The Fire Within | Acts 2:1-13

Welcome to Sermons from the Way Church KC, a community of licensed saints in Kansas City, following the way of Jesus and pushing back darkness together.

Good morning, everybody.

You all just sat down.

But this will be our portion of time where we'll stand for the reading of the word.

So if you wouldn't stand with me, that'd be great.

We'll be reading out of Acts 2, verse 1 through 13 today.

Acts 2:1–13

And it says, 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 other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

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

When they heard this 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?

Then how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language?

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya, near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts in 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 have had too much wine.

Thank you for standing.

You may be seated.

Amen, amen.

Well, thank you for reading God's Word, Roman.

If we've not gotten the chance to meet yet, my name is Zach.

I'm the lead pastor here at the Way Church KC.

Um we are a church plan to exist to follow the way of Jesus and push back darkness together.

Um that's the mission that we've been on for the past year and a half.

And can I just say it's great to be back on the mound today?

I uh got a couple of weeks out of the pulpit.

And um Richard and Maria have been here for a few weeks and haven't even heard me preach.

So um it's great to be back on the mound.

I um really wanted both Randy and Cole uh to preach, and it just so happened that they were in town back-to-back weekends.

Um, and I think that God had a good word that he spoke through both of them.

Um if you're new here, welcome.

Uh, this is a a place to explore, to ask questions and to grow together.

Uh what I what I say quite frequently, and um I was in Oklahoma this past week and I met with a few different churches, and uh this one pastor he asked me, okay, what what makes what do you believe is is unique about your church?

What makes your church different?

And what I really believe is that it's the family that God is building here.

Um there's, you know, it's it's not the the sermons, although we're going to faithfully preach the word of God.

Um, it's not the worship, although Ashton and the team are anointed worship leaders and musicians.

What I believe is it's the family that God is building here.

Um, people from all walks of life, from every tribe and tongue worshiping the risen Savior together.

Um, today what we're going to be doing is we're going to be jumping back into our series through the book of Acts.

We are going verse by verse through this book.

Um, and our sermon series is entitled Living by the Spirit and Following the Way.

What I think that we see in the book of Acts is the spiritual DNA of the early church.

We see the early Christians, their courage, their conviction.

We see their clarity as they live by the spirit and follow the way of Jesus.

What I really believe, family, is that is that this is our church planting playbook.

It's not about clever strategy.

No, it's simply about the Spirit of God taking ordinary people like you and like me and using them to change the world.

If you've got your Bible this morning, you can go ahead and turn to Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 12.

Acts 2:1–12

And if you don't have a Bible, we'd love to give one to you.

Right outside of the sanctuary doors to your left.

Uh, we have Bibles for you to take, for you to keep, for you to mark up, for you to take home with you, all that fun stuff.

Um, in addition, if you want to take notes on your phone, um on the seats in front of you, there's these little uh stickers where you can tap your phone and it'll bring up our fillable online sermon notes.

So you are welcome to do that as well.

I think that just to zoom out for a second, we we kind of live in a moment where where cultural winds are shifting.

Um at times, I think many of us can feel that the fire of faith is fading in our society.

Um I know for for many um years as I've been following Jesus, I kind of felt as though, yeah, like that that faith, the faithful remnant was waning.

Um but what I'm seeing and believe in the here and now in 2025 Kansas City, I believe that we are seeing the beginning of renewal and revival.

Like I believe that God wants to do something through the church globally, through the church across uh America, and through the Way Church right here in Kansas City.

Um I think that with this, what we see in Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 12, I think that what we're gonna study today reminds us that the Spirit's flame still burns.

Acts 2:1–12

And it's that fire and that fire alone that will sustain our mission.

Roman?

That wasn't you?

Oh man.

So, question.

Have you ever waited for a promise?

Anybody?

Yes.

Come on, we gotta we gotta tune in.

We're the faithful remnant who braved the rain, so we gotta act like it.

So have you ever waited for a promise?

Yes.

Thank you, Keith.

That's got some feedback from Keith up here, even.

So I think about waiting for a promise.

I think back to 2020, and I uh went and purchased an engagement ring, and I had plans to propose to Chelsea.

And then COVID happened.

There was the lockdowns.

So I was just chilling in my we dated long distance the whole time.

I was in Wichita, Chelsea was in Oklahoma City, and we couldn't really see each other.

Like I uh had made this promise to myself, to God.

