The Stream of the Spirit flowed at Pentecost
We are continuing in our series on Supernatural Springs and this month we are focussing on the Stream of the Spirit.
Today is Pentecost Sunday and I think it is fair to say The Stream of the Spirit flowed at Pentecost.
So the question as always to start:
Do we really understand what happened on the day of Pentecost?
Let’s remind ourselves what happened and with some verses from Acts Chapter 2:1-8
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Acts 2:1-8
And from Acts Chapter 2:13-21
But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’ Acts 2:13-21
These verses of the Bible are amazing.
“Pentecost” was the 50th day after Passover.
For years the Jews had celebrated Pentecost it was a Feast Day. Also known as the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest.
But something different and special happened on this day of Pentecost.
This was the day when the stream of the Holy Spirit was poured out onto 120 Followers of Christ.
What began as a gathering in an Upper Room in Jerusalem to celebrate the blessings of the past -
became something that transformed their present.
The church was birthed by the Stream of the Spirit and a blessed and empowered future was guaranteed for generations to come.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit was for - and is for every Christian since that day.
What was the Promise?
It was The Pouring Out of the Holy Spirit upon all people, Men and Women, young and old.
Who made the Promise? -- God the Father made the Promise.
Listen to the words of Peter in Acts 2:32-33: God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now He is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as He had promised, gave Him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.
Peter explained the significance of the events unfolding before the eyes and ears of those gathered in Jerusalem.
God the Father has raised Jesus and enthroned Him as Lord of all.
Now seated at the Father’s right hand, He has given the Holy Spirit to His people, just as He promised.
The Holy Spirit is not a superficial burst of energy and excitement.
The Holy Spirit is not some Intangible Mystical Experience.
The Holy Spirit is not an injection of spiritual adrenaline to give us a boost when we’re feeling low.
Dr. R.A. Torrey wrote, “The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a Definite And Distinct Experience.
A Christian will know if he has received the Spirit or not.”
Just ten days after Jesus ascended into Heaven He sent the Promise of the Father.
The Faithful disciples who had obeyed and waited in the Upper Room were Filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Book of Acts indicates that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the disciples, and other men and women received this Promise of the Father.
And the book of Acts records many other occasions when the Holy Spirit filled people.
Acts Chapter 8 speaks about a revival in Samaria - A Deacon Preached and many believed and were baptized. Later the Apostles laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9 The Apostle Paul, when he was still Saul of Tarsus was saved, three days later Ananias laid hands on him and prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10 the whole household of Cornelius sat and listened as Peter preached the Gospel to them.
Acts 10:44-46 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.
In Acts 19, Paul found certain disciples in Ephesus who didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit.
Paul laid hands on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
All of them, and many, many more in the centuries that have followed HAVE received the Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit.
But, some have not.
Some Christians seem to be stuck somewhere between Calvary and Pentecost.
Some are like the Christians The Apostle Paul encountered as Ephesus in Acts 19:1-2:
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.
“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Some Christians do not understand the role of the Holy Spirit.
They have yet to fully experience the promise,
the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in their own personal life.
Some churches have become nothing more than Social Clubs.
Organizations with a Religious Badge
but no presence or Power of the Spirit is ever manifest.
Lives are not changed or transformed.
Pentecost was and is a day of transformation,
a day of restoration, a day of the miraculous.
Some Christians may have been to Calvary for Pardon, but they have never been to Pentecost for Power.
The Outpouring of the Spirit is not a Special Blessing for a Special Few in a Special Age.
IT IS FOR ALL who have Truly Repented And Believed the Gospel.
Every Christian can experience Pentecost.
It is for all who have Found forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are a Pentecostal Church,
We believe in the Promises of God,
we believe that the spirit is active in people today.
Friends, Pentecost is more than a movement or a denomination, it is an experience every Saved Sinner can receive.
When a persons life is empowered and controlled by the Holy Spirit, it is beautiful to behold.
When someone lives in the Spirit, they walk in the Spirit.
When someone lives in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is evident in their lives:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and
Self-control.
When someone lives in the Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be manifest in their lives, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, a strong faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
The Holy Spirit helps us to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
He will Help you Lift Your Soul To God And Touch His Heart with Your Heart.
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We live in a generation when God is pouring out His Spirit in a Mighty Way around the world.
The Gospel is being preached.
People of every tribe and tongue are being saved.
The Stream of the Holy Spirit is flowing over dry ground, over broken ground, over religious ground.
The Stream of the Holy Spirit is refreshing, renewing, restoring, changing and transforming
lives today.
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to refresh you?
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to renew you?
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to restore you?
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to change you?
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to transform you?
The Gift of the Holy Spirit was not just for the Apostles.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit was not just to get the Church started.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit was not just for the Early Church?
The Promise of the Holy Spirit is a promise for today.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit is a promise for all who repent, for all who believe, for all who are saved, for all who follow Christ.
THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FOR NOW!
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Let me close with this:
Let me ask you:
Do you want everything God has for you today?
Don’t ignore the significance of what happened on the day of Pentecost.
You can experience a Spirit filled, a Spirit empowered life today.
The Holy Spirit can and will produce Fruit in your life.
The Holy Spirit can and will manifest Spiritual Gifts in your life.
To experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we must have faith to believe that he is present in the world and in the heart of each believer.
To experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we must be open to his leadership and we must be committed to obey every movement of God’s Spirit as he seeks to lead us.
To experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we must give ourselves to prayer and we must trust in the Holy Spirit for leadership as we seek to communicate with God.
To experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we must spend time with the Word of God and we must let the Spirit open up our minds to understand the Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit came into the world on the day of Pentecost to do a mighty work, and he continues to be on divine mission. We must cooperate with him.
At Christmas, Bethlehem means God With Us.
At Easter, Calvary means God For Us.
Today, Pentecost means God In Us.
Today, we need The Wind And The Flame Of Pentecost.
Today, we need to experience the Stream of the Spirt afresh and anew.
Today we need to fully experience the Power, that was experienced when the disciples met together in the upper room.
This morning, my final question for you is:
Is your heart hungry to experience the power of Pentecost, the Spirit of God in all of His fullness?
If the answer is yes - can I ask you to stand right where you are.
Will you reach out with your arms wide open in Faith, and Say, Lord, I receive Your Promise,
Fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit!
Let’s pray.
