This sermon is the third of four sermons based on a book by Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006). During these four weeks, our church members are meeting in Sunday night small groups in the homes of church members. We are using the Just Walk Across the Room small group curriculum produced by Willow Creek. The small group format includes four components: (1) food / fellowship time; (2) watching the Just Walk Across the Room teaching DVD; (3) group discussion; and (4) each person prays for three specific people they know who are "far from God." The four weeks will conclude with an event to invite the people we have been praying for to come to the church for an informal meeting to receive more information about our church and a brief presentation of the Gospel.
===============
The Power of Story
Acts 4: 1 – 22
I. Introduction.
Last Sunday, I preached a different kind of sermon. I preached a sermon with points. I grew up with preachers who preached points. The joke we often tell about sermons is that they contain three points and a poem. Of course, the pastors I grew up with didn’t read poetry or use poetry in the pulpit. They usually preached three points and a death bed story—a story about a man or woman who finally recognized his or her need for Christ at the very last possible moment.
In my own preaching, I have tried to do something different. I like to say that I preach “pointless sermons.” What I mean by that is that I try to stick with one point, or sometimes two points. If I can communicate one point in a way that you leave here understanding the one point, then I feel like I have been successful.
I do this for a couple of reasons. First, how many times have you heard a pastor preach a three point sermon and walk away thinking you just heard three sermons? Second, how many times have you heard a three point sermon that lasted as long as three sermons?
I believe there is a place for three point sermons. There are some things that are best communicated by listing three or more points. In fact, I think of three point sermons as a kind of list. And everyone needs to keep lists. Some of you are probably making a list right now. You are thinking, “I need to buy eggs, milk, bread, peanut butter…” Or you are thinking, “I need to go to the bank, the grocery store, and then take my taxes to the Post Office.” Lists are important. But, lists are hard to remember.
Last Sunday, I preached a list of ideas about building relationships with people outside the church. I honestly do not believe there is anyone here who can recite the list back to me right now. In fact, you might remember that I had a hard time remembering the list while I was preaching. I had to go back and look at my notes to make sure I didn’t leave anything out.
This is why I like to preach stories. You may not remember the list I gave you last week. But you do remember the story I told you. I told you about a man who had been crippled for his entire life. He sat outside the temple, begging for money. Peter and John saw the man. And, even though they did not have any money, they gave him something. They introduced him to Jesus.
I don’t think I am very different from other people. I go to the grocery store and forget to buy the things on my list. I go through my work day and forget to do things on my “to do” list. But I can remember stories. I am interested in stories and want to listen to people who tell stories about their own lives. This is especially true when someone tells me a story they are passionate about.
Read Acts 4: 1 – 22.
Today’s story begins on the front steps of the temple and moves to the Jerusalem City Jail and then to the courtroom of the Jewish Sanhedrin. This story represents the first resistance the disciples faced since the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It gives us a peek into the future of the Gospel. Wherever the Gospel is preached, people will be divided. Some people will hear the Gospel and respond with repentance and faith. Other people will hear the Gospel and recognize the Gospel as a threat to their way of life and do everything in their power to stop other people from coming to faith.
This story also contains a portion of Peter’s second sermon as well as his testimony before the Jewish authorities.
Peter’s first sermon happened on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the first Christians, and all the people of Jerusalem heard the sound of a roaring wind. The wind attracted the crowd, and Peter preached the Gospel to the gathered crowd. Three thousand people were saved that day.
Peter’s second sermon happened after a 40 year old crippled man had been healed. This man had been crippled from birth. He sat on the front steps of the temple, begging for money from the Jewish people who came to the temple for their daily 3:00 prayer time. When the man asked Peter and John for money, Peter reached out his hand to the crippled man and said, “Silver and gold have I none. But what I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk!”
When this man was healed, he could not keep it secret. He stood, he walked, he jumped, he yelled, and he gave glory to God. Again, this attracted a crowd, and Peter used this as an occasion to confront the Jewish people with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
Peter’s second sermon contained a very Jewish presentation of the Gospel. He started in the Old Testament, the Bible for the Jews. He quoted from Moses, Samuel, Isaiah and all the prophets. He showed them how Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the fulfillment of every Jewish hope described in their Scriptures. Jesus fulfilled all the hopes of Israel. But, the Jewish people collaborated with the Roman government to crucify Jesus. Of course, that is not the end of the story.
Peter told the Jewish men and women of Jerusalem that they were responsible for killing Jesus, but God was responsible for bringing Jesus back to life. They had killed the Messiah, but they could not kill the hope the Messiah brought for Israel.
This is the beginning of a long New Testament debate about who is the True Israel. The Jewish religious leaders claimed that God would keep the promises of the Old Testament to anyone who was born into the nation of Israel. Peter told his audience—and Paul later takes up the same argument—that True Israel does not describe a race of people related to one another through biological birth. NO! True Israel describes the men and women who place their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Promised Messiah.
The promises God made in the Old Testament will be fulfilled. God will never break the promises he made. However, these promises will be fulfilled in the lives of True Israel.
II. The Jesus Story.
The story that Peter told that day is the story of the Gospel. I will call it the “Jesus Story.” It is the same story we are supposed to tell in the Twenty-First Century. The story has never changed, because God has never changed.
Every man and woman who has ever lived has the same basic need. We are sinners and are unable to have a relationship with God.
God has demonstrated his moral standard for us in the Law of the Old Testament. God wants us to live moral and righteous lives—lives free from murder, hate, sexual immorality, lies, gossip and slander.