Chelsea didn't know that I was gonna propose to her, and I was just waiting, waiting for these restrictions to be lifted so I could go see her and propose.

It seemed like it took forever.

Um eventually the lockdowns lifted.

We went down to Tulsa, and um I proposed to her at the Oklahoma aquarium.

It was it was pretty cool.

It was like in front of this uh Caribbean exhibit, and a scuba diver swam up and had a sign and said, Chelsea, will you marry me?

Yeah, yeah, brownie points.

Um she said yes, um, and we're we're married today.

Um but it was waiting on that promise of getting to the engagement.

And then, right, it's waiting on the promise from engagement to marriage, right?

And those few months seems like they took forever.

Now imagine that you were waiting for a promise that could change everything.

Waiting for a promise of a power that is not your own, a presence that is beyond you, a fire within.

That's what's going on with the apostles in this section.

Remember, uh fast or rewind three weeks ago, we talked about the promise that Jesus had left with the apostles, the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

And now it's been about ten days since that time, and they're still waiting.

This longing and anticipation that I felt that maybe you felt as you waited on the promise that you had in your head as I posed that question.

Think about that, multiplied a thousand times over.

That's what the disciples, that's what the apostles were feeling as they waited in the upper room.

They waited for 10 days, like I said, after Jesus' ascension, for the Spirit to come.

And in that 10 days, they weren't strategizing, they weren't trying to manufacture a move of God.

No, they simply prayed.

They simply waited on the Lord.

They didn't run ahead, they waited until heaven came down.

And so today, as we dig in, my hope is that we as a church family are encouraged to do the same.

Here's our big idea for this morning's sermon, our big idea.

When we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can boldly and effectively share the gospel with others, transcending barriers and bringing the message of Christ to the world.

With that, we're gonna look at three things this morning.

First, we're gonna see how the spirit descends equals promise fulfilled.

Secondly, speech transforms equals barriers full.

And thirdly, spectators react, witnesses proclaim.

I'll pray and then we'll dig in.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here today to sit under the preaching of your word, to worship you.

I praise you that you are a good, good father.

I praise you that you sent your Holy Spirit in this section of the text that we'll read today, Lord.

God, as we we prayed before service this morning, I was just struck by the reality that so many men and women have worshiped you in this space, in this sanctuary, Lord.

And God, as we we look at the inauguration of the new covenant today, I'm just again struck by how many faithful witnesses of your gospel have proclaimed the mighty name of Jesus since this time in Acts, since the early church, Lord.

I thank you that we stand on their shoulders, Lord, and I pray that we too can leave a legacy that our children will live in, that our children's children will live in, and that many, many generations here in Rosedale, here in Kansas City, will be changed by our living witnesses, Lord.

Holy Spirit, come.

Would you join us in this room today?

God, thank you for sending your son Jesus.

We love you, we praise you, and it's in the mighty name of Jesus we pray.

And all God's people said, Amen, amen.

Hey, so point number one this morning, Spirit descends, promise fulfilled.

Spirit descends, promise fulfilled.

Acts chapter two, verses one through four.

The word of God says, When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

So, what's going on here in the text?

This is the monumental moment when the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles.

So a little background, a little context.

Pentecost was one of Israel's three pilgrimage feasts.

In this feast, they celebrated both God's provision and in ancient Jewish tradition, they celebrated the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.

So in this feast, Jews from all over the known world gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the giving of the law at Sinai.

And you can see some similarities.

Just as God descended on Sinai with winds, with fire, with covenant words, so now the Holy Spirit descends with winds, with fire, and with gospel proclamation.

In his commentary on Acts, Patrick Shriner notes that Pentecost fulfills Sinai, not by writing law on stone, but by writing it on human hearts.

And this truth is very significant.

This has been prophesied in Jeremiah, it's been prophesied in Ezekiel, it's been prophesied in Joel.

And just to give you a little additional context, Jeremiah 31, 33.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.

I will hear this put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.

Or look at Ezekiel 36, 27.

The word says, And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules.

Or look at Joel, Joel chapter two, verse twenty-eight through twenty-nine.

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions, even on the male and female servants.

In those days I will pour out my spirit.

Do you see the significance here?

Do you see the connection with the Old Testament prophecy?

Do you see how it is being fulfilled before their very eyes here in Acts chapter 2?

Acts 2 · chapter mention

This is significant.

There's a few things that I want us to notice about the Holy Spirit's descending at Pentecost.

