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Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661
Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org
OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”
Nobleton Community Church
Date July 6, 2025
Text: Acts 2:1-24
Pastor Paul Lehmann
Wind power is supposed to be an alternative source of power, and some would like to see the day when that or something else totally replaces the internal combustion engine. Flying wind farms began in 2007-2008 to be developed to capture the power of the jet stream. Some think wind power is one of the most promising forms of renewable energy, but it can be notoriously difficult to catch. One of the problems is that the best winds don’t tend to move at ground level. Instead, they do their blowing six miles up in the air, at the height of the jet stream. This is 31,680 feet, where jets fly. At that level, the winds are stronger and blow more consistently, carrying up to a hundred times more energy.
But how can humans harness this power? Conventional turbines on towers won’t get us close enough —the tallest to date is just over 200 meters or about 650 feet in height.
According to The Economist magazine back in June 9, 2007, a company called Sky Wind Power developed a flying generator, one that looks like a cross between a kite and a helicopter. Picture an H-shaped frame with rotors at the ends of the four points, tethered to the ground by a long cable. The rotors provide lift, like the surface of a kite, and as they lift the frame they also turn dynamos that generate electricity. This electricity is then transmitted to the ground through aluminum cables. There are many problems with this whole idea of “wind power” and the turbines necessary to use it. Complaints are all over the place. Destruction of the fragile ecosystem and animal habitats and the turbines kill birds like eagles, raptors, hawks and migrating birds. They also cause many health problems for humans which we don’t have time to get into.
It is ironic to me that the same environmentalists that complain about other forms of energy affecting all of the above, seem to defend this idea of wind power. My point is not to get into any of this, but to point out that the only way wind power can be effective is –you have to “catch the wind”, and to catch the wind you have to be where the wind is blowing.” It’s true for these flying generators and it is true for God’s people.
Can the church “catch the wind” so to speak? The rush of a violent wind from God like we read about in the book of Acts?
Let’s say that again. If you want to catch the wind, you have to put yourself where the wind is blowing. Call it the Pentecost paradigm, because the same principle applies to the church.
If the Christian community is going to tap the limitless energy of Holy Spirit wind power, then it’s going to have to position itself correctly. Fortunately, the book of Acts provides us with a blueprint for building a church that can catch this wind. It suggests that there are four points to put in place: Community, Communication, Courage and Clarity. With these four points in the right place, we can feel “the rush of a violent wind” as we read about in Acts 2:2, and capture the energy of the Holy Spirit.
In verse one we read about the COMMUNITY POINT. It tells us that they were all together in one place. Were they All there? Yes. Were they all together? Yes. Were they all in one place? Yes. They were gathered in community. They weren’t in different place, but were in the same spot, on the same page so to speak. This is critically important, because when the Holy Spirit came with a sound like the rush of a violent wind, it came to one group of disciples (about 120 of them) in one house. They saw what seemed like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Why tongues of fire? Tongues symbolize speech, and the communication of the Good News. Fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence which burns away the undesirable elements of our life and sets our hearts aflame in order to ignite the lives of others. The fire landed on each one individually, but also on all of them as a group. The fact that they were all together in one place was important.
If Peter had been in Capernaum, John in Nazareth, James on the Sea of Galilee, Andrew in Cana and the other eight scattered across the country, there would not have been a catching of the Holy Spirit wind for them. It was only because they obeyed the Lord, and stayed in Jerusalem and were together that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them this ability. This idea of the community of believers being together in one place is important. Sadly today, we can’t seem to get everyone here every Sunday. We do have various gatherings of believers on other days. The women’s groups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Prayer meeting group on Thursday. The Choir group on Friday, and the Adult Bible study group on Sunday morning. But here we read that they were all there at the same time for a corporate prayer meeting. They were all together.
Next is THE COMMUNICATION POINT The apostles in Jerusalem “began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (vs. 4). This amazed the devout Jews from every nation who were living in the city, because they knew that the apostles were Galileans—men not famous for their foreign language abilities.
Now the fact that they spoke in 15 different languages, was a miracle. So unusual and impossible in the natural.
You may have heard before the riddle: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? American.
Well, in the first century, the punch line would have been: Galilean. But on Pentecost, the apostles were chattering away in the mother tongues of all these people who were visiting Jerusalem. There is at least one commentator who believes that they didn’t really speak in these languages; that they didn’t need to, because everyone spoke Aramaic and Greek throughout that part of the world at that time. Now it is hard for me to understand such a statement. Of course they didn’t need to—but that’s the point,—not only that as I said, they couldn’t unless God gave them the ability. When people hear testimonies and preaching in their mother tongue it is always more powerful. That’s why the distribution of the Jesus film is so powerful, because it has been translated into over 1100 languages. When a village person, who probably knows a trade language, but he hears those in the film speak his heart language –his mother tongue –that’s powerful.
We need to position ourselves to put this gift to work today by supporting ministries other than just in English—in our Jerusalem.
