Tony Stith - We Are His Children

Tony Stith, acknowledging that Jesus promised His disciples that He would send a Comforter, or His Holy Spirit enabling God to dwell with His people, describes the wondrous event in the upper room. On this momentous day, the anniversary of the giving of the Law, God’s Spirit began to write His Law on our hearts. Actually what happened on that day was only a capstone or culmination of a process Jesus had begun when He first called them. Following Christ means denying self and giving up one’s life. Each of the disciples carried a great deal of baggage and many rough edges that had to be disposed of before He could work with them. Jesus realized that Peter would be sifted and emptied, but also knew he could be rehabilitated and made useful for greater work through being filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Through Peter’s message, 3,000 people were called and baptized. Likewise, we cannot be filled with God’s Holy Spirit until we are emptied of our carnality. When we are emptied of ourselves, we can begin to grow God’s Nature within us, completely changing our identities.

Acts 2:1 * Building the Church * Calling of the disciples * Comforter * Divided tongues * Emptying process * Filling * Final act * Fishers of men * Follow me * Galatians 2:20 * Giving of the Law * Leviticus 23 * Luke 22:24-31 * Matthew 4:18; 16 * New hope * Pentecost 33AD * Peter’s personality * Psalm 139:23 * Roller coaster journey of self-discovery * Romans 8:14-16 * Self confidence * Self discovery * Taking back what we said * Tongues of fire