Until He Comes

The spiritual fire that fell at Pentecost not only destroyed sin but also, at times, impenitent sinners . Yes, that's right, unholy sinners in the midst of the Spirit-filled assembly. Annanias and his wife, Sapphira, gave us a lesson for the ages in what not to do in the midst of a Spirit-filled assembly: try to hide sin and lie to spirit-filled leaders! Their experience, like that of Nadab and Ab...

We know the tongues of fire that fell at Pentecost brought many constructive blessings. But did they also bring a destructive force? And if so, what was it? And why did it visit the Spirit-filled assembly of Christians? John the Baptist warned that the Baptism with the Holy Spirit would bring spiritual "fire" into our lives (Matthew 3:11-12). Just as flesh cannot stand before fired, our "flesh," o...

Glorious as Pentecost's Christ-ignited fires were, there was more to the story: fiery faith always ignites fiery opposition! But if believers are willing to withstand this heated opposition, God always causes their fires of faith and devotion to grow hotter and wider ! And we must also understand another key fact: only God's people can stop the rushing fires of revival. Sadly, this has happened al...

The tongues of fire that appeared at Pentecost did not flicker, fail, and die. They ignited a raging fire of Gospel faith and devotion to Christ that roared through Jerusalem. Within weeks it had engulfed Jerusalem. Furious, the corrupt religious leaders – who had promoted Jesus' crucifixion – begrudgingly acknowledged His amazing post-resurrection victory: "You have filled Jerusalem with your doc...

Religion is ritual, but faith is fire! The psalmist said God "makes his ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4). Greg explains that as we obey Peter's admonition to "sanctify the Lord God in your heart" and "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks" you about the hope you have (1 Peter 3:15), we are spiritual incendiaries – igniting faith-fires in previously cold hearts that have n...

Greg gives more information on the light that came with the "tongues of fire." Specifically, the light-filled life, the amazing ability to "walk in the light, as He is in the light" (1 John 1:7) – something impossible before we received Jesus and His Spirit. To live light-filled lives, we must root out all spiritual darkness, including our old, prideful habit of judging others' perceived faults wh...

In this episode, Greg explains that all fire produces light! Similarly, when "tongues of fire" suddenly appeared in the Upper Room, light came with them. Spiritual light! Supernatural light! Divine light! Unconquerable light! Specifically, that light was the light of truth – which frees us from all deception; the light of the Father – making known to us in terms we could understand exactly who and...

Ah, fiery passion for God . . . the proverbial burning heart . . . red hot coals of burning zeal for Christ, isn't this the ideal? The way it should be? So we never fall into the terrible spiritual and moral lukewarmness Christ condemned in the Laodiceans twenty centuries ago? For this, we must answer some key questions. Will fire continue burning hot, or even warm, if not attended? Or do we simpl...

When strange flames of fire manifested over the heads of those gathered in the Upper Room, they were forever changed. Oh, they loved and believed in Christ before that electrifying visitation, but afterwards their lives were radically changed by the full infusion of the Spirit. Those tongues of fire ignited their passion for Christ and thereafter they were blessedly driven the rest of their lives...

In this episode, Greg outlines the diverse spiritual fires that began spreading out into the world from Jerusalem after the amazing, Christ-designed-and-executed outpouring of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire: fires of devotion, of light, of rapidly spreading faith, and so forth. Was this New Testament fire something new? Or was it like previous fires manifest during the period of Law? Was it "s...

In that upper room two millennia ago, the mighty Holy Spirit fell on the church with strange-yet-dynamically-productive tongues of fire. As a result, when those first believers exited that famous ecclesiastical birthing chamber, they burst out into the world on fire! It is indisputable that the source of that unquenchable spiritual burning was the "Baptism with the Holy Spirit." What is this exper...

Jesus, John the Baptist, and Luke (Acts) heavily emphasize the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. It appears at the beginning of Church history (Acts 2), continues throughout Luke's record of the church's first thirty years, and was valued and ministered by the apostle Paul. Yet, strangely, many evangelical and liturgical Protestant organizations ignore or oppose the experience. Greg uses scripture to...