However, we are incapable of living this kind of life. At our basic human level, we are rebellious and do not want to follow God’s plan for our lives. On our best days, we earnestly desire to live moral and righteous lives. But, we cannot do it. We are our own worst enemies. We desire righteousness, but we fail to live up to the standards God set for us. Often, we fail to live up to the standards we set for ourselves.
God recognized our human predicament and provided a way. As Peter said in Acts 4: 12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God sent his Son Jesus as the only way we might be saved.
No human being is capable of meeting God’s requirements for morality and righteousness. But we can meet God’s requirements for salvation. As Peter preached in Acts 3 and 4, the only way to be saved is to let Jesus do it for us.
III. Our Story.
When we reach a point in life that we realize we cannot meet God’s requirements for morality and righteousness, we can enter into the Jesus Story through faith. We enter into the Jesus Story by praying something like this: “God, I cannot meet your requirements. I need Jesus to forgive me of my past and lead me in a new future.”
At this moment, the Jesus Story becomes My Story as well.
When we tell the Jesus Story to our friends and family members, it is important for us to show how the Jesus Story is also Our Story. And the only way to do that is to talk about the change Jesus brought about in your life.
We see this in the confrontation that followed Peter’s second sermon. The healed man caused a scene. A crowd gathered, and Peter preached the Jesus Story to the crowd. After Peter’s first sermon, 3,000 people were saved! After Peter’s second sermon, 5,000 people were saved! He gets better every time he preaches!
Five thousand new Christians attracted a different kind of crowd. The Jewish religious leaders gathered around Peter and John and tried to get them to stop preaching. They asked the question all authority figures ask when someone is breaking the rules. They asked, “Who gave you the right to do this?”
Their question gave Peter another opportunity to tell the Jesus Story. And as Peter retold the Jesus Story, the religious leaders noticed a change in Peter and John. Peter and John were simple, uneducated men. They had not studied in the Jewish seminaries. They were not trained in rhetoric or in public speaking. They simply told their own personal stories about Jesus, and they told those stories with passion.
Before Peter and John met Jesus, they were fishermen. They did not have an education, because they did not need an education. They had been taught by their own fathers how to make nets, repair a boat, catch fish and sell fish in the marketplace. But after they met Jesus, their lives were changed. They knew the Bible, they understood the promises of God and they communicated salvation to Jewish men and women with passion.
Later in the conversation with the religious leaders, Peter tells us about another change that took place in his life. The religious leaders recognized that Peter and John believed in the message they were preaching. But, they still felt the need to stop them from preaching. So, with all the authority of the Jewish political and religious systems they commanded the disciples to stop preaching. In verse 19, Peter said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
This is a bold statement. Peter stood face to face with the same people who had crucified Jesus. These people had the political power to crucify Peter also. These people had the religious authority to expel Peter from worshipping in the temple. And Peter looked into their eyes and said, “I will not obey your command.”
Do you realize who this is speaking? This is the same man who only 52 days earlier had been confronted by a slave girl. In the ancient world, women had no power, and slaves could do no harm to people who were not slaves. When a woman with no power whatsoever asked Peter if he were a disciple of Jesus, Peter denied ever knowing who Jesus was! Now, Peter was standing up to the most powerful people in the Jewish political and religious world.
Peter’s story would sound something like this: “I was a simple, uneducated fisherman. I had heard about the Old Testament Law before, but I knew I could not measure up to God’s standards. Then I met Jesus. He told me that God loved me and wanted me to spend eternity in heaven. Jesus changed me from a simple fisherman into preacher who tells other people how they can go to heaven.”
Or, Peter could tell his story like this: “I thought I was so brave. Everyone thought I was the guy who never backed down from a fight. But that wasn’t me. I was afraid to tell a slave girl about my religious beliefs. Jesus changed my life. Now, I not only believe Jesus is the only way to be saved, but I will risk my life for Jesus who died for me.”
IV. Conclusion.
In January 2005, I started working on a project for the church I was serving in Waco. The pastor in Waco had visited a church in Minnesota that used testimonies in their worship services every week. Each week someone would stand behind the pulpit and in less than five minutes tell the story of how they became a Christian. The Minnesota church called these stories “Faith Stories.” We wanted to start doing the same thing in our church in Waco. So, it became my responsibility to develop a way for people to write their stories and tell them in less than five minutes.
The most important part of telling your story is to tell how Jesus changed your life. If you were an adult when you became a Christian, this will be easy to describe. Maybe you were caught up in your career and making more money, but the Jesus Story helped you find something eternal to live for. Maybe you thought you could one day be good enough to meet God’s moral and righteous requirements, but the Jesus Story helped you discover God’s plan for salvation.
But, if you were like me…I became a Christian as a child. I heard the story of Jesus, the crucifixion and resurrection since I was an infant. It was hard for me to recognize what kind of change took place in my life. But, there was a change. This is my story: “I always believed that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose again. I took it for granted. But one day I realized that Jesus died for me. I realized that God loved me and wanted me to have a relationship with him today and forever in heaven. I always believed that Jesus died for everyone. But it changed my life when I realized that Jesus died for me.”
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008: Living in 3 D
This sermon is the second of four sermons based on a book by Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006). During these four weeks, our church members are meeting in Sunday night small groups in the homes of church members. We are using the Just Walk Across the Room small group curriculum produced by Willow Creek. The small group format includes four components: (1) food / fellowship time; (2) watching the Just Walk Across the Room teaching DVD; (3) group discussion; and (4) each person prays for three specific people they know who are "far from God." The four weeks will conclude with an event to invite the people we have been praying for to come to the church for an informal meeting to receive more information about our church and a brief presentation of the Gospel.
