Pentecost Sunday & Mother’s Day -- “And They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit”

Pentecost Sunday
1. this is Pentecost Sunday on the church calendar & Mother’s Day on our secular calendars. I want to talk about the Holy Spirit with a specific application to mothers.

2. Pentecost Sunday occurs 50 days after resurrection of Christ & commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church in Acts 2. Pentecost from the Greek word for 50 – the 50th day after the resurrection

Acts 4:31
1. And after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (4:31).

2. I’ve been meditating on this verse for the past couple of months. It’s like I’ve been hijacked. These words won’t leave me alone.

after they prayed
1. let’s set the context. Shortly after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Christ in Acts 2, Peter & John were thrown in jail for teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead (4:2). They were commanded to not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (4:18). Peter & John took issue with this, for we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard (20).

2. Peter & John were released. They returned to what was then the young-dynamic-exploding-first manifestation of the church. They reported what had happened. And they prayed – 4:24-30.
3. get a load of their prayer. Let me break it down for you –
® Sovereign Lord (24)– God is in control of all things
® God of creation (24) – heaven, earth, sea, everything
® God of revelation (25) – spoke through David
® God of history (28) – Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, Israel
® Specifics – 1) consider 2)enable to speak w/ boldness 3) heal & perform signs & wonders through Jesus

4. the church in Acts is a praying church. Prayer is one of their practiced values.

5. mothers…don’t forget to pray. Classes, books, seminars, wisdom from friends are all helpful. BUT don’t forget to pray for your children.

the place where they were meeting was shaken
1. the place they were in shook & rocked as soon as they said Amen. The physical rocking was a sign of spiritual rocking. Think God’s Presence. God showed up. God is with them.

2. I’ve been in rooms, places where the Presence of God was unmistakable. Something marked the room. God himself.

3. I’ve told this story before. The deathbed of Steve Koler – ICU at Providence Hospital. A harpist was playing music in the corner. Linda, Jeff Cook & I stood around Steve’s bed. A nurse worked at his side. I laid my hands on his shoulder & prayed for him. For some reason I didn’t close my eyes. Near the end of my prayer I saw his body relax into the bed & pillow. At the same exact time his face lit up with a sudden bright flash of light. I saw him die, his soul leave his body, God come to earth to carry him away. Peace filled that room in a split second. I felt the unmistakable holy Presence of God. It was a peace in the midst of death that I’ll never forget.

4. mothers….as you pray, as you mother, learn to recognize the Presence of God in your midst. Your house may not shake but God is always with you. No matter the challenge, the frustration, the fatigue, the fear. God is Present.

and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
1. prayer to Presence to the Holy Spirit. All 3 go together in Christ-centered spirituality.

2. their human spirits were completely filled. They came under the control of the Holy Spirit. Just like the Presence of God filled Steve Koler’s hospital room, the Holy Spirit wants to fill our life room – our minds, wills, emotions, spirits & bodies.

3. the filling of the Holy Spirit is the key to –
® living for Christ
® coming of God’s kingdom
® our personal & corporate holiness
® loving, Christ-honoring marriages
® financial stewardship that pleases God
® keeping sexually pure in your dating relationships
® keeping your anger, lust, envy under control
® living for Christ in the marketplace
® overcoming your temptations
® living a joy-filled life
® loving others

4. being a mother. May you be a mother who is filled with the Holy Spirit. A mother not trying to do it on your own. But a mother fully surrendered to God. How do you get there? Confess all known sin. Surrender your life to Christ. Tell him that you are all his, all of you. Ask him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Live by faith.

and spoke word of God boldly
1. prayer led to Presence led to the Holy Spirit led to boldness in speaking God’s word. Peter & John didn’t pray to be protected from persecution – they prayed that when it came they would have the power to speak boldly of Christ.

2. spoke is the simple Greek word for talk, speak, chat, prattle. It means that people like us, you and me, can have boldness to talk to others about Christ when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. NOT preach or teach BUT simply talk.

3. word of God means the gospel, the message of Christ.

4. mothers…learn to share Christ with your children. Don’t preach at them. Speak to them in the everyday situations of life. Be bold but not over-bearing.

And after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly




Music i listened to while sermonizing – mark knopfler; delirious?; emmylou harris; van morrison; david crowder band; cold play

Books i read & studied while sermonizing –in constant prayer by robert benson; the attentive life by leighton ford; acts by simon kistemaker; the resurgence greek project; exiles by ron Hansen