RELIVING PENTECOST: THE COMMOTION
THEME: MAKING THE CHURCH SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT.
TEXT: ACTS 2:1-13
People need something to talk about. It amazes me how quickly gossip can spread. Rumors in can circulate in hours. People make special calls on cell phones to inform others of gossip. Gossip is something people talk about. Sickness is some people talk about. Someone can have heart attack and in a matter of minutes half of the community will know about the news. The word on the street can travel fast. The local high school sports teams’ scores travel fast over the town. After a big game, the score is quickly known throughout the population. Every one seems to talk about the sporting events. It is the talk of the town. It is amazing how fast news can travel. Certain topic or certain conversations can move quickly from one person to another. News can spread.
On the day of Pentecost the news about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit caused a commotion throughout Jerusalem. It was the talk of the town. It was the news on everyone’s lips. Everyone was chatting about the event of Pentecost. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was big news in the city. It increased in its spread throughout the town. Everyone was talking about the disciples and the Holy Spirit that was given to them. On Pentecost, the Lord blessed man.
For the next four weeks, we want to relive the Pentecost experience. We want to recharge with the power of the Pentecost day. This day changed human history. We want to become in touched with the Pentecost moment. As a church of the first century, we need to travel back to the beginning of the establishment of the church to be reminded of the initial power of the church. For the next four weeks we are going to study on the day of Pentecost from Acts 2. We are going to be restored to the power of Pentecost in the 21st century. We want to study this teaching about this special day because this is the similar time on the calendar. The word Pentecost meant “fiftieth.” It referred to the fiftieth day after the Passover festival when the Jews would come back to Jerusalem. It is the celebration of the Feast of Weeks. It was the harvest festival which would be similar to the idea of Thanksgiving in the USA. All the Jewish males were expected to travel back to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast together. The city would be packed, as the people expressed their thanks to the Lord for the year’s provisions. The Lord is going to use this day to establish the church. And we are going to use this text of Acts 2 to restore the intentions of the church. So come with us as we celebrate Pentecost once again as week are in the days of Pentecost now.
All the talk started with the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Years ago Jesus promised to baptize his disciples in the Holy Spirit. John records this coming event in John 1:33 “And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ’He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” Now this promise has come to fruition in Acts 2:1-13. The text states “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and marveled, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine."
This event certain got people talking. It was a miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The Apostles were promised that the Spirit would come to support them in their ministry. John mentions this in John 16:6-7 “"But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” Now the time has come. In God’s timing the Spirit is coming down on the Apostle. It is a powerful event. The There is a rushing wind, the spirit was coming as tongues of fire. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in talks. It is interesting that they were given the gift of tongues. These tongues were not some mysterious language or some angelic language, but were different dialects across the known world. God gave these Apostles the gift to speak to people in the talk of there mother language. The people were to talk about church. The people were to use these gifts to spread the message of Jesus Christ. The people were to talk about the power of God and the church. The reason was that there was a lot to talk about. People needed to hear the message of Christ and salvation. The Apostles were given the gift to spread the news of Christ’s death. They were to go every where proclaiming the message of God.
Recently a family came to visit the congregation here. After the family and I visited one of the members informed me that they knew this new family. So I asked one of the members here to go and invite the family back to the congregation. In fact, she did more than I expected. She went over to their house and talked up the church. She did more than invite them, she bragged on this congregation to them. She told them about some of the good works that we are involved in. She told about the friendliness and the family love in the congregation. She talked about the church to this family. She realized that this congregation needs to be talked about in a positive way.
But there has to be something positive to talk about. There has to be some activity taking place in the congregation. There must be good works throughout the church. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles. The people were given the promised Holy Spirit. And this Holy Spirit provided the gift of speaking in tongues. All the people come hear about the marvelous works of God in their native tongue. Because God realized the power of spreading the word of God and the power of talking about the church. The people must be given something to talk about. A congregation must be engaged in good works. God must be seen working in the congregation. If these things are taking place, then people are going to talk about the church.
This is what was happening on the day of Pentecost. Look at verse 11, “we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." The people hear the Apostles talking about the might deeds of God. I believe people response differently to evangelism today. Most people are not wanting you to try to covert them. People do not enjoy direct methods of trying to persuade them to come to church or come to our church. These approaches sound too fake in today’s world. But when we share what is happening in the congregation that is positive then people seem to listen. When you share some of the good works that are happening in the congregation then people become curious. If you hear about the good things in the church, if you hear about the love, service, fulfillment, good preaching, and then you want to check it out yourself. The word of mouth testimony about the church is a powerful way of sharing the Gospel. As you mention the work of the church in your normal every day conversation, then we can spread the news of the Lord. As it always impresses me for our friends and family days, because we have a ton of people come. I believe this is because we mention the church more often. We take the time to tell others about this work of the church. Our VBS always does well because we mention this to people. It becomes part of our conversation.
The people were telling others of what the Lord was doing. But like any message there are some who will believe it and some will reject it. Notice the reaction of the people. Some people are interested and want to learn more. Other people are rationalizing the event away. Some people will be curious and some people will write the church news off. Some people say that the Apostles are drunk. That they drank too much wine. People will say the church is a cult if it grows too much, if it is too loving, but we are not concerned with what the people say. You cannot stop this, you just have to continue to tell the message. This reminds me of the story of the teacher doing her best to discredit the miracles of the Bible. She said, "Take, for instance, the crossing of the Red Sea. We know this body of water was only 6 inches deep." Immediately from the back of the room came the remark, "Praise God for the miracle!" Annoyed, the teacher asked, "What miracle?" "Well," explained the student, "the Lord must have drowned the whole Egyptian army in just 6 inches of water!" Some people will discredit the truth, we are to accept the truth.
For this week, I want you to talk up the church. All I want you to do is to mention the church in a conversation. Just bring up something that you have to do with the congregation or for the congregation. Mention one of the programs or the good sermon, you might get paid for that. But just talk about something. Do not worry about the reaction, just mention the work of the church. This will be the key in restoring the power of Pentecost. When we start to talk about the church again, we will have the results like the day of Pentecost. We have something to talk about.
Russell Brownworth’s two older children (ages 9 and 7) seemed to attract every other child in the mobile home park for after-school games of hide and seek. Their youngest, Carrie, was not quite 3—and (in the minds of the older siblings) always in the way. It was something you could count on; ten minutes into the games, the little one would get pushed aside or skin a knee. One afternoon, she came through the front door crying for mommy. She had gotten the worst again. Elizabeth, her mother, attempted to comfort her by giving her two freshly baked cookies. "Now, don’t tell the big kids yet," she cautioned, "I haven’t finished; I haven’t got enough for everybody yet." It took less than three seconds for Carrie to make it to the screen door, fling it wide, and announce to the big kids, "Cookies, I gots cookies!" Well, great news should be shared with enthusiasm!
