Seeing Is Believing.
John 20: 19 – 31.
I. Introduction.
In 1999, Dave Kaiser was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. Of course there aren’t very many people in Texas who know anything about Dave Kaiser, but Dave Kaiser stands at the very center of the most memorable moment in Michigan State football history.
In the 1953 Rose Bowl, Michigan State and UCLA played to a 14 – 14 tie. With only 7 seconds remaining in the game and the score tied, Michigan State had the ball on the UCLA 24-yard line. The game would come down to a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Legendary Michigan State football coach, Duffy Daugherty, loved to re-tell this story. With time running out, Daugherty had a decision to make. His regular field goal kicker was injured and unable to take the field. There probably wasn’t enough time to get the ball in the end zone. The only alternative was to turn the Rose Bowl over to his back-up kicker Dave Kaiser, who had never even attempted a field goal in his college career.
Daugherty called Kaiser off the bench and sent him onto the field to try to win the game. With everything riding on this one last kick…The snap was perfect…The hold was perfect…And the kick…Perfect…Right down the middle, giving Michigan State a 17 – 14 Rose Bowl victory.
Once the celebration had ended, the Michigan State coach congratulated Kaiser on his game winning kick but also corrected him for not watching the ball after the kick. “You’ve got to watch the ball. If you take your eyes off the ball, you might let up on your kick too soon and not have enough follow through for the ball to make it to the goal post. Why didn’t you watch the ball?”
Kaiser said, “I was watching the referee to see how he would signal. I left my contacts in the hotel. I couldn’t even see the goal posts.”
He watched the referee…To see the signal…Because seeing is believing. He couldn’t see the goal posts, so he looked at what he could see.
Our culture has taught us that very well. I’m sure that is one reason why traffic is usually slowed to a standstill when there is a wreck on the highway. Even if the accident is on the other side of the four-lane highway. All traffic comes to a stop so we can stick our necks out and see for ourselves.
I think the disciples shared that same sentiment. If Jesus really has been resurrected, then I am going to have to see it to believe it. Our Scripture today is a description of the first time they saw Jesus after the Resurrection.
This is one of my favorite Scriptures…It is certainly my favorite Resurrection account. Because it focuses on my favorite disciple…Thomas.
How do you think of Thomas? If I were to ask all of you to say the first word that came to your mind when I named a Bible character, I have no question in my mind that the answers would vary from one person to another. For example, if I said “Paul.” Some of you would say “Missionary,” others “Theologian,” others “Confusing,” and so on. If I said “Ruth.” Some of you would say “Loyal,” others “Smart,” others “Spiritual.” But what if I said “Thomas?” I believe that most, if not all, of you would say “Doubting.”
Today, as we read this text I want you to take a special notice of what we have traditionally labeled “Doubt.” It really was not doubt. Thomas has been accused of something that really is not true.
Read John 20: 19 – 31.
II. Retell Story.
It was the first Easter Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene had gone early to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid to rest, so that she could prepare his dead body with flowers and perfume. She could not have done this the day he had died because it was too close to the Sabbath.
The Jewish Sabbath lasts from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. If Mary had gone to the tomb on Friday afternoon, she wouldn’t have finished her work on Jesus’ body before the sun went down, and it was not acceptable for a Jewish woman to work once the Sabbath had begun. So she had to wait. The earliest possible time that Mary could have prepared Jesus’ dead body would have been at the end of the Sabbath, after sunset on Saturday. But who wants to be in a cemetery in the dark? So Mary went to Jesus’ tomb at sunrise on Sunday morning.
John told us, in his Gospel, that Mary discovered something that caught her off guard. The body of Jesus was missing. Of course Mary and the other disciples had not understood that Jesus would be Resurrected on the third day, so she assumed the worst. “Someone must have stolen his body.”
Mary ran immediately to find Peter and John and tell them the Bad News. “You’ve got to see what I have seen. The body of Jesus is missing! I saw it with my own two eyes. Jesus is nowhere to be found! Come and see for yourself.”
Peter and John were just like you and me. They had been taught by their culture “Seeing Is Believing.” Therefore they had to go…They had to see for themselves.
Of course, it was just as Mary had described. The tomb was empty. Jesus was gone.
Peter and John did the only thing that made sense. They ran to find the rest of the disciples. When they had found as many as they could find, they gathered together in their secret place. We believe this was the very same room where they had eaten the Last Supper with Jesus only four days earlier. But the mood was different this time. The disciples were not gathered in a Passover celebration. There was no party going on around them. Rather, the mood was fearful. In fact, John specifically told us in verse 19 that the disciples were so afraid of the Jews that they locked the doors behind them.
Can you imagine that? The first Easter Sunday worship service ever, and the church met behind locked doors because they were afraid someone else would find out that the tomb was empty. I imagine the disciples sat in complete silence. There was no laughing or joking like the last time they came together in that room. No, this time the disciples were listening in fear. Listening for footsteps. “Did you hear that? Is someone coming? Does anyone know we are here?”
Then, suddenly, without any sound, without even opening the door, Jesus appeared in the room with his disciples. And it may surprise you what happened next. Jesus did three things.
First, he had to calm his disciples down by saying, “Peace to you.” Imagine how frightening it must have been to see someone standing in front of you, someone who you had watched suffer an agonizing and painful death only three days earlier. There was no doubt in their minds that Jesus was dead, because they had watched him die. They had seen with their own two eyes. And now here is that same man standing in front of them.
Second, Jesus showed them his hands and side. Why do you think Jesus showed them his hands and side? Because those are two of the places where Jesus suffered injuries. His hands had been nailed to the cross. His side had been pierced by a spear to make sure he was literally and actually dead. And Jesus knew that he had to show them his wounds in order for them to believe. Because Seeing Is Believing.
Third, Jesus sent the disciples out on a mission. Jesus said, “Just as the Father has sent me, I am now sending you.” Jesus gave them a mission to spread the word. The disciples were to leave that room with the power of the Resurrected Christ in them and to tell everyone about the forgiveness of sins that only Jesus can provide. And that is exactly what they did.
The disciples left that place intent on sharing the Good News. (Notice how that has suddenly changed. Mary ran to tell the Bad News that the tomb was empty. The disciples ran to tell the Good News that the tomb is empty.) And who should be the first person to hear the Good News? Thomas.
For some reason, Thomas was not one of those gathered in the upper room that first Easter Sunday. Now I have heard many sermons criticizing Thomas for being absent that day. Some say he had returned to his old way of life. Others say that Thomas was off by himself grieving over the loss of his friend Jesus. But what does the Bible say? The Bible is silent here. It gives no reason for Thomas’ absence. In fact, if you will notice Jesus’ words to Thomas you will notice that Jesus did not criticize him. If Jesus did not blame him, perhaps we shouldn’t blame him either. Perhaps we should allow the Bible to speak for itself.
What is there to criticize Thomas about anyway? Should he be criticized for being the only disciple willing to show his face in public, three days after the execution of Jesus? Should he be criticized for not being behind locked doors, paralyzed by fear like the other disciples?
The truth about Thomas is this: He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we say anything else about Thomas, then we say something that the Bible is unwilling to say.
Thomas is an interesting character. The Gospel of John is the only book of the Bible that tells stories about him. And John tells three stories. These three stories give us an interesting perspective on Thomas.
We first encounter Thomas in John 11, when Jesus has been called to come to the aid of his dying friend Lazarus. The problem was that Lazarus lived in a region where the people wanted to kill Jesus. So Thomas spoke us and said, “Let’s go with Jesus to Bethany, so we can all die with him!” Thomas was just being realistic. These same people tried to kill them a few days earlier. They would probably try it again.
The second story about Thomas is found in John 14. In this story, Jesus taught his disciples about the way to the Father. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms, I am going there to prepare a place for you. If I go, then I will come again to you. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Once again, Thomas spoke up. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” I admire Thomas for this. He didn’t want Jesus to think he understood something that he didn’t understand. Thomas was just being honest.
And then Thomas showed up in our story today. The disciples ran to him and proclaimed the Good News…Jesus Is ALIVE! Then, Thomas uttered his most famous words, “Unless I see the nailprints in his hands, and jab my finger into the holes in his hands and side, I will not believe.”
