The day of Pentecost is not the birth of a denominational religion. It is a continuation of the work that Jesus had begun in His earthly ministry. His work continues in the body of the church. There are some that try to explain away Acts 2 as something other than what it was. What happened in that upper room was not the recount of a historical event. There are many examples in the New Testament that demonstrate God pouring out His spirit onto His people. The bible says that the events on the day of Pentecost caused a great stir. All those present ask the question what does this mean? Peter answered with a powerful message. The same divine experience today as those men did then. God's promise is present tense. It can happen today. He will do what He said he would do. What happened in Acts 2, He wants to do for His people today. It means that He is active and living in our hearts and lives through His spirit. There is one word that can define the whole Pentecostal experience: Change. All who witnessed the events that day were changed, as we are when God's spirit enters our hearts. Skeptics are changed, doubters are changed, sinners are changed. The powerful outpouring of the Holy Ghost produces change. This same spirit that moved on the day of Pentecost moved on Genesis 1 when God moved to create the world. What God did for the cosmos thousands of years ago, He wants to do today. He moved and brought light and life. His spirit moves in us and brings a new kind of life. God's spirit moved with purpose, and He still wants to move with purpose in our life. The promise of Acts 2 continued in Acts 19 and continues to this day.

The day of Pentecost is not the birth of a denominational religion. It is a continuation of the work that Jesus had begun in His earthly ministry. His work continues in the body of the church. There are some that try to explain away Acts 2 as something other than what it was. What happened in that upper room was not the recount of a historical event. There are many examples in the New Testament that demonstrate God pouring out His spirit onto His people. The bible says that the events on the day of Pentecost caused a great stir. All those present ask the question what does this mean? Peter answered with a powerful message. The same divine experience today as those men did then. God's promise is present tense. It can happen today. He will do what He said he would do. What happened in Acts 2, He wants to do for His people today. It means that He is active and living in our hearts and lives through His spirit. There is one word that can define the whole Pentecostal experience: Change. All who witnessed the events that day were changed, as we are when God's spirit enters our hearts. Skeptics are changed, doubters are changed, sinners are changed. The powerful outpouring of the Holy Ghost produces change. This same spirit that moved on the day of Pentecost moved on Genesis 1 when God moved to create the world. What God did for the cosmos thousands of years ago, He wants to do today. He moved and brought light and life. His spirit moves in us and brings a new kind of life. God's spirit moved with purpose, and He still wants to move with purpose in our life. The promise of Acts 2 continued in Acts 19 and continues to this day.

Idle is not working or being used. It is not having any worth or purpose. In terms of worship, it is something that is empty. God has a problem with idle worship. We see evidence of idle worship as early as the book of Genesis, Cain and Able both brought an offering, but one was empty and void of true commitment. Humans are creatures of habit. It is all too easy to go through the motions of worship, but not have our heart in it. We fall into a routine: we sing the songs, we offer a luke warm prayer and then listen to a message. All the elements are there, but it is empty. it is idle worship. How does one remain idle. One way is the feeling that it is good enough to not be bad. Our text tells us that not only should we not do bad, but must do good. Not doing what we know to be right, is just as sinful as being bad. It is not enough to not be bad, we must do good. People live by "thou shalt not." Idleness will keep us from heaven. Jesus cursed a fig tree not because it bore bad fruit, but because it did not produce fruit at all. In Matthew 22 a pharisee challenges Jesus: what is the greatest commandment in the law. Rather than replying with a thou shalt not; Jesus responds with Thou SHALT love the Lord with all your heart. It is not good enough to love the Lord, we must love the Lord with ALL our heart. In our text a pharisee invites Jesus to his home for dinner. During dinner, a woman comes and begins to minister to Jesus. She was worshiping and it got in the way of the pharisee's plan. Jesus is quick to point out that the woman was worshiping while the religious leader was offering idle worship. What is the cure for idle worship? What is the cure of emptiness. The cure for emptiness is fullness. The cure for idle worship is full worship. Worship is a spiritual discipline. We worship when things are good and we worship when things are bad. Worship is not about us; worship is about Him. We cannot live for God and be an idle worshiper. Worship is more than noise and sound. Worship is substance. God can do all things, but the one thing He cannot do is worship Himself. That is why He desires our worship. Lord, forgive me of my idle worship.

