The Birthday of the Church

Acts 2: 1 – 21.

Introduction.

Today is a day Baptists like us don’t spend a lot of time talking about. It is the Day of Pentecost. For some reason, we are afraid of Pentecost. It is the day when Jesus fulfilled his promise to his disciples to send the Holy Spirit to them. It is the day when God fulfilled his Old Testament promise to “pour out his spirit on all flesh,” both men and women, both Jews and Gentiles, everyone who professes Jesus as their Lord.

Pentecost marks the first time when the Holy Spirit was given to all of God’s people. And, as a result, the first church was born. The church did not create the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit created the church. Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no church.

There is a connection between God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

Read Acts 2: 1 – 21.

1 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.'

(NIV)

This is the story of the first Christian Pentecost. The reason I say “Christian Pentecost” is because Pentecost was already a Jewish holiday. The word “Pentecost” means “fiftieth day,” and this was a feast celebrated fifty days after the Passover.

There were two reasons for setting aside the fiftieth day after Passover for a feast and festival. First, this fiftieth day marked the end of the Spring harvest. All the crops had been gathered, and this was a good time to take a break. But, it was also the time when all Jewish families would divide out one tenth of their harvest and bring it to the Temple in Jerusalem as a “first-fruit” offering to God. Secondly, later Jewish tradition associated Pentecost as the day when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. However, this religious understanding of Pentecost does not show up in any written form until three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, I don’t think we need to make any comparisons between Moses receiving the Law and the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit.

We only focus on Pentecost as a Christian event, because we are more familiar with the Jewish Pentecost by a different name. It is also called the Festival of Weeks. This name derives from the Jewish method of calculating the date for Pentecost. Pentecost occurs seven weeks—or seven Sabbaths—after the Passover.

The most significant part of Pentecost as a Jewish festival, is the way it explains why so many people were present to witness this miracle. They were Jewish people, living in faraway places, who had come to Jerusalem on religious pilgrimages to make offerings in the Temple. This was a highly strategic moment for the Holy Spirit to come and manifest God’s power.

The Right Place at the Right Time.

I believe the story of Pentecost makes a very bold statement about Jesus’ intentions for the disciples to become the new people of God. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, we read about a man named Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob / Israel had 12 sons. These 12 sons became the ancestors for the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus came preaching about the coming Kingdom of God, it was important for him to name 12 disciples. Why did Jesus select 12 disciples? Because the number 12 is symbolic for God’s chosen people! One of the 12 disciples—Judas Iscariot—hanged himself. This left only 11 disciples. So, in Acts 1, the 11 disciples recognized the significance of the number 12, and appointed Matthias as the 12^th disciple to take the place of Judas.

Of course, there were more than just 12 followers of Jesus at this time. Luke tells us in Acts 1: 15 that the total number of Christian men and women was 120! Again, I find this significant that this number is a multiple of 12. 120 believers = 12 disciples multiplied by 10. The number 12 symbolizes the People of God. The number 10 is a number that symbolizes “completion.” Therefore, to say that there were 120 believers gathered is the same thing as saying the “complete People of God” were gathered.

You might think I am a little off the subject at this point, talking about the disciples representing the People of God. However, this is significant! Who do you think received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost? It was not the 12 disciples! It was the “complete People of God.” Everyone who had faith in Jesus received the Holy Spirit. Everyone who had gathered together with the disciples that day received the Holy Spirit. When we talk about the Holy Spirit, we need to keep in mind that this is NOT a gift God gives to only certain people. The Holy Spirit is NOT the result of a higher level of faith or a “second blessing.” NO! The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all men and women who place their faith in Jesus.

In Acts 2: 1, we find the complete People of God “together in one place.” This tells us two things about the church. First, they were united spiritually. Second, they were in one place, or location.

I might use this as an opportunity to tell you how important it is for all of God’s People to be united spiritually. But I actually prefer to tell you this is a good Scripture to show you how important it is for you to come to church. Everyone was there. The complete People of God gathered in one place, and God showed up. God showed up in a brand new way. But, how did we get to this point?

Acts 1, gives us a couple of important details about what led up to the day of Pentecost. Jesus gathered his 11 remaining disciples on the Mount of Olives. He reminded them of everything he had previously taught them about the Kingdom of God. Then, Jesus gave them instructions about what to do next. Get ready for this, because I know you will not like what Jesus had to say. He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but WAIT for the gift my Father promised…”

God’s plan was to form the church. But, the Holy Spirit creates the church. Therefore, the disciples had to wait.

It must have been hard for the disciples to wait. Surely they were ready to start doing something. But that is not what Jesus told them to do. He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit.

I want to draw two conclusions from Jesus’ instructions to his disciples. I think these two conclusions apply to us today as well. I think they apply to us, because we are a part of the complete People of God.

First, the Holy Spirit comes on the church in powerful ways when the church is OBEDIENT to God’s commands. The disciples were originally from many different walks of life. They had several different occupations. We know that several came from different home towns. What would have happened if the disciples had listened to Jesus’ instructions, watched him ascend into heaven, then gone back to their regular lives before they met Jesus? What if Peter, James, John and Andrew had gone back to a life of fishing? What if Matthew had resumed his work as a Roman tax collector? What if Philip had gone back to his fig tree?

I believe the Holy Spirit would have still been poured out on all God’s People. After all, this is the fulfillment of all Jesus taught his disciples as well as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy found in the book of Joel. Yes, the Holy Spirit would have come. BUT, the church would have missed out on a strategic and rare opportunity to begin spreading the Gospel message of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Because the church obeyed what Jesus instructed them to do, they had an opportunity to preach to Jewish men and women from all over the known world when they gathered in Jerusalem for a religious festival. Disobedience would have been a tragic mistake!