You might wonder, do we have to speak in tongues to be filled with the Holy Spirit? No we don’t have to; we get to. But no, particularly in a known language like they did at Pentecost. There are 2 other occasions mentioned in the book of Acts where they spoke in tongues and one where probably they did, but it doesn’t say they did. Acts 8:14-19 they received the Holy Spirit but it doesn’t mention tongues. However Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, so he offered them money so he could have this power. Now what did he see. Did they speak in an ecstatic or unknown tongue? Probably. Then in Acts 10:45-47 at the house of Cornelius, while Peter was speaking we read that; “the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” In verse 46-“…they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then finally in chapter 19 at Ephesus, the people were asked by Paul in verse 2; “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? “ “ They answered, “ No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. In verse 6 it says; “when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. “ On none of these occasions did they speak in a known language. Even though I know of occasions when people have spoken in a known language, that they didn’t know, and that they had never studied, and someone heard them speak in that language and it was their mother tongue, and they were so astonished that they ended up giving their life to Christ. Most often it would be in an “unknown tongue.” This is what Paul is talking about in I Cor. 14:4 when he says: …” he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.” So Paul is saying that tongues shouldn’t be used publically unless there is an interpretation. Prophesies are more important than tongues, unless there is an interpretation, and then they are on the same level. Paul emphasizes though in I Cor. 13: 1 that great love chapter, that even if you speak in the tongues of angels, but you don’t have love, it is like a gong and clanging symbols. It means nothing. So should we speak in tongues. Well it is a spiritual gift. I believe some do and some don’t. The ones that do should not think of themselves as more spiritual than those that don’t. It does help us in our prayer times with the Lord. There is more to say about this, but that is for another message on spiritual gifts.
THE COURAGE POINT in this account is in verse 13. We read that some of the residents of Jerusalem sneered at the apostles and said, “They are filled with new wine.” They didn’t want to hear the message of the Galileans, so they tried to write it off as drunken babbling. But Peter raised his voice and addressed them.
“ …These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning” —These words are very enlightening. There were students at a Lutheran college who had T-shirts printed up for their 9:00am class. The shirts simply said “Acts 2:15.” Not many people knew that verse from memory, but when they looked it up they found the words, “Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.”
Peter went on to say:
“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 prophecy, 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 prophecy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and sign on the earth below, blood and fire and billow of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(verses 14-24)
It took courage for Peter to stand up to the sneering crowd. It took Spirit-powered courage. Remember that this was the very same Peter who, less than two months before, had slinked away from conflict by denying Jesus three times. This time he didn’t shy away from conflict, because now he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Instead, he stood up to his detractors and said that the speech of the apostles was a fulfillment of ancient prophecy. The prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled. The Spirit is being poured out on all of God’s servants, men and women alike. Peter made a strong stand for what God was doing in the world at that particular moment.
We are challenged to do the same, especially when people dismiss our faith. Our job is to show a little courage as we describe what we see God doing in the world. We too today, do not have to slink away like Peter did before Pentecost. We too, can be filled with the Holy Spirit if we wait on the Lord like they did, and ask Him to fill us. We don’t have to engage in philosophical arguments with agnostics, or refute the best-selling books of today’s neo-atheists (that is “new” atheists) —instead, our challenge is to point out what God is doing in our churches, communities, nation and world.
When estranged family members come together, that’s a God –moment.
When an unexpected healing occurs, that’s a God-moment.
When warring factions make peace, that’s a God-moment.
Peter courageously pointed out a God-moment that he saw in his world, and so can we. This brings us, finally, to…
THE CLARITY POINT. When Peter spoke to the crowd, he didn’t invent a whole new set of Holy Scriptures. Instead, he clarified a passage from Joel that had been confusing before, but now made perfect sense. He provided a commentary on this Scripture lesson that awakened people to the power of the Holy Spirit and the significance of God’s Son, Jesus.
Making the message of the Bible clear is one of the most important ways in which we position the church to catch the power of God. Peter did this well in his sermon to the people of Jerusalem, by showing that God’s promise to pour out his Sprit was coming true all around them, and the day was dawning in which “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (v 21). This was the greatest clarification of all, because it made clear that the name of the Lord is Jesus, and everyone who calls on him shall be saved. The prophets longed for this day. Ezekiel 36;26 tells us that one day, God was going to replace their heart of stone, their hard hearts with His Spirit, who would be in them.
Salvation is no longer limited to the Jews. Gentiles can be saved as well. It’s a surprising twist in the biblical story and Peter suddenly makes clear what God is doing. Everyone shall be forgiven, and made right with God. All they have to do is call Jesus their Lord. For years, people didn’t know what the prophet Joel was talking about. But Peter made it clear.
Have you been able to make the gospel clear to people within your sphere of influence? If you have been filled with the Holy Spirit you will be able to do it. You are witnesses to what God has done for you, and at the very least you can tell people about that. When you are anointed by the Holy Spirit that testimony will draw people to Christ. How do we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit into our lives, you might ask? You might also think, that the Holy Spirit is already living within you, so, what am I talking about? As I have said many times, yes if you have asked Christ to come into your life, His Spirit does come into your life. In fact the Bible tells us that without the Spirit you do not belong to Him. But what we are talking about is the anointing that comes in filling you up, and immersing you in the Holy Spirit. But God can’t do that for you if you are not willing to give yourself wholly over to Him. The Holy Spirit wants full control of your life. You see when Jesus told the disciples to WAIT in Jerusalem, he was telling them to WAIT for Him. Go to the upper room. Worship and Pray, and then you will soon know what it means to be filled. We too often are not willing to spend the time in prayer –asking Him to do a new work in us. We are perfectly content to be saved. We are perfectly content to have our fire escape from hell, but don’t expect me to give myself totally over to the Holy Spirit. Well that’s what we are talking about. I urge you to consider receiving all the power that is available to you.
So these are the four points of a Holy –Spirit harnessing church. A Community that Communicates with Courage and Clarity is going to be in a position to catch the power of God—catch the wind of the Holy Spirit yield to His control and allow Him to work through you to reach someone across the street, and through your missions giving, also across the world.