Discover Pentecost

Discover Pentecost!!!

The Bible is the number one best-selling book and yet it’s the number one least read book at the same time. And my question to you is, why? Why would so many people go to so much trouble to buy so many Bibles so they can spend so much time… NOT reading it!?

The answer is actually quite simple. People don’t read it not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how to! People say that when they try to read the Bible, they put it away more confused than when they first picked it up.

But the sincere, people like you and me who are hungry, we know there’s something in this book and we’re willing to work to find out what it is.

The problem is that the Bible is not written like other books. It is literally hundreds of different stories intertwined throughout its pages and all this under one cover. Why is it written like this? It’s like this so the insincere, the scoffer and the mocker, will never understand. But the sincere, people like you and me who are hungry, we know there’s something in this book and we’re willing to work to find out what it is. It’s to people like this that Jesus reveals Himself through His word.

If you just spend a little time with me, you will begin to “Discover Pentecost” for yourself, and your life will never be the same again!!!

The Bible says in 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 4. …he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

So, let’s begin to “Discover Pentecost!”

Pentecost is WHY JESUS DIED!

Let me explain that. You’re thinking, I thought Jesus died for our sins??? He did! But that was actually a means to an end and the end is our very own PENTECOST!

Pentecost is a Jewish feast that has been celebrated since the Old Testament, being called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks in Jewish tradition. Pentecost came to be celebrated as the anniversary feast of the giving of the Law or the establishment of the covenant at Sinai.

Is it any wonder that God would choose THIS DAY to establish His Law and His Word in our hearts?

Listen to this prophecy in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verses 33-34...

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Can you imagine having ALL your sins and wrongdoings washed away! Can you imagine finding the strength to live a life of hope and peace instead of fear and worry? Pentecost can give you that life! And that’s exactly why we want you to “Discover Pentecost” for yourself!

It was that on THAT DAY of Pentecost that God chose to “Pour His Spirit out upon ALL MEN!”

The Old Testament prophet, Joel, prophesied about this when he said… "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh...” Joel 2:28a

To understand why it’s important that YOU DISCOVER PENTECOST we’ll begin by understanding something about ALL of us! We are multifaceted! We have 2 parts to us.

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Do you see the point here? You are not just you! You are two parts. You are flesh (from the dust of the ground) and you are spirit (from the breath of God!)

1Cor. 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Eccl. 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

And because you are two parts you need to nourish and care for BOTH parts!

Now the flesh is easy to nourish. Just EAT! But if you want to be healthy, you need to eat properly. You need to eat that which comes from the same source your body came from… the ground! Yes! You came from the dirt and it’s from the dirt that we find the food that nourishes our bodies. What nourishes our bodies are all those things that come from the ground... Fruits, vegetables, even meat is the byproduct of what comes from the ground!

But what about our spirits??? Our spirits didn’t come from the ground. That’s why no amount of eating properly will ever truly satisfy your spirit! Truth be told, no matter how well you eat you will still die! Then what???

Our spirits need to be fed also. Well, since your flesh came from the ground it needs what comes from the ground to sustain itself. But the spirit… Your spirit came from the “breath of God!” Your spirit needs what comes from God to survive just like your flesh needs what comes from the ground to survive!

Gal. 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

It’s alarming how many of us take such care of our natural bodies but ignore our spiritual bodies. We eat when our natural body is hungry, but we ignore the hunger of our spiritual body. Our natural body needs what it came from to survive. Food that comes from the ground that we came from. But our spiritual body needs what it came from to survive. It came from God. We need God for our spiritual man. Our spiritual man is crying out for the things of the Spirit, but we go day after day ignoring it. (By the way, there is spiritual junk food just like there is natural junk food. It takes away the hunger pains, but it doesn't give us health. There is also spiritual junk food being offered but only the ONE, TRUE GOD can truly satisfy the needs of our soul!!!)

ENTER PENTECOST!!!

Acts 2:1-4 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they (the apostles and other disciples including Mary, the mother of Jesus, all totaling 120 people) 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 the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.

I don’t know how healthy their bodies were, my guess is that they were healthier than most of us today, but I do know there is one thing that has never changed. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) You’ve sinned, I’ve sinned, we’ve all sinned. And since sin cannot be in the presence of God, we have a problem! Without God, you and I are hopeless!!!

Because all have sinned, we need a fresh, new start. Pentecost is about having ALL our sins and mistakes washed away, receiving God’s Spirit as a new guide to our spirit so that we don’t continue to live the empty spiritual lives we currently live and we find meaning to our existence.

Are you interested? Let me show you where to begin!

We’ll begin with man’s first sin. Sin is the culprit. Sin is what removes us from the presence of God. Sin is what troubles our lives. Sin is what produces heartache, brokenness, and shame. So, let’s look at what sin is, where it started, and how to get rid of it!

In Genesis 2, verses 15-17, the Bible tells us this…

15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Sin absolutely cannot exist in the presence of God. God is PERFECT in ALL HIS WAYS. Sin is not! Therefore, Sin requires death. (God’s holiness, which is the absence of sin, requires that sin be destroyed. In order to destroy sin, you have to destroy that which the sin abides in. In this case it would be the soul of man.)

Now, perhaps you understand better why the Bible says; The soul who sins shall die. (Eze. 18:4b)

But forget all that for a minute. Let’s get back to what God said to Adam in the garden. "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…”

If you just take that at face value, that is a REALLY GREAT offer!!! EVERY TREE except ONE!?! I can have EVERYTHING except that ONE thing??? Thank you!!!

But now look at the devil and what he says… And mind you, he’s still saying the same thing to you and me today.

Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent (devil) was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Think about that for a minute. Actually… God said we COULD eat from EVERY tree of the garden… except one.

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. But… the devil’s job is to get us to STOP focusing on ALL that God gives us and does for us and to focus on the few things that God does not want us to do or have.

Think about that in your own life. What do you think about mostly? If you’re like most people you think about what’s wrong. You think about what you want instead of what blessings you have. And while there’s nothing wrong with striving to be better, even God expected Adam to want something better, so He told him to work and take care of the garden. But He also expected him to take care of his spiritual side. There is nothing wrong with wanting what we think is better, but if we only fulfill the desire of the flesh, which will die, and not the spirit, which will live forever we rob ourselves of the wonderful promises of God!

It's when we go down that road that we begin searching for things to satisfy the flesh, but the flesh can NEVER be satisfied if the spirit inside of us isn’t satisfied first!!! But… The spirit inside of us can NEVER be satisfied from anything outside of its’ origin, which is God!

ENTER PENTECOST!!!

But… just before we go there, let me point out one last thing. Not only did the devil get Adam and Eve to crave the ONE thing God did not want them to have, but he also made it sound like God was their enemy and NOT their friend. (See any similarities in our day???) Listen to what he said…

Gen. 3:4-5 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (God said, “you WILL surely die!) 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

God knows I’ll be like Him if I disobey Him??? That makes about as much sense as a parent telling their 5-year-old not to play in the middle of the 4-lane highway because they’re afraid if they do, they will be as smart as the parent!!! But that’s exactly where we are today… people thinking they know better than God what’s right for them or what’s good for them.

But we do not! It’s that mentality that has caused ALL the problems in the world. It’s that mentality that has caused ALL the problems in your life.

If you’ll allow me to take a quote from “The Princess Bride” movie, this is how people think of themselves compared to God far too often...

Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?

Westley: Yes.

Vizzini: Morons

Instead of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, we say this about God, Himself! That’s right, every time we don’t like what His Word says, and we do our own thing, we’re saying that we know better than God!!!

Now don’t get me wrong… It’s not like deciding to submit to God causes all your troubles to go away. This world is a “sin-cursed” world. Weeds grow in your garden whether you plant them or not. Problems grow in your life whether you caused them or not. But there is HOPE! Remember we said there were “TWO” parts to humankind? Flesh and Spirit? Well, just because there is and always will be trouble and problems in your life and in the physical world, doesn’t mean there has to be trouble and problems in your spiritual life, in your heart! You can have inner peace amid outer chaos!

Once Again... ENTER PENTECOST!!!

So sorry but there is one final analogy I need to share with you for you to fully understand what took place on Calvary and why Jesus HAD TO DIE for our sins. It’s the story of Adam and Eve and what happened AFTER they disobeyed God and sinned.

Remember what God said would happen to them in the DAY they ate of the forbidden fruit? They would die! But let’s see what actually took place.

Gen. 3:8-11 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So, he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"

The simple answer to this is YES! But there’s never a simple answer for what we do wrong, is there? Instead, we’re full of excuses.

Gen. 3:12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

That’s it... Blame the woman!!! “It’s not MY fault!!!” Perhaps you’ve blamed a variety of things, people, events, etc., for all that’s wrong in your life.

