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| Apostle Karon L. Williams, Associate Pastor |
The Bible reveals the mind of God, the state
of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts binding,
its histories are true, its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the
soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here, Heaven is opened and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand
subject, our good is its design, the glory of God its end.
It should fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide the feet. Read it
slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is given in life, will be opened in the judgment, and will be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all those who trifle with its sacred
contents. Owned, it is riches; studied, it is wisdom; trusted, it is salvation; loved, it is character; and obeyed, it is
power!
- author unknown
God Kept His Promise
Acts 2:1-17
Pentecost is one of the Jewish feasts instituted by God in
Levitious 23:15-22. It is fifty days after the Feast of the Passover, thus the word
Pentecost means 'fifty'.
Jesus Christ was crucified as the passover lamb for the entire world.
On the day of Pentecost, following Christ's crucifixion, the Holy Spirit was poured upon men, marking the beginning of a new
relationship between God and mankind. (Acts 2)
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was promised by God, the Father. On the day of Pentecost,
when this promise was fulfilled, the Apostle Peter reminded the people who witnessed this event of the prophecy of Joel, "And
it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids
in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28, 29)
The Holy Spirit dwells within us. What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's". (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood as price for
our salvation. We are cleansed with that blood from all sin. He sanctifies us and makes us Holy. God dwells in us through
the Holy Spirit. "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit". 1 John 4:12, 13
God dwelling in us is not the only ministry of the Holy Spirit. As
the scripture says, the Spirit shall teach us all things, and of righteousness, and of judgment. The Holy Spirit also
gives us the power to witness unto all men. John 14:26, 16:8 and Acts 1:8
The cost of Pentecost has already been paid by God through the atoning
death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. All we as individuals have to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved
so that Pentecost will be fulfilled in our lives by God, "For the promise is unto you and your children and to all who are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:39
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