Spirit-Filled Church [Acts 2: 1-4; 13-21]
Opening illustration: During our ministry in the Middle-East at one of the underground churches a gentleman used to walk around 5 miles to attend that worship and fellowship. He had a lowly job at a remote construction site in the wilderness and could not afford to buy a conveyance for himself. He did not know any other languages other than his mother tongue and the local language of the country. Whenever he used to attend the meeting, it would be a powerful time for all of us. I believe, more than him, we would be blessed. He brought with him the right Spirit, his heart was in the right place and carried no guile or guilt upon his life. Whenever he would praise or pray, it would be in English which was foreign to him; apparently he had no clue or idea about. He did not know a word of English. After the worship service, we would spend time fellowshipping and I would communicate with him only in the local language as that was our common ground. What was happening there? Because there was no human intervention, I could sense and comprehend that it could only be the wonderful work of God.
Let us turn to our passage in Acts chapter 2 and understand what it means to see and experience the manifested act of God for the church then and even today.
Introduction: There were three great Jewish festivals to which every male Jew who lived within 20 miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to come – the Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of the Tabernacles. The name Pentecost means ‘The Fiftieth’ and it was also called the ‘The Feast of Weeks.” It was so called because it fell on the fiftieth day after the Passover. There was a lot of international crowd in Jerusalem as this was summer time and many people travelled to and fro during this period. The Feast had two main significances: (i) It had a historical significance. It commemorated the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. (ii) It had an agricultural significance. At the Passover the first omer of barely of crop was offered to God; and at Pentecost two loaves were offered in gratitude for the completed and the ingathered harvest. It had another unique significance – it was a holiday for all people. What follows here in Acts 2 has never completely passed away from the church … even 1 Corinthians 14 describes it. Paul goes on to tell us to desire more of the prophetic gift than tongues as that edifies God and the Body of Christ.
Signs and wonders in nature are not to be taken lightly, because they are not given for trivial reasons. Don’t expect God to show a sign in the heavens concerning which car you are supposed to buy. Fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, the Red Sea parted, and a star led the wise men to Bethlehem. These were not insignificant events in the progress of God’s plan and purpose. God’s power displayed by signs and wonders in nature in the last days will be unprecedented because it will serve to confirm and signify one of the greatest events of all time - the last ingathering of souls and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the outpouring of the Spirit, the increase of the prophetic ministry, and the signs and wonders in nature is to awaken the church to passionate Christianity and to bring people to salvation.
Many elements in this passage reveal how God started His church on the Day of Pentecost. I want to highlight three of these elements.
How will the church see and experience the manifested power of God?
1. God sent the "wind" of the Holy Spirit (v. 2)
• In Genesis 8: 1 after the great flood God’s Word says “And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.”
• Exodus 14 tells us that God allowed a strong wind to separate the Red Sea so that the Israelites could pass through it.
• Numbers 11 tells us that God would blow the wind in the desert that brought quail for the Israelites every day.
• In 1 Kings 19: 11-12 tells us that God sent a powerful wind that shattered the rocks, then there was an earthquake and fire before He showed up to Elijah.
• All of Job’s children are killed by a strong wind.
• A great wind arose as Jonah slept on the ship to Tarshish whereas God had told him to go to Nineveh.
• Jesus even rebukes the wind on the Sea of Galilee and it ceased.
• Now the wind appears in Acts 2: 2 and enters and fills the whole house where the disciples and other believers were sitting.
Application: What was the purpose of the wind of the Spirit? It was for the preparation for a greater event to take place. If there is a storm raging in your life or even in the body of Christ, remember it is preparing us for a greater thing to come. Allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to surround and encompass you so that God can intervene and have a free hold of you, your life and everything associated with you. The vehement wind will also drop and separate you from the things and people that you don’t need to be attached to. It will also break everything in its path that stands against the will of God. It will break everything in us that isn’t of God and bring us to that point where God’s work and will is completely evident. This will set the stage for the fire of the Holy Spirit. This wind of the Holy Spirit will prepare your hearts and get you ready for great and mighty things you will witness hereafter.
2. God sent the "fire" of the Holy Spirit (v. 3-4)
When God sends the wind of the Spirit, we can expect to see great signs and wonders. The fire of God will enlarge our hearts in the love of God. God also uses fire for annihilation and refining.
• Let us not forget He used fire to terminate Sodom and Gomorrah.
