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"The Pentecost Surprise" Acts 2:1-11

by Clancy Nixon

Church of the Holy Spirit

Ashburn, Virginia

June 4, 2006 Pentecost Sunday

www.holyspiritanglican.org

Since it's Pentecost, I'd like to begin this way, [singing]:

What kind of church is this?

A sanctified church!

What kind of church is this?

A sanctified church!

What kind of church is this?

A sanctified church!

It's a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, tongue-talking, Holy Ghost sanctified church!

Now I'd like you to join me in a call and response:

What kind of church is this? [Hand to ear]

A sanctified church!

What kind of church is this?

A sanctified church!

What kind of church is this?

A sanctified church!

It's a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, tongue-talking, Holy Ghost sanctified church!

That's what kind of church we are today. Praise the Lord! But what does it mean to be

sanctified, to be Spirit filled? The Pentecost story from the book of Acts tells us. Part of

being Spirit -filled means being led by the Holy Spirit to do things that can seem surprising at

times. When you are led by the spirit, the people around you will occasionally be surprised

like I imagine some of you were when I began to sing solo just now!

We know the Pentecost story so well that it is hard to say much new about it. We hear

the story, and we know what is coming. It is easy to forget that those there at the time had no

idea what would occur next. At the beginning of the book of Acts, chapter 1, Jesus told his

disciples, "Wait in Jerusalem; in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.... You

will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Then he ascended into Heaven.

They did not understand what Jesus meant. John the Baptist said Jesus would baptize with the

Holy Spirit and Fire. That fire thing sounds like it might HURT.

The disciples did not know what to expect. Luke tells us that at the key moment in the

Upper Room, his disciples were not standing like they were waiting; they were sitting. Likely,

they were praying, but we don't know for sure! When the Holy Spirit came, Luke stretches

language to its limit to try to describe what happened: "a sound came from heaven like the rush

of a mighty wind;" "tongues as of fire;" "they spoke in new tongues." These three phenomena

seem like natural phenomena wind, fire, and speech but they were supernatural. The noise

was not wind, but sounded like it; the sight was not fire but resembled it; and the speech was in

known languages but the speakers had never learned them. These 3 sensory signs were new;

how could they have expected these things to happen? They knew God would send power; they

did not know how. It's a reminder for us to be open to any way God might choose to move in

power. It was a surprise. Earlier Jesus had said "the wind blows where it wills, and you hear

the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one

who is born of the Spirit." That's what it's like when the Holy Spirit blows into our lives. He

comes in surprising ways. There is enough of a pattern to God's ways so you can usually be

sure it is God or not, but even so, God moves in unique ways for all of us. God's word is set

and sure; but God's power is never restricted. Amen?

What do these surprising manifestations from Pentecost mean? John Stott says that

these 3 signs represent the dawn of a new era of the Holy Spirit. The mighty wind represents

power, dunamis power, dynamite power for witness, which Jesus had promised them. These

men were transformed from cowering for fear of the Jews on Easter, to boldly proclaiming the

wonders of God on Pentecost and after, and this continued after they had been warned by the

authorities. They knew that the manifestation from God was real because of the fruit it

produced.

The fruit of the Spirit is how we know today that any particular manifestation or

movement is from God, too. We are not called to be judges of people, but we are called to be

fruit inspectors. When a supernatural encounter produces evangelistic fruit, or produces

holiness of life, or produces development of godly character, then we can know it is from the

true God. The power has a purpose beyond ourselves. Yes, God's power is meant to bless you

because God loves you as His child. Sometimes a loving father wants to give his child a

supercharged hug just to show his love. But the power is meant for more than simply to bless

you and me. The fireworks of Pentecost were not just to give them a spiritual experience of

intimacy with God and the reality of His power; the power was given for boldness in witness.

We see that in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Witness is for unbelievers, but it is not just for them. We also witness to each other in a

variety of ways, including through our worship. Last week at Youth Group, Lovey spoke to

our teenagers about how listless and quiet some of them seemed while Amir and Tony sang

praises wholeheartedly. She said, when the Spirit of God is in you, you can't help yourself, you

must sing praises, you must speak of Jesus, you have joy in you that must come out! If you

don't have those things, if this does not describe you, then look at your heart. Maybe you need

a personal Pentecost. As one teenager told me, this is powerful stuff! It's not just for teens.

How about us? If a visitor were to come here and take notice of how we worship, could that

visitor tell by our body language, by the joy and sincerity with which we sing and pray, that we

actually believe these words we sing? I'm not trying to make you self-conscious by asking

this question. Indeed, I think self-consciousness is one reason that some teenagers did not enter

into worship with joy last week. When we are focused on God, we are almost unaware that

anyone else is around us at all. Instead, let's be God-conscious, and let our audience be an

audience of One. Be bold in worship for your God! Let your love for him show. Lift your

hands in praise of Him. Abandon your self to Him. It blesses God, it blesses those around you.

The fire of Pentecost represents purity, as a metal is melted by fire so that impurities are

burned off. Fire is for purity. Remember the coal that touched Isaiah's lips when he was taken

to the presence of God before his throne? A spirit-filled church is a sanctified church, a holy

church. Our Father in Heaven has sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us, to convict us of our

sins, to cause us to repent of those sins, to turn and live God's ways, so that we are new people,

new creations! Praise God, we don't act the same way we did before we were filled with the

Holy Spirit. We do not live the same life we did before we were sanctified. No matter how

close you are to God, still, we need each other, like a burning coal needs other coals to stay

red-hot. We need to be in home goups, where we can confess our sins and be held accountable.

