‘What’s going on here, explain yourselves?’’ We’ve never seen anything like this before, people on fire for God, you must be drunk!’

That was the first reaction when people saw what had happened to the 120 disciples of Jesus, who’d stuck it out for seven weeks and had waited and waited and waited for the promised release of the Holy Spirit from heaven. It seemed a long time coming. Jesus had stressed to them to not leave the city, not to go anywhere, not to do anything, but just to wait, until they got it.

I don’t know how they managed to hold themselves back. They had got the Holy Spirit inside them when he had breathed on them (John 20v21), but this was different. He had told them they were also going to get the Holy Spirit come UPON them in power to do the job they were longing to go and do – bring in the Kingdom of God all over the earth.

Like a dog excited to be let off its lead, at last they were set free to Go, with a new wind propelling them forward and a new fire burning in their hearts, These were no reluctant Christians who had to be persuaded to go and bless people.

‘What have you guys got?’ asked the crowd, ‘if it’s not booze’.

‘THIS’, said Peter, ‘ is THAT’ (Acts2v16) … ‘that which was promised by God through the prophet Joel over 500 years earlier, this is the Holy Spirit coming down on us , and its brilliant, come on in to the Kingdom of God and get blessed as well , because it’s for everyone, men , women, old guys, young guys, children as well’.

God just wants to bless everyone inside, in their heart if they will really turn to Him and believe.

And to prove it God touched 3000 people that day, they got the Holy Spirit as well as the original 120 and were baptised into the Kingdom.

‘Why 3000, not 2000 or 4000’,  a friend of mine from Norway asked me today?

Could it not be because God was wanting to tell the Jewish people something profound? Pentecost was partly celebrated as a feast of the law that Israel received at Mt. Sinai. But when they got the law the first time, they were disobedient and made a golden calf. Therefore 3000 people were killed (Exodus 32,28).

But on this Pentecost celebration, the first following the battle and victory on Calvary’s cross by Jesus over sin, the reverse happens.

Instead of punishing 3000 people, God gave his Spirit to write His law in the hearts of people, to give them a ‘want to’, and then the reverse happened, 3000 people believed, come into the Kingdom and were baptized.

‘Lord put your spirit on me so I will want to. I will want to obey you, I will want to live your way in your world, I will want to see everyone I know and love come into your Kingdom and have you rule their lives as well.

Lord I want to have people ask me what is it I’ve got, what it is I’m on.

Lord, I long for the day I can say like Peter, ‘This is That’.’

I am just so excited to be preaching again on Pentecost Sunday this year, having missed out last year. Guess what the title of my message is going to be!!!

Pray there will be many in my church and yours who on Pentecost Sunday will want a fresh filling, a fresh ‘want to’, and some might know for the first time the Holy Spirit coming upon them in power. Pray lots of preachers get home late for lunch this Sunday!

Pray we might be able to say once again, THIS is THAT