What kind of mistake might we make in Lufkin, Texas? If we are not obedient to the Lord’s commands, we too will miss out on God’s strategy to reach the world with the Gospel message.

God Has a Job for Us.

The second conclusion I can draw from Jesus’ command to the church is that God has given us a specific job to do, AND God has given us the power to accomplish his work! Yes, it would have been tragic for the disciples to return home and go back to their regular lives before they met Jesus. But, it would have also been a mistake for them to try to do God’s work before they received the Holy Spirit.

The job Jesus gave his disciples is the same job he gives us today. In Acts 1: 8, Jesus said: “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.” Just like the disciples in Acts 1 and 2, Jesus has called us to be his witnesses. It is our job as Christian men and women in the Twenty-First Century to keep witnessing to the people of Lufkin, Texas and the United States of America, and the ends of the earth. But we cannot do this on our own power and abilities. We need God’s power. We need the Holy Spirit.

I read a story this week that is supposed to be a true story…A couple from a jungle in Africa arrived in Kingston, Ontario, and were given a fully equipped home to live in. They were handed the keys, but no one thought of explaining about the electrical appliances. During the month of July they went to bed when it got dark and rose with the sun. They collected wood and were able to cook in the fireplace. They found water came from the taps, and they did their washing in the kitchen, and dried their clothes on the line.

But by November they were cold, miserable and very frightened. Happily some friends came to visit, found the house in darkness and they flicked on the lights. They showed the couple how they could set the thermostat to heat the house and use the electric stove for cooking.

The next week they learned about the washer and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, how to answer the telephone and dial their friends. The television helped them find out about Canada, and how people survived the Canadian winter.

That story illustrates the huge change that took place on the Day of Pentecost. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a mighty wind and it filled the entire house” (Acts 2:2). The couple from Africa discovered that they were living in a house in which they were free to enjoy light, and heat, and the many appliances needed for the Canadian winter. But the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day had never told people all that God had for them. On the Day of Pentecost the early Christians began to experience the light and power available to them by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Robert Brow, “Electricity: A parable for Pentecost,” June 8, 2003, Model Theology Web Page, http://brow.on.ca/Sermons/Electric.htm.

Many of us have God’s Power at our disposal, but we do not “turn on the lights.” We live miserable and powerless lives, because we do not access the power God has given us. Our lives are just like the African couple in the story, if we do not pray.

What do you think would happen in our church and in Lufkin, Texas if we would just access God’s Power? What would happen if we prayed something like this, “Lord, send a revival. Begin in my life. Then, transform my church and the city of Lufkin?” That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s dangerous, because God wants you to pray it. AND, because God will answer that prayer.

Inside Out.

In the story of Pentecost, there are two things that changed. First, the most obvious change was the number of people who placed their faith in Jesus. In Acts 1, we read about Jesus’ speaking with 11 men. These 11 men chose Matthias to become one of them, so they grew from 11 to 12. Then, the 12 gathered together with 120 men and women—the complete People of God. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the complete People of God, the church exploded. The 120 grew to be over 3000! That is a big change in a short amount of time.

But there is another change that might not be as obvious to you. The church changed their focus.

In Acts 2: 1, the church was gathered “in one place.” Luke does not tell us where this “one place” was, but there have been several suggestions made. Some people think they were gathered in a common area of the Jerusalem Temple. Others think the church was gathered in the “Upper Room”—the place where Jesus and his disciples had shared the Last Supper on the Day of Passover. This is where I think they were gathered, because it makes sense to me by comparing Acts 1 and 2 with John 20.

It doesn’t really matter where they were. What matters is that the complete People of God were gathered in a place where only Christians were present. They were worshipping God; they were praying together; and they were probably reviewing all the things Jesus had taught them before his ascension. Does this sound familiar? That is what we are doing this morning! We have come together in a place where only Christians are present. We are worshipping God, praying and reviewing our Bibles.

But these people did not stay inside the walls of the church! When the Holy Spirit was poured out, the people of Jerusalem heard a sound that reminded them of a roaring wind. It sounded like an East Texas tornado. When the people followed the sound, they found that it was coming from the church. THAT is the exact moment when the Christians got out of the church and started preaching the Gospel to lost people. The Holy Spirit turned the church “inside-out.”

If we are going to fulfill our God-given responsibility to spread the Gospel of Jesus and to be witnesses in Lufkin, Texas, then we need to get out of the church. We need the Holy Spirit to turn our church “inside-out!”

Conclusion: The Miracles of Pentecost.

When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church that day, at least three miracles took place.

Most people focus on the disciples’ speaking in tongues. Some say the miracle of Pentecost is the gift of speaking in tongues. But, notice that 3000 people heard and understood the Gospel in their own native languages. This leads some people to say the miracle of Pentecost is a miracle of understanding, since the disciples were obviously not speaking in ecstatic utterances. They were speaking real languages which could be understood by non-Christians. I disagree with both of these interpretations!

In my interpretation, the first miracle of Pentecost is the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel was preached in languages understood by the people. But the Gospel was also preached in a way people could respond and be saved!

The second miracle was the way the “complete people of God” stopped thinking about themselves. They were more concerned about the needs outside of the church than the needs inside the church.

The third miracle was the birth of the church. The “complete people of God” received the power and presence of God to do God’s work outside the walls of the church.