1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,240 Yeah, last Sabbath morning reminded me a little bit of when I was at seminary. 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:11,160 I know Paul said he grew up in Barian Springs up there in Michigan. 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,680 And I'm from Knoxville, so a bit of a southern boy. 4 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:20,240 And so it was wintertime up there, and the first time it snowed was Friday night. 5 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:25,440 It was Friday night, and I was attending the Coloma Church, which was about 20 miles from 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,640 Barian Springs, helping out there. 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,980 And so Sabbath morning, there was like four inches of snow on the ground. 8 00:00:30,980 --> 00:00:35,160 So I called the pastor and said, are we having church today? 9 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,040 And he was like, well, it's Sabbath. 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,080 Why wouldn't we have church? 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:40,800 I'm like, well, there's four inches of snow. 12 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,040 And he's like, you've got a lot to learn, young man. 13 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,840 So I did learn to drive a little bit in the snow, and we made it to church that morning. 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,200 But I'm glad for rainy days as well. 15 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,520 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 16 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,760 Dear God, we thank you so much for just Sabbath. 17 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,560 We thank you for this church family that we can gather together, that we can celebrate 18 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,060 together, we can sing songs together. 19 00:01:07,060 --> 00:01:10,120 And God, just be with us as we open up your word together. 20 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,240 May we learn more of you, and may we be more like you. 21 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,840 In your name we pray, amen. 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:21,140 So today we're actually going to continue our series in the book of Acts. 23 00:01:21,140 --> 00:01:27,840 And so if you were not here two weeks ago, we started in Acts chapter one. 24 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:33,240 Just a refresher, Acts is a sequel to one of the gospels. 25 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,120 Who wrote the book of Acts? 26 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,180 Luke, the Dr. Luke. 27 00:01:37,180 --> 00:01:39,400 And he also wrote the gospel of Luke. 28 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,960 And so the book of Acts is basically a sequel to that story of Jesus. 29 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:50,880 And so as the story continues, it opens up, and Jesus is there with his disciples, and 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:56,440 he gives them a command or an instruction, which is a promise. 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,440 And he says, you need to wait for something. 32 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:03,520 You need to tarry for this promise that you're going to receive power, and then you're going 33 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:04,520 to have this purpose. 34 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:10,000 And Acts 1, 8 says, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you 35 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,800 shall be my witnesses. 36 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:13,880 You're going to be my witnesses. 37 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,680 So that was the power and the promise and the purpose of that. 38 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,680 And so we're going to jump into Acts chapter two today. 39 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,680 But as we do that, here's what's going to happen. 40 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,600 I just want to give you a little preview. 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,520 We're going to start by going looking back. 42 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,480 We're going to look back at some history. 43 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:34,080 We're going to look at the Bible. 44 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,400 And then from Acts chapter two, we're actually going to go into the future. 45 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,120 From our time as well, we're going to go into the future. 46 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,260 And then we're going to come to the present. 47 00:02:44,260 --> 00:02:50,120 The present in Acts chapter two, and perhaps even the present in 2024. 48 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:54,560 So let's dive in here to Acts chapter two. 49 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,320 And we're going to start in verse one. 50 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,720 So remember, this is a sequel. 51 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:05,320 Jesus had told his disciples to wait for a promise, and something was going to happen. 52 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:11,440 And so it says in Acts two, verse one, it says, when the day of Pentecost had fully 53 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:16,640 come, they were with one accord in one place. 54 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:19,040 So let's talk about what's happening here. 55 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:26,440 In Acts chapter one, in verse three, it says that after the resurrection, Jesus appeared 56 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:27,680 for 40 days. 57 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:33,600 So for 40 days, Jesus was with his disciples, teaching, instructing his disciples, and so 58 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:34,920 forth. 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,240 And that's when he said, you've got to wait for this promise that I'm going to give you. 60 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:45,260 But now in Acts chapter two, it says the day of Pentecost had fully come. 61 00:03:45,260 --> 00:03:47,800 So let's think about a time period here. 62 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:53,860 So there's 40 days that Jesus was on earth, and then we've got the day of Pentecost. 63 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:59,720 So if you have a shape that has five sides, what is that called? 64 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:00,720 A pentagram. 65 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,120 It's got five sides. 66 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,040 Penta means five. 67 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,600 And so Pentecost actually is talking about 50. 68 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:15,600 50 days after the Passover, 50 days, which would be after the cross and the resurrection, 69 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,720 comes this next feast that the children of Israel had. 70 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:27,520 They would call it the feast of first fruits, which is where they would come to Jerusalem, 71 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,760 at least the males would. 