Watch Focus

Friday, May 21st, 2021 — 

You Shall Be My Witnesses

Pentecost called Shavuot is a celebration of God giving the WORD, the Law to Moses, at Mount Sinai. That first feast was a shadow of Christ, the Word, who was to come. Israel was finally released from bondage in Egypt. At Shavuot, they were given instructions on how to respond to their freedom. Pentecost recognizes the FREEDOM given to man through Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and giving of the Holy Spirit. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).” Shavuot is ‘first fruits,’ the beginning of harvest that extends through the “great harvest” Sukkot at the end of the year. Jesus is called the first fruits. He is the manifestation of God’s plan for the human race. The final harvest will be the harvest of souls at the end of the age. Death and sin has no power over the ultimate God-man and all who are His at His coming. Raising Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit began God’s restoration program. 

Jesus was present in His new body and communed with over 500 people as a man with a body, walking, talking, eating, embracing, cooking, going from place to place for forty days after His resurrection. He told Thomas to touch Him and know for certain He was not a spirit but possessed both flesh and bone—but flesh and bone that was no longer subject to death, aging, or any other ‘corruption.’ We must pause to realize the impact that had on the eyewitnesses. They had seen him on trial. Crucified. DEAD. They had buried Him! Now He was alive and present. Then Jesus said, “Wait in Jerusalem until you receive the promise of the Father. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be My witnesses.”

Witness to what? To the proof of the gospel. The message of salvation is exclusive and inclusive. There is only ONE name by which men can escape death and judgment for sin. The name Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Written by doctor, scientist, historian, eyewitness Luke, his book of Acts is the report of what occurred when the “promise” came. This good news is for ALL until Christ comes. Everywhere in every age, everyone who receives Him will overcome as He has. This is the message of Pentecost.

Pentecost speaks to the church as the epicenter of Jesus’ manifestation on earth. The record is “the word of God continued to increase and spread” (Acts 12:24). And “so the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (6:7). The church “enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord” (9:31). So, “the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (16:5). “In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (19:20). The WORD spreads. Increase. Power. Strength. Faith. Encouragement. Disciples. Ultimately, Paul, himself under arrest for preaching in the Name, awaiting his own trial and execution, “for two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (28:30-31). 

You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be My witnesses! The message, meaning, and manifestation, of Pentecost is the same today. 

“Come Holy Spirit!” 

Joel 2:28-29, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

Acts 2:1-4, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

As the early disciples gathered together and asked for the Promise of the Father, we lift our voices together in one accord for the outpouring of the Lord’s wonderful Holy Spirit. We welcome You, Holy Spirit, to visit America and the nations so that we may be transformed, cleansed, and revived. Send fresh fire on us. We ask for the Promise of the Father.
We rejoice in the fulfillment of Shavuot, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. May the “whole earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 10:44-46, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”

Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Acts 19:2-6, “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

Hebrews 2:2-4, “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will”

(See also Leviticus 23:15-16)

Prayer for Spiritual Revival and Blessing for Israel

Isaiah 62:6, “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

God promises to bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse her. May God give us leaders in every level of our Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branch of government including our State Department that will be passionately loyal friends to Israel. May God remove the haters of Israel so that our nation will not come under a curse. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless Israel and pray for God’s protection from her enemies that threaten both within her borders and abroad. Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces. Pray that our nation continues strengthening ties with Israel and those who are allied with her.

We pray for the peace of an undivided Jerusalem, let us also pray for an outpouring of glory in signs, wonders and miracles in our churches, our cities, and our nation. God, open the heavens over our outreaches and evangelism, demonstrating the power of the Gospel and delivering His people from darkness with signs and wonders. Pour out Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth in the greatest awakening this nation and the earth has ever seen.
We surround Jerusalem and Israel with a shield, with a hedge of supernatural protection and angelic defense! We pray for America to always be a friend and ally to God’s people.

Bind the demonic spirit of anti-semitism which is repugnant to the heart of God and brings a curse on a people and nation. The Bible tells us, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).  We owe the Jewish people for the Bible, the apostles, and our Savior. Our values originate in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who promises that those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Those who curse Israel will suffer God’s curse. Those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem will prosper (Psalm 122:6).

Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Psalm 83:1-18, “Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no  more’… O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with Your tempest, and frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.”

Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”

Jeremiah 32:21, “You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm…”

Amos 9:14,15, "I will bring back the captives of My people Israel...I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God;”

Exodus 15:16-18, “Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. ‘The Lord shall reign forever and ever.’”

Psalm 102:13, “You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come.”

We continue to cover our police and law enforcement in prayer throughout the month of May. We pray for revival for all law enforcement officers and ask for peace in every city. Find an opportunity to speak blessing over your local police and local precincts.

Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra. The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him. And show him My salvation.”