"Creating a stir - Pentecost for today" (Acts 2:1-13)

At the conclusion of Luke’s gospel story, Jesus asks his disciples to remain in Jerusalem for their promised gift to come. This would be the gift that “clothed [them] with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). This “gift”, when they would experience it, will answer all the disciples’ fears about the time ahead! Yet, given all that had recently happened, with Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter’s denials, Judas’ betrayal, and the real danger of being identified as an associate of Jesus, this may not have been an easy request to follow. Indeed Mark’s gospel story concludes with the disciples and other followers of Jesus dispersing in fear. Yet, there was something about Jesus’ resurrection that really impacted these Jesus people. John’s Gospel has the famous incident where Peter, who in guilt and confusion had returned to his fishing business, was confronted by the resurrected Jesus and was forgiven, and was also restored to his role of ministry.

So, there they all were, in Jerusalem as requested, on this special day, seven weeks following Jesus’ resurrection and ten days following Jesus’ ascension (back to heaven). According to Acts 1:15, there would have been about 120 believers by this time, including the eleven disciples plus the newly elected one Matthias, the various women who had encountered and followed Jesus, Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers (who had now also come to accept Jesus to be the Son of God). They were there to receive the Holy Spirit!!

I’ll be happy to take any questions on the Holy Spirit at any stage.

What was the purpose of that gift?? You can read about that in both Luke 24:48, and again, as Luke continued his narrative, in Acts 1:8 ... “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. So there is the purpose statement concerning the Holy Spirit ... to be witnesses to Jesus ... everything about him which could transform lives.

The conclusion of Matthew’s gospel (28:19-20a) has a bit of a results clause that adds to this (often called the ‘great commission’), “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”. Disciples of course are much more than converts, because they have gone on to exhibiting a day-by-day adherence to their Master; which can be solidified by an obvious public commitment through baptism, and by being dedicated to learning the scriptures in dialogue with others.

The Holy Spirit is part of the diverse yet unified community of God we have come to call the ‘Trinity’. The Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world, and then was active in guiding God appointed leaders (like Moses) and prophets (like Jeremiah). The Holy Spirit was active in the recording of the stories of people’s encounters with God (that we now have in the scriptures). The Holy Spirit had been connected with significant characters in the gospel story e.g. Mary, Simeon, John the Baptist, and of course Jesus (who himself experienced the ‘descent’ of the Holy Spirit to acknowledge his unique ministry on earth).

But now the Holy Spirit was going to be available to all ‘believers’ – by that I mean, all those who have accepted Jesus as ‘Saviour’ and ‘Lord’ and begun to live their lives in the Jesus way. And as we have seen, the purpose of such an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Jesus follower, is to be a witness to Jesus in such a way as that others become disciples, are baptised, and are taught and nurtured. In other words, to create a bit of a stir!

In terms of the diversity of background, culture and language we talked about last week, this was the long awaited way that such broad diversity could find unity in the Kingdom of God. Here, God’s call to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, will find the beginning of its spiritual re-unification. There will be a conjoined voice of praise and service to God, as people reach out to other people in the name of Jesus. And this is what happened as these few disciples became numbered in the thousands, formed house churches, and grew right across the Roman empire despite severe persecution.

William J Larkin Jr. writes: “This multilingual witness coheres with the universal offer of salvation in the church’s message and its consequent worldwide mission”.

Ultimately, in good time, there will be that unified chorus of praise in heaven, everyone well understanding all the various tributes being offered to God, as all diversity is brought into perfect harmony (Revelation 7:9ff). Research done in the 1980’s showed, at that time, the Christian faith was known in over 7000 languages.

In verses 2 to 4 of our text, we read about “heaven” reaching down and touching mightily those gathered in faith. There was a loud noise something like a huge wind event (perhaps like a spinning tornado), and out of this came some form of fiery vision representing the personal presence of God impacting enough to set these disciples’ tongues on fire. Some will know of God’s earlier personal appearance to Moses in the ‘burning bush’. There is the suggestion here of hearts being kindled and minds being inspired. What is really pertinent here, is that three key human senses were affected by this event – the ears (our listening), the eyes (our perception), the mouth (our communication).

Remarkably, as a result, these disciples’ were able to speak in such a way that those who had gathered as a result of all the chaos were able to understand. Our minds are being led to picture the collective disciples [“the entire house” – v.2] being impacted by climatic events which bring remarkable outcomes, which in turn, because of the unusual and dramatic nature of all this, bring many from the wide neighbourhood wondering and questioning. You could imagine all the disciples spilling out of where they were and interacting in the street/s with the crowd that started to press in on them.

