Have you ever thought of the Holy Spirit as your energy source? In today’s message from Pastor Tom, you will learn that the Holy Spirit is just that. The Holy Spirit empowers you and helps you to live a righteously. He also gives you boldness to share the gospel message with others. You will hear today about the day that Jesus’ followers first received the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Not only was the Holy Spirit poured out on them, but if you are a believer in Christ, then He dwells within you, guiding and empowering you today.

What are some of the ways you have observed the providence of God? In today’s message from Pastor Tom, you will learn about the time that the eleven apostles sought to appoint the twelfth apostle. The Lord provided them with a clear answer of who he had chosen. Our God is a personal God. He cares about all matters of your life. He brings provision for the big stuff and the seemingly small stuff. There is no such thing as being lucky or unlucky. You can trust that He is sovereign over everything.

Who is someone in your life that needs to hear about Jesus? His resurrection is the centerpiece of our faith. In today’s message from Pastor Tom, you will learn that the disciples’ most important message was that of the Resurrection. It was central to the Gospel, and it was vital that the news of Jesus was spread far and wide. Having eyewitness accounts of the life, death, and resurrection was key. The apostles had to thoughtfully choose someone who fit that criteria to join them as the twelfth apostle.

Peter had faith and conviction in the weight and value of the word of God. So much so, that he depended on it as he led the people. Do you have this kind of faith in what God has told you through the Bible? Do you stake your life and words on its truth? The only effective leader, as Peter discovered, was the one that placed himself under the authority of Jesus. Don’t just be sorry for your past mistakes, but do a complete turn around and let God lead your days, as Pastor Tom shares with us today.

Scripture was Peter’s go-to when there was an issue that he needed to talk about with other believers. Remember the man who betrayed Jesus? Well, everyone knew what had happened, and it was Peter who reminded them that God is effectual no matter what. Scripture is good for instruction, rebuking, convicting, and correcting. As a church leader, Peter stood by these truths. Do you have a lighthearted attitude toward the word of God? Don’t. This is the encouragement we hear from Pastor Tom today.

From the apostles that were handpicked by God, we have much to learn. From praying and their obedience to God, we see how important it is to believe in the common mission of telling others about Jesus. The apostles had to work together. Maybe you’ve heard of Judas Iscariot, who was the one who was payed to betray Jesus. Well, he had been one of the twelve original apostles, and now there was a problem. This called for some leadership. Today, Pastor Tom talks about Peter filling that role.

The Bible is full of cases where we see obedient, prayerful witnesses testifying to the saving power of Jesus. But, we must obey what God tells us to do. Satan will try to fool you into thinking that you know better than the Creator of the universe. The hard fact is you don’t.

The disciples believed that God would fill them with His Spirit and power to accomplish the task of sharing the story of Jesus with others. Pastor Tom speaks today of the women that were there, too, fully trusting God that they too had a role of sharing Jesus. They got involved. Will you copy the faithfulness of these individuals?

God designed the starting point of the early Church to be an example that we can learn from and do ourselves. The starting point was normal men and women understanding the importance of obeying and doing it together. God told them to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit. But as Pastor Tom points out today, they didn’t sit and twiddle their thumbs. They stayed, prayed, and made decisions, and believed. Can you imagine being one of them to share first hand experiences of the life and resurrection of Jesus?

Although the Ascension is a real event that happened in the past, it has implications for us today, and even into the future. One of those implications is that because Jesus physically rose to Heaven, he is also going to physically come back to earth. Today, Pastor Tom teaches us how the Ascension is a foreshadowing of the second coming. Jesus will come back to the same place, in the same manner, riding on the clouds. Will he find you doing His work or distracted by the things of this world.