He will guide you. He will, all these things, this is what Holy Spirit's going to do. When I go away, he's going to come. And when he comes, this is what's going to happen. And he says to them before this moment, he says, I want you to go and I want you to tarry. I want you to wait until 2:53 until that coming of Holy Spirit. And this is what it says. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Can we emphasize that? This is not anything new that I'm telling you, but can we emphasize this morning one accord, one place? 3:10 They were all in agreement. They didn't have one person over here trying to overrule this person over here or this one, that one, or so on and so forth. They were in one accord. They were in agreement. Not necessarily, by the way, in agreement on all that they believed. That's what I want to point out here. They couldn't know because they spoke so many different languages. 3:42 But these are the disciples. These are the 120 that are present right now. And here they are. They weren't in one accord because they agreed or believed everything exactly the same. They were in one accord because they were after exactly the same thing. They were in pursuit. Pursuit. 4:01 Of exactly the same thing. So, let's read it again. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of, everybody say as of, a rushing mighty wind. It wasn't a rushing mighty wind. It was simply the sound. It sounded like a rushing mighty wind. There's a lot of as of's. 4:31 And it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There was a visitation. Everybody say, there was a visitation. Everybody say, something was coming. Say it again. Say, something was coming. Now say it this way. Say, something arrived. In its arrival, you don't have to say this, but in its arrival, there was a sound. When it arrived, they could witness. They could testify. Something has changed. 5:02 It was as though it were a mighty rushing wind. Sounded like we could not deny there was a presence that had arrived. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire. Not divided tongues of fire. 5:25 divided tongues as of fire. I know that we like all of our pictures and I'm not trying to blow people's theology out of the water here right now, but I just want to bring a little bit of truth to it. So all these things where we see all the disciples in the upper room and they've got little split tongues of fire over their head, that's a bunch of nonsense because that's not what happened at all. There was no visible fire. There was no tangible, if I touch it, I'm going to get burnt. And there appeared to them as though it were fire. Fire. 6:00 I'm getting to something that's important. And one sat upon each of them. That word sat meaning that there was a fire that took up residence in each of those, each of them that were there that day. 6:18 Something changed. There was a sound as of a mighty rushing wind. There were tongues as of fire that ascended and rested on each of them. Something changed. There was a moment where it was a few moments ago I felt this way and man now I feel this way. Something is shifting in me. Follow along with me. 6:44 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, it sounded like a mighty rushing wind. The multitude came together. What was the sound that they were hearing now? They began to speak in other tongues. 7:18 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and they were confused because everyone heard them or was hearing them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed, and they marveled, saying to one another, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes. 7:53 And Elamites, dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya, joining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and even Arabs. We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. Because Holy Spirit wasn't sitting on their head, Holy Spirit had filled their life. Amen. 8:21 He didn't show up to be a crown that we wore on our head. He showed up to make a difference in our lives. Are you hearing me this morning? So they were all amazed, verse 12, and perplexed, saying to one another, what in the world could this mean? And then Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice. This is, by all accounts, the first sermon that Peter ever preached. 8:56 The first time he began to preach the gospel to a people, by all accounts, it is understood this is the first. Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and he said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. These folks aren't drunk like you think they are, since it is only the third hour of the day. Not if it had been the sixth hour of the day. Amen. 9:28 Would have been a good argument. Still a little early. It is only the third hour of the day, but this instead is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And this is what the prophet Joel said. He said, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall what? And your young men shall see what? And your old men shall do what? 9:57 And on my men's servants and on my maid's servants, I will pour out my Spirit. Whose Spirit? 10:04 the Father, Him, His nature, His characteristics. I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they will prophesy and I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass... 10:31 That whoever calls on the name of the Lord, it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord, it shall come to pass, it's going to happen, that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, that 11:08 which God did through him in the middle of you, as you yourselves know. Him, this Jesus being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands and you have crucified him and you put him to death. But God raised him up. 11:26 And loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he could be held by it. For David says concerning this Christ, For I saw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 11:49 For you will not leave, Father, my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence. So he's laying it on them. Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David. 12:18 That he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. He foreseeing this spoke. 12:49 Concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 13:20 Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of His Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. These are changed lives that you are witnessing right now because that's been an outpouring. Somebody said yes. And He goes on. And He said, let me tell you more. 13:59 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies where you lay your feet. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus. Now he gets right to the point. He said, first, let me testify that he is real. 14:29 Let me testify that he suffered, he died, and he arose. Let me testify of what I know to be true, that God is alive. He sent his son. His son redeemed me. And I can tell you today, I'm a changed man because of it. I'm going to testify of what I know to be true. And in that testimony, let all the house of Israel know that surely God has made this Jesus. Let me make it plain. 15:00 Whom you crucified. Who you counted out. Made this Jesus who you called a liar. Who you called a blasphemer. God made this Jesus who you denied. Who you ran from. Who you tried to kill. Who you tried to destroy. God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ. And when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. My God, my God, what have we done? Peter, you just made real what was not. 15:47 just a few days ago. And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, y'all, that's what I'm putting there. They were from southern Israel. Y'all, what do we do now? What do we do now? And Peter said to them, he said, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of this Jesus Christ that you crucified for the remission of sins. 16:33 And you will receive what you witness here today, and that is the presence of God manifesting in the lives of men, the Holy Spirit. 16:44 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are... He is not the God of today only. He's the God of yesterday. He's the God of today. He's the God of tomorrow. He's the God of generations behind me. He's the God of generations with me. And He's the God of the generations coming after me. This is the Christ. And this is the power and this is the anointing that He comes with. And with many other words... 17:17 Peter testified and he exhorted them and he said, be saved from this perverse generation. Let me fill in the blanks. He's saying, get untangled from the things that tangle you, that separate you from Christ. Untie the knots that the enemy has tied that have bound you to what is not of God. Be saved, he said, from this perverse generation than those who gladly, everybody say gladly. 17:53 Received his word, were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them. This is the day that Christianity went global. Moments before, it consisted of about 120 people. But when someone finds themselves running to the truth, the truth will multiply itself in the lives of those who hear it. 18:31 In one day, in a matter of minutes, the church grew from 120 followers to over 3,000. And then it goes on to say, if you continue reading, that believers were added every single day after that. People from every nation were present. People from every nation witnessed the gospel. People from every nation, after witnessing it, believed. Now let me bring it home to you and me. Listen to me this morning. Yahweh God doesn't care if you were born... 19:09 in the rocky terrain of West Texas, in the mountains of the Midwest, or in the sands of the Florida Peninsula. Doesn't care. Doesn't care if you were born to a white parent or a black parent, to a rich family or a poor family. Doesn't care if you're a Democrat or you're a Republican. Doesn't care. All he cares about is when you hear the truth, do you come running? 20:01 When he pierces your soul with the truth, do you come running or do you stand back with your arms crossed and say, I can't receive that today? Peter declared, he said, everyone, everybody say everyone, who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter said, everyone, everybody say everyone, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. What did he say? Peter said, everyone, everybody say everyone, Peter said, everyone, 20:36 Not just this one. Not just that one. Peter said everyone. Not just the rich one or the poor one or the white one or the black one or the Democrat or the Republican or this one nation or that nation. Peter said everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And when they receive Christ, there is a filling. There is a sound as of a rushing mighty wind that fills us up so that the manifestation of God can be revealed in you and me. Amen. 21:06 Every one of us. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Peter shares this truth about the Christ they crucified and murdered and something miraculous happened. He said, when they heard the message that I preached in verse 37, they were cut to the heart and said, brothers, what shall we do? Anywhere the Spirit of God is, the Holy Spirit, truth, every single time will hold its own. The truth is 21:48 Needs no props. Needs no disguises. Doesn't even need an introduction. The truth, if received, needs only time. Someone willing to tell it and someone willing to receive it. When you hear the truth, does it stir you? Does it provoke you? Does a fire, cloven tongues as of fire, begin to stir you? Do you begin to hear? See, that's what it was all about in the upper room. It wasn't necessarily that they're all speaking. We make it all about speaking in other tongues. 