Plug in to the Power

Introduction:

Charles Spurgeon said, “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are ships without the wind, branches without sap, and like coals without fire, we are useless.”

The early church had the same exact resources we have today.

In 2000 years, the basic tenets of the church have not changed one iota. The mission is the same, the goal is the same, and the resources are no different today than what they had. Spiritual growth of the church doe not boil do to what program or method works best, but the source of power for the church.

We have all heard about the Holy Spirit and the work He is supposed to be doing, but the ultimate question we must face is, “do we truly and fully grasp the power that comes from being filled the Holy Spirit?”

This morning, we are starting a new series titled Mission: Unstoppable. The church has a mission and it is very much unstoppable. As we journey through the book of Acts over the next several week, we will see that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can have access to the very same resources they early church had and can continue to move forward with God’s plan not under our own power and authority, but in obedience to God and what He has called us to do.

Historical Background:

Acts was written by Luke (who wrote a gospel that bears his name). Acts was written as a part 2 to his gospel. It was written to a person (whose identity is unknown other than the name Theophilus). It was written to continue his “orderly account” of the events that followed Jesus’ ascension after His resurrection. It was written approximately AD 60-62 and covers the first thirty years of the new church’s history. It was title Acts, most translations add “of the Apostles” to the title because in the early first century AD, books that were written about tremendous events that people did were often credited with those particular acts; however, to be more correct, it should be “Acts of the Holy Spirit” due to the fact that the major theme of the book covers the empowerment of the Apostles by the Holy Spirit and the growth of the early church.

Some of the other major themes of the book include: (1) the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, (2) the gospel is offered to all people regardless of their background, (3) the work of the Holy Spirit (which is mentioned at least 50 time throughout the book according to John MacArthur), and (4) transitions from Jesus’ work to the work of the Apostles, the old covenant to the new covenant, from the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people to the church as the new spiritual Israel.

Some scholars suggest that Luke had intended to write a third book to continue his story, but because of the abrupt ending of the book, it would seem that God had other plans and did not need to continue the story due to the fact that even today, the story still continues.

Canonical Background:

Acts is found immediately following the fours gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and picks up where those gospels left off after Jesus’ resurrection, his appearances to His disciples for the forty days following His resurrection, gathering His followers together to give them one final direction and the promise of the Holy Spirit. The event are said to take place approximately between AD 30-60, and covers the initial history of the early formation of the church.

There is not much theological content within the book itself, but the lessons we take from the stories we read are those that we can apply in our lives today and how we can live fully in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Text:

Our text this morning covers the first two chapters of Acts, and it covers the day of Jesus’ ascension to the day of Pentecost which was ten days later.

Key Text:

The key text to the book of Acts is found here in the first chapter in verse 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.”

What we see in these opening verses of chapter one is Luke gives us a prologue to the book in the first four verses. He tells the reader that his first work dealt with “all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the the apostles he had chosen.” (1.1-2). Luke explains further about how Jesus had appeared to them (notice Luke doesn not say “us” yet because he was not an eyewitness to the events themselves, but he had learned about the events through multiple interviews with firsthand witnesses).

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In verse 5, we read, “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” A more specific translation could be “baptized IN the Holy Spirit.” One of the things we must understand about our conversion to Christianity is that once we accept Jesus in our lives as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately baptized into the Holy Spirit. This is a promise that we can carry with us, but let us look deeper into what it means to be “baptized into the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus knew his time was short, and the disciples had spent the better part of three years walking with him on a daily basis, they looked to him for guidance and teaching, and Jesus promised that he would not leave them alone.

John 14:16 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

Baptism in the Holy Spirit identifies us as part of God’s family.

The phrasing here gives us the idea that we are “putting something on” like an article of clothing, so in essence, once we accept Christ into our lives, we “put on” the Holy Spirit, but it goes much deeper than that. Our baptism identifies us with Jesus. To the early reader of Acts, they would have readily identified with the meaning of baptism. In other cultures, it was a way to become part of the system of beliefs (for most pagan religions it may have even consisted of being baptized in the blood of whatever it was that was sacrificed for that person.) For a person that was not born of Jewish descent, they would have had to go through classes to learn the law, then become circumcised, and then finally be baptized as symbolic of joining the Jewish culture. For those cultures it was a rite of initiation into that system of beliefs, for Christians, they used it as symbolically joining with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection to a new life. When we are baptized as a new believer, we are openly saying, “I identify with Jesus as my Lord and Savior.” But more that that, spiritually, being baptized into (with) the Holy Spirit gives us access to the same power that Jesus had access to.

Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to God’s power.

In verse 8, Jesus says, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...” This is the very same power that gave the apostles their courage to stand up to whatever forces that may have been standing in their way.

There is a song by Jeremy Camp that says, “the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the same power that commands the dead to wake, lives in us. The same power that moves mountains when He speaks, the same power that can calm a raging sea, lives in us, He lives in us.”

As a Christian we have access to a source of power that transcends all knowledge and comprehension. Jesus even said,

John 14:12 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus left an unfinished work here on earth, and He gave us a mission to fulfill, and it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can carry out that mission. The word for “power” gives us the idea of “being capable” or “being able” to do something. That something is being a witness. What are we witness of? We are living witnesses of the power of God to change lives. That is the message we are tasked to carry out to the world. Jesus had a big vision for a small group of people, and this is the source of power to carry that mission to the rest of the world.

The term witness here is where we get our word “martyr.” It didn't have the strong connotation that it carries with it today. we have identified it with those who have been killed for a cause. In the original context, it gave the idea of a witness in a court of law. That is what we have been called to be is a credible witness on behalf of Jesus.

Synopsis:

The disciples return to Jerusalem and go back to an upper room (presumably where they had spent time together during the last supper and after Jesus’ crucifixion). At this point they really had no other direction but to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, and Peter then addresses the group stating the need to fill Judas’ empty spot as an apostle (which would soon become the leaders of the newly established church). He sets for the the major criteria that needed to be met in order for a proper apostle to be selected (1) they had to have been with Jesus from his baptism, and (2) they had to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. The choice came down to two different men (Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias).

In light of this decision, we see the very last time lots are cast in order to make a decision based on God’s will, and we read Peter’s prayer prior to them casting lots for the decision to be made:

Acts 1.

Acts 1:24–25 ESV

And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The Holy Spirit guides us in making decisions

We do not walk alone in this life if we are a Christian. We have a helper. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. His job is to walk beside us. The word Jesus uses in is the word “paraclete.” The prepositions “para” means “beside” and “clete” means “to walk” so that gives us the idea that the Holy Spirit walks beside us as a helper. Jesus also said in regard to the works of the Holy Spirit:

John 14:26 ESV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The main job of the Holy Spirit is to teach us. He teaches us through the study of God’s Word, and in times of need, He helps us to recall those teachings. Through the study of scripture, we can get to know what God’s revealed will is for our lives, but there is also God’s concealed will. This is the progressive will of God that continues through today. God has a mission for us, and the only way we can learn how we fit into that plan is to pay attention to not only the revealed will of God, but the concealed will of God. In order to do this, we must take what we know from scripture (revealed will) and compare it to how we feel that God is speaking to us (concealed will) through the Holy Spirit. By studying God’s word, and then going to God in prayer, we can tap into that knowledge that is given to us through the Holy Spirit in order to discern what God’s concealed progressive will is for our lives.

Narrative:

The day of Pentecost arrives, and something profoundly exciting happens to the disciples that are together praying. In the scene, Luke describes a “sound like a mighty rushing wind (2.2)” and tongues of fire appearing and resting on each individual (2.3). What a sight this must have been! Noticed what happens next:

Acts 2:4 ESV

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit gifts believers with what they need to accomplish the mission

There are a few things we must understand about this verse before we continue:

First, the filling with the Holy Spirit was instantaneous and not a gradual filling, and this filling with the Holy Spirit was a permanent filling. This was the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made back in 1.8. This was the power they now had. It was immediate and profound.

The next thing we notice is the phrase, “they began to speak.” Chuck Swindoll writes that this was not something that was going to be temporary. It was something that was going to continue, just as when a child begins to walk.

