It Is Pentecost

We celebrate the birth of Jesus, and most of the world pauses to celebrate Christmas with us.

We celebrate his resurrection, and much of the world recognizes Easter as a

very special day on the calendar.

But just like I said about Ascension Sunday last week, most people don't even

know that today is Pentecost Sunday.

Hardly anyone except Jews and Christians know what this day is.

Yet this day is important to us because Pentecost is the birthday of the church,

and God has given us the wonderful opportunity to be a part of it.

How many of you sent your relatives Happy Pentecost Day cards this week?

I didn't. But anyway, so it's in the second chapter of the book of Acts that

we read about the beginning of the church.

The first chapter tells us of Jesus' meeting with the apostles on the Mount

of Olives and tells them that they are to be his witnesses to all of the world.

He gives them the Great Commission, tells them that they are to go,

and then he tells them in Acts chapter 1 that he's giving them the power and

Acts 1 · chapter mention

authority to go to all of the world, first in Judea and Samaria,

and then the rest of the world.

So he also tells them that they are to wait in Jerusalem until they receive the power from on high.

Then he ascends out of their sight. So they go to Jerusalem,

and they get out on their loudspeakers, and they go on the corners.

No. What did they do?

They went back to Jerusalem and hid.

They waited, and they prayed. And now I want to read the first several verses

of chapter 2 And I want you to listen well as we do.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled

the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues

as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

When they heard the sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,

because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Utterly amazed, they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?

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 hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, what does this mean?

Some, however, made fun of them and said they've had too much wine.

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.

These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning. Now,

In good German, Wisconsin, that might not mean anything, but to them it did.

But it says, no, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy. And then he goes on, and beginning with

these words, he preached about Jesus.

He told them, Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles,

wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge.

And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

That's what we celebrate.

And then listen to verses 36 through 41. He says, Therefore,

let all Israel be assured of this.

God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and

the other apostles, Brothers, what shall 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 promises for you and your

children, and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.

With many words, he warned them and he pleaded with them, save yourselves from

this corrupt generation.

And then those who were accepted his message were baptized and about 3,000 were

added to their number daily.

Or that day. We go on and see how many are added over the period of time,

too, and it just, in a rapid succession,

there are 8,000 to 10,000 people, probably even more, 8,000 to 10,000 that are

recorded as having accepted the message of Christ.

I like the story about two prospectors who found a rich vein of gold in California

during the gold rust days.

They realized what a great discovery they had, and they decided,

we have a really good thing going here as long as no one else finds out about it.

So they took an oath, took a vow to keep silent and keep it secret,

keep their discovery, their amazing discovery, a secret. Sound familiar?

Then they headed for town to file their claim and get the equipment necessary to mine the gold.

True to their vows, they didn't say a word to anyone.

They filed their claim, bought the equipment, loaded it up, and headed back to their mine.

But when they did, a crowd of people followed them.

And the reason was because of the expression on their faces that had given them away.

Their faces were aglow with the anticipation of the wealth that soon would be there.

People knew that they must have found something very special.

So a crowd followed them out of town.

Isn't that the way it should be with us? A famous motivational speaker was once

asked about his most difficult speech.

He answered, well, it was when I was about to speak at a national convention of undertakers.

My topic was to explain to them how to look sad during a $20,000 funeral.

You see, when there's happiness inside, it's hard to keep it from showing.

And then there's the story that Irma Bombeck told about a little boy at church with his mother.

He was with his mother. He was a good little boy, quiet and well-behaved.

He didn't cause any problems. but occasionally he would turn around,

look at the people behind him, and smile at them.

His smile was infectious, and soon those behind him were smiling back at him.

It was all going fine until his mother realized what the little boy was doing.

No, this is not about my mother, just so you know.

And when she did, she grabbed him by the ear, twisted a little bit,

and told him to remember that he was in church.

Then he started sniffling and crying softly, and she said, that's better, that's more like it.

Sad, isn't it? That some have the impression that when we go to church that

it's all doom and gloom and we need to have our best sourpuss face on and that

there is nothing here to bring joy into our lives.

But Pentecost says that the early Christians discovered joy unspeakable in the

church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I'm kind of thinking that when they did, their faces were so changed by

the presence of God that people came around wondering what was going on with this people.

Repeatedly, Paul encouraged his readers with words like, rejoice in the Lord,

rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice.

Pentecost was a once-in-history event when the church was born.

So let me share with you three things that we learn from Pentecost,

and that is because a sermon really isn't a sermon without three points, right?

You It's just not really a sermon. It's not worth the money.

