Multiply: Be Full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13)
There was a moment in time that changed the trajectory of the church and transformed ordinary men into world-changers. And it is an essential ingredient to multiplying disciples and churches.
Transcript
I’m excited about today’s passage… because it represents the most important moment in the Book of Acts. This moment changed a group of frightened, confused and largely uneducated men and women into a spiritual force to be reckoned with. This moment changed the entire story.
As a result, this moment can change your story too. Imagine if God’s Word and God’s Spirit today changed the trajectory of your life.
Imagine yourself with power over sin
Imagine having a peace not shaken by circumstances
Imagine yourself with joy, true joy.
All of that can happen with this moment in Scripture. Really.
What is this mighty moment? It’s Acts 2:1-11. Let’s dig in.
“1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Pentecost
To understand what’s going on, you have to understand Pentecost. This was one of the three Jewish harvest pilgrimage festivals. This meant that Israelites from all over came into Jerusalem for this event. [9] In fact, here’s a graphic of all the people groups mentioned in this passage. Look at that! People from Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East—all experiencing the miraculous presence of the Holy Spirit.
It seems quite appropriate that an event in Jerusalem that was going to propel the gospel to the ends of the earth took place at a time when people from the ends of the earth were already in Jerusalem. Talk about God’s sovereign timing.
There’s another aspect of Pentecost that’s critical here. The festival was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. This timing coincided with the time at Mt. Sinai when Moses received the Law from God. In fact, the passage you heard earlier from Exodus 19—about the smoke, fire, loud noises—that was from Mt. Sinai.
Let’s read the first 2 verses again: “1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Sound familiar?”
At Sinai, God defined his covenant relationship with Israel. By replicating Sinai at Pentecost, God was redefining his relationship with all who called Jesus Lord.
Ya see, when the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain, and then came down with the Law. Here, Jesus went up into heaven, and the Holy Spirit came down, not with a Law carved on stone tablets, but with a new law, to be written on the human heart.
What Changed?
I started off by saying that this single event changed everything. I want to highlight four things that changed… for them and for us.
1. It Changed How God Relates with Us
In the Old Testament, God’s presence would often appear as fire. A great example of this was at the Tabernacle. When God’s presence was there, there would be a cloud and fire hovering over the tent.
But here, at the new Pentecost under the new covenant, God’s fire wasn’t in one place; it was above every person. “3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”
Every person became a temple of God with God’s presence in them. And “every person” includes you!
2. It Changed How We Relate to the Holy Spirit
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord would usually come upon certain judges, warriors, or prophets at a specific time for a specific task. That meant that most people never experienced the power and presence of God within them. But at Pentecost that changed forever. Look at verse 4: [16] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Because of Pentecost, every person, including YOU, can receive and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pentecost opened the door for us to have a personal and supernatural experience of God through the Holy Spirit.
3. It Broke Down Barriers to God
Pentecost broke barriers that have separated the human race since the Tower of Babel. People no longer had to build up to the heavens in search of significance. God has now sent his Spirit down to us and elevated us to a new level of significance. The languages of Babel divided people; the languages of Pentecost united people.
That’s why it was so important that everybody heard the “wonders of God” in their own language. It’s like God said to every race and culture there: “You’re part of my kingdom. And you’re part of my kingdom. And you’re part of my kingdom.”
4. It Provided a New Supernatural Power
At Pentecost, God gave the apostles the supernatural power they needed for their mission. We’re going to spend all next Sunday talking about this one, so I’ll just mention it today.
FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
Now, these are four ways that Pentecost changed God’s relationship with his people. That means that if you believe in Jesus Christ, these things can change your life too.
You are not just human. You are the temple of God. His presence lives in you. You are so much more than human.
God’s Spirit is with you always—in your best moments and your worst moments.
If you feel like you have barriers to God, Pentecost broke them down. You are included in the kingdom of God through the unity of the Spirit. Moreover, you can lovingly invite people who have been excluded—by their race, sex or gender orientation, or lifestyle choices—into the kingdom of God.
You can have a supernatural power for God’s ministry—to experience and share the hope, healing, and spiritual growth of the gospel.
All of that can be yours… if you allow God to transform you through the Holy Spirit.
But here’s the thing that’s going to surprise you. The disciples weren’t transformed because they received the Holy Spirit. That happened back in John 20. It had already been 50 days. They were transformed because they were filled with the Spirit. That is the key word in this passage. And it’s the key word for your life.
If you are a believer, you already have the Spirit. But that doesn’t mean you are filled with the Spirit. Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to come into all areas of your life? Or are you keeping some areas locked away. Are you settling for just a little bit of the Spirit? You know, don’t want to get too fanatical. Well, a little Holy Spirit only gets you a little power.
You need to want to be filled with the Holy Spirit—not receive the Holy Spirit, not know the Holy Spirit, and not dabble in the Holy Spirit.
A. W. Tozer, the famed Alliance pastor, once wrote, “the desire to be filled must be all consuming . . . The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want.”
We have as much of the Holy Spirit as we actually want. I want to challenge you today to want more of the Holy Spirit. I want to challenge you today to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And when you are filled, your life will be changed, and everyone around you—family, friends, co-workers—will see the wonders of God in you and through you.
Because being filled with the Holy Spirit changes everything.
