The Purpose Of The Pentecost by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Luke 24:49 — "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Don't rush out ahead of it.

- 1 Samuel 21:8 — David, in the king's urgent business, ran out without a weapon. The urgency of a task should not lead to the vulnerability of its messenger.

- Exodus 4:17 — God gave Moses the rod before sending him to Pharaoh.

- Matthew 10:1, 5 — Jesus gave the twelve power against unclean spirits, then sent them out — empowered first.

Why the Holy Ghost Is Critical

Psalm 91:5 — delivered from the arrow that flies by day. It is dangerous to walk through a demonized world without the fire of the Holy Ghost, whatever denomination.

Jesus could not do anything supernatural until he received the Holy Ghost at 30, though he knew the Scriptures well at 12. Acts 10:38 — "anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good." Elisha, Elijah, Samson — all moved by the same Spirit, not by their own status.

Daniel 11:32 — know, be strong, do exploits. Knowledge is the starting point, not the goal; the Holy Ghost is what stands between knowing and doing. Word without Spirit has no power — it took the word and the Spirit hovering over the waters to turn chaos into light. Acts 2-3 — 120 in the upper room brought 3,000 to salvation; today it can be hard to get 3,000 Christians to reach 120.

Wait for It

Isaiah 40:31 — those who wait on the Lord renew their strength, mount up with wings as eagles. 1 Kings 18:46 — Elijah outran Ahab's chariots by the hand of the Lord. Luke 4:1, 14 — Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, was still led into the wilderness before he returned "in the power of the Spirit." You are never too full to overflow — but you have to be full first. He fasted 40 days; if the Son of God needed it, so does everyone.

Three Areas of Transformation

1. Personal

- Character. Galatians 5:22-23 — "the fruit of the Spirit is," singular, not plural: love, joy, peace, and the rest working as one. Character is what the Holy Ghost deals with first, before gifting.

- Cognitive renewal. Romans 12:2 — transformed by the renewing of the mind. It changes how you see yourself, others, and your past — "you are not your past."

- Heightened discernment. A check in the spirit before decisions — relationships, money, who to trust. Not everyone in church is in Christ.

- Empowerment to live holy. Philippians 2:13 — "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do." The Spirit gives both the desire and the power, not desire alone.

2. Spiritual

- Prayer life. Tongues give access beyond the limits of understanding. Romans 8:26 — the Spirit makes intercession with groanings. Zechariah 12:10 — the spirit of grace and supplication.

- Spiritual gifts. Word of knowledge, word of wisdom, prophecy, healing, discernment — every believer is meant to operate in them, not stay merely natural.

3. Societal

Believers as light in dark systems — government, industry, entertainment.

- Acts 8:8 — Philip's ministry brought "great joy" to a city under the grip of sorcery.

- Bezalel — the first recorded expression of the Holy Spirit in Scripture was skillful craftsmanship. Exodus 31

- Isaiah 50:4 — "the tongue of the learned, to know how to speak a word in season."