Let’s see what the woman does...

Gen. 3:13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

That it... Blame the devil!!! Again, it’s not MY fault!!!

Do you see the problem here? It’s the same problem we all still have. I’m like this because... fill in the blanks! I did this because... fill in the blanks!

You need to understand something if you’re ever going to “Discover Pentecost.” YOU ARE GUILTY AND YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE!!!

BUT!!! Enter Jesus... Enter Pentecost!!! There is hope for you... not only to have your sins washed away, your wrongs righted, and your life filled with hope, but to have the wonderful promise of eternity in heaven! And THAT is how you can find peace amid a life filled with trouble.

Now, just before we go back to the Book of Acts in the New Testament, there is one more aspect to this story in Genesis 3 that we need to understand. Let’s read it...

Gen. 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them.

WAIT!!! Didn’t God tell them, “In the day you eat thereof you WILL SURLY DIE???”

Was God just talking? Did God not mean what He said? Do we need to worry about God at all?

Look closely... Where did God get the “tunics of skin?” There’s only one answer... SOME ANIMAL DIED AND GAVE UP IT’S SKIN SO THAT ADAM AND EVE DIDN’T HAVE TO DIE!!!

I’ll go one step further and say it was a lamb. A lamb died to give up its skin to cover Adam and Eve with the “sign of death” so that they could live!!! Think about it... A lamb died in their place! Sound familiar?

Are you beginning to see why Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” laid down His life so that you won’t have to??? That’s what sets Christianity apart from EVERY OTHER RELIGION on the planet! Our God robed Himself in flesh and died the death we deserved so that we could live the life He deserves!!! So, our only goal should be to “PUT ON CHRIST” as Adam and Eve put on their lamb!

I’m sure Romans chapter 13 verse 14 makes complete sense to you now. It says... “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

That’s what Pentecost is really all about. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

Just don’t be confused that if we put on the Lord Jesus Christ that we will have no problems in this life. I stated earlier that this is a sin-cursed world. Again, that’s why weeds grow in your garden without you having to plant them and things go wrong in your life that you sometimes don’t deserve. So please, don’t live for this life only, live for the life that never ends in eternity. Secure your eternal destination in HEAVEN!

Finally ... ENTER PENTECOST!!!

There’s great peace that comes with knowing that everything will be ok! And if you will experience your own Pentecostal experience, everything will be OK!!!

So, how do we “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ?

Paul tells us in the book of Romans, chapter 13, versus 12-14. He says... 12 The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

And then in Galatians 3:27, he tells us how to do that... "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Remember Adam and Eve putting on the coats of skin from the lamb that died for them? You can put on the covering of the “Lamb of God” who died for you!)

That’s it! Being baptized in Christ is “Putting on Christ!” If you have not been baptized let me stop right here and encourage you to do so. Why? There are several reasons. Let’s go over them quickly...

1. Baptism is for the remission of sins! Imagine ALL your sins being remitted. Washed away! Gone!!!

2. Because all your sins are remitted, you are as innocent as a “newborn” baby in the eyes of God.

3. Ps. 103:12 tells us: “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

4. Baptism begins a “New Life!” A new life in Jesus Christ.

There’s a lot of talk within Christianity about the necessity of baptism and the formula. Let me just state right now that there is only ONE mode of baptism recorded in the Bible after the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. Let’s take a look...

Matt. 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

This is the go-to verse to justify the popular formula for baptism that didn’t come into existence until nearly 300 years AFTER Jesus and the apostles lived! That’s right... 300 years!!!

And what is that popular formula? To be baptized in the “Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” But wait? Are we supposed to just repeat the command or obey it? Should we baptize saying “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?” Or should we baptize in the “NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?”

To obey Jesus’ command, we must know the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Don’t we??? Well, without giving you an English lesson here, to obey this command, we must find the ONE NAME, singular, that fits the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

That Name is Jesus! Let me show you why, in simple form.

First, we already know the name of the Son. An angel told us that in Matt. 1:21-22. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

So, the name of the Son is Jesus!

Jesus said in John chapter 5, verse 43; “I have come in my Father’s Name.”

So, the Father’s name is Jesus!

Then, Jesus said in John chapter 14, verse 26... “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name...”

So, the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, also comes in the “Name of Jesus!”

