Spirit-Filled People

Jonathan Edwards (1741) 3- Sinners in the hands of an angry God.

"Therefore, let anyone who does not now know Christ awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let everyone fly out of Sodom!! Run for your lives! Don’t look back! Escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed!" - Jonathan Edwards

Series intro

Acts 2 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Being Spirit-filled powerfully impacts our lives and our testimony.

We are going to explore three massive changes that take place as a result of the Spirit’s Coming. These three changes demonstrate the radical impact God’s Spirit has on our lives and witness.

Spirit-Filled Life

Acts 2 is one of my favourite passages in the Bible, because it shows us what happens when the Holy Spirit gets poured out. And the reality is, it is awesome!

Last week we left off having looked at Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This promise was why we found Jesus’ followers in the upper room prior to the Spirit’s coming. They spent a lot of time in prayer. In fact Scripture says they were devoted to it. We also devoted ourselves to a time of prayer last week in closing, with the goal to help our hearts have a desperation to have the Holy Spirit move in fresh and powerful ways. We expressed our total need for Him, and our desire for God’s kingdom to advance. We also expressed our desire to be used powerfully by the Spirit, for God’s purposes.

Now this week, as we pick the story back up, we find the fulfillment of the preparation the disciples underwent. The day of Pentecost has come. In Jewish tradition, Pentecost (or the feast of weeks) marked the start of the full wheat harvest. Now, we see that the fulfillment of the OT and NT prophecies about the Spirit’s coming are fulfilled. His coming marked the start of the full harvest of the church!

They were praying, waiting, gathered together for the feast. Suddenly, God does something incredible. The wording in Acts 2:2 to describe the Spirit’s coming is awesome. It is a mighty or violent rushing wind. Can you imagine if that happened in here, right now? Inside the building!? Then, divided tongues of fire show up above each of their heads. If you turn to Revelation 4:5 we read this

Revelation 4:5 ESV

From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

This helps us to see how the imagery of fire to describe the Holy Spirit is a potent one. The Holy Spirit comes upon the believers, they begin to speak in languages they’ve never before spoken in. Keep in mind, at least 1/3 were fishermen! Another was a tax collector. But most of these guys - if not all - were not super well-educated. Yet here they are, speaking in different languages. If that had been the end to the story, that would have been utterly amazing in itself, but the story doesn’t stop there.

Acts 2:5 ESV

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

Keep in mind, everyone has shown up for the feast. We’ve got Jews from everywhere. Rome, Judea, Asia, Mesopotamia, and so on. They pick up on the fact that these non-educated nobodies are speaking in their foreign languages, telling about the mighty things God has done, and it is astonishing! How can this be?? Some of them are awed by the sight, some just figure everyone’s drunk.

Remember the big idea:

Being Spirit-filled powerfully impacts our lives and our testimony.

This first change we observe here in Acts 2 is the Spirit-filled life. As the believers in Acts receive the Spirit, something drastically different - something divine takes place. Clearly God is doing something in their life. And guess what? Others see it and want to know what’s happening. So it is with us, that when Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Sprit, something changes. Outward signs like the gift of tongues are a normal part of being baptized in the Spirit, and they cause others to want to know more. That’s my prayer for us as a body of believers, that we would be people who are full of the Spirit, that we would be different, so that when others see us they want to know what the difference is. That difference should always be the Spirit of God powerfully working in us. But the Spirit-filled life is one that is a continuous journey of growing deeper, of having many encounters with the Spirit. If you continue to read through Acts, we see that later on the believers are once again are filled with the Spirit:

Acts 4:31 ESV

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

So it should be with us - that we are continually seeking with open hearts the Holy Spirit, so that we may continue to be people who are Spirit-filled.

When the believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit, something radical happens. Their lives are changed. They receive the gift of tongues as a sign, showing that they have been given a specific empowering for witness. But that’s not the end. Part of the Spirit-filled life is having many moments where we are again filled with the Spirit. Where we have new and deeper encounters with God. It’s a continuous thing, not a once and done deal.

Spirit-Filled Witness

If you’ve ever watched a session of parliament on TV or live, you know that it can be a bit of a shot in the dark as to how well that session will go. Will the MPs or MLAs be amicable? Or will someone say something that will get someone else going. And then someone else has to chime in and before you know it you’ve got one side make noise, trying to boo down the other. All the while the speaker at the front is shouting – albeit almost drowned out – to have ORDER! Anyone ever seen a scene like that? If so, you know how hard it can be for even a professional to get control of an unruly crowd.

