“Are the Winds of Pentecost still Blowing”
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
PRAYER:-
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:1-4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.
Acts 2:42-47 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”.
OPENING: - A few weeks ago I was in Ohio for my father’s 86th birthday. We were sitting on the porch talking he said to me why don’t we see the miracles signs and wonders today like they saw in the Bible days. I began to ponder on this statement and search the scriptures and God kept taking me back to here Acts 2 the Day of Pentecost. Today being Pentecost Sunday I want to ask the question “Are the Winds of Pentecost still Blowing”.
A POEM: - The winds roared through the room All who were present heard
The followers were filled with the Spirit Their hearts were stirred. Do you hear His voice in the wind? Is He calling to you? This Spirit who dwells among us He still seeks a precious few.
The winds of Pentecost are real. They blow with passion and fire. They inspire a certain zeal. A calling to which we aspire.
He turned babble into understanding. As ordinary people spoke anew. The languages once foreign and mixed. And God’s kingdom grew.
As we enter the season of Pentecost of growth, passion and zeal. Can you feel the warmth of His Spirit inside you and incredibly real. Author Unkonwn.
The HIS-story of Pentecost is familiar, and it should be. Pentecost changes everything. In a moment the entire order of humanity changed. Once beloved creatures now become children of the loving Father Romans 8:15 says “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father”. John 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”.
UNDERSTAND: - Pentecost is not the idea of God, or a piece of God, but the real presence of the Living God the hope of Glory in you. On Pentecost there was a new wind that was set loose upon the earth with a fresh breath of hope and empowerment. The church was born from the wind and fire of Pentecost. A change was manifested among the followers of Christ that were afraid and hiding wondering if their lives were going to be taken to a boldness declaring the wonderful works of the Lord.
Luke 24:49 Jesus said wait in Jerusalem until you are endured with power from on High”. Acts 1:8 Jesus promised to give power: “You will receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Jesus promised to give power for a purpose: “You shall be witnesses.”
That power came on Pentecost: Acts 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost had full come, they were all with one accord (one mind) in one place (unity). Acts 2:2 says, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind and filled all the were they were sitting”. Acts 2:3-4 says “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.
The winds of Pentecost had come and produced a change. The Church was empowered for its life and ministry in the name of Jesus to the glory of God through the Holy Ghost.
Traditionally, Pentecost was the day set apart to celebrate the wheat harvest and God’s gift of the Ten Commandments at Sinai. But when the first Pentecost after our Lord’s resurrection rolled around, a new thing happened, the Church came alive.
Ever since that Pentecost nearly two thousand years ago, God’s will for His Church has been more important than the traditions we have built around the Church. God intend for His Church to grow. He does not want His Church to stay the same. He wants it to submit to His leadership through the Holy Ghost. He wants it to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world.
When the winds of Pentecost came it empowered the church WATCH THIS to be a catalyst of change for a sin sick world. Their tongues came alive giving them the ability to speak the wonderful things of God. They were empowered for life in the Kingdom and ministry to the world. The church according to 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 was to be God’s hands, mouth, and feet in this world – for we are the body of Christ. We are to be doing the things that Jesus Christ would do if He were here physically on the earth. The church is to be “Christian,” “Christ-like,” and Christ-following.
WATCH THIS: - They were consistent and unified. Acts 2:42-47 says “And they continued stedfastly (consistence) in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together (Unity) and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily (Not just Sunday) with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”.
There are 3 things I want you to understand about the early church:
1. They steadfastly or were steadfast, in a resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering manner - consistent.
2. They were together, - without interruption; continuously I like this they were well balanced.
3. They were daily, - everyday not just on the weekend Sunday.
As we look at today’s church, we do not see the manifestations of that power that was done by the early church. I honestly believe that is because we are not steadfast, together, or daily.
Now before someone says well Bishop how can you say the church is not these things you don’t know what goes on in other churches. And that is true I do not. However, if you have every listened to my teachings you will understand when I am talking about the church I am not referring to a building or an address regardless of how magnificent and eloquent the edifice might be. I am talking about us as individuals being the church.
1 Corinthians 6:19 says “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own”.
So often times we pay more attention to the book of popularity and secularism than we do to the Bible. We spend more time trying to keep up with Hollywood trying to live a lifestyle of the rich and famous then seeking the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness. We are not steadfast wavering with every wind and doctrine. If this seems popular or exciting for the time being we gravitate towards that. We fail to stand for truth and push it off often times by saying well what are we going to do it is just the signs of the time. We don’t call right right and wrong wrong yet we go along with the majority regardless of how immoral and deplorable it is. Trying to whitewash something so much that we even begin to believe the opposite of what it really is and that is sin.
Hebrews 12:14 says “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”
We, me you we are the church. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”.
