A children’s catechism class was learning the Apostles Creed. Each child had been assigned a sentence to repeat. The first one said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The second child said, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son…” When he had completed his sentence, there was an embarrassing silence. Finally, one child piped up, “Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here.” (from the sermon, The Impact of Pentecost by Bruce Howell)
It seems there have been churches where, by deed or word, or lack of them, those who believe in the Holy Spirit were absent. But we are “Trinity” Church and we believe in the Holy Spirit. The church cannot survive without the Holy Spirit.
WAITING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT
What the Apostles and the 120 were constantly praying about for the 10 days between the Ascension and Pentecost was the Mission Jesus had given them and the baptism of the Holy Spirit he had promised them. The baptism of the Spirit would give them the power to carry out the mission.
“The chief actor in the historic mission of the Christian church is the Holy Spirit. He is the director of the whole enterprise. The mission consists of the things that he is doing in the world. In a special way it consists of the light that he is focusing upon Jesus Christ.” (Brad Long, Listening Evangelism, The Dunamis Project, p. 70)
The first church was so clear on this: it is not a human enterprise done in human strength. Our mission is God-inspired, God-initiated, God-directed, God-empowered.
Jesus said at the start of it all that they were not to go it alone in their own strength and responsibility:
(Acts 1:4-5)
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Their resources and plans and strategy were not what counted:
(Acts 1:7-8)
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”
In fact the marching orders for their mission and gift of the Holy Spirit were to come in the same package. This is the point Jesus makes according to John:
(John 20:21-22)
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Luke makes the same point succinctly in Acts 1:2 when calls the apostolic mission mandate “instructions through the Holy Spirit.”
How could it be any other way since Jesus himself received his call to mission and empowerment by his own baptism in the Holy Spirit?
(Matthew 3:16--4:1)
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and opened the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah which says:
(Luke 4:14, 17-19, 21)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
If for Jesus himself – he who gave up his divine attributes to truly become a human being – if both messiahship and mission came from his own baptism in the flood tide of the Holy Spirit, how could his followers possibly be involved in the same mission except through the same baptism and immersion in the Holy Spirit?
The incredible missionary achievement of the early church was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Over and over again they moved out in obedience to the Spirit. Now it’s true that against a static Church, unwilling to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit, no ’gates’ of any sort are needed to oppose its movement…for it does not move! But against a Church that is on the move, inspired by the Pentecostal Spirit, neither ’gates of hell’ nor any other gates can prevail! Say, “Amen.”
The heartbeat of the Holy Spirit is the realization of the truth and reality of Jesus Christ. We see this both in what he does and also in what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do.
(John 15:26-27)
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
(John 16:13-14)
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
“In the Holy Spirit we find a single-minded focus on Jesus Christ. His work is the work of Jesus Christ. In the BibIe there is no ambiguity about this. Anywhere that the Holy Spirit is at work, Jesus will be made real both in word, deed, and in actual presence. Thus, missions and evangelism directed by the Holy Spirit will be Christ centered and resulting in human beings coming under the life giving Lordship of Jesus Christ.” (Brad Long, Listening Evangelism, The Dunamis Project, p. 73)
As the Father had promised (Acts 1:4), the church was birthed and empowered for its world-wide task on the Day of Pentecost (50 days after the first Easter Sunday). This filling of the Spirit according to Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-29) was not an individual experience. It was the church being brought into existence and animated by the Spirit to form a body through which the Messiah would be able to express himself in every city of the world.
THE SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST
2:1 The Day of Pentecost (Greek for fiftieth day) was originally the harvest festival which came fifty days, or seven weeks, after the first fruits of the barley harvest had been offered (Leviticus 23:10, 15-21). Pentecost was one of the three great annual feasts (together with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles) for which Jews came to Jerusalem whenever possible. Pentecost was the festival that drew the most people since it occurred at the time of year that had the best sailing and traveling weather. Scholars estimate that some 25,000-30,000 people normally lived in Jerusalem at this time. For Pentecost there were another 100,000-200,000 visitors.
And on this day the 120 persons who had been gathering for prayer were in one place awaiting the power of the Spirit as Jesus had promised. It probably was not the upper room for few, if any, upper rooms could accommodate 120 people. It could have been a structure associated with the Temple, since as Luke 24:53 says, “they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” Or they could have been gathering in the courtyard of a large house in the Temple precincts as they were waiting to go into the Temple for the Morning Prayer time at 9 AM.
