We Are NOT Drunk!

Pentecost

I am often asked, “What denomination are you?” Technically I am not in a denomination, the Assembly of God is a fellowship of cooperative churches. I am Protestant and agree with the Apostle’s Creed which is common among the Protestants.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What people are generally asking, however, is what makes my beliefs unique from the beliefs of others. My response is typically that the Assemblies of God differs from many other Protestant churches in our support of the role and operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. We believe that the book of Acts is without a period at the end of the book. Pentecost was real then and is real now. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for everyone.

Generally, this response satisfies the question. It either opens up a relationship or closes one. It certainly reminds me of the day of Pentecost and the response of the people that day.

Acts 2:1–15 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.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

We are Not Drunk!

In the Acts narrative we see that there are at least 4 responses to what happened on the day of Pentecost. These work as excellent examples of responses in our contemporary world today. Notice that the people fell into these categories: bewildered, mockers, sincere seekers, and those who spoke in other tongues.

Acts 2:1–15 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.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

The ‘Bewildered’ Crowd

The ‘bewildered’ crowd is described as utterly amazed. They heard one another in their native language. When I was a boy my mother used to take us to camp meetings. Camp meetings consisted of many ministers within the Elim Fellowship of churches getting together for a week of camping during the summer on the campus of Elim Bible Institute and having services what seemed like all day and night. Many of the people served in missions around the world.

I vividly remember being in a service. It was hot (summertime in NY with no A/C). The worship service had transitioned to a time of individual worship and prayer and voices began to speak in languages I did not understand. After one of these utterances, a black man with an African accent began to speak in English. He said that the previous utterance had been in his native tribal language and he interpreted the message of encouragement and direction from God. Amazingly, the original speaker did not know how to speak that language. As a kid, I was utterly amazed. Bewildered. But I knew that there was something happening, and that God was there.

The Crowd of Mockers

No one enjoys being mocked and ridiculed. Pentecostals have been mocked and ridiculed mercilessly. Some of it has been self-inflicted. Extremists have left sound Biblical teaching to emphasize the miraculous and even attempt to profit from the power gifts of the Spirit. Simon the sorcerer tried to purchase the Holy Spirit from Peter. Sadly, people have tried to sell people on things that they claimed were of the Holy Spirit but were actually ungodly.

The crowd of mockers is not only those who are in the extreme groups. John MacArthur published Strange Fire a few years ago. In his book he argues that Pentecostals are wrong in their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. He claims that it was an experience for that time and that place. He believes the many miracles of the book of Acts was uniquely for that time only. They do not occur in the same way today.

The problem is that the mockers were wrong then and they are wrong today. The HS is intended for the believer for today, just as the gift was poured out on the people back then.

The Crowd of Sincere Seekers

1. Sincere seekers often are confused into thinking that the Holy Spirit only does spectacular things

The Holy Spirit empowers us. Joel 2:28 says when the Spirit is present great miracles, signs, and wonders will be done. But His power isn’t reserved only for huge miracles, such as healing or deliverance. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives all the time.

The Holy Spirit helps us know what to say when we’re having a hard conversation or when to encourage a friend with a simple text. He can gently nudge us to invite a coworker to lunch or stop by a friend’s apartment and see how she’s doing.[1]

2. Sincere seekers often confuse the Holy Spirit for some type of force like the ‘force’ in Star Ways

The HS is not a ‘force’ but is a distinct person. The Holy Spirit is as much God as the Father and the Son. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simply differ in their roles. The Holy Spirit is our advocate. He helps us to understand the Word of God and apply it to our lives. He enables us to live God’s best plan for our lives.

3. Sincere seekers often think that the baptism of the HS is only for ‘super Christians’.

The Holy Spirit is a gift to all Christians. It is not a level of Christianity to achieve. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his followers,

Acts 1:8 NIV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

That’s the same power we receive when we ask Jesus into our lives today!

The Spirit guides us to what’s true, and His work in us shows the world a different way to live. Seeing the Holy Spirit at work in all Christians — not just pastors, preachers, or “super Christians” — is how the Gospel spreads in cities, states, countries, and to the ends of the earth.

The last crowd is the crowd who received the Baptism of the HS

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.

Luke 24:49 NIV

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1:4–5 NIV

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth.

Acts 8:14–17 NIV

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44–46 NIV

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,

with the baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as:

· an overflowing fullness of the Spirit,

· a deepened reverence for God,

· an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work,

· and a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost,

The Holy Spirit also helps us through the big stuff. He enables us to face hard things, like the loss of a loved one, and to be patient and steadfast as we wait for healing for a spouse or child. The Holy Spirit isn’t optional, but the way God walks with us through in big and small things in life.

Conclusion

This message has really helped me to understand the receptivity of the Holy Spirit by people in my community. Accept the fact that there will be those who are bewildered, those who mock, those who are sincerely seeking, and those who do receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Our ability to sense the Holy Spirit can come and go, but He does not. Just because we cannot feel the Spirit’s presence doesn’t mean He’s not there. The same way a pregnant woman feels her child moving more at certain times than others, it’s not unusual to experience seasons where we feel the Holy Spirit moving more than others. But just because we don’t feel Him moving doesn’t mean He isn’t there.

The Holy Spirit is not a feeling that comes and goes, but a person of the Trinity. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He promised to be with us always. The Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of that promise. He is God’s presence in us and with us.

[1] Moore, Allison. “Are You Believing these Myths about the Holy Spirit?”. https://newspring.cc/articles/are-you-believing-these-myths-about-the-holy-spirit. Accessed June