“The Most Uncomfortable Comforter” | Dr. David Wilkinson
In this powerful message, Dr. David Wilkinson explores how the Holy Spirit comforts, convicts, and calls us to mission. Discover what it means to encounter the Spirit personally—and why it’s both beautiful and uncomfortable.
In this week’s message, Dr. David Wilkinson — a theologian and astrophysicist — explores the dynamic, sometimes unsettling, presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. His message challenges the idea of the Spirit as a passive or quiet comforter. Instead, he describes the Spirit as the personal presence of God who both comforts and disrupts, pushing believers into deeper faith and courageous mission.
Dr. Wilkinson outlines four key truths:
Encountering the Holy Spirit is encountering the personal God.
The Spirit is not an idea or force, but the living, breathing presence of God with us.Encountering the Holy Spirit is uncomfortable.
God meets us in our comfort zones—but never leaves us there.Encountering the Holy Spirit pushes us into mission.
The Spirit empowers us to engage the world with love, justice, and boldness.Encountering the Holy Spirit is for all.
Pentecost wasn’t a one-time event for a few elite believers. The Spirit is still poured out today—on all people.
This message is a call to reimagine comfort not as safety, but as the courage to follow wherever the Spirit leads.
Discussion Questions
How does viewing the Holy Spirit as the “personal God” change the way you relate to Him?
When have you experienced the Holy Spirit making you uncomfortable? What came out of that experience?
What does it mean for mission to be Spirit-led? Where might the Spirit be calling you to step out?
Do you believe the Holy Spirit is for you? What might be holding you back from receiving and trusting His presence more fully?
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“You Will Receive Power: The Holy Spirit in the Church” | Pastor Vicki Harrison
Pastor Vicki Harrison shares how the Holy Spirit empowered the early church in Acts 2—and still empowers us today. Discover how the Spirit unifies believers, equips the church with spiritual gifts, fuels worship, and leads the church into mission.
This week’s message explores what it means for the church to be truly empowered by the Holy Spirit. Pastor Vicki challenges us with a sobering quote from A.W. Tozer:
"If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."
In Acts 2, we see the dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: a mighty wind, tongues of fire, people speaking different languages and understanding one another, and 3,000 people coming to faith in one day. That was the power of a Spirit-filled church.
Pastor Vicki reminds us that the same Holy Spirit is still with us today—not a different Spirit, not a diminished one. The Spirit transforms ordinary church gatherings into vibrant, world-changing movements that embody the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Through Acts 2:42-47, we see how the Holy Spirit shaped the early church into a community of unity, generosity, worship, and mission. The Spirit unified people from different backgrounds, equipped believers with spiritual gifts, fueled their desire for God's fullness in worship and prayer, nourished them through comfort and teaching, and empowered them to engage in spiritual warfare against darkness.
We are challenged to examine how much of what we do in our own churches relies on human effort versus the power of the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-empowered church is not simply a good organization or a social gathering—it becomes an extension of heaven itself.
Discussion Questions
From the sermon handout:
What were some ways that the Holy Spirit led and guided the early church, as we read in Acts 2?
What are some real ways the Holy Spirit empowers the church today?
The Holy Spirit allows the church to experience unity. What are some ways you have seen Jesus’ church embody the unity of the Spirit? Have you also seen disunity? Explain.
The Holy Spirit equips and empowers the church for ministry. How does the Spirit use spiritual gifts in the church? Do you know your own spiritual gifts? Are you using them to build up Jesus’ church?
The Holy Spirit gives the church a desire for his fullness in worship and prayer. Explain the difference between the omniscient presence of God and the manifest presence of God in worship. Have you experienced the manifest presence of God? Explain.
The Holy Spirit nourishes and comforts the church. How have you personally experienced this?
The Holy Spirit empowers the church to engage in spiritual warfare. How does what’s going on in the spiritual realm affect the church?
Do you believe that a Spirit-empowered church can be an extension of heaven?
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“Sealed by the Spirit” | Pastor Vicki Harrison
In this message from Pastor Vicki Harrison, explore what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit from the moment you believe. Learn how the Spirit assures, convicts, empowers, and transforms.
The Holy Spirit is not a reward for spiritual elites—it is a gift promised by Jesus the moment we believe.
This week, Pastor Vicki teaches from Ephesians 1 and John 16, focusing on what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. A seal represents ownership, protection, and permanence. When we say yes to Jesus, the Spirit marks our lives, offering assurance, conviction, guidance, and power.
This message invites listeners to reflect: Where are you in your understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit? Are you skeptical, uncertain, or longing for more? The Spirit isn't meant to be a mystery we avoid—but a daily reality we embrace.
You are not alone, and you are not powerless. You are sealed, assured, and empowered by the Spirit of God.
Discussion Questions
From the message handout:
Where are you right now, as far as your understanding of the Holy Spirit?
I am not sure about the Holy Spirit. I’m skeptical.
I know the Holy Spirit exists, but I haven’t felt him at work in me yet.
I think I’ve felt His work in my life, but I’m not sure how to describe it.
I know He’s working in my life, but I’m afraid of what others might think if I start talking about it. He’s working in my life, and I’m hungry for more.
I know He is at work in my life and I’m fully embracing it.
What does it mean that we are sealed by the Spirit as believers?
What are some practical ways we experience the power of the Holy Spirit as individual believers?
The Holy Spirit assures us of our salvation.
If you have said yes to Jesus as Savior, do you have complete assurance that you will spend eternity with Him? Why or why not?The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and guides us in the right direction.
How do you define conviction? Do you experience it?
Have you been led by the Spirit? How do you experience the Holy Spirit guiding you?The Holy Spirit gives us power to do what God calls us to do.
How has the Holy Spirit called you to do hard things?
When is the last time the Holy Spirit called you to get out of your comfort zone?The Holy Spirit helps us become the people God designed us to be.
Is there evidence of the Spirit growing fruit in your life?
Are you intentionally working to become more like Jesus?
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“You Will Receive Power: Discovering the Fire” | Pastor Roberto Chaple
In this Pentecost message, Pastor Roberto Chaple explores Acts 2:1–4 and how the arrival of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of a global movement. Discover what it means to carry the fire of God.
What do fire and the Holy Spirit have in common?
In this Pentecost message, Pastor Roberto explores how fire—something humans never invented but simply discovered—mirrors the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. As the apostles gathered, they were filled with the Spirit, and tongues of fire appeared above them. It was the spark that ignited a movement.
Just as fire was the foundation of civilization, the Spirit is the foundation of the Church. Fire brings energy, motion, and creativity. Pentecost wasn’t a revival moment—it was a birth moment.
Pastor Roberto invites us to ask:
Are we trying to revive something... or are we ready to carry something new?
Because when God’s fire falls, our role is simple: pour gasoline where we see it.
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In this powerful message, Dr. David Wilkinson explores how the Holy Spirit comforts, convicts, and calls us to mission. Discover what it means to encounter the Spirit personally—and why it’s both beautiful and uncomfortable.