WITH THE SOUND OF WIND
2:2 But they are all together and the Holy Spirit falls upon them. There is the sound like the blowing of a violent wind. That sound – which if it was anything like the sound of a hurricane, sounded like a freight train from a few feet away – that sound would certainly get their attention in a hurry. And it seems to have gotten the attention of many of the thousands of pilgrims who were on their way to morning prayers that day.
The Hebrew word for wind was ruakh, and the same word was used for the creative Spirit or Wind of God (as in Genesis 1:2). Wind had the power to move huge sailing vessels and lift eagles up into the sky. So the Holy Spirit was called the power of God (as in Romans 1:4, 16, 15:13, and others). The word ruakh could also mean the wind breathing in our lungs, from which we get the word "inspiration." God inspired artists in the Old Testament (Exodus 31:3, 35:31), and those with gifts of leadership; he inspired wise persons and prophets. The sound "like the rush of a violent wind" was therefore a sign of the powerful work of the Spirit in and through the new church. The wind should remind us of the power of the Spirit.
AND WITH FIRE
2:3 The wind came as an audible sign of the Spirit, and tongues of fire came as a visible sign. John the Baptist had said,
(Matthew 3:11)
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Moses saw the bush on fire without the bush being consumed, and this was a sign of the presence of God calling him to free his people (Exodus 3:2, 4). A pillar of fire was a sign of the Lord leading them through the wilderness.
Fire came down on Mount Sinai for the giving of the law. And fire inaugurated the sacrificial worship of both the tabernacle and Soloman’s temple:
(2 Chron. 7:1)
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
This indicated to the people that God had accepted the tabernacle and the Temple as His dwelling place. The proof of his acceptance was the supernatural fire that fell from heaven.
The Apostle Paul uses the term “temple” to indicate that under the New Covenant our bodies are the Temple" of the Holy Spirit
(1 Cor. 6:19)
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.
At Pentecost, the individual believers had tongues of fire over them,
supernatural fire from heaven … Once again God sent His own fire to demonstrate that from now on He would accept the "temple" – the disciples of Christ who are a "temple" of the Holy Spirit.
The Church would now become the dwelling place of God’s Holy Spirit. And as the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 6:19 tells us that we are not our own any longer. In fact, it tells us is that we are not alone any longer, either.
(John 14:17)
The world cannot accept [the Spirit of truth], because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives; and know that unless we build and maintain that relationship we can easily have that relationship come to a halt
ILLUS:
One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas. (from the sermon, Pentecostal Power by George Rennau)
Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are "clothed with power" (Luke 24:49), they find themselves out of gas.
In Leviticus 6:12, instructions were given that the fire that fell from God should never be permitted to go out. It was to be attended constantly around the clock. So the fire of the Spirit of God in our lives should never be allowed to go out! 1 Thes. 5:19 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
The people of God that are walking in the Spirit, flowing in His gifts, cherishing his presence, and stirring up the fire he has placed within us – these are the people who are going to make a difference in this world in these last days.
So here are the baptized disciples of Jesus being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. They move into the Temple praising God at the tops of the voices. They are so excited they can seem like drunk men. They are “declaring the wonders of God” in the native tongues of the pilgrims from all over the Roman world. They may not have even known that they were speaking in a different language right away, they were so excited.
God had fulfilled His promise! The Holy Spirit had fallen on them and filled them. Now the great mission was beginning for real.
I will talk about the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues much more next week. But today, recall this: the baptism of the Spirit is not about us, it is not about this particular gift or that one, it is not even really about individuals. What is it about?
The baptism of the Spirit is about Jesus! It is about the power we need to do the mission he gave us – to go into all the world and witness to his transforming, resurrection power in our lives, and to make disciples. We can’t do the mission without the Spirit.
AN EXAMPLE OF PENTECOSTAL LIVING
I want to close with a real life story. It is about missionary John Hyde who went to India a little over a hundred years ago.
John felt a strong calling to the nation of India and began to spend hours in an attempt to learn the local language. Then the day came. It was in 1892 that he boarded a steamer in New York bound for the nation of India.
On the Ship, John received a telegram from a close family friend. He opened it hurriedly on the deck of the ship. The only words of the telegram were, "John Hyde, are you filled with the Holy Spirit?" John’s response was one of heated anger. He crumpled the paper, put it into his pocket and went to bed.
