What's That All About?
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This morning we are picking back up in our study of the Book of Acts.
If you’re new to MCF, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it means and how the Bible applies to our lives today.
With that said, we’ve recently started a new study in the Book of Acts, in fact, we just finished the first chapter last week.
That being the case, what I’d like to do before we jump into chapter 2 is take a few moments and do a recap of chapter 1 just to make sure we are all on the same page, especially for those that may be new to our church this morning.
Going back to , you may recall the first thing we learned is that Acts was written by the Gospel writer Luke.
The reason that’s important is because it gives credence to the book and helps us understand its purpose. Because as we learned, the book of Acts is what you might call a second volume.
Volume 1 was the Gospel of Luke. A book about the life and ministry of Jesus. Luke puts it like this in :
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Volume 2 then is the book of Acts. A book about what takes place following the ascension of Jesus into heaven. We know this because Luke begins the book writing:
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
So, now that Luke has given us an account of the life and ministry of Jesus he’s now going to give us an account of what happened after Jesus went to heaven.
All that to say, that’s the context of the book of Acts.
That being the case, Luke begins this second volume with the first order of business. An order that literally came from Jesus himself. Luke records these instructions in verse 4. Luke writes:
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
Luke says before Jesus heads to heaven, He give his disciples marching orders. He tells them, “Listen, after I’m gone, and before you go anywhere, do anything, or preach one sermon, you need to wait for the promise of the Father. You need to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit”.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
So, with those orders come a couple of questions. One question would be, “Why wait?” And a second question would be, “What’s the baptism in the Holy Spirit Jesus is talking about?”
Well, what we learned is the answers to these two questions go together. Because the baptism in the Holy Spirit Jesus is talking about is the spiritual empowerment He promised He would give the disciples once he was gone.
And the reason they need to wait is because without that empowerment they won’t be able to accomplish the mission of spreading the Gospel. Jesus puts it like this in verse 8:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus says, when I’m gone, I’m going to send the Holy Spirit, and when He comes, He will equip you with power. He will enable you to accomplish the mission of Gospel expansion. Through the power of the Spirit you’ll be able to accomplish what I’ve asked you to do.
So, that’s what the baptism is and that’s why they needed to wait for it.
So, the obvious question then is, “How does this all apply to us?”
And what we learned is it applies in the exact same way. Because the truth is, the mission of reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an ongoing mission. It’s not a mission that has been accomplished yet. How do we know?
We know based on two facts:
First, on planet earth there are currently 2 billion people who have never heard the gospel. Two billion people who’ve never heard the name of Jesus.
On tops of that, there are another 3 billion who have heard about Jesus but haven’t put their faith in Him.
What that means then is out of 7 billion people on planet earth, there are 5 billion people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. I think we can all agree, the mission isn’t over.
Second, we know the mission isn’t over because Jesus hasn’t returned yet. The fact is, there is an unknown day and time out there when Jesus is going to return to establish His kingdom? When that happens, the mission will be over.
So, when is that day? We don’t know, and Jesus says, it’s none of our business. Listen to what he tells the disciples when they ask:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
The disciples want to know when that day is. But Jesus says, “Boys, not your concern.” And then he goes on to tell them what their business is. He says:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus says, your focus doesn’t need to be on when I’m coming back, but on what I’ve asked you to do. And what I’ve asked you to do is take the message of the Gospel to the entire world. That’s your job and that’s your focus. And to help you do it, I’m going to empower you with my Spirit.
All that to say, since the mission is ongoing, like those first believers, we need the empowerment of the Spirit as well. We need this Baptism int he Spirit that Jesus refers to.
The question then is, “How do we get it? How do we get spiritually empowered and equipped to continue the mission and do what Jesus has asked us to do?”
Well, as we learned, like anything that grows or advances us, there are some prerequisites to empowerment. In other words, there are some things that need to be in place in order for empowerment to take place personally and corporately.
First, in order to be empowered you have to be a committed disciple. In other words, you have to be a person that is fully devoted to following Jesus and reaching a lost and dying world. As a disciple you have to move past being a church goer and become a Christ follower.