72 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:35,400 And they would celebrate this harvest of the crops that were just coming in. 73 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,180 Probably the wheat harvest would be the first one. 74 00:04:38,180 --> 00:04:44,040 And so 50 days after Passover, there was another feast, this feast of Pentecost. 75 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,760 And so that's when this story takes place. 76 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,840 So we're going back to 50 days after the resurrection. 77 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:54,260 We're going to the past here, looking at this story. 78 00:04:54,260 --> 00:04:58,240 Now the disciples did not know how long they had to wait. 79 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,840 Jesus had just told them, wait for this promise. 80 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,960 Wait for this Holy Spirit. 81 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,520 We've talked about it. 82 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:06,920 It's going to be a comforter. 83 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,100 It's going to take my place. 84 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:13,680 But Jesus did not tell them how long they were going to have to wait. 85 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,320 Jesus did not give them that instruction. 86 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,000 He just said, wait. 87 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,200 And so now, let's do some math here. 88 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,480 Jesus was there 40 days. 89 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,560 This is 50 days. 90 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,320 So what's the time gap there? 91 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:29,680 10 days. 92 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:30,680 Very good. 93 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:39,400 Jesus had been gone for 10 days, and it says they were with one accord in one place. 94 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:46,720 And in Acts 1 verse 14, it says these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. 95 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,360 So they'd spent 10 days now praying for this promise. 96 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,920 And they couldn't wake up that morning and say, you know what? 97 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:54,920 Today's the day. 98 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:56,000 They didn't have that option. 99 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,220 They didn't know how long it was going to be. 100 00:05:58,220 --> 00:06:01,060 But when it came, I think they noticed. 101 00:06:01,060 --> 00:06:03,240 Because the day of Pentecost had fully come. 102 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,080 They were all together. 103 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,040 Notice the next couple of verses here. 104 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,080 Suddenly, suddenly, this was unexpected. 105 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,760 They didn't wake up and mark this day and say, this is the day. 106 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:14,760 They were together. 107 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,440 And suddenly, something happened. 108 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:24,560 There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house 109 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:26,320 where they were sitting. 110 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:33,320 And there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 111 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,800 So there's kind of two elements that are mentioned here. 112 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,200 There's wind and there's fire. 113 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,960 And these believers are together. 114 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:43,180 They're praying. 115 00:06:43,180 --> 00:06:49,040 And suddenly, something out of the ordinary, something miraculous happens. 116 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,200 And there's wind and there's fire. 117 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:58,760 That echoes a little bit to the Old Testament, because there was a story about Exodus 19 118 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:04,920 or so where God comes down and there's wind and there's fire. 119 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:10,480 Now what happens around Exodus 19 and Exodus 20 perhaps might ring a bell a little bit 120 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:11,520 better. 121 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:17,040 That's where God comes down to Mount Sinai, and he bestows upon the people the Ten Commandments 122 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:18,600 written in stone. 123 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:24,560 And so God came down and there was wind and there was fire, and God gave the law. 124 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:30,200 But here in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit, God comes down and there's wind and there's 125 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,200 fire, but it's not the law that's being given. 126 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,480 It's this Holy Spirit which is being poured out. 127 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:42,360 And in fact, the very next verse says, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 128 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:47,420 and begun to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 129 00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:51,800 So something out of the ordinary was taking place. 130 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:57,840 And we need to pause just for a second to talk about this, because the very next few 131 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:03,320 verses it begins to talk about people from other lands, from other countries. 132 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,880 And there's about 15 different places that are listed there. 133 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:13,100 And the people even say, wait, didn't, here we'll read it in verse 5, there were dwelling 134 00:08:13,100 --> 00:08:17,760 in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 135 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:24,040 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused, because everyone 136 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:29,060 heard them speak in his own language. 137 00:08:29,060 --> 00:08:36,140 And there's 15 different countries, 15 different dialects that are listed there. 138 00:08:36,140 --> 00:08:41,360 This is a cross-cultural experience, and the miracle of God is making it so that all of 139 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:46,040 these people can hear the gospel in their own language. 140 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,360 And all those places are a map there, you can't quite see that, but that's the different 141 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,520 places that were listed. 142 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,520 Now Acts 1-8 that we looked at two weeks ago, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit 143 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:00,140 comes upon you and you shall be witnesses to me. 144 00:09:00,140 --> 00:09:05,840 And then it says, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 145 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:10,880 And that's kind of an outline of what happens in the book of Acts as the church spreads 146 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:12,440 to these places. 