Now, for the sake of this article, this is simplistic. It can be explained in greater detail to and for anyone who is interested. But for the purpose of this lesson, we can see clearly why EVERY baptism that takes place after the introduction of Jesus Christ is done in the “Name of Jesus Christ!” Let’s read them together...

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 8:12-16 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. 14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 10:47-48 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And *he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

(*This was the same Apostle Peter in chapter 10 who preached in chapter 2 that EVERYONE should be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus!)

Acts 19:1-5 1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So, they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

There are no other recorded baptisms in the Bible! So, let me wrap this up by going back to the “Day of Pentecost” in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2:1-4 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all in one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It is God’s Holy Spirit that gives us peace amid the storms of life! It is God’s Holy Spirit that gives us hope in a hopeless world. It is God’s Holy Spirit that gives us the strength to live differently. It is having all our ugly pasts washed away and having an opportunity to begin with ALL THINGS NEW that gives us hope in a hopeless world! Baptism in Jesus’ Name cleanses us so that we can become recipients of His Holy Spirit and experience PENTECOST for ourselves!

If you’d like a new start in life, if you’d like to put your past behind you, if you’d like to have your sins washed away and be filled with the power of God’s Spirit enabling you to live a new life of peace, then come with me and “DISCOVER PENTECOST” for yourself!

After the Apostle Peter finished preaching on that original Day of Pentecost, he said this...

Acts 2:36-37 36 "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And finally... Verse 39!

39 For the promise is to YOU and to YOUR children, and to ALL who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

This promise is for YOU!

The Lord is calling YOU!

Will you say YES?

EMAIL: DiscoverPentecost@MMchurch.com NOW!!!

Or Call: 518-388-8411

Or visit: Maranatha Ministries United Pentecostal Church

522 Bradt St. (Corner of Bradt and Broadway)

Schenectady NY 12306

Sunday Service: 10:30 a.m.

For additional information on “Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ” click here.

Maranatha Ministries United Pentecostal Church

522 Bradt St. (Corner of Bradt and Broadway)

Schenectady NY 12306

518-388-8411

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Discover Pentecost!!!

The Bible is the number one best-selling book and yet it’s the number one least read book at the same time. And my question to you is, why? Why would so many people go to so much trouble to buy so many Bibles so they can spend so much time… NOT reading it!?

The answer is actually quite simple. People don’t read it not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how to! People say that when they try to read the Bible, they put it away more confused than when they first picked it up.​​​​​

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But the sincere, people like you and me who are hungry, we know there’s something in this book and we’re willing to work to find out what it is.

If you just spend a little time with me, you will begin to “Discover Pentecost” for yourself, and your life will never be the same again!!!

The Bible says in 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 4. …he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

So, let’s begin to “Discover Pentecost!”

Pentecost is WHY JESUS DIED!

Let me explain that. You’re thinking, I thought Jesus died for our sins??? He did! But that was actually a means to an end and the end is our very own PENTECOST!

Pentecost is a Jewish feast that has been celebrated since the Old Testament, being called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks in Jewish tradition. Pentecost came to be celebrated as the anniversary feast of the giving of the Law or the establishment of the covenant at Sinai.

Is it any wonder that God would choose THIS DAY to establish His Law and His Word in our hearts?

Listen to this prophecy in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verses 33-34...

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Can you imagine having ALL your sins and wrongdoings washed away! Can you imagine finding the strength to live a life of hope and peace instead of fear and worry? Pentecost can give you that life! And that’s exactly why we want you to “Discover Pentecost” for yourself!​​​​​

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It was that on THAT DAY of Pentecost that God chose to “Pour His Spirit out upon ALL MEN!”

The Old Testament prophet, Joel, prophesied about this when he said… "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh...” Joel 2:28a

To understand why it’s important that YOU DISCOVER PENTECOST we’ll begin by understanding something about ALL of us! We are multifaceted! We have 2 parts to us.

Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Do you see the point here? You are not just you! You are two parts. You are flesh (from the dust of the ground) and you are spirit (from the breath of God!)

1Cor. 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Eccl. 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

And because you are two parts you need to nourish and care for BOTH parts!

But what about our spirits??? Our spirits didn’t come from the ground. That’s why no amount of eating properly will ever truly satisfy your spirit! Truth be told, no matter how well you eat you will still die! Then what???

Gal. 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

ENTER PENTECOST!!!

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Because all have sinned, we need a fresh, new start. Pentecost is about having ALL our sins and mistakes washed away, receiving God’s Spirit as a new guide to our spirit so that we don’t continue to live the empty spiritual lives we currently live and we find meaning to our existence.