Second, in order to be empowered you have to be committed to a life of obedience to God’s Word. And when I say that, I’m not talking about a life of perfection. I’m talking about a life where as a disciple you are committed to walking according to the Bible.
Third, in order to be empowered we have to be committed to the unity of our church. Luke says the first disciples were of “one accord”. In other words, they were unified. Unified in mission and unified against division. They understood that only together would they be able to accomplish the mission.
Finally, in order to be empowered we have to be committed to corporate prayer. Luke says the first disciples had a habit of praying together. They understood only through prayer would they be able to do what God called them to do.
So, there you have it. That’s where we’ve been. And outside of an impromptu business meeting where the disciples addressed a fallen leader and elected new leadership, that is the gist of chapter 1. A chapter that gets us all on the same page and prepares us for the coming of the Spirit.
So, as we enter chapter 2, and in order to set us up for the coming of the Spirit, and to help build some framework for this next passage, I want to begin by asking you to consider a scenario that you may have found yourself in or will find yourself in at some point.
Scenario - Have you ever experienced one of those moments or situations where something dramatic or unexpected happened, and as a result it left you stunned, confused, puzzled or perplexed, to the point that you might have thought or said something like, “What was that all about?” Anybody?
Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about:
Example #1 - From a domestic standpoint, have you ever had your spouse come home from work, barge through the door, mumble off something about a situation at work, look at the sink and say, “I don’t know why I always have to do the dishes!”, and then go in the bedroom, slam the door and say, “Just leave me alone!” And you were like, “What was that all about?”
Anybody want to fess up to that happening at your house?
Example #2 - Maybe you’ve been in a situation at work, where all of a sudden somebody flew off the handle and made a big scene. Or maybe one of your co-workers erupted on another co-worker and one of them stormed out of the room. Leaving you to think or say, “What was that all about?”
Example #3 - Or maybe you’ve been in a larger public setting where somebody had a meltdown, or somebody’s kid went haywire in Walmart, or a fight broke out in the parking lot, or somebody ran by you with somebody chasing them, and you were like, “What was that all about?”
I remember as a high school student visiting New York City, we were walking down the street in a crowd of people, and all of a sudden a man came out of a store chasing a couple guys with a baseball bat and screaming obscenities. And we were like, “What was that all about?”
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
I think if we all thought about it we’ve been in one of those situations. Whether at home, work, or in a public setting, where we’ve encountered a situation where something bizarre our out of the ordinary took place leaving us to think or say, “What was that all about?”
The reason I ask you to consider this question, is because as we come to , we come to a situation like that:
To an event that isn’t ordinary.
An event that caught people off guard.
An event that left people puzzled.
An event that caused people to think or say, “What was that all about?”
The event I’m referring to is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And as you might imagine, it wasn’t an ordinary event.
Because as we’re going to see in a moment, the coming of the Spirit wasn’t planned, it was sudden, and it didn’t take place quietly. In fact, it came in such a way that it left people stunned, confused, and puzzled, with people literally asking the question, “What was that all about?”
And as a result, over the centuries, it has left many Christians and readers of the Bible asking the same question. The truth is, a lot of people read , put their Bibles down and say, “What was that all about?”
In fact, I would go as far to say, if not understood in context, is one of the most confusing and bizarre passages in the NT. An event that has left many Christians at odds concerning what the coming of the Spirit meant then, and what it means for the church today.
That being the case, I have two goals as we tackle this passage. And let me just say up front, we aren’t going to get through the entire passage this morning. This message is a part 1 of 2 of the coming of the Spirit. There’s just to much here to try and rush through. So, over the next couple of weeks we have two goals.
Goal #1 - To bring clarification and clear up any confusion we might have concerning the coming of the Spirit. In other words, once we are done with this passage, I don’t want anybody thinking or saying, “What was that all about?” My goal is that you would fully understand what has happened.
Goal #2 - To determine what the coming of the Spirit meant then, what it means for you, and what it means for the future of our church.
Those are our goals. So, in order to accomplish those two goals, here’s what we’re going to do this morning.