Does that sound like doubt to you? It doesn’t sound like doubt to me.
Instead, it sounds like Thomas said, “I didn’t have the same kind of opportunity that you had while locked behind the doors of the upper room. And I will not believe until I get to see what you got to see…The nailprints in his hands and the hole in his side…Because Seeing Is Believing.”
This is an important lesson for us to learn today. Sometimes preaching is not enough. Think about that. Thomas had ten of the greatest Christian preachers of all time preaching the Good News to him. Peter, James, John…Just to name a few. But preaching was not enough. Thomas had to see to believe.
I have an idea why Thomas had to see in order to believe. He had to see Jesus for himself, because the lives of the other ten disciples were so dominated by fear and cowardice that it didn’t look as if they had seen the Resurrected Christ. In other words, their testimony was not enough because their lives did not reflect the Peace, Love and Joy of the Resurrected Christ.
Thomas didn’t doubt Jesus. Thomas doubted the other disciples! He couldn’t believe their words, because he couldn’t see a change in their lives!
III. Conclusion.
It was one week later…The Sunday after Easter, when Jesus finally appeared before Thomas. Jesus held out his hand, uncovered his wounded side and invited Thomas to touch him and to feel those wounds. What happened next is a big surprise. Thomas did NOT touch Jesus. Instead, he dropped to his knees and declared, “You are my Lord and my God.”
When Thomas saw the risen Lord standing in front of him, he was so overwhelmed…He was so convinced, that he could no longer doubt…He could no longer wonder…He could no longer contain himself…He had to confess, “Jesus is Lord and God!” He didn’t have to touch him…Seeing Is Believing.
The greatest doubter…The one who best represents our culture today…Made the greatest confession of faith of all time. Thomas was able to make this confession because he heard the Good News preached and he saw the Resurrected Christ.
The evidence for Jesus' resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: First, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live.—Wolfhart Pannenberg, German theologian (1928—) Wolfhart Pannenberg, in a conversation with Prism magazine
There are people in your lives who are searching for the same things today. Your family members, your friends, the people you work with or go to school with. Their greatest need is to hear about the Grace and Forgiveness of Christ…AND…To see that your life has been changed by the Resurrected Christ.
Does your life reflect the Peace, Love and Joy of the Resurrected Christ? If not, then words will continue to be ineffective…Seeing Is Believing.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Church: The Embodiment of the Gospel: Sunday, March 16, 2008
Church: The Embodiment of the Gospel
Acts 2: 42 – 47
I. Introduction.
Over the past week, I have read a couple of articles and surveys about church participation in the United States. I don’t think any of you will be surprised to hear me say that the majority of people in our country—and the majority of people in our city for that matter—do not attend church. But perhaps you will be surprised to learn that a 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and the Public Life has found that 44% of adult Americans have changed their religious affiliations. In other words, 44% of all adults who grew up in church have changed denominations or have changed to a different religious faith altogether. According to the survey, the fastest growing religious affiliation in America right now is “Unaffiliated.” In fact, if you consider Unaffiliated as a separate religion, Unaffiliated is the fourth largest religion in America today.
Consider for a moment what the implications of this survey might be for Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. If we do a great job of having babies and rearing our children in the church, the best we can hope for is retaining 56% in our church or another Baptist church. Of course, not all of Baptists on the church roles actually come to church. In my experience, Baptist church membership is usually about three times larger than attendance. If those numbers continue to be true, then we can look forward to approximately 19% of our own children remaining committed to our church or another Baptist church. That is about one out of every five of our children.
Now consider this. A 1999 Gallup poll determined that one-fourth of all unchurched people would be willing to attend church with a friend who invited them. The term “unchurched” is a very broad term. It refers to people who have never belonged to any religious organization as well as people who went to church as children but dropped out of church as adults. For the sake of argument, let’s say it refers to our friends, family members and neighbors. If people in Lufkin, Texas are average people, then one-fourth of all our friends, family members and neighbors are willing to come to church with us if they are invited. If my math is correct, that tells us there are about 8,000 people at home in Lufkin this morning, because no one invited them to come to church.
I have been talking about statistics this morning. One survey from 2007 and one survey from 1999. We may choose to believe these statistics or come up with reasons why they may not apply in our part of East Texas. I simply do not know if this is true in Lufkin. It might be true. It might not be true. I don’t know. But there is something I do know. I know that God has given us a mission as a church to preach the Gospel message. Through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit, we are supposed to give others the opportunity to place their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. If the statistics are true, then we are not doing a very good job.
We are not retaining our own children when they become adults. We are not inviting our friends, family members and neighbors to come to church with us. If they are not coming to church, how will they hear the Gospel? We know the Gospel will be preached in church.
Last week, we read the story of the church’s birthday. It was on the day of Pentecost. Jesus instructed his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the gift of the Holy Spirit came. The disciples obeyed. When the Holy Spirit was poured out, something miraculous happened. The disciples—who were once so frightened they could not stand up with Jesus—were now empowered with supernatural power to preach the Gospel to their friends, family members and neighbors. But what happened next? What happened when the disciples stopped preaching?
Read Acts 2: 42 – 47.
Have you ever experienced a spiritually high moment? Have you ever had a moment when you felt God working in your life and leading you in fresh, powerful ways? Maybe it happened while you were at youth camp. Maybe you were in an old fashioned revival meeting. Maybe you were in the middle of a giant decision, and God gave you unusual wisdom to make the right choice. This is what happened to the disciples when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them.
But there is a difference between what the disciples experienced and what you and I experienced in our spiritual high moments. You and I go through various periods of highs and lows. One moment we feel closer to God than at any other moment of our lives. The next moment, we come crashing down to earth and the real world. We have grown so accustomed to moments like these that we no longer expect our “enthusiasm” to last forever. We watch others—sometimes a new Christian, sometimes a teenager coming home from youth camp—with a skeptic’s eye. We don’t expect “enthusiasm” to last forever.
Do you know what the word “enthusiasm” means? It comes from two Greek words: “en” and “theos.” The Greek word “en” is similar to our English word “in.” The Greek word “theos” means God. To say that a person is “enthusiastic” is to say that people is literally “filled with God.”
Immediately after the story of Pentecost, Luke goes to great lengths to show us how the early Christians maintained their “enthusiasm.” Yes, they were “enthusiastic” on the day of Pentecost. But they were also “filled with God” from that moment on. Their “enthusiasm” took on new meaning and demonstrated itself in a new kind of community. The new community is the church. And, the church is always “filled with God.”
II. The Apostles’ Teachings.
The first way the church demonstrated that they were “filled with God” is the way they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teachings.
Before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, there were 12 Apostles and a total of 120 Christians. All of these people had lived with Jesus. The Apostles had sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to all his teachings. The rest of the Christians had followed Jesus in the crowds, witnessing all the miracles and learning from Jesus’ public sermons. They knew what Jesus had stood for and what he had come to accomplish in his death and resurrection.
After the Holy Spirit came, over 3,000 new believers committed their lives to Jesus as Lord. These people did not have the same kind of knowledge and understanding about what Jesus had done for them. Therefore, it was now necessary for the 12 Apostles to share what they knew about Jesus with others.
The most important thing we can say about the Apostles’ Teaching, is to say that they were teaching others what Jesus had taught them. The Apostles were not making up new teachings to share with the new believers. They were giving others what Jesus had first given them.
In the Twenty-First Century, this is the same thing as teaching the Bible. We teach the Bible, because the Bible is God’s Word. It contains the teachings of Jesus passed down to his Apostles, who in turn wrote it down so that we can know what Jesus has done for us.
III. The Fellowship.
The church was also devoted to a new kind of fellowship. This is the Greek word “Koinonia.” It refers to fellowship in the sense of Christian brothers and sisters relating to each other through the love of Christ. The heart of the word “Koinonia” is the Greek word “koinos,” which means common. In other words, these new Christians had something in common with the original 12 Apostles and the original 120 Christians.
I find it noteworthy that Luke does not say the early church was committed to “fellowship.” He says they were committed to “THE fellowship.” There is something different, something unique about the fellowship these Christians shared with one another. For me, I have always associated fellowship with the church. And, I have always associated church fellowships with pimento and cheese sandwiches with the crust cut off. That might be “a fellowship,” but it is not “THE fellowship” Luke was talking about in this passage.