But anyway, first thing is the church was created by God.

We see that God created the church.

That's the most important thing. From the beginning of time before the foundation

of the world, God had in his mind the church.

And he promised that even the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

Now, as we've said before, it's really interesting, that connotation that the

gates of hell would not prevail against it.

The gates of hell, one translation said, would not withstand it.

It means that the church is bombarding the gates of hell in such a way that

we are rescuing those who do not know Jesus.

And we are working with the Holy Spirit to redeem them. So Jesus came into the

world, and after his death, burial, and resurrection, the church is formed.

It began on the day of Pentecost.

Sometimes we act as if we think Peter called a meeting of the apostles at the

local Starbucks and said to them, we're here today to talk about whether or not to start a church.

They discussed that for a little while, and then James made the motion that

they should start a church, And John seconds the motion, and so they voted to

start a church in Jerusalem.

Sounds like what we would do, isn't it? But it didn't happen that way.

Listen again to what the word says.

Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a mighty wind came from where?

Came from heaven. And God started the church.

God brought the church into existence, and it is his church, not ours.

We are just a part of it. It's essential for us to realize that.

I don't know if you remember, but many, many years ago, I mean, I'm that old,

radio stations were running commercials for two major Christian denominations,

and both sets of commercials were saying almost the same thing.

They were advertising for their members to come back to them.

One commercial said that the denomination realized that they had made a mistake.

We drifted away from the foundation upon which the church was built,

and we're now returning.

We're returning back to the Bible. Please come back home again.

That's basically what the commercials were saying.

There's another one built on the Corn Flakes commercial. It says,

try us again for the very first time.

That's basically what the commercials were saying. That's interesting because

for many churches, the temptation has been to look at what the world is doing

and then try to get the church in step with the world.

But that's just as wrong as it can be. You see, God wants the church to proclaim

the truth, be unshakable on the presentation of gospel,

to expect and influence a word with the word of God, which is vibrant and active,

because the church belongs to God.

It is the church. It is God's church, not ours.

Number two, we see that our mission is to communicate the love of God.

This is what was spoken into them when the Spirit filled them,

they began to speak the love of God to all people and tell about Christ.

We see that mission is to communicate that love to a lost and dying world.

What's our mission here? What do we say here?

There you go. Let's say it together. God is on a mission to redeem a lost world

to himself, and he chooses to use us, his chosen people, to accomplish his mission.

The theme of Pentecost, believe it or not, is communication.

It's a message. God filled them with the Holy Spirit to give the message of Jesus Christ.

It's really a shame that the whole idea of speaking in tongues has become such

a controversial issue, because that's not what this was all about.

This was not about speaking of tongues.

When we read about the Pentecost, the truth that comes to the service is God

gave them the gift of tongues for one purpose and one purpose only,

and that was for the purposes of communication to a world, a lost and dying

world, of the need to have a Savior.

They had a problem because people were there from many different nations,

and when you read the list of nations, you realize that a language barrier existed.

Now, I have some business to do for the conference with a Congolese congregation

in Rock Island, and they speak Swahili and I don't.

And so it's very difficult to do that, to have a communication.

We have to have a translator.

But wouldn't it be awesome if God gave me the ability to speak in Swahili just

like that, to be able to communicate them and even know what I was saying? Yeah.

Because God wanted each one of them to hear the message in his own language.

That's how much God loves us. He wants us to hear the message in a way that

will relate to us and speak to us.

He performed a miracle and gave the apostles the gift of tongues or the gift

of languages so they could communicate the message of Jesus Christ to everyone who was there.

Parthians, Medes, Persians, all of those, it says we hear them speaking in our language.

Mission of the church is to communicate the message of God's love and salvation

and transformation. Now, if God wants to give us a miracle to do that, praise him for it.

But today we have translated the Bible into more than 10,000 different languages

and dialects as we're reaching out to win converts all over the world.

You can go into any multi-ethnic Free Methodist church today,

and you'll oftentimes, and most of them, you'll hear the message translated

to every language group that's present.

In fact, at our own annual conference, we have Hispanics,

we have Congolese, we have some from Nepal, and we have translations going on

into all of those so people will hear what's going on at our annual conference in their own ears.

We must do whatever we can, but the mission has never changed.

And the moment you become a Christian, the moment I become a Christian.

God commissions us and me to share his message to all the world.

When God radically transformed me at age 17, the message came to me from the

Father is, this is what I'm doing. I want you, but I want you to share with others.

I didn't even know this, but on the plane ride home from Massachusetts Park,

Colorado, I didn't even know the lady I was sitting next to.