First, we’re going to read through the passage.
Second, after reading it, I’m going to walk us back through a portion of the passage and give some explanation to the event.
Finally, I’m going to close by giving us a couple of personal and corporate takeaways.
So, with that as our basis, let’s get started as Luke introduces us to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Beginning in chapter 2 Luke writes:
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,
1 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.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Luke begins chapter 2 by introducing us to the setting for this supernatural event. And in doing so he gives us a couple of key details.
Detail #1, he tells us it was the day of Pentecost.
So, why is that significant and what is the day of Pentecost?
It’s significant for two reasons, but before we get to those reasons, let’s begin with what the day of Pentecost is.
The day of Pentecost is a Jewish festival that is also referred to as the “Feast of Weeks”. Ant it was an important holiday. In fact, It’s the second of three jewish feasts that all male Jews were required to travel to Jersualem and celebrate.
First,
So, think of it like this. This holiday is like their Christmas or Easter. It’s a big deal.
So, what was it’s purpose? It’s purpose was to celebrate the first fruits of the wheat harvest. And the celebration required the first fruit offerings be brought to the temple in Jerusalem as an offering.
So, think of like this.
And the reason that it’s referred to as Pentecost is because the feast took place 50 days after the passover feast.
All that to say, it’s a major Jewish holiday that Jewish men were required to attend, and as a result, it was highly attended.
That leads us back to why this day is significant, and it’s significant for two reasons:
First, it’s significant because it gives us a timeframe for the coming of the Spirit. And the time frame goes like this. On passover weekend, Jesus was executed, buried and resurrected. At that point scripture tells us Jesus spent 40 days on the earth before ascending. So, Luke says it’s the day of Pentecost now, which means it’s been 50 days since Jesus was resurrected.
What that tells us then is that it’s only been 10 days since Jesus ascended. All that to say, while they had to wait, they didn’t have to wait long.
What that tells us then is that the disciples only had to wait about 10 days for the promise of empowerment to come. All that to say, they didn’t have to wait long.
Second, he mentions it because it represents a day when people would have been in Jerusalem that aren’t normally there.
Remember, it’s a major holiday that Jewish males were required to attend. As a result, on the day of Pentecost the city would have been full of Jews from all over the known world.
In fact, we know it was. Because in verse 9 Luke says there were Jews from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and Rome. All those places combined represent what they would have considered the known world.
As a result, thousands of people are in the city from all over the world. Meaning, there’s no better time for the promised Spirit to come. This is a providential moment. This is the time and place for maximum impact. The day of Pentecost is ground zero. It’s the detonation moment and point for gospel expansion.
So, that’s why Luke mentions that it’s the Day of Pentecost.
But there’s a second detail that’s just as important.
Detail #2: In addition to mentioning the holiday, Luke tells us they were all together in one place. So, why is that significant?
It’s significant mainly because it reaffirms the obedience of the disciples. Jesus told them to go and wait, and that’s exactly what they continue to do. And after 10 days, they are prepped and ready for the coming of the Spirit.
Everybody in the room is a devoted disciples.
By their presence, everybody in the room is committed to obedience.
Everybody is of one accord. Unified in mission and unified against division.
And most importantly, they have committed to pray together as they await the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritually speaking, the conditions are perfect for these believers to receive God’s promise.
So, that’s the setting and context for this passage. It’s the day of Pentecost, people from all over the world are present. The disciples are spiritually prepared. And now, after 10 days of waiting, their wait is over. Picking back up again in verse 2 Luke writes:
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.
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.
What Luke has just described here is what you would call a supernatural event. In fact, as we’re going to learn this event represents a fulfillment of prophecy and the beginning of a new spiritual era as the church is born and how it will function is established.
2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
So, because of it’s importance, we’re going to take some time and highlight a few key aspects of this event. And for our purposes today, we are going to look at two of the key aspects.
But before we do, let’s begin first with how the Spirit came.
Notice what Luke says. Luke says “It came Suddenly.”
The word for “suddenly” comes from the Greek word “aphno”. It’s the idea that without warning or abruptly, something happened.