Are you interested? Let me show you where to begin!

We’ll begin with man’s first sin. Sin is the culprit. Sin is what removes us from the presence of God. Sin is what troubles our lives. Sin is what produces heartache, brokenness, and shame. So, let’s look at what sin is, where it started, and how to get rid of it!

In Genesis 2, verses 15-17, the Bible tells us this…

Now, perhaps you understand better why the Bible says; The soul who sins shall die. (Eze. 18:4b)

But forget all that for a minute. Let’s get back to what God said to Adam in the garden. "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…”

If you just take that at face value, that is a REALLY GREAT offer!!! EVERY TREE except ONE!?! I can have EVERYTHING except that ONE thing??? Thank you!!!

But now look at the devil and what he says… And mind you, he’s still saying the same thing to you and me today.

Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent (devil) was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Think about that for a minute. Actually… God said we COULD eat from EVERY tree of the garden… except one.

That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. But… the devil’s job is to get us to STOP focusing on ALL that God gives us and does for us and to focus on the few things that God does not want us to do or have.

It's when we go down that road that we begin searching for things to satisfy the flesh, but the flesh can NEVER be satisfied if the spirit inside of us isn’t satisfied first!!! But… The spirit inside of us can NEVER be satisfied from anything outside of its’ origin, which is God!

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ENTER PENTECOST!!!

But… just before we go there, let me point out one last thing. Not only did the devil get Adam and Eve to crave the ONE thing God did not want them to have, but he also made it sound like God was their enemy and NOT their friend. (See any similarities in our day???) Listen to what he said…

Gen. 3:4-5 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (God said, “you WILL surely die!) 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

But we do not! It’s that mentality that has caused ALL the problems in the world. It’s that mentality that has caused ALL the problems in your life.

If you’ll allow me to take a quote from “The Princess Bride” movie, this is how people think of themselves compared to God far too often...

Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?

Westley: Yes.

Vizzini: Morons

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Instead of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, we say this about God, Himself! That’s right, every time we don’t like what His Word says, and we do our own thing, we’re saying that we know better than God!!!

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Once Again... ENTER PENTECOST!!!​​

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So sorry but there is one final analogy I need to share with you for you to fully understand what took place on Calvary and why Jesus HAD TO DIE for our sins. It’s the story of Adam and Eve and what happened AFTER they disobeyed God and sinned.

Remember what God said would happen to them in the DAY they ate of the forbidden fruit? They would die! But let’s see what actually took place.

The simple answer to this is YES! But there’s never a simple answer for what we do wrong, is there? Instead, we’re full of excuses.

Gen. 3:12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

That’s it... Blame the woman!!! “It’s not MY fault!!!” Perhaps you’ve blamed a variety of things, people, events, etc., for all that’s wrong in your life.

Let’s see what the woman does...

Gen. 3:13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

That it... Blame the devil!!! Again, it’s not MY fault!!!

Do you see the problem here? It’s the same problem we all still have. I’m like this because... fill in the blanks! I did this because... fill in the blanks!

You need to understand something if you’re ever going to “Discover Pentecost.” YOU ARE GUILTY AND YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE!!!

BUT!!! Enter Jesus... Enter Pentecost!!! There is hope for you... not only to have your sins washed away, your wrongs righted, and your life filled with hope, but to have the wonderful promise of eternity in heaven! And THAT is how you can find peace amid a life filled with trouble.

Now, just before we go back to the Book of Acts in the New Testament, there is one more aspect to this story in Genesis 3 that we need to understand. Let’s read it...

Gen. 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them.

WAIT!!! Didn’t God tell them, “In the day you eat thereof you WILL SURLY DIE???”

Was God just talking? Did God not mean what He said? Do we need to worry about God at all?

Look closely... Where did God get the “tunics of skin?” There’s only one answer... SOME ANIMAL DIED AND GAVE UP IT’S SKIN SO THAT ADAM AND EVE DIDN’T HAVE TO DIE!!!

The answer is actually quite simple. People don’t read it not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how to! People say that when they try to read the Bible, they put it away more confused than when they first picked it up.

Can you imagine having ALL your sins and wrongdoings washed away! Can you imagine finding the strength to live a life of hope and peace instead of fear and worry? Pentecost can give you that life! And that’s exactly why we want you to “Discover Pentecost” for yourself!

Once Again... ENTER PENTECOST!!!