New Power

A God-Sized mission… will require a God-sized power to get it done. That is our main point today as we get into the Word on this beautiful Pentecost Sunday! A God-sized mission will require a God-sized power to get it done.

What is the mission? We know it well. It was the mission Jesus Himself gave to His disciples before ascending into heaven. It can be found in Matthew 28:19-20.

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It is the mission that remains in place today. It is the call given to ALL believers… say that with me… ALL BELIEVERS… that is to be carried out to the day Jesus returns.

Jesus’ words are clear - everyone a missionary… everywhere a mission field. This was the New Normal Jesus was leading His followers to. It is a HUGE task! In His commission, Jesus leaves NO PLACE unmentioned.

When Jesus says make disciples of ALL nations… He really meant ALL nations! No place to far… No place unreached… that was His intention… and that is what we… the Church… are still working to accomplish this very day.

So long as there exists people who have yet to hear the gospel message of Jesus… we have a job to do. The mission REMAINS. God desires for no one to perish… not one soul… so all must be given the chance to repent.

We are the messengers. We are the called.

The church is to be God’s lighthouse to the lost. We are to be the beacon of hope, the messengers of truth. We are to be on the front-line of the spiritual battles taking place.

But… how in the world are we supposed to do what Jesus commissioned us to do? Does Jesus not understand the conditions of the world that we live in? How in the world can we be expected to reach the world as the world becomes more hostile to the gospel message?

Jesus never expected His church to do this on our own… and that’s what Pentecost Sunday is all about. For on the day of Pentecost following His ascension into heaven, Jesus sent the New Power we would need as we entered the New Normal before us as a church.

And make no mistake about it, that power is STILL available and on the move today! The mission is still at hand… the work is still in progress. And our dependency on His power must remain as we work to reach the unreached of this world.

Turn with me to Acts 1. In this chapter we see the final instructions that Jesus gives the disciples… and I want us to pay close attention to what Jesus says.

The disciples were in Jerusalem… in an environment that was hostile to Christians. Remember, the people had just crucified Jesus. Christianity was not well received by the authorities. While there, Jesus appears to them in Acts 1:4-5

Acts 1:4–5 NIV

4 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. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The coming Holy Spirit was someone the disciples had heard about before. Jesus had revealed to them that an advocate or a helper would be sent to them after He was gone. We see this conversation in John 14.

Something new… rather… SOMEONE new was coming. This someone would be unlike anyone the disciples had ever encountered. He would not be visible… He would not be touchable… but He would be unmistakable. And He was coming for a purpose.

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 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.”

In this passage, Jesus connects the mission with power and with the person the power is associated with.

The mission - to be witnesses for Christ in ALL the world.

The Power - The promised Holy Spirit

The conduit - The baptism in the Holy Spirit.

A God-sized mission… will require a God-sized power to get it done. The New Normal the disciples were being led to would require a new power to do as the Lord had instructed.

We’ve been asking this question a lot throughout this series and I am going to ask it again. How many desire to receive all that God has for you? How many desire to follow God into the new normal He has for you?

Then let me make something very clear: God intends for the Baptism in His Spirit to be a part of that new normal! Before He sent His disciples… He sent His power to His disciples! Before we go… we need to be filled!

I’ve heard many claims, “It’s just not for me” or “I think it is a little weird” or “God stopped doing this a long time ago.” The more “sophisticated” we become as a church culture… the less we think we need His power.

Listen to me… reliance upon His power is the ONLY way the mission will be accomplished! And I get it, the Pentecostal church has, in the past, has allowed for improper things to take place in the name of the Spirit. Those things can absolutely be a turn off. But what I want you to see today is this: The genuine outpouring of God’s power will ALWAYS lead people to Him… not away from Him.

The Holy Spirit is for you! The Holy Spirit is not weird! God is still baptizing people with His Spirit today! The move of His Spirit MUST be a normal thing in the new normal God is leading us to!

This morning, we are going to look at Acts to study three important things that come with the new power God wants to pour into your life. Scripture makes clear that with great power… with God’s power… comes new purpose.

With New Power… Comes New Focus

The mission was made clear by Jesus - go into all the world. But when Jesus was speaking to the disciples in Acts 1, He went into greater detail. The power that was coming would help this group of believers reach the world. This power would bring clarity to the mission… a new focus as witnesses for Him.

Look at verse 8 again. Jesus lists out geographical locations to His disciples. To us… they may seem just like random names of towns and regions… but to the disciples… it brought clarity to the mission Jesus had given them.

In order, Jesus declared the disciples would be His witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaia, and to the ends of the earth. Often times, we look at this and see this breakdown:

Jerusalem was their immediate context… it was the city they were living in.

