The Power To Proceed

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. [1]

Introduction

The power of the Church proceeds from the Spirit of God. The Church is not just a building, it is a body. It is a body that needs the breath of God to function. If you’re a member of the Church of God, then you belong to a body, not a building. That body needs to be filled with the Spirit, and so does its members. The Spirit of God comes from God, through Christ, and rests in believers. If any Church is going to make an impact on its surroundings in 2019 and beyond it is going to have to be filled with, and led by the Spirit. The answer is not more programs, nor is the answer more policy. The answer for this present age is a Church being filled with and governed by the Spirit. The Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and he either gets too much credit or too little credit. The Hyper-Charismatic Church movements have introduced the Church to much confusion, and then blamed it on the Spirit. The stale Church has filled the Church with so much of themselves that the Spirit has been pushed to the margins and forced to watch from the outside. What the world needs as we proceed is a Church who is filled with the power, energy, and boldness of the Spirit and some servants who are less full of themselves and more full of the Spirit. If you want effective, God-exalting, Christ-Centered, Great Commission fulfilling ministry; it must be Spirit fed and Spirit led. If you want worship that is true; then it has to be Spirit led and Spirit fed. If you want preaching that is transformational and not just informational; it MUST be Spirit led and Spirit fed! It is the Spirit of God that gives life to the Church of God and the Children of God, that they might advance the Kingdom of God. John R.W. Stott stays this about the necessity of the Spirit in regard to the life of the Church and the life of its members:

“Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of Truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the Church without the Spirit is dead.”

Many view this Day of Pentecost as the event that marked the beginning of the New Testament Church. I think it is important for us to understand who these people were, why they were assembled, and what they experienced before we can rightly examine the events that occurred.

a. Who were they?

The text says, “They were all together.” My question is, who were they? According to the narrative of events as recorded by Luke, they would have been the same 120 that were present when Luke stood up to make a motion to select a replacement for Judas in .

b. Why were they together?

Now as to why they were all together, well they were simply being obedient disciples. Jesus had told them in

And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”

This was a group of obedient believers, gathered on one accord. It was under these circumstances that God decided to pour out his Spirit. I would like to suggest to us that if the Church today is going to experience the power of God we need to obey God. Come together. Get on one accord.

c. What happened?

Now when all of these pieces aligned the people of God experienced something that has not been recorded as happening again in Church history. What they experienced on that day would forever change the heartbeat of the Church. The Spirit of God was poured out on the people of God. There were 3 significant events that occurred on hat day and I want to talk about those three happenings.

I. The Place Was Filled

The first event that occurred on that day was the filling of the house. We learn that the Church of God must be filled with the Spirit of God. Notice verse 2:

“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting”

There is no doubt that this sound of wind was the announcement of the coming of the Spirit. Something entered the house and Luke says it was heavenly. The sound that came in and filled the house was from Heaven. One of the reasons that the 21st Century church has been weakened is because we have let too much in from the world, and not enough in from heaven.

“And suddenly there came from Heaven…”

The church must be filled, but it must be filled from Heaven.

a. How is it that the Church can receive power from Heaven?

Through Jesus. The Holy Spirit came from God, through Christ, and filled the Church. Pentecost itself was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. That is important because this particular fulfillment occurred 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after the ascension of Jesus. How does a Church receive help from the Holy Spirit? Typically, when we have family members visit us from a distant land, as they prepare to make their return home there is a moment in the conversation where the host will tell the guest, “Let me know when you make it back”. The host is then implying that they expect to receive a phone call or some other sign to assure the them that the guest has made it back safely to their destination. As Jesus prepared to depart the roles were reversed. Jesus came down through 40 and 2 generations. Tarried for 33 years, and as he prepared to return back to his home in heaven, he left his disciples with these words, “Wait in Jerusalem and when I get back my father is going to send you the comforter as a sign”. Ten days after Jesus left the earth, the disciples gathered, and God sent down a comforter from Heaven. This makes Jesus’s ascension just as important to the Church as his resurrection. Because the Church has a Jesus in Heaven, it has power on earth. He got up, but he also went back. The Church must be filled with the Spirit. If the pews are filled that’s helpful because then maybe, we have some helping hands to serve. If the collection plates are full then that’s helpful because then we have some means of doing ministry. But in order to have the power to do ministry, the Church must be filled with the Spirit from Heaven.

b. How does a Church reclaim the flame?

