The King's Church in Ilford
The following is the text of the talk given on 28th March 2010 by Georges Kisombola
"What Did Joel Say?"
- Acts 2:13-21/I>
If I was asked to summarize the book of Acts in one sentence, I would say: The book of Acts teaches us about the Holy Spirit who empowers the church (both Jews and gentiles believers) to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the World. In fact when you read the book of Acts, you are left with the strong sense that God is in control. Better named: "The Acts of the Holy Spirit".
Acts 1:8 says:" But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth".
Robin preached last Sunday and spoke about what took place on the day of Pentecost. The 120 people talked about in Acts 1 received the Holy Spirit. As they did, they were totally changed. All the fears, uncertainty and hopelessness were gone as they all start speaking in different languages. Not only they were changed but also spontaneously they spoke in different languages and were understood by different people from different nations who were present in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.
Some believed, but some hearers mocked the disciple by saying that they were drunk.
Something unusual must have taken place that morning and people noticed it. Beside speaking in tongues and the presence of tongues of fire upon the followers of Jesus, there must have been some very unusual expressions that attracted the watchers. The followers of Jesus seemed to be drunk according to Acts 2 verse 13. I tried to imagine what a drunken person does that attracts attention. A drunken person screams shouts, cries, laughs, shakes, falls, and runs, jumps, sings… You should have seen the way people acted with the Toronto Blessing! People were acting like mad. Even some grown up men in suits had their heads down and their feet in the air, others even throwing themselves in strange positions.
One may suggest that all this was taking place at that time on that day and the 120 were drunk indeed because when the Holy Spirit is poured out, something is going to happen. When humanity touches the divinity, something is going to happen. When the Power of God touches a person, something is going to give way. When the power of God falls on you, something is going to change.
Imagine that Robin is listening to this voice mail that I just left on his mobile phone a Sunday morning that I am to preach:" Hello Robin, I am sorry I am a bit late. As I was on my way to church, eighteen wheelers truck run over me. I will be there shortly. Georges".
After listening to that message, You will know I am a liar because when a truck that has 18 wheels runs over a person, nothing will be left to make sense. Am I going to come here after that with some dust on my shirt after such event? And if I am alive, I would be in very bad shape because of the sheer power of this truck. It would transform me completely.
But can I tell you that there is even a greater power. When we receive the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Living God transforms us for good. It will not kill us like the truck would but when we are in touch with the Holy Spirit something is going to give. Something must take place. Something must happen.
Robin talked about the outburst of praise and worship, and now in Acts 2 verse 14 we come across a character whose life changed forever that day.
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
For Peter, someone who denied Christ 3 times 50 days before Pentecost is suddenly filled inside that he cannot hold it any longer. This is a man who was timid and could not speak to one person, but suddenly, everything changed. What is inside has to come out. So something happened to Peter.
If you have not met Peter before this day of Pentecost I want to help you know how he was like a month or so before he was transformed.
John 18:17
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, "You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."
Peter could not even talk before. But after he was empowered by the Holy Spirit, everything changed. Peter is fearless. Peter is Bold. Peter is on fire. After the Power of the Holy Spirit descended on Him, Peter was
changed and will never be the same again.
How long has it been since somebody noticed the change they see in you? How long has it been since someone said to you "What in the world happened to you" and you have answered "God has changed me", or you answered "The Power of the Lord fell on me and I was changed".I believe that God said this to me last Wednesday:
"Tell your Church this: I poured my Holy Spirit on you a while back now. You received Him and enjoyed His presence. Then you settled with that and yet I was on the move. You stopped. I am calling you my Church to follow where I am now. Get out of your comfort zone and habits, and attitudes. I am determined to start something new if you change your ways".
Please do test this word knowing that the church is you and me. We have become so comfortable that we are not moved by the wonder of the one, who died for us; the one who rose from the dead so that we might have life. The one who ascended to the Father and rule; the one who sent the Holy Spirit to empower us for work he called us to do.
The disciples and the rest who met in the upper room did not sit recalling the stories of the past. They were not satisfied with just sitting around passively. They were united; they prayed together; and when the Holy Spirit descended, they were all filled because they were all of one accord, all expecting the power of the Holy Spirit. There were no spectators in that upper room. They were all involved. How involved are you when we come to worship? How united are to your brothers and sisters?
I want to stop here but before I do I want to proclaim to you what the prophet Joel said and now quoted by Peter as he is moved by the power of the Living God.
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
"'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
God promised that in the last days, these are not just in the distant future but were inaugurated at Pentecost and will continue until Christ's return. They are the "last days" in that the coming of the Messiah, long predicted in the Old Testament has now occurred. His saving death and resurrection have been accomplished, and now the work of the Holy Spirit in building the church is a key event in the history of salvation that needs to occur before Christ returns.
Most rabbis believed that the Spirit had ceased speaking through human prophets with the last of the Old Testament prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). Joel's prophecy of an outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh was understood as referring to a new messianic age.
All flesh can receive the Power of the Holy Spirit: Jews, gentiles, young, and old, tall, short, big, small, black, white, yellow… all flesh will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Every one here is destined to receive the Holy Spirit if you allow Him to.
Sons and Daughters will prophecy. The women in the upper room participated in the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. It is a new beginning. Something has changed. Everyone was qualified to receive the Power of the Holy Spirit. All of us here are qualified to receive this power to that will change us forever.
As said earlier, when the Holy Spirit descend on you not only will you praise and worship like crazy, not will you just take some strange positions and laugh, and run, and jump… but two more things will be enabled to do:
When we allow the Holy Spirit to descend on us and change us, we receive wisdom and God gives us opportunities to bring clarity into situations. The Jews who were assembled there on the day of Pentecost may not have understood what was taking place. But filled with the Spirit, Peter was moved to speak into the situation and bring clarity. "No, he said. It is just 9am, we are not drunk". You have been called by God in your family, in your school, in your place of work, in your fellowship to bring clarity. The question is: "Do you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and lead you". Are you willing to be filled today and have a new beginning with Him?
The second thing that the Holy Spirit brings in us when we allow Him to fill us and to lead us is that you will draw people to the Word of God. Once Peter was filled, after he brought clarity into the situation they were in, he could not help but lead the whole crowd to the Word of God. We need to store up scriptures in our hearts and mind so that when filled with the Holy Spirit we may be able to draw from the wealth of God's Word stored in us. This is a promise and we all qualify.
Peter was able to quote the prophecy from the book of Joel.
This is a promise. I will pour my Spirit says the Lord. He did not say I may. I will.
