Pentecost
Message by Josh Mutter – June 5, 2022
“Don’t give simple answers to complex problems.”
Big Idea: The Holy Spirit helps us engage the mission of Jesus in the complexities of life.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:1-12
3 Observations from Acts 2
- Our experience with the Holy Spirit may include waiting.
- Our experience with the Holy Spirit may be hard to put into words.
- Our experience with the Holy Spirit may not look like this.
The Holy Spirit helps us engage the mission of Jesus in the complexities of life.
The Holy Spirit gives us a new identity.
The Holy Spirit helps us to reform how we understand ourselves in light of our connection to Jesus
The Holy Spirit gives power with a purpose.
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT
One of the things the Spirit does is give us the ability to contextualize the message of Jesus in a way that can be recognized and makes some people want to know more.
The Holy Spirit creates unity amid diversity.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. – Acts 2:41 NIV
One of the miracles that the Holy Spirit brings about is the miracle of unity.
You can watch the sermon on Youtube here.
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