We have been going through a process called Forty Days of Purpose in the hope that it will help our church to grow both spiritually and numerically. That is an excellent process, and we should see this effort all the way to its end. However, following the instructions of The Purpose Driven Church or the insights of The Purpose Driven Life or the devotional guides of Forty Days of Purpose will not be sufficient if we are to truly experience both spiritual and numerical growth. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to stir us up in this church.

We really are asleep in the spirit most of the time. We go through worship without any energy. We rarely sing the congregational songs with enthusiasm. We do not attend Bible study and Prayer meeting. Little wonder that when people do visit us in their search for a church home they end up somewhere else. We need some power! We need the Holy Spirit.

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Understand that the power of Pentecost is not the exclusive property of those Christians who call themselves Pentecostals. The power of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers. To say that only Pentecostals can share in Pentecost is like saying that only Baptists can share in baptism. All Christians need to be baptized with water, and all Christians need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need the spirit not so we can speak in other tongues (glossolalia). We need the Holy Spirit so we can preach and witness with power and win new souls to Jesus Christ through our energy and excitement.

I can remember just a few years ago when the Cleveland Indians were one of the best teams in baseball. We had a lineup of hitters that was second to none: Kenny Lofton, Robbie Alomar, Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez and more. They won their division for five straight years and went to the World Series twice. The excitement inside of Jacob's Field was so contagious that it spilled out into the surrounding area. People who were drawn to the ballgame stayed around for the restaurants, the hotels, the shops and the stores. The energy in one place brought life to the whole city.

The same sense of excitement inside the church can have a spill-over effect into the areas outside our doors. If we can get some energy in this church, I believe we can bring life to this whole community. If we can stop being sophisticated long enough to be sanctified, we can make a real difference. If we can stop being "haughty" about who we think we are long enough to be truly happy about who Jesus is, we could put the devil on the run once and for all. But the devil has no need to run from us, because he knows that most of the people in the church will not raise their voice or carry their religion one step outside the door. I tell you we need some power.

Let me be clear today; I do not want anybody to get excited about God just for the sake of making noise. I want you to think about what God has done in your life, and if it looks as if God has been good then I invite you to respond to that goodness. If God has blessed you, let the world know it by saying, "Praise the Lord." If God has made a way out of no way in your life, then let the world know it by saying "Thank you, Jesus." If you were sick, but the Lord has healed you; if you were down but the Lord has restored your joy; if you were frightened and afraid but the Lord has remained right by your side, then I think you ought to let the world know what God has done in your life. Psalm 107 says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." On this Pentecost Sunday we need to ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit so we can have the power that is needed to impact our world.

Imagine more than 800 churches filled with the power of Pentecost; let's pray for that to happen. Imagine more than 800 churches determined to reach this city for Jesus Christ; let's pray for that to happen. Imagine 800 churches with so much energy and excitement going on inside that it spills out into the communities around them; let's pray for that to happen, as well. Imagine 800 churches with pulpits blazing with truth. Imagine 800 choirs with voices thick with praise. Imagine 800 groups of deacons praying until the Spirit of the Lord comes down. Imagine 800 youth groups saying no to drugs and sex and negative peer pressure, and doing so because of the power of God that is at work within them. The same 800 churches that seem so powerless today can turn this city upside down if we just receive the power God first poured out on the church on the day of Pentecost.

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