When Fire Falls and Hearts Burn | Rev. Paul Lawler

What happens when faith moves from the head to the heart? This Pentecost message explores the fire of the Holy Spirit, the “strangely warmed” heart of John Wesley, and why many believers settle for cold religion when God offers living communion with Christ.

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Transcript

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Welcome to the podcast of Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Join us as we dive into this week's sermon that challenges our hearts and minds to grow closer to Christ. We pray that your heart is inspired and transformed by God's Word.

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Hope your Bible is with me. We are reading today from Acts, the second chapter, first thirteen

Pentecost Begins

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verses. Would you hear this from the Word of God this morning? When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting, and divided tongues as of fire appeared on them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, and at that sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and resident residents of Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia, and Pontus and Asia, and Phaegia and Baphilia and Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrena and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes and Cretans and Arabs, and we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.

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And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others mockingly said, They are filled with new wine.

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Good morning. I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My name is Paul Lawler. I have the honor of serving as a senior pastor of Christ Methodist, and we welcome all of you this morning, whether you are a member, a regular attender, or a first-time guest. Church family, there are moments in history when heaven invades earth so powerfully that history and what we know is no longer the same. Acts chapter two records one of those moments. As for us in the Wesleyan tradition, Aldersgate is another moment which Ken referred to just a moment ago. One happened in Jerusalem with wind, fire, and many languages. The other happened quietly on Aldersgate Street in London, where a discouraged Anglican priest named John Wesley, while meeting together with a group of other Christians, heard Luther's preface to the book of Romans being read. And Wesley would later write these famous words I felt my heart strangely warmed. Two different settings, one with a mighty rushing wind, another in a quiet meeting house, one with tongues of fire, the other with tears in the eyes of a weary pastor. Both moments testify to the same truth. When the Holy Spirit comes, dead religion becomes living faith. And church, that is what Pentecost is

Waiting for Promise

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all about. Acts chapter 2 begins in this way. Now, church, I want to invite you to notice something here. Notice that there was power, but before there was power, there was waiting. Notice that before there was preaching, there was praying. Notice before there was an outbreak of movement, there was surrender to what Jesus had invited and encouraged them to do. And in obedience, they surrendered by waiting. And so Jesus had told them in Acts chapter one, wait for the promise of the Father. And I realized that sounds rather simple, but it's also one of the hardest things for people in modernity to do. We want microwave revival. We often want instant maturity. We want five-step spirituality. We want drive-by holiness. But God often does his deepest work in the waiting. Some of you are in the waiting room right now. You're waiting for healing. You're waiting for direction. You're waiting for a prodigal to come home to Jesus. You're waiting for clarity. You're waiting for God to move again. And Acts chapter two, let it serve as an encouragement to you because God is never late when men and women are surrendered to Him and in prayer in the waiting room, God comes at the appointed time. Let's also be mindful that the disciples did not manufacture Pentecost. Loved ones, they positioned themselves for it. And that's an important word for the church because we cannot engineer awakening, we can't program revival, we cannot strategize for the Holy Spirit to just simply show up and manifest his power. But loved ones, we can pray, we can repent, we can hunger, we can obey, and oftentimes, as we see reflected in Scripture and throughout history, when God finds a hungry people,

Wind and Fire

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firefalls. Verse 2 says this, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. Notice that Luke did not say that the Holy Spirit was the wind. He said the Holy Spirit came with a sound like the wind. That tells us that this is not meteorology, this is theology. And in Scripture, we recognize that wind represents the breath of God. In Genesis, God breathed life into Adam, and Adam became a living soul. In Ezekiel 37, the wind blew over dry bones, and suddenly an army rose up and came to life. And then in Acts chapter 2, we see God breathing his breath into the church. And loved ones, as we think about that reality, here's the tragedy of the church today in contrast. Oftentimes we have structure without the Spirit. We have activity without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, crowds without conviction, religion without resurrection life. But when the Holy Spirit comes, dead things wake up. Dead things come to life. A dead prayer life comes alive. A dead marriage comes alive. A dead church comes alive. A dead soul comes alive, because the Spirit of the living God is still breathing life into impossible situations. Notice verse 3 with me. Luke writes, and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested upon each one of them. Now, let's pay attention to that because fire in Scripture always symbolizes the presence and the purity of Almighty God. Moses saw fire in the burning bush. Israel followed fire in the wilderness. Elijah called down fire at Mount Carmel. And now the reality that we see in Acts 2 represents that fire now dwells upon believers. But notice something extraordinarily, extraordinary. The fire does not merely rest on apostles. The fire doesn't merely rest on Peter, not merely on professional clergy types. No, when we read the text, the fire of God rests upon each one of them, men and women, young and old, every ethnicity, ordinary Christians, ordinary disciples. And so what we realize is that Pentecost illustrates the democratization of the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not reserved for the elite. He is not for spiritual celebrities, not for a few gifted professionals or gifted personalities. The Spirit of God is poured out upon all flesh. That means that the same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter is available to empower you. The same spirit who strengthened the early church can strengthen a mother raising children. The same spirit that filled Peter at Pentecost can strengthen the business person under pressure. A student facing temptation, a retiree wondering about her or his purpose, or a church trying to reach a broken world. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to his people. And the modern church in this era, with the realization that God still gives the power of the Holy Spirit, often wants safety more than sanctification, convenience more than consecration, and comfort more than courage. And we need to recognize that the Church of Jesus Christ was birthed in fire. And fire is not always comfortable. Fire purifies, fire spreads, fire consumes, fire changes the molecular structure of everything it touches. And one of the great dangers in North American Christianity is that we can become content with being impressed by Jesus rather than living surrendered to Jesus. We can admire him but not obey him. We can quote scripture and not tremble before it. We can attend church but not burn with a holy love for God in Christ. And loved one, Pentecost reminds us that Christianity is not merely intellectual agreement, it is supernatural transformation. Look with me at verse 4. Luke writes, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the