22:33 It was less about that than every single person hearing the voice of God and speaking what he was releasing to them. We make the experience the most important part of Acts chapter 2. It wasn't the experience that was the most important part of Acts chapter 2. It was the infilling that was the most important part of Acts chapter 2. We've all had experiences. 23:01 Every single one of us, we've had those days when we just felt like we were on top of the world and God had done something miraculous in us and we screamed and we shouted and we celebrated. Then we've had those days when we wondered, where's God at all? Where'd he go? If I based whether or not I'm in right relationship with Jesus Christ, Cletus, because of my experiences, my life would be in such turmoil because on this day I feel like I'm in and on this day I feel like I'm out. 23:33 On this day, I feel like I'm good. On this day, I'm certain I'm bad. On this day, it's this way. On that day, it's that way. But I got news for you today. It isn't. Acts chapter 2 is not about the experience. It isn't about cloven tongues. It's about hearing and obeying the voice of God and saying, when you speak, I will listen and I'm coming running. Can I say to you, don't make him wait. I've called you to whatever place you're in today and he's saying, don't make me wait. I've sent you the answer. 24:18 My spirit is among you. It's present within you. Don't make me wait. Hear my voice. And when you hear my voice, watch what I can do. I asked this morning, where are the prophets that Peter was speaking of in the book of Acts? Probably not the prophets you're thinking about, but let's talk about it for a second. Where are the prophets who prophesy what God has done in them? Have you ever told anybody what God has done in you? You were prophesying. 24:56 You want to know when the last time you prophesied was? The last time you told somebody what God is doing in your life. How Jesus Christ has completely changed you. Prophesy. Declare. And share your testimony and let others know. He can do for them what he's done for you. Where are those who are having visions today? People ask all the time, I just want to prophesy. I want to prophesy. I want to have visions. I want to dream dreams. I'm asking you this morning. Where are those who have visions today? 25:33 Where are the visions that confirm in you the miraculous works of God? Have you been still long enough while walking with him and running to him? Have you been still in that place of peace so that visions he can show you what's next? Can you not see? You want a vision? Have this vision. See how God has changed your life and then tell it. Where are the dreamers? 26:11 That dream of the supernatural and embrace the unknown. Dream of the supernatural. I'm telling you what Peter was referring to. Where are the dreamers? God, you can do it in so many ways that I could never do it. But I'm embracing the supernatural. Do you have faith to believe in what others can't even see? Go after it. One of the things that I've known about me since I've known about me 26:58 Those of you that know me know this to be true. I hope this doesn't sound arrogant. I don't mean it to sound arrogant, but I can tell you I'm not a guy that is worried about where my next step lands. I've never been that guy. All my entire life I've been a guy, I'm going to keep walking. Even B.C., before Christ. Unfortunately, some of those steps didn't go well. But since I came to know Christ, since I received Him and said, I want all of you and I give you all of me, and I made that decision, I'm not a guy. 27:34 that worries about where that next foot plants because I'm determined that those cloven tongues of fire that were as of, it was the language of God resting, the manifestation of God resting inside of a people willing to allow him to sit in their lives and be a part of who they are. I'm a guy that says, Father, I don't know what's coming next, but if I've heard your voice, I'm a dreamer and I'm going to dream. Amen. 28:07 I'm not going to run because all my friends and family and people don't have an answer to how that's going to work out. If you give it to me and I'm dreaming it, I'm going after it. So where are the prophets? Where are the visionists? Where are the dreamers today? I'm calling out to you this morning. Acts chapter 2 isn't about 120 people leading to 3,000, leading to whoever else was added day after day after day. Acts chapter 2 is all about you. Where are those that will lift up their voice? 28:49 And without fear and shame, begin to declare, this is what God's done in me, and I'm not going to pretend like he didn't. Where are those with vision? To say, I don't know what the outcome looks like. All I know is he's put something in me, and I'm moving towards it. Where are the dreamers? It's not a dream if you can do it with your hands. It's an idea, but it's not a dream. That's right. 