Monday, May 21, 2012
It’s All About Power
What
is Pentecost Sunday? What does it mean to be Pentecostal? What is the big deal
about The Upper Room Experience? Good
questions, all. The short answer: It’s
all about power.
What is Pentecost
Sunday?
Pentecost Sunday comes fifty days
after Easter Sunday. The Greek word for fifty is “pentecost”, hence the name.
Pentecost was also a Jewish holiday. A Wheaton College
Professor defined it as follows: "Pentecost
is the day that the church was born. On that day, the Holy Spirit came to fill
believers. Jesus had ascended, but he sent the Spirit so that believers could
have the comfort, guidance, and empowerment of God's presence." The beginning of Pentecost is recorded in Acts
2:1-2. The disciples of Jesus were gathering together on the day of Pentecost
when: "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." – Acts 2:2-4
What does it mean to be Pentecostal? Although Pentecostals are known for their exuberant worship
and preaching, being Pentecostal is more about having the same experience that
the Disciples and Mary, the mother of Jesus, had 2000 years ago on “The Day of
Pentecost”. That experience is often
referred to as the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost). Those who
experience it testify of its life-changing effect. It is powerful!
What is the big deal
about “The Upper Room Experience”? The
disciples received the Holy Spirit while praying in Jerusalem in an “upper room.” Jesus had predicted that He would leave them
but then come live inside of them. He promised
" you
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my
witnesses, telling people about me everywhere...” (Acts 1:8 NLT) This power-giving experience turned a group
of frightened followers into an army of bold world-changers.
St.
Paul warned a young minister named Timothy that there would come a time when
people would call themselves Christians but would shy away from it’s
power. “They will act religious, but
they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people
like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5 NLT) Sure
enough, within a few centuries this experience nearly disappeared from
religious circles. Incredibly, for many centuries
churches discouraged people from enjoying the same kind of experience that gave
the first century believers such courage and authority. Throughout history there have been groups of
people that would pop up here and there, only to be snuffed out by the
politically correct leaders of their day.
Then
in the early 1900s there was a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in places
like Wales, Houston TX, Topeka KA and Los Angeles CA. Thousands of people began to receive the Holy
Spirit and speak in “other tongues”.
Since then millions more have had the same power-giving, life-changing
experience. You can have it too!
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