First, let's look at like the temporal, the time and space of it.

This moment, it marks the beginning of the eschatological age or the end times age.

God's presence, which had dwelt in the temple and then departed from the temple in Ezekiel's day, it now returns.

Not to a building, but to his very people.

I think in the transition from Acts 1 to 2, we can also see some significance.

We can see some spatial significance.

Chapter 1, if you remember, it was private, right?

It was the apostles just sitting at the feet of the Lord, awaiting his presence, and then chapter 2, God bursts onto the scene in public.

God's presence, it's going global.

It's Acts chapter 1, verse 8, beginning to come to fruition.

Acts 1:8

Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

That's what's going on here.

And another thing that I don't want us to miss is the Trinitarian nature of this section.

The Father, God the Father, he planned Pentecost.

Jesus Christ the Son made it possible through his incarnation and his ascension.

And the Holy Spirit now indwells his people.

That's what's going on here.

We also see this language of wind and fire.

Wind and fire.

Wind, it symbolizes God's creative, life-giving presence.

The wind, it echoes the spirit's role in creation and also the new creation.

Additionally, like fire, it recalls God's self-revelation.

As you look through the Old Testament, you see these significant moments of God sending fire.

You see the burning bush.

You see fire at Mount Sinai.

You see fire in the Elijah story.

Each of those God's self-revelation.

Each of those very real manifestations of God's presence and God's power.

But what's so interesting and what contrasts those Old Testament stories is right here in Acts chapter 2, the fire, it rests on each believer.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It's not resting on a bush, it's not resting on a mountain, it's resting on the believers, thus making them all living temples.

1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16, the word says, Do you not know that you are God's temple?

1 Corinthians 3:16

And that God's Spirit dwells in you?

You, church, are God's temple.

And God's Spirit dwells within you.

I think ultimately, the main thing that we see here is that the power and presence of God now dwells within the believers.

That's the main takeaway that we should pull from this.

This is the promise that they had been waiting for.

This event marks the fulfillment of Jesus' promise.

But even more so, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit now equips Jesus' followers to carry out the mission that he left them with.

So for us, as the way Church KC, we should wrestle with the reality that the Holy Spirit isn't just an accessory for Christian living.

No, the the Holy Spirit is the engine, right?

I think that's a fact for the bride of Christ, for his church.

If we try to do church without him, without the Holy Spirit, we are like a car without an engine.

Anybody ever tried to drive a car without an engine?

I know there's like electric cars nowadays, but like a car without an engine, it won't run.

So church, way church, are we waiting on the Spirit's power?

Are we walking in the Spirit's power?

Or are we just trying to make it work on our own?

I don't know about you guys, but I don't want anything that I'm trying to make work on my own.

The reality for me was when I try to do things on my own and self-will, it ends in failure.

It ends in destruction.

It ends in me falling flat on my face.

If it ain't God, I don't want it.

If it ain't the Spirit's work, I don't want it.

And I think that's like a harsh reality for the church at large in the Western world.

Like, how many times do we, does the church try to strategize its way into a move of God?

That don't work.

Like a church can have all the right programs, a church can have all the right plans on paper, but without spirit empowerment, those numbers, those metrics, those plans, those policies and procedures are just ink.

And what that looks like in practice is our lives being full of activity, yet empty and devoid of the Holy Spirit.

And when we are empty and devoid of the Holy Spirit, there is no gospel fruit.

So I think for us, church, we should actively seek the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

Because the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, it gives us assurance.

We are not powerless.

The same Spirit who empowered Peter, who empowered the apostles, empowers you.

You believe that, Bo?

There is assurance in that.

And this assurance, it provides strength.

Strength to fulfill God's calling on our lives.

So are you walking in the Spirit's power or are you living by your own strength?

But it's not only assurance that provides strength, it's assurance that provides guidance.

Guidance to fulfill God's calling on your life.

As a church plant, like we talk about this a lot, we don't grow, we don't plant by strategy alone.

No, we grow, we plant this church by spirit-empowered mission.

So I think that like for us, it's both an individual and a corporate call.

It's both for you individually as a follower of Christ, and it's a corporate call for us as his body.

This this section of text ends discussing what occurred as they were filled with the Holy Spirit, verse 4.

And they were All filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Which brings us to point number two.

Point two, speech transforms, barriers fall.

Speech transforms, barriers fall.

