This is a part of a sermon series in the book of Acts. You can watch more here.
This morning we will be in Acts 2. You can turn to page 88 in our devotional or you can turn to Acts 2 in the New Testament.
We are going to kick off a short vision series to remind us who we are as a church family, because we have all these areas in life; work, children, friends, relationships jumping up and down saying, “Look at me!”
Therefore, the purpose of this series is to help us see where we need to re-calibrate as a church family, because we get distracted in life, we get discouraged.
Especially in our church family right now. If you haven’t heard our church family is going through some financial challenges. Our need for volunteers is constant and when we are looking at OUR resources and OUR capacity from a human perspective it is easy to find ourselves thinking, “How is this going to work?”
Maybe some of us are thinking, “We can roll up our sleeves and try harder?” Maybe some of us are thinking, “I don’t have anything else to give to try harder?” Maybe some of us are new to North Village Church and we are thinking, “What’s this guy talking about?”
Our church family isn’t in a horrible place, we are just in a challenging place and I have found when we go through challenges in life that are bigger than ourselves we tend to think, “God’s going to have to do something miraculous!” Have you felt like that?
God’s going to do something miraculous for my marriage to work. God’s going to do something miraculous for my health to get back on track.
Especially when we are in financial struggles we think, “God’s going to have to make me win the lottery.” And there’s nothing wrong with asking God to show up and do miracles but in my experience, God tends to walk us through those challenges instead of just “fixing the challenge.” Does that make sense?
Sometimes miracles happen, and those are awesome but the majority of the time the Lord is walking me through the challenge instead of removing the challenge.
In our passage this morning, I think we see that same pattern in Acts 2. We are going to see some fantastic events in Acts 2 but the purpose of Acts 2 isn’t just about miraculous events. It’s about the Lord accomplishing His purposes and leading His people to draw close to Him, trust Him and follow Him. Let’s look at Acts 2, verse 1:
Acts 2:1, “1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.”
Acts 2 is like a firework show! If you’ve never read Acts 2 you are going to love it! Big picture, we have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John where we learn about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
In the book of Acts Jesus has died, resurrected, and in the book of Acts we see Jesus ascend into the heavens as we wait for the Holy Spirit to show up!
Literally, in Acts 1 Jesus tells the disciples, “The Holy Spirit is coming, and the Holy Spirit is going to come with power, so that the disciples are able to take the name of Jesus to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth! It’s a big deal!
In addition, when you see the reference “Day of Pentecost” you need to know this whole event in Acts 2 is taking place on a major holiday.
I don’t want to nerd out on you but “The Day of Pentecost” is a holiday that is celebrated throughout Israel and the name comes from 50, pente, 50 days after the Passover celebration.
Passover is another huge holiday about the night the angel of death “passed over” every house covered by the blood of the lamb when Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt.
Then, 50 days later, Pentecost, Moses comes down off of Mt. Sinai with the 10 Commandments to rebuild Israel into a nation. You with me?
Here’s the big deal. Israel celebrates these two holidays for thousands of years, and then, in God’s sovereign plan, Jesus’ death takes place when…during the Passover celebration, as a reminder that Jesus is the Ultimate Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You with me?
And then, if all that wasn’t enough, 50 days later, at the celebration of Pentecost, it’s not Moses coming down, but the Holy Spirit coming down, not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law, not to write His law on tablets of stone but to write His law into our hearts by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that amazing? (2 Corinthians 3:3)
Listen to me, what we are celebrating this morning, is a celebration that starts in Acts 2. You might be thinking this morning is just this tradition people do on Sunday mornings but Acts 2 is the beginning of the church being started.
Isn’t that exciting? Maybe you’re not excited yet. That’s OK. Let’s look at verses 2-4:
Acts 2:2-4, “2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”
So, in the context you have the disciples gathering in the upper room and it says, “A Noise like a violent rushing wind” fills the whole house, and then they see “tongues as of fire” resting on each one of them.
That’s pretty cool. People get verses excited about these two verses but you have to keep in mind these two verses are filled with literary metaphors in the passage, words like “like and appear” used throughout.
In addition, the disciples experienced this moment, then they describe this moment to Luke, the author of Acts, and then Luke is trying to describe it to us, which creates a lot of opportunities for misunderstanding.
I have found that when most people read verses 2-4 they get swept up in the miraculous language, because it really exciting language. It’s like watching Cam Skippityboo almost pull out a win over UT last week, right? That was an amazing game!
But it’s important these verses aren’t describing a normal experience with God but instead these verses are describing the beginning of something new.
