Acts 2:1-16
And during the day of Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all together at the same place. And suddenly a noise from heaven like of a violent rushing wind took place, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And dividing tongues as-if of fire appeared to them. And it sat on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit was giving the uttering to them. Now there were Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, reverent men from every nation under heaven. And this sound having taken place, the crowd came together and was confounded because they were each one hearing them speaking in his own language! And they were astonished, and were marveling, saying “Behold, are not all these ones speaking Galileans? And how is it we are each one hearing in our own language in which we were born?— Parthians and Medes and Elamites; and the ones dwelling-in Mesopotamia, and Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, and Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya toward Cyrene; and the Romans residing here; both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs; we are hearing them speaking the great things of God in our own tongues”. And they were all astonished and greatly-perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?” But others, while scoffing, were saying that “They have been filled with sweet-new-wine”. And Peter, having stood with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, “Men, Jews, and all the ones dwelling-in Jerusalem: let this be known to you, and pay-attention-to my words. For these ones are not drunk, as you are assuming. For it is the third hour of the day. But this is the thing having been spoken through the prophet Joel.
For some strange reason we think of Jesus as a docile and kind soul that came to make us all quiet and silent. But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus came to make us warriors. He came to make us disruptive and explosive. He gave us access to dynamic power, supernatural discipline and the ability to make some noise. Yes, we are indeed noisemakers; and this morning I implore you to use every gift within your power to make some noise for Jesus.
I purposely included all 16 verses of Acts 2 for our consideration so we could clearly see the tremendous impact that was made by the saints gathered in the “upper room” on the Day of Pentecost. The day is celebrated as the starting point for the Church of Jesus Christ. It is marked by the incredible act of God pouring his Spirit down upon the obedient and anxious adherents at the command of Christ to ‘wait for the Comforter to come’. Their obedience and anticipation were rewarded with an outpouring like none ever recorded in history. But if we only focus on the outcome, we will never truly appreciate the process that brought them this delightful miracle.
The 120 folk in the room were not all prophets, priest, preachers and clergymen. They were plain old simple people that were disciplined enough to trust and obey. Sometimes that’s all the credentials you need. Their claim to fame was simple. Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise. They stayed in Jerusalem and waited. The Bible says over 500 people saw Jesus after his resurrection. I don’t know if they were invited or knew about the upper room. I don’t know if they got tired of waiting. But all I do know is that those that did wait received a unbelievable blessing that we’re still talking about until this very day.
But look at their response to their blessing. When the Holy Ghost came, they all participated. Let me say that again. When the Holy Ghost came, they all participated. There wasn’t a pastor leading them in a sermon. There wasn’t a deacon leading them in prayer. They weren’t sitting idle and uninterested in the events of the day. The Bible says they were on one accord. They were united in mission. United in spirit. United in love. There’s something about parity and selflessness that truly impresses God. You want God to show up and show out? Try dropping all our protocols, pretenses, attitudes, platitudes and egos. I’m convinced God is seeking some disruptive folk willing to make some noise. Noisemakers willing to do some damage to the Enemy’s camp. Folk that aren’t afraid to be talked about. Folk that would rather suffer the embarrassment of being considered improper or even drunk for righteousness sake.
People of God, the Holy Spirit caused chaos in Jerusalem. Systemic change is not neat and tidy. Disruption is not quiet. If we are truly going to celebrate Pentecost for real, we need everybody making some noise. Stop right now and email a bunch of your friends. Disrupt your schedule everyday and send some communication to as many strangers as you possibly can. Invite people to your Zoom meetings, your Facebook Live services, your Bible studies and Sunday morning services. Do something! Say something! If we love Jesus, Let’s make some noise!!!!
Gods Bless