Next, we see the phrase, “with other tongues.” This was not some supernatural language that only the Holy Spirit could understand, and this is part of where Charismatics get their ideology that you’re not fully blessed with the Holy Spirit until you can speak in your “prayer voice” or tongues as they call it. We would do well to understand here that these people were speaking in languages that could be understood by others. The word “other” here is the “heteros” that we spoke about in Galatians when Paul was referring to there not being another Gospel. Partnered with the word used here for “tongues” which is plural it gives us the idea that it wasn’t one heavenly language but various languages that were being spoken that day, and when you go down to verse six, the word for language there is the word that we get our English word dialect. The ecstatic gibberish type of speaking is not a new concept. It dates back to earlier than this time, and was often found with many pagan religions, and if the people were speaking that type of language, it would not have dumbfounded the people that were listening to them, but we see that there were a wide range of languages being spoken this day, and the people looked on with awe and surprise, which prompted their response in verse 13 by them saying, “they are filled with new wine.”

The last thing we see in this verse is the phrase, “as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” This doesn’t mean that they necessarily became magically bilingual all of a sudden, but this was a gift powered by the Holy Spirit. The word for “utterance” means, “to speak out loudly and clearly with emphasis.” This was a term used of philosophers, singers and various performers. So not only were they able to speak in other languages, but they were able to do it with coherent and eloquent thought processes.

God’s plan A is to get the gospel to all the nations. There is no plan B. In order to do that, he must use people to accomplish this, and in order to accomplish this, people have to have certain gifts to pull together to become one working unit. In light of that, the Holy Spirit bestows on each of us certain gifts that we are to use to help spread the message of salvation. I believe that certain gifts are no longer needed within the church because in the early days, it was a select group of people that were used to get the show on the road. Once those gifts were no longer needed, they ceased to be used, and history has shown that this event has never been duplicated since the day of Pentecost. I do believe, however, that in God’s sovereignty, if those gifts need to e used, the Holy Spirit will give those gifts to those that need it in order to accomplish the task set before them.

This is a case of God equipping those that had been called to the task with the proper gifts needed to accomplish that task. I do believe that we are given certain talents as believers and we must use those talents as God has called us, and it is through the use of those gifts that God is most glorified and people are reached with the gospel.

Romans 12:6 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

It is only through the use of our gifts, and many times, they are gifts in areas that we find ourselves lacking, to the glory of God.

Narration:

Peter then steps up to explain what the people are witnessing happening. He quotes a passage in to explain that God has now poured out His Holy Spirit for everyone. Back in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was used for certain people at certain times, and when He was no longer needed, He would be removed once the goal was accomplished at that particular time, but now, Peter is explaining that this very same Holy Spirit is available to everyone.

After he explains what is happening, he launches into arguably one of the greatest sermons ever. He presents a very simple, yet profound gospel in which he authenticates Jesus as the Messiah, he speaks of His death, resurrection, glorification and ascension, and he boldly announces that this message was for all of Israel, and then you see the response of the people:

Acts 2:37–39 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?” 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.”

Acts 2.37-

The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin so they may obtain salvation

All Peter did was Preach the gospel. He didn’t tell the people they needed to change their ways, or that if they didn’t believe the Gospel they would be condemned to hell. He simply presented the gospel of the resurrected Christ.

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to make people aware of their sinful rebellion against God. All we are called to do is be a witness of Jesus Christ. If we present a clear and compelling gospel, the Holy Spirit can do a work in a person that usually warrants a response, and this usually comes in the form of, “what do I do next?”

Peter answers the question they pose by saying, “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. (v. 38)”

In the life of the believer, the Holy Spirit acts in a similar manner. When we study God’s word, we understand and learn through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, and through that teaching ministry, we start to come face to face with many of our shortcomings and sinfulness as well. It is through this conviction that we constantly are shaped daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we become aware of our sinfulness, there is only one response: REPENT.

Narrative:

There were about 3000 added to the church on that one day alone. Those people joined together and devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles, fellowship, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and prayers (2.42).

The Holy Spirit unites all believers

Acts 2:44 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

Acts 2.

This one verse really stood out to me right here at the end. There is no distinction in this paragraph between those who had believed longer than the ones that had just been converted. It was all of them (however many that was at that time.) They didn’t necessarily live communally, but they had all things in common which means that they probably spent quite a large amount of time together every day. These were people that came from different geographical areas, different cultures, different social circles, yet they had all things in common. This is something only the Holy Spirit can do in the life of a believer.

In Jesus, we are all one:

Galatians 3:28 ESV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

It is the Holy Spirit that unites us together. In Jesus, we can all be united for a common cause. Have you truly understood that power that is available to us through Jesus?