John 3:35 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Genesis 1 and St. John 1:1 both reference that in the beginning was God! Believing in these few words is the only way we can get to Heaven.  St. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Our only choice is to stay with Jesus (the only TRUTH) if we want to get to Heaven.

Leola Savage

By opening up your heart and mind to the Word of God, you will have the peace you need to love without thought or reason, the peace to care for your brother and sister without a question.  Romans 8:37 says, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Jesse Coates

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God’s love for us is so strong and unconditional.  His will is that we all survive and not perish.  The blood of Jesus, God’s only son, was the greatest sacrifice that was made.  We must first believe in Him.

Pearlie Bearden

I Timothy 4:2 “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”

Paul admonishes Timothy to be on alert for those who speak lies in hypocrisy, for these people will ruin your very soul if you allow them access.  A lie is when you outright intend to deceive for the purpose of creating a deliberate advantage for yourself.  Men now will express, look, or even live a lie just to deceive you; God only deals with what is true.  The saint’s desire should never be to go the easy or deceptive route.  God will help us but He wants us to stay in the parameters that He has created for us.

Pastor Michael Bender

April 30 WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT:  LET GOD DO WHAT YOU CANNOT DO

Acts 2:37 “Now when they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

On the Day of Pentecost, onlookers, now convicted and pricked in their heart, asked the most important question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do (Acts 2:37)?”  This question revealed their desire to want to be better and do better.  Peter gives the answer to their question, “…Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).”  When God gives you the heart to repent, that is Him calling you to come and make a change.  Allow God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Pastor Michael Bender

April 29 WHEN THE SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT:  IT’S SPIRIT-POURING TIME

Acts 2:17 “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:”

When you pour anything out in the natural, it flows freely and doesn’t stop flowing until the person pouring stops.  All you need is a desire for what is being poured and a cup or container to hold it.  Spiritually, God is the One doing the pouring of HIS Spirit and the timing is perfect – the last days.  He’s seeking a willing vessel that desires to walk after the Spirit and no longer after the flesh!  

Christy Christian

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Although John 3:3 is referring to a spiritual birth, it has a natural birth correlation.  In a natural birth, there is water, the birth, and the cry, which is the evidence of life.  In the spiritual, the water is the baptism in Jesus’ name and the cry is speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance.  This is the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of God.  We need the Spirit of God now more than ever.

Linda Fitts

Acts 2:15 “For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.”

How fascinating to understand how God meticulously plans events that will alter one’s life journey.  Our text explains how the crowd questioned what happened to these Galileans?  How is it possible they speak in our tongue?  Oh, they must be drunk with new wine! Peter had to enlighten them by reminding them that the promise God made through Joel has happened. “This is That!”

I remember experiencing my “This is That” moment.  It was if I was transported into eternity surrounded by the presence of God.  An indescribable peace enveloped me creating a euphoric experience.  I know that day is forever etched into my memory.

Food processors have become a necessary tool to combine ingredients to prepare something that will enhance the taste of a recipe.  That is the function of the spirit to transform your gifts,talents, personality, successes, and uniqueness to be a new creature in Christ.

Thank God for your “This is That” moment!  Now we have a Comforter, Teacher, Guide, Power Source, Intercessor, Motivator, Sanctifier, Leader, and Deliverer and so much more.

T. Renee Wilson

Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

The pouring out of the Spirit of God has its origin in Genesis 2:7 as it tells us that God (Divine) formed a man’s body and called him man. God breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life and man became a living soul.  God (Divine) connected with what He created by Spirit in order for the Divine to commune and govern humanity by His Spirit which enabled man’s mind to become God-forward.  Adam sinned and all was overthrown (his God consciousness) by the logic of his own mind; the connection was lost.  Humanity is now ruled by the conscience and logic of their own mind as reason and imagination are now in control which God calls the flesh as stated in Romans 8:13.  Thank God for the re-connect for on the day of Pentecost that same Spirit or breath as in Genesis 2:7 is breathed back into us again.  Now we have power not to live by our own thoughts or the flesh and can mortify bodily deeds by a God-forward mind for we are not children of Adam (flesh) but sons of God (Spirit).

Norman Wilson

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24:49 to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endured with power from on high.” Joel foretold of this wonderful prophecy in Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, 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:”  The power of the Holy Ghost is different from any other kind of power.  The Holy Spirit is literally the power of God living on the inside of your body.  We, who have been baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost have power that is unlimited and eternal.

Darlene Allen