Come out to the Afterglow on Wednesday, March 19th, in the overflow room immediately following the evening service. This will be a time for waiting on the Lord for the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit, as revealed in 1 Corinthians 12-14. The Lord has given spiritual gifts to believers. Some of these are vocal in nature and are meant to be given and received so that the whole body of Christ grows to maturity. So mark your calendars and come and see what the Lord will do. The Origins of Afterglow – The concept of an afterglow service is derived from an event found in Exodus 33 and 34. God’s people had fallen into great sin (Exodus 32:1-29). Moses had interceded for them and secured God’s forgiveness, but not without discipline (Exodus 32:30-35). God then tells Moses that He will not accompany the people on their journey to the Promised Land because of their stiff-necked stubbornness (Exodus 33:1-6). Moses responds by pitching his tent outside the camp where “the LORD talked with Moses” (Exodus 33:7-11). Moses prayerfully beseeched the LORD for grace and that His presence would go with them, and the LORD agreed (Exodus 33:12-17). It is then that Moses, who loved the LORD and just couldn’t get enough of the LORD, asked Him, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). God consented to say: “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:19-23). Moses experienced a bit of God’s glory passing by (Exodus 34:1-9). This concluded with a reaffirmation of God’s covenant with Moses and the people (Exodus 34:10). But it also resulted in an afterglow on Moses's face (Exodus 34:29-35). In the New Testament, this afterglow of Moses is referred to by Paul. It is explained that while Moses's afterglow wore off, the afterglow that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit does not fade away. We are transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the LORD (2 Cor. 3:1-18). The Baptism with the Holy Spirit – During times of discouragement and confusion, we are instructed in scripture not to depend on human resources alone but on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Zech. 4:1-6). The work of God is not done in our strength but in His. And God’s empowerment is promised to us in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5, 8). This is a promise of God that is for us today (Acts 2:39).