But those around me said that I shared the message of gospel of Christ after

being saved with this lady and led her to Christ in the plane on the way home.

I didn't know I did it, but thanks be to God, God's Spirit works in us and through us.

He wants to fill us and to use us. Do you remember Rockin' Rollin' Stewart?

Anybody know that name? How about if I say the Rainbow Man? Boy,

you guys are not old enough.

So if you've ever watched a sporting event in the 1980s or early 90s,

you most likely would have seen Rockin' Rollin' Stewart.

You could spot him on the television screen with a rainbow colored hairdo and

a sign that read John 316.

He was usually in one of the end zones standing over.

So when the cameras handed over to him, you would see Rockin' Robin share that message.

Rockin' Rollin' is his nickname. His real name was Rollin' Stewart.

His story appeared in People magazine, and it's a fascinating story.

Rollin' Stewart was an alcoholic. He met Christ, accepted him as Savior,

and became a follower of Jesus.

One day, the idea struck him that if he could just get into the major sporting

events and put the word of God before the people, it would be seen by hundreds

of thousands and maybe even millions of people.

So for several years, Rockin' Rollin' Stewart and his wife Margaret and a friend

named William Jaynes lived a very simple life.

They averaged driving 55,000 miles a year in an old beat-up van telling their

story and using the money they collected to buy tickets for major sporting events

to hang out a sheet simply saying, John 3.16.

Now, you'll find that even in days since then, guys like Tim Tebow will put

John 3.16 underneath their eyes as they're playing football.

One must wonder how many tens of thousands have turned to John 3.16 in a Bible,

in a motel or wherever they were, and read these words, For God so loved the

world that he gave his only begotten Son.

And all because of Rockin' Rollin' Stewart. There's more to the story,

but I won't go into that this morning.

But that may not be your thing. But the point is this.

Here's a man who heard God's command to tell the world.

You see, when you and I are saved by the blood of Jesus and added to his family,

then God expects us to do the best we can to communicate that message to a lost and dying world.

That is the mission of the church.

And then thirdly, the goal of the church is to establish a unique fellowship.

Can't you see these early Christians after they first hear the good news about

Jesus? On the day of Pentecost, there are 3,000 new converts,

and they suddenly share something that has never been shared before.

And the first thing they think is, we got to build a big church that can house 3,000 people.

No, they didn't. All of them knew they were guilty. By their sins,

they were guilty of crucifying Christ, because that's what Peter spoke and that's

what infiltrated their hearts.

But now they had repented of their sins. They'd been born again and they'd been

baptized and they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Suddenly, they're a part of a new society.

They've come out of a world of slavery and superstition, of selfishness and greed and dishonesty.

Now they're part of a new fellowship where they can share things about themselves

with others whom they know will listen and be kind and compassionate toward them.

Suddenly, a whole different atmosphere prevailed because there were 3,000 people

who God had forgiven and who were truly born again.

They were starting all over in this life following Jesus.

So no wonder their numbers quickly grew as 5,000 were added to their numbers.

And then the scripture says that people were added daily, those who came to

know Jesus and follow him. The church grew and grew.

More and more people were attracted to them. It was different from anything else in the world.

The church really should always look like that.

Right? Shouldn't it always be in such a way that we are so filled and transformed

by the presence of God that people are drawn to us and they want to know,

brothers and sisters, what must we do to be saved?

How do we get saved from this wretched generation? Most institutions only are

interested in what they can get, but the church is interested in what it can give.

Many will take advantage of you, but the church is where you can come and hear

the truth, be ministered to, and your eternal needs will be met.

We are to be a different kind of people, a unique people, a different culture.

We are to be an oasis in the midst of a desert, a shade tree in a summer day,

a cup of cool water when you're thirsty, a place to know that you won't be rejected,

that you'll be accepted and loved.

Brothers and sisters, we are to be the family of God where everyone is welcome

to come and seek God together.

Pentecost tells us that. The ancient world changed after Pentecost because of

the scriptures and the church's influence on the world.

Wouldn't it be awesome if that were the way it is today?

That Pentecost means for us that we are transformed by the image of Christ,

filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way that we are an influence on the world

instead of the world being an influence on us. Isn't that way it's supposed to be?

I think that's what God would want, don't you?

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we close this service, this Pentecost Sunday service, we ask...

We need a fresh outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit.

We need to hear that rush of a mighty wind that comes from heaven.

We need to be transformed by the fire of God.

And we need to be on mission with you. Would you do that in us, please?