The Church Empowered

Wednesday Night | November 7, 2018 The Church Empowered Pastor Brown The Church in Action A STUDY IN ACTS THE CHURCH EMPOWERED Wednesday Night | November 7, 2018 | Pastor Brown And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. ACTS 2:1-13 INTRODUCTION _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ The Church Empowered 3 1. THE ENTRANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT(vs.1-2) A. He Came to Believers in Unity B. He Came According to His Timetable NOTE: Pentecost means “fiftieth.” This was a harvest festival celebrated fifty days after the Passover (Leviticus 23:15-16) Pentecost was a feast of first fruits that symbolizes the first fruits of the believer’s inheritance. C. His Coming Was a Surprise D. His Coming Allowed Every Believer to Be Filled NOTE: There are only five commands related to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. 1. Quench not the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) 2. Grieve not the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) 3. Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:20) 4. Pray in the Spirit (Jude 20) 5. Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 4 The Church in Action t 2. THE EVIDENCES OF THE SPIRIT’S COMING (vs.3-6) NOTE: The emphasis here is the filling of the Spirit. These early believers were not waiting for a gift of tongues. A. The Sound of Rushing Wind B. Cloven Tongues of Fire C. Spoke in Other Tongues NOTE: The disciples did not pray to speak in tongues. They were not coached to speak in tongues, and they did not practice speaking in tongues! The Holy Spirit gave them utterance. 1. The tongues they spoke were known languages. 2. Speaking in tongues was not the normal response to receiving the filling of the Spirit in the NT. Acts 4:8, 4:31, 6:5, 7:55, and 9:17 all record people being filled with the Holy Spirit, but not speaking in tongues. 3. Tongues were a sign to unbelievers. NOTE: The only three times you find tongues referenced in the book of Acts, unbelievers were present. 4. Tongues have ceased. NOTE: Only the early epistle of 1 Corinthians mentions tongues. The later epistles such as 1 Peter, Romans, and Ephesians are silent on the subject. The Church Empowered 5 t 3. THE EXCITEMENT AT THE SPIRITS COMING (vs.7-13) A. The People Were Amazed that Galileans Spoke B. The People Were Amazed to Hear in their Own Languages • • • • • • • • • • • Parthinians – from modern-day Iran Medes – part of the Parthian empire Elamites – from southwestern Iran Mesopotamia – those who lived between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers Judea – the region controlled by David and Solomon Cappadocia and Pamphylia – from Asia Minor (modern day Turkey and home to many of the seven churches of Revelation) Egypt Lybia and Cyrene – African Continent Rome – Italy Cretes – the Island of Crete Arabs and Nabateans – from the desert region south of the Dead Sea NOTE: These were Jews of the Diaspora who had returned to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover and Pentecost. 6 The Church in Action t NOTES _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ The Church Empowered 7 t 2787 N Beale Rd • 530.742.2495 • bbc4me.org The Church in Action