How to be Pentecostal?

Happy Reformation Sunday!

Happy Reformation Sunday! This is the week in church history, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis on the Wittenberg Door in 1517. Something important happened that day. We became Pentecostal again. Pentecostals believe that God does the otherworldly at church. Rome at the time of the Reformation was too worldly. Christians were left on their own trying to get out of hell. The cheapest way out was the indulgence. John Paul III brought’em back. Rome still sales salvation. The Reformation responded and still responds with a ministry from heaven. We are Pentecostals. Great, I’ve been waiting to ditch these Psalm for some divine electric guitar noodling that works that emotional buzz I need to get slain in the Spirit. I want to get drunk on the new wine of the Holy Ghost. That’s not Pentecostalism. That’s an earthly manipulating of your epinephrine and dopamine levels. It’s not, “Man I really worshiped today.” Its not “I experienced God.” No, it’s science. Its the same buzz of adrenaline I get when I see a bull elk or the overwhelming joy a mother has when she sees her baby for the first time. When you get that burning in the bosom take an Alka Seltzer.

Really Worshiped (Experience) Alka Seltzer.

We want something truly otherworldly at church. What does it mean to be Pentecostal? First, it is a work of the Holy Ghost .

Fifty Days after Passover, “the feast of weeks” ()

During this time a very large number of people converged on Jerusalem as did the early church . In this place an ancient promise is to be fulfilled .

Phrases here: “from heaven” and “a mighty rushing wind.”

Figures of Speech

Both expressions are figures of speech. They symbolize the Holy Spirit. Before we move on, first a word on the Word. This is the fulfillment of an ancient promise, therefore any interpretation of facts without the OT is wrong. The Bible thinks itself a big deal. It wants itself to be the subject of itself. It wants to be the only word on the Word. What I’m saying is that the context of the Bible is only the Bible. The Reformation called it sola scriptura. For example, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus . The wind blows is an expression of the Spirit’s movement in salvation. Wind is important in the OT. For example blowing wind divided the Red Sea in order to both save God’s people and destroy their enemies. Wind was a blessing and a curse.

It wants to be the only word… the context of the Bible is only the Bible.

sola scriptura.

For example, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus .

Wind Salvation (blessing and curse)

Wind blew on the dead bodies in Ezekiels valley of vision. The wind there was the breath of blessing that reversed the curse of death ().

Wind blew on the dead bodies in Ezekiels valley of vision. The wind there was the breath of blessing that reversed the curse of death ().

The Greek word for wind in our text is usually translated “breath.”

The second expression is “From heaven.”

Power of God (Christ’s breath from heaven)

The Bible is God’s Word to us from heaven. It is an extension of God himself. God with us. This is Pentecostalism. We hold in our hands an otherworldly book.

Next, God surrounds his church . He surrounds them with more symbolism .

Three: “divided tongues” “of fire” and “rested on each of them.”

Distributed

Tongue Wind (speech)

Why fire? Purification. John the Baptist spoke of Christ’s disciples being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire in order to bring salvation and judgment to the earth (). Faith comes… This is speech that acts. It is the power… As fire, it is also the power to condemn.

Why fire? Fire in the Bible carries the idea of purification. John the Baptist spoke of Christ’s disciples being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire in order to bring salvation and judgment to the earth (). Faith comes by hearing. This is speech that acts. It is the power of God unto salvation. As fire, it is also the power to condemn. This is the gospel according to Jesus (). The gospel is a blessing and a curse. To those who believe it is the power of God unto salvation. It is the purification of our sins by his blood and Spirit. It is the power to purify ourselves from dead works to serve the living God.

According

Blessing/curse. To those who believe… purification… power to purify ourselves from dead…

It is also the power of God unto condemnation. In this way Christ will return with eyes flamed… symbolism in Revelation… coming Word… today is the day of salvation.

. If you break… is clear as mud. First, they “were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” In the OT, anytime anyone… (e.g. ). What happens next, “began to speak in other tongues.” Following our Bible… These are all OT signs that accompany speech. Pentecost is speech that acts. What we might not expect is the peculiar kind of speech “other tongues.” Is this the unknown heavenly or angelic tongue that makes no sense to its hearers?

It is heavenly. It does come from heaven the Holy Spirit who “gave them utterance.” It is a spiritual gift, which was highly valued in the Corinthian church. It was actually too valued… to be interpreted. Paul reminds Corinth that this gift is for edification. It brings truth. Speech in the Bible is supposed to be profitable.

“to utter” means ’to speak plainly’, or ‘to speak with emphasis.’

Pentecost is a heavenly profitable speech that acts upon the church.

And that is exactly what we see here . T

Key Verse: Not literally accurate

his verse is key. This is not literally accurate. There were other nations not represented. The point of the Bible is not always literal accuracy. Its theological accuracy. “Every nation under heaven” is a curse. Think theologically. Think biblically, which is what the Bible always wants you to think. Where do all the nations under heaven come from? Can you think of a Bible story that scattered a united people to the ends of the earth, where the nations were formed? At the Tower of Babel, the people of the earth came together under one tongue to defy God. They spoke the tongue of Satan, the father of lies and thought they could make themselves reach heaven. It was the lie of the garden, “To be just like God.” One tongue, one people, without God and without hope in the world. What happened? God came down. He came down in judgment and scattered the people with other tongues. God caused disunity through language.

God caused disunity through language.

Now look again at our text. Here there is unity, the nations back together in Jerusalem gathered at Pentecost. There is however still… United the people were still divided by the curse. So God came down. He came down to reverse the curse .

Here we have a heavenly foretaste of the new heavens and earth.

Heaven is breaking into earth, glory is overcoming the curse.

Light over darkness, truth trumping lies. It’s the Word of God proclaimed that overcomes the difference.

Pentecost is God’s Word coming down to us. It’s a speech that saves.

Let’s get confrontational for a moment.

Who was this gift for?

ecstatic with emotion: To be overruled by the holy with the loss of all faculties; to dance… to flop… laugh… Never! That’s called strange fire. Its the spirit of antiChrist.

Let’s get missional for a moment. Who was this gift for?

Visitors

They needed to hear . They were amazed because the Galileans were speaking their language . These Galilaeans appeared for the moment to share among them a command of most of the tongues spoken throughout the known world. The OT is important here. This roll call matches the division presented in Genesis as the judgment of God . This was a missional gift. It was removing the curse to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. Biblical tongues are known languages. This is why Paul called the Corinthians to interpret. Why because people need to hear the message . Biblical tongues are known languages that serve one purpose— the proclaiming of “the mighty works of God.”

Most important: What are the mighty works of God?

Gospel Result?

This is the ministry of the resurrection . The Apostles were ministers of the resurrection, which is simply code for the gospel.

New life Goal

This is the power of God unto salvation— new life. Faith comes by hearing and we all need to hear no matter our language. The different languages were an obstacle that Pentecost overcame. Pentecost is missions. At Pentecost, the gospel invaded this world to break… create new life through… Do you want to be Pentecostal? You must! You must belong to a church that faithfully proclaims God’s Word in the common tongue. For this reason, the Reformation translated God’s Word. For this reason, the Reformation has gone to the nations under heaven. Why Because we are Pentecostal.

Pentecost is a Christ event.

Pentecost is the Acts of Christ’s Continuing Ministry on Earth from Heaven.

A Reformed Church service is a Christ event: solus Christus, sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, soli deo gloria. Happy Reformation Sunday. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.