THE fellowship is the significant bond we share with each other that can only come as a result of our relationship with Jesus. When a man or woman places their faith in Jesus, something supernatural occurs. At the moment we profess our faith, God places his Holy Spirit in us to begin the work of shaping us into the image of Jesus. When a group of people whom God is shaping to become like Jesus get together in the church, God begins to work on that church. God shapes that community of believers into the image of Jesus. Just as God is working on you and me as individuals to make us more like Jesus, so God is working on our church to make us more like Jesus.
THE fellowship of Christian brothers and sisters is different from the community life on non-Christians. God is forming us into a community like no other. He is placing in us the same loves and desires that Jesus demonstrated in his life. THE fellowship we experience is a missional experience. Sure, we like to hang out with each other and laugh together. But, we also feel called—even compelled by God—to meet the needs of the world around us and to share the life-changing message of the cross.
IV. The Breaking of Bread.
There is no better place to see community life in action than to observe people who are eating together. Some have interpreted this as a reference to the Lord’s Supper—the act of eating bread and drinking wine (or grape juice) in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Others interpret this as simply sharing food together. I prefer to think of this as simply sharing a meal together.
We believe the book of Acts is the second volume of Luke’s account of Christianity. The first volume is the Gospel According to Luke. One of the many consistent themes in the Gospel According to Luke is the criticism Jesus faced as a result of his eating habits. In Luke, Jesus rarely ate supper with good, religious people. Most of the time, Luke tells us that Jesus ate supper with tax collectors and sinners. The religious folks did not like this, because it was against their customs to eat with people who were different from them. Jesus broke the religious and cultural norms of his day by sharing his meals with “undesirable” people.
Some of you are old enough to remember the civil unrest in our country during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. One aspect of the Civil Rights movement related to the restaurants and lunch counters in our country. The burning question of the day was: Should black men and women be allowed to eat with white people? The reason this was such an issue is because sharing a meal with another person is like saying we consider that person our equal. All social barriers are broken down when people sit shoulder to shoulder at the same table.
I find it remarkable that the 120 Jewish men and women who made up the very first Christians were comfortable eating at the same table with foreigners. They abandoned their Jewish, social norms in favor of a new kind of community where all who believe in Jesus are considered equal.
V. The Prayers.
Literally, Luke tells us the new community was devoted to “THE prayers.” This leads many scholars to interpret this as reference to the official Jewish practice of religion. In other words, the church abandoned their traditional social norms but did not abandon the worship of God in the Temple. In fact, we will continue to see the Apostles teaching and preaching in the Temple and showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the Jews had been hoping for in the Old Testament.
That is a great historical fact, but it does not translate very well to our Twenty-First Century American, Christian lives. What does translate is the way the early Christians were committed to the power of God that is only possible through prayer.
What do you think about people who pray? Some people think prayer is a sign of weakness. They think people who pray cannot take care of their own needs under their own power and abilities. These people are exactly right. This is why we pray. We pray, because we need God. We pray, because we cannot make it on our own power and abilities. We pray in order to express our total dependence on God for even our smallest needs. Without God and his power, we can do nothing.
VI. Selling Their Possessions, They Gave…
This is a source of great debate. Among many theologians, there is a belief that the early church practiced a form of socialism. They claim that individual church members did not own property. They think this is God’s ideal for us, even today.
I do not subscribe to this interpretation. In fact, there is evidence here that Luke did not want to communicate this kind of shared property. Luke described the church’s action by using a Greek Imperfect tense. The Imperfect tense is translated as “continuous action in past time.” In other words, we can translate this as “they kept on selling their possessions to give to those in need.”
The best way to describe what the Christians were doing here is to compare it with stewardship. They used their personal possessions and their personal wealth in ways that demonstrated the life of Jesus. They gave to those in need, and they gave to advance the Kingdom of God missionally.
VII. Conclusion: The Favor of All the People.
When a church is “filled with God,” it will demonstrate an integrated understanding of the Gospel. The Gospel is not something that we talk about. The Gospel is something we live out daily. The end result is the church begins to get a reputation in the community. People should see what we do and the ways we live our lives and be attracted to our church.
If people outside our church do not see us living out the Gospel in our daily lives, they will not want to be a part of what we are doing. Outsiders will view us as hypocrites who say one thing and live another.
Acts 2: 42 – 47
I. Introduction.
Over the past week, I have read a couple of articles and surveys about church participation in the United States. I don’t think any of you will be surprised to hear me say that the majority of people in our country—and the majority of people in our city for that matter—do not attend church. But perhaps you will be surprised to learn that a 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and the Public Life has found that 44% of adult Americans have changed their religious affiliations. In other words, 44% of all adults who grew up in church have changed denominations or have changed to a different religious faith altogether. According to the survey, the fastest growing religious affiliation in America right now is “Unaffiliated.” In fact, if you consider Unaffiliated as a separate religion, Unaffiliated is the fourth largest religion in America today.
Consider for a moment what the implications of this survey might be for Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. If we do a great job of having babies and rearing our children in the church, the best we can hope for is retaining 56% in our church or another Baptist church. Of course, not all of Baptists on the church roles actually come to church. In my experience, Baptist church membership is usually about three times larger than attendance. If those numbers continue to be true, then we can look forward to approximately 19% of our own children remaining committed to our church or another Baptist church. That is about one out of every five of our children.
Now consider this. A 1999 Gallup poll determined that one-fourth of all unchurched people would be willing to attend church with a friend who invited them. The term “unchurched” is a very broad term. It refers to people who have never belonged to any religious organization as well as people who went to church as children but dropped out of church as adults. For the sake of argument, let’s say it refers to our friends, family members and neighbors. If people in Lufkin, Texas are average people, then one-fourth of all our friends, family members and neighbors are willing to come to church with us if they are invited. If my math is correct, that tells us there are about 8,000 people at home in Lufkin this morning, because no one invited them to come to church.
I have been talking about statistics this morning. One survey from 2007 and one survey from 1999. We may choose to believe these statistics or come up with reasons why they may not apply in our part of East Texas. I simply do not know if this is true in Lufkin. It might be true. It might not be true. I don’t know. But there is something I do know. I know that God has given us a mission as a church to preach the Gospel message. Through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit, we are supposed to give others the opportunity to place their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. If the statistics are true, then we are not doing a very good job.
We are not retaining our own children when they become adults. We are not inviting our friends, family members and neighbors to come to church with us. If they are not coming to church, how will they hear the Gospel? We know the Gospel will be preached in church.
Last week, we read the story of the church’s birthday. It was on the day of Pentecost. Jesus instructed his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the gift of the Holy Spirit came. The disciples obeyed. When the Holy Spirit was poured out, something miraculous happened. The disciples—who were once so frightened they could not stand up with Jesus—were now empowered with supernatural power to preach the Gospel to their friends, family members and neighbors. But what happened next? What happened when the disciples stopped preaching?
Read Acts 2: 42 – 47.
Have you ever experienced a spiritually high moment? Have you ever had a moment when you felt God working in your life and leading you in fresh, powerful ways? Maybe it happened while you were at youth camp. Maybe you were in an old fashioned revival meeting. Maybe you were in the middle of a giant decision, and God gave you unusual wisdom to make the right choice. This is what happened to the disciples when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them.
But there is a difference between what the disciples experienced and what you and I experienced in our spiritual high moments. You and I go through various periods of highs and lows. One moment we feel closer to God than at any other moment of our lives. The next moment, we come crashing down to earth and the real world. We have grown so accustomed to moments like these that we no longer expect our “enthusiasm” to last forever. We watch others—sometimes a new Christian, sometimes a teenager coming home from youth camp—with a skeptic’s eye. We don’t expect “enthusiasm” to last forever.
Do you know what the word “enthusiasm” means? It comes from two Greek words: “en” and “theos.” The Greek word “en” is similar to our English word “in.” The Greek word “theos” means God. To say that a person is “enthusiastic” is to say that people is literally “filled with God.”