===============
Living in 3 D
Acts 3: 11 – 29.
I. Introduction.
My parents have always been the last people in the United States of America to adopt the current technology. We were the last household in America to buy a microwave oven. In fact, they still have the same microwave they bought in the late 1980’s. It is approximately the same size as a Toyota Corolla.
Shauna and I have been married for 15 years, and we are personally responsible for purchasing every CD player, DVD player and cordless phone my parents have ever owned. We take a lot of pride in the Christmas presents we have bought them through the years. If it were not for us, their grandchildren would not be able to watch videos at my parents’ house.
I remember very well the summer of 1977. It was the day my dad finally broke down and purchased our very first color TV. I did a little research to find out how far behind my parents were in 1977, and discovered that the last “new” television program broadcast in black and white took place in December 1967.
(Incidentally, my parents kept that 1977 RCA color TV until my brother and I bought them a new TV for Christmas 1998! The old TV was approximately the same size as a Toyota Sequoia. And for several months, the new TV sat on top of the old TV in their living room.)
I can remember watching all my children’s programming in color for the first time. I discovered that Big Bird is yellow, and Grover is blue. I discovered that most TV programs are better in color. There is only one exception! The Andy Griffith Show is not better in color.
Now, there is even newer technology for television: high definition. And, I suppose I am just like my dad…Because I have not yet subscribed to HD. But my brother has, and I got to watch the college football Bowl Games at his house in HD. And, everything looks better in HD.
The title of my sermon comes from the second section of Bill Hybels’ book Just Walk Across the Room. In this section, Hybels suggest a way for us to live in order to become better witnesses for Jesus. He calls it Living in 3 D. This does not refer to three-dimensional like when you went to the movie theater to watch Jaws 3 or Meet the Robinsons. These are three steps each of us could take, which will help us communicate our faith to people who are far from God.
Develop Friendships…Discover Stories…Discern the Next Step…
Read Acts 3: 11 – 29.
Last week, we read the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray at 3:00 in the afternoon. Each day, they had encountered the same crippled man sitting on the front steps of the temple. Either they had never noticed the crippled man before, or they had never thought they had anything to offer the man. However, after they had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter and John no longer saw this man as a crippled beggar. Now, they saw him as a man whose life would be better if he knew Jesus.
Peter reached out his hand to the crippled man and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…Stand up and walk!”
When this man stood up, he began to walk and run and jump and give all the praise and glory to God. Since it was the customary time for good Jewish men to come into the temple to pray, this caused a commotion. A crowd gathered around, and Peter did what Peter did best…He confronted the Jewish people with the Gospel. He told them the story of Jesus and how Jesus fulfilled all their Jewish, religious hopes. He told them about the crucifixion and how God was at work in the crucifixion, reconciling God and sinful humanity. AND, Peter told them that they were ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus.
This story is one of many biblical stories about sharing the Gospel with others. Some of you might be gifted to do exactly as Peter did in Acts 3. Others of you may not have the same kind of confrontational nature as Peter. Don’t worry. God has not called all of us to be just like Peter. However, God has called all of us to share our faith.
It is amazing how many Christians have tried to “make deals with God.” Perhaps you can relate to this. Some people have literal conversations with God that sound something like this: “God, I am willing to study the Bible every day and read the Bible through every year. I will memorize Scripture, and I will even teach other people what I learn about Scripture. But, please ask someone else to share the Gospel.”
Other people may never have a literal conversation with God like that. But that is the way they live their lives. Can you relate to that? Does your spiritual life include telling other people about Jesus? Perhaps you have memorized the entire book of Psalms. Perhaps you spend twenty hours per day praying for the sick. Perhaps you have given away half of your financial net worth to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. These are good things. But God never intended for us to trade away our responsibility to tell other people about Jesus. The only way for God’s Kingdom to advance into the realm of Satan is for people like us to tell other people about Jesus.
I. Develop Friendships
A. Spend Time with People who Are Far from God
Who are you spending time with on a regular basis? I work in a church office. I visit church people in their homes and in the hospital. I do weddings and funerals for church people. It is possible for me to spend an entire week around Christian people only. Most of you don’t work in a church, but perhaps all the people in your place of business are Methodists, Episcopalians and Presbyterians. Perhaps all of your friends come from this Baptist church or another church in our town.
The fact is that the longer a man or woman is a Christian, the more he or she spends time with other Christians. We connect with other Christians, because we have something in common. Friendships develop out of common interests. Sometimes, our common interest is a faith in Jesus Christ.
There are two distinct approaches to the Christian life. The first is what some people call the colony approach. I call it the “hunker down” approach. This is what we do when we run away from non-Christian people. We go to church on Sunday mornings. We work in Christian environments. We spend our leisure time with Christian people. We even send our kids to a Christian school. In short we do everything we can to “hunker down” with other Christians and have no weekly interactions with people who do not know Jesus.
The other approach is Living in 3 D. This is similar to what we witnessed in the life of Jesus.
The religious people did not like Jesus, because he spent all of his time with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus did not hang out with church people! Jesus spent his time with men and women who lived far from God. And, the result was that the Kingdom of God grew as lives were transformed by the Gospel.
B. Invest in Genuine Relationships
If we want to follow the example Jesus set for us, then we need to develop some relationships with people who are not like us. I know it is natural for Christians to seek out other Christians for friendships just like it is natural for Democrats to seek out other Democrats and for Republicans to seek out other Republicans. I am not suggesting that you do something unnatural. I am suggesting that you find non-Christian people with whom you already have a connection.
