Acts 2:14-41

[0:00] Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Wow, that was a warm welcome.

[0:11] ! Would you like just for a second, God, it's all connected with what God wants to do.

[0:38] And while we were singing the song Waymaker, that light, the sunlight was shining on my face here, which is now just shining on Thelma's face.

[0:52] And I saw a road, a road, and was closed the road with barriers. And some people stand behind the barriers.

[1:05] Look at it, and it looks like they don't know what to do. They were a bit confused in what direction they should go.

[1:19] And then I think God, He just want to remind us that He is the Waymaker. Wherever, whenever your road will be blocked, He can recalculate the road and put it in another place.

[1:38] Do you understand that? So, put your faith in Jesus and He will show another way.

[1:49] Amen? Amen. Can we pray again, please? Shall I pray? Father, we thank you one more time for the great opportunity to be here in your presence.

[2:04] Holy Spirit, would you come and open our spiritual ears now to understand what you want to say to us today?

[2:16] Would you stay beside us, helping us, strengthen us? Would you take all distractions? We just want to hear a voice, God.

[2:30] Come Holy Spirit, come. We pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[2:41] So, today I have the responsibility to continue the series of Acts. And today we will be talking about mission, devote to mission.

[2:57] And then I think, God picked me to talk about mission. That's this incredible thing. This is not my language. This is not my own country.

[3:09] But I've always been really challenged by God to go and to preach and to preach the word of God.

[3:21] And this is something that we love to do. It's really a challenge, but we love to do. And then I ask, like Andrew said, be patient with me, please.

[3:32] Be patient with me. Be intercede for me now. So, today we go to Acts chapter 2 verse 14.

[3:45] And we'll be seeing what is going on in this scenario that God is doing in Acts. And before we read the passage, the way I like to see the book of Acts, it's like a trampoline.

[4:03] People receive the Holy Spirit, the power of God, and they are thrown away to their purpose, to the nations.

[4:23] Something really powerful changed on their life, and now they are like projected, projected, yeah, to God's, to fulfill God's purpose.

[4:40] And I just remind the other day, a couple of weeks ago, we went to a jumper in Guildford to take the girls. And while the girls were playing there, I was watching them.

[4:54] And then I noticed on the place was like a platform. And there was a team member telling the children, teaching them how it should be done, to jump on the jumper there.

[5:12] And then I noticed some of them, they just climbed and they jumped really high. And some of them was doing acrobatics. And then I thought, wow. But some of them, they were listening to what the guy was telling them to do it.

[5:27] But when they get to the platform, they were afraid to jump. In the meantime, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me something like this that I wrote down, otherwise I'm not going to remember.

[5:44] The children, just like the children who listen to the team member instructions and follow them, will jump very high and reach much further places.

[5:56] It will be those who listen to my commands and follow them. But it will not be like this with those who listen to the instructions and are afraid to put them into practice.

[6:11] They will remain immovable in the same place. God have mercy on me. Can you say that? God have mercy on me. We don't want to stay on the same place.

[6:23] We want to be impacted by the power of God and we want to move forward. So, look how important is an instruction.

[6:35] So, listen today really carefully in what God wants to say to the church today. And I want to go to the passage.

[6:48] And I want to read the passage. Which is Acts 2.14-21. I want to read the passage. I want to read the passage.

[6:59] I want to read the passage. I want to read the passage. And we will go from here. So, the context is the Holy Spirit came.

[7:10] There was about 120 people in the room. And there was filled with the Holy Spirit.

[7:22] And then they were on the same place when this has happened. Verse 14.

[7:33] Then Peter stood up with the leaven. He raised his voice and addressed the crowd. Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem.

[7:44] Let me explain this to you. Listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk as you suppose. It's only 9 in the morning.

[7:57] No. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joe. In the last days. God says. I will pour out my spirit in all people.

[8:10] Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants. Both men and women. I will pour out my spirit in those days.

[8:23] And they will prophesy. I will show wonders in heavens above. And signs on the earth below. Blood and fire and billows of smoke.

[8:34] The sun will be turned to darkness. And the moon to blood. Before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

[8:49] Amen. So this is what happened after the Pentecost. And today. There is a theme for the message.

[9:03] Which is devoted to mission. But also to have more understanding. It's a. I just get the theme that getting ready for the mission.

[9:14] So this is going to sound really South American church. But can you just turn to the people beside you. Get ready for the mission. Be a prophet today in his life.

[9:26] And say. Get ready for the mission. Sometimes we need to hear this. Get ready for the mission. It's an instruction.

[9:38] That God gave to them. And to have a more clear understanding. There is a definition that I would like to. Tell us today.

[9:50] The dictionary definition. About mission. What is mission? What is mission? We heard mission in the church.

[10:02] In the television. But what is mission? And then I got to. Just two examples. The first one. It's an important assignment.

