WHEN PENTECOSTAL POWER COMES p.2
Acts 2:1-5
Theme: ACTS, The Church Encountering God
P.S. The power at Pentecost continues to be the spark that fuels the ministry of the church today. It is my hearts cry for a fresh move of Holy Spirit in my life, church and nation.
INTRODUCTION:
There is a story about a vaccum salesman down in Tennesee. He was out in rural Tennesee. He had a his vacum cleaner and all of this tools and everything, and he went out there and he told a lady, "I’ve got the most exciting vacum cleaner you have ever seen. It will clean your house from top to bottom...you only have to pay so much down." And the lady said, "It sounds real good." He said, "You see that big pile of dirt right there on the floor with all those fur balls and bugs and things." He said, "My vacum cleaner will just pick up all those things up just like that and if they don’t, I’ll eat it." She said, "well you might as well get your knife and fork, because we do not have any electricity out here!"
The moral of the story is, You will be sucking up dirt the rest of your life if you do not have the power.
Power is the one thing nations, politicians and businessman covet. But the power that we need is not an earthly power. God has promised believers Spiritual power.
Vance Havner once rightly said,
‘We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.’
The early church had none of the things we think are so essential for success today…building, money, social status, technology, high tech, contemporary worship band…and yet, the church won multitudes to Christ and saw many churches established throughout the Roman world. Why?
Because the church had the power of the Holy Spirit energizing it’s ministry. They were a people ignited by the Spirit of God.’ ( W.Wiersbe)
The church today needs to discover once again that we have an unchanging God .We need once again to discover the power of Pentecost.
That same Holy Spirit power is available to us today to make us more effective witnesses for Christ. The better we understand His working at Pentecost, the better we will relate to Him and experience His power
What is Pentecost?
It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to His disciples, that they would receive power in order to accomplish His purpose to be witnesses
We are far removed from the Upper room, and generations removed from Azusa St in 1906. So, what difference can Pentecost make to you and me in 2010?
1. Pentecost Provides PURPOSE
Notice with me the PERFECT TIMING , “When the DAY OF PENTECOST CAME…’
Pentecost is from the Greek word meaning 50th. It is referring to the 50th day after the Passover. The Passover was sacrificed on the 14th day of the first month of the year (Abib). The third day following that sacrifice a sheaf of barley harvest was offered to God. That sheaf was the firstfruits of the harvest.
Lev 23:15-17 "’From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD.”
Why is all that important? Because the typology teaches us that Pentecost is about the harvest. Jesus established the connection in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Any time the church loses sight of that connection she gets into trouble. The Holy Spirit is poured out on the Day of Pentecost for the harvest of souls. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a witness. That’s the express purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
On that day 3000 will be saved and be filled with the Spirit and then return as witnesses throughout the Roman world.
When Pentecost comes, it will always align us with God’s purpose. His purpose is the HARVEST!
2. Pentecost Produces UNITY…
One of the common criticisms concerning Holy Spirit Baptism, is the fear that it is an experience that divides the church. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is, nothing unites the church more than when the Person, Power and Presence of Holy Spirit fills a church.
The first thing we notice about the people God baptized was their unity.
IN Acts 1:12 Luke identifies who these PEOPLE were who gathered ,
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk[b] from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Notice that it was the Apostles, Jesus mother Mary, the women who followed Jesus and several unnamed followers of Jesus. These were all men and women, from varying backgrounds who had two things in common.Tthey were all witnesses of the resurrection, and they we all WAITING in response to Jesus command to remain in Jerusalem. They were men and women who simply wanted what God had in promise for them
Luke further informs us that these disciples were gathered in ONE PLACE
We’re not told specifically whether they were still in the upper room or not. We know that at some point they are in the temple court where Peter preached his sermon. It was also their custom to attend the morning and evening prayer times at the temple.[4] So they may have been in the temple court when the Spirit was poured out or they may have been in the upper room and came out to the temple court
But more significant that the place is the POSITION they were meeting... “IN ONE ACCORD” ( nkjv)
The NIV says that they were all together. The NKJV says they were in one accord.
There has been a lot of misconceptions and errors when it comes to unity.
To understand what this unity is about, you need to understand that this unity is NOT a CONTRIVED unity manipulated from within.
Neither is it a CONRTOLLED unity that is forced from outside the church.
The word Luke uses, is the word ‘homothumadon’. It occurs 11X in the book of Acts and once in Romans 15:6. It means ‘with one mind together.’
When it is used as an adjective, the word carries the thought of willingly and voluntarily choosing.