In verses 2-4 it is as if God is standing on his toes, waving His hands, saying, “Look over here!” For thousands of years the God of Scripture has been working through priests, prophets and kings, but get ready because something new is coming.
God no longer dwells in temples made with human hands. You don’t have to go to Jerusalem to get close to Jesus. You don’t have to go through a class to get certification. You just need to believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and follow Him. That’s the church!
Just to be clear, when I say, “church” I am not talking about a worship service at 10:30am on a Sunday morning at North Village Church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which simply means “the assembly” or “the ones who have been called out as followers of Jesus.”
Sometimes we think of the church as this little steeple with a cross, but the church isn’t a mom and pop operation.
The church is global, so that when we come to faith in Jesus, we don’t just get to go to heaven one day. We do, but we are also invited into this cosmic operation called the church.
You know how you read those stories in the Bible and you think, “That must have been a cool time to be alive?” That’s the age we live in right now. It’s the age of the church.
The Apostle Peter tells us that angels are watching the “age of the church” like a movie with popcorn, because when we come to faith in Jesus we are invited into this cosmic operation of establishing His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
That’s the glory of the church! All of creation has been lost through sin, but the church becomes the guardians of hope, the carriers of the gospel, reclaiming what rightfully belongs to God.
The church is where people are cared for. Marriages are strengthened. Relationships are healed. Addictions are broken. Darkness is cast out. Heaven on earth is tasted. There’s nothing like the church in all of creation.
Financial standing doesn’t matter, educational background doesn’t matter, family background doesn’t matter, ethnicity doesn’t matter, but we are all united as One in Christ. It’s all starting in Acts 2!
It would be easy to read verses 2-4 and think, “How come I don’t see ‘Tongues as of fire’ in my life?” Right?
It’s because the events of verses 2-4 is the beginning of something new.
I want to go slow here, because it is so easy for our brains to get stuck on thinking of the church as something we do on Sunday morning.
But when you believe in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection you are indwelled with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that where we live, work and play is a demonstration of the church.
When the follower of Jesus goes to school the church is being put on display. When the follower of Jesus goes to work, the church is being put on display.
When a follower of Jesus gathers at the playground with kids from the neighborhood the church is being put on display for His glory.
Sometimes the church gathers on Sunday morning at 10:30am but all day, every day, verse 2-4 are being put on display in the life of the church. Does that make sense? This is why we exist as a church family.
Our dream as a church family isn’t to get 1,000’s of people to sings songs and hear me teach God’s Word on a Sunday morning. Our dream is to see the church, the body of Christ, His people sent out into the world for His glory.
Some of us love to care for those who are hurting, some of us love to teach God’s Word to others, some of us love to speak out against injustice, some of us love to bring the name of Jesus into dark places…that’s the church!
With me dabbling in stand-up comedy, it isn’t because I want to be a famous comedian. It’s because I love walking into those clubs and talking about Jesus. I love the tension it brings into the room. I love the awkwardness. I love seeing people express curiosity about Jesus, and in those moments, that’s the church!
Listen, is our church family going through some challenges? Yeah, and I don’t know what will happen in the life of North Village Church but the church isn’t going anywhere.
Maybe you feel like your faith in Jesus is getting drowned out at work? I get it. Maybe you are discouraged our church family is going through some challenges? I get it!
But what started in Acts 2 is IMMOVABLE. The church has existed through different empires, different economies, and different world leaders. In fact, the darker the days, the brighter the light of Christ shines into our world! That’s the church! Look at verses 5-7:
Acts 2:5-7, “5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?”
It is important to clarify when you see the phrase “Tongues of fire” we are talking about a specific language. It isn’t rambling. It isn’t babble that we need to try to replicated. It is literal languages being spoken.
If you look back in verse 4 when it says, “They began to speak with other tongues” it is the Greek word for language.
In verse 6 when it says, “Speaking in his own language” it is the Greek word “Dilektos.” It is where we get the English word, “Dialect.”
In verse 7 when it refers to the “Galileans” and how they are “Amazed” and “Astonished” it was because Galileans were known for only speaking in one language, so that the focus of Acts 2 isn’t about a miraculous event for the sake of being miraculous. Instead it is a sign to validate something new. Look at verses 8-11:
Acts 2:8-11, “8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”
In verses 8-11 we see the languages of people all over the Roman Empire being spoken in the room. They are coming from places like Turkey, Iran, Iraq, North Africa, Egypt, Rome, and they are hearing one another speak in their own language and saying, “What?” because Acts 2 isn’t just is a miracle for the sake of showing off the miraculous works of God.