[10:13] Given to a person. Or group of people. Typically involving travel abroad. That's the number one. So it's an important. Just keep in mind.

[10:25] It's an important assignment. Given to a person. Or group of people. Typically involving abroad. Travel abroad. The second one. Vocation. Or calling. Of a religious organization.

[10:36] Especially a Christian one. To go out into the world. And spread its faith. I'm going to read them again. The definition. The second one. It's a vocation. Or calling. Of a religious organization. Go out into the world and spread its faith.

[10:50] I'm going to read them again. The definition, the second one, it's a vocation or calling of a religion's organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith.

[11:09] So look how interesting is this. The definitions, it's about we have a really important assignment. We have a calling or a vocation to do something.

[11:26] And look, Acts 1 verse 8. Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

[11:40] And you will be my witnesses. You will be my witnesses. In Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

[11:58] So we receive an important assignment. As individual, as a church, we receive this assignment.

[12:09] An important one. And a vocation or calling. Mark 16, 15. You may know the verse. He said to them, Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation.

[12:24] Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany them.

[12:36] Accompany them. The pronunciation help me. Accompany those who believe. In my name, they will drive out demons.

[12:47] They will speak new tongues. They will pick up snakes with their hands. And when they drink deadly poison. It will not hurt them at all.

[12:58] They will place their hands on the sick people. And they will get well. Wow. Wow. So this is our vocation.

[13:10] We are all called to go and do these things. We are all called by God. To go into the world.

[13:22] To preach the word of God. To heal people. To minister to people. To tell them about the good news. That's our, our responsibility.

[13:34] That's our responsibility. Our call. And today, very briefly, because the time, it never stops.

[13:48] It's strange, isn't it? The clock never stops. And here, there's something strange here. They go even faster here. Friends, I just want to tell you what happened on this passage that we just read.

[14:07] The Holy Spirit came. People was filled with the Holy Spirit. And, it's interesting, because most of the preachers, they focus on the content of the sermon that Peter preached.

[14:23] But I want to focus on something else that many of us sometimes don't realize, which is the supernatural transformation that Jesus makes when he fills us with the Holy Spirit.

[14:36] So, how? How can I be equipped to do mission? That could be your question today. Okay, Vinny, you tell us about mission, about to go into the world.

[14:50] How can I do that? I am ashamed to talk to people. I don't know much about the Bible. I never did any theologic course.

[15:00] I never been to the university. university. This is all good. But if you don't receive the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot do anything.

[15:19] You can read a thousand books. You can be mastered in theology. But if you don't have the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot do anything.

[15:32] Amen. So, we need to be equipped to go and be able to preach to people, to announce the good news. Equipped for the mission.

[15:44] So, note, every mission starts with an instruction. I cannot tell people to go somewhere else and do something if I don't explain to them first what they need to do.

[15:58] So, every mission, keep this in mind, every mission starts with an instruction. Chapter 1, verse 4, Jesus told the disciples, do not leave Jerusalem, but wait.

[16:13] Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait. Jesus gave them an instruction, a warning them to not leave Jerusalem because something was about to happen. And because they stayed there, something happened and changed the world.

[16:31] So, how can I be equipped? How can I be equipped for the mission? First one, praying, praying, praying, and keep praying.

[16:43] As we say in Portuguese, you praying, waiting, and wait, praying. Does that make sense?

[16:58] You'll never stop. Pray. The Bible shows us, the disciples, they was together, they was gathered in the same place. They was not watching Netflix.

[17:10] They was not watching movies. They was not playing cards. They was doing what? They was praying. They were seeking God. And I wonder what they was asking there.

[17:21] Maybe God come. Holy Spirit come. Holy Spirit, fulfill your prophecy that you gave to Joel. They was praying, asking God for His presence.

[17:34] Come Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit. You tell us that you come. Come Holy Spirit. So, we need to pray. Pray waiting, and wait praying.

[17:46] For the Holy Spirit to come and fill your life and turn it into a true testimony. And this is the point. When the Holy Spirit comes, Mark, He brings transformation.

[18:02] Do you understand that? When the Holy Spirit comes to our life, He brings transformation. And because we are transformed by the Holy Spirit, after that, we are, we became, we become a real testimony.

[18:20] And then if I ask you today, if you gave your life to Jesus when you are adult, you may tell me, yeah, I was totally different person before.

[18:34] I used to talk something different. I used to wear different clothes. Something changed. But when the Holy Spirit comes, He changes everything.

[18:45] And now, people are able to see the transformation. And that was happened here with Paul, with Peter. And the Greek word to the power, when the Bible mentions the power, when the Holy Spirit stays and you will receive the power, the word, the Greek word is dynamis.

[19:09] In Portuguese it's dynamis. It's the power, which means power, strength, force, ability. Because God, He will equip us to do His will.