Judea and Samaria was the regional context… the area where the city could be found

The ends of the earth was the encompassing of all things.

So the mission was local, regional, and global.

This sounds good and all… but the focus goes even deeper than that. Jesus was talking to a group of Jewish believers at the time. So with that in mind, let’s look at the list again. Jesus wasn’t only talking about geographical areas the disciples were to reach… He included all the people in the areas they were to reach.

Jerusalem was NEAR them and was filled with people LIKE them.

Judea was NOT NEAR them and was filled with people LIKE them.

Samaria was NEAR them and was filled with people NOT LIKE them.

The ends of the earth was NOT NEAR them and was filled with people NOT LIKE them.

So Jesus gave them… and us this new focus. We are to be his witnesses to:

People near us and like us.

People like us but not near us.

People near us but not like us.

People not like us and not near us.

It’s built within our nature to gravitate toward people who are like us… and near us. Why? Because it is what we know. It is who we are comfortable with. It is convenient and comfortable. They understand… the language that we speak.

But the mission is not about our comfort. To be honest… the mission is not about us at all! The mission is about reaching those who DO NOT KNOW THE LORD.

When Jesus gave the list that He did, He broke down the barriers. He made it clear… ALL PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD.

The power given to be His witnesses would be given not only to help us reach those who are close to us and like us… it would be given to reach people near and far, like and unlike us!

And the initial physical evidence of speaking in tongues… reinforces this focus!

The power received when baptized in the Spirit empowers our speech… supernaturally. The power increases our ability to be witnesses for Jesus. It gives us what is needed to speak to people that are like us and not like us. It gives us the ability to reach people near us and not near us.

The Holy Spirit helps us to speak in a way that people will understand…

For instance… He will give us the words to say when we do not know what to say. He will help us to know when we need to be present… and when to be heard. He will help us to know what to do and when to do it. He will help us deliver the Word of God in meaningful ways to people we have never met.

The new focus that comes takes the focus off ourselves… and places the focus on what God can do through us.

The new focus moves us beyond our natural tendency to gravitate to crowds that we feel comfortable in. The Holy Spirit helps us get on the same page with folks no matter what their story might look like.

This is MORE than being relevant to people we aim to reach… it is being empowered of God to speak to the spiritual needs of that person. With the help of the Holy Spirit, our focus moves from what makes us comfortable to what makes us compliant to the mission given to us by Jesus. With new power… comes new focus.

With New Power… Comes New Boldness

We live in an age where boldness… is discouraged. We live in a day when boldness… can get you cancelled. The world is easily offended… and it is unkind to those who offend it. Yet, as believers, God desires for our boldness to INCREASE as we are living in the last days.

Peter suffered from a lack of boldness. Peter talked a good game… until the pressure was turned up. before Jesus was arrested and crucified, Peter had a conversation with Jesus regarding His stance and boldness.

Peter was certain… he would stand for Jesus no matter what. But then Jesus declared that Peter would deny Christ before the rooster crowed. Ouch. That had to hurt.

But imagine how much that pain intensified the moment the rooster crowed, and Peter had in fact denied Jesus 3 times! Peter was lacking in boldness. The pressure of Jesus’ arrest was more than he could bear. Peter did not want to end up like Jesus. So with one denial came a second… and finally a third. And then the sound of the rooster Reminded Peter of what Jesus had said.

Peter fell to the pressure around him… and yes… the pressure was intense. His life was most likely on the line. He did not have the strength to stand, so he folded.

But not long after this we see Peter do something very different. After the Holy Spirit had come at Pentecost, Peter does something that is completely out of character for him. A crowd had gathered because of the sound coming from the upper room. And instead of laying low and allowing the crowd to move on in their assumptions… Peter stands up and addresses the crowd!

Peter begins by explaining what just happened. But then, Peter does not hold back. Peter BOLDLY tells the truth to the crowd.

Acts 2:22–24 NIV

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

“Whoa there Nelly! Pull back on them there reigns just a little bit!” That might be what his flesh would have said… but the Spirit of God… the EMPOWERMENT of the Spirit… emboldened his speech!

Peter went from denier to on fire for Jesus!

The difference was He was now filled with the empowerment of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave him the boldness that was needed to reach the hearts of the crowd. When completed, Scripture says about three thousand people were added to their number that day.

We live in a day in which boldness is needed. The purpose of the boldness is not to go on rants or to push agendas… the purpose of the boldness is to speak clearly the truth that will set people free.

Sometimes it can be difficult to speak the truth… when we know the truth might hurt feelings or go against the flow. But the truth remains the truth.