Chapter two, verses five through eight, the word says, Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in his own language?

So Jerusalem, it was, the text says, filled with devout Jews from every nation under heaven.

And this is significant because it alludes to Isaiah 43, 5 through 7.

Just to read that over you real quick, 43, 5 through 7, the prophet Isaiah writes, Fear not, for I am with you.

I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.

I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, do not withhold.

Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the end of the earth.

Every one who is called by my name, whom I created for glorious for my glory, whom I formed and made.

So what we should see, Acts chapter 2, verse 5, it is fulfilling the prophetic promise that God would regather his people from the four corners of the earth.

Acts 2:5

But there's more.

Not only were there all these devout Jews present, but each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

This is a miracle, right?

But the miracle is not that everyone suddenly spoke Hebrew.

It's actually quite the opposite.

The spirit affirms ethno-linguistic diversity.

In one commentary, the author writes, Pentecost does not impose uniformity, it glories in diversity, destitute of misperception and antagonism.

What this is, family, is a redemption of Babel.

Genesis chapter 11, they're trying to build a tower to reach God, and God scatters their speech.

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

At Babel, language is divided.

But at Pentecost, language is honored yet united in the proclamation of Jesus Christ.

The gospel, it travels in every tongue.

And the spirit here in this text ensures that it's understood.

This is the great reversal of Babel through Jesus Christ.

I think that what we should take from this is that our mission is never about erasing cultural identity.

But about uniting every tribe and tongue under the mighty name of Jesus.

Now, real quick, like just about the gift of tongues in these verses.

What this text shows us is the tongues were real, intelligible languages.

The Spirit gave them supernatural ability for cross-cultural proclamation.

And so, really, what I think that this text is showing us, is highlighting, is that God's mission has always been multi-ethnic and multilingual.

If we only think in terms of people like us, I think that we're completely missing the Holy Spirit's heartbeat.

So ask yourself, who in your life speaks a different language?

Whether like linguistically, whether culturally, whether generationally, whether socially?

Who speaks a different language that God is calling you to reach?

In Kansas City alone, there are over 70 languages spoken in homes.

And Pentecost reminds us that none of those are barriers to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Because the reality is that the Holy Spirit still enables us to speak in ways that others can understand.

Not just linguistically, yes, linguistically, but not just linguistically, emotionally, relationally, and evangelistically.

As I was preparing this message, I think of like Dolly and I's friendship, right?

Like that dude's one of my best friends.

We're from different parts of the world.

I don't know if you guys knew that.

Dolly is from Malawi.

I'm from Oklahoma, right?

Like in every metric of this world, like it shouldn't work.

But by the grace of God, because of Christ in him and Christ in me, he's one of my best friends.

We are united under the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don't speak Chichawa, right?

Dolly, by the grace of God, speaks English, right?

But the Lord has united us.

So ask yourself: are you willing to let the Spirit speak through you even when it's uncomfortable?

For the Spirit to speak through your cultural barriers, through generational gaps, through educational differences, through growing up on different sides of the tracks.

Because all that, like, it's of no match for the Spirit's power.

And so I think that like that's the main crux of this section of text.

But real quick, I want to zoom out and just take a look at the broader picture, the broader scope of what's being discussed specifically in regards to the gifts of the Spirit.

Church, I think that what we see at Pentecost is more than a one-time display of God's power.

Yes, I think that Pentecost was a unique, unrepeatable historical moment.

The Spirit coming in this way, it marks the inauguration of the new covenant age.

That's significant.

There's a song that I think is just like recently released or is coming out talking about like we need another Pentecost.

I don't think that that's the case.

Like Pentecost was a one-time event.

Like I understand the sentiment, right?

We need a fresh move of the Spirit.

Like I think that's great.

But we don't need another new inauguration of the covenant, of the new covenant age.

No, I think that the inauguration of the new covenant age was a one-time event, but I think that here at this church, the pattern of the Spirit's work that we see here continues today.

In Acts 2, the gift of tongues, it was given for the sake of the gospel.

In this specific text, these weren't random syllables, they were real languages understood by the crowd.

And I think that this shows us something significant and something important about all the gifts of the Spirit.

They are given for God's mission and the good of his people.

All of the spiritual gifts are given for God's mission and the good of his people.

This isn't the last time that we'll see the Spirit dispense gifts like this.

