Pentecost

Last year we started a series on the Apostle’s Creed. We need to ensure our faith is built on the Rock - Jesus, the Word of God, otherwise we will be tossed by every wind of doctrine that sweeps across the Earth especially in these dangerous times we live in. By the time we’ve finished , you will know the Apostle’s Creed by heart. This week we will affirm our belief in the Holy Spirit. Feel free to join in...

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. 
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.  
3. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. 
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  
5. He descended into Hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead.  
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  
7. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.  
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,  
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,  
10. the forgiveness of sins,  
11. the resurrection of the body,  
12. and life everlasting. 

Amen  

If you remember the Christian Calendar from last week, you might have noted that I said the Ascension of Jesus was 40 days after his Resurrection and Pentecost 10 days after that so on the 50th day. Talking to Paul Shaw afterwards and studying it this week, I realised that ground zero is actually the day before the Resurrection. Now the timeline makes more sense. If some of you are thinking, why is it not the day of the Resurrection, I will explain that shortly. 

But first of all, watch this video of these very dramatic events, today is Pentecost Sunday and we have reason to celebrate !

Up until this moment in history no-one had understood the full meaning of the Old Testament festivals as outlined in the Leviticus laws. We have the privilege of knowing what they represent; 

1. Passover = Jesus Death on the Cross 
2. Festival of First Fruits = Jesus Resurrection 
3. Festival of Weeks = Pentecost 

This was based on the Old Testament law given by God to Moses which said; 

You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks. You must count fifty days - until the day after the seventh Sabbath - and then you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 

Leviticus 23:15-16 

The day after the Sabbath is which day of the week ? Yes it is Sunday. That is why Saturday is ground zero in the timeline. Sunday is the first day of the week and is the day Jesus was resurrected. That is why Resurrection Day is day one in the timeline. 

This Old Testament Festival of Weeks or Pentecost is what was happening on that Sunday in Jerusalem just 10 days after Jesus ascended into Heaven. As you will remember, Jerusalem was full of people since the start of the Passover Week 8 weeks prior, perhaps 5 or 6 times its normal population of 25,000. The city was swarming with visitors and the Governor Pontius Pilate had the army on full alert. The disciples were keeping a low profile in the Upper Room, making tentative steps to start the Mission which Jesus had just given them by choosing Matthias as the replacement for Judas. They probably had no idea what to do next so they were praying. Does this sound a little like what we would do with an army hunting us down. That’s when the Holy Spirit stepped in ! 

Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. 

Acts 2:1-4 

Just like in Leviticus with the new grain offering, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked the early believers as a new offering to the Lord. 

Are we ready for the Holy Spirit to come into our service like this ? Probably not 😂 Lord I pray each one of us would be ready for your Holy Spirit today ! 

I want to clearly say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today. It is very strange that some Christian teachers teach that what happened to the early church was just a kick start and the gifts of the Holy Spirit finished after the Apostles all died out. 

This cannot be true and I’m sure Peter, James, John and Paul would be horrified to think that way of thinking had come into the Church. How can we achieve anything spiritual without the gifts of the Holy Spirit ? 

We cannot live an abundant Christian life and have a healthy Church without us all being filled and growing in the Holy Spirit. 

But some teachers say that the gift of tongues is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is clear that all were filled with the Holy Spirit but then it says they spoke in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. So possibly not all of them did although I think it’s probable they did. 

Remember the situation in Jerusalem at that moment. The gift of tongues was strategically needed so that the Gospel could be communicated quickly to all the travellers to Jerusalem from the many different foreign lands who would soon be going home. The Holy Spirit acted quickly to get the message out. Imagine if the disciples had been caught by the Romans and the Jewish Leaders before that had happened, the Church could have been nipped in the bud. 

But there are many other evidences for someone being filled with the Holy Spirit so don’t worry if Tongues is not your gift. 

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things. 

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 

Satan trembles when he sees even one baby Christian gifted with the Holy Spirit. Just imagine when the whole Body of Christ grows strong in the Lord. You might not think your gift of wisdom is very much compared to the gift of miracles but it terrifies the Devil ! 

So let us encourage and pray for one another to receive whatever gifts the Holy Spirit wants to give each one of us to build up the whole of PCC. Because every believer already has at least one gift and can receive more as they grow in Christ. 

Satan will pull out all stops to discourage and disrupt the work of the Holy Spirit so we need to be discerning especially in these dangerous times we are living in, because in this globally connected world, many voices are competing for our attention and creating confusion. Sometimes it is necessary to identify what something is not before we identify what it is. 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that refuses to confess Jesus, that spirit is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world. 

