Test Drive

Acts 2:1-21 New International Version (NIV)

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 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.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

On most nights, when 9:30 rolls around the kids have been in bed for at least an hour.  Cheyanne has everything laid out and planned out for the next day and I am ready to climb into bed and go to sleep.  I am more than ready to go to bed at that point.  Griffin, on the other hand, knows that at about 8 every night is bed time.  And every night, no matter how tired he is, he puts up a fight about going to bed.  Some nights the fight is worse than others but no matter what, he never looks forward to going to bed.  The next day could be the coolest day ever planned and yet, he is not ready for today to be over just yet.  As a parent, this is kind of a pain but when you think about it, you kind of have to appreciate it.  For me, I rush to bed just so I can start over again tomorrow.  For Griffin, there is no hurry to get to bed because today is not over yet.  Something so simple as going to bed can mean something so different to each of us.  Something so difficult as our relationship with God, and more specifically, the role the Holy Spirit plays in that relationship is no easy task to understand let alone explain.  Many have tried but few have succeeded in explaining the Holy Spirit in way that easily applies to each of us.  This is due to the fact that our interaction with the Holy Spirit is as unique as we are.  Some may even say that they have never had an interaction with the Holy Spirit while others may say they do every day.  

So where do we fit in?  How do we make sense of it?  We have heard of or seen Pentecostal churches that never sit down, that raise their hands in praise, that heal the sick.  As a kid, I remember mocking those tv preachers who healed people on stage.  Some of those tv evangelists were frauds and it has been proven so.  Some of those people may have been truly healed while others were faking it.  The reason those people who are frauds come to light is because of the very thing they are giving credit to.  The Spirit helps us differentiate what is Godly vs what isn’t.  This isn’t perfect though, because a tool is only as good as the person using it.  We are not perfect, so no matter the tool we use, no matter how well we try to use it, no matter our intentions, we are flawed and can make mistakes.  The Spirit guides and directs us but it cannot physically move us.  We must know and understand the difference if we want the Spirit to be a bigger part of our faith.  The Holy Spirit ought to be a very large part of our faith but we are so scared, intimidated, even confused or as the scripture said “bewildered” when it comes to dealing with the Spirit.  We have misconceptions, preconceived notions, that cloud our judgement in our dealings with the Spirit.  We have never spoke a different language, we have never healed someone, we have never turned water into wine, even though I bet some of you have tried.  And yet I am still going to tell you that you have had dealings with the Holy Spirit.

So far, I have outlined a lot of what the Spirit is not and mentioned those who have misrepresented it.  Honestly, I am going to struggle to tell you what the Spirit is simply because it can be so different for each of us.  That seems like an easy way out but it is the truth but I still want to help you figure out this confusing aspect of our faith.  If we were to keep reading Acts 2 we would see that Peter calls the Holy Spirit a gift that is a result of our baptism.  How many of us can attest to that?  If we are being honest, when we were baptized, how many of us were excited about that gift?  How many of us even knew that the Spirit played, or was suppose to play, such a big role in our baptism?  Not me.  I understand it now and maybe the Spirit was gifted to me at the time of my baptism and it just took me years after that to figure out what it was.  If I gave Griffin a 2015 Camaro tomorrow, he would have no idea what to do with it.  It might be cool for about 5 minutes to look at and crawl around in but after that it would be a lawn ornament for the next 10 years.  However, if I gave him a toy tractor he would get hours of entertainment out of it for the foreseeable future while the Camaro just sits there.  Fast forward 10 years, that toy tractor pales in comparison to that Camaro.  The Holy Spirit is kind of like that example.  At first, we may not appreciate the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It may be a lawn ornament for several years before we realize what we have.  That toy tractor, driving it around the rug, planting different fields on the floor, pretending to mow hay, or disc, or plant corn has been grooming Griffin to drive that Camaro even though he doesn’t know it.  The Holy Spirit lays in wait until we realize what we have.  God has been grooming us.  He has been showing us how to use it without us even knowing it.  

In the brevity of a 15 minute sermon we cannot possibly understand the depths of the Holy Spirit.  My hope is that my words have inspired you to think about the gift of your baptism.  My hope is that by drawing attention to the Spirit that you will begin to better understand its role in your faith.  Faith, even in the most simple manner, is about revelation and understanding.  I believe that over the course of time, God reveals Himself to us and it is our responsibility to do our best to understand those revelations through prayer, study and discussion.  For me, the Holy Spirit is something I know exists but it is like the Camaro that I am not quite able to drive yet.  It will take more prayer, more study, and more discussion.  You may be driving that Camaro on an open road as fast as you want to drive it but we must understand that others have not even gotten it out of the garage yet.  The Holy Spirit, like so much of our faith, is complicated.  It’s unique.  It’s different.  But it is God, it is good, and it is a gift.  The Spirit is what comforts me when one of my kids is sick.  It is what drives me to be a better husband and father, farmer and preacher, son and friend.  It gives me patience in moments of frustration.  It is what tells me I have made a mistake when my frustration overflows.  It is what lets me know that I am loved when I feel I don’t deserve it.  It is what picks me up when I have fallen.  That is what the Holy Spirit is to me.  My hope is that this has helped you shed light onto what the Holy Spirit is to you.  Amen.