The Inspiration Factor Series

SERIES: “THE GROWTH FACTORS”

TEXT: ACTS 2:1-13

TITLE: “THE INSPIRATION FACTOR”

INTRODUCTION: A. A mechanic in Mangum, Oklahoma, answered the distress call of a woman

motorist, whose car had stalled. He examined the car and informed her that it was

out of gas.

She asked the mechanic, “Will it hurt if I drive it home with the gas tank

empty?

1. That woman didn’t understand the way that automobiles operate

2. She was confused as to what powers the vehicle.

B. We’re well into our series: “The Growth Factors”

--the factors important to numerical and spiritual growth

1. We’ve talked about The Motivation Factor

--why does FCC exist?

2. We’ve talked about The Expectation Factor

--do we have the same vision for the church that Christ has?

3. We’ve talked about The Communication Factor

--the importance of prayer

4. We’ve talked about The Affection Factor

--the importance of love

5. Today, we’re going to talk about The Inspiration Factor

--The importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church

C. Many Christians are confused about the Holy Spirit

1. There are those who over-emphasize the Holy Spirit

2. There are those who under-emphasize the Holy Spirit

3. There are those who ignore the Holy Spirit altogether.

4. Billy Sunday: “I sometimes wonder whether the church needs new members one-

half as much as she needs the old bunch made over. Judging by the way multitudes

in the church live, you would think they imagined they had a through ticket to

heaven in a Pullman palace car, and had left orders for the porter to wake them up

when they head into the yards of the New Jerusalem.”

D. Who is the Holy Spirit?

--The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit in many different ways

1. The Spirit of God – Gen. 41:36

2. The Spirit of judgment and fire

3. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding

4. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord

5. The Spirit of truth

6. The Spirit of Christ

7. The Spirit of Grace

8. Counselor/Comforter

9. Power of the Most High

E. Acts 2:1-13 – “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

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. 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. When they

heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard

them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all these

men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own

native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and

Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya

near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and

Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ Amazed

and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made

of them and said, "They have had too much wine.’”

1. There is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that had been prophesied and

promised both in the Old Testament and by Jesus

2. Occurred on a day we call Pentecost.

a. Jews called Pentecost the Feast of Weeks

--it was one of the high holy days for the Jewish people

b. It celebrated giving of the Law (the Old Covenant)

c. It became the beginning of the Church

--The promised time when Jesus would lead His people not by His physical

presence but instead by His Holy Spirit.

d. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost isn’t just a history lesson

--It’s impact in the 1st century has implications for the church in the 21st century

I. THE EXPRESSION – HOW DID THE HOLY SPIRIT COME?

--There were some important events happening among the believers that precipitated the coming of the Holy

Spirit:

A. Believers were together

1. “all together” – word literally means “unanimous”

--not just together as a group of people but together in purpose and perspective

2. “in one place” – “ to admit or delight in”

--That’s where the body of Christ needs to be: accepting one another in grace

B. Expecting something

1. There was an expectance that God was going to do something in their midst

--They were awaiting the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise

a. They prepared for it by praying

b. They were ready to receive it because their minds and their hearts were focusing on what God