Idle is not working or being used. It is not having any worth or purpose. In terms of worship, it is something that is empty. God has a problem with idle worship. We see evidence of idle worship as early as the book of Genesis, Cain and Able both brought an offering, but one was empty and void of true commitment. Humans are creatures of habit. It is all too easy to go through the motions of worship, but not have our heart in it. We fall into a routine: we sing the songs, we offer a luke warm prayer and then listen to a message. All the elements are there, but it is empty. it is idle worship. How does one remain idle. One way is the feeling that it is good enough to not be bad. Our text tells us that not only should we not do bad, but must do good. Not doing what we know to be right, is just as sinful as being bad. It is not enough to not be bad, we must do good. People live by "thou shalt not." Idleness will keep us from heaven. Jesus cursed a fig tree not because it bore bad fruit, but because it did not produce fruit at all. In Matthew 22 a pharisee challenges Jesus: what is the greatest commandment in the law. Rather than replying with a thou shalt not; Jesus responds with Thou SHALT love the Lord with all your heart. It is not good enough to love the Lord, we must love the Lord with ALL our heart. In our text a pharisee invites Jesus to his home for dinner. During dinner, a woman comes and begins to minister to Jesus. She was worshiping and it got in the way of the pharisee's plan. Jesus is quick to point out that the woman was worshiping while the religious leader was offering idle worship. What is the cure for idle worship? What is the cure of emptiness. The cure for emptiness is fullness. The cure for idle worship is full worship. Worship is a spiritual discipline. We worship when things are good and we worship when things are bad. Worship is not about us; worship is about Him. We cannot live for God and be an idle worshiper. Worship is more than noise and sound. Worship is substance. God can do all things, but the one thing He cannot do is worship Himself. That is why He desires our worship. Lord, forgive me of my idle worship.

Our text is from a time when Israel was in a deep spiritual darkness. They were defeated and scattered. Our text says that there was not a man in Israel that had the courage to stand against the conditions that were against them. They had literally come to the edge of their existence. They were weak and without leadership. They were under the rule of a king that did not know or respect God. No one was capable or willing to do anything about it. It was not until Deborah arose, that any progress was made. Deborah was an amazing woman. She lived 3200 years ago, but her impact is felt to this day. She allowed herself to be used by God to make a difference. Everything in culture and society was against her becoming the leader that she became. She helped Israel to rise up and throw off the chains of slavery. She brought the people of God back to God and restored a sense of courage and purpose to her people. Her life is a testament that one life int he hands of God can turn a world upside down. Deborah awakened a determination to be free. When she rose up against the enemy of Israel they were defeated and for 40 years Israel knew peace. Mothers fill a role that none other can fill. They sing a song that none other can sing. There is no indication int he bible that Deborah had any children in the biological sense, however she gave birth to several things in her time. She gave birth to hope among her people. She gave birth to courage. She gave birth to a renewed faith. She gave birth to better things. Finally she gave birth to praise. Because of her faith, she could sing before the battle started as well as she could after the victory was won.

Our text is from a time when Israel was in a deep spiritual darkness. They were defeated and scattered. Our text says that there was not a man in Israel that had the courage to stand against the conditions that were against them. They had literally come to the edge of their existence. They were weak and without leadership. They were under the rule of a king that did not know or respect God. No one was capable or willing to do anything about it. It was not until Deborah arose, that any progress was made. Deborah was an amazing woman. She lived 3200 years ago, but her impact is felt to this day. She allowed herself to be used by God to make a difference. Everything in culture and society was against her becoming the leader that she became. She helped Israel to rise up and throw off the chains of slavery. She brought the people of God back to God and restored a sense of courage and purpose to her people. Her life is a testament that one life int he hands of God can turn a world upside down. Deborah awakened a determination to be free. When she rose up against the enemy of Israel they were defeated and for 40 years Israel knew peace. Mothers fill a role that none other can fill. They sing a song that none other can sing. There is no indication int he bible that Deborah had any children in the biological sense, however she gave birth to several things in her time. She gave birth to hope among her people. She gave birth to courage. She gave birth to a renewed faith. She gave birth to better things. Finally she gave birth to praise. Because of her faith, she could sing before the battle started as well as she could after the victory was won.

We often celebrate the blessing of God. Our worship is centered about how God has healed, saved, kept, protected or otherwise blessed us. Our services are a celebration of what He has done. The grave couldn't hold Him, the devil couldn't stop him. We make much about the power of God. We are drawn to His ministry of reconciliation. We who were once lost, are now saved. He erased all of our failures, sins and shortcomings to balance the ledger of our life. We worship Him for being the way maker. We rejoice in Him for healing. He is our deliverer. He has saved us from impossible situations from which we could not escape on our own. We are thankful for all these things. We preach and worship for all the attractive things of Christ; the love, peace, deliverance, help in times of distress and healing. Often we do not remember what it took to bring Him to the place where He could do all those things. The gory side of glory is not something that we like to preach about. Some churches do not even mention the blood, the cross or the Crucifixion. The reason we can praise, worship and rejoice is because there was a gory side of glory. He had to endure the cross so we could enjoy the blessings we have. What did reconciliation cost? He suffered so that we did not have to suffer. Before He could be attractive to us, He had to suffer the unattractive. Calvary as an awkward place. It is a bald ugly knob of rock. It was at this place, that many a destroyed life was ended. It was on this hill that Jesus was lifted on the most horrible way to torture and kill a human. It was painful. It was a long agonizing death. He did it for us. He did not deserve this fate. The crowd yelled that He got what he deserved. Isiah tells us that He didn't' get what He deserved, He got what we deserved. Jesus was pierced for our rebellion, He was beaten so we could be whole. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter with out a word. He who was blameless suffered a criminal's death for us. The reason we are all here is because of a place called Calvary. The reason we enjoy worship; the reason we even have a church is because He paid the price. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe. Does our worship reflect that? Does our praise justify the cost? He did it willingly so we could be saved. Is our life worth the gory side of glory?

