Empowered for the Mission

Introduction

The Power You Don’t Have Until It’s Connected”

Years ago I watched a guy try to use a heavy-duty power tool—looked like it should cut through anything. He pulled the trigger… and nothing. He checked the switch, checked the blade, checked the settings—still nothing. Finally, somebody laughed and said, “It’s not plugged in.”

That’s a picture of a lot of Christian life. We’ve got the vocabulary. We’ve got the habits. We’ve got the routine. We may even have the tool in our hands. But if we’re trying to live the mission of Jesus in our own strength—we’re not plugged in. Pentecost is the moment God makes it clear: the church doesn’t run on human power, personality, or effort. The church runs on the Holy Spirit.

This morning keys to living empowered for the mission Christ has called the church to.

Read Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1–21 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.’

pray

1. Live Spirit-Filled

Acts 2:1–4 ESV

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

JEWISH PILGRIMAGE FEASTS

EVENT

JESUS AND THE CHURCH

Passover (Unleavened Bread) | The Exodus | Death/Burial of Jesus

Pentecost (Weeks) | Sinai | Descent of the Spirit

Booths (Tabernacles or Tents) | Wilderness Wandering |

Dwelling with His People (Lev 23:40)

Remembering the Law (Deut 31:10–13)

All Nations Welcomed (Zech 14)

Patrick Schreiner, Acts, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and Brandon D. Smith, Christian Standard Commentary (Holman Reference, 2021), 111.

a. The Spirit Comes with Power. 

i. "rushing wind" 

ii. "fills the home" 

iii. "dividing tongues" 

B. The Spirit Comes to the Disciples. 

i. "filled them" 

ii. gave the "utterance"

Illustration for Point 1: Live Spirit-Filled (Acts 2:1–4) — “Sail vs. Oar”

Imagine the difference between rowing and sailing. Rowing is all muscle—effort, strain, blisters, and exhaustion. Sailing still takes work—raising the sails, setting the direction, staying attentive—but the power isn’t coming from your arms. The power comes from the wind.

In Acts 2, Luke describes a sound “like a mighty rushing wind.” That’s not random poetry. It’s the Spirit’s announcement: God is supplying what the disciples do not have in themselves. They weren’t called to row the gospel into the nations by grit. They were called to set their sails to the Spirit.

Application tie-in:

Some of us are trying to “row” our marriages, our purity, our parenting, our joy, our witness—then we wonder why we’re drained.

Living Spirit-filled means starting the day with surrender: “Holy Spirit, fill me. Lead me. Give me your words. Give me courage.”

It means obeying the promptings of God instead of just relying on willpower.

Transition to Point 2: And when the Spirit fills a people, it doesn’t stay private—it spills outward into the world.

2. Love Across Barriers.

Acts 2:5–13 ESV

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

a. A diverse crowd. 

i. Jews 

ii. Devout men 

iii. from every nation 

b. Bewildered and Amazed 

i. heard in our language 

ii. heard might works of God. 

iii. Some wondered what it meant. 

iiii. Others mocked.

“The First Day at a New Church”

Most of us know what it feels like to walk into a place where everyone seems to know everyone. You’re smiling on the outside, but inside you’re doing that math: Where do I sit? Who do I talk to? Will anyone notice me?

Now think about the difference between two experiences:

One where nobody speaks and you slip out unnoticed.

Another where someone meets you at the door, learns your name, introduces you to others, and helps you feel at home.

Acts 2 is God building a church where the gospel doesn’t feel like an insider language. The Spirit helps people hear “the mighty works of God” clearly—and the Spirit helps the church become a place where strangers become family.

Application punch: If the Spirit is at work, our church becomes a place where people don’t have to “break in”—they get welcomed in.

3. Lead with the Word.

Acts 2:14–21 ESV

14 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. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

a. not intoxicated but filled with the Holy Spirit 

b. Last days are present days. 

i. Holy Spirit coming is proof. 

ii. Proclamation of Jesus proof. 

iii. Salvation through calling on the name of Jesus is proof.

“The Interpreter at the Press Conference”

You’ve seen those press conferences where someone speaks and an interpreter stands beside them. Without the interpreter, you might hear sound but miss meaning. With the interpreter, the message becomes clear.

That’s Peter in Acts 2. The Spirit creates the moment; the Word interprets the moment. Peter stands up and says, “Let me tell you what this means,” and he uses Scripture to translate confusion into truth.

Application: The world doesn’t just need church events—it needs a clear explanation of the gospel from the Word.\

CLOSING

The Broken Down Car (You Stop Pushing and You Call)

YJ 95 Jeep wrangler.

When your car dies, you can push it for a little while. You can sweat, strain, and make a few feet of progress. But sooner or later you realize: pushing won’t get you home. At some point you pull out your phone and call someone who actually has the power to help.

A lot of people treat salvation like pushing a dead car: “I’ll try harder. I’ll be better. I’ll get religion right.” But Acts 2:21 says the turning point is not trying—it’s calling.

Close it: “You can’t push your way into new life. Call on the name of the Lord.”