Passage – Acts 2:1-21

1. The _____________ of Pentecost (Acts 2:1)

• The Feast of Weeks.
• Jesus’ followers obediently gathered together (Acts 1:4-5, 8;Luke 24:49)

Matthias was chosen while they waited and then they experienced:

2. The ________________ of Pentecost (Acts 2:2-4)

• The Signs.
• The Outpouring.
• The Witnesses (Acts 2:5-13).
• There was controversy then and there still is today.

A person can mock or be perplexed and curious about:

3. The _________________ of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-21)

• The Back Story.
  • Luke 1:17, 35, 41, 67-79, 80
  • Luke 2:25-32, 36-38
  • Luke 3:16, 22
  • Luke 4:1-2a, 14, 18
• The Prophetic Fulfillment (Acts 2:14-21)
• The Purpose of Pentecost.
  • Holy Spirit Empowerment
  • To Be Witnesses for Jesus (Acts 1:8; 2:21)
  • To ALL People

Conclusion:

Have you received supernatural empowerment gained by being filled with the HS after you made your decision to follow? If not, why not? If not, why not now?

Have you begun your spiritual journey by giving your life to Jesus and become His follower? If not, why not? If not, why not now?

Share the step you took in your spiritual journey today so I can pray for you and be available to help you if you want it.

NEXT WEEK: Guest Speaker

Answer Key:

Variables

Event

Meaning

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE

Passage – Daniel 1

Memory Verse –

“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3, NIV)

Daniel & his friends are thrown:

1. Into the _____________ (Daniel 1:1-7)

• God “delivered” Judah’s king to Nebuchadnezzar.
• Judah’s wealth & royalty are carried off.
• We live in a world opposed to God also.

Despite their circumstances, Daniel & his friends chose to remain:

2. ________________ in the Fire (Daniel 1:8-14)

• They were chosen to be indoctrinated into the culture of Babylon.
• They obeyed in every way except where it required disobedience to God’s commands.
• How do you handle situations that require compromising God’s teaching in the Bible?

Because of their faithful obedience to God’s commands and respectful interaction with their unbelieving authority, they were:

3. _________________ in the Fire (Daniel 1:15-21)

• They were “healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food”.
• God gave them “knowledge and understanding of all kinds” (Rom. 12:2).
• The king “found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom”.

Conclusion:

There are many people that enjoy a roller coaster ride. They are thrilled and find joy in the ups and downs of the ride. They trust that the designers and operators of the ride. It’s in that trust that they are comfortable w/ the ride. In the same way, life gives us ups and downs, highs and lows, and the challenge for Christ-followers is putting our confidence in the sovereignty of God.

Daniel and his friends demonstrate their faith in God’s sovereignty in what we find recorded in his book.

Chapter 1 teaches us that we all live in a world that is opposed to God’s way of living.

Like Daniel & his friends, we live in a world that’s like a fire of testing of our faithfulness to God.

That we can stand up for God’s way of living w/ grace trusting God to create opportunities to remain faithful to Him.

That as we remain faithful to God’s ways, He will bless us & elevate our reputation and influence in the world we live in for His glory.

Are you remaining faithful to everything you know God commands? Are you living according to His ways or are you compromising to live according to the ways of the world around us?

Do you need to confess your unfaithfulness to God and begin to live faithful in the fire of the world system we live in?

Take the step to draw closer to our Sovereign God.

Share the step you took in your spiritual journey today so I can pray for you and be available to help you if you want it.

NEXT WEEK: Pneuma: Pentecost Sunday

Answer Key:

Fire

Faithful

Rewarded

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE