Pentecostal Purpose And Power
Pentecostal Purpose And Power
Acts 1
Pastor Barry Kerner
Heavenly Father, how I thank You that by faith in the Lord Jesus, Your Holy Spirit has made me alive in Him and placed me into the family of God and the Body of Christ.
Thank You, that He has set His seal of ownership upon me and taken up residence within my heart, so as to empower me in my spiritual walk, as He gradually transforms me in to the lovely likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I pray that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide me in all things, and that I would learn to listen to the gentle promptings of His voice, as I read Your Word or commune with You in prayer. Give me grace to recognize His still small voice as I search though the scriptures each day and the wisdom to discern Your spiritual nudges, when godly Christians are prompted to offer direction and give me advice. May I maintain an open heart and develop a teachable spirit, and I pray that I may walk in Your ways and live a life that is well pleasing to You, and glorify my Father in heaven. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen
Today we celebrate the Birthday of the Church -Pentecost.
Pentecost, also called Whitsunday or White Sunday is one of the three major holidays of the church. The most important being Easter, followed by Christmas, and Pentecost. Pentecost is celebrated on the Sunday that falls on the 50th day of Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ, and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world.
The 120 Disciples, who were gathered together in prayer, were infilled with the Holy Spirit and given supernatural power for living and for fulfilling the great commission given to them by their Lord, Jesus Christ. Their charge is found in Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Subsequently they were told to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power which would enable them to fulfill this great task.
Their time of waiting coincided with the Jewish Feast of Shavuot also known as Pentecost. The Jewish feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) was one of the three pilgrimage festivals of Israel. Hundreds of thousands of people would have been present in Jerusalem for the religious holiday. The feast was primarily a thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, but it was later associated with a remembrance of the Law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The church’s transformation of the Jewish feast to a Christian festival was thus related to the belief that the gift of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus was the firstfruits of a new dispensation that fulfilled and succeeded the old dispensation of the Law.
When the festival was first celebrated in the Christian church is not known, but it was mentioned in a work from the Eastern church, the Epistola Apostolorum, in the 2nd century. In the 3rd century it was mentioned by Origen, theologian and head of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and by Tertullian, Christian priest and writer of Carthage.
In the early church, Christians often referred to the entire 50-day period beginning with Easter as Pentecost. Baptism was administered both at the beginning (Easter) and end (the day of Pentecost) of the Paschal season. Eventually, Pentecost became a more popular time for baptism than Easter in northern Europe, and in England the feast was commonly called White Sunday (Whitsunday) for the special white garments worn by the newly baptized. In The First Prayer Book of Edward VI (1549), the feast was officially called Whitsunday, and this name has continued in Anglican churches. In Catholic and other Western churches, priests often wear red vestments during Pentecost to symbolize the “tongues of fire” that descended on the disciples from the Holy Spirit; members of some congregations also wear red in some traditions, and the altar or platform is often dressed in a red cloth.
The word “ Pentecost” means fiftieth and designates the 50th day after Passover, which was a Feast Day. Also known as the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Feast of Harvest.
It was on this day, in the Book of Acts, that the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 Followers of Christ who were gathered in an Upper Room in Jerusalem. It was on this day that the Church was born in a Blaze of Glory.
Some Time ago I read a statement of Dr. Jerry Vines, former President of the Southern Baptist Churches. He wrote, “It said that The Average Christian And The Average Church are Somewhere Bogged Down Between Calvary and Pentecost. They have been to Calvary for Pardon, but they Have Not Been to Pentecost For Power. Bethlehem means God With Us. Calvary means God For Us. But Pentecost means God In Us.”
I believe that the average Christian is much like the Ephesians believers when the Apostle Paul came to them in Acts 19:2 and said to them – “Did You Receive The Holy Spirit When You Believed?” They Replied that they didn’t even know that there was a Holy Spirit. Many Christians do not understand the role of the Holy Spirit and they have not appropriated the power of the Holy Spirit in their own personal life.
- B. Phillips, who gave us the familiar paraphrase of the New Testament, wrote , “What we need today is again the wind and the flame of Pentecost.”
One Baptist Preacher said, “Pentecost is not a denomination, but is an experience every blood – bought child of God should receive.”
We are privileged to live in a generation when God is again pouring out His Spirit in a mighty way. The Rain of the Holy Spirit though is falling on the hard-packed, dry, religious ground of our day. We need to pray that that ground, hearts, will be softened to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This will bring sweet refreshing to weary-hearted Christians and help prepare the precious fruit of the earth for harvest.
In Peter’s sermon found in Acts 2:38-39 Peter told the crowd, “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 promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
In effect he said this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not a special blessing for a special few in a special age. The Holy Spirit is available to all who been redeemed. Many of us have allowed the devil and religious tradition to rob us of the power of God. The promise of the Holy Spirit is for all people who receive the call to repentance. Since God is still calling men to unto Salvation, THE PROMISE IS GOOD NOW!!!
Dr. John R. Rice, the famous fundamentalist Baptist preacher, said, “There is an experience after Salvation, called the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. All Saved people do have the Holy Spirit. When someone is saved, the Holy Spirit puts him into the Body of Christ. But besides that, Christians ought to be filled with the Holy Spirit and special soul-winning power. Saved people are not always filled with the Holy Spirit, They ought to be, and can be, but many are not.“
The Promise of Pentecost was The Pouring Out of the Holy Spirit upon all Flesh, both Men and Women. In Luke 24:49 Jesus said, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a definite and distinct experience. A Christian will know whether he has received the Spirit or not.