So it is amazing to me that we read that Peter starts speaking and people pay attention. He starts by saying “hey, we’re not drunk, it’s only 9 AM!” For reference, the Jewish breakfast time was about 10, and not much happened before that. But then he explains what is happening from a gospel-centred approach using the prophet Joel’s words:

Acts 2:17–21 ESV

“ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

The last days is the time between when Christ ascended, and when He’s coming back to gather together His own. Peter, quoting this prophecy, shows that that time has come! Now, the Spirit is poured out. Now it shall be that your old and young will dream dreams and see visions. Now everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, and His being raised to life again are the catalyst. After that - in the last days before the end came - that’s when we would see this mighty move. Peter is moved by the Spirit to explain this sign, and the reason: to proclaim that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Saviour. Peter shows with the rest of His message - using Scripture - that Jesus Christ really is Lord and God, and that you MUST place your faith and trust in Him.

Notice two things about this text:

This is a fantastic gospel-centred message that is simple, yet profound, and we could spend much time on. It’s takes me about a week to prepare my message for each Sunday. Peter didn’t have any preparation time. He didn’t grab His assorted scrolls and go figure out cross-references and read commentaries. That’s not to say good study is not important. Instead, this demonstrates that when someone is baptized in the Spirit, they receive power to boldly witness to those around them. Could Peter - the fisherman from Galilee - have created this message on his own? Surely not! Instead, the Spirit inspired His witness in such a way that His Words were profound, and had a profound impact.

But notice as well: The people are listening. Remember from last week we talked about how the Spirit empowers our witness. Both in us, but also by convincing those who hear to listen, and understand this as the truth, and believe. This is exactly what happens here.

Acts 2:37 ESV

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Notice this? They were cut to the heart! They are convicted that they need to repent of their sin! And so we find the apostles proclaiming the message that is the point of all of this:

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “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.

If you do not know Jesus here today, you also need to ask, what shall I do? Because the truth is that - as Peter said - Jesus Christ is both Lord, the God of the universe, who has created you and stands as your judge. And He is the Christ, the One who came to save you from sin and eternity in hell.

Acts 2:39 ESV

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The promise of salvation and the outpouring of God’s Spirit is for you too, if you would simply repent from sin, believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. That is the requirement, and the offer that every person has been given.

3000 souls were saved that day. 3000!!! How amazing! What mighty work was this? I read that and my heart rejoices as I realize how awesome it is when God moves and hearts are willing. The second change we observe is that from this filling with the Holy Spirit comes a bold outpouring for witness. Peter’s just a man. He’s made his fair share of mistakes, some big ones too. But, He was willing to have the Spirit of God use Him, and the Holy Spirit did this amazing work that not only had Peter proclaiming the gospel, but His hearers begging for the truth of salvation. So here’s the question: are you willing to allow the Holy Spirit to use you, too?

Spirit-Filled Community

Now, if you’ve ever seen a couple of siblings playing together, nine times out of ten eventually an argument is going to break out. Why? Who knows! Kids find stuff! But it’s in our human nature to argue, to engage strife, to bicker and to let our anger get the best of us. History has shown the propensity of man to violence and war. Sometimes justified, sometimes not, but all a result of a fallen world. But this is where the third change takes place in Acts 2: The new community of believers is transformed into this one that is radically different from the world around them!

As we get into Acts 2:42-47, we encounter a radically different community. Listen to the descriptors Luke uses:

Devoted to the apostle’s teaching

Awe on everyone, signs and wonders done!

Fellowship

Eating together

Prayer

Had everything in common

Selling their possessions and giving to the church (communal “pot” for those who had need)

Attending the temple together - daily

Praising God for His provision and blessings.

Having favour with all people

Wow! What a list! And then we read at the end Acts 2:

Acts 2:47 (ESV)

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Once again, I want to draw us back to our main point:

Being Spirit-filled powerfully impacts our lives and our testimony.

