Acts 2- The Gift of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost came, they [the disciples] were all in one accord and in one place. Then suddenly there came a sound from heacen as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. *Note- the Holy Spirit Spirit is the one who gives us utterances.

Now at this time, there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven, living in Jerusalem. When this sound of the Holy Spirit's utterances were heard, the multitude of Jews living in Jerusalem came together and was astonished because each one heard the apostles speaking in his own particular dialect. This was amazing because the apostles were all from Galilee. Some mocked the apostles and called them drunk.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them, Men of Judaea, and all who dwell in Jerusalem know this and hearken to my words:

This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH: AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS. And I will show wonders in Heaven and SIGNS IN THE EARTH; blood and fire, and vapour of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and th emoon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.

Then Peter went on to remind the men that they had taken and by wicked hands had crucified and slain Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God and a man whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be held by death. Additionally, he went on to say how David spoke concerning Jesus. And how David ending by saying THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD, SIT THOU ON MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THY FOE THY FOOTSTOOL.
Therefore, Peter spoke let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that SAME JESUS WHO YOU HAVE CRUCIFIED, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST.

Now when the multitude heard all this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do?

Then Peter told them to Repent and be baptized every one of them in the name of JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins and they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Then they that gladly receied his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls. They continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching and fellowship, and in breaking of bread [holy communion] and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signes were done by the apostles. They sold their possessions and parted them to all men, as every man had need. They continued daily living in one accord. Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Amen.

*The Holy Spirit is an outpouring of God's Spirit onto man. The Holy Spirit shall enable you to: 1) prophesy and/or 2)see visions and/ or 3) dream dreams.

Acts 1

Acts is named after the "acts" the disciples performed i.e...the "acts" of the disciples.

After His resurrection Jesus appeared to the disciples over a period of 40 days (vs 3). One day Jesus gave the disciples this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Jesus said to the disciples after they questioned Him about restoring the kingdom to Israel, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After that, Jesus was taken up into heaven.

Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives. When they arrived, they (Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, and James, some women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers all joined together constantly in prayer.

On one day, Peter stood up in front of the group which numbered 120 and said that Judas had to be replaced. It was necessary to choose someone who had been with them the whole time the Lord Jesus went and out among them to become a witness of His resurrection.

So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic minstry, which Judas has left. Then they cast lots and the lot fell to Mathias; so he was added to the 11 apostles.

Fasting for the New Year!!!

Day 1
Why do we fast?
We fast because according to Isaiah 58:6-8
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-
when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

[we fast so that our lives may be forever changed not just during the fast but for eternity. We fast to break loose from those things that always seem to choke us-things that are beyond our control. Fasting allows us not to rely on things of this earth-food but allows us to rely on God-through His word so for once in our busy lives we attempt to put God first. Because fasting is for a whole day it allows us to obtain clarity because we remove the obstacle of food it allows us to seek God in all other aspects of our lives like work and school.] So try fasting and get ready to reap the benefits. Amen.

Here are some other scriptures to stand on throughout the day:

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
[if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior no one can no longer condemn you-you start affresh with Jesus and have His freedom].

Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
[We can only do things of God with His Spirit-with Him in us]

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [We have to get to the point where we don't to stuff to please people and ourselves but to please God because the decisions we make should be His decisions. Also, according to J. Meyers on Lifetime 1/12/10 Paul said this 20 yrs after he had been saved-things take time-but lets keep striving for the Mark of God].