No one forced these followers of Jesus to be together. They chose, of their own accord to be together, because they had a common cause, a common purpose and a common Savior and a common desire.
The important thing is this: the day they had been waiting for came! And when it came they were ready. They were all there together in one place doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do. They were praying and waiting for the father’s promise.
We will experience Pentecost when we understand how,
3. Pentecost EMPOWERS ministry
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the ‘primary empowering of God that every New Testament believer can experience.
It is so important, that Jesus gave His followers this command in Acts 1:4-5
‘"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Following salvation and being born again, Spirit baptism is the first step in your development as a Christian. God wants you to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Those who say that “I don’t need to be Baptised in the Spirit’, do not fully understand it.
The Baptism of the Spirit is not the same as salvation. At salvation, you are born again by the spirit. This is what is called the ‘regeneratng’ work of the Spirit. The Bible says we are indwelt by the spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit happenes the moment we are born again.
The Apsotle Paul wrote to the Roman believers,
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
All those who have been born again, have the Holy Spirit living inside them. You don’t GET the Holy Spirit at a later time. You GET Him from the beginning of your new life in Christ.
Every believer has the Holy Spirit living in them, but the Bible plainly shows that Spirit baptism is different from and occurs after this indwelling experience.
So, if I already have the Holy Spirit when I was saved, then what more do I need?
There are two benefits that we derive from th baptism in the Holy Spirit. The first benefit, is what God wants to do IN you.
He wants you to experience a greater intimacy with God. He desires to IMMERSE you in His Holy Spirit.
This immersion is indicated in Acts 1:5, where Jesus says,
John baptized you in water, but soon you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The Greek word for baptize is ‘baptizmo’ and means to be literally immersed or covered over. It does not mean to be lightly dipped or sprinkled. It mean to be completely drenched, immersed and saturated.
This immersion is not a baptism into an experience or impersonal force. Remember, that the Holy Spirit is also a person. He is the third person of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This means that that the Lords desire to baptize you with in the Holy Spirit means that God wants to immerse you in HIMSELF!
Luke describes the scene in the upper room,
2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
Pentecost can be summed up in one word, CHANGE. This intimate immersion affected both their spiritual awareness and their physical senses.
We find here three areas of change that the Holy Spirit brought,
First, their hearing was influenced when the sound of a strong, gusting wind filled the house….They began to HEAR GOD NSPIRED SOUNDS.
Then came the appearance of fire that was seemingly magnetic in its attraction to each hungry seek…THEY BEGAN TO SEE GOD INSPIRED SIGHTS.
Not only were their hearing and sight affected, but fire then came to rest upon each one of them as they were all literally filled with the Holy Spirit.
The verb which Luke uses for ‘filling’, is used to indicate the process of being annointed with the power of the Spirit for Divine service.
The fire fell from Heaven and sepatrated to rest on each person in the room. Their entire existence was SATURATED by God.
Tim Enloe adds, ‘
‘this was not a single flame for all to share but a God designed, personal embrace from Heaven for each one of them! Each person had an equally powerful, intimate encounter with the Holy Spirit.’
Should it be any surprise then, that they SPOKE IN GOD INSPIRED WORDS!
The sound of the wind, and tongues of fire were signs initiating the new age of the Spirit. Of the three signs that appeared at Pentecostal, only one remains constant. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to ‘speak in other tongues.’
The universal question about the Baptsm in the Holy Spirit is, ‘HOW WILL I KNOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED.?’
One of the common misunderstanding s of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is that when a person speaks in tongues, that is it. The unspoken perception is that tongues is the Baptism.
I have heard it asked, "Do I have to speak in tongues?" my answer is that is the wrong question. No, you do not have to speak in tongues; you get to speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues in not a type of punishment, but a marvelous privilege for spirit-filled believers.
You need to understand that tongues is the initial sign or evidence of Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Well, Pastor what’s the difference?”
Allow me to illustrate. I have a receipt from Under The Sun Trailers. It is a receipt for the trailer Sue and I purchased. On the receipt is writeen, PAID IN FULL. When I purchased my new trailer, the clerk gave me this receipt..The receipt is not the purchase! It is merely the proof of the transaction.
When it comes to the question of whether you have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, God wants to give you proof of transaction. He wants you to be confident that you have actually received the power He promised you.
There are four accounts of people actually receiving the Spirit Baptism in Scripture. Three give details of how the recipients responded, proving their experience.
