Intro: “Pentecost” means “fiftieth”/refers to Jewish feast held fifty days after second day of Passover. Called Feast of Weeks, Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, and Feast of the Harvest, Ex. 23:16. Pentecost/a day of thanksgiving to mark the end of the grain harvest. A holy Sabbath day. Two loaves of bread made from the new wheat and two yearling lambs were waved before the Lord as a thank offering. Praising God for His grace in giving them a good harvest. People were expected to attend this feast/required to offer a free will offering to the Lord.
Ill. The “day of Pentecost”. Acts 1:3 - Jesus was with them for 40 days/then ascended back to Heaven. Ten days after ascension and 50 days after resurrection, the words of Joel (Joel 3:18) and John the Baptist (Matt. 3:11) were fulfilled.
On this day, set aside to praise the Lord for giving His people a great harvest, the Lord began to harvest the lost souls of this world through His church. The church would never be the same! The world and the church were changed forever.
Ill. Amazing things took place that day. Charismatic friends zero in on the miracle of tongues. They believe that God expects all His people to speak in tongues. Tongues were not the primary miracle that day. Tongues were never given as a sign to the church; tongues came for the Jews, 1 Cor. 14:22. Tongues are mentioned in the book of Acts when a new people group is brought into the church. (Jews – Act 2; Samaritans – Acts 8; Gentiles – Acts 10; and the Disciples of John – Act 19) Tongues were designed to let Jews know that they were to be judged for their disobedience to God, Isa. 28:11; Deut. 28:49; 1 Cor. 14:21. Tongues have ceased, 1 Cor. 13:8.
Cannot duplicate the events of Pentecost. We cannot go to Jerusalem, enter the upper room and wait to be filled with the Spirit. The Holy Ghost has already come, and baptized every person who is saved, 1 Cor. 12:13. We cannot duplicate the miracles of that day. The miracles are God’s doing and we are foolish if we spend our time seeking the spectacular.
While we cannot duplicate the events of that day, we can duplicate the conditions that existed among the people of God on that day. We can see the Lord move in our midst in power and glory in these days, just as He moved in those days. I believe that we need another Pentecost! When we create an atmosphere like the one that existed in the church on that day, we will see Him move in power among us in these days.
One of the striking characteristics of the early church in the day of Pentecost was that they were together “with one accord”. The word “accord” means “to have one mind.” These early disciples, all 120, 1:15, were united in their desire to seek the face of the Lord, 1:14! Unity was the calling card of the early church, and it should mark us as well. If we want the Lord’s presence and power in these days, then God’s people are going to have walk together in unity. We Need Another Pentecost! We need a move of God in these days like the early church enjoyed in those days. But, if that is to happen, there must be unity among God’s people. Let’s me show the ways in which the early church was united. We should seek unity in the same areas.
I. 1:4-5 UNITED IN PURPOSE
· They waited on the Lord together.
· This same trait should mark the church. Ill. Phil 1:27 – We are told to “strive together”. This phrase means “to work together as athletes”. We are a team! We are to work together, for the glory of God, carrying out His will in the world.
· We each have different functions, 1 Cor. 12:7-26, but we should all have the same goal, 1 Cor. 10:31. (Ill. There are some glory hounds, Diotrephes, 3 John and James and John, Mark 10:35-37 – Don’t get caught up in their antics, do what He has called you to do and be what He has called you to be!) (Ill. That is why we need Eph. 4:1-7; 4:31-32.)
· We may have different ideas, but once a consensus is reached, we should break out of our huddle and stand together! Satan is a divider, 1 Cor. 1:10; Christ is a uniter, Eph. 2:14-15.
II. 1:14 UNITED IN PRAYER
· They prayed together. They prayed with and for one another.
· Nothing builds unity in a church any more than carrying one another’s burdens to the Lord in prayer, Gal. 6:1-5. (Ill. There is a bond that develops between people who pray together!)
· When we pray for others, we are less focused on ourselves and our own problems, Phil. 2:1-4.
III. 2:3-4a UNITED IN POWER
· They were “all filled with the Holy Ghost”. The unity of the early church came about because they were all right with God and filled with the Spirit of God. This unity produced amazing results: They preached the same message, 2:11; They believed the same things, 2:41-44a; They carried the same burdens, 2:44b-45; 4:34-35. They loved the same things, 2:46-47.
· One of the problems in the modern church is that the members are in all different stages of spiritual development. Some are saved but immature. Some are saved and growing. Some are saved and Spirit-filled. Some are not even saved. This diversity makes for difficulty in the family.
· There is no way around diversity, but God’s will for us every single saint to be filled with the Spirit, Eph. 5:18. (Ill. Present Tense; Imperative Mood; Passive Voice) (Ill. To be filled means “to be controlled”. When He controls me and He controls you, we will walk together in His power for His glory!)
IV. 2:4b UNITED IN PERFORMANCE
· “…all were filled…and began to speak…” – Each one was busy doing their part!
· God saved no one to sit; He saved all to serve – Eph. 2:10; James 2:18 – A faith that won’t work isn’t real!
· No task is unimportant or small; each is vital to the success of the church. (Ill. Hur –Ex. 17 and Bezaleel, Ex. 31:1-5; Ill. The Psalmist – Psa. 84:10) (Ill. Prayer, Witness, Workers, Cleaners, Mom & Dad, Josh, Teachers, Deacons, Giving, etc.)
· Are you doing what He wants you to do? Are you doing all you can do? (Ill. Mary – Mark 14:1-9 – Ill. What she couldn’t do!
Conc: We need another Pentecost! It will come when walking and working together! As Vance Havner said, “Snowflakes are fragile things, but when they stick together they can stop traffic!” In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” “Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can't you guys get organized like that?”
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