We had an exciting Spirit-filled worship celebration this week. We welcomed three new members and baptized four people! The Spirit is moving in our midst. Tom Poremba, a retired United Methodist pastor, was introduced as our new Deepen Pastor. SPRC has hired him for $1 a year to provide member care, and assist with the development of small group. He is a gift to our congregation and we are blessed to have both him and his wife, Cathy, a part of our ministry.
This coming week in worship we will be continuing part two of a two part series on the Holy Spirit. This week’s message is called, “Spirit-Filled Believers.” I invite you to join us as we explore what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You can listen to the sermon, "Spirited Beginnings" by following this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zddk4dnzwnf/Spirited Beginnings.mp3
or read below...
“Spirited Beginnings” / May 23, 2010 / Acts 2:1-13
INTRO /[ReThink Video]
Today is an example about how we are rethinking church in our community. Every time we receive new members into the congregation and perform baptisms, it is evidence that we are rethinking church. It is evidence of new life being breathed into this place. We have been challenged by the denomination and really by God to rethink how we do church and how we live out faith. The challenge is to stay connected with God and to continually grow deeper in Christ. Beth, Jennifer, and Scott all are beautiful examples of what Christian discipleship is about. They are asking hard questions and helping us rethink church in positive ways. They embody the vision that we’ve work at rethinking here at Faith to connect, deepen and engage.
To rethink church successfully we need the Holy Spirit to guide us in the work. The Holy Spirit should always be moving and active in each of our lives and in the life of the church. Tom and Cathy’s presence in our church is another example how we are rethinking church and how the Spirit of God is at work in our congregation. We are blessed to have them with us and sharing their gifts for ministry. These are just two ways that the Holy Spirit is bring new life and transformation into the life of the congregation. We are intentionally celebrating our new members and new staff on this Pentecost Sunday because Pentecost celebrates the beginning of the church.
PENTECOST
We are going to spend some time this morning talking about Pentecost and the origins of the church. Pentecost was originally and still is a Jewish holy day called the Feast of the Weeks. The name Pentecost comes from the Greek word 50, because it was celebrated 50 days after Passover and the Feast of First fruits. Pentecost was a pilgrimage day in which Jews from all over journeyed to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple.
As Christians it is important to understand the Jewish origins of Pentecost for the connection between it and Passover. As Christians, we have a slightly different understanding and appreciation for Pentecost because of what took place in Acts 2. Pentecost for the Christian marks the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the formation of the early church. Acts 2:1 begins with, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they [the disciples and followers] were all together in one place.” And then we heard the account of how the Holy Spirit arrives which marks the official beginning of the church. I love the description of the arrival of the Holy Spirit in this passage, “2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
To understand the beginnings of the early church, we need to understand the Holy Spirit. While in Acts 2 we experience the outpouring of the Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit began much earlier than that. Pentecost is made possible because of the Holy Spirit’s work on Easter morning with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the risen Christ appears on the earth for forty days, he finally ascends to heaven with the promise of sending the Holy Spirit to the earth. What I just read is the official arrival of the Holy Spirit. If we are going to understand how the early church operated and how we are called to operate today, then we need to understand the Holy Spirit.
In this passage we experience two very distinct descriptions of the Holy Spirit: wind and fire. These two descriptors give us significant and important understanding into the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I want to spend the bulk of our time this morning talking about the fire of the Spirit and the wind of the Spirit. Wind and Fire represent two gifts that the Holy Spirit give the church to fulfill the mission God is calling us to.
FIRE
#1. The Fire of the Spirit is the evidence God’s Presence.
In verse three we read, “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” The image of fire in relation to the Holy Spirit stretches back to Exodus. First God appears to Moses in a burning bush. Then God guides the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness as a pillar of fire. Fire speaks directly to God’s physical, manifest presence in the world. When we see the fire arrive at Pentecost, we know the presence of God is present. In a literal way, the Holy Spirit is God’s presence on the earth. The Holy Spirit isn’t an afterthought or the third string behind God and Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God’s plan to have his presence continually on the earth.
