The Day of Pentecost in the modern charismatic church has to do primarily with the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon all flesh (as prophesied in Joel 2:28). But to fully comprehend how this takes place we must become totally familiar with the various workings (“operations”) of the Holy Spirit. We must also understand exactly how He has chosen to manifest Himself 'in' and 'through' us. God's will for you is to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:17,18). Because the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church (and through God’s people), has to do with being constantly filled. I have found six operations of the Holy Spirit, and each one brings glory to Jesus Christ: • There are two operations that are concerned primarily with 'authority' - the various manifestations of power from on high or Gifts of the Spirit. • There are two which deal with the 'equipping of the Saints' - equipping for ministry and equipping for duties or service in the church. • There are two that deal with the 'outpouring' that comes straight from the throne of God (which contains His life and His nature). And flow directly into other people’s lives.

Pentecost Sunday is a day to celebrate hope, a hope evoked by the knowledge that God through His Holy Spirit is mightily at work among His people. It is a celebration of newness, of recreation, of renewal of purpose and of transformation. It is a celebration of God’s ongoing work among all the nations in the world. But most of all, it is a recognition that God’s work is being done through His people - as He pours out His Spirit upon them (Joel 2:28). This focus on the church’s mission to the world, and the enabling presence of God through the work of the Holy Spirit in the church (to empower that mission) should provide a powerful impetus for churches today, especially those like Cornerstone. Pentecost gives us a tremendous opportunity to use this time to see people transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

“…And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses” (Exodus 33:9). Moses prepared a special place where he could meet with God and the Lord honoured this by speaking to Moses “…face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (verse 11). If you wish to meet with God face to face, or if you would like God interrupt your life (as and when it pleases Him), then you too must prepare a special place for His presence to manifest. Under the Law of Moses, God’s divine presence could never take up permanent residency in the human heart. But under the Law of Grace the God Almighty abides in all believers. Therefore, the tabernacle of meeting you must prepare is in your heart.

Corinthians 2:13 (Literal Translation) - “When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human intellect. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.” Too many Christians are confused or misguided regarding their spirituality. The need to experience the supernatural (to be “spiritual”) often causes people to get involved in practices that are not authentic and do not agree with God’s word. Note, human intellect and spirituality just don’t mix. False spirituality is one of the most dangerous traditions in church life today, mainly because it can effect so many people.

Last Sunday morning we discovered how important it is to have an intimate and affectionate relationship with God. After having received the Spirit of adoption we can cry out “Abba Father” (“Daddy God”) knowing that He always hears us. However, adoption also means that we have been placed in God’s family as sons and daughters with the status and privileges of joint-heirs. We are now one family with one Father, “from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:15). The big question is this, “Do we act like a divine family?” This will be evidenced by the way each family member treats the other.

Verse 1 – The Jews considered 70 to be the number of the Gentile nations and therefore, this may have been the Lord's way of deliberately and dramatically emphasising the universality of His mission. The next thing we notice is that Jesus "sent" them out into every city "two by two". The Greek word for "sent" is 'apostello' which means 'to commission or set apart for a special service'. However, there are other notable uses of this ancient word. For instance, it is used when one is 'sent out with a mission to fulfil', and when one is 'dispatched with the full backing and authority of the sender'. Also, we see that the Lord had sent out these disciples "two by two", which I believe was for protection, strengthening and encouragement. Verse 2 – Today, the harvest is also great and the labourers are still few! Therefore, you too should continually pray that the Lord of the harvest sends out labourers into His harvest field. The heartbeat of our heavenly Father is to harvest every lost soul, and according to 1 Corinthians 3:9, we are "God's fellow workers" in this divine venture.

Salvation provides all the necessary qualities. Salvation is by faith, and faith is given to us by a sovereign God. A measure of faith was given to us as part of God's gift of salvation. Our salvation brings us into the true knowledge of God and of His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation provides everything necessary for godly living, which we see in 2 Peter 1:3, “...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...” It is this salvation that has enabled us to become partakers of the divine nature. Verse 4 says: “...having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” The two go together. We've become partakers of the divine nature, and God's character is manifested in us, because we have escaped the wickedness that is in the world.

The information age in which we live is so full of rationalism, mental sciences, and analytical thought that most people choose to mock when they hear of someone claiming to be able to actually hear the voice of God. However, no one should scoff, for several reasons. Firstly, men and women throughout the Bible heard God’s voice. Also, there are some highly effective and reputable men and women of God alive today who regularly demonstrate that they hear God’s voice. Finally, there is a deep hunger within us all to commune with God and hear Him speak within our hearts.