TGP West

The early church's radical devotion to teaching, fellowship, shared meal, and prayer wasn't a product of obligation - it was the natural overflow of lives surrendered to the Holy Spirit.  The Challenge for us today is to stop reading these pages as history and start experiencing them as a living invitation into the same Spirit-empowered community.

Mathew 14 22-33

Glen Whatley

Peter shows that when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth about Jesus, hearts are convicted, leading people to repent, trust in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit, and embrace God's gracious promise of salvation.  Those that have experienced that transforming grace are called to stand apart from the world not through hostility or self-righteousness, but by displaying the humble, sacrificial love of Jesus that draws others to Him.

Peter's sermon in Acts 2 shows how God used fulfilled prophecy, the power of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and the shared witness of Jesus' followers to reveal that Jesus is the promised Messiah and to draw people to salvation. The call for believers today is to remain united, grounded in God's Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and willing to share their stories of God's work so that others may come to know Christ.

Peter declares that Pentecost fulfilled Joe's prophecy, revealing that God's Spirit is now poured out on all believers and restoring what sin had broken in humanity's relationship with God and one another. Through the Holy Spirit, God removes barriers of ethnicity, gender, age, and status, calling His people to live in freedom, unity, and the shared mission of proclaiming the gospel.

The Holy Spirit empowers followers of Jesus to continue His mission with God's power and authority, not their own effort.  When we submit to His leadership, God works through us in ways that reveals His glory, draw people in, and change how they see both us and Him.

Many have us have been living under the weight of hurt, disappointment, and exhaustion, but Jesus promises that ordinary believers who trust in Him can experience presence of the Holy Spirit just as the early church did.  As our belief grows through trusting God and taking Him at His word, the Holy Spirit works through us to bring healing, glorify God, and draw others to faith.

Many of us have been living under the weight of hurt, disappointment, and exhaustion, but Jesus promises that ordinary believers who trust in Him can experience the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit just as the early church did. As our belief grows through trusting God and taking Him at His word, the Holy Spirit works through us to bring healing, glorify God, and draw others to faith.

God does not just save us and dwell within us; He continually fills and empowers us through His Holy Spirit so we can follow Jesus and live out His mission each day.  We are challenged to stop holding parts of ourselves back from God, to seek the Spirit daily, and to fully surrender our lives so His presence and power can work through us.