We cannot control how a person will receive it… but it is our calling to speak it AND live it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

When our flesh says we can’t… the Holy Spirit empowers us so we can. Peter was risking it all when he spoke to the crowd… The crowd could have called for his head as Peter called for their repentance. But the Holy Spirit MOVED.

He moved through Peter as he addressed the crowd.

He moved through the hearts of the crowd as Peter gave the address.

With new power… comes a new boldness to tell the truth. Not just any truth… the truth of God’s Word. This is a boldness we DESPERATELY need in these last days.

Yes, we risk being canceled. Yes, we risk being persecuted. Yes, we risk the rejection of those around us. But what if we stay silent? What if we deny Christ by allowing fear to override faith?

Fear is overcome through the power of the Spirit. he empowers our speech and gives us the boldness we need to be the witnesses Christ has commissioned us to be.

With New Power… Comes New Life

Lastly, I want us to understand that as God pours out His Spirit on His people, new life begins to emerge.

We saw that happen at the end of Peter’s message to the crowd. But Acts 2 goes on to show us that new life in motion in the last five verses of the chapter.

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Community. Worship. Prayer. Communion. Fellowship. Compassion. Miracles. Favor. Discipleship. And as the community grew in their spiritual walk with Christ, it also grew numerically daily because of the new life they found in Christ.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers believers to share the good news that brings new life. These five verses show the early church emerging and in motion. It shows the results of:

The salvific work of Christ on the cross.

The great commission being lived out.

The power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers.

THIS IS WHAT PENTECOST IS ABOUT!

The belief in and reception of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is what makes a person Pentecostal.

Pentecost literally moves us beyond ourselves and into the mission and power of God. That is worth saying again. Pentecost moves us beyond ourselves and into the mission and power of God.

It is NOT about services that give us goose bumps. It is NOT about dancing or shouting or jumping pews and shouting hallelujah. It is NOT about traditions or camp meetings or emotional outbursts or any other charismatic motions.

Hear me clearly: If we claim to be pentecostal but show no new signs of new life… then Houston… we have a problem. The Spirit is given that we might be HIS WITNESSES… that we might tell the world that Jesus saves!

What if… What if Peter would have looked at the crowd and said, “There’s nothing to see here… keep on moving.” What if… what if those who were in the upper room would have kept that experience to themselves? What if… the power given was internalized… instead of externalized for the glory of Jesus’ name? What if… what if the people tried to recreate the moment in the upper room focusing more on the atmosphere instead of the giver of the power?

The purpose of Pentecost is clear - we will receive POWER when the Spirit comes upon us. The purpose of the power is clear - we will be His witnesses to all people. And the results of the empowerment should be new life, new converts, new believers, new names in the Lamb’s book of life.

Church… we CANNOT claim to be Pentecostal and be DEAD in our witness. The empowerment of the Spirit brings new life to our witness that results in new life for the kingdom. It’s all about honoring God and pointing people to Jesus.

Closing

In the last days, God said He would pour out His Spirit on ALL people. We know we are living in the last days. We know God is pouring out His Spirit. We know we need more of His Spirit each and every day. The question I want to ask you as we close is this: Are you operating in the power God has given you through His Spirit?

First, in order to operate in this power… you must be ready and willing to receive it from the Lord.

As a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. He lives in your heart and takes up residency in your life. This happens at salvation.

As a Christian, God desires to not only fill you but also baptize you with His Spirit. This is a baptism of fire… a baptism of His power… the baptism we read about in Acts 2

Secondly, in order to operate in His power, you must be willing to be His witness to all people.

His power is given for this purpose. Receiving His power through Spirit Baptism is only a part of the equation. The next part is utilizing that power as Christ intends for us to use it.

We need empowered, bold witnesses for Jesus with a clear focus of His mission and a desire to lead the lost to find new life in Christ.

Here’s the deal: God is doing what He promised to do. God IS pouring out His Spirit on all people… all people who are willing and open to receive.

God wants His church to operate according to HIS power that is at work within us. THAT is how a God-sized mission gets accomplished… with God-sized power.

Do we desire to be a church full of the power of God?

Are we open to receive an outpouring of God’s Spirit on us today?

Number one… we have to know Him. In order to receive the Baptism we must first be followers of Christ.

If you would like to make that decisions today… to give your life to the One who gave His life for you… I invite you to pray with me.

Number two, we have to position ourselves to receive. I’m not going to blow in your face, push on your forehead, ask you to repeat after me, or any of that. I’m going to ask you to do what the disciples did… they prayed. They listened to Jesus’ instruction and prayed.

What do we pray in this moment? Lord, Here I am… fill me with your power in Jesus’ name. And... receive it.