Immediately after the story of Pentecost, Luke goes to great lengths to show us how the early Christians maintained their “enthusiasm.” Yes, they were “enthusiastic” on the day of Pentecost. But they were also “filled with God” from that moment on. Their “enthusiasm” took on new meaning and demonstrated itself in a new kind of community. The new community is the church. And, the church is always “filled with God.”
II. The Apostles’ Teachings.
The first way the church demonstrated that they were “filled with God” is the way they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teachings.
Before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, there were 12 Apostles and a total of 120 Christians. All of these people had lived with Jesus. The Apostles had sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to all his teachings. The rest of the Christians had followed Jesus in the crowds, witnessing all the miracles and learning from Jesus’ public sermons. They knew what Jesus had stood for and what he had come to accomplish in his death and resurrection.
After the Holy Spirit came, over 3,000 new believers committed their lives to Jesus as Lord. These people did not have the same kind of knowledge and understanding about what Jesus had done for them. Therefore, it was now necessary for the 12 Apostles to share what they knew about Jesus with others.
The most important thing we can say about the Apostles’ Teaching, is to say that they were teaching others what Jesus had taught them. The Apostles were not making up new teachings to share with the new believers. They were giving others what Jesus had first given them.
In the Twenty-First Century, this is the same thing as teaching the Bible. We teach the Bible, because the Bible is God’s Word. It contains the teachings of Jesus passed down to his Apostles, who in turn wrote it down so that we can know what Jesus has done for us.
III. The Fellowship.
The church was also devoted to a new kind of fellowship. This is the Greek word “Koinonia.” It refers to fellowship in the sense of Christian brothers and sisters relating to each other through the love of Christ. The heart of the word “Koinonia” is the Greek word “koinos,” which means common. In other words, these new Christians had something in common with the original 12 Apostles and the original 120 Christians.
I find it noteworthy that Luke does not say the early church was committed to “fellowship.” He says they were committed to “THE fellowship.” There is something different, something unique about the fellowship these Christians shared with one another. For me, I have always associated fellowship with the church. And, I have always associated church fellowships with pimento and cheese sandwiches with the crust cut off. That might be “a fellowship,” but it is not “THE fellowship” Luke was talking about in this passage.
THE fellowship is the significant bond we share with each other that can only come as a result of our relationship with Jesus. When a man or woman places their faith in Jesus, something supernatural occurs. At the moment we profess our faith, God places his Holy Spirit in us to begin the work of shaping us into the image of Jesus. When a group of people whom God is shaping to become like Jesus get together in the church, God begins to work on that church. God shapes that community of believers into the image of Jesus. Just as God is working on you and me as individuals to make us more like Jesus, so God is working on our church to make us more like Jesus.
THE fellowship of Christian brothers and sisters is different from the community life on non-Christians. God is forming us into a community like no other. He is placing in us the same loves and desires that Jesus demonstrated in his life. THE fellowship we experience is a missional experience. Sure, we like to hang out with each other and laugh together. But, we also feel called—even compelled by God—to meet the needs of the world around us and to share the life-changing message of the cross.
IV. The Breaking of Bread.
There is no better place to see community life in action than to observe people who are eating together. Some have interpreted this as a reference to the Lord’s Supper—the act of eating bread and drinking wine (or grape juice) in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Others interpret this as simply sharing food together. I prefer to think of this as simply sharing a meal together.
We believe the book of Acts is the second volume of Luke’s account of Christianity. The first volume is the Gospel According to Luke. One of the many consistent themes in the Gospel According to Luke is the criticism Jesus faced as a result of his eating habits. In Luke, Jesus rarely ate supper with good, religious people. Most of the time, Luke tells us that Jesus ate supper with tax collectors and sinners. The religious folks did not like this, because it was against their customs to eat with people who were different from them. Jesus broke the religious and cultural norms of his day by sharing his meals with “undesirable” people.
Some of you are old enough to remember the civil unrest in our country during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. One aspect of the Civil Rights movement related to the restaurants and lunch counters in our country. The burning question of the day was: Should black men and women be allowed to eat with white people? The reason this was such an issue is because sharing a meal with another person is like saying we consider that person our equal. All social barriers are broken down when people sit shoulder to shoulder at the same table.
I find it remarkable that the 120 Jewish men and women who made up the very first Christians were comfortable eating at the same table with foreigners. They abandoned their Jewish, social norms in favor of a new kind of community where all who believe in Jesus are considered equal.
V. The Prayers.
Literally, Luke tells us the new community was devoted to “THE prayers.” This leads many scholars to interpret this as reference to the official Jewish practice of religion. In other words, the church abandoned their traditional social norms but did not abandon the worship of God in the Temple. In fact, we will continue to see the Apostles teaching and preaching in the Temple and showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the Jews had been hoping for in the Old Testament.
That is a great historical fact, but it does not translate very well to our Twenty-First Century American, Christian lives. What does translate is the way the early Christians were committed to the power of God that is only possible through prayer.
What do you think about people who pray? Some people think prayer is a sign of weakness. They think people who pray cannot take care of their own needs under their own power and abilities. These people are exactly right. This is why we pray. We pray, because we need God. We pray, because we cannot make it on our own power and abilities. We pray in order to express our total dependence on God for even our smallest needs. Without God and his power, we can do nothing.
VI. Selling Their Possessions, They Gave…
This is a source of great debate. Among many theologians, there is a belief that the early church practiced a form of socialism. They claim that individual church members did not own property. They think this is God’s ideal for us, even today.
I do not subscribe to this interpretation. In fact, there is evidence here that Luke did not want to communicate this kind of shared property. Luke described the church’s action by using a Greek Imperfect tense. The Imperfect tense is translated as “continuous action in past time.” In other words, we can translate this as “they kept on selling their possessions to give to those in need.”
The best way to describe what the Christians were doing here is to compare it with stewardship. They used their personal possessions and their personal wealth in ways that demonstrated the life of Jesus. They gave to those in need, and they gave to advance the Kingdom of God missionally.
VII. Conclusion: The Favor of All the People.
When a church is “filled with God,” it will demonstrate an integrated understanding of the Gospel. The Gospel is not something that we talk about. The Gospel is something we live out daily. The end result is the church begins to get a reputation in the community. People should see what we do and the ways we live our lives and be attracted to our church.
If people outside our church do not see us living out the Gospel in our daily lives, they will not want to be a part of what we are doing. Outsiders will view us as hypocrites who say one thing and live another.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Micro Business in Kenya
I received the following email from my friend Tony over the weekend. Tony is the director of the Baptist Children's Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
I visited the Baptist Children's Centre in May 2007. Tony told our group that the girls in their sewing program were in need of internships in order to find employment . The girls start learning sewing as a trade when they complete the equivalent of the eighth grade in the United States. Not all Kenyan children go to high school.
After learning their trades, the graduates begin looking for employment. However, most textile factories require a three month internship before they offer jobs to anyone. This is very difficult for young girls from the slums, because the internships do not pay and require the girls to move into the city.
Tony told us how expensive it was to provide rent and food for the girls in order to make the internships possible. It was the equivalent of $100 U.S.
I shared this story with my church in Lufkin, Texas. In less than a week, our church collected $3,000 U.S. and provided scholarships for approximately 30 graduates! (That was 15 graduates from 2007, plus extra money for 2008 graduates.)
Click on the "Africa" tag to your right to see additional pictures of Tony and the Baptist Children's Centre.
====================================
Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!
I am writing to let you know of the progress we have at the TEC Centre- Baptist Children Centre and to thank you for making a difference in some body's life.
Towards the end of last year we enrolled 8 girls and one boy went though industrial tailoring internship. Two have joined hands and started a sewing business in the nearby Dandora estate, the boy is to join one of the export factories and the rest had been promised employment in the sewing factories but the election violence that rocked our country made most textile factories to temporally close down.
We are hoping for quick recovering in all sectors soon, now that there is assured safety and peace after the signing of a peace deal between the two warring camps.
We have more nine girls who will be going through the same internship or start up businesses as it may be fitting for them.
Our regards and love to you, your family and church.
Thank you and God bless.
Tony
I visited the Baptist Children's Centre in May 2007. Tony told our group that the girls in their sewing program were in need of internships in order to find employment . The girls start learning sewing as a trade when they complete the equivalent of the eighth grade in the United States. Not all Kenyan children go to high school.