Tongues for Witness

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Spirit gave them utterance. Now, church, there's a real miracle here that sometimes we overlook. The miracle, as I've said, I think Pentecost last year, the real miracle is not that they spoke in tongues. The real miracle is that the nations are hearing the gospel in their own language. People from every nation hear God and the good news in their own language. Parthenians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, from Rome, and all over the known world, they hear the gospel clearly. We need to ask a question together.

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Ready? Why? Why? Here's why.

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Because the Holy Spirit always moves us toward outward mission. Make a note of that. Pentecostal is Pentecost is not spiritual entertainment, it is empowerment for witness. Jesus said this, Acts 1.8. You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Now notice what he says it's unto. And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, unto the ends of the earth. And what we recognize not only is the command of Jesus to the church to live as a both end people, that is, to have local ministry, our Jerusalem, but even to the ends of the earth. Never pit the categories against one another. We live both. We live into both as a church family. But this is what the Holy Spirit empowers. The miracle that we think about, if we reflect for just a moment in the Old Testament, Genesis 11, Tower of Babel, you may remember that at that scene, God scatters the nations. Humanity has its language confused. That's Genesis 11. But the miracle of Pentecost is that God gathers all of humanity, all the nations back together, and now they hear the gospel in their own language, which reminds us sin divides, but the Holy Spirit unites. And the church at her best becomes a preview of heaven. Every tribe, every tongue, every nation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is where all of history is going. If you ever want to understand what's happening in history, read your Bible. If you want to understand where all of history is going, read your Bible. Because the Bible says that all of history is going to culminate with an ultimate purpose. And that is that every tribe, every people group on this planet, Revelation 5.7, will be worshiping at the feet of Jesus in a new, newly created heaven and earth with Christ fully dwelling

Wesley’s Warmed Heart

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there. This is also why Aldersgate Sunday speaks powerfully to us because John Wesley had religion before Aldersgate. Think about it. He had an Oxford education. He had discipline. He had theology. He had ministry experience. And by the way, I would say he had a lot of failure. But he lacked assurance. He lacked the joy of the Lord from the presence of God. He lacked inward witness of God's Spirit, Romans 8, witnessing with his spirit that he's a child of God. But on May 24th, 1738, while hearing the scriptures explained that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ only by his grace, you don't earn this. Free gift of God. Wesley records in his journal, I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation. And in that moment, as the Holy Spirit filled his heart, that moment ignited a movement. Not because John Wesley was perfect, but because the Holy Spirit set John Wesley's heart on fire. And church history repeatedly demonstrates this pattern. God takes a surrendered people and he fills them with the Holy Spirit and He changes the world through them. The Methodist movement transformed the nation of England and began to transform the emerging 13 colonies and more in North America. The Methodist movement, through the power of the Holy Spirit, fueled evangelism, holiness, prison reform, education reform, global missions, and care for the poor. Why? Why? Because Christianity became more than a ritual. It became a movement because it took on reality in the hearts

Fire in the Fireplace

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of God's people. When I was a kid, there was a camp I used to travel to every winter for a retreat. But the camp closed during COVID, like many things closed. And one of the most beautiful things at the camp is this huge fireplace. It's a fireplace that's beautifully constructed. It's impressive to look at. But when the camp reopened, the fire got lit. Suddenly, the room changed because people gathered around it. Cold hands became warm. Conversations took place and they deepened. Life filled the room around the fire. The fireplace fulfilled its purpose because it had a fire in it. And loved ones, there are churches that are exactly like that fireplace. Beautiful buildings, great traditions, solid theology, organized systems, but without the fire of the Holy Spirit, they remain cold. And if we're honest, there are Christians like that too. Morally respectable, church attending, biblically informed, but inwardly cold. Pentecost is a picture of God lighting the fire again. In many churches the Holy Spirit has become an accessory rather than the essential presence of God. We speak of him vaguely, politely, cautiously. Sometimes people refer to him as an it when he is a person, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And in the New Testament, the person of the Holy Spirit is central, far more central than many Christians realize. The Holy Spirit convicts, the Holy Spirit regenerates, the Holy Spirit sanctifies, the Holy Spirit empowers, the Holy Spirit comforts, the Holy Spirit sends. The Holy Spirit fills. The Holy Spirit transforms. Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot live the Christian life. It is impossible apart from Holy Spirit power. This is why John Wesley emphasized holiness not merely as moral effort, but as spirit-empowered transformation. Holiness is not grim determination. It is the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit formed

