The
time of Pentecost had come, which ended the Spring Festival Season, and that
celebration took place every year 50 days after the Passover. Many people were still
crowding the streets of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices as required by the law
for the Feast of the Harvest and also to give thanks to God for their bounty.
But the eleven followers of Christ, along with the women and the brothers of
Jesus had been huddled in the upper room where they had been staying for days,
praying and waiting.
During this time they had chosen a replacement for Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, to be a part of the inner circle of Apostles, and this man’s name was Matthais. Altogether there were about 120 disciples present, now waiting for the promise that Jesus had given them just before He was taken into Heaven. He said, “But 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.” (Acts 1:8)
And you know the story from there…the Holy Spirit came and appeared as tongues of fire above each of them and they all began speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave utterance.
Now the amazing thing was not so much the languages that were being spoken, but the fact that all the people who were in the city for the holiday heard them speak in their own languages wherever they came from, and they knew that these men and women were all from Galilee, yet the languages which they heard were from their own countries.
But the fascinating thing about this story was not so much the languages that were spoken and heard by those in attendance, but the amazing thing is what happened to each and every person who was filled with the Holy Spirit that day.
It was just as Jesus had promised before He ascended to Heaven. He didn’t promise a language…we read in Acts 1:8 that what Jesus promised them was POWER to be witnesses! This is the reason that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit…so that they would have the ability to do the things that He had already told them to do.
He had already given them specific instructions to “Go and Preach the Gospel” and He knew that it would be impossible for them to do that unless they had received supernatural power from the Holy Spirit. THAT is the purpose that He sent the Holy Spirit to fill them.
And then He went on further to tell them what would happen once they did receive this power from above. These should be the results of the infilling of the Holy Spirit:
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:16-18)
My question for you tonight Friends is this, what has happened to these signs? What has happened to this power?
Today we sit around and debate whether these signs are intended for us to experience today. Understand, I am not saying here that the signs are the evidence that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. No…Jesus told us what the evidence is…the evidence is the power that we receive from the Holy Spirit to go and proclaim the gospel. We receive boldness and the ability to carry out the work that Jesus has commissioned us to do.
Remember impulsive, impetuous Peter? Whenever Jesus suggested he should do something…off Peter would run, but he always made a mess of things. I used to be that way too, because I would try to take things into my own hands and do things in my own power. But then I finally came to this realization…
In my power, I am not capable of doing anything of any spiritual significance, and the same was true of Peter…and Friends, I want to tell you tonight that the same is also true of you. You are not capable of doing anything of value for the Kingdom of God without the power of the Holy Spirit. But when you ARE endued with Power from On High…now that becomes a whole different story!
That’s why Jesus said that when we believe and the Holy Spirit takes control, things should begin to happen…suddenly you find that you absolutely need to tell people about Jesus and to share the gospel with them.
It becomes a compelling force in your heart. And when you do that and you begin to care about the eternal souls of your family and friends, you will pray for them and you will make sure they know the Gospel, and you will begin to see results take place. And when the Holy Spirit begins to send you to talk to certain people, you overcome the fear of failure, and you move out in the power given to you by the Holy Spirit because of a strong desire to be obedient to God. And when you open your mouth, you find that He begins to work through you. It’s an awesome thing when the Holy Spirit is present to empower you to preach the gospel, and the results can be phenomenal.
There are people who question whether these signs that are mentioned in this scripture are even relevant for us today. Some say they were only intended for the early Church and no longer exist. Well, that’s not what Jesus said. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)
That doesn’t mean that we are so great…that means that HE is so great, and He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to continue the works that He began on the earth. And along with the power, He also gives us all the tools we need to get the job done.
Yes, with the Holy Spirit working through us, we can see broken bodies healed, we can see devils cast out, we can see people speaking with new tongues, and we can see miracles in our time. It was the norm in the early church, and it should also be the norm in our time too. When the Holy Spirit is present, anything is possible, and as Spirit-filled Believers, we should be experiencing new power to get the job done.
Now, for those of you who are shaking your heads, saying “No, this is not right”, I will agree with you in this point; much of what I have seen that was attributed to the “filling of the Holy Spirit” was done in the flesh, and this is WRONG!! Much of what is supposedly done in the power of the Holy Spirit has been hype and done in arrogance, and did not bring glory and honor to God at all, but rather shame to the Name of Christ. I too have seen the counterfeits, and I too hate it. There have been a number of times when I have walked out of services because it became very obvious that the “flesh” was in control and not the Spirit. I have seen many “prophets” who did not hear from the Spirit of God, and He was not directing the words that they were speaking. And it upsets me too. But God is the One Who will deal with all that.
However, just because there are some people who misuse and abuse His anointing and pretend that what they have is from God, and just because some people use it for their own personal purposes, that does not negate the Truth of God’s Word. The important thing is to remember that Jesus PROMISED that these things will occur, and we should expect them to…for real!
And Jesus also told us the reason for it all…“that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” It doesn’t matter what denomination you belong to or what theology you adhere to, if the Bible says it (and it does) then I proclaim to you that it is the Truth.
Pentecost is not a denomination, it was simply the time the Israelites celebrated the Festival of the Harvest, and it came 50 days after the Passover. And that was the day when God chose to send His Holy Spirit to empower ALL the Church to fulfill its mission on the earth.
So let me ask you…have you received the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life? His power is yours for the asking….but first you must be born-again.
But for those of you who HAVE been born-again, I want to pray with you that you will be empowered from on-high to fulfill the command of Jesus to Go and Preach the Gospel. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will begin to see a change in your life. So if that is your desire, I’d like to pray with you now. Bow your head with me and let’s pray.
Father, if anybody ever needed Your Power to do what you desire for them
to do, I certainly need that power. I need the abilities, I need boldness to
tell my friends and my family and my neighbors and my co-workers that Jesus
saves! I need the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons and to
lay hands on the sick and to know that you are still in the miracle working
business. I need to have assurance in my heart that You will do everything that
You said You will do. I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life so that I
can bring glory and honor to YOU! Please Father, I’m asking You to fill me with
Your Spirit so that I can do those things that You have called me to do. I love
you and I thank you Lord…in Jesus’ Name…Amen
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