After learning their trades, the graduates begin looking for employment. However, most textile factories require a three month internship before they offer jobs to anyone. This is very difficult for young girls from the slums, because the internships do not pay and require the girls to move into the city.
Tony told us how expensive it was to provide rent and food for the girls in order to make the internships possible. It was the equivalent of $100 U.S.
I shared this story with my church in Lufkin, Texas. In less than a week, our church collected $3,000 U.S. and provided scholarships for approximately 30 graduates! (That was 15 graduates from 2007, plus extra money for 2008 graduates.)
Click on the "Africa" tag to your right to see additional pictures of Tony and the Baptist Children's Centre.
====================================
Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!
I am writing to let you know of the progress we have at the TEC Centre- Baptist Children Centre and to thank you for making a difference in some body's life.
Towards the end of last year we enrolled 8 girls and one boy went though industrial tailoring internship. Two have joined hands and started a sewing business in the nearby Dandora estate, the boy is to join one of the export factories and the rest had been promised employment in the sewing factories but the election violence that rocked our country made most textile factories to temporally close down.
We are hoping for quick recovering in all sectors soon, now that there is assured safety and peace after the signing of a peace deal between the two warring camps.
We have more nine girls who will be going through the same internship or start up businesses as it may be fitting for them.
Our regards and love to you, your family and church.
Thank you and God bless.
Tony
The Makings of a Revival: Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Makings of a Revival
Acts 2: 1 – 13; 22 – 24; and 36 – 41.
I. Introduction.
Read Acts 2: 1 – 13; 22 – 24; and 36 – 41.
This is the story of the first Christian Pentecost. The reason I say “Christian Pentecost” is because Pentecost was already a Jewish holiday. The word “Pentecost” means “fiftieth day,” and this was a feast celebrated fifty days after the Passover.
There were three reasons for setting aside the fiftieth day after Passover for a feast and festival.
First, this fiftieth day marked the end of the Spring harvest. All the crops had been gathered, and this was a good time to take a break.
Secondly, it was also the time when all Jewish families would divide out one tenth of their harvest and bring it to the Temple in Jerusalem as a “first-fruit” offering to God.
Third, later Jewish tradition associated Pentecost as the day when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. However, this religious understanding of Pentecost does not show up in any written form until three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, I don’t think we need to make any comparisons between Moses receiving the Law and the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit.
We only focus on Pentecost as a Christian event, because we are more familiar with the Jewish Pentecost by a different name. It is also called the Festival of Weeks. This name derives from the Jewish method of calculating the date for Pentecost. Pentecost occurs seven weeks—or seven Sabbaths—after the Passover.
The most significant part of Pentecost as a Jewish festival, is the way it explains why so many people were present to witness this miracle. They were Jewish people, living in faraway places, who had come to Jerusalem on religious pilgrimages to make offerings in the Temple. This was a highly strategic moment for the Holy Spirit to come and manifest God’s power.
II. Obedience.
Last week, I made a very bold statement about Jesus’ intentions for the disciples to become the new people of God. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, we read about a man named Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob / Israel had 12 sons. These 12 sons became the ancestors for the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus came preaching about the coming Kingdom of God, it was important for him to name 12 disciples. Why did Jesus select 12 disciples? Because the number 12 is symbolic for God’s chosen people! One of the 12 disciples—Judas Iscariot—hanged himself. This left only 11 disciples. So, in Acts 1, the 11 disciples recognized the significance of the number 12, and appointed Matthias as the 12th disciple to take the place of Judas.
Of course, there were more than just 12 followers of Jesus at this time. Luke tells us in Acts 1: 15 that the total number of Christian men and women was 120! Again, I find this significant that this number is a multiple of 12. 120 believers = 12 disciples multiplied by 10. The number 12 symbolizes the People of God. The number 10 is a number that symbolizes “completion.” Therefore, to say that there were 120 believers gathered is the same thing as saying the “complete People of God” were gathered.
You might think I am a little off the subject at this point, talking about the disciples representing the People of God. However, this is significant! Who do you think received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost? It was not the 12 disciples! It was the “complete People of God.” Everyone who had faith in Jesus received the Holy Spirit. Everyone who had gathered together with the disciples that day received the Holy Spirit. When we talk about the Holy Spirit, we need to keep in mind that this is NOT a gift God gives to only certain people. The Holy Spirit is NOT the result of a higher level of faith or a “second blessing.” NO! The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all men and women who place their faith in Jesus.
In Acts 2: 1, we find the complete People of God “together in one place.” This tells us two things about the church. First, they were united spiritually. Second, they were in one place, or location.
I might use this as an opportunity to tell you how important it is for all of God’s People to be united spiritually. But I actually prefer to tell you this is a good Scripture to show you how important it is for you to come to church. Everyone was there. The complete People of God gathered in one place, and God showed up. God showed up in a brand new way. But, how did we get to this point?
Acts 1, gives us a couple of important details about what led up to the day of Pentecost. Jesus gathered his 11 remaining disciples on the Mount of Olives. He reminded them of everything he had previously taught them about the Kingdom of God. Then, Jesus gave them instructions about what to do next. Get ready for this, because I know you will not like what Jesus had to say. He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but WAIT for the gift my Father promised…”
It must have been hard for the disciples to wait. Surely they were ready to start doing something. But that is not what Jesus told them to do. He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
I want to draw two conclusions from Jesus’ instructions to his disciples. I think these two conclusions apply to us today as well. I think they apply to us, because we are a part of the complete People of God.
First, the Holy Spirit comes on the church in powerful ways when the church is OBEDIENT to God’s commands. The disciples were originally from many different walks of life. They had several different occupations. We know that several came from different home towns. What would have happened if the disciples had listened to Jesus’ instructions, watched him ascend into heaven, then gone back to their regular lives before they met Jesus? What if Peter, James, John and Andrew had gone back to a life of fishing? What if Matthew had resumed his work as a Roman tax collector? What if Philip had gone back to his fig tree?
I believe the Holy Spirit would have still been poured out on all God’s People. After all, this is the fulfillment of all Jesus taught his disciples as well as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy found in the book of Joel. Yes, the Holy Spirit would have come. BUT, the church would have missed out on a strategic and rare opportunity to begin spreading the Gospel message of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Because the church obeyed what Jesus instructed them to do, they had an opportunity to preach to Jewish men and women from all over the known world when they gathered in Jerusalem for a religious festival. Disobedience would have been a tragic mistake!
What kind of mistake might we make in Lufkin, Texas? If we are not obedient to the Lord’s commands, we too will miss out on God’s strategy to reach the world with the Gospel message.
III. Prayer / Holy Spirit.
The second conclusion I can draw from Jesus’ command to the church is that God has given us a specific job to do, AND God has given us the power to accomplish his work! Yes, it would have been tragic for the disciples to return home and go back to their regular lives before they met Jesus. But, it would have also been a mistake for them to try to do God’s work before they received the Holy Spirit.
The job Jesus gave his disciples is the same job he gives us today. In Acts 1: 8, Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Just like the disciples in Acts 1 and 2, Jesus has called us to be his witnesses. It is our job as Christian men and women in the Twenty-First Century to keep witnessing to the people of Lufkin, Texas and the United States of America, and the ends of the earth. But we cannot do this on our own power and abilities. We need God’s power. We need the Holy Spirit.
I read a story this week that is supposed to be a true story…A couple from a jungle in Africa arrived in Kingston, Ontario, and were given a fully equipped home to live in. They were handed the keys, but no one thought of explaining about the electrical appliances. During the month of July they went to bed when it got dark and rose with the sun. They collected wood and were able to cook in the fireplace. They found water came from the taps, and they did their washing in the kitchen, and dried their clothes on the line.
But by November they were cold, miserable and very frightened. Happily some friends came to visit, found the house in darkness and they flicked on the lights. They showed the couple how they could set the thermostat to heat the house and use the electric stove for cooking.
The next week they learned about the washer and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, how to answer the telephone and dial their friends. The television helped them find out about Canada, and how people survived the Canadian winter.