Revival begins with the thing that gave it life in the beginning. In 2019 the Church and the community stands in need of a revival, but where will it come from? “Son of man can these bones live? Lord surely you know. Then the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones hear the words of the Lord. Thus, says the Lord God to these bones, “and behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live”. How does the Church proceed in 2019? By the breath of God. In order for the Church to be effective in the modern context it must be filled with the Spirit.

II. The Members Must Be Filled

The members of the body must receive the life that emanates from the Spirit. A spirit-filled Church is full of Spirit-filled members. The text says, “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them”. God often used the appearance of fire to prepare the vessels to receive him. The appearance of fire is often accompanied by a theophany. A theophany is the visual manifestation of God to humankind. On the day of Pentecost there appeared to be divided tongues of fire just before God poured out his Spirit. This inaugural manifestation of the Spirit happened once and for all, for all believers at Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, the Church was baptized in the Spirit, now on the day of conversion believers are filled with the Spirit.

a. How can we be filled with the Spirit?

Let’s take a look at what happened. The 120 that were in the room, perceived, believed, and then they received. In Jesus told them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the father. Their obedience was a symbol of their belief. These were the type of men and women of faith who took Jesus at his word when he said, “Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God, believe also in me”. Believing is a requirement of salvation. However, believing does not just afford us a seat in eternity, it assures that we have help on earth. The disciples were obedient because they believed. Because they were obedient God sent them the Holy Spirit. These are not my words, but Jesus’s words:

“If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper; To be with you forever”

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How do church members receive the Spirit of God? By believing in God. If the individual needs the help of the Spirit of God to make decisions in the New Year, then that individual is going to have to believe in God in the New Year. If you want God to fill your cup, believe in God, obey God, trust God. Luke says that the Spirit rested on each of them. I need God’s Spirit to rest on me. I don’t need a temporary visit. I need a permanent partner in life and ministry. Jesus says that God will send you a helper and he will be with you forever.

I want to give you one more helpful hint as you march into 2019. Believing not only opens the door for you to receive the Spirit of God, it also helps you to see God. Verse 3 says, “And divided tongues as fire appeared to them”. There are two types of people in the church. Those who can only see what the Church isn’t doing. Those who can see what God is doing. Spirit-filled members perceive and receive. A Spirit-filled Church is a result of Spirit filled members. That is a body of believers who believe God and obey God. The Church needs members that have the fire resting on them. The Church needs members like Jeremiah.

III. Spirit Filled & Spirit Led

It is not enough to be filled by the Spirit. The Church and its members must also be led by the Spirit. After being filled with the Spirit they began to exercise the gifts of the Spirit, as the Spirit rested on them and gave them utterance. Suggesting that the Spirit is not an acceptable excuse to advance your agenda. It also suggests that when you have been filled with the Spirit you will be led to do something.

a. What did they do?

I think it is helpful to examine the expression of these believers after they received the Spirit. They began to speak in tongues. There was a diverse group of people in Jerusalem on that day. Verse 5 says, “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation”. When these believers came together, they heard the Spirit empowered worshippers in their own native language. The event of tongues was a miracle of speech and hearing. Many have tried to recreate this event at Pentecost as a means of expressing some superior gifting or some elevated status in the eyes of God. But what God did on that day was not a means of lifting the 120. Tongues were not used to elevate the one speaking in tongues, rather it was God’s way of edifying the speaker and the hearer. It was a matter of bringing together the larger body of believers. It was not about separating an elite group, uniting the entire group. A Spirit led body seeks to unite its members.

b. What does a Spirit filled, and Spirit led Church look like?

It is a church that has love, joy, peace, long-suffering, and self-control. A Spirit filled and Spirit led Church expresses itself in a way that seeks to unite and not divide. The Day of Pentecost signified the inauguration of the Church’s power to evangelize effectively. It signified the laying on of God’s hand to the Church to go ye therefore and make disciples. What happened on that day was the opposite of what happened at the Tower of Babel. At the Tower of Babel earth proudly tried to ascend to Heaven. At Pentecost Heaven humbly descended to earth. The Church received the breath of God and it gave life to the Church of God, and the people of God. It led the Church to move according to the will of God and the Spirit of God. God’s people believed and obeyed. As a result, God’s Spirit filled the house with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it appeared as divided tongues of fire to the people in the house. As a result, they were empowered and equipped to move forward as the Church. When the Church got together, Heaven reached down and enabled them to reach out. As a result, people from all walks were brought together. The Bible tells us that 3,000 were added to the Church. If the Church is going to proceed the members must come together and the Spirit must come down.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.