Acts 2:1-21 NIV
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." 14 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. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "’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. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
NEXT MONTH
I want to start out today, by telling you about something you DO NOT want to miss. Next month we are starting a 4 week series based on the Disney movie “Toy Story.” If you haven’t seen it yet… that is your homework. Sit down with your grandkids… make a date night with your honey… take some time with your kids… or simply take a little “me” time and watch this movie before next Sunday. There are going to be some worship services… that if you aren’t here… you are going to hear about… and wish that you were here. And don’t forget that next week worship is at 9:30… you do NOT want to miss this sermon series!
We are finishing up a sermon series today called “Lighting the Fires of Pentecost.” Subheading… how to keep your fires lit in the face of life’s dips. Before we get in too deep today… I want to take some time and focus on some “Dip 101” so we are all on the same page. The basic principle comes from a book by Seth Godin called “The Dip” and it goes a little something like this:
At some point in your Christian journey there comes a great period of exhilaration and excitement. You are on a spiritual high… you’re buzzing, nothing can go wrong, birds sing to you, all the stoplights turn green when you approach them, every prayer that you pray gets answered, you feel… unstoppable. You get goosebumps every time you open the bible, and it feels like God is talking to you directly.
But if you walk with God faithfully for a long time… eventually you will hit the dip. God feels far away, everything becomes so much harder, everything goes wrong, you feel empty, and challenged, and alone… down in the valley. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, it doesn’t matter how hard you work, it doesn’t matter how good you are… eventually on your journey you will hit a dip!
On that note, it is time for you to do some participating… I want you to turn to somebody next to you and say to them “Dip Happens.”
It is amazing to me, how many people have responded to this sermon series. I would like to take a moment now… and I would like to take you just a little bit out of your comfort zone… if this sermon series talking about the dip has touched you personally in some way this past month, if you are in a dip… have recently been in a dip… or are feeling a dip coming on… I want you to raise your hand. Now look around… you… are not… alone.
Time to dig into our scripture… because here is a most excellent point. We are not alone… we find the disciples on an epic journey through a rollercoaster kind of heights… to depths… to heights… to depths… and back to heights again! I take us back just one month to Holy Week… the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was one month ago for our disciples in our text today too. Jesus ministry is at it’s height… they have arrived at the big city, and things are about to happen! The disciples are on top of the world… they are telling Jesus “We can do anything! We will never desert you! We will never forsake you! We are on the top of our game!”
And then bam… Christ is dead… they flee, the cower, they hide, they fear for their lives. They cry, and whine, and moan, wondering… how did we get here. How did we get into this dip? And then BAM! Jesus comes back to life… all is good, he walks with them and he talks with them… they are on FIRE ready to go out and preach it… but then like that *snap*… he is gone again. And what is his parting message for them… “Go and make disciples of the whole world baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Alright… wohoo… lets go. But hold on a second! Acts 1:4 "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Stop… wait.
What? Do… nothing? Sit… wait? Its almost like a balloon deflating.
Every dip is surrounded on either side by a what? Sometimes it is just about riding it out.
Your greatest lows will come right after your greatest highs….(personal example)
Wait for the HOLY SPIRIT to come… be patient… keep working…
Review the 4 weeks of "Lighting the Fires of Pentecost"
1) invite the Holy Spirit in
2) work on your relationship
3) serve him with a smile… and
4) wait patiently on the lord knowing there is a peak up ahead.