29:17 It's only a dream if it's impossible on my own, the kind of dream he's talking about. Where are the dreamers, the dreamers that require faith to be able to step out into nothing and see the miraculous of God manifest in their life? These are the things that Holy Spirit makes alive in you and me. Prophecy, vision, dreams. I'm going to tell you something today. Every single person in this room, people that are watching online, whoever might be listening to this whenever, I want to say something. I want to make it really clear today. There are people in this room 29:52 that have a sense, they have a part, they have a portion. There's a, you know, yeah, I'm a believer, I'm a believer, but there's just kind of coasting along. You can't tell me the last time you prophesied, the last time you had a vision, the last time you dreamed. See, where the Father's alive, man, I'm telling you, things are moving because he doesn't leave you where you are. He's constantly taking you somewhere. You might say, well, that was my idea, was it? That was my thought, was it? Do you know when I go through my week, 30:27 or weeks or however people ask me pretty regularly they will say how do you preach so many different things every single sunday my response is always the same because i don't sit down on any given time and say i've got to come up with a message for sunday morning i haven't done that in so long i don't even remember the last time i did that i don't go to a shoebox and pull out a message from last year even if it's similar to something i've preached before 30:59 I simply walk out my relationship with him. I sit on my porch, watch my dogs go to the bathroom, drink my coffee, listen to my Bible reading, and then Holy Spirit begins to pour things in me, and I dream, and I see visions, and I begin to prophesy. And he says, out of that, I want you to speak Sunday morning or at Discipleship Wednesday or whatever that is. So I'm going to ask you something again that I asked you a while ago. When you hear the truth, when you hear the truth, do you come running? 31:33 When God stirs you, do you come running? Do you count it out? What do you do? In the body of Christ, there's too much standing, too many excuses, and too much complacency. We have a reason why too often not to be in the middle of where God wants us to be. It's time for the body of Christ to repent and come running. Running to what? Truth. Change. 32:23 and repentance. Again, as I consider Acts chapter 2, and I think about all that Peter's doing and all the emphasis that's been put on that, and I used to do the same thing. I used to put the emphasis on the cloven tongues. I used to put the emphasis, I mean, we sing songs about cloven tongues of fire. We sing songs about a mighty rushing wind, and I wonder if the Father ever grieves that. I wonder if he ever thinks to himself, y'all are missing the point. This isn't about what you think you heard, something that sounded like 32:59 This isn't about something that looks like. This is about my presence in you. This is about me taking up residence in you so that the whole world, none of the world can deny that not only did Christ die, but Christ arose again and he has changed your life. So when I share this today, I share this for this reason. I'm not a symbols guy. Anybody that knows me knows I'm not about symbols. I'm not about... 33:36 cloven tongues of fire. I'm not about doves. I'm not about putting those on my car. I'm not about putting little crosses everywhere, wearing them around my neck. If you do, so be it. That's between you and you. Symbols mean nothing to me. And symbols mean nothing to the Father. What matters to the Father is, where are you? Where are you right now? What is the condition of your life right now? Have you come running to me? Or are you standing back waiting? 34:13 For the perfect moment. The perfect hour. The perfect day. He says, right now is the time and come running. I want you before me. I want you to receive me. I want you to be changed by me. I want you to be changed by my word. Not mine. I'm talking about the Father. I want you to be changed by my words. I want you to begin to prophesy. To begin to see visions. To begin to dream dreams again. Meaning this in one simple word. Two words. Be alive. I want you alive. 34:52 to be alive. Would you stand with me this morning? I shared when we were praying, I wasn't going to share this this morning, but I'll share it now. But I was sharing with the ministry team before we came out this morning, and I was talking to them about being careful to pay attention to the little details. Because oftentimes we don't pay attention to the details because there's a sense, and I'm not going to dive into this deeply, I'm going to try to make this short and sweet. 35:30 But there's too many people, especially within the body of Christ, too many people, they pay attention to the big thing. You know, if I can get the big picture right or at least make it look right, then everything will be right. But it's not. See, if you don't pay attention to the details, no matter what you make the big picture look like, it's failing. You can think, well, this whole thing, this is beautiful. This is, look at what I've got. This is what I've done. This is how I've done it. This is, this looks good. It all looks like it's together, but it's going to come apart. 35:59 Because if you don't pay attention to the details, the nail is going to pop out. The screw is going to come unscrewed. The glue is going to come undone. If you don't pay attention to the details, that big picture is meaningless. It's the little things that matter the most. And I can tell you today, all of us in this room, Tim, no matter who we are in this room or watching online, wherever you are today that are listening, stop focusing. Stop focusing on trying to make the big picture look good so that 36:37 People think something that might not be true. Even if the big picture doesn't look good, but you're paying attention to the details and you're letting him change you here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept, and you let him change you. I want to tell you, the big picture in time will be exactly what it's supposed to be. So I ask again, will you come running? Transcript generated automatically from the audio, so a few words may be off.
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