Getting Your Pentecost On

10.13.12

Acts 2.37 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” NASB

Last night we watched Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp and what’s her name. The videography was pretty good I thought. At one point in the film the townsfolk (led by Angelique, the witch) go out to Collinswood to mob Barnabas and make him stand for his vampirical crimes against their community. Angelique betrays her own witchery because of her insane lack of self-control, and a big power-struggle-scene ensues. If you’ve seen the film, you know what I mean.

Imagine what was happened on the Day of Pentecost when the sound of a violent rushing wind occurred and the people in Jerusalem came rushing to see what was going on. It got their attention. And then Peter stood up and began to ‘explain’ what was going on and tell them why God got their attention that morning: it was the dawn of a new age: the Advent of the Church.

So, what is the connection between Dark Shadows and Pentecost? Fantasy and fact. Hollywood and the presence of God. Something that got their attention and then words to help them understand. Dark Shadows is a non-sensical story of a vampire, a witch, and unrequited love; Pentecost is the Advent of God coming to dwell in the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit.

It’s no wonder that the people that day were a little blown away. But what really got them was when Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”(v. 36) He laid the blame at their feet and it pierced their thick-hided hearts.

That’s what Pentecost is all about: the piercing of thick-hided hearts. Pentecost removes the veil that separates. Pentecost reveals who we really and what we’ve really done; and how to remedy both. We are sinners, we have sinned, and God has extended His hand to save us from both – all we need do is take Him up on His offer: an exchange of all of who we are and do for all of Who He is and has done. Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit, not the day in history) is the beginning.

What surrounds the hearts of unregenerate people is a thick impenetrable hide of selfishness, unbelief, and stupidity; along the lines of Dark Shadows. If we think Angelique is evil, we have to remember that she’s just a fictional character in a silly portrayal of a made-up story. God on the other hand is real and offers Himself to creatures who’d rather believe in stupid made-up stuff than accept that the God of the Universe wants to be their Friend.

What needs to happen is that thick hide needs to be pierced and the way to do that is by Holy Spirit-empowered actions and words. Peter was no great orator or public figure – he was a smelly fisherman. The rest of the apostles were not a crowd of haves, they were mostly have-nots. But what set them apart and what made them different was the power and presence of God within them. They were indwelt by God and that’s what separates fact from fiction to those who cannot tell the difference. Pentecost made that difference!

Today, we mustn’t be looking for Pentecost Redux in our churches and lives – we looking opportunities to position ourselves strategically and intentionally to be vessels of God’s grace and channels of God’s power and blessing. What makes the unbelieving believe? Bigger buildings? Bigger congregations? Handsomer pastors? No, the unbelieving believe because they see the presence of God in us. Got your Pentecost on?