If you are an avid fisherman, spend some time getting to know other fishermen. If you are addicted to coffee and go to the same coffee shop every day, spend some time getting to know the people you see every day.
C. Resist Viewing People as “Projects”
The last thing I ever want you to do is to be fake. I genuinely want you to become friends with non-Christian people.
I remember when Shauna and I first got married, she auditioned for a singing role in the Mississippi Opera. A woman in the opera company showed an interest in Shauna and invited her to sing in some promotional spots. Then, this woman invited Shauna and me to her home for supper one night. We met her husband, we ate supper, we drank coffee, we enjoyed small talk. Then, they asked how we liked the coffee. We said it was very good. They said, “It is Amway coffee. We would like to sign ya’ll up to be in Amway with us.”
When we refused to sign up, the relationship ended. We were just a “project.” They were no longer interested in us when we would not convert.
II. Discover Stories
A. Listen First
If you are a friendly person and already have many friends, then you don’t need me to tell you this. You probably learned this in kindergarten. Everyone’s favorite subject to talk about is themselves. I like to talk about my own life. You like to talk about your life. We all like to talk about ourselves.
If you want to develop a true friendship with another person, start by asking them to tell you about his or her own life. Listen as other people talk about their families, their jobs, their hobbies, their political views, anything they want to talk about.
B. Speak Later
Once you have listened to someone else talk about his or her favorite subject, then you can talk about your favorite subject. Talk about your family, your job, your hobbies, your political views, anything you are interested in. This is how a friendship begins to develop. When the time is right, talk about Jesus.
C. Allow the Holy Spirit to Lead
This is where prayer is important. If you have a genuine friendship with another person, you will want the best for them. This is especially true for Christians who have non-Christian friends. Begin to pray for that person’s spiritual life. And ask God to open the door for a spiritual conversation.
A spiritual conversation might begin when the other person asks you, “How are you able to manage all the stress in your life?” Or, “Why were you not available to eat breakfast with me last Sunday?” Or, “What do you get out of going to church every Sunday?”
III. Discern the Next Step
God has gifted each Christian with different personalities. Just as you ought to be an authentic friend, so you should be authentic to yourself. It is OK to be the person God created you to be.
A. Confrontational Evangelism
1. Peter
2. Acts 3: 11 – 15
B. Intellectual Evangelism
1. Paul
2. Acts 17: 16 – 21
C. Interpersonal Evangelism
1. Jesus
2. John 4: 4 – 10
D. Invitational Evangelism
1. Andrew
2. John 1: 40 – 42a
E. Evangelism through Service
1. Dorcas
2. Acts 9: 36 – 38
F. Testimonial Evangelism
1. Man Born Blind
===============
Living in 3 D
Acts 3: 11 – 29.
I. Introduction.
My parents have always been the last people in the United States of America to adopt the current technology. We were the last household in America to buy a microwave oven. In fact, they still have the same microwave they bought in the late 1980’s. It is approximately the same size as a Toyota Corolla.
Shauna and I have been married for 15 years, and we are personally responsible for purchasing every CD player, DVD player and cordless phone my parents have ever owned. We take a lot of pride in the Christmas presents we have bought them through the years. If it were not for us, their grandchildren would not be able to watch videos at my parents’ house.
I remember very well the summer of 1977. It was the day my dad finally broke down and purchased our very first color TV. I did a little research to find out how far behind my parents were in 1977, and discovered that the last “new” television program broadcast in black and white took place in December 1967.
(Incidentally, my parents kept that 1977 RCA color TV until my brother and I bought them a new TV for Christmas 1998! The old TV was approximately the same size as a Toyota Sequoia. And for several months, the new TV sat on top of the old TV in their living room.)
I can remember watching all my children’s programming in color for the first time. I discovered that Big Bird is yellow, and Grover is blue. I discovered that most TV programs are better in color. There is only one exception! The Andy Griffith Show is not better in color.
Now, there is even newer technology for television: high definition. And, I suppose I am just like my dad…Because I have not yet subscribed to HD. But my brother has, and I got to watch the college football Bowl Games at his house in HD. And, everything looks better in HD.
The title of my sermon comes from the second section of Bill Hybels’ book Just Walk Across the Room. In this section, Hybels suggest a way for us to live in order to become better witnesses for Jesus. He calls it Living in 3 D. This does not refer to three-dimensional like when you went to the movie theater to watch Jaws 3 or Meet the Robinsons. These are three steps each of us could take, which will help us communicate our faith to people who are far from God.
Develop Friendships…Discover Stories…Discern the Next Step…
Read Acts 3: 11 – 29.
Last week, we read the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray at 3:00 in the afternoon. Each day, they had encountered the same crippled man sitting on the front steps of the temple. Either they had never noticed the crippled man before, or they had never thought they had anything to offer the man. However, after they had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter and John no longer saw this man as a crippled beggar. Now, they saw him as a man whose life would be better if he knew Jesus.
Peter reached out his hand to the crippled man and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…Stand up and walk!”
When this man stood up, he began to walk and run and jump and give all the praise and glory to God. Since it was the customary time for good Jewish men to come into the temple to pray, this caused a commotion. A crowd gathered around, and Peter did what Peter did best…He confronted the Jewish people with the Gospel. He told them the story of Jesus and how Jesus fulfilled all their Jewish, religious hopes. He told them about the crucifixion and how God was at work in the crucifixion, reconciling God and sinful humanity. AND, Peter told them that they were ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus.
