Impossible, Not Just Impressive
Core Statement
The Church cannot fulfill the mission of the Church if the Church doesn't rely on the power Jesus promised the Church.
Intro
The first churches after the resurrection of Jesus were obviously very different from churches today. No electricity. Different languages. Different customs. But at the core, in the things that matter above all else, those remain. We gather. We pray. We worship. We baptize. We share communion. We teach from the Bible. We build friendships. The DNA of the church, the movement and the community that Jesus founded, remains largely intact.
It's important to look back at how the church was launched because it teaches us something about what the church was called to be and the mission that we're a part of.
Setting the Scene
"Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4-5 (NLT)
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NLT)
In the moments before the resurrected Jesus returned to Heaven, He gave His followers instructions and a promise. They were to wait in Jerusalem. The promise was that they would receive power to fulfill the mission Jesus had for them.
What Does It Mean to Be Pentecostal?
We're a Pentecostal church. To describe a church as "Pentecostal" is more than simply saying we believe in speaking in tongues. The Pentecostal movement was born out of groups of people who believed that their churches were no longer empowered by the Holy Spirit. That the church had learned to function as a human-led organization. They saw a gap between what they read in the book of Acts and what they experienced week after week.
Pentecostal churches were born out of a desire to see the Holy Spirit empower the lives of believers and empower the mission of the church so that we can be faithful in our mission, just as Jesus commanded.
Why We Need the Holy Spirit
Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we might be able to build a crowd, but we can't change hearts. We might have skillful musicians, but we can't replicate the presence of God. We might coerce people into obedience, but that's not discipleship. We can try our best to be good people, but we can't truly transform our hearts and minds through our own effort.
"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." Zechariah 4:6 (NLT)
"My message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NLT)
But with the Holy Spirit, we can become a community centered on Jesus. We can routinely enjoy encountering the presence of God. The Scriptures and the teaching of the Word can change our perspectives on life. We can learn from each other and teach each other so we can truly become disciples. We can see a move of God that brings home people from every background imaginable. And hearts and minds can be cleaned up and truly changed as the Holy Spirit reveals truth and undoes the lies we've believed.
The amazing news is that Jesus has promised to give us the Holy Spirit as a gift so that we can be empowered to do all He's called us to do.
The Day of Pentecost
The disciples weren't respected or well-known. They were in Jerusalem, but most of them were from Galilee. They weren't from the big city. They were from the country. Think of a group of young people from Baldwinsville hanging out in New York City. That's not a million miles away from how this would have felt.
They were waiting in Jerusalem just as Jesus instructed. They went to an upper room, just a second story of a house or business. Jesus had told them the Holy Spirit would come and they would have power to fulfill a mission. The mission was to tell the whole world about Jesus. And the implication is that to do this effectively, you will need the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our strength is not strong enough. Our intellect is not sharp enough. Our skills and abilities are inadequate. Our gifts and talents are insufficient. Not because our strength means nothing, or because we're all stupid, or because our skills are useless. But because they don't match the task. A teaspoon is not useless, but you can't shovel the driveway with it.
120 of Jesus' followers waited and prayed together. They had seen the risen Jesus and heard His promise. It seems like they didn't know exactly what this power was going to look like, but they trusted the Lord, followed His direction, and waited.
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. Acts 2:1-4 (NLT)
A sound like a roaring windstorm. What looked like flames settling on them. I don't know what the disciples were expecting, but it likely wasn't this.
People from all over were in Jerusalem, and they were amazed to hear these Galileans speaking in their own native languages. Peter stood up and preached boldly, pointing the crowd to the prophet Joel and to the death and resurrection of Jesus. His words pierced their hearts. About 3,000 people believed and were baptized that day.
This is the launch of the church. One of the most important moments in the Bible and in all of human history. This was the power that Jesus promised.
From the very beginning, we see God giving power to the believers, just as Jesus said He would. The implication is that for the church to achieve all that God has called it to do, we aren't able to do it without Him. That's His design and His desire. That His people would live with a sense of purpose. That we would live on mission and that we would need and depend on Him to fulfill that mission.