147 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:18,520 And yet here at the very beginning when the church is just getting its start already, 148 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:24,360 the means are there for that gospel to go not just to Jerusalem and Judea, not just 149 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,240 to Samaria, but to the ends of the earth. 150 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:34,640 And in fact even Rome is listed, the capital of the empire is listed as one of those places 151 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,280 that is there. 152 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:42,020 And so it's a pretty incredible story that's taking place. 153 00:09:42,020 --> 00:09:48,160 And something happens, it says they were all amazed and said, look, are these not Galileans? 154 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,000 These are fishermen, we know these guys. 155 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:56,320 How is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? 156 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:01,440 They could do it because a miracle was taking place, because the Holy Spirit was being poured 157 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:02,440 out. 158 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:07,920 And so when the Holy Spirit is poured out, things change a little bit. 159 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:13,760 In the Bible, when it talks about the Holy Spirit, there's two different things that 160 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:14,760 are talked about. 161 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,000 One, it talks about the gifts of the Spirit. 162 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:24,600 You could look at 1 Corinthians chapter 12 or Romans chapter 12, and there's long lists 163 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,120 of gifts of the Holy Spirit, talents. 164 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:32,360 And it says that all of God's believers have at least one gift. 165 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,520 Everybody's got some gift of the Holy Spirit. 166 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,880 Do you have a gift? 167 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:37,880 Yes you do. 168 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:38,880 Do you know what it is? 169 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:43,640 I don't know if you know what it is, but you have some gift and talent that the Holy Spirit 170 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:51,520 has given you for a purpose, to reach the church, to be part of the body of Christ, 171 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:52,520 the church. 172 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,280 That's what we are, the body of Christ. 173 00:10:55,280 --> 00:11:03,040 And so there's gifts like administration, hospitality, evangelism, speaking in other 174 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,840 languages is a gift, healing, all these different gifts. 175 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:11,460 But then there's another element about the Holy Spirit, and that is called the fruit 176 00:11:11,460 --> 00:11:12,880 of the Spirit. 177 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:17,600 That's in Galatians 5, just one or two verses, nine different things. 178 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,800 And I imagine some of you may have memorized this at some point. 179 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:28,000 The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness 180 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,720 and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. 181 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:36,960 And as you read down through that list in Galatians 5, if you're like me, if you're 182 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:44,560 like most people, some days some of those words on that list come pretty easy for you. 183 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,320 But some of those words come a little more challenging. 184 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,160 Love and joy and peace and patience? 185 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,320 Oh, kindness? 186 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:59,000 You know, different days, maybe different words resonate with you a little bit differently. 187 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,240 But the point is that when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, something is going to 188 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:05,680 change. 189 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,840 Something is going to be different. 190 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:13,000 There's gifts that you can minister to the body of Christ, but then there's just this 191 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:18,080 fruit of the Spirit that is going to change how we act with each other, change how we 192 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,440 treat other people. 193 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,840 It's more, I'm going to say this, it's more than just coming to a place like this for 194 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:29,000 one hour a day and sitting and listening. 195 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,640 Being filled with the Holy Spirit is more than that. 196 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:36,160 That's a good thing, but the Holy Spirit is more than that. 197 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:43,240 And you can think to chapter 2 verse 14, the first words, it says, but Peter, Peter is 198 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,040 a perfect example of a life that's changed. 199 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:52,480 Because 50 days before when Jesus was on trial there, when Jesus was taken from the Garden 200 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:58,960 of Gethsemane, when Peter was following along and people began to ask Peter some questions, 201 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,440 do you, do you know Jesus? 202 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,440 Nope, I don't know him. 203 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,440 And your accent, you sound like you're from Galilee. 204 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,480 You must know that guy, Jesus. 205 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:10,440 Nope, I don't know him. 206 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,960 And then a little girl, maybe like one of the singers we had up here comes and says, 207 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:16,600 don't you know Jesus? 208 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,640 I think I saw you with him. 209 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,120 No, I don't know him. 210 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,040 Maybe even threw out some words that he shouldn't have said there. 211 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:31,620 As he's denying Jesus, 50 days before, Peter is denying Jesus, but now filled with the 212 00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:39,080 Holy Spirit, we don't see Peter fearfully denying, we see Peter fearlessly proclaiming 213 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:40,720 about Jesus. 214 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:48,080 Verse 14, but Peter standing up with the eleven raised his voice and said to them, men of 215 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:55,720 Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. 