Do You Want the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Ever since the Holy Spirit Encounter, we have been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he felt that the empowerment of the Holy Spirit was important enough that he told his disciples to wait there for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Then they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. He never told them “go out and do your best. Take your best shot.” He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost was a celebration that happened fifty days after the Passover. It was called the Day of the First Fruits, because on that day the first fruits of the wheat harvest were brought to God. It was one of three pilgrimage festivals where Jews were expected, even commanded to bring gifts and offerings to God. This is important, as God was going to do something awesome.

The first thing I want to highlight is that the Holy Spirit had been promised. Before he was crucified, Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” [hold on to that.] “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth… I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you… the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:15-17a, 18, 26)

So now Jesus’ promise is being fulfilled. The Holy Spirit is being poured out. I want to focus on the context in which the Holy Spirit comes. It is a required festival day, when faithful Jews have come from all over the ancient near east to Jerusalem and are gathered together in one place. This is not a coincidence.

It’s also not a coincidence who was there in the room. The disciples, who Jesus had commanded to wait for the Holy Spirit, are gathered together in a room. Their obedience facilitated the gift. When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, he set a condition. The promise for the Holy Spirit came immediately after he had told them, “if you love me, you will obey what I command.”

There are many people out there who want the power of the Holy Spirit but not obedience. People always want shortcuts. But I’m here to tell you that the Holy Spirit power does not come to the disobedient! It’s like a guy who is hired for a job. He goes and interviews, and the employer tells him, “Come to work on Monday.” Except he doesn’t show up. Then on Friday, he comes in and asks for his pay. He wants to go out and have a good time on the weekend. Do you think the boss will give him any money? NO! It’s the same thing with Christians. We sometimes think we can do whatever we want all week, all month, but then we find ourselves in need of the Holy Spirit’s power, so we start to beg God. We cry out to God. We plead with him. But if we’re not obedient in the small things, this pleading and crying is not going to force God’s hand. God is looking for obedience. In fact, when questioned, Peter said directly in Acts 5:32 that the Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey him. You want the Spirit? Obey God. It’s not about catching someone else’s blessing. It’s not about hype.

Listen to what Jesus said about obedience. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

There are those among us who just want God’s blessing. They want to see signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit. But they don’t want to be obedient. Or sometimes there are those among us who want great things, but they aren’t obedient in the little things.

Jesus’ disciples were obedient. They weren’t perfect, but they were obedient. So we find them together in one room, waiting for the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus commanded. They heard what sounded like a mighty wind, and they saw what appeared like tongues of fire resting on each of them. That’s why the United Methodist Church has a symbol of a cross and a flame. The cross is for the sacrifice Jesus made to make reconciliation with us, and the flame is for the Holy Spirit. The cross is the symbol of Jesus’ obedience, and the Holy Spirit is given to those who are obedient to Jesus.

I want to get into one other aspect of this account of the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in other languages. There are all sorts of theories and theologies, even, to explain or understand this manifestation of the Spirit. One thing is for sure: this example of speaking in tongues was unique, as the Holy Spirit did not simply enable the apostles to speak in languages they didn’t understand, but rather took the apostles’ speech and translated it into languages that their audience could understand. It would be like me standing here speaking English, yet you could understand it in Nyanja or Bemba without a human translator.

As with most events, this can be faked. Speaking in tongues does not guarantee the Holy Spirit’s presence or activity. As with prophecy, the test is in the fruit. We have a good way to measure things: in Deuteronomy 18:22, the test for a prophet says if someone predicts something in the name of the Lord and it doesn’t come true – if only one prophecy fails – then that person is a false prophet. If a prophecy or so-called word from God contradicts God’s Word, then that person is a false prophet. If the utterances serve to elevate a human over God, to amass a person great wealth, but that person does not exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, then they just might not be from the Lord.

Just because you hear speaking in tongues, just because you see signs and wonders, these are not guarantees that they come from God. Listen carefully to the message as well. Spend time with God, with the Bible, listening to the Holy Spirit, to determine what God is saying and doing.

The last thing I want to say now is this: some of you know what you’re supposed to be doing, but you aren’t doing it. You can’t have it both ways. Some of you might need to repent, to stop what you’re doing and turn in the opposite direction and do what God is calling you to do. Some of you have made excuses why not to do what God is telling you plainly. Stop making excuses. Today is the day to obey Christ. Today is the day of salvation. Today can be your Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit is poured out. But that won’t happen for the disobedient.