Sailing by the Spirit

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within us. Many of you know by now that I grew up sailing sometimes on Lake Gunnersville, the Tennessee River, sometimes in the Gulf of Mexico. Missy will not sail with me, but that's really not really, she says I'm too dangerous, but that's not really relevant or helpful right now. But I've sailed on some sailboats that oftentimes belong to the fathers of my teenage friends, and some of those boats are beautifully crafted. I mean the the teak wood is just it's just beautiful to look at. And the sails are made out of resilient material, just incredible craftsmanship. But we all know this. If the wind doesn't blow, the sailboat doesn't go anywhere. If it's a small sailing vessel, if the wind's not blowing, you can row for a little while, you can strain and you can sweat, you can exhaust yourself, and you're aware that a sailboat is designed for the wind. Many believers, too many believers, are exhausted because they're trying to live the spiritual life in their own human effort instead of Holy Spirit power. And I remind you that the Holy Spirit is power for daily living because everything is holy. I've never really been a fan of distinguishing between sacred and secular, because God created the heavens and the earth. And the beginning or the Genesis begins that right there at the start that we're stewards of everything, which means that everything's holy. Every part of life is a ministry. And in light of that, the Holy Spirit has been given to strengthen you not only in ministry, but in every facet of daily

Mocked but Bold

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living. Look with me at verse 13. The scripture says that there were people that when men and women were filled with the Holy Spirit, that they began to mock the Christians who were filled, that said that they were filled with new wine, accused them of being inebriated. But here's the thing, the lesson that we need to take away, church family. Every genuine movement of God faces misunderstanding. Can I encourage you to follow? Follow that somewhere? I've never, I've said this to you before, I've never pastored a sustained revival, but I have pastored many moves of God when the Holy Spirit comes and manifests his presence and his power. And every time some people are hungry and they pursue what God is doing, and then there are those who are cynical. Some lean in, and then there will always be those who mock. Never be surprised by that. It happened in biblical times. Human nature has not changed. It will happen in our time. But mockers could not deny that something extraordinary was happening on the day of Pentecost. The church, which had been behind locked doors in Acts chapter 1, boldly began to proclaim Jesus Christ in Acts chapter 2. This is what the Holy Spirit does. Cowards become courageous. Fearful persons become faithful witnesses. Ordinary people become vessels of extraordinary grace. You remember Peter? Remember Peter denying Jesus three times? Full of fear? And after Pentecost, when he's full of the presence of God, not only does he stand and proclaim the gospel before thousands of people, Peter's willing to go to prison, and he does. Peter is mistreated, mocked, and even beaten at times, but he stands strong for the witness of the gospel of the love of God through Jesus Christ. One encounter with the person of the Holy Spirit changed Peter. Christianity is not, it can't be mere entertainment in light of what we read in Acts chapter 2. This is much more. The Church of Jesus Christ is

Fresh Fire Again

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designed for more. We're mindful that our greatest need is fresh fire from heaven. We don't need merely bigger churches, we need holier churches. We don't merely need activity, we need awakening from God. And that awakening begins personally before it begins to spread corporately. Revival always starts in the heart before it begins to reach a city. Missy, my wife, her father was not only a pastor, but he was also an evangelist, a revival preacher, if you will. And he used to speak about the analogy of a coal being removed from the fire. As long as a coal remains in a fire, it burns brightly. But when it's isolated, it begins to cool down.

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Some of you once burned bright for Jesus Christ.

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You loved prayer, you loved scripture, you loved worship, you love telling others about Jesus. But over time the coal has cooled down, the fire has dimmed. I want to remind you this morning that Pentecost is an invitation. And here's the invitation come back to the fire. Come back to the fire. Aldersgate Sunday is an invitation. Let your heart be strangely warmed again. The fire has not gone out, the gospel has not lost its power. The message of Pentecost is this: God does not merely forgive sinners, and we want to make much of that. But loved ones, He fills believers. And the message of Aldersgate is this faith must move from the head to the heart. The Christian life is not cold religion, it is living communion with the living Christ. So today I ask you, has your heart grown cold? Have you settled for routine Christianity? Are you trying to live the spiritual life in your own strength? Do you need fresh fire? If so, then come to Jesus because he's the gateway, he's the door to the spirit-filled life. Come hungry, come expectant, come surrendered, because the same Holy Spirit who fell in Jerusalem, the same Holy Spirit that warmed John Wesley's heart is still moving today. And when the Holy Spirit comes, fear gives way to courage, dead things come alive, and hearts begin to burn with a fire again. So as you come to this table this morning, come with an expectant heart, come with a hungry heart, come confessing sins, come asking Christ to fill your heart with God's fire again. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the podcast for Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. We pray that today's message has inspired and encouraged you in your walk with Christ. To stay connected with our church community, visit us online at ChristchurchMemphis.org. We hope to see you this upcoming Sunday for worship as we seek to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples.