PENTECOST AND THE CHURCH TODAY

https://youtu.be/vT39_0R0ilk

PENTECOST AND THE CHURCH TODAY
Text: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4).

Reading: Acts 2:1-21

Hymn: O thou who camest from above – StF 564

In Acts 2, the disciples had waited in Jerusalem for ten days, for the promise of the father, the Holy Spirit. The day came and the Holy Spirit descended visibly to all human senses: they heard a sound, heard words spoken, saw tongues of fire, felt the moving and the shaking, some bystanders were mentally smelling and tasting alcohol, as the disciples were moved by the Holy Spirit. We need to tap into following truths about Pentecost for our growth:

First, Pentecost is POWER: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you’ (Acts 1:8). We have been endued with power by the Holy Spirit to be whatever Christ wants us to be and to do. The church must therefore take charge of its destiny in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is power and power must be seen in the life and ministry of the church.

Secondly, Pentecost is WITNESS: ‘…when the Holy Spirit comes on you….you will be my witnesses…’ (Acts 1:8). A Holy Spirit empowered church is a witnessing church and a Holy Spirit empowered Christian is a witnessing Christian. Every Christian has a story to tell about his/her Christian experience and every Christian has a life to live that can tell of who Jesus is. In the power of the Holy Spirit we can all be witnesses of Christ Jesus and it is this witness that will cause people to ask, ‘what must we do’?

Thirdly, Pentecost is TRANSFORMATION: ‘Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd…’ (Acts 2:14). This is Peter, who could not stand before servants and young girls to say ‘I know Jesus’. This is Peter who locked himself down when Jesus was crucified, for fear of the Jews. This is Peter who was hiding on the resurrection morning while the women were bravely out in the dark going to the tomb of Jesus. This fearful, timid, betrayer, Peter, now in the power of the Holy Spirit is transformed to boldly stands before a crowd of thousands to speak. The resurrection power and the Holy Spirit has transformed him. My dear Christian friends, the Holy Spirit comes to transform our fears into faith, our trials into testimonies, our miseries into ministries and our tears into laughter. He transforms our death into life. We therefore need to give the Holy Spirit enough room in the life of our churches to transform us from cold, dwindling, dying churches into warm, growing and living churches.

Be empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit to witness Jesus to the world. Gras ein Harglwydd Iesu Grist, a chariad Duw, A chymdeithas yr Yspryd Glân, a fyddo Be empower and transformed by the Holy Spirit to witness Jesus to the world. Gras ein Harglwydd Iesu Grist, a chariad Duw, A chymdeithas yr Yspryd Glân, a fyddo gyd â ni oll byth bythoedd. Amen