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[0:00] Let's come to our wonderful God in prayer together, and let us all pray. Our most marvelous, gracious, heavenly Father, we come to you this morning again as those whose eyes were once blind, whose hearts were once closed, whose minds were once stupefied, but, O Lord, whose spirits were once dead, who were enslaved in chains, who were lost, and, O Lord, who could never find their way home.

[0:49] We thank you, O Lord, that that is what we once were, until you, by your Spirit, by your grace, came into our lives and set us free, opened our eyes, raised us from the dead, gave us hearts that were open, minds of understanding.

[1:08] We thank you, O Lord, for that gracious, wonderful work that you do in every single person who puts their faith and trust in Jesus. Lord, that transforming work, that new creation work, O Lord, that being born again work, that, Lord, which makes us children of the living God, makes us, again, those who are embraced by your love, brought into your family, set on the road for heaven, rescued from the wide pathway to destruction. And, O Lord, we come to you this morning and thank you that this is what you have done and this is what you still do. We thank you for that day of Pentecost when you poured out your Spirit and 3,000 people were transformed and changed through the preaching of your wonderful gospel, that good news of Jesus, your Son, the one of whom we've been singing, the one who is indeed Lord of heaven and earth, the one who is God made man, the one who is God from everlasting, but who took on our frailty and weakness and suffered and died in our place, but rose again triumphing over death, and who reigns and rules as King of the universe even today.

[2:31] O Lord, our God, we pray that this morning we may be, each of us, aware that we are in the presence of Jesus the Lord, that we may be aware that you are here, that you by your Spirit are at work, that you are the God who speaks, the God who changes, the God who transforms lives.

[2:50] And we pray, O Lord, that we might be receptive to you and open to you, that we might not be closed-hearted and closed-minded, that you would speak to us and meet with us and deal with us, and that, Lord, you would grant us that encouragement that comes from your Word, your truth, your promises, to know, O Lord, that you will never leave us nor forsake us, and that, Lord, you are at work day by day, in all the circumstances, in all the situations we face.

[3:19] Be with us then. Help us, we pray. Draw near to us, we ask, for we bring our prayers to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Saviour. Amen.

[3:40] There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son, Precious Man of God, Messiah, O Holy Lord.

[4:01] Thank you, Lord, my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit to the work on earth is done.

[4:20] Jesus, my Redeemer, Redeemer, Redeemer of all names, Precious Man of God, Messiah, once more still the same.

[4:40] Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, And leaving your Spirit to the work on earth is done.

[4:59] When I stand in glory, I will see His face, And there I'll serve my King forever in that holy place.

[5:18] Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit to the work on earth is done.

[5:37] Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Son, and leaving your Son. Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Son. Thank you. Thank you. All right.

[5:48] Let's turn our Bibles then, please, to Acts and chapter 2. Acts and chapter 2. We're going to read part of what happened on that first Pentecost day.

[6:01] And before we come and think about these things for ourselves later on. So, Acts chapter 2, if you have one of the church Bibles, that's page 1093.

[6:14] And we're going to read the first 21 verses. So, Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse 1. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

[6:30] Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

[6:44] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now, there were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

[6:57] When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked, Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?

[7:10] Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, What does this mean?

[7:45] Some, however, made fun of them and said, They've had too much wine. Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. Fellow Jews, and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you.

[8:00] Listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning. No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.

[8:10] In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions.

[8:22] Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below.

[8:36] Blood and fire and billows of smoke. Look, the sun will be turned into darkness, the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

[8:48] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We thank God for his faithful word. I'm going to come to a time of prayer in a moment.

[9:03] John's just passed me a note saying that we've got 12 people booked for the UBM first week, and then eight for week two. So that's encouraging that we've got good numbers there.

[9:15] We need to pray, as John reminded us, for more of those. On Friday, I was down at Northcoats. That's the new tribe mission college with Mandy and Alan Kayley.

[9:28] It was good to catch up with them. I was speaking at their chapel meetings, but it was good to have fellowship with them and catch up with them. And they've asked for prayer, particularly for their son Andrew, and continuing difficulty with him finding employment and work.

[9:45] And sadly, he's had all of his benefits cut as well, which has made things more difficult for him and for them. But also they've asked for prayer in their community, where they live if you've ever visited them.

[10:00] They live on what was an RAF base, and so they have a sort of small housing association of which Alan is the chairman, about 70 or 80 houses.

[10:13] And they have to look after the roads in the area and the cutting of the grass and so on. And that's put a lot of pressure on Alan. It's a voluntary role, and each house contributes or gives so much per year.

[10:26] And Alan's just taken on that position, but now it's created all sorts of tensions. People are complaining, as they like to do, and saying the money being embezzled or not being used properly and so on.

[10:37] So that's really distracting them from the ministry and the work they've got. And Mandy particularly needs prayer for the role she took up last year, which is supervising volunteers and getting things like that are sorted out.