That story illustrates the huge change that took place on the Day of Pentecost. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a mighty wind and it filled the entire house” (Acts 2:2). The couple from Africa discovered that they were living in a house in which they were free to enjoy light, and heat, and the many appliances needed for the Canadian winter. But the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day had never told people all that God had for them. On the Day of Pentecost the early Christians began to experience the light and power available to them by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Robert Brow, “Electricity: A parable for Pentecost,” June 8, 2003, Model Theology Web Page, http://brow.on.ca/Sermons/Electric.htm.
Many of us have God’s Power at our disposal, but we do not “turn on the lights.” We live miserable and powerless lives, because we do not access the power God has given us. Our lives are just like the African couple in the story, if we do not pray.
What do you think would happen in our church and in Lufkin, Texas if we would just access God’s Power? What would happen if we prayed something like this, “Lord, send a revival. Begin in my life. Then, transform my church and the city of Lufkin?” That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s dangerous, because God wants you to pray it. AND, because God will answer that prayer.
IV. Inside Out.
In the story of Pentecost, there are two things that changed. First, the most obvious change was the number of people who placed their faith in Jesus. In Acts 1, we read about Jesus’ speaking with 11 men. These 11 men chose Matthias to become one of them, so they grew from 11 to 12. Then, the 12 gathered together with 120 men and women—the complete People of God. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the complete People of God, the church exploded. The 120 grew to be over 3000! That is a big change in a short amount of time.
But there is another change that might not be as obvious to you. The church changed their focus.
In Acts 2: 1, the church was gathered “in one place.” Luke does not tell us where this “one place” was, but there have been several suggestions made. Some people think they were gathered in a common area of the Jerusalem Temple. Others think the church was gathered in the “Upper Room”—the place where Jesus and his disciples had shared the Last Supper on the Day of Passover. This is where I think they were gathered, because it makes sense to me by comparing Acts 1 and 2 with John 20.
It doesn’t really matter where they were. What matters is that the complete People of God were gathered in a place where only Christians were present. They were worshipping God; they were praying together; and they were probably reviewing all the things Jesus had taught them before his ascension. Does this sound familiar? That is what we are doing this morning! We have come together in a place where only Christians are present. We are worshipping God, praying and reviewing our Bibles.
But these people did not stay inside the walls of the church! When the Holy Spirit was poured out, the people of Jerusalem heard a sound that reminded them of a roaring wind. It sounded like an East Texas tornado. When the people followed the sound, they found that it was coming from the church. THAT is the exact moment when the Christians got out of the church and started preaching the Gospel to lost people. The Holy Spirit turned the church “inside-out.”
If we are going to fulfill our God-given responsibility to spread the Gospel of Jesus and to be witnesses in Lufkin, Texas, then we need to get out of the church. We need the Holy Spirit to turn our church “inside-out!”
V. Conclusion: The Miracle of Pentecost.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church that day, a miracle took place. Most people focus on the disciples’ speaking in tongues. Some say the miracle of Pentecost is the gift of speaking in tongues. But, notice that 3000 people heard and understood the Gospel in their own native languages. This leads some people to say the miracle of Pentecost is a miracle of understanding, since the disciples were obviously not speaking in ecstatic utterances. They were speaking real languages which could be understood by non-Christians.
I disagree with both of these interpretations! In my interpretation, the miracle of Pentecost is the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel was preached in languages understood by the people. But the Gospel was also preached in a way people could respond and be saved!
Acts 2: 1 – 13; 22 – 24; and 36 – 41.
I. Introduction.
Read Acts 2: 1 – 13; 22 – 24; and 36 – 41.
This is the story of the first Christian Pentecost. The reason I say “Christian Pentecost” is because Pentecost was already a Jewish holiday. The word “Pentecost” means “fiftieth day,” and this was a feast celebrated fifty days after the Passover.
There were three reasons for setting aside the fiftieth day after Passover for a feast and festival.
First, this fiftieth day marked the end of the Spring harvest. All the crops had been gathered, and this was a good time to take a break.
Secondly, it was also the time when all Jewish families would divide out one tenth of their harvest and bring it to the Temple in Jerusalem as a “first-fruit” offering to God.
Third, later Jewish tradition associated Pentecost as the day when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. However, this religious understanding of Pentecost does not show up in any written form until three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, I don’t think we need to make any comparisons between Moses receiving the Law and the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit.
We only focus on Pentecost as a Christian event, because we are more familiar with the Jewish Pentecost by a different name. It is also called the Festival of Weeks. This name derives from the Jewish method of calculating the date for Pentecost. Pentecost occurs seven weeks—or seven Sabbaths—after the Passover.
The most significant part of Pentecost as a Jewish festival, is the way it explains why so many people were present to witness this miracle. They were Jewish people, living in faraway places, who had come to Jerusalem on religious pilgrimages to make offerings in the Temple. This was a highly strategic moment for the Holy Spirit to come and manifest God’s power.
II. Obedience.
Last week, I made a very bold statement about Jesus’ intentions for the disciples to become the new people of God. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, we read about a man named Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob / Israel had 12 sons. These 12 sons became the ancestors for the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jesus came preaching about the coming Kingdom of God, it was important for him to name 12 disciples. Why did Jesus select 12 disciples? Because the number 12 is symbolic for God’s chosen people! One of the 12 disciples—Judas Iscariot—hanged himself. This left only 11 disciples. So, in Acts 1, the 11 disciples recognized the significance of the number 12, and appointed Matthias as the 12th disciple to take the place of Judas.
Of course, there were more than just 12 followers of Jesus at this time. Luke tells us in Acts 1: 15 that the total number of Christian men and women was 120! Again, I find this significant that this number is a multiple of 12. 120 believers = 12 disciples multiplied by 10. The number 12 symbolizes the People of God. The number 10 is a number that symbolizes “completion.” Therefore, to say that there were 120 believers gathered is the same thing as saying the “complete People of God” were gathered.
You might think I am a little off the subject at this point, talking about the disciples representing the People of God. However, this is significant! Who do you think received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost? It was not the 12 disciples! It was the “complete People of God.” Everyone who had faith in Jesus received the Holy Spirit. Everyone who had gathered together with the disciples that day received the Holy Spirit. When we talk about the Holy Spirit, we need to keep in mind that this is NOT a gift God gives to only certain people. The Holy Spirit is NOT the result of a higher level of faith or a “second blessing.” NO! The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all men and women who place their faith in Jesus.
In Acts 2: 1, we find the complete People of God “together in one place.” This tells us two things about the church. First, they were united spiritually. Second, they were in one place, or location.
I might use this as an opportunity to tell you how important it is for all of God’s People to be united spiritually. But I actually prefer to tell you this is a good Scripture to show you how important it is for you to come to church. Everyone was there. The complete People of God gathered in one place, and God showed up. God showed up in a brand new way. But, how did we get to this point?
Acts 1, gives us a couple of important details about what led up to the day of Pentecost. Jesus gathered his 11 remaining disciples on the Mount of Olives. He reminded them of everything he had previously taught them about the Kingdom of God. Then, Jesus gave them instructions about what to do next. Get ready for this, because I know you will not like what Jesus had to say. He said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but WAIT for the gift my Father promised…”
It must have been hard for the disciples to wait. Surely they were ready to start doing something. But that is not what Jesus told them to do. He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
I want to draw two conclusions from Jesus’ instructions to his disciples. I think these two conclusions apply to us today as well. I think they apply to us, because we are a part of the complete People of God.
First, the Holy Spirit comes on the church in powerful ways when the church is OBEDIENT to God’s commands. The disciples were originally from many different walks of life. They had several different occupations. We know that several came from different home towns. What would have happened if the disciples had listened to Jesus’ instructions, watched him ascend into heaven, then gone back to their regular lives before they met Jesus? What if Peter, James, John and Andrew had gone back to a life of fishing? What if Matthew had resumed his work as a Roman tax collector? What if Philip had gone back to his fig tree?
I believe the Holy Spirit would have still been poured out on all God’s People. After all, this is the fulfillment of all Jesus taught his disciples as well as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy found in the book of Joel. Yes, the Holy Spirit would have come. BUT, the church would have missed out on a strategic and rare opportunity to begin spreading the Gospel message of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Because the church obeyed what Jesus instructed them to do, they had an opportunity to preach to Jewish men and women from all over the known world when they gathered in Jerusalem for a religious festival. Disobedience would have been a tragic mistake!