It would be like if somebody suddenly barged into a room and caught you off guard. Or if you were sitting your phone and the alarm went off, and it startled you. It’s a moment where something happens that you weren’t expecting.
All that to say, for everybody in the room, it was a starling moment.
So, what happened next? Luke tells us in that moment three prophetic signs combined at the same time producing a supernatural event.
As I said, we’re going to look at the first two today.
So, let’s begin with the first sign, and we’re going to term it:
Sign #1 - The sound of God’s presence.
Luke writes:
“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” (ESV)
The first unexpected sign Luke mentions is described as a mighty rushing of wind.
Having grown up in Western Kansas, I can imagine what this might have sounded like. And I think it could have sounded something like this:
Wind sound.
Luke says the sound of the wind filled the room. And that’s an important detail, because what what I want you to notice is he’s not saying is that it was windy in the room. At this point, nobody’s hat is getting blown off. Nobody is having to hold on to their toupee. That’s now what he’s saying. What he’s saying is the wind sound could be heard and felt, but it wasn’t windy.
So, what’s that all about? Hows is there the sound of wind that can be felt but it’s not windy? What kind of wind is this?
What’s interesting is Luke uses a rare term here for “wind”. A word found only in two other passages of scriptures, specifically a passage in . So, what does says? In we read:
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
You see, what Luke is describing here isn’t just a wind sound. What Luke is referencing here is the life giving breath of God.
In other words, what Luke is saying is the same breath, the breath that blew life into the the nostrils of Adam is now present in the room. The life giving presence of God has filled the room.
Can you imagine what that must have felt like as suddenly, out of nowhere, the breath of God filled that room?!
In fact, this lines up exactly with the Apostle John’s very condensed version of how a person receives the empowerment of the Spirit. In , John writes:
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
You see, what we need to understand is the baptism in the Holy Spirit originates from the very mouth of God. It comes directly from Him as God breathes His life giving Spirit into us. That’s the kind of empowerment He wants to give us. An empowerment that just doesn’t just fill a room, but that fills you. So, that’s the first sign that is present. The life giving breath of God.
The second sign is just as remarkable. We’re going to call it:
Sign #2 - The symbol of God’s anointing.
Luke writes:
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.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Luke says as the breath and presence of God entered the room, divided tongues as of fire appeared and rested on each of them.
That’s kind of strange. That’s not something you see everyday? What’s that all about?
To be honest, we could spend the entirety of our morning just on this one part. But unfortunately, we don’t have time for that, so I’m going to give you the cliff notes version of what the fire represents and who it’s for.
So, to get started, let’s address the fire. Let’s ask the question, “What does it represent?”
Well, while the sound represents the breath of God, the fire now represents the physical presence of the Spirit. And it shouldn’t surprise us that it’s like fire, because throughout the OT and NT God often presents Himself or is described as a fire.
For example, in , God appears to Moses in a burning bush. In we read:
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
We also see fire associated with God at Mt. Sinai. In we read:
18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,
And then in the book of Hebrews the writer describes the Lord as being an all consuming fire. He writes:
29 for our God is a consuming fire.
All that to say, the physical presence of God is often described as coming like fire. So, it shouldn’t surprise us as the breath and presence of God enters the room that the physical presence of fire comes with it.
The next thing I want you to notice is what the fire does. Luke says it divided itself and rested upon each person in the room. Couple things we need to understand about that.
First, the word for “rested” here literally means “to sit down upon”. It could also be translated “inhabited”. The idea here is that the fire didn’t just hover above them like a dancing flame. What it’s saying is the fire came upon them and entered them.
Now again, you might be thinking, “Pastor, what’s that all about? That sounds really strange.”
Here’s what’s going on. What Luke is showing us is that what happened to Jesus at the beginning of his ministry is now happening to the disciples at the beginning of their ministry.
Let me show you what I’m talking about. And to do that, we need to go back to the beginning days of Jesus’s ministry. We read about those days in as Jesus comes on the scene in the days that John the baptist is baptizing people in the Jordan. And in this moment, three important events take place in the life and ministry of Jesus.