So many times, we are not together we are not balanced. Remember I am not talking about the church the place we go to worship I am talking about us who are the church. We will work 60 hours a week pray 5 minutes before we fall asleep and read our word when they put the scripture up on the screen on Sunday morning. There is no balance there is no togetherness within ourselves, we are divided in ourselves. Mark 3:25 says “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” a house is a dwelling place our body is the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost, if this house is divided against itself we cannot stand. Some chase the mighty dollar more than the mighty God. We need to understand Matthew 6:33 says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
We are not daily. God spoke with Adam in the cool of the evening. In Genesis 3:8 after Adam and Eve sinned the time came the cool of the evening came and it was time to talk with God. When they heard His voice, they hid themselves because now they were afraid. WATCH THIS: -This was a daily routine for them to talk with God now they broke being daily. We need to talk daily with God for David said it like this in Psalm 23 “For the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”. One song writer said, “Have a little talk with Jesus and tell Him all your troubles He will hear our faintest cry and He will answer by and by just have a little talk with Jesus”. We need to have a little talk with Jesus daily.
Not only are we not being steadfast, together, or daily let me also submit to you 2 more things that keep us from experiencing the winds of Pentecost in our lives today and that is comfortability with the familiar and contempt for the new. We become comfortable with the way things are. Because we are comfortable with not seeing signs and wonders and miracles performed we say things like God is not moving in that way anymore or that was for the early church we now walk by faith and not by sight, but the word of God says in Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”.
Let me give you the 7 words that will destroy the church, it is a mindset that will keep you from experiencing the winds of Pentecost today and they are “We never did it like that before”.
UNDERSTAND: - Contempt for the new blinds us to the fresh blessings God is pouring out upon His people. I have said this before that the pandemic caused the people of God to use technology and present the unadulterated Word of God in new ways with a greater exuberance for sound doctrine and without the concert atmosphere that will make you jump jump but has no substance. Yet there are those that are die hard on if you are not in a church building then you are not connected to God. Yes there is a great connection and social gratification in the assembling in a church but do not have contempt for the new that is being done also because if you are you will miss the winds of Pentecost that are blowing.
Gypsy Smith who was an early member of the Salvation Army and an evangelist from Britain was asked to name the greatest need of today’s church, he answered, “Another Pentecost!” When asked the second greatest need, he answered, “Another Pentecost!” When asked the third greatest need, he answered, “Another Pentecost!”
We need another Pentecost. It is a shame that the term Pentecost experience has become more associated with speaking in tongues, being slain in the Spirit, and shouting than with the harvest of world. Pentecost is a festival of harvest, that's what it is called in Exodus 23:16 and Deuteronomy 16:10. The outpouring of the Holy Ghost in extraordinary power was meant for witness and world evangelization not to be limited to speaking in tongues. If that was all that it was meant to be then when the 120 spoke in tongues that would have sufficed but Pentecost is a harvest and that is exactly what happened - 3,000 souls were harvested for God and given eternal life on the day of Pentecost, harvested from the kingdom of sin and darkness into the Kingdom of God the feast of harvest.
So, when I say we need a Pentecost experience I am not talking about having just a shout good time speaking in tongues and sweating out your clothes to a Holy Ghost beat - I mean being so completely submitted to the movement of God in our life that we become and experience everything God wants us to become and experience.
Let me make this clear because I don’t want someone to get the wrong idea, I am not saying speaking in tongues is not important, but we need to understand something and that is purpose versus practice. The speaking in tongues in Acts 2 has a very definite meaning. It's directly connected to the presence of people from all the nations who need to understand the great things the disciples were saying. The miracle of speaking tongues was a demonstration of God's sovereign power, and it showed that this power promised in Acts 1:8 really was intended to advance the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. It was a token that God means for all peoples to understand his greatness and that he is willing to do miracles to make his glory known among the nations. When we limit the Pentecost experience to a practice or a performance and neglect the purpose then the winds of Pentecost will not blow. When we understand the purpose become fishers of men. We become a conduit for the power of God and not a hinderance. We live in the Spirit by being led by the Spirit, having ears that hear what God is saying, having eyes that see what God is doing. I remember when I was growing up in church in Barberton Ohio we had a song we sang in the choir that said “Lord won’t you use my hands to do thy will, Lord use my Lord use my mouth to speak your Word, Lord I am yours – whatever you have for me to do I will do because I am yours”. When we are led by the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh and then be able to feel the winds of Pentecost blowing again.
If the winds of Pentecost are not blowing today in the church which is you, I would submit to you that we are not acknowledging and accepting the new and marvelous ways God wants us to go and grow with Him.
Pentecostal winds are blowing today. The only question is whether you and I will prove a conduit or a hinderance for the mighty move of God.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
