Unified and Empowered By the Holy Spirit

The Birth of the Church Acts 2:1-13 Review: 3rd message in “Church on the Move” We say that a church on the move is: 1. Empowered and Devoted for Gospel Advance Last week we saw that 2. Actively waiting on God’s Plan by… Being continually devoted to prayer, being concerned to be structured by the scriptures, and careful to give Jesus the final decision. Introduction: Births are Monument and memorial events. Kids love to hear about their births. I was honored to be at the birth of all three of my kids. They love to hear about their birth. Moms love to tell their birth stories. Too. For the Church, this is our Birth Story (I should note that there is some debate about this being the birth of the church and I sympathize with that. There are still some things I myself am sorting out in my head. But regardless there is either a birth of a new people of God or an expansion of the people of God at Pentecost and afterword the phrase eklesia takes center stage in the NT). This is our birth story. The nature of our birth gives us a clearer picture of what the church is and its central function in the age. It is important for you to know what you are a part of. Rightly understood this gives us a clear picture of the issue of tongues and the baptism of the HS, but of a more significant purpose – the enabling of the Spirit for Witness. FCF: Although, we mistakenly either distort the teaching on the role of the HS in the life of the church to one extreme or the other. This passage gives a corrective. It shows again that in our fallen condition God makes the initiative in coming to us rather than us going to Him. Main Point: Big Idea: Proposition: A Church on the Move is United & Empowered by the Holy Spirit. Body: The church is born and becomes a fellowship of unity, support, power, & witness. He’s our birth story. God used this phenomena to inaugurate the church. Vs. 1 1 “on the day of Pentecost” I. Executed by God in His Time. | Initiated by God in His Time • This was planned and promised by Jesus. ◦ Pentecost was a feast. 50 days after Passover. ▪ First fruits – on Sunday. • Christ is the”firstfruits of those who are asleep” I Cor 15:20 ▪ 10 days after first apprearance after resurrection (1.3) ▪ means “50’th” • has many names. • Weaks (loaves of wheat) • Anniversary of the giving of the Law ▪ God’s timing is perfect. • Promised by Jesus: ◦ Joel 2: 28-32, Is 32:15, Jer 31:33-34 ◦ John 7:37-39 ◦ The testimony of John the Baptist ▪ Matthew 3:11-12, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ◦ John proclaimed that Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit ▪ Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit ▪ John 1:33, “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” ◦ The promise of Christ during His ministry ▪ John 14:26, “But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name.” ▪ John 15:26, “But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father.” ▪ John 16:7, “If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” ▪ Ch. 5 Another Comforter ◦ He is the firstfriuts the down payment ▪ Eph 1:14 HS is earnest of our inheritance until redemption of the purchased possession “A  ▪ since Christ did not fail to acquire all that He purchased the HS will not fail in applying all that the Son purchased ▪ HS = comforter who will testify of Him Jn 15:26 • the assuring work of the Holy Spirit always directs us to the full sufficiency of Christ.   ▪ That's one way to distinguish between doubts generated by self & satan & convictions from the HS -- the HS always directs attention and faith to Christ ◦ Nature of the event: ▪ Tongues “as of fire” ▪ The word here refers to human languages. ◦ Tongues in Acts are this. ▪ Not ecstatic spiritual language. ▪ 2 types of “tongues in the NT” 1 Cor 14 Paul deals with that. • Notes that the speakers, not the hearers have the HS. • App: They didn’t work this up. ◦ Pray down Rain, manipulate, claim it, claim, “speak in Jesus Name” It was a sovereign Act of God. ◦ Not something contrived by men. ◦ Acts 2 is fulfillment of prophecy not a paradigm for repeated experience. ◦ This is our birth story. ◦ The Baptism of the Spirit: ▪ Christ is the baptizer, the Spirit is the Medium. ▪ The Body is one, because all of its members share in the same Spirit whom they have received with their incorporation into Christ’s Body. • All Christians are baptized into one body by Christ, the Spirit is the medium of that Baptism. II. Establishes a New Era in Redemptive History | Inaugurates a New era in Redemptive History • This is the Beginning of the New Covenant and promise of end time coming of the H.S. ~ Carson ◦ Scripture III. Expands God’s People | Inducts gentiles into the People of God. • Some see this – the outpouring of the Holy Spirit @ Pentecost and the curse of Babel beginning to unravel. ◦ This destroys any “bounds of their habitation” arguments defending racism or cultural elitism. ◦ Note that they hear the praise in their home dialect. ▪ The miracle underscores the divine initiative in making possible the mission God has commissioned. • “God is brining the message of the gospel home” • this was the ideal of the reformation and in the 1600’s in England = getting the Bible into the language of the people. We continue that emphasis today. ▪ Note the nations listed: Why? List the languages = nope. List the linguistic groupsings = nope. • The list mixes peoples (partians, medes Elamites, Romans, Cretans, Arabians) with lands (Mesopotamia, Judea, Capppodocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphilyia, Egypt, Libya. • Note that all thse nations were not part of Rome’s rule. ◦ This discredits their claim to rule all. Virgil “rome’s empire without end” Pliny the Elder’s list of Pompey’s conquests. ◦ Jesus Kindom is the only one without end. • Principle: The Gospel triumphs in a world still groaning under the curse of sin. ▪ The Gosple begins the reversal effects of sin. (revers babel) ▪ God’s redemptive plan involves all nations. Conclusion: this gives us a clear picture of the issue of tongues and the baptism of the HS, but of a more significant purpose – the enabling of the Spirit for Witness. The church is not equipped and empowered for the task ahead of becoming Jesus’ witnesses and they go straightway to undertake it. Now you get to also…church you were born for this. • Our faith is interactions between us and God. • What God calls us to empowers us to. • The church “new people of God” is our primary identity in this age. Our nationality and national citizenship is secondary. • The unity of the church is a result of the baptism of the spirit. Body: The church is born and becomes a fellowship of unity, support, power, & witness. He’s our birth story. God used this phenomena to inaugurate the church. A Church on the Move is United & Empowered by the Holy Spirit.