This story is one of many biblical stories about sharing the Gospel with others. Some of you might be gifted to do exactly as Peter did in Acts 3. Others of you may not have the same kind of confrontational nature as Peter. Don’t worry. God has not called all of us to be just like Peter. However, God has called all of us to share our faith.
It is amazing how many Christians have tried to “make deals with God.” Perhaps you can relate to this. Some people have literal conversations with God that sound something like this: “God, I am willing to study the Bible every day and read the Bible through every year. I will memorize Scripture, and I will even teach other people what I learn about Scripture. But, please ask someone else to share the Gospel.”
Other people may never have a literal conversation with God like that. But that is the way they live their lives. Can you relate to that? Does your spiritual life include telling other people about Jesus? Perhaps you have memorized the entire book of Psalms. Perhaps you spend twenty hours per day praying for the sick. Perhaps you have given away half of your financial net worth to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. These are good things. But God never intended for us to trade away our responsibility to tell other people about Jesus. The only way for God’s Kingdom to advance into the realm of Satan is for people like us to tell other people about Jesus.
I. Develop Friendships
A. Spend Time with People who Are Far from God
Who are you spending time with on a regular basis? I work in a church office. I visit church people in their homes and in the hospital. I do weddings and funerals for church people. It is possible for me to spend an entire week around Christian people only. Most of you don’t work in a church, but perhaps all the people in your place of business are Methodists, Episcopalians and Presbyterians. Perhaps all of your friends come from this Baptist church or another church in our town.
The fact is that the longer a man or woman is a Christian, the more he or she spends time with other Christians. We connect with other Christians, because we have something in common. Friendships develop out of common interests. Sometimes, our common interest is a faith in Jesus Christ.
There are two distinct approaches to the Christian life. The first is what some people call the colony approach. I call it the “hunker down” approach. This is what we do when we run away from non-Christian people. We go to church on Sunday mornings. We work in Christian environments. We spend our leisure time with Christian people. We even send our kids to a Christian school. In short we do everything we can to “hunker down” with other Christians and have no weekly interactions with people who do not know Jesus.
The other approach is Living in 3 D. This is similar to what we witnessed in the life of Jesus.
The religious people did not like Jesus, because he spent all of his time with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus did not hang out with church people! Jesus spent his time with men and women who lived far from God. And, the result was that the Kingdom of God grew as lives were transformed by the Gospel.
B. Invest in Genuine Relationships
If we want to follow the example Jesus set for us, then we need to develop some relationships with people who are not like us. I know it is natural for Christians to seek out other Christians for friendships just like it is natural for Democrats to seek out other Democrats and for Republicans to seek out other Republicans. I am not suggesting that you do something unnatural. I am suggesting that you find non-Christian people with whom you already have a connection.
If you are an avid fisherman, spend some time getting to know other fishermen. If you are addicted to coffee and go to the same coffee shop every day, spend some time getting to know the people you see every day.
C. Resist Viewing People as “Projects”
The last thing I ever want you to do is to be fake. I genuinely want you to become friends with non-Christian people.
I remember when Shauna and I first got married, she auditioned for a singing role in the Mississippi Opera. A woman in the opera company showed an interest in Shauna and invited her to sing in some promotional spots. Then, this woman invited Shauna and me to her home for supper one night. We met her husband, we ate supper, we drank coffee, we enjoyed small talk. Then, they asked how we liked the coffee. We said it was very good. They said, “It is Amway coffee. We would like to sign ya’ll up to be in Amway with us.”
When we refused to sign up, the relationship ended. We were just a “project.” They were no longer interested in us when we would not convert.
II. Discover Stories
A. Listen First
If you are a friendly person and already have many friends, then you don’t need me to tell you this. You probably learned this in kindergarten. Everyone’s favorite subject to talk about is themselves. I like to talk about my own life. You like to talk about your life. We all like to talk about ourselves.
If you want to develop a true friendship with another person, start by asking them to tell you about his or her own life. Listen as other people talk about their families, their jobs, their hobbies, their political views, anything they want to talk about.
B. Speak Later
Once you have listened to someone else talk about his or her favorite subject, then you can talk about your favorite subject. Talk about your family, your job, your hobbies, your political views, anything you are interested in. This is how a friendship begins to develop. When the time is right, talk about Jesus.
C. Allow the Holy Spirit to Lead
This is where prayer is important. If you have a genuine friendship with another person, you will want the best for them. This is especially true for Christians who have non-Christian friends. Begin to pray for that person’s spiritual life. And ask God to open the door for a spiritual conversation.
A spiritual conversation might begin when the other person asks you, “How are you able to manage all the stress in your life?” Or, “Why were you not available to eat breakfast with me last Sunday?” Or, “What do you get out of going to church every Sunday?”
III. Discern the Next Step
God has gifted each Christian with different personalities. Just as you ought to be an authentic friend, so you should be authentic to yourself. It is OK to be the person God created you to be.
A. Confrontational Evangelism
1. Peter
2. Acts 3: 11 – 15
B. Intellectual Evangelism
1. Paul
2. Acts 17: 16 – 21
C. Interpersonal Evangelism
1. Jesus
2. John 4: 4 – 10
D. Invitational Evangelism
1. Andrew
2. John 1: 40 – 42a
E. Evangelism through Service
1. Dorcas
2. Acts 9: 36 – 38
F. Testimonial Evangelism
1. Man Born Blind
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Single Greatest Gift: Sunday, March 30, 2008
This sermon is the first of four sermons based on a book by Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006). During these four weeks, our church members are meeting in Sunday night small groups in the homes of church members. We are using the Just Walk Across the Room small group curriculum produced by Willow Creek. The small group format includes four components: (1) food / fellowship time; (2) watching the Just Walk Across the Room teaching DVD; (3) group discussion; and (4) each person prays for three specific people they know who are "far from God." The four weeks will conclude with an event to invite the people we have been praying for to come to the church for an informal meeting to receive more information about our church and a brief presentation of the Gospel.