Clay McLean told us at the Men's Retreat of a man who struggled with an internet porn

addiction he put on Handel's Messiah when he was tempted! It's hard to look at porn while

the Alleluia Chorus is playing! He also told us about a free software program that reports all

the web sites you visit to your accountability partner it's at www.x3watch.com.

Why tongues? It was more than just a way for others to hear the gospel in their own

language. Tongues represent the universality of the gospel, a sign that the message of Jesus is

for every nation, every ethnic group. The blessing of the clear communication of truth and

visible unity at Pentecost represents the reversal of the curse of Babel, where tongues and

communication was confused, and people were scattered and divided. Babel tried arrogantly to

ascend to Heaven; at Pentecost, Heaven humbly descended to earth. The disciples were forever

changed. When you have a sensory experience with God, a supernatural encounter with God

or manifestation that is unmistakably God, for example, speaking in tongues, you cannot stay

the same!

In First Corinthians 14:5, on page 1138 of your blue pew Bibles, Paul lays down

guidelines, guard rails if you will, for speaking in tongues. With regard to the private use of

this gift (on our own with God), he strongly encourages it. He says, "I would like every one of

you to speak in tongues" (v. 5) and, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you"

(v. 18). This does not mean that every Christian has to speak in tongues or that you are a

second-class Christian if you do not speak in tongues. There is no such thing as first-class

Christians and second-class Christians. Tongues is only one evidence of the infilling of the

Holy Spirit there are other evidences as well.

Some people ask, why bother with tongues, if I am fine just how I am? You really can

be filled with the Holy Spirit, effective in ministry, have the character of Christ, and never

speak in tongues. Many of my heroes in the faith have never spoken in tongues, like Billy

Graham and Bill Bright. As you read their biographies, though, you will find that both these

men had powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit. Listen, I've found tongues to be a major

blessing in my own life. It's a gift. In First Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul tells us to eagerly

desire the spiritual gifts. Here are some benefits of asking God to fill you with his Holy Spirit:

1. You'll get new gifts! Why would anyone want to miss out on something good from

God?

2. There is joy in the freedom in the spirit.

3. God's power will flow through you in your ministry.

4. You'll see people healed, and released from bondages.

5. You can be assured that God is real and active in your life.

I've found in my own life that tongues is a GATEWAY GIFT. It opened up the floodgates for

God to give me many other spiritual gifts. Many people experience the same thing. It's a blessing,

and it gives you more tools in your toolbox to win people to Christ.

Let me tell you about my own experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In 1988, I began

to hear more about the gifts of the Spirit, and how people I knew, people I trusted and respected,

people I knew were not crazy these people were blessed by receiving supernatural spiritual gifts. I

heard from my secretary at CWT. I heard from Ginger's brother and his wife. Even so, being a

skeptical lawyer, I read some books about it. I was given a copy of Don Basham's book on the

Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I also read Dennis Bennett's book called The Holy Spirit and You. After

doing that, Ginger and I decided that we wanted to ask for all the gifts of the spirit. We knew we

needed power for ministry, and that is what the gifts are for. It's like a carpenter going to work

without a toolbox, or a soldier going to battle without the best weapons. We lived in a condo in the

Cathedral district of DC at the time, and we prayed one evening to receive the gift of tongues,

following the instructions in Dennis Bennett's book. We prayed and prayed, and ...nothing happened!

God didn't open our mouths. We went to sleep and decided to try again later.

The next morning, in my regular quiet time alone with the Lord, I was led to pray for a

man who was in my wedding named Mike. He had a double diagnosis of drug addiction and

mental illness. As I prayed, I sensed in my spirit that he was demonized. I had never prayed

against demons before, but I knew enough to take authority over them. As I did that, God gave

me a new weapon to fight this spiritual battle. As I prayed out loud, a new language came

from my lips! I was as surprised as anyone. I experienced tingling over my whole body.

Now I pray in tongues most every day, partly because I find that if builds me up when I

do. I pray silently in tongues during the Sunday service from time to time when I'm hearing a

testimony or when I need wisdom of what to do next.

I want to encourage you to press in to God during the time of prayer and worship that

we are moving toward now. When the air is thick with the presence of God, don't wait for God

to invade your space lean into Him. Jesus did not walk on the water in order to get into your

boat; he came to be available to you. He came to see you. You can miss Him for the things

you need the most, if you let Him walk right past you. The things we need seldom come to us;

we usually have to go get them. When you are sick, you go to the doctor. When you are

lonely, you call a friend. Jesus said, "Ask, seek, knock, and I will give you the Holy Spirit."

Those are active verbs, not passive. He can surprise you at any time; but he usually shows up

in answer to prayer. It's the way God wants it. He longs for us to ask.

If you are praying on your own, here is how you pray:

1. Ask God to forgive you for anything that could be a barrier to receiving.

2. Turn from any area of your life that you know is wrong.

3. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit, and to give you the gift of tongues or any other gift. Go

on seeking him until you find. Go on knocking until the door opens. Seek God with all your

heart.

4. If you'd like to speak in a new tongue, you must open your mouth and start to praise God in

any language but English!

5. Believe that what you receive is from God. Don't let anyone tell you that you made it up. (It

is most unlikely that you have.)

Now we're going to move to a time of prayer and singing. You can pray in two ways.

You can stay right where you are, and do business with God. You might want to ask God to

fill you with the Holy Spirit, heal you, or give you a particular spiritual gift, perhaps tongues or

prophecy. Or you can go to one of our trained Prayer Ministry teams at the front or back of the

gymnasium to pray individually for those who would like to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to

receive a spiritual gift of some kind.

Let's pray. Come, Holy Spirit. Send your power.