The Church Empowered | A Message on Acts 2:1-13

Introduction
Pentecost is one of my favorite seasons of the Christian year.  I guess I love all the Red!

But I also love the Church and Pentecost marks the beginning of the Christian Church.  So, in a sense, Pentecost is the Church’s birthday.  

Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish festival celebrated fifty days after Passover.  It marked the wheat harvest, and also commemorated God giving the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.  (That is a significant connection, because it is the fulfillment of an OT prophecy.  Jeremiah 31:33 says, “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” 

The Holy Spirit speaks to every believer (if they will listen) to show us how we should live. So originally, Pentecost remembered how God gave Moses the Law to show people how to live.  Jesus was crucified at Passover.  50 days later, at Pentecost, God gave believers the Holy Spirit, so the Law would be in their heart.

Acts 2:1
¹ On the day of Pentecost^[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place.

One Church
The very first thing that struck me in this passage (and I want to point out here) is where it says:  “all the believers were meeting together in one place.”  There were at that time there were about 120 believers. That’s about the size of our congregation.  (Half of our congregation meets during the early service and the other half meets at 11 AM.)  This was an important time for the church and they started out together.  There would be times when they couldn’t all meet together.  They would often meet in homes.  The size of the early church also grew rapidly making it hard and impractical for them always to meet together in one place.  But here at this tender moment, they were altogether in one place.

In our own church, we worship at different services at different times.  We have enough space righ tnow to do it all in one place, but some people prefer to worship in one place or another and some prefer one time or another.  And that’s fine.  I want you to worship in a way that is meaningful for you.  (I actually am praying for more people–and I hope yo will too–so that we actually have so many people coming we need to worship in 2 services to accommodate all the people.)  But I hope we will always know that at the core of our being:  Stark Methodist Church is one church.

And it is important that we guard that understanding vigorously.  Next Sunday, we will be together literally in one service at 10:30 in the chapel.  

And I pray we will always see that Christians are One Church–whether we worship  at Stark, or Jackson First Baptist, or a Church up in Dalton, or one in Africa.  Christians belong to one church.  It is the Lord’s Church.  We do not compete against each other.  We are one family, all with the same mission.  Any understanding that is less is unacceptable.

Acts 2:2-13
² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,^[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

⁵ At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

⁷ They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” ¹² They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

¹³ But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

God’s Spirit Makes His Home in His Temple
The scene at Pentecost in Acts 2 is the same thing we saw happening when God’s Spirit filled the Holy Tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 1 Kings 8. 

These 2 sacred spaces were where God chose to meet with people on earth in the OT.  And God’s presence in these places was manifested by rushing wind and a pillar of fire.  We see these same elements at Pentecost when God’s Holy Spirit fills the people of His Church.

What does that mean for us today?  It means, if you follow Jesus as Lord, God’s Holy Spirit lives in you.  You/we are God’s Holy Temple.  Let that sink in…

Miraculous Signs with Purpose
Besides the rushing wind and the tongues of fire dancing over everyone’s heads, there were other signs something incredible was happening.  Everyone started speaking in other languages (languages they could not previously speak)!

This is significant–not just because it was an amazing miracle.  Throughout the OT, God’s desire was to rescue the whole world from sin.  He chose Abraham and His descendants–the Israelites–to be His representatives to the world.  God wasn’t playing favorites in this.  He chose Israel for a purpose–to be a light to the Gentiles.  From the beginning, God wanted to rescue all the nations–every tribe and every tongue.

So at Pentecost, we see God making this possible.  He has miraculously enabled Christians to speak in all the languages of all the nations gathered in Jerusalem.  It’s not just a cool trick.  It has a purpose.  Now Christians can tell the Good News about Jesus to everyone in their own language.  And that’s what they do.

The Gift of Tongues Today

I think we need to rediscover and own the miraculous gift of speaking in tongues.  And I don’t mean the incoherent speaking in tongues that is often spoken in Pentecostal denominations.

What I mean is we need to rediscover speaking the language of people around us so they can understand the Good News about Jesus Christ personally. 

You don’t have to speak a foreign language like French or German to speak in tongues.  Your neighbors, co-workers, children and grandchildren need to hear about Jesus.  And God has put you in their life so that they can hear about Jesus from you.  For some reason, they know you and trust you.  And you have the ability to share the truth about Jesus in ways they will listen to.  You may not believe you can do it, but if God can make the Disciples i Acts chapter 2 speak foreign languages they never knew how to speak, then God can most certainly supernaturally give you the words to say to tell the people in your life about Jesus Christ. 

God wants the whole world to know Him. And He has chosen you and me to tell them.  And He’s filled us with His Holy Spirit so we can do it.

A Holy Commotion?
Now, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost caused quite a commotion.  The roaring of a mighty windstorm followed by 120 worshippers suddenly prophesying in a multitude of different foreign languages left everyone in Jerusalem amazed and perplexed.  