As United Methodists, we should be familiar with the image of fire. The cross and flame is our logo as United Methodists. We have always been a people marked by the fire of the Holy Spirit and a people concerned about the manifest presence of God in the world. We are concerned about these things because we believe God has called his church to be transformed and to transform the world for the glory of God. We have always understood, forgotten at times, but always understood that the work of the Kingdom cannot be done a part from the Holy Spirit.
#1a. God’s presence is available to all believers.
God’s presence is not just an abstract roaming, but it is something that lives within and unites all believers. In verse four we read, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” As we understand the Holy Spirit as God’s presence, two things stand out as important. The first is God’s presence is available to all believers. Each believer is now a personal temple of the Holy Spirit. Within them is the presence of God in a way that leads to transformation. No matter where we go and what we do, God is with us. We don’t have to attend church to experience God. We don’t have to kneel in prayer to experience God. We simply have to be aware of God’s presence inside of us. This may be one of the most transforming concepts that a Christian can ever grasp. You are no longer alone. God is always with you.
#1b. God’s presence unites us to all other believers.
Since God is always with me and God is always with you, the second implication of God’s presence being poured out at Pentecost is that we are united as believers. Every believer in Acts 2 is filled with the exact same Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit today, we are filled with the same Holy Spirit. It is unchanging and unwavering. Therefore, when we are filled with the Spirit we are united with every other Christian throughout the world and through history. The Holy Spirit brings unity through God’s Presence and breaks down differences. In verses 5-13, we see believers of all different nations and languages able to understand each other. This is the unifying work of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, Christians can work together regardless of personal differences, theological disputes and political quarrels. The presence of God transcends all of it. When we are filled with the fire of God, we are able to see God in the world and to participate in his work in the world. The Holy Spirit is not only God’s presence in our lives, but the Holy Spirit is God’s power in our lives.
#2. The wind of the Spirit is the gift of God’s Power.
In verse two, the arrival of the Holy Spirit is described like the rush of a violent wind. This is a powerful and potential unsettling image of the workings of God. Can you imagine the clamor if the Holy Spirit arrived in this place in such a manner? To compare the Holy Spirit to the wind is probably the most straight forward explanation of the Holy Spirit. The word for spirit in both Greek and Hebrew “nooma and ruach” translate wind. Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is difficult to predict and frequently blows as it pleases. For this reason, the Spirit is frequently misunderstood and sometimes ignored in the church today.
We cannot afford to ignore the wind of God, because the Holy Spirit is the energy and power of God. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers believers to live out their Christian life, to have victory over sin and death, and to be transformed into the image of God. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, we are left to live as powerless Christians. Christianity without the Spirit is like riding a bicycle instead of a motorcycle. While bicycles have their place in the world, the motorcycle has power, speed, and handling that is unparalleled. When we discover the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we become spiritual supercharged. We will explore how we are filled with God’s power at greater length next week. For now, trust me when I say we need to learn to live in God’s power.
We need to live in God’s power if we are going to fulfill God’s mission to transform the world. On the day of Pentecost, the believers were filled with God’s power to proclaim the mighty works of God. As they proclaimed the power of God, people were converted to Christianity. They also received power to perform mighty works of God. The preaching and doing of God’s word are only fully effective when we learn to lean on the power of God. If we are going to proclaim and demonstrate the Good News of Jesus, then we need to be filled with God’s power. The early church was given the power of the Holy Spirit in order to transform the world. We, too, have the ability to tap into the power of God in order to change the world.
CONCLUSION
The fire and wind of God led to a revolution that transformed ancient Jerusalem and ancient Rome. It reshaped the course of human history over the past 2000 years. They are gifts to the people of God and the church of God. If we can simply learn to understand the gift of the Holy Spirit and learn to participate with it, we too can rethink church and transform the world. As our minds and spirits become more receptive to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, I want to take some time to pray and invite the Spirit of God to fill each of us this morning.
Are you ready to discover the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit?
Let’s Pray.
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