SERMON HIGHLIGHTS: “The Gospel Cycle”
What a difference a day makes! When Jesus Christ was taken captive by a multitude of soldiers from the chief priest of the Jews, His hand-picked disciples ran in fear and terror for their lives. (Matthew 26: 47-56) Even after eye-witnesses reported to the disciples that Jesus, (who had died on the cross and his body was placed in a tomb), had risen from the dead, they refused to believe he was alive. But one day when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the flesh—and they saw and handled Him—the disciples all bowed down and worshipped Him. (Mark 16:14 & Luke 24:33-43) Now filled with faith in the resurrected Christ, as instructed by Jesus, the disciples went back to Jerusalem and tarried for the Holy Ghost, and received the promise of the Father on the day of Pentecost. (Luke 24:49, John 14:26, Acts 2:1-4)
Thereafter the Lord’s Apostles, filled with the spirit of faith, boldly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere, with signs and wonders following. (Acts 1:8, Mark 16:20) The Apostles were no longer the timid and fearful bunch who ran for their lives at the arrest of Jesus. But became bold as lions in standing up preaching, and giving their personal testimony of the resurrection of Christ and His lordship before all the people, regardless of the threat of persecution. Because of their determination to persevere through great hardship, persecution, martyrdom, Christianity is the most popular religion in the world today, with over 2.4 billion adherents. Jesus said if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32) The reason why Christianity will always be the greatest religion in the world is because it is the only true religion. The name of Jesus is the only name whereby a person can be saved. Only Jesus Christ can deliver and keep a person from evil and unspotted in this world! (Acts 4:12 & James 1:27)
When the Apostles began preaching the gospel, it turned on a cycle of supernatural events—I call it “The Gospel Cycle.” (For a diagram of the Gospel cycle, see the Oct. 25, 2020 Sermon). These events will never cease to occur as long as the gospel of Christ is preached in the world. Today. I will begin talking about the first two of six events in the Gospel Cycle: (1) preaching and witnessing the Gospel to the lost, which results in (2) people believing and receiving Jesus as Lord, and being baptized with miracles following. On the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles and other believers were all filled with the Holy Ghost. The presence of God was so intense and wonderful that the worship of God moved from the Upper Room where the believers were gathered into the streets of Jerusalem.
In Acts 2:5-14, the Jewish people who had gathered from every nation in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), wondered in amazement when they saw and heard the 120 disciples speaking in unlearned languages in the streets. The people of those nations understood that the disciples were telling of the wonderful works of God—even though the disciples had never before learned how to speak in those nation’s native languages. In response, Peter along with the 11 Apostles addressed the great crowd by preaching the gospel saying in essence that the outpouring of the Holy Ghost was a manifestation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—whom the Jewish people had crucified. In Acts 2:38, Peter admonished the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost—just as the 120 disciples had received. Those that gladly received and believed the gospel message were all baptized on that same day. (Acts 2:41) A total of about 3,000 souls.
However, this baptism was not the baptism with water, rather the 3,000 were baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire by Jesus Christ. (Matt. 2:11) For certain the 3,000 believers subsequently received water baptism, but could not have been on Pentecost, because Jewish law did not permit washing of any kind on the Sabbath day or on Jewish Holidays. (Exodus 20:10, Deut. 5:14-15) The believers would likely have been stoned for breaking the Law of Moses had they been baptized with water.
Just think of it, in a single day, after hearing the gospel preached, about 3,000 people were filled with the Holy Ghost. This is what we should expect to happen today when we preach the gospel to any person. When the person repents and gives their life to the Lord, we should expect that they will also be baptized by Jesus with the Holy Ghost and fire—on the same Day! When filled with the Holy Ghost, the spirit of God brings liberty—freedom from all oppression and ushers in everything belonging to a believer’s salvation, including healing, deliverance, security and prosperity. (II Cor. 3:17) No doubt the 3,000 souls won to Christ on that day experienced the healing touch of Jesus Christ and devils and demons were casted out, and great miracles took place—when they began to speak. Moreover, when a person is filled with the Holy Ghost, as the believers were in the story recorded in Acts—they receive the power to witness Jesus Christ everywhere. (Acts 1:8) Next week we will continue to discuss the events of the Gospel Cycle.