An Unstoppable Force

Introduction:

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was playing with Corliss Williamson. Now for those of you who do not know who Corliss Williamson is he may be one of the most famous people in Arkansas, right below Bill Clinton. You see in Arkansas there are no professional sports teams so the Hogs are the pro teams. In the 90’s Williamson who is known as the big nasty is a legend after leading the hogs to a title in the 90’s. Then he went on to have a successful NBA career. By the time I met him he was coaching the University of Central Arkansas. I was about 8 years removed from playing but he let me come in and play with the team and Corliss was on my team. We are on defense and this player comes down and just has a spectacular dunk. You see up to this point Coach Corliss, the Big Nasty, is kind of taking it easy. But after this dunk it was like a switch went off and he comes down backs up to the goal and dunks on three players. You see in this game Corliss was an unstoppable force.

As unstoppable as Corliss was that day the Church of Jesus Christ is an unstoppable. As a matter of fact, in -Jesus says the gates of hell cannot stop it. In this book, we see thousands place their faith in Jesus Christ, we will see Gentiles come to faith in Christ, we will see the Roman empire have the gospel go through the whole known world at the time. Would you not want to be a part of that? Well the great news is you can.

The reality is that most people do not think of the church as being an unstoppable force. Many of us look at it as something we have to do to check off our checklist. If we are honest many churches look just like the world. Churches are dying quickly: maybe you know of a dead church or have been a part of a dead church. In the book of Acts this unstoppable force called the church begins Today we are going to see what ingredients were involved that took the church from being nothing to a force that could not be stopped. These ingredients are the same ingredients that God wants us to have in our church today.

1. If we want to be involved in a great movement we must expect great things from God.

Acts 2:1–4 NASB95

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Acts 2:1–4 NASB95

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

William Carey-Expect great things from God, attempt great things from God.

The New Bible Commentary 2:1–47 The Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem

1 The day of Pentecost was a major festival in the Jewish religion, also known as the Feast of Weeks. The holiday celebrated the wheat harvest, and in some Jewish tradition was also associated with the giving of the law and the renewal of the covenant. Jerusalem was crowded with Jewish visitors from abroad (see 2:5). Some of these were about to celebrate a new kind of harvest and covenant renewal!

The New Bible Commentary 2:1–47 The Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem

1 The day of Pentecost was a major festival in the Jewish religion, also known as the Feast of Weeks. The holiday celebrated the wheat harvest, and in some Jewish tradition was also associated with the giving of the law and the renewal of the covenant. Jerusalem was crowded with Jewish visitors from abroad (see 2:5). Some of these were about to celebrate a new kind of harvest and covenant renewal!