1 John 4:1-3 

For example, I don’t want to offend anyone but I am very cautious over the teaching that places the Holy Spirit as the mother in the godhead. This is not Biblical Christianity but an overextension of what the Bible says and is dangerous. Jesus repeatedly used the masculine pronoun for the Holy Spirit in John 16. 

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me.” 

John 16:13-16 

This brings us to the 2nd example which is that Satan is a counterfeiter and not everything that looks good is truly the Holy Spirit. I have seen videos on experiences people have in the Hindu religion and it looks exactly the same as what you would see in a charismatic Church - shaking, spontaneous laughter, falling over etc. Yet we know for sure that the Holy Spirit is not the one manifesting in the Hindu Temples. Some Churches have yoga on the weekly agenda but this is of a different spirit, not the Holy Spirit. We need to be discerning. 

As a 3rd example, neither is the Holy Spirit present in a Spiritualist Church where Mediums speak comforting messages which supposedly are from God. If you don’t know the difference between a Spiritualist Church and a Christian Church, please see one of the Elders. It is not the Holy Spirit speaking to you but one that will try to deceive and destroy you no matter how good it sounds. 

Let’s be on guard against wolves coming in disguise as sheep. 

Just because of the challenges of discernment, we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water as some Christian teachers do. In fact we need to press in to receive more of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

I am currently working in Risk Management. People in Risk don’t tend to have too many mates at the Christmas Office Party but I suppose it was the same with the Old Testament prophets back in the day. Just when the good times are rolling, the Prophet turns up. Nevertheless, I thought it would be quite useful to talk about Risk strategy when it comes to the topic of discerning the Holy Spirit. There are basically 4 approaches you can use to manage risk. 

1. Avoid - That’s when you look at the mountain and decide it’s too dangerous to even try to climb it. Some Christians don’t want to even go there with the Holy Spirit. It’s the ultimate safe option but it’s a boring and unsatisfying life if you avoid all risks. 
2. Accept - That’s where you just accept whatever happens and allow things to continue unchecked. You hear it said that when it comes to prophecy it doesn’t matter if we make mistakes because it’s all part of the learning experience. This is a good strategy when the overall risk is low but it is reckless when there are evil spirits out to deceive us. 
3. Transfer - That’s where you transfer the risk elsewhere like with Insurance. You pay the other party to manage the risk. Someone has a spiritual problem so you send them to a counsellor, to the doctor, to someone else who will take care of it. In some cases that is wise, but it avoids the opportunity to grow. The Holy Spirit may be wanting us to step out in faith and build up the body of Christ here at PCC which brings us to the option outlined in the New Testament. 
4. Mitigate - In this case you put controls in place to minimise the risk and that makes for a safe and exciting time for all. You climb the mountain with the right equipment, safety hooks, harnesses, climbing boots and so on. Paul was insistent on order in the Church. Tongues with interpretation. Prophets speaking in their turn and so on. Pastoral oversight means to oversee not to overlook. 

“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. You will recognise them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognise them by their fruit.” 

Matthew 7:15-20 

With God, things usually take time, we shouldn’t expect instant results. We don’t plant an orange tree and expect a crop of oranges immediately. A fruit tree needs the right conditions and it needs care. It must be planted in the right position in the garden in good prepared soil just right for it (some prefer more acidic, some alkaline). It also needs feeding and regular pruning, cutting back even when it starts to bear fruit. You have to wait 3-5 years before you get a good crop. Jesus said; 

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 

John 15:1-2 

But without the light (truth), warmth (fire), water (Spirit) along with the nutrients (the Word), the tree will not grow to its potential. We have an Avocado tree in our garden that despite being placed in a good position, simply doesn’t grow. Something is wrong, we haven’t taken full care of it I suppose. The Holy Spirit gives life to us and helps us grow and produce good fruit in our lives. Without the Holy Spirit, our lives will be fruitless. Paul went even further; 

But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! 

Galatians 5:16-21 

 Desire can soon get out of control. If we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to win the fight against our own passions we will find ourselves in trouble. A tree can quickly die of neglect. But if we patiently allow the Holy Spirit to keep working in us, removing the weeds, we will in the right time bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 says 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

Today is the celebration of Pentecost, last week was the Ascension. We have so much to celebrate. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and he has sent his Holy Spirit to connect us to him, to the very throne room. Let’s finish with this passage from Romans 8 which sums up very nicely everything we have talked about in the last 2 weeks. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “ For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:26-39 

Time to celebrate !