The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost

Read Acts 1-2

This morning we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  We mostly take our scriptures from Luke’s second chapter in Acts, but the story begins in the first part of the first chapter.  It’s something of a prologue to what happened on that glorious day.

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.  After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  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.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

In Johns gospel, we see and extensive discussion of Jesus leaving this world and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Those who listened to Jesus were not yet ready to hear.  In fact, even the resurrection left the disciples stunned and struggling.  Only the coming of the Holy Spirit would take them from confusion to clarity.

These followers whom would soon be called apostles, were obedient but still not quite sure what was coming.  They were familiar with the Holy Spirit.  Who wasn’t?  This Spirit of the Living God hovered over a formless earth at creation. 

They knew that it was the Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets and even from perhaps their most revered king, David.

But how would this Spirit be known to them?  How would the Holy Spirit impact their lives? 

What could they do?  They could stay together and hang out in Jerusalem as directed. They could pray all the time and they did. Oh by the way, while they were just chillin’, they selected Matthias to replace Judas. 

Then the Day of Pentecost would come.  Pentecost is not a New Testament revelation.  Pentecost goes back to the Passover, Festival of the Unleavened Bread, and the First Fruits offering, sometimes called the Wave Offering.  

There would be worship services on the first day and last day of the week. 

There would be food offerings all week.   Nobody is eating of their new crop until this First Fruits Offering.  It is this wave offering—the first part of the First Fruits—from which we count 50 days.  The Wave Offering begins on the day after the Sabbath and so we count seven Sabbaths—seven full weeks—and then the next day begins a series of offerings from grain and bread to live animals for sacrifice.

All in all, it was a period of 50 days that the Hebrew people knew as the Feast of Weeks.  The Greek language provided a modern name for this 50^th day, Pentecost.

By all that had been given to God’s Chosen People in the law, Jerusalem should have been a very busy place.  The town should have been full of Jews from all over and it was.

These followers of Jesus were all in one place and there came a sound like a violent wind.  Imagine hearing the sound of a tornado encircling you without getting picked up and blown to Kansas.

Now imagine this fireball with flames—tongues of fire to keep the original description—that separate and go to rest on each believer.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in languages that they did not know.

Evidently, they went outside because a crowd had gathered, perhaps in response to sound of a violent wind.  It sounds like there were a bunch of Okies in Jerusalem.

That sounds like a tornado over there.  Let’s go check it out.

We don’t get the whole logistical picture but we know that these men filled with the Holy Spirit started speaking to people from all over the region in their native languages.

We know that there were Jews from all over.

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs.

We know that there were a bunch of people.  How do we know this?  Because without a change in geography, at least 3000 would come to believe in Jesus as the Christ and as their Lord.  So later when Peter gave his first ever altar call, we don’t’ know if everyone responded or just 10% but we do know that there were 3000 who did.

These apostles had 40 days with their risen Savior.  Jesus comforted and affirmed what he had told them before, but they were not ready for what he had in store for them.

They had another 10 just waiting to see what was next.  Then came Pentecost.  Then came the Holy Spirit.  Then there was no delay.

The church based upon the profession that Jesus is Lord, that he is the Christ, was being constructed.  The church began in Jerusalem just as directed by the Lord. 

At first, some tried to dismiss what was happening.  Galileans speaking in languages that they did not know could only be because they were drunk.  That must be it.  I know that I speak other languages so much better if I am inebriated.  Not!

But this explanation turned into a provocation and Peter stepped forward and responded. 

First, he said that they are not drunk at this hour of the morning.  Come on guys.  Be real.  This is what the prophet Joel prophesied.  God’s Spirit has been poured out.

Then he said, let’s talk about this Jesus.  He had some good credentials.  You should have recognized them as being from God—miracles, wonders, and signs.

But you didn’t.  Instead you handed him over to wicked men to be killed.  This happened to be necessary but Peter did not dwell on this part at the time.

