The Church Begins!

WELCOME BACK!

We have missed you all so much!

Thank you for being here as we are slowly reopening. Things will be different probably forever, but as we move more toward normalcy, we sure are glad to be together.

I think it is pretty cool how God’s plan laid out for us to be at this point in Acts on this day we begin to meet together in person. We celebrate today the birthday of the church. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Because the church really did not exist until the Holy Spirit came. There were believers as we spoke about last week, but the church is not the church without the Holy Spirit to guide, direct and empower it.

Acts 2:1–13 NIV

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

We find the believers all together again waiting on God. That sure has seemed to be the theme of the last few weeks hasn’t it?

After the crucifixion, the disciples waited, Jesus Rose from the dead!

After the resurrection, the disciples waited, Jesus Appeared!

After Jesus ascended, the disciples waited, God selected Mathias to be one of the 12.

Now the disciples are still waiting, and God changes everything, He sends the Holy Spirit!

I love the descriptive terms used as the Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples.

Acts 2:2 NIV

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

A blowing violent wind!

Acts 2:3 NIV

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Tongues of Fire

These are not your calm, peaceful, still voice whispers that God had been famous for in the past. This is a violent, loud, wild, active, I am going to announce my presence with authority sort of entrance. It was so loud that according to

Acts 2:6 NIV

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

The Holy Spirit is VISIBLE

It was so loud people from all around the town came to see what was happening. People were bewildered! I love that word. Bewildered.

Late 17th century: from be- ‘thoroughly’ + obsolete wilder ‘lead or go astray’, of unknown origin.

Syncheo confuse, stir up, confound, trouble.

I would say this is word sums up the action of the Holy Spirit throughout the book of Acts and throughout History. When the Holy Spirit works people are bewildered. People’s hearts are confused, stirred up, confounded and troubled. The Holy Spirit’s action causes people to have to respond. Either they receive it as from God or they think it is crazy.

Acts 2:12–13 NIV

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

But no one can ignore it.

The Holy Spirit cannot be IGNORED

Far too often, we think God only works in quiet ways, which sometimes he does, but Pentecost and the book of Acts, reminds of the God of the Exodus. Doing amazing things. Showing his power, forcing people to make a choice. Is this God, or this is crazy.

From this point forward the disciples were changed. They were different. The group of men that had scattered, ran, denied, hid now become bold. They were bold because they had seen and experienced the risen Christ, AND they now were filled with the HOLY SPIRIT.

All were filled with the Holy Spirit. This is important. All were filled. All believers from that day forward are filled with the Holy Spirit, but not all believers fan the flame of the Holy Spirit. In fact some quench the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Last week looked at 1 Thessalonians 5 and praying continually, but it goes on.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV

Do not quench the Spirit.

We can actually hinder the Holy Spirit. That is scary! But we know that is true. We far too often don’t allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. We ignore the proddings of God within or we are embarrassed to share the gospel or allow God to work great miracles through us.

I pray as we continue to look at the Acts of the Holy Spirit, we all open our hearts to allow the Holy Spirit to flow and burn like the disciples did.

God has given all who believe in Jesus gifts. Gifts that build up the body of Christ. As we go through the book of Acts, we will see these gifts used to bring people into a saving relationship by the Spirit with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

The Holy Spirit gives GIFTS

The gifts or manifestations of the Spirit are given for the common good. They are given to build up the body of Christ not ourselves. I love the word manifestation. It gives us the more accurate picture of what Spiritual Gifts. These gifts are the disclosure of the Spirit or the Spirit becoming visible. Isn’t that exactly what spiritual gifts are? The Holy Spirit becoming visible through our obedience. That is so cool!

Interestingly, the first gift of the Spirit that is shown at Pentecost was speaking in tongues. Now the body of Christ in history has had a lot of debate as to what this gift looks like, and I am pretty sure it has taken on many forms like any gift, but here it very clear as to what it looked like at Pentecost. The disciples and Apostles spoke in other languages. They covered all the languages of the people gathered in Jerusalem. This was supernatural. This was God at work. This was the power of the Holy Spirit. Each person understood clearly what was being said and what was being done. The Disciples were declaring the wonders of God. The mostly uneducated. Mostly blue collar. Had been pretty much scaredy cats disciples, now boldly and without hesitation or fear proclaimed the wonders of God.

Notice here that the message was clear. They were unified in purpose and message. People were drawn to God. These are all fruit of the Holy Spirit at work. The Spirit did not lead to confusion or division within believers, but rather unity and the sharing of God’s glory.

But for those who are not believers the work of the Holy Spirit forces people to respond.

Acts 2:12–13 NIV

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

The Holy Spirit forces people to RESPOND

People have to decide, What does this mean? We cannot make that decision for them no matter how much we want to or how much we love them. The decision is up to them. They have to decide what it means. Our job is simply to share. Share by words. Share by action. Share by service. But most of all share by the Holy Spirit.

Notice those first believers were not afraid to look embarrassed. They were boldly obedient. They opened themselves up fully, completely and without fear. They did not let fear stop them.

Sure, some people thought they were crazy. But isn’t that what makes something more than we can possibly imagine. It is something so wild no one could ever dream it up. But that does not change the effect it can have for the Kingdom. Some may think we are drunk, some may think we are crazy, some will make fun of us, but much more importantly, some will believe. Isn’t that worth it? It was to Jesus.

Because the Holy Spirit is here and we have a clear mission from God, the waiting is over.

The Holy Spirit moves us

The disciples who had been waiting for so long were not waiting anymore. They were doing from here on out. Sure, sometimes they stopped and waited for God to show them his plan, but they never stopped proclaiming the wonders of God from this point forward.

Now that these ordinary men and women who knew Jesus, who believed and trusted in Him have been filled with the Holy Spirit, they their mission. They were not waiting anymore. Their purpose had been made clear and they were empowered to fulfill it.

This is true for us today. We can boldly proclaim the glory of God to all people. In fact, that is the command Jesus gave us in Matthew 28 isn’t it?

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Friends, this is God’s call for our lives just like the believers at Pentecost. For each of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to make disciples.

Now What are you going to do about it?

Maybe we as a church need to be praying that God gives us this power to proclaim the message of God's redemptive love and life giving grace through Jesus. Maybe that is the first step to seeing the Holy Spirit released in our lives.

Are you willing to open your hearts and your lives to let God flow and do unimaginable things? Are we as a church ready to let that Holy Spirit within us go?

Are we ready to experience what the prophet. Joel said:

Acts 2:17–21 NIV

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Let's open our hearts to that power it is within us waiting for us to respond.