These miraculous events are a sign of validation. They are a way to mark out the start of something new. It is the beginning of a global proclamation. It is the sending out of the disciples to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the remotest parts of the earth.
Illustration: This is why when you read the book of Acts you won’t see the Apostles Peter and John trying to get everyone to speak in “tongues of fire” and “perform miraculous events”, right?
Nope, the Apostles Peter and John are going throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding area talking about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus over and over and over, and calling people to turn to Jesus, trust in Jesus and follow Jesus.
Then, in Acts 9 you will see this crazy guy named Saul, who becomes Paul, who will risk his life on land and sea before kings and governors to do what, tongues of fire and miracles?
No, the Apostle Paul is focused on proclaiming the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus all over the Roman Empire inviting men, women and children to live out the church of Acts 2!
Think about it practically…the name of Jesus didn’t stay in Jerusalem. The name of Jesus starts to filter out into Turkey, then Greece, then Rome, France, and by AD 150 we see followers of Jesus in Portugal. Hold up, wait a minute! It’s happening!
The name of Jesus was all over Europe for a thousand years and then the name of Jesus jumped over to the United Kingdom, then South America, and then North America in the 1700’s, and you could push back and say, “Well, that was just the result of explorers and colonization.”
Yeah, you could say that but the name of Jesus didn’t stop with European colonizers. The name of Jesus started popp’n off all over Asia in the 1970’s.
Today there are larger churches with followers of Jesus all over Korea, Vietnam, Japan and all those followers of Jesus are living out the power and glory of Acts 2, so that today the name of Jesus is starting, just starting to spread throughout the middle east, almost as though His name has gone to the remotest parts of the earth! Isn’t that amazing?
If you are a follower of Jesus today, then what we are reading in Acts 2 is your origin story. The Apostles talked to people about Jesus, and then those people talked to people about Jesus, over and over and over until the 1960’s there were some followers of Jesus in Austin, TX who got together in a car dealership off Burnet Rd. to start Grace Covenant Church.
In the 1980’s Grace Covenant church started Hill Country Bible Church in Cedar Park, and Hill Country Bible Church sent me out to start, wait for it, North Village Church, and our church has been able to help start 2 churches, so that churches might feel like a gathering of random people but we can all trace our roots back to Acts 2, so that this story is our story. That’s the glory of the church. That’s why angels are watching the church unfold throughout history with awe!
I know it’s easy to lose sight of that glory. I know it’s popular right now to hate on the church. I know there are painful things people have done in the name of the church. I get it!
Over the holidays I was sitting around this table with 6 50-year old men that I didn’t know super well and they were all complaining about the churches they attend in Dallas.
They were talking about how they didn’t like the worship music at this church, they didn’t like the children’s ministry at that church, they didn’t like the pastor at this church, they didn’t like biblical views of that church and I started thinking to myself, “Dallas has too many mega churches because somehow we’ve turned the glory of Acts 2 into a Yelp Review.
Listen to me, I am not picking on those guys. I get cynical about the church. I get frustrated. I get discouraged. I get tired but the glory of the church started in Acts 2 doesn’t show up in our day because a new pastor, worship leader or we win the lottery, or
God miraculously fixes this problem or that problem.
Those things are great, but the glory of Acts 2 starts in our hearts. Look at verses 12-13:
Acts 2:12-13, “12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
I love those words “amazement” and “perplexity.” This morning I want to ask you, “Do you believe in the amazement and perplexity of the church?”
I know our church family is going through some challenges but more money and more volunteers in our church family isn’t going to lead us to a place of “amazement and perplexity. Right?
Miraculous events are great, we should pray for them, expect them, but it isn’t the miraculous that is going to sustain and deepen our relationship with God.
We just studied through Joshua and Judges when the Israelites saw miracle after miracle and sometimes days later Israel isn’t in awe of God and His glory but instead they are building idols of worship, therefore, the invitation of God’s Word isn’t to sit back and wait for God to do miraculous things.
Instead the invitation of God’s Word is to lean into Him as He does a work in us and through us for His glory.
The invitation of God’s Word is to humble ourselves and re-calibrate our focus to seek His glory and His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
It is each person in our church family humbling ourselves and submitting our resources, our time, our finances, our dreams, not to our comforts, but for His glory…because we believe in the glory of the church.
It isn’t about 1000’s of people showing up to watch a few on a stage, but it’s about 1000’s of men, women, and children looking at every day, every person, every dollar with the anticipation of how He might move in us and through us for His glory.
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.