Unable to sleep, he tossed and turned all night. He arose from bed in the early morning hours, took the piece of paper and read it again. He thought, “The audacity of somebody to ask me that question, ‘Am I filled with the Holy Spirit?’ Here I am a missionary, sincere, dedicated, leaving my home and going to another country. How dare they ask me if I am filled with the Holy Spirit?”
Wasn’t he equipped for his call? After all he had received a B.A. degree, studied the language, was even on the way and was determined to pursue his destiny.
Yes, he was on his way, but Hyde’s spirit was challenged by the note. After much soul searching, he fell to his knees before the Father. “O God,” he cried out, “the audacity of me thinking that I could pray or preach or witness or live or serve or do anything in my own strength and power. Fill me with your strength. Fill me with Your power.” John Hyde became one of the great missionary statesmen of all time. Why? Because of the Spirit which enabled him to face the challenges of his life in the power of God.
Upon arriving in India, John found himself on the field with three women and one other missionary among one million non Christians. It was time to begin to fulfill his calling and begin to pioneer in a new land.
In many of those first years there was not a single convert. John was driven to prayer. Indeed, he would come to be known as “Praying Hyde.”
In 1900-1901, Hyde writing home prophetically tells what the Lord had showed him in prayer about the new century. That the new century would be a time of Pentecostal power and a double portion of the Holy Spirit would be poured out. That a great conviction would come and many would be born again. He saw a full apostolic Christianity restored to the church. Hyde believed that a great revival would occur after an understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He often preached a message, "You Shall Receive Power After."
In 1904 Hyde formed a Prayer Group Union for the purpose of ’targeted prayer’ for thirty minutes each day. The group prayed for revival, special blessings on the churches, a spirit of unity, guidance, and wisdom. Also in 1904 they scheduled a gospel convention. Thirty days before the meetings they went into all night prayer with fasting, crying out, pleading, and agonizing over the lost. It was at this time that they heard of the revival that had begun in Wales and this caused an increase in prayer and faith for the same. It was this event that "opened the way" for revival to break forth in the convention.
Upon seeing the results of a deeper prayer life Hyde gave himself even more to prayer. It should be pointed out that he was not a recluse or a hermit. He was relatable and interacted with others.
In 1904, Indian Christians and western missionaries gathered for the first of an annual series of conventions at Sialkot in what is today Pakistan. To support this time of spiritual renewal, John Hyde and his friends formed the Punjab Prayer Union, setting aside half an hour each day to pray for revival.
By 1908 – 16 years after his arrival in India – John Hyde dared to pray what was to many at the annual convention an impossible request: that during the coming year in India one soul would be saved every day. Three hundred sixty five people converted, baptized, and publicly confessing Jesus as their Savior. Impossible -- yet it happened.
Before the next convention John Hyde had prayed more than 400 people into God’s kingdom, and when the prayer union gathered again, he doubled his goal to two souls a day. Eight hundred conversions were recorded that year, and still Hyde showed an unquenchable passion for lost souls.
At the 1910 convention, those around Hyde marveled at his faith, as they witnessed his near violent supplications, "Give me souls, oh God, or I die!" Before the meeting ended, John Hyde revealed that he was again doubling his goal for the coming year. Four souls a day, and nothing less. During the next twelve months John Hyde’s ministry took him throughout India. By now he was known as "Praying Hyde," and his intercession was sought at revivals in Calcutta, Bombay, and other large cities. If on any day four people were not converted, Hyde said at night there would be such a weight on his heart he could not eat or sleep until he had prayed through to victory. The number of new converts continually grew.
He would often ask ministers, "Is the Spirit first in your pulpits?" He was referring to John 15, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27)
This is the Pentecostal Spirit; this is the Baptism of the Spirit. Each one of us needs the Holy Spirit and his power if we desire to carry out the call of God. For without the Spirit of Christ we can do nothing. Like Praying Hyde, how can we dare imagine carrying out Christ’s will without the infilling of the Holy Spirit?
God longs more than anything to give Himself – to give the Holy Spirit – to us:
(Luke 11:9-10, 13)
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. …If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
May each one us be open to receiving the Holy Spirit in all his fullness. Amen.
Additional Resources:
Robert Brow, The Acts of the Apostles, 2002
C. Peter Wagner, The Acts of the Holy Spirit, 1994 & 2000