• On Mount Carmel fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice.
• Elijah ascends into heaven in a chariot of fire without facing death.
• During the plagues in Egypt, fire mingled with hail fell on the nation.
• The Pillar of fire led the Israelites by night for 40 years in the desert.
• God descended on Mount Sinai in the fire.
• Sacrifices to God were made in the fire.
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace but did not burn because there was fourth amongst them who looked like the ‘Son of God.’
• We all know that a fire kept burning between the Cherubs on the Alter of God.
• Hebrews 12: 29 describe God as a ‘Consuming Fire.’
A lot of things will begin to happen as a result of this outpouring of the Spirit. It will have so many multidimensional expressions that it cannot be called simply an evangelism movement, a healing movement, a prayer movement, a unity movement, or a prophetic movement. Above all things, it will impart and renew deep, affectionate passion for Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The increase of prophetic ministry in the local church involves more than verbal, inspirational prophecy. In my understanding, it includes angelic visitations, dreams, visions, and signs and wonders in the sky, as well as an increase in prophetic revelation, even the kind given through the subtle impressions of the Holy Spirit.
Application: What was the purpose of the fire of the Spirit? As the coming of Christ draws nigh the ‘Word of God’ tells us in 1 Peter 1: 7 tells us that our faith will be tested by fire. And so will all our works. God will also start His judgment starting with His Church. It will be mandatory for every believer to go through the refiner’s fire to come out as gold for the Father’s use. Through the fire of the Holy Spirit, He is going to remove all the dross from our lives so that we are shaped, ready and sanctified for the Lord. This will set the stage for the wine of the Holy Spirit. Are we pursuing to get ourselves ready to meet the Lord whenever the Father chooses Him to come?
3. God sent the "wine" of the Holy Spirit (v. 13)
• The wine in God’s Word is used more or less in a negative way.
• We see Noah doing absurd things under the intoxication of wine.
• The Psalmist calls it a debauchery and the ones who had a Nazarite calling were not permitted to even go near it.
• Daniel and the three Hebrew youths never consumed wine.
• Paul tells us in Ephesians 5: 18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
The wine of God is more of a Godly spiritual experience which is linked in the Book of Joel to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God’s ministry of bringing joy inexpressible and refreshment to weary, burdened souls.
The Joel 2 prophecies concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are partially fulfilled in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. But just because the outpouring at Pentecost was "what was spoken by the prophet Joel" doesn’t mean that was all of the outpouring. The Spirit fell on one hundred twenty people in a small room in Jerusalem. That’s not big enough for the complete fulfillment - even if you include the three thousand who were converted and baptized that day. I am convinced that the fullness of Joel 2 is yet to be seen. The greatest and fullest manifestation of the kingdom of God - the Day of the Lord, the restoration of all things, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - is reserved for the consummation of all things at the end of the age. I believe there will be an unprecedented revival in which all believers will experience dreams, visions, and everything Joel prophesied just before the Second Coming of Christ.
Confirmation of prophetic words by the acts of God in nature is not a common topic in the church. But signs in the heavens as well as the very forces of nature on Earth will serve as a dramatic testimony to the church and to unbelievers. The greatest fulfillment of Joel’s promise will be just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. Acts 2: 17-18 speaks of the outpouring of the Spirit and the increase of prophetic revelation on the entire body of Christ. Verses 19-21 are dedicated to the great increase of the acts of God in nature. The last days will be accompanied by a multiplication of all four elements of the Joel 2 prophecy: the outpouring of the Spirit, prophetic dreams and visions, signs and wonders on Earth and in the heavens, and a wholehearted turning to Jesus - first for salvation, and then with extravagant love for Him. This wholehearted calling on the name of the Lord is not only for unbelievers, but it includes the church growing in holy passion for Jesus.
Conclusion: As God restores the church before the Second Coming, I believe the order will be reversed. First, He is sending the wine of the Spirit to refresh and heal the weary church. Then He will send the fire of the Spirit to enlarge our hearts in God’s love. Last, He will send the wind of the Spirit, which includes a manifestation of the ministry of angels. This demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power will bring countless numbers of new people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The wine of the Holy Spirit will set the stage for the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in person …
Not only we have to get ready for the harvest of souls but also get ourselves ready to set our lives right and holy before God. It is not what we do but through what God does in and through our lives. Are you ready for it?
