Pentecostal Power Series

PENTECOSTAL POWER

Acts 2:1-5

ACTS, The Church Encountering God

P.S. The power at Pentecost continues to be the spark that fuels the ministry of the church today. It is my hearts cry for a fresh move of Holy Spirit in my life, church and nation.

INTRODUCTION:

A vaccum salesman down in rural Tennesee. He had a his vacum cleaner and all of this tools and everything, and he went out there and he told a lady, "I’ve got the most exciting vacum cleaner you have ever seen. It will clean your house from top to bottom...you only have to pay so much down." And the lady said, "It sounds real good." He said, "You see that big pile of dirt right there on the floor with all those fur balls and bugs and things." He said, "My vacum cleaner will just pick up all those things up just like that and if they don’t, I’ll eat it." She said, "well you might as well get your knife and fork, because we do not have any electricity out here!"

A. Power is the one thing nations, politicians and businessman

covet. But the power that we need is not an earthly

power. God has promised believers Spiritual power.

Vance Havner once rightly said,

‘We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.’

B. The early church had none of the things we think are so

essential for success today…building, money, social

status, and yet, the church won multitudes to Christ and

saw many churches established throughout the Roman

world. Why?

1. Because the church had the power of the Holy Spirit

energizing it’s ministry. They were a people ignited by

the Spirit of God.’ ( W.Wiersbe)

C. The church today needs to discover once again that we

have an unchanging God .We need once again to discover

the power of Pentecost.

D. That same Holy Spirit power is available to us today to

make us more effective witnesses for Christ. The better

we understand His working at Pentecost, the better we

will relate to Him and experience His power

What is Pentecost?

It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to His disciples, that they would receive power in order to accomplish His purpose to be witnesses

We are far removed from the Upper room, and generations removed from Azusa St in 1906. So, what difference can Pentecost make to you and me in 2012?

1. Pentecost Provides PURPOSE

Notice with me the PERFECT TIMING , “When the DAY OF PENTECOST CAME…’

A. Pentecost is from the Greek word meaning 50th. It is

referring to the 50th day after the Passover.

1. The Passover was sacrificed on the 14th day of the

first month of the year (Abib). The third day following

that

sacrifice a sheaf of barley harvest was offered to God. That sheaf was the firstfruits of the harvest.

Lev 23:15-17 "15 ‘Number seven full weeks from the day after the Day of Rest, from the day when you give the grain for the wave gift. There will be seven whole Days of Rest. 16 Number fifty days to the day after the seventh Day of Rest. Then give a new grain gift to the Lord. 17 Bring from your homes two loaves of bread for a wave gift, made of one-fifth part of a basket of fine flour. They will be made with yeast, as first-fruits to the Lord" "New Life Version Bible"

2. Why is all that important? Because the typology

teaches us that Pentecost is about the harvest.

B. Jesus established the connection in Acts 1:8 “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."

1. Any time the church loses sight of that connection she

gets into trouble.

2. The Holy Spirit is poured out on the Day of Pentecost

for the harvest of souls.

3. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a witness.

4. That’s the express purpose of the baptism in the Holy

Spirit.

C. On that day 3000 will be saved and be filled with the Spirit

and then return as witnesses throughout the Roman world.

1. When Pentecost comes, it will always align us with God’s

purpose. His purpose is the HARVEST!

2. Pentecost Produces UNITY…

One of the common criticisms concerning Holy Spirit Baptism, is the fear that it is an experience that divides the church.

The fact is, nothing unites the church more than when the Person, Power and Presence of Holy Spirit fills a church.

A. The first thing we notice about

IN Acts 1:12 Luke identifies who these PEOPLE were who gathered ,12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk[b] from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.