How powerful is the impact of the Spirit’s coming upon the new little community of believers! Talk about living united in the Spirit with bonds of peace! This third change we see as a result of the Spirit’s coming is a Spirit-filled community - one in which we see these Christians living in harmony. Their testimony, in the life they lived, with the powerful working of God in their midst drew others, and God added to their number not just monthly, or yearly. Not even weekly, but daily! How amazing is that?!?! Talk about revival!

When we as the people of God are united together by the Spirit, something amazing happens. What would happen if the same happened in our church here? What would it be like if the Holy Spirit was poured out in a fresh way, and our body of believers began to exhibit many of the same qualities as the Acts church: Renewed devotion and awe as we saw God do signs and wonders. Healthy fellowship that refrained from gossip or anything that would allow the enemy in. Instead, fellowship that lifted people up, that worked hard to point people to Jesus. Salvations - not yearly or monthly. How about every week or two! Generosity - to the point that we could continue an ongoing program of feeding the homeless, sick, needy, or otherwise. Can you imagine if instead of once a month, once every few days we found ourselves together at church, to worship God, learn from His Word, to encourage our faith and draw near to our Lord? How amazing would these things be??

Yet, so often the church - and I’m not speaking of just our assembly - is very different from what we find in Acts. Our devotional times with God are nominal: once, maybe twice a week at best. Awe and reverence for God becomes an after thought, instead of the focus. Our fellowship times become a chance for us to gossip about the latest problem here, or someone’s misstep there. Our churches struggle to make ends meet, because of lack of finances. Not because no one has money, but because God’s people will not give! Prayer becomes a ritual, not a right and privilege of the people of God. It’s a past-time, not a battleground. Seeing the Spirit bring people to faith is a memory - no one can remember the last time there was a baptism in the place. And the moving of the Spirit becomes something that we are suspicious of, more than welcoming to.

What shall be done when the church - Christ’s beautiful vibrant bride - grows dim? Jesus will surely breath new life through the Spirit into His church. Christ builds His church! The Spirit will empower believers to rise up. He will ignite the flame. But if we’re not receptive, if we’re not being ready, if we are not repentant when we too fall into that complacent comfy-church culture, we will find ourselves answerable to Jesus Christ. His question? Why did you not take care of my bride? Why would you resist me? We are answerable to Jesus for our action and inaction. If we refuse the moving of the Spirit, we will never see this community that we find in Acts happen here, or anywhere else.

Conclusion

Being Spirit-filled powerfully impacts our lives and our testimony.

Spirit-filled Life - This is the first change. When the believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit, something radical happens. Their lives are changed. They receive the gift of tongues as a sign, showing that they have been given a specific empowering for witness. But that’s not the end. Part of the Spirit-filled life is having many moments where we are again filled with the Spirit. Where we have new and deeper encounters with God. It’s a continuous thing, not a once and done deal.

Spirit-filled witness. The coming of the Spirit empowered Peter to stand up, and preach this sermon that was all about the gospel. No prior research or prep time. Just a fisherman who God used to preach the gospel. Being baptized and filled with the Spirit means we are given power to be Jesus’ witnesses. Not only that, but the Spirit was working in the hearts of the crowd, convincing them of the truth of the gospel.

Spirit-filled community. Not only is their verbal testimony bold, but their way of living is equally transformed. This third change is found in their living as people who are in unity, devoted to God and characterized by awe, praise, and seeing God do miraculous things in their midst.

It is normal for us to be filled by the Spirit. Yet, I think somewhere along the way the church as a whole started to forget about this. Being Pentecostal is not about being crazy chandelier-swinging people. It’s about being Christians who are not afraid of the moving and working of the Spirit, and recognize the Spirit’s specific empowering for witness.

Like Jonathan Edwards, who spoke his sermon in monotone and saw many saved, we realize it’s not about our power, but God’s. We should earnestly desire the moving of the Spirit: to transform our lives, our testimonies, and our community as a body of believers. So, can you trust God to move how He wants? It’s not easy to let God do His thing, but when we are humble. When we get out of the way. When we desire God to move powerfully, for His glory. When we say “ok” and allow God to use us how He wants. When we earnestly ask Jesus to pour out the Spirit in fresh ways. Oh man, look at the Biblical evidence for the difference that makes! My prayer is that we will be a body of believers characterized by that desire, and ready and willing for God to use us how He wants.

Satyavrata p. 121 para 3

Horton, p. 139 para. 2