According to verse 5, among those who gathered that day as a result of all this drama, were Jewish residents of Jerusalem who had originated from far flung nations and who spoke a variety of native languages (from families of origin that had been dispersed across the Greco-Roman world because of invasions in previous centuries). There were also “proselytes” (referred to in verse 10) who were converts to the religion of the Jews. As this was the time of the annual festival to celebrate the ‘first-fruits’ of the grain harvest held fifty days after Passover, this could have brought many visitors to Jerusalem, increasing the spectators even further.

We read that all these people were “amazed” to hear these simple “Galileans” speaking in a variety of languages that surely would have been unknown to them. These were not the “tongues” requiring specially gifted interpretation if spoken publicly (that we read about in places like 1 Corinthians 12), but rather, the actual known spoken languages of those that had gathered (as a response to all the noise). A stir had been created, then the good news of Jesus was being broadly shared in language that could be easily understood!

Some thought that these “Galileans” talking about God and Jesus were crazy or drunk, and that was probably an understandable response. And some people will always misunderstand, or not get it, or be interferingly resistant. But there will also always be those who are seeking truth and are open to new belief. God and the disciples had certainly caused a stir, and got people talking. There was a collection of bewilderment (v.6), amazement and astonishment (v.7); and people were “amazed and perplexed” (in verse 12). Certainly there was the opportunities for many conversations and much follow-through here. Reading later in Acts 2, thousands became believers that day, following Peter’s inspired sermon.

Negotiating our way through these dramatic happenings toward something that might connect with our experience – these otherwise fearful, timid and somewhat reluctant ordinary human beings, were given the ability to effectively communicate across cultural boundaries, where previously they would not have been able to even contemplate this. Fear was being replaced by faith and courage; confusion was being replaced by spiritual insight.

We have to remember that this “Pentecost” miracle was just as much a miracle of hearing as it was speaking. Thus if God is preparing us through the Holy Spirit for what we are going to say in words and in actions, then God is also preparing the hearers and observers for what they are about to hear and see.

How could we create a stir like that??

Well this “Pentecost” event is the forerunner of all believers in Jesus receiving the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to wait in Jerusalem (or anywhere else) until a certain day arrives – this same “gift” has been available from that day on to all those who take on the name of Jesus. We mightn’t hear such a loud noise, or feel the heat of the flames, or speak in languages we haven’t ever learnt – but we can express joy and thanksgiving, enthusiastically embrace worship and fellowship, and live with freedom and courage. We can develop in our ability to share our faith in ways that connect with where the general person around us is at ... for we hear better, see more clearly, and speak more effectively.

And as we learn from other parts of the New Testament, there are even more facets to this Holy Spirit effectiveness than just the ability to communicate well across cultures. There are a variety of mutually cooperative “Spirit” gifts given to all Jesus followers through which to work together in a common purpose for the common good of the community. And then also, so that we may mature in our personal lives, there is the fruit of the “Spirit” that we can aspire to and attain (refer Galatians 5:22-3). As we review those areas of ‘fruitfulness’, we can see how they might bring a contrast and create at least a little ripple if not a stir ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

Hopefully the integrity of our lives will convince many that the Jesus following life is worth a further look.

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has filled his followers with suggestions of his nearness. The thought behind this “gift” is to see the life of Jesus continually re-enacted on earth.

Sometimes though, it might seem like that we don’t have the Holy Spirit in our life at all. But what is more likely the case, is that we are allowing the Holy Spirit’s effectiveness to be blocked or hindered because our focus is off the mark. Each one who has accepted Jesus has been given the Holy Spirit, but sometimes to activate this ‘power’ we have to deal with certain disruptive and distracting elements in our life ... or we might say ‘persistent sins’. And this is where we pray that we might be changed.

But don’t doubt the Holy Spirit’s availability; rather read the scriptures, and pray to discover what is blocking your progress, and take any necessary remedial action with determination. If this doesn’t immediately work, don’t give up, but rather seek the good counsel of a trusted helper. Sometimes this blockage is caused simply by not thinking through something in the right or best way, or through responding to certain pressures in the wrong way.

Jesus said that we would receive “power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8), and quite often we’ll use the word ‘effectiveness’ to explain the word “power” in this context, for the word “power” can conjure up a whole lot of negative emotions for those who been abused by the misuse of power. Yet we should not underestimate the positive brand of “power” made available to us – to tackle the most complex challenges imaginable. The Holy Spirit brings the capacity to be creative in the face of daunting realities ... to create a bit of a stir!