When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 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 2:1-4

“What an unspeakably wonderful day the Day of Pentecost was! There is only one Bethlehem, one Calvary, one Pentecost; these are the landmarks of time and eternity; everything and everyone is judged by them.
“Beware of thinking of Pentecost in the light of personal experience only. The descent of the Holy Spirit can never be experimental, it is historical. The reception of the Holy Spirit into our hearts is experimental. Those who insist on the experimental line are in danger of forgetting the revelation and of putting all the emphasis on experience, while those who emphasize the revelation are in danger of forgetting the practical experience. In the New Testament the two are one; the experimental must be based on and regulated by the revelation. We imagine that we have the monopoly of the teaching about the Holy Spirit when we deal with His work in individual lives, namely, His power to transform people on the inside-the most important phase to us-but in God’s Book the tiniest phase of the work of the mighty Spirit of God.”

• Oswald Chambers, He Shall Glorify Me

Boilerplate

In this mini-series, we will look at Oswald Chambers’ book He Shall Glorify Me.  The first several chapters are about the Holy Spirit.

At one time, the YMCA stood for Young Men’s Christian Association.  It was a combination of a youth hostel lodging and Christian outreach.  Few YMCA have any overnight boarding allowed anymore.  The Village People hit song YMCA was the “fun staying at the YMCA.”  Note: Corrie ten Boom stayed at the YWCA whenever possible during her years of evangelism.

But these days, membership in the YMCA is all about exercise, a pool, or more than one pool, and exercise classes.  Cheaper than most gym memberships.

Oswald Chambers spent the last two years of his life training YMCA missionaries in Egypt.  Most of his books were published by his wife after his death.  She used his teaching notes and some sermons to create My Utmost for His Highest and Daily Thoughts for Disciples.  The latter is compiled from the various books published under the name of Oswald Chambers.  The chosen book is one of those used in the compilation.

Discussion

Oswald Chambers called this particular Pentecost Sunday, the greatest day yet.  I do not think any day can compare to the Day of the Lord when He returns, but for Peter to preach a sermon and three thousand were added to the number of followers, and you had so many people hearing the Gospel preached in their own language due to the speaking intongues, this was a powerful day.

Regardless of your feeling about speaking in tongues today, this was not babbling.  This was not for show.  This was necessary.  As Paul says, there must be an interpretation for speaking in tongues to be edifying, otherwise, it might draw disorder into worship.

But they had more than a dozen different languages being spoken because you had at least that many different nation groups that were in attendance hearing the sermon in their own language.

And another power of the Holy Spirit is to give us the right words to say.  Roughly a month before, Peter was feeling guilty that he had denied Jesus.  Under the circumstances, they may have killed Peter right there, just one more cross on the hill.  But with Jesus restoring Peter as the spokesman for the group on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, I doubt if Peter started putting a sermon together.

None of the disciples turned apostles knew what was going to happen on the Pentecost morning.  They were asking about a earthly kingdom as late as the ascension just ten days prior.

So, a skilled orator could look quickly over a few handwritten notes and speak.  But first, I doubt Peter had such notes.  Second, he was not a skilled orator.  Third, as the religious leaders described them, they were uneducated men from Galilee.

Of course, they were educated.  Jesus had educated them.  They were well-prepared; they just did not know it at the time.

But Peter’s words came straight from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said that would happen; it happened right at their coming out party.  And they would soon be tried before the Sanhedrin more than once soon after.  Peter would go from skilled orator to defense attorney.  The Holy Spirit gives us what we need when we need it.

And the Holy Spirit convicted those three thousand people on the spot.  The Holy Spirit working within the hearer is an important part of evangelism.  You should never go out without a lot of prayer beforehand, to prepare the listener and to guide you to the person that is prepared to listen.  All work of the Holy Spirit.

But often, the Holy Spirit draws upon what we already know when guiding our words, or what we knew and forgot we knew.

I was once confronted by a man who had a demonic laugh, but he fired one misquote after another at me and sprinkled in some actual quotes taken out of context.  I fired back verses that I did not remember having memorized, but a year before, I had worked heavily in Bible verse memorization.  Maybe that was what the Holy Spirit drew upon, but He was in control.  I could only remember being there and talking.  I had no other memory of that event, but afterwards, the people with me described what I had done as being rock star status.

Not me.  It was like I was not there.  It was the Holy Spirit speaking through me.

That is what happened that first Pentecost Sunday after Jesus rose from the dead.  After a few times of this type of instruction, the Apostles knew better what to say, but in my experience, when you rely on your own knowledge, it does not work that well.

Rely on the Holy Spirit.  He knows what to say.

Closing Prayer

Father, guide me.  Lord, I stumble and fumble at times, but the Holy Spirit knows what to say.  Come, Holy Spirit, come.  I need You every hour.
In Thy Name I pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.