216 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:56,960 And then he says, we're not drunk. 217 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:59,360 The people thought they were drunk because of what was happening. 218 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:05,640 We're not drunk, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. 219 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:11,560 So Peter, not this trained orator, stands up and he begins to proclaim. 220 00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:14,280 And so we've gone to look at the past. 221 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:20,180 We've gone and looked at this 50 days post resurrection, 2000 years ago. 222 00:14:20,180 --> 00:14:25,440 But now Peter is about to take us into the future. 223 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,680 But you got to stay with me here because to go to the future, Peter is actually going 224 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:32,520 further back to the Old Testament. 225 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:34,280 That doesn't quite make sense. 226 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,600 So let's stay here and see what Peter says. 227 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:43,120 He is, he's going to recite some words from the prophet Joel, who was an Old Testament 228 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:44,420 prophet. 229 00:14:44,420 --> 00:14:51,640 This is what he says in verse 17, it shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord, 230 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:57,080 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters shall prophesy. 231 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,120 Your young men shall see visions. 232 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,120 Your old men shall dream dreams. 233 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:06,520 And on my men servants and maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days and 234 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,400 they shall prophesy. 235 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:15,560 Peter is reading that prophecy from the Old Testament and he's saying that's happening 236 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:17,040 right now. 237 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:23,760 We're not drunk, we're speaking in other language because the spirit is being poured out just 238 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,240 as it was prophesied. 239 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,760 But how is Peter going into the future? 240 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,580 Well if you were to go back to Joel chapter 2 and read that passage, you would say that 241 00:15:34,580 --> 00:15:39,920 Joel actually says, it shall come to pass afterwards. 242 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:44,200 That's what it says in Joel, it shall come to pass afterwards. 243 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:49,720 But Peter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, tweaks that just a little bit and 244 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:54,600 he says, it shall come to pass, what's that phrase in yellow? 245 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,400 In the last days. 246 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:02,880 So it's as if Peter is saying this is being fulfilled here right now on the day of Pentecost, 247 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,660 but in the last days something similar is going to happen. 248 00:16:06,660 --> 00:16:12,500 The spirit's being poured out now, but in the last days before Jesus returns, it's going 249 00:16:12,500 --> 00:16:16,480 to happen again, something else is going to happen. 250 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:22,620 And so Peter on that day in the past is looking forward into the future. 251 00:16:22,620 --> 00:16:27,260 Now you've probably heard if you've been around the Bible very much, there's a different 252 00:16:27,260 --> 00:16:33,520 phrase that's sometimes talked about and used and it's rain, like rain that we're having 253 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:34,560 today. 254 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:40,320 But they sometimes use some other words like early rain and latter rain. 255 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:45,080 And that has to do with the harvest cycle with the crops. 256 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:51,160 The way their agriculture was set up, they knew that when they put the crops in the ground, 257 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:55,920 that if the weather was cooperating, that right at that time of year that the early 258 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,400 rain would come. 259 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:03,060 A light rain which would help to germinate those seeds and start their crops growing 260 00:17:03,060 --> 00:17:04,480 in the right way. 261 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:09,880 And then it would rain off and on, but then when it came time to harvest, right before 262 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:15,160 that harvest time, there was something called the latter rain. 263 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,840 And that rain would fall and it would water those crops and bring them to the perfect 264 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:20,840 level of ripening. 265 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:26,600 I don't know if that's the word or not, the perfect level to be harvested. 266 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:32,480 So there was the early rain, which would get this crop started and then the latter rain, 267 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,240 which would bring them just in time for harvest. 268 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,160 And as you read through the scripture over and over again, these phrases are used not 269 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:47,620 just about agriculture, but about spiritual life, about spiritual history, about the history 270 00:17:47,620 --> 00:17:49,800 of salvation we could say. 271 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:54,440 And so this day on the day of Pentecost was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 272 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:56,800 It was the early rain. 273 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,640 But then we're told that there's going to be another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 274 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,520 There's going to be a latter rain. 275 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:08,800 In fact, we're told that the great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation 276 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,880 of the power of God than marked its opening. 277 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:19,560 One place we could look at, Zechariah 10, it says, ask the Lord for rain in the time 278 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,340 of the latter rain. 279 00:18:21,340 --> 00:18:27,920 And so if we think that we're living what we would call the last days of earth's history, 280 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:29,720 that's the rainy season. 281 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,640 Are we praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? 282 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:35,840 You know, Jesus said something similar. 