What can this mean?   Some people thought it was evidence that God is doing something profound.
Others were skeptical/cynical and scoffed and wanted to dismiss it for one reason or another.  “Oh, they're just drunk, that’s all!”  (Even though it was too early in the morning for anyone to be drunk yet.)  It was a holy commotion that got everyone’s attention and got people talking.  

I gotta say, a lot of people are talking about Stark Methodist Church right now.  What are they talking about?  Well, one topic of conversation is me.  I’m the new guy–the new pastor.  People around Jackson have heard.  Stark has a new pastor.  

After 26 years of ministry, I have developed a special sense.  I can often sense when people are talking about me.  Maybe it’s a gift God gives pastors.  Maybe it’s just an awareness that develops when you live in a glass house for so many years.  But I know people are talking about Stark because you got a new pastor and they’re wondering if that’s a good thing or what it means, etc.

But there’s another reason people are talking about Stark.  I’ve overheard conversations about us.  Some of the things they talk about are good things:  “Stark’s just had their chicken stew.”  “Stark’s got their River of Life coming up.”  Some of the things are a bit embarrassing to me, if I’m being honest.  I overheard someone talking, saying something like:  “What’s going on over at Stark?  They having some kind of squabble about installing TVs in one of their buildings.  All hell’s broke loose…”

One thing I’ve learned from for 26 years of being a pastor who is always in the public eye, you can’t stop people from talking about you.  (And it can be annoying because half the time they don’t even know what they’re talking about.)

But I’ve also learned you can use all the attention as an opportunity to show people Jesus.  John Wesley, caused quite a stir back in the 1700s as part of a dramatic societal revival with thousands of people giving their lives to Christ.  He had a great quote that said something like, "Light the church on fire and people will come from all over just to watch it burn."

And that’s what I hope Stark Methodist will always do.   I hope we will use every opportunity to show people and tell people about Jesus.  That’s what I plan to do with my life and I hope it’s what you will do too.  Because that’s what Jesus commissioned us to do & it’s what the Holy Spirit empowers us to do. 

There will always be scoffers who try to dismiss us.  “Oh they’re just a bunch of old fashioned religious zealots!” “Oh, look:  another church fight.”  But that’s OK.  We’ll just be busy using the power of almighty God to help change the world.

Is the Holy Spirit Still at Work Today?
I have one last point I want to make today.  Because some people ask the question:  “Does God still do miracles today like He did in the Bible?”

There is one school of Christian thought that says the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer active today.  This is known as “cessationism” and it says certain miraculous gifts mentioned in the NT such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and miraculous healing largely ceased about a hundred years after Christ.

I want you to know, I am not a cessationist.  I am a continuationist.  I believe Christians today have access to the same miraculous power of the HS that the early church had.  We can still do all the miracles we read about in the Bible if God wants it.

If we don’t experience that same power  as in the Bible, it is not because it is unavailable to us.  It is because:

• We don’t look for it or have faith in it.
• We aren’t focused on God’s mission like they were in the early church.
• Or, God has helped through the church to establish more natural means to accomplish things (for example, the healing arts through medicine)

But I believe with all my heart and will lead this church with the understanding that God continues to be actively and supernaturally involved in our lives through the power of the HS.  
We are the same Church as the Church we read about in the book of Acts.  
We are a Church empowered by God’s HS to speak boldly and truthfully about Jesus Christ (even in foreign languages if necessary).  

Through the HS, we can pray for healing and expect it, perform miracles, prophecy in the name of God, and do a multitude of other miraculous things that help change the world.  Through the HS, we can be an answer to the Lord’s prayer:  “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

But, in order to access the Holy Spirit’s power, we must be committed to doing the work of His Kingdom

Closing
So, let me ask you something this morning:

What would happen if the people of Stark Methodist Church truly believed the Holy Spirit still works today?

What would happen if we stopped treating the book of Acts like ancient history
and started seeing it as our family story?

Because the same Holy Spirit that filled those 120 believers in Acts chapter 2
is the same Holy Spirit available to us today to help us change our fear into boldness,
break down the barriers with our neighbors, and bring healing to a broken world.

Church, we are not powerless.  We are not abandoned.
We are not merely preserving traditions and maintaining buildings.
We are on a mission from God to tell people about Jesus and bring God’s Kingdom on earth:
to our neighbors, to our children, to the broken, to the lonely, to the lost,
to every tribe and every tongue.

So my prayer for Stark Methodist Church is this:
May we be a Church full of the Holy Spirit.
May we be a Church full of love.
May we be a Church full of courage.
May we be a Church that speaks the language people need to hear so they can know Jesus.
May we be a Church that causes a holy commotion in Jackson because the Spirit of God is alive among His people.

And if people talk about us…
let it be because they see Jesus in us.