What kind of mistake might we make in Lufkin, Texas? If we are not obedient to the Lord’s commands, we too will miss out on God’s strategy to reach the world with the Gospel message.
III. Prayer / Holy Spirit.
The second conclusion I can draw from Jesus’ command to the church is that God has given us a specific job to do, AND God has given us the power to accomplish his work! Yes, it would have been tragic for the disciples to return home and go back to their regular lives before they met Jesus. But, it would have also been a mistake for them to try to do God’s work before they received the Holy Spirit.
The job Jesus gave his disciples is the same job he gives us today. In Acts 1: 8, Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Just like the disciples in Acts 1 and 2, Jesus has called us to be his witnesses. It is our job as Christian men and women in the Twenty-First Century to keep witnessing to the people of Lufkin, Texas and the United States of America, and the ends of the earth. But we cannot do this on our own power and abilities. We need God’s power. We need the Holy Spirit.
I read a story this week that is supposed to be a true story…A couple from a jungle in Africa arrived in Kingston, Ontario, and were given a fully equipped home to live in. They were handed the keys, but no one thought of explaining about the electrical appliances. During the month of July they went to bed when it got dark and rose with the sun. They collected wood and were able to cook in the fireplace. They found water came from the taps, and they did their washing in the kitchen, and dried their clothes on the line.
But by November they were cold, miserable and very frightened. Happily some friends came to visit, found the house in darkness and they flicked on the lights. They showed the couple how they could set the thermostat to heat the house and use the electric stove for cooking.
The next week they learned about the washer and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, how to answer the telephone and dial their friends. The television helped them find out about Canada, and how people survived the Canadian winter.
That story illustrates the huge change that took place on the Day of Pentecost. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a mighty wind and it filled the entire house” (Acts 2:2). The couple from Africa discovered that they were living in a house in which they were free to enjoy light, and heat, and the many appliances needed for the Canadian winter. But the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day had never told people all that God had for them. On the Day of Pentecost the early Christians began to experience the light and power available to them by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Robert Brow, “Electricity: A parable for Pentecost,” June 8, 2003, Model Theology Web Page, http://brow.on.ca/Sermons/Electric.htm.
Many of us have God’s Power at our disposal, but we do not “turn on the lights.” We live miserable and powerless lives, because we do not access the power God has given us. Our lives are just like the African couple in the story, if we do not pray.
What do you think would happen in our church and in Lufkin, Texas if we would just access God’s Power? What would happen if we prayed something like this, “Lord, send a revival. Begin in my life. Then, transform my church and the city of Lufkin?” That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s dangerous, because God wants you to pray it. AND, because God will answer that prayer.
IV. Inside Out.
In the story of Pentecost, there are two things that changed. First, the most obvious change was the number of people who placed their faith in Jesus. In Acts 1, we read about Jesus’ speaking with 11 men. These 11 men chose Matthias to become one of them, so they grew from 11 to 12. Then, the 12 gathered together with 120 men and women—the complete People of God. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the complete People of God, the church exploded. The 120 grew to be over 3000! That is a big change in a short amount of time.
But there is another change that might not be as obvious to you. The church changed their focus.
In Acts 2: 1, the church was gathered “in one place.” Luke does not tell us where this “one place” was, but there have been several suggestions made. Some people think they were gathered in a common area of the Jerusalem Temple. Others think the church was gathered in the “Upper Room”—the place where Jesus and his disciples had shared the Last Supper on the Day of Passover. This is where I think they were gathered, because it makes sense to me by comparing Acts 1 and 2 with John 20.
It doesn’t really matter where they were. What matters is that the complete People of God were gathered in a place where only Christians were present. They were worshipping God; they were praying together; and they were probably reviewing all the things Jesus had taught them before his ascension. Does this sound familiar? That is what we are doing this morning! We have come together in a place where only Christians are present. We are worshipping God, praying and reviewing our Bibles.
But these people did not stay inside the walls of the church! When the Holy Spirit was poured out, the people of Jerusalem heard a sound that reminded them of a roaring wind. It sounded like an East Texas tornado. When the people followed the sound, they found that it was coming from the church. THAT is the exact moment when the Christians got out of the church and started preaching the Gospel to lost people. The Holy Spirit turned the church “inside-out.”
If we are going to fulfill our God-given responsibility to spread the Gospel of Jesus and to be witnesses in Lufkin, Texas, then we need to get out of the church. We need the Holy Spirit to turn our church “inside-out!”
V. Conclusion: The Miracle of Pentecost.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church that day, a miracle took place. Most people focus on the disciples’ speaking in tongues. Some say the miracle of Pentecost is the gift of speaking in tongues. But, notice that 3000 people heard and understood the Gospel in their own native languages. This leads some people to say the miracle of Pentecost is a miracle of understanding, since the disciples were obviously not speaking in ecstatic utterances. They were speaking real languages which could be understood by non-Christians.
I disagree with both of these interpretations! In my interpretation, the miracle of Pentecost is the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel was preached in languages understood by the people. But the Gospel was also preached in a way people could respond and be saved!
Monday, March 03, 2008
God's Purpose for Our Church: Sunday, March 2, 2008
God’s Purpose for Our Church
Acts 1: 1 – 11.
I. Introduction.
This is a true story. You always know it going to be good when someone begins by telling you it is a true story…
In 1980, a young man who had recently graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary travelled to Lufkin, Texas to preach in this church. The young man came to Lufkin to share his vision for evangelism and starting a new kind of church in Southern California. Some of our long-term members remember this young seminary graduate and the time he preached in First Baptist Church. His name is Rick Warren. His dream turned into one of the largest churches in the United States.
On any given weekend Rick Warren’s church—Saddleback Community Church in Mission Viejo, California—holds six worship services with a total attendance of 26,000 worshippers. And it all started right here in Lufkin’s First Baptist Church.
After Rick Warren preached in our church, our deacons held a meeting and made a recommendation to the church that we support him financially in his dream to plant a church in California. The church agreed, and we supported Rick Warren with $250 per month from 1981 – 1984.
Most of you know the name Rick Warren through his book, The Purpose-Driven Life. Churches all over the world, including Lufkin’s First Baptist, have studied this book and undertaken an event known as Forty Days of Purpose. Several years ago, we went through Forty Days of Purpose. We divided our members into small groups to read and discuss God’s purposes for our individual lives as well as God’s purposes for our church.
There were so many people who purchased the book The Purpose-Driven Life, that Rick Warren is now recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the third wealthiest author in America. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this until I learned what Rick Warren has done with his finances. The first thing he did was to refuse any salary from his church in California. Then he added up the total amount of salary his church has paid him over his 25 year career and paid it back to the church. So, now he can say that he has never benefitted financially from serving as a pastor. Then he identified five world-wide projects and sponsors them with his book earnings.
Last year, I got this crazy idea to invite Rick Warren to come to our church and preach. Jeannie Gilcrease helped me research Rick’s email address and phone number. And I started trying to call him. I discovered in the process that he has a secretary who answers his phone and responds to his email. I have never been a person to give up. I am tenacious! I am a bulldog! I do not give up. I called his secretary and emailed her so many times, that she finally gave me her cell phone number so I could call her direct.
When I called her on her cell phone, I thanked her for helping me. I said, “I realize that you get calls like this from hundreds of pastors just like me every single day.” She said, “I do get a lot of requests, but I’ve never had anyone as persistent as you are!”
She tried to help me, but we could not get our church calendar and Rick’s speaking calendar to line up. So, now I am working to schedule him sometime for 2008.
Then, I had an opportunity to meet Rick Warren face-to-face. He was the keynote speaker for the Baptist General Convention of Texas back in October. Right before Rick was supposed to speak, I walked backstage and found him. He was surrounded by a group of pastors just like me. They were engaged in conversation but stopped when I walked into the room. They gave me a look that communicated, “You are not supposed to be here.”
When the conversation stopped, I stuck out my hand and said, “Rick, my name is Andy Pittman. I am the pastor of First Baptist Church in Lufkin.”
