Introduction: All four Gospels record Jesus saying something to His disciples about their mission before returning to heaven.
 Matthew writes.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20
Mark.
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe."
- Mark 16:15 -17
And Jesus speaks of casting out demons, peaking in tongues, snakes and poison (okay that's kinda weird) and healing.
Luke.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 SLIDE THREE I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high ." - Luke 24:45-49
And John.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, " Receive the Holy Spirit . 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." - John 20:21-23
Luke even gets another opportunity when He records Jesus last words before ascending to the Father in the opening of the words of Acts.
SLIDE FIVE
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." - Acts 1:8
All of these things Jesus said foretelling an event unlike anything the world had ever seen. After this event this rag tag group of followers would turn the course of human history. Today, Pentecost Sunday, we remember this event.
Let's read from Acts chapter two, beginning in verse one.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia , Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene ; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! " 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
What does this mean indeed? What this means is that God has made His love available and accessible to everyone. And He is going to use ordinary folks like us to change lives.
Pentecost was the fulfillment of one of the greatest promises ever made to mankind. Because of Pentecost God is no longer a distant deity. He now lives on the inside of believers. Because of Pentecost we get to be a part of the greatest adventure in human history. Because of Pentecost we get to partner with God in saving people's lives and changing people's destinies.
Pentecost means power, power to change and
power to make a difference.
It has always been God's plan to involve His people in the work of eternity. Adam was given not only the Garden but the Earth , and told to subdue it. Abraham was chosen from among a pagan people and made the father of not one, but many nations. God could have waxed Pharaoh all by Himself, but He chose to use an eighty year old shepherd with difficulty speaking to liberate a nation. (How would we know what Moses looked like if not for Charlton Heston? Now he is actually old enough to play the part.) Jesus turned over tables in the Temple because it was supposed to give access to all people to the God of Israel.
Pentecost was promised in the Old Testament, and hinted at in the lives of a few prophets, priests and kings. Jesus spoke several times about a time when He would leave His mission of redeeming mankind in the hands of His followers, and that they would be up to the task, because God was going to empower them to do it.
The real miracle of Pentecost was not that the room was shaken, not that a wind was heard, and not even that people spoke in tongues. The miracle was that by the power of the Holy Spirit Peter and the others touched the hearts of thousands, by speaking to them in the language of their heart.
The real miracle of Pentecost today is not that people speak in tongues (though many do), that some prophesy, or that sick people get healed. We believe in all of these. But the real miracle of Pentecost is that God has come to live inside of you and me, and that He has chosen us to share and demonstrate His love.
A lot has been written about this passage. It is so rich with significance, not to mention the fact that it is just plain awesome.wind, fire, noise, tongues. oh oh oh (like Tim Allen)
But what excites me the most about this passage is the change you see in the disciples and the way God uses them to bring others into the Kingdom. This is what Pentecost is all about.
Consider Peter.
- He walked on water.but sank when he became afraid.
- Jesus called him dull when he had to ask for explanation of a parable.
- He confessed that Jesus was God, but is used by Satan seven verses later.
- He misses the whole point on the mount of transfiguration, and gets a rebuke from God the Father right out of the clouds!
- He falls asleep when Jesus asks Him to pray with Him.
- He boasts of greater loyalty than the others, yet denies Jesus on the night He is betrayed.
- Even after the resurrection Peter was slow to believe.
When all of this happened on the day of Pentecost some folks made fun of the disciples and said they were drunk. Now listen to Peter.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem , let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
 " `In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
22"Men of Israel , listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Soon someone asked Peter, 37 " .what shall we do?" and Peter responded.
38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Now that's the kind of church growth that will get you written up in Charisma, and Christianity Today!
So what does all of this mean to us?
Verse thirty nine says it:
The promise of a life that is radically different, and a life that helps others come to faith as well, is for you.
It is sad that sometimes the message of Pentecost is seen as controversial and divisive. It was God's intent that the giving of the Holy Spirit unite and empower and the Church. It was never His intent that the events of Pentecost divide the Church.
It is not God's intent that the Church be divided into haves and have nots over the Holy Spirit. Neither is it His intent that people who are not yet saved be confused by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Yet this began to happen before the end of the first century. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 12-14 to clear up the mess.
It is God's intent that Christians steward the power of the Holy Spirit in such a way that He draws people unto Himself. Therefore it is our responsibility to explain to people what God is doing, as Peter did. It is also our responsibility to use our gifts to help others come to faith. Some gifts are public and specifically related to sharing the Gospel. Others are more behind the scenes and supportive, nevertheless are intended to be used in the overall purpose of helping others come to faith.
Pentecost means that the Holy Spirit is given for all believers. But do all believers automatically have the Holy Spirit? Yes and no.
In Romans 8:9 Paul said that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. If anyone does not have the Holy Spirit He cannot be a follower of Christ. So, all believers have the Holy Spirit.
Yet in Ephesians 5:18 Paul commands believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It must therefore be possible for believers to have the Holy Spirit and not be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is like this cup having water in it (pour some water in) verses being filled with water (fill it to the rim).
In Acts 19 Paul ran into a group of about twelve men in Ephesus who were believers (probably the first in Ephesus ), but didn't even know or understand who the Holy Spirit was. When they were instructed properly they too began to experience the Holy Spirit's power, and spoke in tongues and prophesied. But that's not the end of the story. By the end of the first century Ephesus was the home of probably the largest Christian Church!
What must you do? First repent and give your life to Jesus. Then ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Luke 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 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! "
If you ask you will receive, but then you are responsible for using this gift for the glory of God, and to help other come to know Him.
In the weeks ahead we are going to look at some miracles in the New Testament, and see how they had evangelism at their heart. |