The first event is his water baptism. The gospel writer Mark gives us description of that event. In , Mark writes:
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Mark says the first thing Jesus did before beginning his ministry was get water baptized.
So, why was that such a priority for Jesus? Short version, it represented the baptism of salvation that Jesus would bring to us. Through faith in Jesus our sins are literally washed away as we begin a new life. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
That’s why we encourage people who have put their faith in Jesus to be water baptized. By being baptized you physically proclaim the salvation that Jesus has brought into your life. It’s symbolic of the old you dying and the new being born through faith in Jesus.
It’s why we encourage people who have put their faith in Jesus to be water baptized. By being baptized you physically proclaim the salvation that Jesus has brought into your life. It’s symbolic of the old you dying and the new being born through faith in Jesus.
In this moment Jesus models it for us. The truth is, Jesus didn’t need to be water baptized. Jesus doesn’t need anybody to save Him. Jesus is the author of salvation. The writer of Hebrews says:
9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
So, that’s the first event, his water baptism.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,
The second event that takes place involves a second baptism, a baptism of the Spirit. Luke records it like this:
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Following his water baptism, Luke says the Holy Spirit appeared in what looked like the image of a dove and came down upon Jesus. And from this moment forward Jesus was anointed, empowered, and led by the Spirit. How do we know? A number of passages would indicate this.
For example, almost immediately after the Spirit descends on Jesus, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Luke writes:
1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
Luke says Jesus is now full of the Spirit and is being led by the Spirit. On top of that, Jesus himself proclaims the work of the Spirit in his life. Listen to what Jesus says about it:
First Jesus tells us and the apostle Peter confirms it. In listen to what Jesus says about himself:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Luke
Jesus himself declares that his empowered work is a result of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Peter then solidifies this statement in . Listen to what Peter says as he describes the work and ministry of Jesus.
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Peter says following the baptism that John proclaimed, that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power as Jesus began to work miraculous signs and wonders.
So, why is it so important we understand this?
It’s important because what God did for Jesus in , Jesus is now doing for his disciples in . Jesus is baptizing and anointing His disciples with the Holy Spirit and with power. John the baptist proclaimed that this is what Jesus would do. In John the baptist says:
16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Now, at this point someone might ask, “Ok pastor, I get that. That makes sense. But there seems to be one glaring difference. Why does the Holy Spirit look like a dove for Jesus and with the disciples it looks like fire?”
I’m glad you asked that question because that’s a great question. And the answer has to do with purpose and mission.
You see while it’s the same Spirit that baptizes Jesus and the disciples, they are baptized for different purposes. For Jesus is it was a mission of peace and restoration. That’s why Jesus says in :
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Jesus came to proclaim the restoration of man to God, and the dove represents that. The dove represents God’s extension of peace to mankind through faith in Jesus. And on the day of His baptism, the spirit equipped and empowered Jesus to accomplish that mission.
But for the disciples, it’s a different mission. Their mission isn’t to restore peace between God and man. Jesus has already made that possible. Their mission is to proclaim the Gospel and spread the Word.
Acts 2:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
Quoting the prophet Joel Peter says Jesus poured out his Spirit on them so they could proclaim the good news of salvation. The good news that through Jesus we can escape the judgment to come. That everybody who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Quoting the prophet Joel Peter says
So, that’s the difference. That’s why Jesus gets the dove and we get the fire. He’s the peacemaker and we are the messengers.
This leads us to one more detail concerning the fire. Notice as well that not only did it rest upon them, but it divided itself up and each person recieved their own fire. Luke writes:
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
What this is pointing to is the priesthood of all believers. It’s the idea that God wants to empower and equip us to do His work. You see, that’s who the fire is for. It’s for those who desire to be a part of helping God accomplish the mission. The Apostle Paul describes it like this:
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Paul says the Holy Spirit has assigned each of us a unique gift. And that’s what we see happening in Acts 2 as the Spirit divides itself and empowers each believer with the gift that God has assigned them.
Pretty amazing, right?
So, those are the first two signs. The sound of God’s presence and the symbol of his anointing.