[10:52] And that's more demanding than she perhaps expected. So I'd like us to remember them in prayer. We're going to do that now as well and continue to pray for the other needs that we know about. So let us pray together.

[11:04] Amen. We come to you again, our Father and our God, as those who recognize we have a great need of your Holy Spirit's help.

[11:20] We thank you that you are the one who's only too pleased and happy to give help to those in need. The reason often that we feel ourselves to be without help is because we do not ask.

[11:32] We try to go it alone. We try to manage in our own strength or power or wisdom. Or we trust in our own skills. Or we trust in our own intellect.

[11:44] We fail to look to you. We ask you to forgive us, Lord, for our self-confidence. And we ask that you would increase in us a greater confidence, reliance upon yourself.

[11:55] We thank you that we can call to you for help for ourselves. And we do look to you, Lord, for the coming week ahead and for the Gospel Music Convention. We pray you'd be with Paul.

[12:06] Help him not to be anxious or fearful. We pray, Lord, that as you've done so faithfully in the years past, that you'd bring all things together in their time. Watch over those who are traveling from distant places and keep them safe.

[12:19] And we pray that the many who come along may come to rejoice and celebrate. But, Lord, we pray for Roger, particularly as he preaches your Gospel again and again through the weekend, that you would touch many hearts and that you'd bring many to yourself.

[12:35] We pray, too, for the Bible Week with Brian following. And in the past, again, we've had many non-Christians coming. And we pray, Lord, that they would be pleased to listen and be drawn, Lord, to hear the truth concerning yourself.

[12:48] And again, we ask for fruit, Lord, in these labors, that many, Lord, hear the truth, but, Lord, be saved. We thank you for the ministry of New Tribes Mission and those who take the Gospel in many different languages around the world.

[13:02] We think of Alan and Mandy's ministry to the Palaka people and the translating work that's still going on of the Scriptures that they're involved with there in the Ivory Coast.

[13:14] We pray, Lord, for Alan and Mandy that you would be with them. Encourage them, help them as they seek to serve you there. Help them with the many pressures that are upon them, Lord, in their own family situation.

[13:24] We pray for Andrew, that, Lord, you would help him with his special needs. We pray that, Lord, he may be able to find a place of work, a place where he can fit in, a place where he can feel useful and make friendships.

[13:38] And we pray for much help and wisdom for the family. We pray, Lord, again, for this situation with the Housing Association that Alan is involved with. And we ask, again, that you would bring reconciliation.

[13:51] We pray that there may be no bad feeling. We pray that this problem may be sorted and that there may be a sense of working together and contentment. We pray again for Mandy and her ministry and work in overseeing volunteers and organizing and arranging these things.

[14:09] Again, oh, Lord, we pray that she may know great help from you and that, Lord, you would use her and work through her and Alan in the work you've called them to. We thank you for the work of UBM and for those preparations that are taking place now.

[14:24] We ask again that you would raise up the needed people, especially these four leaders that are needed to take over the work and to head it up in those particular weeks around the country.

[14:37] We pray, Lord, that you would raise up all the manpower and all the womanpower that's needed, Lord, that these missionary weeks may go ahead and that even now you'd not only be preparing workers and leaders but you'd be preparing hearts and lives of those who will come under the sound of your gospel there and that again, Lord, as you have in years past but more so, we pray this year, may there be souls saved.

[15:00] We thank you for those who are already committed to working here in Whitby and pray, Lord, for those who will be coming along over the summer for the opportunities that we have as a church with open air and with evangelism that again, oh, Lord, you would be pleased to be drawing men and women and boys and girls to yourself.

[15:17] Oh, Lord, we long for souls to be saved in these days. We long for you to send your spirit upon not only Whitby but upon this nation. Lord, as we talk about nothing else but Brexit, Lord, we realize that the greatest need of our nation is not whether we're in Europe or out of Europe but, Lord, the outpouring of your spirit and the reviving of your church and, Lord, the turning of our hearts away from wickedness and evil back to the living God who made us and who sent his son to save us.

[15:48] Oh, Lord, help the children as they hear from you this morning in their classes. Open their hearts at a young age to know and trust and follow you and open our hearts and minds to your word now, oh, Lord, we pray and speak to us and change us, we ask, and fit us for your glory for we ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

[16:10] Amen. Amen. Well, let's sing together from our hymn books and number 345, 345, Spirit of Faith, come down, reveal the things of God.

[16:25] 345, we'll stand as we sing and then come back to God's word in Acts chapter 2. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[17:04] Amen. Amen. to fly and give us eyes to see who did for guilty sinners and who surely died for thee.

[17:28] But beside the living grave, which truth shall every seed, the witness in himself he has, and consciously believes, and faith and love is all, and dust around his nerve, and saves the air of Jesus come, and death is well in love.