283 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:40,680 He told his disciples, you are going to do greater things than I have done. 284 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:45,080 One place is John 14, greater works than these he will do. 285 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:50,040 Those who are followers of Jesus, those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. 286 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:56,640 Jesus promises his followers that greater things would be done than even Jesus himself 287 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,320 did. 288 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,560 That's something that's yet to come. 289 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,080 That's something still in the future. 290 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:09,400 And so I want to shift directions just a little bit here. 291 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,440 I want to stop talking about the church in Acts. 292 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:16,280 I want to stop talking about that early church. 293 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:21,320 And what if we took a few minutes and talked about this church, the Ringgold Seventh-day 294 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:23,720 Adventist Church? 295 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,640 I'm going to geek out a little bit because I really like history. 296 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:32,160 Some of you may not, but I did some research and I found some interesting things about 297 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,900 this church, about the church here in Ringgold. 298 00:19:34,900 --> 00:19:36,760 You can go all the way back to 1914. 299 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,480 I don't know if you can see that at the bottom. 300 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:40,640 Yeah, Field Tidings. 301 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,600 It was before the Southern tidings, which a lot of you get. 302 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,220 It was a magazine called the Field Tidings. 303 00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:52,840 So this is November 1914, and it says Elder Magoon, he was one of the conference people, 304 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,260 is spending a few days in Ringgold, Georgia. 305 00:19:56,260 --> 00:20:00,020 We hope a church will be organized there this winter. 306 00:20:00,020 --> 00:20:06,120 This is the first time Ringgold shows up that I could find in any of the magazines and so 307 00:20:06,120 --> 00:20:07,120 forth. 308 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:08,120 And it goes on. 309 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:10,920 So this is from 1915. 310 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,200 It's a little bit small there, but let me just tell you what's happening. 311 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:20,040 It says, a company of believers located a few miles from Ringgold, Georgia. 312 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,720 There's about eight or 10 in this company. 313 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:29,320 And it says, all of whom have accepted the truth as a result of reading our books and 314 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,440 a little personal effort on the part of a friend who was visiting them. 315 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:38,120 They had never seen or heard a Seventh-day Adventist preacher until Elder Magoon visited 316 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:39,120 them. 317 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:40,240 That was what we just read. 318 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:47,320 And so there's eight or 10 people that begun to read books and began to study their Bibles 319 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,060 and began to be gathered together. 320 00:20:49,060 --> 00:20:53,500 So that is 1915. 321 00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:57,040 So just a few months after Elder Magoon came. 322 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:58,720 Whoops, I went too far. 323 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:02,720 It says, while there, the writer baptized six people. 324 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:06,680 So six people got baptized there in 1915. 325 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:08,200 And then we jump up to 1917. 326 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:13,040 I want you to pay attention to this guy's name because we are going to come back to 327 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:14,040 him. 328 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:19,720 It says, this morning's mail, again from the field tidings, brought a nice letter from 329 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:26,840 brother J.A. Goodlett at Ringgold in which he enclosed a nice large check for tithe. 330 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:31,400 Aren't you glad that the Southern tidings doesn't report whether or not we send our 331 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:32,400 tithe in? 332 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,280 I'm glad they don't do that anymore. 333 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:40,680 It says, although brother Goodlett, notice this, is deprived of his eyesight. 334 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,440 This brother's blind. 335 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:48,880 He is doing all in his power to hasten on the coming of the Lord by paying a good tithe. 336 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:55,020 So 1917, there's a blind guy who's become a believer there. 337 00:21:55,020 --> 00:21:56,720 So let's continue on. 338 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:01,280 1920, there's some literature evangelists that are there. 339 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:06,400 1930s, those two little stories talk about people from the Collegedale Church and the 340 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,440 Stannifer Gap Church who are doing branch Sabbath schools in Ringgold trying to get 341 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:12,720 a little church started. 342 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,960 So you've got the 20s, you've got 33, 34. 343 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,460 There's Bible studies happening. 344 00:22:18,460 --> 00:22:22,760 There's a little group of people here, but that's it. 345 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:27,480 1940, the Ministerial Association of Southern Junior College. 346 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,000 That's Southern Adventist University. 347 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:36,480 Down in the middle it says, one of these projects is the theater effort in the village of Ringgold, 348 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:37,480 Georgia. 349 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:43,420 These meetings are being held every Sunday evening with an average attendance of 200. 350 00:22:43,420 --> 00:22:50,040 So in 1940, right before World War II, there's a group of 200 people meeting in a theater 351 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:51,040 in Ringgold. 352 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:57,560 I don't know where that theater is or was, but still that's some pretty cool things happening. 353 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,580 But notice this next one, 1943. 354 00:23:00,580 --> 00:23:03,180 This is an obituary. 355 00:23:03,180 --> 00:23:04,180 Actually found that picture. 356 00:23:04,180 --> 00:23:05,180 That wasn't in the magazine. 357 00:23:05,180 --> 00:23:06,400 I found that separately. 