We often celebrate the blessing of God. Our worship is centered about how God has healed, saved, kept, protected or otherwise blessed us. Our services are a celebration of what He has done. The grave couldn't hold Him, the devil couldn't stop him. We make much about the power of God. We are drawn to His ministry of reconciliation. We who were once lost, are now saved. He erased all of our failures, sins and shortcomings to balance the ledger of our life. We worship Him for being the way maker. We rejoice in Him for healing. He is our deliverer. He has saved us from impossible situations from which we could not escape on our own. We are thankful for all these things. We preach and worship for all the attractive things of Christ; the love, peace, deliverance, help in times of distress and healing. Often we do not remember what it took to bring Him to the place where He could do all those things. The gory side of glory is not something that we like to preach about. Some churches do not even mention the blood, the cross or the Crucifixion. The reason we can praise, worship and rejoice is because there was a gory side of glory. He had to endure the cross so we could enjoy the blessings we have. What did reconciliation cost? He suffered so that we did not have to suffer. Before He could be attractive to us, He had to suffer the unattractive. Calvary as an awkward place. It is a bald ugly knob of rock. It was at this place, that many a destroyed life was ended. It was on this hill that Jesus was lifted on the most horrible way to torture and kill a human. It was painful. It was a long agonizing death. He did it for us. He did not deserve this fate. The crowd yelled that He got what he deserved. Isiah tells us that He didn't' get what He deserved, He got what we deserved. Jesus was pierced for our rebellion, He was beaten so we could be whole. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter with out a word. He who was blameless suffered a criminal's death for us. The reason we are all here is because of a place called Calvary. The reason we enjoy worship; the reason we even have a church is because He paid the price. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe. Does our worship reflect that? Does our praise justify the cost? He did it willingly so we could be saved. Is our life worth the gory side of glory?

The book A tale of two cites begins: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Our texts is an illustration of this: In the last days, perilous times will come and in Acts and in the end days God shall pour out His spirit. We live in a time that can easily be described by the end time prophecies. We live in a world where people's opinions come to be know as truth. One in three teens are victims of physical or sexual abuse. 90% of boys and 60% of girls are exposed to pornography by the time they are 18. We live in a time where 3000 babies are aborted every day. We live in a time when the teenagers are active in church, but twenty somethings are not. There is a 43% drop off of teenagers who are active in the church to young adults who are active in the church. We live in perilous times. There are nine simple words penned by a shepherd: This is the day that the Lord has made. God made the day that the blind was healed, but He also made the day that the blindness came. The day in which we live, social media rules the day. If it were a country, Facebook would be the fourth largest in the world. We hear what everyone has to say and their opinions. The question is: what is Jesus' opinion? How can we shut out all the voices and listen to Jesus? The bible says let not your heart be troubled. How can we look at our live and expect to not let our heart be troubled? Does He understand what we are dealing with? Yes He does and He provides a protection for those things that come against us. The 23 Psalm lays out God’s protection. Bro. Willis uses our young people to plainly illustrate how God protects us from the enemy who would do us harm. The answer to the dramatic drop off of young people from the church can be addressed by prayer and faithfulness. These young people are at risk. That , and we must stay in the hedge.

The book A tale of two cites begins: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Our texts is an illustration of this: In the last days, perilous times will come and in Acts and in the end days God shall pour out His spirit. We live in a time that can easily be described by the end time prophecies. We live in a world where people's opinions come to be know as truth. One in three teens are victims of physical or sexual abuse. 90% of boys and 60% of girls are exposed to pornography by the time they are 18. We live in a time where 3000 babies are aborted every day. We live in a time when the teenagers are active in church, but twenty somethings are not. There is a 43% drop off of teenagers who are active in the church to young adults who are active in the church. We live in perilous times. There are nine simple words penned by a shepherd: This is the day that the Lord has made. God made the day that the blind was healed, but He also made the day that the blindness came. The day in which we live, social media rules the day. If it were a country, Facebook would be the fourth largest in the world. We hear what everyone has to say and their opinions. The question is: what is Jesus' opinion? How can we shut out all the voices and listen to Jesus? The bible says let not your heart be troubled. How can we look at our live and expect to not let our heart be troubled? Does He understand what we are dealing with? Yes He does and He provides a protection for those things that come against us. The 23 Psalm lays out God’s protection. Bro. Willis uses our young people to plainly illustrate how God protects us from the enemy who would do us harm. The answer to the dramatic drop off of young people from the church can be addressed by prayer and faithfulness. These young people are at risk. That , and we must stay in the hedge.