The Single Greatest Gift
Acts 3: 1 – 10.
I. Introduction.
For those of you who do not know this: I am a sports junkie. And March is the best time of the year for sports on TV. I had three teams in the NCAA tournament this year, and I filled out a tournament bracket for the first time in my life. My bracket doesn’t look so good right now, because only one of my three teams is still playing.
If you have been following the basketball games on TV, then you have seen a few commercials over and over and over. I find one of the Cadillac commercials to be very sad. There is a man driving a Cadillac and talking about all the luxurious features. But he begins the commercial with these words: “Life is just high school with money. What are the cool kids doing? What kind of cars do the cool kids drive?”
Why didn’t we leave these kinds of popularity contests behind us when we graduated from high school? The meaning of life should not be defined by the “stuff” we accumulate. Cars and houses and popular friends do not last forever. George Strait was right when he sang, “I’ve never seen a hearse with a luggage rack.” We can’t take our “stuff” with us when we leave this earth.
As Christians, we are not supposed to get caught up in the world’s pursuit of temporary things. Of course, there is nothing wrong with working for nice “stuff.” The problem is when we make accumulating “stuff” the primary focus of our lives. It’s a problem when we become “Possessed by our possessions.” Don’t let your finances and the size of your house define your character.
I would not stand up here on a Sunday morning and talk about the world’s view of possessions and popularity if I was only worried about the world. No. I fear that we as the church have allowed the world to influence us more than we have influenced the world. Of course, you know that when I say “the church,” I am not just talking about Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. I am talking about all Christians and all Christian churches, but I am also talking about First Baptist.
The culture has transformed our church more than we have transformed the culture.
Consider what churches do to attract a crowd. Sometimes churches try to look more like a three ring circus than a church, so people will come in the doors. I even know of a church in the Houston area that has a spotlight roving all over the room until it finally stops on one person. If the light stops on you, then you win an XBox 360, a flat screen TV or a new truck.
God has not called us to give away prizes! God has called to give away something infinitely more valuable. We are to give away Jesus—the single most important gift we ever received and the greatest gift we could give away.
In Acts 3, we read a story about a man who was down and out. He was looking for a handout from the disciples Peter and John. He asked for money, but they did not give him what he was looking for. They gave him something infinitely better.
Read Acts 3: 1 – 10.
There was no such thing as Disability in the First Century. There wasn’t even AFLAC supplemental insurance for folks who could no longer work for a living…
This man born lame had only one means for survival…He had to beg for money. The routine would have been the same for this man every single day. Friends or family would carry him to a place where he could be seen by many people. He would probably wear the dirtiest, filthiest, most torn clothes he could find so people passing by would feel sorry for him.
And this guy had a good spot. He sat at the gate to the Temple…On the front steps of the church…So that all the religious folks would have to step over him as they went about their daily religious routines…
The Bible tells us in verse 1, that Peter and John were walking into the Temple at their regular hour of prayer. We can assume from this statement that this was a daily activity for the disciples. Of course, if we read Acts 2: 46, we don’t have to assume anything. Luke tells us in Acts 2:46, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”
There was nothing unusual about this day. Each day at 3:00, the disciples went into the Temple to pray. This is what all good Jewish men did in the first century. If they lived in Jerusalem, they stopped what they were doing at 3:00 so they could go to the temple. If they didn’t live in Jerusalem, they went to their local synagogue. There was nothing new or unusual about this day.
But neither was there anything new or unusual about this lame beggar. Peter and John had probably stepped over him every day for weeks. But for some reason they had never noticed him…
Maybe they were used to looking away…Or, maybe they just didn’t feel any compassion for a man in this predicament…Or, maybe they never thought they could do anything for him… Or, maybe they did what you and I do when someone walks up to our car window at a traffic signal—they looked straight ahead and pretended that no one was there.
Whatever their reasons might have been, there was something different this day…There was something that caused them to notice a lame beggar sitting on the steps of the Temple at 3:00 prayers…
I think Luke, the author of Acts, has placed this story where it is so we will make a connection between this story and the story that came before it. The story before this one was the story of the first Christian Pentecost…The day the disciples were in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit came upon them with power…
I think that Peter and John had stepped over this man for days and weeks because they never had the power to do anything….They were not connected to the power that comes from the Holy Spirit…But when the Holy Spirit came, they had the power to do something…
And that is exactly what they did…They did something! Peter said, “Look at me. Do I look like I have any money? I am just as poor as you are. I left a lucrative career as a fisherman to become a traveling preacher. But I do have something I would like to give you. It is better than money.”
Peter reached down to the beggar, held his hand and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—Walk.” I want you to notice a couple of things about what can happen to you when you are connected to the Power of God…
II. Power of God Transforms Lives.
Two lives were transformed in this story: the lame beggar and Peter…
1. Man lame from birth experienced both a physical transformation and a spiritual transformation.
2. Peter experienced a spiritual transformation.
The physical change that took place in the lame man is obvious. When Peter commanded him to stand and walk, the man stood up and walked. But that is not the only thing he did. He started jumping and running…And one other thing. He was also continually praising God. Notice that he did not praise Peter and John. He praised God. In other words, he knew that God was responsible for this miracle.