Rick shook my hand and said, “Andy! I just finished a press conference and told them that I got my start because First Baptist Lufkin believed in me and my calling to California. Your church was the first church to believe in me and to support me financially. Tell me how things are going in Lufkin.”
We sat down on a sofa as I started telling him about all the wonderful things taking place in this church. I told him about people joining our church and the excitement we feel every single week. I told him about the five mission churches we are sponsoring right now—a cowboy church, an Hispanic church and a black church in Lufkin as well as two international churches, one in Canada and one about to begin in Ethiopia. He took out a notebook and started writing down notes on what I was saying.
Then, Rick leaned back on the sofa and said, “I want to come to Lufkin to preach.” I said, “It’s interesting that you say that. I have been trying to schedule a date through your secretary for the past few weeks.” He asked for my business card and promised to come back to Lufkin.
Now, I want you to keep in mind that we are still surrounded by other Texas pastors. They are watching us and listening to our conversation.
Then, Rick added something. He said, “I am going to come to Lufkin to preach and give your church a plaque. I need to tell ya’ll how much you have meant to me.”
I replied, “Rick, I want you to come to Lufkin, and I want you to preach. But, I don’t want you to give us a plaque. I have a better idea. Remember when you wrote that book and made all that money?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “And remember when you added up the salary your church paid you over 25 years?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Instead of bringing us a plaque, why don’t you bring us a check?”
The room erupted. Rick was bent over laughing. He loved it. He even offered to write a check on the spot to cover the first installment. Of course, I told him I was joking and did not want anything from him.
I tell that story to introduce two ideas. First, I want you to know the story of Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. This year, 2008, is the 125th anniversary of our church. A lot of changes have taken place in our church over 125 years. But, hopefully one thing has remained unchanged—our purpose. God placed each man, woman, teenager and child in this church for a purpose. What do you think that purpose might be?
I also told that story to introduce Rick Warren. His first book was The Purpose-Driven Church. In this book, he addressed the contemporary fascination with church growth. Everyone says they want their church to grow. But what are you doing to grow this church? If you agree that God has brought us together in this church, how are we going to work to grow this church?
Rick Warren says there are three ways for our church to grow:
1. Birth. As long as our members keep having babies, our church will grow.
2. Transfer. Sometimes people transfer their membership from one church to another. Often these people have moved to Lufkin for new jobs, and they come to our church from a church in another town. At other times, people will move from one church in Lufkin to another church. Aubrey calls this “aquarium growth.” It means taking fish out of one aquarium and placing them in our aquarium. I prefer to call this “sheep stealing.” Our church will grow if we can steal sheep from other churches. Or, perhaps we don’t have to steal sheep if another church in town starts having conflict. Sheep will start to come here to get away from the conflict.
3. Evangelism. Would you believe, this is the only kind of church growth found in the New Testament? The New Testament does not tell us to grow our church through either birth or transfer. The New Testament tells us our purpose is to evangelize the lost.
Read Acts 1: 1 – 11.
These were Jesus’ last words to his disciples as he ascended into heaven. After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with his disciples. They had one final gathering together on the top of the Mount of Olives. In this final meeting, Jesus did two final things. First, he gave them their last instructions. Second, he promised them the Holy Spirit.
II. The Disciples’ Misunderstanding.
It’s interesting to me that Jesus ended his ministry on earth just as he began it. He talked about baptism and taught them about the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God was the dominant theme throughout Jesus’ teaching ministry. You have heard me say that we can debate all day long about what exactly the Kingdom of God is. On one hand, we know that the Kingdom of God is a future reality. It is something Jesus taught us to pray for in the Model Prayer—Let your kingdom come (to earth). In this sense, we will never fully experience God’s Kingdom until we are with him in heaven.
On the other hand, in Jesus’ first sermon he said, “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is here.” In this sense, Jesus taught his disciples that we can actually begin to experience the Kingdom of God while we are still living on this earth. The Kingdom of God is the realm in which God is the sovereign King.
This world is the realm of the devil. Satan subdues this earth through sin and sickness and natural disasters and death. Jesus broke into Satan’s realm and began spreading the reign of God. When people placed their faith in Jesus as Lord, they stepped out of Satan’s kingdom and entered into God’s Kingdom. Through the ministry and teaching of Jesus, the Kingdom of God began to grow and expand. This was Jesus’ work on earth. This is the work Jesus is now handing over to his disciples. So, Jesus spent his last forty days reminding his followers of their responsibility to expand the Kingdom.
Jesus taught this to his disciples for the entire three year period of his ministry with them. Surely they understood after three years? Surely they didn’t need to be reminded what the Kingdom of God is? But look at the question the disciples asked Jesus in Acts 1: 6, “Lord, are you at this time going to RESTORE the kingdom to Israel?”
The disciples still did not understand their purpose! Jesus did not come to RESTORE anything! Jesus came to create something completely new—the Kingdom of God. To restore something means to return it to its original state. To renovate something means to take what you have and make it better. Jesus came neither restoring nor renovating. He started over. He created something new. He did not restore Israel as God’s people. Jesus created a new people, the church.
III. Jesus’ Final Instructions.
In my interpretation, Jesus established his disciples as God’s people on earth. We see this at work in the very next passage of Scripture. In the book of Genesis, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Jacob / Israel had 12 sons. These 12 sons became the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. From Genesis through the end of the Old Testament, God’s people were represented by the number 12. When Jesus selected his followers, Jesus chose 12 disciples. At the end of Jesus’ life on earth, Judas—one of the 12 disciples—hanged himself. Therefore, there were only 11 disciples remaining. Eleven is a good number. It’s more than ten, but less than twelve. It’s a good number, but it does not symbolize anything. This is why Judas had to be replaced. There had to be 12 disciples in order to symbolize the new people of God Jesus came to create.
Acts 1: 8, contain the final instructions Jesus gave God’s chosen people—the church. One word: Witness. Tell someone about Jesus.
Jesus created his new people so that we can tell others about Jesus. Jesus established the church so that we could continue his original work of breaking up Satan’s reign on the earth. Our job—our God-given purpose—is to grow and expand God’s Kingdom on earth. The only way to do this is by witnessing—telling others about Jesus.
Notice what Jesus did NOT say. Jesus did not say, “Break into Satan’s reign on this earth by having a lot of babies.” Jesus did not say, “Break into Satan’s reign on this earth by transferring people out of the church across town.” NO! Jesus said, “The only way to stop the advance of Satan’s kingdom is to witness to others about Jesus.”
IV. The Holy Spirit.
God’s purpose for our church can be summed up in one brief statement. God has called us to stop the reign of Satan on earth. The only way to stop the advance of Satan’s kingdom is to witness to people who do not know Jesus. Our purpose is evangelism. If we are not doing the work of evangelism, we are not fulfilling our God-given purpose.
Jesus gave us instructions to do the work of evangelism. But Jesus also gave us the power to do the work. The bad news is that we cannot fulfill our God-given purpose of evangelizing the world on our own. The good news is that Jesus gave us the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this.
V. Conclusion.
So, how can we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work of evangelism? Simple! We have to pray!
On January 28, our church staff met in an all day planning retreat. It is ironic that on the same day, the BGCT evangelism director described the four ways to do evangelism in today’s world. He said evangelism should involve (1) Prayer for lost men and women; (2) Intentional efforts to win the lost; (3) Building Relationships with non-Christians; and (4) Specific Events which gather non-Christians to hear the Gospel.
I say this is ironic, because on the same day, our staff developed a plan to use small groups to reach non-Christian people. We did not read about these four elements of evangelism until after our staff retreat concluded. But we our plan incorporates all four elements.
Beginning on Sunday, March 30, I want to see 100 people from our church meeting in small groups. These small groups will focus on evangelism and will ask each person to identify three people you know, whom you believe are not Christians. We will spend five or six weeks praying for these people. Then, we will host an event at the church with food and information about our church.
I want our church members to approach the people you have been praying for and invite them to the event. Tell them, “I have been praying for you for the past five weeks. I want to invite you to come to my church on Saturday night. You will learn more about what my church does, and my pastor is going to tell you what we believe.”
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