 

Holy Ground | A Message from Pastor Chris

We had to cancel our regular Sunday worship services at Stark Methodist Church because of the threat of a winter ice storm.  During the shutdown, the Lord gave me a special message to share with my congregation (and with you). 
Here's my special message.

Well, hello, Stark Methodist family.

Unfortunately, we had to call off church today. With the winter storm moving through and the potential for icy conditions, we wanted to be extra careful and make the safest decision for everyone.

Even though we couldn’t gather in person, I did want to share a word with you this morning. And I hope you’ll stick around until the end, because I also want to share a song with you—one that I wrote and will play for you on my guitar today.

This is not the sermon I planned to preach this Sunday. Lord willing, I’ll share that message next week when we’re back together at Stark Methodist. But all week long, another word has been stirring in my heart, and I believe this is what God wanted me to share today.

It’s a word about the holy temple—the dwelling place of God.

I want to read to you from the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 14. These words may sound familiar, especially if you’ve heard them recently during the Christmas season:

“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

This verse speaks of the incarnation—Jesus leaving the glory of heaven, taking on flesh, and living among us as one of us. But there’s something we often miss in this passage.

When John says that Jesus “lived among us,” the Greek word he uses actually means “tabernacled.” In other words, Jesus pitched his tent among us.

That’s a powerful image.

If you remember the story of the Exodus in the Old Testament, before Israel ever had a temple, they had a tabernacle. As they wandered through the wilderness living in tents, God instructed them to build a holy tent—a tabernacle—so that He could dwell among His people. God wanted to be with them.

Later, when Israel was settled in the Promised Land, they built the temple in Jerusalem—a sacred place where God’s presence dwelled in a special way among the people.

Now, make no mistake—God has always been everywhere. He is not confined to buildings, temples, or church walls. But because people are sinful, and God is holy, God graciously provided a way for His people to draw near to Him—through the tabernacle, the temple, and the rituals that made fellowship possible.

Without that holiness, God’s glory would overwhelm sinful humanity.

But then something changed.

In the New Testament, Jesus came and tabernacled among us. God didn’t just dwell in a tent anymore—He took on flesh.

And then Jesus did something even more astounding: He gave His life on the cross. Through His death and resurrection, our sins are fully forgiven. For all who repent, turn from sin, and trust in Jesus Christ, the barrier between God and humanity is removed.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that now we can come boldly before the throne of God—without fear—because there is no longer any sin separating us from Him.

That brings us to another powerful moment in John’s Gospel.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, He went to the temple—the most sacred place in all of Israel. Millions had traveled there over the years to worship God.

And what did Jesus do?

He cleansed the temple.

Merchants and money changers had turned God’s house into a place of exploitation. People were being cheated, excluded, and burdened just to worship. Jesus made a whip, drove them out, and overturned their tables.

The religious leaders were furious. 

John 2:18-22

18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

“What right do you have to do these things? Show us a sign to prove your authority.”

Jesus replied,

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

They scoffed—“It took 46 years to build this temple!”

But John tells us Jesus wasn’t talking about the building. He was talking about His body.

What temple could ever compare to the living, breathing body of Jesus Christ? The temple existed to worship God—and Jesus is God. Even the most sacred building could not compare to Him.

Now think about our own church.

The building at Stark Methodist is a holy and meaningful place to us. So many memories. So many moments where we felt close to God. It’s hard not being there today.

But that building is not the church.

It exists to point us to God—to shelter us, gather us, and help us worship. We don’t worship the building; we worship the living God.

Here’s the good news: in Christ, we have become the temple.

When we trust Jesus as Lord and receive His forgiveness, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.

Remember Pentecost in Acts chapter 2? The believers were gathered, praying, waiting. Then came the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of fire appeared over their heads. Smoke filled the room.

Just like the pillar of fire and cloud in the Exodus—but this time, God’s presence wasn’t over a tent or a temple.

It was over people.

We are now the tabernacles of God.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, His Spirit lives in you. You carry God’s presence wherever you go—to your home, your workplace, your community. We are the church on the move.

That truth has been burning in my heart all week.

So I wrote a song, and I want to share it with you now. But before I do, let’s pray together.

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Prayer

Lord God, I thank You for these wonderful people of Stark Methodist and for everyone reading this right now.

If there is anyone who has not yet received Christ as Lord and Savior, I pray that today would be the day they turn from sin, trust in Jesus, and choose to follow Him. And when they do, Your Holy Spirit will dwell within them, making them a holy tabernacle—empowered to live for You and carry Your presence into the world.

Remind us, Lord, that we are the church. Not a building, but a people—called, redeemed, and sent.

Thank You for gathering us today, even though we’re scattered. Keep us safe, warm, and rooted in Your grace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.

To listen to the song on YouTube, click this link - https://youtu.be/DJxvTOCs9go?si=kULkqdTJakcydav0&t=792