In John 14:21, 23, Jesus established that if we love Him we will obey His teachings. All of them! If we are selective in our obedience — obeying some of His teachings but rejecting others — our love is lacking. True devotion to Christ accepts everything of Him, from Him, and by Him. Greg shows by scripture that the "tongues of fire" at Pentecost were connected with the "Baptism with the Holy Spiri...

Greg continues teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues of fire that appeared at the birth of the church on Pentecost Day. Did Jesus promise or prophesy any of the things that occurred during that dramatic and dynamic experience? Were the tongues of fire a divine sign of things to come or a passing anomaly? And more importantly, were the things that occurred in the Upper Room linked...

The birth of the church of Jesus Christ on Pentecost Day, as recorded in Acts 2, was accompanied by some admittedly strange phenomena – the sound of a rushing tornado, visible flames of fire over the heads of the 120 believers present, and speaking in strange, unknown languages. Why did these things happen? Were they of God? Of Men? Of Satan? Had those present previously received the Holy Spirit?...

In this episode, Greg points out that the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, which warns us to be ready for Jesus' appearing, is followed immediately by the Parable of the Talents, which warns us of what we will experience at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Is this rapture-judgment order coincidental or intentional? Greg believes the latter. He proposes that Jesus' sudden appearing to retrieve His bride...

In this episode, Greg explores three other New Testament passages in which Christ, as in His Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, pointed out the possibility of spiritually unprepared Christians being left behind when He appears. He also addresses the question sometimes posed by Christians who dislike the concept of a partial rapture, "Does a Christian have to be perfect to be taken in the rapture?" Th...

In this episode, Greg uses texts from the apostle John's Gospel and Apocalypse to identify and describe the "door" Jesus refers to in this crucial prophetic parable. Why is it important? Simply because this door is the designated portal through which "they that are ready" will pass to enter the great marriage in heaven. He also addresses the claims of some evangelical Bible teachers, based on 2 Th...

In this episode, Greg defines the terms "wise" and "foolish" as they are used in the Parable of The Ten Bridesmaids. He also explains what the "extra oil" is, and is not, and how we obtain it. He furthermore explains why Jesus' warning that only "they that were ready" went to the great marriage supper, while the others were left behind, is a very accurate and binding statement: Jesus said what He...

In this episode, Greg explores other New Testament texts besides the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13) in which Jesus used the wise / foolish motif to describe not non-believers but Christians. He also offers two likely reasons why Jesus used 10 bridesmaids to describe His church rather than one bride. After listening to this episode, you will be convinced that this parable is addre...

Jesus used the Jewish marriage / wedding customs of His day to describe His relationship to the church. Greg describes these customs and explains that Jesus did not use them randomly but rather with clear intent to help us understand more perfectly not only His present relationship to the church but also the nature of His soon-coming Appearing to catch away His bride. This richly illustrative meta...

In this episode, Greg gives a thoughtful, expanded, expository reading of the primary text: Matthew 25:1-3. He then addresses two crucial questions. First, do the ten bridesmaids represent Jews or Christians? Second, what significance is there, if any, of the bridesmaids calling the bridegroom, "Lord"? Greg then identifies Jesus' last words to the disbelieving Jews of His generation – words which...

One of the most important passages in the New Testament is Jesus' teaching on the Vine and branches in John 15:1-8. How do we, Christ's branches, stay close to Him, our Vine? There is no surer or more direct way to maintain vital connection to our Vine than by simply giving Him thanks – in the morning, through the day, and when we lay down to sleep. The result? A dynamic prayer life: "If you abide...

If God asked you to do something easy to radically improve your Christian walk, wouldn't you do it? That's just what He does in challenging us to "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Nothing is easier than yielding your heart and opening your lips, and saying, "Thank you, Jesus!" Jesus told us His yoke is "easy." Don't be l...

Christian, do you know you can deeply please God today, right now, just where you are? How? Simply by giving Him thanks from your heart – irrespective of your circumstances. In Psalm 69:30-30, David revealed this great secret that was a part of His daily life and God wants to be part of ours. "I will praise the name of God with a song, and magnify him with thanksgiving . This also shall please the...