Some people suggest that since this man lived in Jerusalem, he had probably heard about the miracles Jesus performed. People just like this man had come face to face with Jesus and were healed of their disability. But not this man. Perhaps he had tried to come to Jesus, but was unable as a result of his disability. Now, it was Jesus who had healed him.
Later in this Acts 3: 16, Peter told the gathered crowd that this man had been healed by faith in Jesus. This is not simply a physical miracle. It was both physical and spiritual.
It is important to note that the ancient world attributed every disease and disability to the presence of evil. In our contemporary world, we would never associate physical disability to sin. We attribute it to genetics or biology. Therefore, this appears to be a physical solution. Yet, in the eyes of the religious people of the first century, this man was lame as a result of his own sinfulness or—since he was lame from birth—the sins of his parents. Again, this causes us to think of this miracle in spiritual terms. Peter did not heal this man. Jesus healed him! Jesus gave him a spiritual solution to his physical problems.
Peter also was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. For some reason, Peter had ignored this man every day as he entered the temple at 3:00 to pray. But now that Peter had the Holy Spirit in him, it was different. He noticed a fellow human being in need. AND…This is the most important part…Peter saw this man as another person who would be better off if he had Jesus in his life.
How do you think of other people? I know what you say you believe. You say that you believe everyone would be better if they knew Jesus like you know Jesus. But is that how you live your life? When you drive into your driveway at home and your neighbor is mowing the grass next door…Do you think he or she would have a better life if they knew Jesus? When you buy a cup of coffee at a coffee shop or a gas station…Do you think the person taking your money would have a better life if they knew Jesus? What about your boss at work? He makes more money than you make. He takes better vacations than you take. But, would he be a better person if he knew Jesus?
That is a hard question to answer. I know you believe other people need Jesus in their lives. But do you make the effort to introduce other people to Jesus?
For the man in our story today, it is obvious how he needed Jesus. He needed to be healed! But what about the people we know who seem perfectly happy without Jesus? There are some preachers who will say that it is impossible to be happy without Jesus. And, I suppose there is part of me that believes that as well. But, I know a lot of people who seem to live happy and fulfilled lives without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
One obvious answer is eternal life. I believe in a real heaven and a real hell. Life does not end at the grave. For those who place their faith in Jesus and give him control of their lives, heaven awaits. For those who do not place their faith and lives in Jesus, hell awaits.
In addition to eternal life, I also believe in abundant life. That is Christian language for the hope and help Jesus provides us as long as we live on this earth. If you can imagine this with me, imagine a husband and wife riding in a sports car. The man is in the driver’s seat, and the woman is sitting right next to him. The man has his right arm around his wife and he is waving to all his friends with his left arm. He has NO HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL.
Everything is perfect and happy…as long as the road is straight. But how will they manage when the road becomes rough or curvy? The rough and curvy times are the times when we most need the hope and help only Jesus can provide.[1] In my personal experience and in my experience walking with many of you through rough and curvy times, this is when our faith in Jesus sustains us!
III. Power of God Is Never Hidden.
The first thing I want you to notice about the power of God is the way Peter could not keep it hidden. When God is at work in our lives, people will notice it. No matter what God does—whether it is big or small—everyone knows God is the one who did it. Not Peter. Not John. Not even the man born lame. God did it, and everyone saw.
Several places in the New Testament we read about a battle between flesh and spirit. Early pagans thought this was a battle raging inside every human being. Flesh was understood as evil, and spirit was understood as good. Live by the spirit, and you can save yourself. Live by the flesh, and you will be just like everyone else.
In a Christian understanding, this is not an internal battle. It is an external battle. At the moment of salvation, God places his Holy Spirit within each of us. The Holy Spirit begins immediately convicting us of sin and convincing us of righteousness. But at the same time, the world begins its work on us through temptation and appeals to our popularity. We have to choose. Will we let the culture around us transform us? Or will we let God’s Holy Spirit transform us?
If we keep walking past people in our lives without ever showing them the power of God in our lives, then the world is winning. But, if we have the power of God, which cannot be hidden…If we truly believe that we have experienced something through Jesus that everyone else needs in their lives…If Jesus is the greatest gift we have ever received and we want to share that with others…THEN the Spirit of God is winning.
IV. Conclusion.
There is an ancient story about Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is told that Aquinas once visited Pope Innocent II in the Pope’s treasury room. The Pope was surrounded by treasures and was actually counting his money when Aquinas arrived. The Pope said, “You see, Thomas, the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” Thomas replied, “True, Holy Father, but neither can she say, ‘Rise and walk.’”[2]
Do you believe that Jesus still changes lives? Do you believe that your faith in Jesus is something everyone needs?
[1] Lee Strobel, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary: How to reach friends and family who avoid God and the church. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993). This is Lee Strobel’s illustration about his life before he became a Christian.
[2] F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1988), pp. 77 – 78.
The Single Greatest Gift
Acts 3: 1 – 10.
I. Introduction.
For those of you who do not know this: I am a sports junkie. And March is the best time of the year for sports on TV. I had three teams in the NCAA tournament this year, and I filled out a tournament bracket for the first time in my life. My bracket doesn’t look so good right now, because only one of my three teams is still playing.
If you have been following the basketball games on TV, then you have seen a few commercials over and over and over. I find one of the Cadillac commercials to be very sad. There is a man driving a Cadillac and talking about all the luxurious features. But he begins the commercial with these words: “Life is just high school with money. What are the cool kids doing? What kind of cars do the cool kids drive?”