Everything that God has asked us to do, He has promised to do with us.
The Impact of Pentecost
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders... all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 (NLT)
The early church was marked by teaching, community, communion, genuine care for one another, daily worship, joy, and people continually coming to faith. This ordinary and unimpressive group led a movement that got the attention of an entire city and the surrounding area.
There's no reason the history books would have remembered these first-century fishermen or tax collectors or farmers. Except that Jesus called them to be His disciples and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The power of the church was not and has never been in the awesomeness of its leaders. It's not found in a celebrity endorsement. It's not found because something happens in DC that is favorable to churches. It's not found in politicians pretending they're Christians to win votes. The power of the church is within the church, because the power of the church is the Holy Spirit who dwells within believers. It's found in a longing for the Holy Spirit. In obedience to His leading. In the humility to allow Him to shape our hearts and minds.
The Tower of Babel Reversed
Scholars have long made a connection between Pentecost and the Tower of Babel. At Babel (Genesis 11), humanity's languages were confused because their hearts were wicked and idolatrous. They could not be trusted with the ability to achieve the impossible because it would cause insurmountable problems.
But at Pentecost, language was reunified. With dependent hearts and a dependency on the Holy Spirit, humanity can once again see the impossible happen. Never for our glory, but for His. We have been gifted the power we need to fulfill His mission for His glory.
Peter's Transformation
Peter is a great example of this. He was terrified to admit he even knew Jesus. He denied Him three times. But Jesus forgave Peter and assured him that he still had a purpose.
After receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached his heart out, saw thousands of people come to faith and get baptized, started praying for miracles, and saw incredible things happen. He was eventually thrown in jail for his faith. And as he sat there, unwavering and uncompromised, it must have crossed his mind that less than two months earlier he had denied Jesus three times.
But the Holy Spirit got to work in Peter's heart, changed him, and now he was one of the key leaders in a movement that was seeing the impossible happen. Lives were being changed, people were committing their lives to Jesus, and it would ultimately spread across the globe, just as Jesus promised.
The Impossible in the Lives of Believers
"The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" Matthew 13:23 (NLT)
A hundredfold harvest isn't just impressive. It's impossible without God. That's exactly the kind of life the Holy Spirit empowers.
The Impossible in the Impact of the Church
The church is a movement designed by God to achieve the impossible. It's made up of individuals who are invited to have God do the impossible in their lives. These individuals are joined together in a community of faith that together experiences the impossible, not only for the church but also as they fulfill the mission to reach anyone and everyone.
Not every political engagement is wrong, but whenever the church trusted political power more than spiritual power, it ended badly. If you look back through church history and consider the atrocities committed in the name of God or the church over the last thousand years, you'll notice it's because church leadership had started seeking power and influence from politics. They stopped looking to the Holy Spirit as their source of power and instead craved authority for themselves.
Make It Personal
The Church cannot fulfill the mission of the Church if the Church doesn't rely on the power Jesus promised the Church.
Now make it personal:
A believer cannot fulfill the mission of a believer if a believer doesn't rely on the power Jesus promised the believer.
You cannot fulfill your calling and your purpose if you don't rely on the Holy Spirit and the power Jesus promised to give. I don't want the ceiling of our church to be the skills and talent of the members. I don't want to settle for whatever our best efforts may produce. I want to see God do the impossible. I want to see the Holy Spirit change hearts and minds. I want worship to be so rich in the presence of God that we find ourselves overwhelmed at His wonder and majesty. I want to see people coming to faith, having a true conversion experience, and having their entire life changed because of the gospel.
I want to be amazed and confused and puzzled and shocked by all that is happening in and through our church. Not because it's just our best efforts, but because the Holy Spirit is breathing on and multiplying all the efforts and all the ministry and all the work. He's compounding the difference being made. He's exploding the impact of our local church.
Key Scriptures
Acts 1:4-8
Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:42-47
Zechariah 4:6
Psalm 20:7
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Genesis 11:6
Matthew 13:23
Acts 4:31
