What We Are Missing
The sermon emphasizes the importance of Pentecost as the turning point for the Apostles' ministry, and encourages churches to prioritize empowering their ministers with the Holy Spirit.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of being fully prepared and empowered by the Holy Spirit before embarking on the mission of spreading the Gospel. It highlights how even the Twelve Apostles, who witnessed countless miracles and teachings from Jesus, were not ready until they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The message challenges the notion that mere education or training is sufficient for ministry without the empowering presence of the Spirit.
Full Transcript
Here is something, and I don't know exactly how to say it, I want you to remember it though. The Twelve Apostles, called by Christ, so they're with Him for three years. They saw those thousands of miracles, including people being raised from the dead.
They heard all His teaching, they did some preaching on their own, but they were not ready yet. So, they're still with Him, none of them are running around the world preaching, they're not ready yet. After all this teaching and training, and they're not ready yet? No.
So, then what? The Resurrection. I don't know how many preachers have made the mistake of saying that They went flaming around the world in the power of the Resurrection. That wasn't it.
They saw the Resurrection, they were still not on the road. They weren't ready yet. And after the Resurrection, they had 40 days teaching by Christ.
And they were still not ready for the road. He said to them after the Resurrection, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. I don't know how you relate that to Pentecost.
I would relate it this way, they received the indwelling Spirit of God. They were still not ready for the road. So, it wasn't until Pentecost that they were ready.
How have we forgotten this? In our churches, I mean. We put them through three years, four years Bible college, or seminary, or whatever, and figure they're okay. Are they really okay? Are they doing it? Many of them are doing nothing, you know.
The one thing we are missing is Pentecost.
Sermon Outline
- The Twelve Apostles' Inadequacy
- The Resurrection and 40 Days of Teaching
- The Importance of Pentecost
- Pentecost was the turning point for the Apostles
- It is what we are missing in our churches today
Key Quotes
“They saw the Resurrection, they were still not on the road. They weren't ready yet.” — Bill McLeod
“I would relate it this way, they received the indwelling Spirit of God.” — Bill McLeod
“The one thing we are missing is Pentecost.” — Bill McLeod
Application Points
- We should prioritize empowering our ministers with the Holy Spirit, rather than just relying on education and training.
- We need to recognize the importance of Pentecost in our churches today and make it a priority.
- We should not assume that education and training alone will prepare our ministers for ministry.