Time will not permit us to examine each one in detail, so I will give you the passages to look up for your personal study,
Acts 2:4, On the day of Pentecostal, ‘All of them were filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
In Acts 10:44-46, At the house of Cornelius in Ceaserea:
While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard and ‘They heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Luke tells us in Acts 19:6-7 while teaching the new Christians In Ephesus, Paul laid his hands on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.’
The disciples were not surprised that they spoke in tongues, since Jesus had previously prepared them for this experience. Jesus had prepapred them to expect tongues as a sign of their belief in Him.
17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues
The big question is WHY WOULD GOD CHOOSE SUCH A CONTROVERSIAL SIGN TO PROVE THAT HIS SPIRIT BAPTISM HAD OCCURRED?
James, the brother of Jesus gives us a clue,
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James wrote his letter to believers and told them they had trouble controlling their tongues.
What could better demonstrate a new spiritual empowering than our tongues, previously a restless evil, suddenly being under the influence of the Holy Spirit?
Before we look at the final importance of Pentecost, I want to clarify some things about speaking in tongues.
First, Speaking in tongues is the initial sign ( not the only sign) of the Baptism in the Spirit. It serve as as an outward manifestation of the Spirit and accompanies immersion in the Spirit.
A person is not saved by speaking in tongues. Niether does the absence of tongues mean a person is not saved. We have already made it clear, that when a person is born again, they have the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Spirit Baptism is subsequent to salvation.
Furthermore, if you do not speak in tongues, you are NOT a second class Christian.
The Baptism does not make you any more or less a child of God. The Spirit baptism is all about greater spiritual INTIMACY and POWER!
Tim Enloe
When a person is Spirit Baptized, they are in full control of their faculties. On the day of Pentecost, it says They all spoke, as the Spirit enabled them. Roger Stronstat explains,
In Spirit Baptism, inspired utterances originate with the Holy Spirit. Believers are the mouth pieces of the Spirit, though they remain in FULL CONTROL of their faculties. The Spirit respects their freedom and seeks their cooperation. He speaks through them but they are actively speaking in tongues and are able to stop at will.
The Spirit Baptism is all about God directing our speech in new n powerful ways so we could become witnesses, as Acts 1:8 declares
Pentecost provides purpose, produces unity, empowers ministry, and
4. It PROPELS mission
The Spirit Baptism is all about God directing and empowering our speech. You see God wants to speak through us.
God not only wants to increase your intimacy with Him but also your spiritual power to minister for Him.
The Spirit Baptism is not just for your own personal blessing, it is also to empower us to BLESS OTHERS.
The Baptism is not just something that happens TO ME, but also something that happens THROUGH ME.
It did not take long after receiving God’s promised empowerment, that Peter changes his posture and is immediately propelled into the public square, where he is boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
The result, is that 3000 people were saved, and subsequently filled with the Spirit.
One of the saddest stories I have ever read, was about a woman by the name of Hetty Green. She is known as Americas richest womean. At her death in 1916, she left a fortune of over 100 million dollars. An astute investor certainly, but what she is most known for is her cheapess. She ate cold oatmeal in order to save on heating cost. She would not take her son to get medical help until she found a free clinic. And when she finally found a free clinic, it was too late to save her son’s leg, so his leg was amputated. She hastened her own death, because she would not take medicine for her pneumonia, as the free clinic would not treat her. She was a woman who possessd incredible wealth, yet lived and died as if she were a pauper.
How tragic it is when Christans live there lives, with all the power of heaven at their disposal, yet live powerless and ineffective lives.
God wants to you to experience His fulness.
ILLUSTRATION:
Perhaps an analogy will best clarify this. As Christians we may be compared with a reservoir for producing electrical power, like one of those you see when you drive to Niagara Falls. When we accept Christ, construction of our reservoir is complete. We now have the potential to be useful and to affect lives. But until the flood gates are opened and the cascading river waters pour through, no power is realized. So it is when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. We open our lives to God and the Holy Spirit pours into us and through us. It is then we become most effective in God’s service.
As with the reservoir, this power-generating experience is not intended to be a one-time occurrence. It is to be an ongoing process. When our spiritual power runs low, we need to return to the Source and let the blessed Holy Spirit pour into us again, bringing fresh power.
Today, the question is not whether God wants to fill you. The Question is will we ask Him and humbly receive all He has to give us.
How do I receive? If you are wanting the Lord to Baptize you in the Holy Spirit,
1. ASK
2. CONFESS
3. THANK HIM, then open your mouth and
4. SPEAK OUT