[19:26] We cannot do anything. I cannot do anything by myself, by my own strength. But when the Holy Spirit comes, He will change.

[19:37] history shows us there was a massive change in Peter's life after the day of the Pentecost. Before, he was just a fisherman with a very strong character.

[19:49] But after that, he was a convinced and bold man, preaching with authority and power that we see in the verse 14. So, we need to pray.

[20:03] Holy Spirit, come to my life. fill my life, fill up my life. I need more, I want more. The second, how can I be equipped for the mission?

[20:16] Demonstrating the character of Jesus in your life and being witness of His death and resurrection for all people around you. Peter said, the Bible, the verse that we just read, he stood up with the leaven.

[20:37] He stood up and said, you are wrong. These people, they are not drunk. He just stood up in apologetic way to say, no, you are wrong.

[20:52] They are not drunk. This is the Holy Spirit that came and changed them. Now, there is evidence of the transformation of the Holy Spirit.

[21:08] We need to recognize that there is an instruction for all of us to go and announce the good news of the kingdom of God to those who are slaves to sin. And God may want to use you as His witness on your own Jerusalem.

[21:29] In your family, your mom. Maybe God wants to use you to reach out your son, daughter, your dad, your mom, uncle.

[21:43] They never heard about Jesus. They still struggling in the sin, still held in the sin. And God may want to use you in your Jerusalem or in your Judea, in a workplace, in a school, in a university, wherever you are, you can talk about Jesus.

[22:03] You can tell them about the power that changes everything, that breaks all the chains, the stronghold for their family. Or you can use, you can be used in your Samaria, in your neighbors, in the town, surrounded villages, other cities, or God can use you to the end of the earth.

[22:29] Maybe you are here today and God already put in your heart a nation. Maybe you had a dream with another nation, another people that you never understood what the meaning of that.

[22:44] Maybe God already put a nation in your heart. but we need to understand and we need to be ready, equipped, because by your own strength, by your own knowledge, we are not going to do anything.

[23:04] We need the Holy Spirit. God has poured out His Spirit upon all of us, so there is no such thing as a Christian who are not anointed by God, the Holy Spirit, for ministry.

[23:17] 1 Corinthians 12 says, just as a body, though one has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

[23:38] For we are all baptized by one Spirit, so us to form one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free, and we are all given the one Spirit to drink, even so the body is not made up of one part, but of many.

[23:57] We don't have the same gifts, but we have the same Spirit, and we are all called to be deeply involved in the ministry of the kingdom of God.

[24:08] God. The disciples received the Holy Spirit, and now they are going out on their missions to fulfill God's purpose, and then I think sometimes we, as a church, we get things wrong.

[24:30] We want to go by our own strength, and then we want to do things by in your own way, and we fail, and many times we blame God for that.

[24:44] Friends, we just need to understand that He is God, and He is the powerful one, and bring to the conclusion, what will make the works of the Holy Spirit evident in your life is your conviction of who He is to you.

[25:05] We urgently need to verify the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, because who convinces the man of the sin is only the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit.

[25:17] The Apostle Peter did not simply play on the emotions of his hearers, and try to gain emotional response, but reasoned with them, showing them the rational character of the truth of the proclaimed Word of God.

[25:34] Are you ready for the mission? Are you ready to ask God, come Holy Spirit, fill me, I want to be transformed, but also, I want to go and proclaim your Word.

[25:52] Are we devoted to your mission? God has a plan to bring salvation to all mankind, mind, and we have a role to play. The Father sends, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies the work of Christ.

[26:13] Can we pray? God God, I would like to ask the band to come back. The response today, it's a question.

[26:34] I'm filled with the Holy Spirit, and understand that we are not judging anybody, because I'm the first one who received the message.

[26:50] But I want to ask you a question. Can you see in your life the fruits of the Spirit? Can you see in your life your heart is burning to tell people about salvation?

[27:05] about the kingdom of God? Can you see the signs of the transformation that the Holy Spirit brought to your life? Can you see the difference between before you gave your life to Jesus, and after?

[27:32] It's a time to think about it. what can we do and ask God, God, I'm ready. God, I need more of you.

[27:45] God, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God, I want to see fruit on my life. God, I want to be encouraged by you to go out and to speak your name to my friends, to my neighbors, to my family.

[28:02] I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Come, Jesus, come, come, come.

[28:16] And if you never have been filled with the Holy Spirit, and today God is speaking to you, I'll encourage you today.

[28:28] Come, and ask him. Come, and ask one of the elders here, the leaders to pray for you. Don't let the building today, if God is giving you instruction, take it.

[28:47] Keep it in your heart. Is that song? Just hear the lyrics of the song, and pray.

[29:05] And then if you need a prayer, come before God and ask him to fill your life with the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[29:17] Thank you.