Communicate with Confidence   |   Pentecost Sunday   |   Sunday, June 04, 2006   |   © 2006 Craig Gorc

 

 

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia 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!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine. "

14Then Peter stood up (“stepped forward” NLT) 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. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, 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.
 18Even on my servants, both men and women,
      I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
      and they will prophesy.
 19I will show wonders in the heaven above
      and signs on the earth below,
      blood and fire and billows of smoke.
 20The sun will be turned to darkness
      and the moon to blood
      before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
 21And everyone who calls
      on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[c]

 

I feel honored to be in the pulpit here at CP. I am in my 16th year at CP.

 

I have to tell you my t-ball son yesterday pulled off an unassisted triple play: Caught the fly ball, chased down the runners down on both second and third base who did not tag up before running. Pastor Joe thought we should put out a press release. But since it is only t-ball…

Still, I am very proud of my son for making us look good. I am so blessed by the family that God has given me. My wife had mercy on me and called me out of singleness. Together we have four little people – two of each kind – four mini-me human beings, really. They are nuts: they think the bed is for jumping, the couch is for standing and the floor is for eating and sleeping.

I never could have imagined this – not the craziness, but the life God has given me. By the time I hit my teenage years, I had four dads, one mom, two siblings, one-half sibling, four step-siblings, eight addresses in three states, and half a dozen trips to family court. But as a young twenty-something, God showed his providential forgiveness and mercy to me and saved me. A few years later, while studying the Book of Acts at a mid-week Bible class that met in the church basement taught by a gentleman who sits in this congregation today I received the baptism in the HS. My life has been changed by the grace and Forgiveness of God and by the infilling power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Today is Pentecost Sunday. The reason we put our weeks of missions emphasis at this time on the church calendar is because Pentecost is connected to the kingdom of God coming to earth.  We believe that is the connection that Jesus made when he was asked about the kingdom of God.  By saying “Pentecost” I am not just referring to the historical moment or the biblical feast God commanded in the law.  Those are specific to times and seasons in the biblical plan. I am referring to the active ingredient in Pentecost where God’s spirit is poured out on God’s people to do God’s work and in doing God’s work bring God’s kingdom to earth.

This year is also the Azusa street centennial. Where in the early 1900’s people sensed a growing hunger for a deeper blessing from God that provided supernatural power as well as purity. A Bible school in Topeka Kansas lead by a man named Charles Parham, laid aside their commentaries and notes and waited on the Lord. After three days a dozen of the students had spoken in tongues. They quickly spread the word of this experience that was fully bible based. In early 1906, a black man, named William Seymor was among those who heard the message and began to preach it. He lead a small bible study and prayer meeting that soon outgrew the house and was moved to 312 Azusa Street, where for the next three years there were meetings beginning at 10am and running all day, sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning. [1]

 

When the worship dynamic is this vital and when those immersed in the spirit was so transforming, those touched by the spirit could no longer sit still. They began to carry the message first to their neighbors, then to the nations. Within four months of the revival’s inception, newly empowered evangelists had left the mission and spread out across the nation. And within 8 months, missionaries were on the ground in Mexico, Liberia, and India.

 

Still – a few decades after the Azusa Street outpouring, (in 1950) 95% of Americans practiced the religion of their parents – 75% of which attended services weekly. Today one out of six adults will change religions. Personal relationship with Jesus is being replaced with personal spirituality. Christianity has become just one of many of the choices. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (better known as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) explained her spirituality like this: “I consider myself a spiritual person…I believe in an idea of god, although it’s my own personal idea. I find most religions interesting, and I’ve been to every kind of denomination: Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist. I’ve taken bits from everything and customized it.”[2]

 

Christianity is hardly gone, it is considered just one option on the menu of spiritual choices.

 

Back to the text: In the second book written by Luke – the Books of Acts – we read of the promised endowment with power Jesus spoke of waiting for the disciples following his return to the Father. The number of Jesus followers in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost was about the size of the average Assemblies of God church today. They represented the sum total of three years of teaching, miracles, and personal discipleship by the Son of God. Then 3,000 people were brought into the kingdom following Peter’s first witnessing opportunity following the outpoured spirit.

 

In Simon Peter, we see the sovereignty by which God chooses us. Peter was a fisherman. He learned to have confidence to communicate and articulate his faith. He never had any formal speech training. It was merely reliance upon the spirit of God and allowing God to shape and mold his life.

 

The closer we are to Jesus the more we share his heart and the better we communicate Jesus heart to lost people, that’s what the baptism of the spirit is all about.

 

Acts 2:14 tells us that Peter stood up, stepped forward and lead people into a closer understanding of Jesus. And that is what Pentecost should be for us as well, a closer intimacy with Jesus and an empowering with the spirit of God that gives us a confidence to communicate.

 

The infilling of the spirit gives us confidence to communicate Christ even in the face of personal challenges:

§     Peter could have let who he was – a fisherman –  hinder him, Fishermen smell bad and do things you don’t talk about. He was not a refined person. And not a Bible school educated man. He was not trained or prepared for “ministry”, he could have told himself, that he was not qualified. But he did not. I can see Peter, sitting around with the others of those in the upper room that day, saying, “what just happened…?” But sitting around and talking about the great service they just had was not for him, he had to let others know that even though he was just a fisherman, he was changed by Jesus and he had a story to tell.

§     Peter did not let controversy over his relationship with Jesus or other peoples misunderstanding of his recent experience with the HS deter him. Peter approached the very people who were mocking what God has done. It seems that people who do not understand will tend to marginalize your personal and meaningful experiences. You come out of the best church service in your life and people who do not share your faith (and sometimes those who do) talk to you like you are stinking drunk! You may have people at work who do not understand Christianity say things to other people you were hoping to introduce to Christ. Through the power of the spirit you can still stand up, step forward and have confidence to communicate – even to those who do not understand.

§     Peter did not let his previous failure with Jesus stop him – most people when they experience a failure, just stop. It’s too painful, too embarrassing, too conspicuous.  Maybe you felt the urge to tell someone about Jesus, or invite them to church, or  to bring the topic up over coffee or at lunch. But we chickened out and felt like WE crucified Jesus! Who has ever felt that way? But how many people can say that they denied Jesus personally – literally to his face? And not just any denial, it was a girl – a little girl! It was like looking Jesus in the face and saying, “this man does not exist!”. And the memory of this denial haunted him, just like is haunts us. However even a denying failure is not a match for the wind of the Spirit. When Jesus is alive in you, and there is a growing passion for him, you will know his grace and forgiveness for yourself and you will be better able to communicate it to others.

 

I have a real like example of what the outcome of this looks like on video for you today.

Eric and Carrie Olson live in a cul-de-sac. Their goal is to reach all eight people in the cul-de-sac for the Lord

 

I want to have you respond to the Lord in worship and him and by taking this opportunity to do what Peter did, stand up, step forward.

If you have never been baptized in the Holy Spirit and would like to ask the Holy Spirit to come fill you, I will ask you to stand up; if you have wanted to introduce people to Jesus but were hindered because of past failures that make you feel disqualified, I want you to be prepared to stand up; if you have let who you are (not college educated, not a “pastor” or paid “minister”) keep you from speaking to others, you too stand up.