So, what’s the third? We’ll address that sign next week. And it’s kind of the elephant in the room because it’s the one people get hung up on. The sign I’m taking about is tongues. So, if you want to know what that sign is all about, then you don’t want to miss next week.
But before we leave this morning, I think a great question we need to ask is, “What does this all mean for you and me?” In other words, how does what has happened so far in relate to you, to me, and to our church?”
As we close this morning, here are four takeaways I would encourage you to consider:
Takeaway #1 - God has a day of Pentecost planned for Marysville, Marshall County, and the surrounding Region.
The fact of the matter is, God has a plan to reach each and every community. Maybe another way to say it would be, “For every community, God has planned a day of Pentecost.” A day, an opportune moment in a communities history, where God will pour himself out on that community in a way that breaks through the religious and spiritual strongholds and changes the spiritual landscape of that community forever.
That being the case, there is a day of Pentecost for Marysville, for Home, for Blue Rapids, for Waterville, for Hanover, for Washington, for Wymore, for Beattie, for Frankfort. Somewhere, in the future, at an opportune moment, there is going to be a spiritual break through in our community. I believe that with all my heart. And my hope and prayer is that I get to be a part of that. Which leads us to a second takeaway.
Takeaway #2 - If we’re not ready, we could miss the opportunity.
Luke says prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were all together in one place. Meaning they were of “One Accord”. They were unified in mission and they were committed to praying together. They were prayed up and ready for God to show up. And show up He did.
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
And what’s true for their day of Pentecost is true for ours. The fact is, if we want to be a part of God’s plan for our community, then we have to be ready. We have to take the prerequisites seriously. We have to be committed disciples, we have to be committed to obedience, we have to be committed to unity, and we have to be committed to prayer. Because if we don’t take those things seriously, then we’re not going to be a part of God’s plan for reaching this community.
Probably the greatest example of this is the first generation of Israelites who refused to enter the promise land. Refused to allow God to lead them. And the result was that God sent them back into the wilderness, and there they died until God raised up a new generation that would trust Him.
I think that happens to churches all the time. God wants to use a church, use a people to reach a community. But they refuse to trust Him. They refuse to seek Him. They refuse to be committed. And so God bypasses that generation, and He moves to the next, or he uses another church. And that’s one of the reasons why we have so many dead and dying churches in America.
That’s why the prayer meeting we are doing on Wednesday nights is so important. If we want to be the generation that brings lasting impact to this community, then we have to be committed to do what it takes.
MCF, I don’t want to miss God’s planned day of Pentecost for this community. I want to be a part of it.
And here’s what I believe. I believe we are the generation God has raised up for this day.
That leads us to one final takeaway:
But I think from what we’ve seen this morning, scripture is pretty clear that God wants to empower his disciples. God wants to equip his disciples with something more. Something they can’t drum up on their own. Something only He can give. Something only His Spirit can offer. But for that to happen, you have to be open to it.
Takeaway #3 - In order for a day of Pentecost to take place, Pentecost begins with us.
The fact of the matter is, for a day of Pentecost to take place in our community, it has to begin in us. It has to begin as God breaths his Spirit into us. As God rests upon us.
If I could be frank with you, here’s where I think we are as a church this morning. I think we are a church with a lot of great people who have put their faith in Jesus. I think we are a church that does very well in presenting the Gospel. I think we are a church that offers a great worship. I think we are a church that offers great facilities. I think we are a friendly church where guests feel welcome. I think we are a church that offers a great kids and youth program. To be honest, I think MCF has more going for it than most churches. And I don’t say that in a braggadocios way. The fact is, God has blessed MCF, and you and I are privileged and blessed to be a part of what God is doing through this church.
But if I can be very candid with you, I think we are a church that needs a fresh breath of God’s Spirit. I think we are a church that needs the spirit of God to fall afresh on us. I think some of us, most of us, need to have a day of Pentecost. We need to have a moment when God breaths his Spirit into us. We need his life giving Spirit to ignite a fresh fire in us.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, let’s say I agree with you. What exactly does that look like? Pastor are you saying we need a windstorm and tongues of fire to show up in our service?”