358 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:12,240 James A. Goodlett, age 78, passed to his rest at home near Ringgold, Georgia. 359 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:18,200 Brother Goodlett was well known in North Georgia, having served as a tax collector for many 360 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:23,120 years and was also well known among the believers in Georgia Cumberland. 361 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:29,560 In 1914, he became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and lived a faithful Christian 362 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:37,560 life ever looking to the glad day when Jesus will come and open the eyes of the blind. 363 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:45,640 But Brother Goodlett, for 30 years, from 1914 to 1943, almost 40 years, how many of those 364 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,480 Bible studies had he gone to? 365 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:53,400 How many of those meetings down at the theater had he sat and listened to somebody preach? 366 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,040 But still, there's no church in Ringgold. 367 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:02,440 And he died 30 years later with no church in this community. 368 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,760 Going ahead, and these are just some of the articles. 369 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:05,760 1953. 370 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:07,300 So the 50s. 371 00:24:07,300 --> 00:24:12,000 There's Brother Fuller from the Stand for Gap Church starting to branch Sabbath school, 372 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,000 trying to do something. 373 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,720 So 53, still nothing really happening. 374 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:22,600 And then you come to the 60s, and things begin to pick up a little bit in the 60s. 375 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:28,520 Now those words are small, but this is from 1961, and it says that there were students 376 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:34,600 from Southern down to Ringgold, a little town 12 miles from Collegedale, located in a dark 377 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:35,600 county. 378 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,720 It was one of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in Catoosa County at that time. 379 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:45,720 The writer led out in the endeavor, it says, meetings at Ringgold continue each Sabbath 380 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:46,720 afternoon. 381 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:52,480 And so the picture on the bottom, that's the group of students from Southern who are helping. 382 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:57,000 The one in the middle there, you may not be able to read that, but it says, an audience 383 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:02,200 attending the Ringgold meetings in the American Legion Hall. 384 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:08,360 So as I look that up, I think that was on Emberson Street, if I'm saying that right, 385 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:10,160 and that closed down a few years ago. 386 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:15,520 I think they changed the name to Patriot Hall, but it's not American Legion Hall anymore. 387 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:22,360 But that's a big group of people there in 1961, as things are beginning to take place. 388 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:27,480 Then we go to 1962, and Elder Winn, again from Stand for Gap. 389 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:32,760 It says he lost an evangelistic crusade at Ringgold, the heart of another of North Georgia's 390 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:33,760 dark county. 391 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:38,680 And then it says a branch Sabbath school has been active there for six months. 392 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,080 We're going to talk more about that. 393 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,080 Within the bottom, it talks about they were looking for a place to pitch a tent to hold 394 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:46,680 some meetings. 395 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:54,440 And it says the city clerk had issued no permits for 14 years, so they were having a hard time 396 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,480 finding a place to pitch a tent. 397 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:00,880 I just got word from Darren yesterday that, I don't know if it was the city clerk, but 398 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,160 they voted that we can build our new signs. 399 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:07,960 So it didn't take 14 years, so that's good. 400 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:13,720 But they were looking for a place, and so they ended up, it says, I found a place after 401 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:18,260 a three-day search south of Ringgold near Highway 41. 402 00:26:18,260 --> 00:26:23,200 So go on down Highway 41 somewhere. 403 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:28,320 Somebody gave some property or loaned some property to hold some meetings. 404 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:36,840 And so here we are, 1963, a new church at Ringgold on March 2, 1963. 405 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:42,960 So we're just a couple of weeks away from the 61st anniversary of the official formation 406 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,720 of the Ringgold Seventh-day Adventist Church. 407 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:52,120 And it says 42 members were listed as charter members, and there's a picture of all of them 408 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:53,200 there. 409 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:57,680 And then it says, it talks about Elder Lewis and a branch Sabbath school in the home of 410 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:01,700 Mrs. Rose Poteet, who was not an Adventist. 411 00:27:01,700 --> 00:27:07,480 And he left Ernest Stevens, a theology student, in charge of this Sabbath school. 412 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:14,020 And if you can see that, it says it continued 47 weeks, that's almost a year, with attendance 413 00:27:14,020 --> 00:27:18,300 ranging from 4 to 17. 414 00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:25,000 So week after week, a theology student came down unsure, was it going to be four people, 415 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,260 was it going to be 17 people? 416 00:27:27,260 --> 00:27:32,160 And then it says, on January 19, the Sabbath school was transferred to the temporary location 417 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,300 on Highway 41. 418 00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:36,100 I'm not sure where that is. 419 00:27:36,100 --> 00:27:41,520 When it was announced that a church was to be organized, area residents swelled attendance 420 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:48,720 to 60 on the first Sabbath, and attendance grew to 90 just two weeks before the organization 421 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:49,720 ceremony. 422 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,440 So that's kind of cool. 423 00:27:53,440 --> 00:28:00,760 It went from year after year after year with nothing, and then four, and then maybe 17. 