20/05/2018: Pentecost Sunday | Refresh

Call to Worship

Psalm 104:24-35 (MSG)

24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, GOD!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
31-32 The glory of GOD—let it last forever!
Let GOD enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
33-35 Oh, let me sing to GOD all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I’m so pleased to be singing to GOD.
O my soul, bless GOD!
There is a wonderful pure flow of the Holy Spirit that produces Love; Power and Wisdom.

Quote   |  John Wesley

My fear is not that our great movement, known as the Methodists, will eventually cease to exist or one day die from the earth. My fear is that our people will become content to live without the fire, the power, the excitement, the supernatural element that makes us great.”- John Wesley

Strangely Warmed!!!fire and power and excitement of the Holy Spirit.

1. We are not going to teach this lesson dogmatically (rigidly, inflexible, this is how it happens to all…) but rather as a dynamic (vibrant, full of life, vigorous) experience.
2. Not one denomination or group has a franchise on the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals \ Charismatics \ Independent \ Evangelicals etc at the expense of all other parts of Christ’s Body called the Christian Church. Balance gifts\fruit…

“But it is the same Spirit who works in all and through all.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Pentecost is one of the key events in God’s story of salvation, along with creation, the Incarnation and Easter.
Reading 1: Acts 2:1-13NIV

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 him speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own 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 convert 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?”
Some however made fun of them and said. “They have had too much wine.”

We read of praising God in a language that everyone from different regions could amazingly understand and all you knew was that you were praising God in a language – tongue that you did not usually speak.
This total act of the Holy Spirit, taking the Gospel to them in a language that they can understand. All nations and all people!

The experience of God’s Spirit means that it is not always going to be dignified and could in fact be scary and obviously paradigm shifting and sifting.

1 Thess 5:19 amp…Do not quench (suppress or subdue the Holy Spirit.)

Peter full of the Holy Spirit became the fisher of men that Jesus called him to. After one sermon from this raw fisherman over 3000 were added to the church.
And Peter realized that the experience of Pentecost is not a once-off experience.
Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit 3X in the space of Acts C2-C4.
Ephesians 5:18amp Be filled and go on being filled and stimulated with the Spirit.

Acts 2: 14-21

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Peter finished with. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

My fear is that our people will become content to live without the fire, the power, the excitement, the supernatural element that makes us great.”- John Wesley

The Purpose of Pentecost.

John 10:10 I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

Love; Power and Wisdom
If you haven’t received the Infilling of the Holy Spirit then know for sure that there is a flame with your name on it.
A flame of Love; Power and Wisdom

1. Talk about the difference between dogmatic and dynamic…

2. Discuss the experiences you have had with the Holy Spirit.

3. What do you think John Wesley meant in the quote mentioned in the sermon?

4. Pray with each other for Infilling and Refreshing.