No, that’s not what I’m saying. To be honest, I don’t know what it looks like for us. All I know is this:
First, I know you need it, I know I need it, I know we all need it. The fact of the matter is, without the empowerment of His Spirit, we can only go so far as believers. We can only go so far as a church. Without His empowerment our spiritual batteries will eventually run dry. We need Him to pour His Spirit out on us.
In fact, what we’re going to learn in Acts is that the out pouring and empowerment of the Spirit isn’t a one time event. It’s an ongoing process in the life of a believer as God continues to fill and refill you. Just like a car that needs to filled to keep going, as Christ followers, you and I need continuous fresh fillings.
Second, I know it’s something we can’t orchestrate. It’s not something we can conjure up. It’s only something God can give as we faithfully seek to be empowered by Him. It’s something that will only come as we grow in our commitment, grow in obedience, grow in our unity, and seek it through prayer.
Third, I know when it happens, it will happen suddenly. It will happen on God’s time frame and when you and I least expect it. Maybe you’ll be sitting in your car. Maybe you’ll be sitting in your living room. Or maybe you’ll be sitting in this room, I don’t know. All I know is when God empowers you, you won’t see it coming.
So, I guess my question to you is, “Are you open to and prepared for God to breath fresh life into you?”
I know for me, it happened 23 years ago while I was driving a tractor planting corn. In the middle of a field God poured His Spirit of empowerment upon me. Was their wind? Of course there was, I was in Western Kansas. Did fire fall from heaven. Not that I saw. All I know is, in that moment God gave me a fresh passion and fire for Him. He empowered me. And had that not happened, I don’t think I’d be here today. MCF, that’s how necessary the empowerment is.
So, here’s what I’m going to ask you to do. If you’re serious about growing in your walk with Jesus. If you want to be a part of reaching more people of Jesus. If you want to move from being a church goer to a Christ follower, then I leave you with three challenges.
know is it’s something that comes suddenly. In other words, when it happens to you, when it happens to us, it will catch us off guard.
#1 - If you haven’t yet, commit your life fully to Jesus and start living for Him. That’s where it starts. And the truth is, some of you still need to do that. Some of you need to move past being a church goer to a Christ follower. You need to fully devote your life to Jesus.
I’m not sure what your church or religious background is. But what I do know is most of us in the room come from a variety of backgrounds. But what I’d like you to consider as we move further into the book of Acts, is that regardless of what your church background or tradition is or isn’t, that the only truth that matters is the truth of God’s Word. And the truth is, God wants to supernaturally equip you for Kingdom work. Just like that day in the upper room, God wants to breath His Spirit into you. God wants to equip you for Kingdom Work. This leads us to one more takeaway:
#2 - Start praying that God would empower you. Pray for it everyday. Pray that he would equip you to be a powerful witness for Him.
#2 -
#3 - If your schedule allows it, attend the Wednesday night prayer meeting. This is what we are focusing on at the prayer meeting. The prayer meeting is a great environment for you to seek spiritual empowerment.
I’m going to be honest with you. God can fill anybody anytime and anywhere with His Spirit. Like I said, when it happened to me, I was on a tractor by myself.
However, I would say your best opportunity is going to come when your surrounded by other believers who are seeking the same thing.
Last Wednesday night we had 85 people at the prayer meeting. 85 people seeking more from God. 85 seeking to be empowered by His Spirit. I’m going to tell you right now, when 85 people show up to see empowerment, that’s an environment God can work in.
I say this from the depth of my heart MCF. I believe God has big plans for our church. I believe He wants to use our church to bring a day of Pentecost to this community. A day when He breathes fresh life into this community. But for that to happen, it has to begin with us.
Takeaway #4 - God wants to give you a special gift.
Luke says when the day of Pentecost came, they were together, they were prepared, they were ready to receive all that God had for them.
Let’s Pray
Just like those first 120 disciples each recieved their own gift, God has a unique gift for you. Something that he is going to use in and through you to lead others to Him. Something only He can give you.