What do you think the miracle of Pentecost is?
The unexplained wind?
The tongues of fire on everyone’s head? (Someone once told me that if they saw tongues of fire on everyone’s head they would you have grabbed a fire extinguisher?)
People speaking in different tongues?
It is easy to believe that these three things from the account of Pentecost are the miracles of Pentecost.
However when we dive deeper into the Acts 2 reading we see that there is even a more substantial miracle.
A miracle that affects us all.
Listen again to verses 5 and 6, and verse 21
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
and from verse 21
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The miracle of Pentecost is that the God that we can only know through Jesus Christ is for everyone.
And the Holy Spirit is the one who highlights this.
The Holy Spirit points to the fact that God comes from everyone!!
Now consider the implication of this.
Think about the implication that God comes for everyone.
First of all it means that if you call on Jesus as your means to forgiveness,
way to God,
and way to heaven,
there is no doubt about it.
God welcomes you.
You are welcome into a relationship with God and welcome in heaven.
It is simple as that.
You are in!
And if that is the case,
there is no question about whether anyone else who calls on Jesus as their means of forgiveness and way to God
are also welcome to be in heaven with God.
That is great news.
It is as simple as that.
The miracle of Pentecost is that God’s gift of eternal life is for everyone.
It is for everyone regardless of
race,
gender,
wealth,
health,
how much you have done,
family background,
how long you have been a Christian,
age,
music tastes,
occupation,
or anything else we use to separate us from others.
Nothing else is needed.
That is the miracle that the Holy Spirit delivered on Pentecost.
That everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
What a wonderful gift.
And this brings us to the second implication.
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are not just called to receive this gift.
We are also called to share it.
Listen to that again.
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are not just called to receive this gift.
We are also called to share it.
For those of you who have been worshipping with us over the last few weeks you may recall that the disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit and once they had received it they were to be witnesses for Jesus starting in Jerusalem and stretching to the ends of the earth.
Well at Pentecost Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit came true.
And now each of us are called to share the love of God with all those we interact with.
Now a question I would like you to think about and ask yourself, not just once but each day?
Have I been selfish with God’s gift of eternal life and forgiveness?
Do I keep it to myself and not share it?
Now this is not a one off question but a question that each of us need to ask each day, before we pray.
Am I just keeping God’s gift to myself, when it is in fact for everyone?
As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to share God’s gift of eternal life with everyone.
But this is not easy.
It doesn’t come naturally.
And in today’s world considering others is not a high priority.
Especially if they are different to us.
Sociological research shows we love mixing with people who are like us.
We are reluctant to mix with those who are different.
But not everyone is like us.
And we are called to bring the Good News that God has created a new and purposeful life for everyone.
Consider this.
Do you realise that in Tasmania 50.5% of the population is female, 49.5% male.
So if you walk down the street their is roughly a 50% chance someone will be different from you.
Nearly 20% of the population are under 15,
16% over 65
and 64% between 15 and 64.
Do you know that 83% of Tasmanians were born in Australia,
17% of the population was born overseas and come from many different countries.
Do you know that the top 6 overseas countries people come from are England, New Zealand, United States, Germany, Netherlands and Italy.
And recently there has been a growing number of people from Asian and African countries.
And when we look around our community we can see people with great affluence and people who are living well below the poverty line.
Even without making much an effort we get to encounter people of many different cultures, backgrounds and situations.
And the differences between ourselves and others doesn’t necessarily make us any better or worse than them, just different.
And despite these differences we are called to share the God’s with them.
And that is the message of Pentecost.
That the Good News of Jesus Christ is for everyone.
We are called to share it with all of these people and they don’t have to change to hear it.
Now the third implication of Pentecost is that as disciples of Jesus Christ is that
The Holy Spirit is with us,
to help us bring the Gospel to everyone we encounter.
And often this means less in he ways that suit us,
and more in the ways, approaches and language that suit them.
Listen again to verses 6-8 again
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
God’s approach was to come in ways that suit others.
This is one of the biggest struggles for all Christians.
It can be tough accommodating others.
However the Good News of Pentecost is that we don’t do it alone.
Jesus promised us His Holy Spirit so we can be witnesses.
And Pentecost reveals to us that he delivered on this promise.
Now it is true that we can ignore the Holy Spirit and do what suits ourselves, but that is not being a disciple of Jesus.
Often we need to do a quick check to see if you are following and listening to God’s spirit
or in fact are you listening to some other spirit,
a spirit in opposition to God.
God’s spirit will always encourage you to think of God and others
as much as you think of yourself.
Other spirits say put yourself number one
Think of yourself first and well above God and others.
God’s spirit encourages us to think beyond ourselves.
God’s spirit encourages us to think globally.
God’s spirit encourages us to welcome everyone in His church.
This week as you live your lives as one of his disciples,
as you encounter people;
whether it be in the supermarket, at work, at school or in some other activity
ask the Holy Spirit to help you share God’s message through your actions and words with everyone.
And not just those you are comfortable or familiar with.
Don’t discount anyone.
And secondly as you look around our church go out of your way to welcome everyone.
And for some people you know doubt will need God’s help because you are human and so are they.
And thank God that he welcomes everyone!
Let us pray.
Amen