424 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:08,120 And then suddenly now it's 42 are part of the membership, and attendance is at 90. 425 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:09,180 That's pretty cool. 426 00:28:09,180 --> 00:28:14,000 The membership is here, and the attendance is more than that. 427 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,800 Unfortunately many churches, including this one, kind of do the opposite. 428 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:24,100 We have the membership here, and the attendance is a bit less, although I'm glad everybody 429 00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:25,100 came today. 430 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:29,640 So we may have to have Riley get baptized every Sabbath. 431 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:31,640 Thank you, Riley. 432 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,120 But this is the second cool story, and we're almost done here. 433 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:37,760 I know we've gone a little bit long. 434 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:43,520 This says, a child's desire sparks evangelistic crusade. 435 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:51,380 Early in 1962, I love the way this is written, little Miss Donna Patterson asked her mother 436 00:28:51,380 --> 00:28:54,160 if she could go to Sunday school. 437 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:55,160 Why? 438 00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:00,080 Well, on Monday morning at school, the kids that went to Sunday school, they got to do 439 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:04,600 something special and have a special writing project on the blackboard. 440 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,800 I wish I could go to Sunday school, so I could do that as well. 441 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:13,000 Her mother talked to some other relatives, one of whom was an Adventist, and they came 442 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:18,120 to the conclusion, I wish she could go to Sabbath school. 443 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:23,640 From that, as that word got out, that is why that little branch Sabbath school started 444 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:31,200 in Ringgold, because little Miss Donna Patterson wanted to go to Sunday school. 445 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:36,360 They couldn't do it at Donna's house, because they lived in a trailer, and so they went 446 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:41,280 to Donna's grandmother's house, and that's where they were having this branch Sabbath 447 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:42,280 school. 448 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:47,520 And then notice that second column, on August 3, following a crusade conducted by Elder 449 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:56,820 Wynn, Donna's mother, grandmother, stepfather, aunt, and uncle were baptized with eight other 450 00:29:56,820 --> 00:29:57,820 baptismal candidates. 451 00:29:57,820 --> 00:30:00,820 So there were 20 people that made decisions. 452 00:30:00,820 --> 00:30:07,520 That brings the membership to 63 with Sabbath attendance at 90 to 100. 453 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:10,080 That's what happened right here. 454 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,320 Not right here, but somewhere around here. 455 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:13,320 But what about right here? 456 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:19,280 Well, now we jump forward to 1966, and that's when this structure, at least this part of 457 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:20,540 it, was built. 458 00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:26,440 And notice it says in the signs of the times, 1966, the Ringgold Georgia Church, with seating 459 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:31,000 for 180, will soon be ready for use. 460 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,560 I know we've actually added some pews since then. 461 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,960 Could we fit 180 people in here? 462 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,920 I sure would like to try, wouldn't you? 463 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,640 I think we could squeeze people in here. 464 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:45,100 We got four seats up here. 465 00:30:45,100 --> 00:30:46,100 We could make it work. 466 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:48,360 At least it'd be fun to try. 467 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:54,480 And so that is what happened right here at the Ringgold Seventh-day Adventist Church. 468 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,600 Now the thing is, that's the past. 469 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:07,680 But as a church, as a group of believers, a group of people, and we're human, and humans 470 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:16,040 don't always say the right thing, don't always do the right thing, get upset with each other, 471 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:21,080 hold grudges with each other, whatever. 472 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:26,200 And Jesus said greater things are going to happen than happened in the past. 473 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:31,800 And so we can look at how this church started, and we can look at the future and what Jesus' 474 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:36,360 promise is going to happen in this church when we keep our eyes and we keep our focus 475 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,120 and we keep our attention on Him. 476 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,440 And so I said we were going to look at the past when we looked at Pentecost. 477 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:47,120 I said we were going to look at the future, and that's that outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 478 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:51,440 which we need to be praying for each and every day, because God says greater things are going 479 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:52,920 to happen. 480 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:55,040 But what about today? 481 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:59,400 Are we praying for rain in the time of the latter rain? 482 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:05,240 Well let's go back to Acts chapter 2, because we've got to end where Peter ended this sermon. 483 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:11,200 Acts chapter 2 and verse 21, because Peter ends the sermon talking about Jesus, and he 484 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:18,200 says, It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 485 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,000 That's Peter on the day of Pentecost. 486 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,600 Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 487 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:29,680 And we skip down to verse 23, and it says, Him, Jesus, being delivered by the determined 488 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:36,100 purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and 489 00:32:36,100 --> 00:32:37,760 put to death. 490 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:39,720 Jesus died on the cross. 491 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:45,440 But then it says, Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was 492 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,000 not possible that he should be held there. 