Ten days after Jesus ascended into Heaven He sent the blessed promise of the Father and the faithful ones who had obeyed and waited in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter’s Sermon Declared, “This is it!!!” This is the fulfillment of the promise!
God had a purpose behind giving the Holy Spirit to believers. One word portrays the purpose of Pentecost – “HARVEST.” Harvest is at the Heart of Pentecost!!!
Joel 2:23-25 tells us, “Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you– The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”
Two things were necessary for Israel’s harvest. First, early (former) rain, prepared the soil for the planting at Seed-time. Second, the latter rain matured the crop for harvest.
Joel 3:9 tells us, “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles…” verse 12 says, “Let the heathen be wakened…” Verse 13, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full…” and verse 14, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision…”
It’s Time to Reap the Harvest!!! The Rain of the Holy Spirit is preparing the Fruit of the earth for the Harvest. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter cast the net and 3,000 souls got saved and came into the Kingdom.
God Has Not Given Us The Holy Spirit To Enjoy Alone, While The World Around Us Rushes On Toward Hell. WE DARE NOT FORGET THE NEEDS OF LOST PEOPLE, The People God Loves, The People Christ Died For, The People Christ Commanded Us to Evangelize.
There may be little time left! When are we going to wake up, forget our silly religious games and fulfill the commission Christ has given us? Souls are hanging in the balance. Some will fall and topple into hell unless we go in the power of the Holy Spirit and rescue them.
Pentecost is about POWER! In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples and us, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
That power is available for all believers today. The modern day church though, for the most part, has lost the power Of God. Today, most churches are nothing more than social clubs. They’re civic organizations with a religious flavoring. Just like Samson in the Bible, They don’t know that the Spirit of God has left them. They still have the form of Religion but have no power. Samson laid his head in Delilah’s lap. He Lost his power with God and could do nothing but live a defeated life. He was blind, he was bound, and he was powerless.
Religious tradition robs people and churches of the Power of God and leaves them powerless struggling along in weakness and defeat. They are blinded by the Devil, Bound up in Mickey Mouse Religion, Worst thing is they don’t even know it.!!!
But can do a new thing! There can be revival! Our churches filled with dry bones can live again! Consider these three major Powers of Pentecost:
First, there’s WORSHIPPING POWER. The Holy Spirit will help you to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth. The chief aim of man is to worship God. But the Devil has deceived people concerning worship. Many go to church and sit in a cold pew. They stare at the back of someone’s head and barely whisper as they pretend to sing a hymn. They then listen to a 15 or 20 minute message about some religious theme that means nothing to them. They struggle to stay awake, and still call it worship. They are just a spectator, simply an observer. Real worship demands participation. The Holy Spirit will help you to worship God in the Spirit. He will help you lift your soul to God and touch His heart with your heart.
Second, there’s WARNING POWER. The Holy Spirit will help you warn people of the dangers of hell and the Lake of Fire. How in the world can people claim to love God and serve God when they have no concern for the lost people around them? If the Holy Spirit is living in you and working through you, you won’t be able to sit still while the lost are dying around you. You will have a burning desire to participate in the harvest. A yearning to go and warn people about sin, judgment and the reality of Hell and eternal separation from God. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, There will be a holy drive within you to point people to Christ so they can be delivered and set free.
If your neighbor’s house was on fire, would you just sit back and have a word of prayer for them? Would you just fold your hands and quietly Say, “Lord wake them up before they lose everything and perish in those flames?” No! Of course not! Out of love for and respect for life, you would go warn them and Say, “Get Out, You are in Danger of Perishing, Come to Safety while you Can!!!” In the same way, out of respect for Christ who died for them, and out of love for lost people, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit –filled Christian warns the lost.
Third, there’s WITNESSING POWER. In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His disciples and us the purpose for the power when He said, “ you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can be a fearless, flaming witness for Christ instead of being weak, vacillating, and scared of standing up for Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit will give you BOLDNESS, CONFIDENCE, and COURAGE to witness for Christ and share your faith with others.
I have to ask, “Have You Received Your Pentecost?” In Acts 2:38, Peter said, “The Promise is unto you.” If you are a Christian, if you are saved, The gift of the Holy Spirit is for you! Jesus is God’s special gift for the world, for the sinner, For God so Loved the World that He gave His Only Son … The Holy Spirit is God’s special gift for the Christian. Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” Receiving Jesus will give you power to be a child of God. Receiving the Holy Spirit will give you power to serve Christ by being His anointed witness.
Let Us Not Be Satisfied Until We Receive the Promise. Let us Reach out with arms open wide in Faith, and Say, Yes Lord, I take what you give, Fill me with the Holy Spirit!
Let us pray.
Thank You, Father, for the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Who testifies with our spirit that we are Your children.
Thank You for His ongoing work within each one of our lives, and thank You that He has quickened us from the dead, established us in Christ, sealed us in Him, placed us into His body and is skillfully building us up as living stones into a holy temple in the Lord.
Thank You, Father, that Your Spirit teaches us all things, guides us into all truth, is able to purify our hearts and cleanses our minds, when we hand every thought captive to Him, in willing surrender.
Lord, I thank You that no matter what difficulties and dangers flood our hearts and invade our lives, there is nothing that can separate us from Your love and grace.
Give us I pray, that sufficient strength that You have promised to all your children who are facing problems and danger, and let us never forget that greater is He that is indwelling each of Your children than the enemy that is in the world. Endue us with spiritual strength and fortitude as we face the future, strong in the knowledge that we have a heavenly home, secured for us in heaven.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.