He jumped to the fact that God raised him from the dead.  He appealed to the crowd’s biblical knowledge of David.  David had long since passed but his descendant would sit on his throne forever.  David’s body had long since turned to dust but Jesus was raised from the dead.

Peter made sure the people understood where they stood.  This man called Jesus whom you killed was the Messiah that you have waited for so long.  You killed him.  God raised him from the dead.

The people responded, “What do we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many words that we do not have and with these that we do, Peter beckoned the people to be saved.

Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.

Many came.  The Covenant Community was formed.  The family of faith was formed.  Believers took care of each other.

We could use that same altar call today.  Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.

As directed, the gospel was witnessed to many in Jerusalem.  By the witness of the many who had come from all over and by the apostles who would soon go out in so many directions, the mission to call people out of the world to follow the Christ would begin.

Do you know the word ekklesia?  It means being called out and gathered in an assembly.  We are called out of the world, set apart from the world and made holy, and sent back into the world with good news.

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is a story that bears repeating, at least once a year.  People were being called out of the world to be one people in God’s name.  It was indeed quite the kick off event for this new church.  These apostles belong to the same church that we do.  They lived the same commission that we have—take the good news to your neighbors and then start working outwards.

We have the same commission that they did but it seems that we don’t have the same passion.  It seems that we have grown comfortable with being surrounded by the lost and the disconnected.

It might be that we have never had flames dancing on our heads.  It could be that I had to learn a foreign language the old-fashioned way.  It could be a lot of things.

Today, I will proffer that we are not quite ready to surrender to the Spirit of the one true God who dwells within us.  We are not quite ready.

There is nothing in this world that is holding us back.  It’s all us for God’s Spirit is living within us.  So, what do we do?

We have repented.

We have professed Jesus is Lord.

We have been baptized.

What do we do?

We get out of the way.  We let God’s Spirit start the day.  We let God’s Spirit prioritize our lives.

We make time just to be in the presence of God.  Remember, Be still and know that I am God. 

We pray and pray some more.  We maintain an ongoing conversation with God.

The Day of Pentecost was described from the outside.  Powerful sounds and fiery images.

Our spiritual growth comes from within and may not be instantaneous, but we must surrender to God’s Spirit if we are to live to the full and our lives are to be pleasing to God.

If we don’t back off and we don’t give into fear, we will realize the power of the Spirit that lives within us.

We probably won’t preach to a multitude and see 3000 come to profess Jesus in a single event, but we each may reach 3000 people with the good news.  One here.  Two there.  Three at the ball game.  Four in Walmart.  Another on the phone.  Another with a short conversation while delivering a bag lunch full of love.

We don’t show up with a script.  We travel with the Holy Spirit who will gives us words when we need them.

We don’t have to give people a card or wrist band but these are good tools for this century when people forget so easily.

We do need to have a heart ready to surrender to God’s own Spirit.

We do need a teachable spirit.

We do need to have daily and intimate conversations with God.

We do need to trust God.  Trust in the Lord with all of our heart.

We do need to live by faith.

We do need the desire to obey God and his commands are not a burden.  We need to want to do what he wants us to do.

We do need love to govern our choices.  We must not be dissuaded by our own understanding.

We must desire none to perish.  God’s heart must overwhelm our heart.

We must long for inclusiveness for those who are lost.  We must have a heart to call them home.

We reach out to the lost not to join them but to call them to the abundance of living in community.  Think of the community that emerged so quickly after the coming of the Spirit.  We are not all going to live in Jerusalem or even in the same town, but we are all part of the same covenant community.

God’s Spirit is alive within us.  We don’t need tornado sounds and images of fire.  We just need to be the new creature that we have been made in Christ Jesus.

We should not compare ourselves to the apostles with fiery heads but to those with whom Peter taught.

And you will receive—today I will say that we have received—the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

We have received God’s Spirit!

We just need to get out of the way.  We just need to live by the Spirit within us.  We need to quit resisting the Spirt that lives within us.  We must do the work of the church rooted in our profession of faith and propelled into the world by the Holy Spirit working in us.

Let God’s Spirit take charge of your life!

Amen.