Acts chapter 10, Cornelius and other Gentiles receive the Spirit and speak in tongues as a sign that they're fully included in Christ's family.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 19, disciples of John receive the spirit, speak in tongues, and prophesy.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

And then throughout Acts, we see prophecy, healing, discernment, and bold preaching as normal expressions of spirit-filled life.

You know, maybe at a later kind of sermon series, we can look at 1 Corinthians and 12 through 14, how Paul discusses the gifts of the Spirit.

But real quick, just kind of like a highlight, there's a variety of gifts.

That's what 1 Corinthians 12 through 14 tells us teaching, service, leadership, mercy, prophecy, tongues, healing, but one spirit behind them all.

And here's the truth that we should look at.

They are not given to elevate the gifted, they are given to edify the church, to build up the church, and to advance God's kingdom and his mission.

So here's what Acts 2 tells us about the gifts, bro.

They come from the same spirit.

Verse 4.

It's not about talent, but it's about God's empowering.

The gifts of the Spirit, they cross barriers.

They're not meant to build one's platform.

They are meant to build bridges for the gospel.

And ultimately, they point to Jesus Christ.

They proclaim the mighty works of God, as we'll look at here in a second.

Not the greatness of the speaker, not the greatness of any individual Christian.

The gifts of the Spirit proclaim the mighty works of the God of the universe.

Now, I don't think that the Spirit has stopped giving gifts.

They may not always look like tongues of fire for everyone, but every believer here has been gifted by God for something.

For service.

Maybe it's teaching, maybe it's hospitality.

So the question is not if you have a gift.

The question is whether or not you are using it for his glory and the good of his people.

The question is if you are using these gifts to proclaim, as we'll see in point three, the mighty works of God.

Point three, and our last point.

Spectators react, witnesses proclaim.

Spectators react, witnesses proclaim.

Acts chapter two, verses nine through thirteen.

Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontius and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphlia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in their own tongues, here it is, the mighty works of God.

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean?

But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.

So you see all these different people groups being present, and all are hearing each other in their own tongues.

First century Greco-Roman culture, it was full of ecstatic speech and religious experience.

But this here, this was different.

This was truth with clarity.

This was spirit-empowered proclamation, not emotional frenzy.

The author Luke he lists the nations from east to west, paralleling the gospels spread throughout the book of Acts.

And this geographical sort of outlook, it echoes Roman imperial geography.

But what's going on, instead of declaring Caesar's reign, this text, it declares Jesus' reign.

Because there was a stark difference and contrast between the two.

Rome ruled by subjugating, Jesus ruled by saving.

Ruled and rules.

And significantly, next week, what we'll see is Peter standing up boldly, faithfully, not with anger, but with clarity, to explain the hope that was setting these hearts ablaze.

He will stand up and preach to explain the fire that was within them.

That's next week.

You gotta come back next week to hear that.

And what are they speaking?

What are the people speaking?

As everyone's hearing them in their own language.

They're not speaking nonsense.

No, they are telling in their own tongues the mighty, mighty, mighty works of God.

Family, the content of their speech is what is key.

They proclaim God's mighty deeds.

They are pointing to redemptive history, a redemptive history that is centered on Jesus Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Has anybody here proclaimed the mighty works of God in their life?

Amen.

So then you should be able to relate to this.

As often happens when one proclaims the mighty works of God, some are amazed, some are perplexed, and some mock.

Has that been your experience as you've shared the mighty works of God?

Roman, as we were praying this morning, shared about just like the foolishness that it looks like to the world of us following the way of Jesus, getting here at 8 a.m.

for worship rehearsal, for uh planning out the day, for spending time in prayer.

Like so much of this appears foolish to this world.

Roman was sharing with me before service again.

I'm not going to talk, keep talking about you, but I didn't want to share the story.

Um that they were in Michigan with family this past week, and um, you know, Roman's part-time with us, raising his own salary to be our youth pastor, and part-time at the bank.

And there was one person who was significantly more interested in his work at the bank versus his work in ministry.

And that's fine, right?

There's nothing like God works through the marketplace.

I fully believe that.

But Roman going from full-time to part-time at the bank appeared foolish to this person, right?

And that is not the case.

Some are perplexed, some mock.

And I think that that's still the pattern that we see when the spirit moves.

As one commentator notes, even the most profound aspects of the good news are not self-confirming, but can lead to skepticism.

Right?

Because I think what we see is that spirit-filled witness still requires spirit-given explanation.

So are you ready to make a defense and an argument for your faith?

