You’ll remember it...the old man who lived off in the backwoods by himself and was not too keen on modern conveniences and such. He cut all his firewood with an old metal bow saw, until it crumpled in his hands one day and was rendered useless. So he makes the long ride in to town where a young salesman at the hardware store convinces him to purchase a new chain saw that the man was unfamiliar with; but he decides to give it a try.
Several days later, the old man returns to the store, and nearly throws the ‘useless’ device back into the hands of that salesman complaining how it did him no good at all. Puzzled, the young salesman takes the saw, flips a switch and pulls the draw-cord as the engine fires up, spewing out exhaust smoke right there in the store. Startled, the old man jumps back totally puzzled and wants to know what that ‘noise’ is.
He had been trying to ‘get by’ cutting wood with a device that was designed with a ‘power source’; and he was clueless as to what that even meant or looked like. Just imagine watching him take that chain saw in hand and rubbing that blade-bar furiously back and forth over the wood and seeing little if any results.
That....is where so many sincere, yet defeated ‘Christians’ find themselves today as they try to ‘walk a walk of faith’, which includes ‘walking as Jesus walked’ (1 John 2:6) and yet remain powerless to ‘do all things through Christ who strengthens them’ (Phil. 4:13).
Did you read those last two verses I left you with yesterday, where Jesus was sharing some parting words with His followers before He ascended back into heaven? In Luke 24:49, He reminds them of the ‘Promise of the Father’ (which He spoke of in John 14 & 16) and then instructed them to “remain in Jerusalem...until you are endued with power from on high.”
That word ‘power’ comes from a Greek word that means ‘miraculous’ or ‘supernatural’. Friends...when and how...did the church fall to such a place here in this country that we no longer believe in and teach of the mighty working ‘power’ of God who supposedly lives among and IN...His people today? Are we just ‘shooting blanks’ when we boast: “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world”? (1 John 4:4).
We then read in Acts 1:5-8 where Jesus references how they (His disciples) were ‘baptized in water...BUT...you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (5). Does that not sound like a distinct and separate ‘experience’ of something...which will take place in their near future?
He goes on...”You shall receive ‘power’ when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me...first in Jerusalem...and eventually to the ends of the earth” {8}. And yes, that is the same word ‘power’ I pointed out that was used in Luke’s gospel.
Now I would imagine some of you might be getting a tad anxious, even worried as to ‘where I am going with this’; but please remember...my only objective here is to point you to what God’s word has to say about such things...and what you do with this information is between you and Him, okay? And let’s not forget the ‘spaghetti model’ illustration I used yesterday to suggest how people can take a single topic and go in all kinds of directions with it. Trust the leading of God’s Spirit here because IF...it’s truth you want, He promised to lead you into all truth’ (John 16:13).
As our story continues into the next chapter in Acts 2, we are informed that 120 followers of Jesus were gathered there in an upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:13,15). And when the Feast Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all of one mind in one place...and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:1-2).
The writer indicates there were ‘cloven tongues of fire’ which seemed to rest upon each one of them in that room (3)...”and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with/in ‘other tongues’...as the Spirit enabled them to speak” (4). You do see that written in your Bible, do you not? Now, at the risk of disappointing some of my Pentecostal /Charismatic friends...I am not going to ‘make this about speaking in other tongues’, other than simply point out what your Bible mentions took place as they were baptized in/with the Holy Spirit. One thing you can be sure of - anytime God is on the move, Satan is close by either wanting to cast doubt, division, or else try and ‘counterfeit’ what God is doing. And you don’t have to look very far today to see the evidence of that today.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but God did not empower His church with His Holy Spirit so we could ‘feel good’, or ‘get a blessing’... accompanied with ‘goose bumps and quivers and running and jerking around while we speak in some unintelligible language.’
God empowers His people so they can ‘do the will of God’, which is to pursue holiness and love others as Christ first loved us. Paul even had to remind some folks in the Corinthian church that they could rattle off in the 'tongues of both men and angels’ all day long....but if they were not bearing the fruit of this ‘agape kind of love’ which is the true mark of a believer (John 13:34-35), then they may as well be banging on pots and pans or clashing cymbals together. (1 Cor. 13:1- paraphrased). And this might be a good place to remind some folks...that Paul warns us that many might be easily deceived (as Eve was) and actually buy in to a false gospel, follow ‘another Jesus’ and yes...even ‘receive another spirit’ (2 Cor. 11:3-4). Have you ever stopped to consider all the ramifications here in such a scenario?
Any truth (or experience)...found in scripture...can be taken out of context, abused and misused, and distorted for a wide range of intentions. But I will leave you with this loving warning today- if anyone was to try and convince you that this ‘experience’ that those early followers had on the Day of Pentecost was ‘just for them back then’ or just the ’12 Apostles’, you should consider turning and walking away from them, and quickly. I say that because if you read through the rest of Acts 2 and you see what transpired among the people there on that day, a transformed Peter stood up boldly to declare the message of the kingdom and assured all within earshot that they needed to ‘repent...and that they too would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, as it was a ‘promise’ to them, their children and to all...who God would call’ (38-39).
Anyone feeling like maybe they want to find a container to go get some ‘fuel’ for their ‘chain saw’ yet? Meet me back here tomorrow if you can.
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