493 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,080 They crucified Jesus, they stuck him in the tomb, they thought he was going to stay, but 494 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,840 Jesus could not be held down by the bonds of death. 495 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,680 And he raised up again. 496 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:05,200 Let's skip down to verse 36, because Peter preaches this sermon about Jesus, about the 497 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:06,560 resurrection. 498 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:13,200 And we come down to verse 36, and he says, Therefore, let all the house of Israel know 499 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:22,840 assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. 500 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,440 Those words can be challenging there. 501 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:30,880 Because we love to say Jesus is our Christ, he's our Messiah, he's our anointed one, he's 502 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:33,200 the one who died for our sins. 503 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,000 We love that picture of Jesus. 504 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:40,360 But sometimes it's a little bit harder to say that Jesus is our Lord. 505 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:43,320 Have we humbled ourselves before Jesus? 506 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,840 Have we surrendered our life totally to Jesus? 507 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:51,920 Are we willing to live for Jesus each and every day, no matter what happens? 508 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:56,800 Because it says that Jesus is supposed to be both Lord and Christ. 509 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:02,280 And Peter goes on in verse 37, and it says, Now when they heard this, they were cut to 510 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:03,720 the heart. 511 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:08,160 You know, in most churches today, we've got a little bulletin, we've got the order of 512 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:09,440 service. 513 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,440 Maybe it's been the same since 1966, I'm not sure. 514 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:18,840 But you know, there's a sermon, there's a closing song, there's a benediction, and it's 515 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:19,840 the same. 516 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,120 That never happened in the book of Acts. 517 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,920 The apostles never got to say our closing song today is, because in the book of Acts, 518 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,520 the sermons always ended one of two ways. 519 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:34,000 One, the people got mad and threw rocks at them and tried to kill them or put them in 520 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:35,000 jail. 521 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:40,600 Or two, like this, they said, Stop talking. 522 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:42,480 What do we do next? 523 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,200 Verse 37, When they heard this, they were cut to the heart. 524 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:52,600 And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we 525 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,280 do? 526 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:56,000 What are we supposed to do? 527 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:57,800 And this is where Peter answers. 528 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:03,040 Peter said to them, and we had a children's story about it, we had a song about it, we've 529 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,160 seen a baptism about it. 530 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:11,360 Peter said to them, Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 531 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:18,240 for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 532 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:20,360 Repent and be baptized. 533 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:24,960 That's what Peter told them to do on that day back at the past. 534 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:33,280 But notice, Peter goes on and he says, For the promise is to you and to your children 535 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:37,240 and to all who are afar off. 536 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:42,600 That's us, as many as the Lord our God will call. 537 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:49,180 That promise that Peter preached that day is the same message for us today. 538 00:35:49,180 --> 00:35:50,760 What shall we do? 539 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:56,040 Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 540 00:35:56,040 --> 00:36:01,040 of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 541 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,600 This promise is not just for the people in Jerusalem. 542 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,860 This promise is for the people in Ringgold. 543 00:36:07,860 --> 00:36:12,480 This promise is for those who we can look back and see what God has done in the past 544 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:17,400 and we can look ahead and see what God has promised to do for the future and we can look 545 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:22,760 at today and see what God wants to do in our life. 546 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:29,460 Are you ready to respond and let Jesus be not just the Savior of your life but also 547 00:36:29,460 --> 00:36:31,640 the Lord of your life? 548 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,480 I don't know all you guys, I don't know where your spiritual walk is. 549 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:39,760 I said it before, maybe some need to take that next step with Jesus and get baptized. 550 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,920 Maybe some need to take that next step with Jesus and start reading your Bible every day. 551 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,880 Maybe some need to take that next step with Jesus, whatever it is. 552 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,800 What is your next step with God? 553 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,800 If you want to get baptized, I think there's a card in front of you, pull that out and 554 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:58,020 fill that out and we will make that happen. 555 00:36:58,020 --> 00:37:01,800 As an individual, are we seeking God? 556 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:08,200 As a church, are we seeking God and the Holy Spirit and praying for Him each and every 557 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:09,200 day? 558 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:10,200 Let's bow our heads. 559 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:15,960 I thank you God, I thank you for this church, for this group of people, I thank you for 560 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:22,740 your promise of Jesus who came and died for our sins, of your promise of a Holy Spirit 561 00:37:22,740 --> 00:37:28,120 which is going to fill us and change us and make us to be like you. 562 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:35,080 So Lord, with all the people here, we repent, forgive us of our sins and Lord we want you 563 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:40,640 to be our Savior and our Lord, in your name we pray, Amen.