I just think that this is so interesting that some respond with awe and curiosity while others mock.

And I think that this is always the case with gospel witness.

Here's the truth that we can pull from this.

When the Holy Spirit moves, it will inevitably attract attention and provoke questions.

So as we as a church seek the Holy Spirit, family, we should prepare ourselves for such responses.

Do not be surprised when your spirit-shaped life provokes questions.

And do not be surprised when your spirit-shaped life provokes criticism.

Instead, be ready to explain the hope that is within you.

Be ready to share what God's done in your life.

What are the mighty works of God, the mighty deeds of God in your life for me ten years ago, completely lost in the darkness, did not see hope, did not see a future.

But God, in his loving kindness, pulled me out of the muck and the mire and set my feet on solid ground.

And he's done the same for you, and he will continue to do the same for you and so many in this place.

The Spirit's work in you, it is meant to draw people's attention.

But it is not, hear this, it's not meant to draw attention to you, but it is meant to draw attention to Jesus Christ.

Family, if some were mocked on the day of Pentecost, we shouldn't expect universal applause today.

So with that, we should stand firm in our faith.

We should stand firm in our witness.

And we should look to clarity, which is made possible through the Spirit's wisdom and courage.

The Spirit, he equips us, but it also draws others.

As we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, living by the Spirit and following the way of Jesus, others will naturally be drawn through our witness.

Thus inviting everyone to experience the transformative power of Jesus Christ.

Ashton, if you want to come up and close us in song, all kind of lands at the plane.

Family, the fire that fell at Pentecost has never gone out.

It still burns.

Not in a temple, not in a temple made with hands, not in a shrine across the sea, but in ordinary men and women just like you.

Men and women who are redeemed by Christ and filled with his Holy Spirit.

The same spirit who hovered over the waters at creation now hovers over your life.

The same spirit who set Peter ablaze to preach to thousands, as we'll look at next week, is the spirit who can set you ablaze to speak to your neighbor, your coworker, your child, your aunt, your uncle.

Wait, church, this is not simply theory.

This is not nostalgia.

This is reality.

You are not powerless, you are not voiceless, you are not alone.

No, you have the spirit of the living God living within you.

And this spirit of God, it is your assurance when doubt whispers into your ears.

It is your power when weakness overwhelms, and it is your guide when the path is unclear.

It is your boldness when fear tries to silence you.

At Sinai, Mount Sinai, when we what we see in the Old Testament, God's fire came down to dwell with his people.

But at Pentecost, his fire came down to dwell within his people.

And if you are in Christ, you are now his living temple.

You have the Holy Spirit indwelling you.

But hear this: the Holy Spirit's fire is never just to keep you warm.

No, it was given to set you on mission.

We don't want to, as Keith so often says, just be here to sit and soak, right?

We don't want to just sit and soak by the fire.

No, we want to be ignited for mission.

Because a fire that sits still dies out.

But a fire that moves spreads.

So here's the question as we close today.

Will you be content to just warm your hands as you sit and soak by yesterday's embers?

Or will you carry the flame into the darkness?

Will you carry the flame of the Spirit to push back darkness in Rosedale, Kansas City, into the ends of the earth?

What we see in today's text is that Jesus Christ kept his promise.

The Holy Spirit has come.

And now it's our turn to go and tell the mighty works of God.

Not in our own strength, but in his.

Not for our own name, but for his.

And with this, I'm going to kind of challenge you as we leave today.

Would you, I encourage you to pray daily for a fresh filling of the Spirit?

I encourage you to step across cultural, relational, or personal barriers to bear witness to Christ.

And I encourage you to come back next Sunday, ready not just to receive, but to testify to what God has done.

And friend, if you have never experienced this fire within, today can be the day.

Repent, believe, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, and join the great story that God is writing until the nations are gathered, the barriers are gone, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

As usual, I'm down at the front to talk with you and pray with you if you have any questions.

I'll close us in prayer, and then Ashton will close us in song.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here today.

And being here in the room among us.

Thank you for your Holy Spirit that descended at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And that now indwells each of us who have called on the name of the Lord Jesus.

Lord, may the fire within ignite us permission to go out and be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Holy Spirit, come.

We love you, God.

Thank you for sending your son Jesus.

It's in his mighty name that we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks for listening.

Join us Sundays at 10 30 a.m.

in the Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City.

Or find us anytime at the wakeac.church.