Acts 2:1-13 (NIV)

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 them speaking in his own language.  ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?  ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own 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 Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”  ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Today we will talk about the Holy Spirit coming down to man after Jesus has been resurrected and had gone to Heaven.

Pentecost was the renewal of the early church.

The four areas of being filled with the Holy Spirit we are going to talk about today are: outside power, inner wonder, a universal message, and a new man on the mount.

The outside power was a violent wind, that was physical.  This means the Holy Spirit is to have something outside of us come into us, a divine power.

This means our lives will be on a collision course of the norms of the Holy Spirit and our culture.

Our culture says our problem comes from the outside of us, and what is inside us needs to take on the outside issues.

In contrast, Christianity says the problem come from within us, and outside of us there is a God, who has the power to solve our issues, forgive us what we need when we need it.

Our culture wants to tell everyone that we have the power within us to do and bless whatever we want.  Our problems are issues of social, family disfunction, political corruption, economic manipulation exploitation and there are many more.

The Bible and our culture have different solutions to these problems.  The Bible says our problems are within each human, we can have a hope.  God has the power to come into our lives from the outside and start a changing process within us.

The inner wonder is the fire coming and resting on their heads.  The special presence of God is seen as a fire.  The fire at Pentecost implication is every believer is a burning bush.  The glory of God, the presence of God is now with every believer.

Romans 8:16  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Galatians 4:6  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

The Spirit comes into our hearts and tells us about God’s love for us, His delight in us, and the fact that we are children of God.

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—

John 14:25-26  “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The Holy Spirit helps us remember who God is, who Jesus is, and makes them real to us.

The Holy Spirit assures us we are God’s beloved child…taking what Scripture tells us about ourselves in Christ, and make it real to us, rather than a simple head knowledge.

Ephesians 3:18 …may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…

When the Holy Spirit come to you, you will feel God’s love, His arms around you.

The Holy Spirit makes us more aware of reality and diminishes these things that don’t matter.  There is a joy filled fearlessness that comes and reminds us that are God’s children.

The universal message carried by the Holy Spirit is the phenomenal of speaking in tongues.  We hear them declaring the wonder of God in our own tongues.

Speaking in tongues is a gift.  The people were full of joy, talking about the wonders of God.

The mighty acts of God, which meant the salvation action of God.  The parting of the Red Sea is an act that saved people.  The New Testament were the incarnation, Jesus coming as one of us, the resurrection, God breaking the power of death and the Cross.  They were talking in tongues about the gospel.  The meaning of this is we are filled with the Spirit, that is a joyful focus on the gospel.

You want to talk to others about the joyful Spirit that focuses on the gospel.

The gospel is first preached to the world; it is done in all kinds of tongues.  This is significant because it means, unlike other religions, Christianity is for all cultures with no specific adherents to one culture.

When the Bible is translated into another language, it is still the Word of God.

Christianity is the most diverse religious culture.  That is because of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, there is no right language, and no right culture for Christians.

When Christianity comes into a new culture, it renews the culture, and accentuates the good in the culture, and honors the culture.

Christianity doesn’t seek to change a culture, unless the core of the culture is corrupted by sin.

Christianity honors by preserving the last characteristics of that culture.

Mark 1:14-15 (KJV) Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Jesus is the new man on the mountain.  Jesus was God and man, the perfect mediator, believer, Yahweh and His people.

At Pentecost, God comes down and all the people of many languages hear one message, of unity, and of order, regarding the Word of God.

The judgement deserved by the people in defiance of God fell on Jesus, so, we received acceptance, forgiveness, and love.

We as believers of Christ, are in a process mending our barrier between race, culture, showing how Jesus heals us from what really ails us.

This healing takes place under the Lordship of Jesus as we join His Kingdom.

If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, become a follower of Jesus.  Then ask to be filled with the Spirit of God, who is in charge.  God bless, call me, let’s talk.  Have a good week.