Why didn’t we leave these kinds of popularity contests behind us when we graduated from high school? The meaning of life should not be defined by the “stuff” we accumulate. Cars and houses and popular friends do not last forever. George Strait was right when he sang, “I’ve never seen a hearse with a luggage rack.” We can’t take our “stuff” with us when we leave this earth.
As Christians, we are not supposed to get caught up in the world’s pursuit of temporary things. Of course, there is nothing wrong with working for nice “stuff.” The problem is when we make accumulating “stuff” the primary focus of our lives. It’s a problem when we become “Possessed by our possessions.” Don’t let your finances and the size of your house define your character.
I would not stand up here on a Sunday morning and talk about the world’s view of possessions and popularity if I was only worried about the world. No. I fear that we as the church have allowed the world to influence us more than we have influenced the world. Of course, you know that when I say “the church,” I am not just talking about Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. I am talking about all Christians and all Christian churches, but I am also talking about First Baptist.
The culture has transformed our church more than we have transformed the culture.
Consider what churches do to attract a crowd. Sometimes churches try to look more like a three ring circus than a church, so people will come in the doors. I even know of a church in the Houston area that has a spotlight roving all over the room until it finally stops on one person. If the light stops on you, then you win an XBox 360, a flat screen TV or a new truck.
God has not called us to give away prizes! God has called to give away something infinitely more valuable. We are to give away Jesus—the single most important gift we ever received and the greatest gift we could give away.
In Acts 3, we read a story about a man who was down and out. He was looking for a handout from the disciples Peter and John. He asked for money, but they did not give him what he was looking for. They gave him something infinitely better.
Read Acts 3: 1 – 10.
There was no such thing as Disability in the First Century. There wasn’t even AFLAC supplemental insurance for folks who could no longer work for a living…
This man born lame had only one means for survival…He had to beg for money. The routine would have been the same for this man every single day. Friends or family would carry him to a place where he could be seen by many people. He would probably wear the dirtiest, filthiest, most torn clothes he could find so people passing by would feel sorry for him.
And this guy had a good spot. He sat at the gate to the Temple…On the front steps of the church…So that all the religious folks would have to step over him as they went about their daily religious routines…
The Bible tells us in verse 1, that Peter and John were walking into the Temple at their regular hour of prayer. We can assume from this statement that this was a daily activity for the disciples. Of course, if we read Acts 2: 46, we don’t have to assume anything. Luke tells us in Acts 2:46, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”
There was nothing unusual about this day. Each day at 3:00, the disciples went into the Temple to pray. This is what all good Jewish men did in the first century. If they lived in Jerusalem, they stopped what they were doing at 3:00 so they could go to the temple. If they didn’t live in Jerusalem, they went to their local synagogue. There was nothing new or unusual about this day.
But neither was there anything new or unusual about this lame beggar. Peter and John had probably stepped over him every day for weeks. But for some reason they had never noticed him…
Maybe they were used to looking away…Or, maybe they just didn’t feel any compassion for a man in this predicament…Or, maybe they never thought they could do anything for him… Or, maybe they did what you and I do when someone walks up to our car window at a traffic signal—they looked straight ahead and pretended that no one was there.
Whatever their reasons might have been, there was something different this day…There was something that caused them to notice a lame beggar sitting on the steps of the Temple at 3:00 prayers…
I think Luke, the author of Acts, has placed this story where it is so we will make a connection between this story and the story that came before it. The story before this one was the story of the first Christian Pentecost…The day the disciples were in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit came upon them with power…
I think that Peter and John had stepped over this man for days and weeks because they never had the power to do anything….They were not connected to the power that comes from the Holy Spirit…But when the Holy Spirit came, they had the power to do something…
And that is exactly what they did…They did something! Peter said, “Look at me. Do I look like I have any money? I am just as poor as you are. I left a lucrative career as a fisherman to become a traveling preacher. But I do have something I would like to give you. It is better than money.”
Peter reached down to the beggar, held his hand and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—Walk.” I want you to notice a couple of things about what can happen to you when you are connected to the Power of God…
II. Power of God Transforms Lives.
Two lives were transformed in this story: the lame beggar and Peter…
1. Man lame from birth experienced both a physical transformation and a spiritual transformation.
2. Peter experienced a spiritual transformation.
The physical change that took place in the lame man is obvious. When Peter commanded him to stand and walk, the man stood up and walked. But that is not the only thing he did. He started jumping and running…And one other thing. He was also continually praising God. Notice that he did not praise Peter and John. He praised God. In other words, he knew that God was responsible for this miracle.
Some people suggest that since this man lived in Jerusalem, he had probably heard about the miracles Jesus performed. People just like this man had come face to face with Jesus and were healed of their disability. But not this man. Perhaps he had tried to come to Jesus, but was unable as a result of his disability. Now, it was Jesus who had healed him.
Later in this Acts 3: 16, Peter told the gathered crowd that this man had been healed by faith in Jesus. This is not simply a physical miracle. It was both physical and spiritual.
It is important to note that the ancient world attributed every disease and disability to the presence of evil. In our contemporary world, we would never associate physical disability to sin. We attribute it to genetics or biology. Therefore, this appears to be a physical solution. Yet, in the eyes of the religious people of the first century, this man was lame as a result of his own sinfulness or—since he was lame from birth—the sins of his parents. Again, this causes us to think of this miracle in spiritual terms. Peter did not heal this man. Jesus healed him! Jesus gave him a spiritual solution to his physical problems.
Peter also was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. For some reason, Peter had ignored this man every day as he entered the temple at 3:00 to pray. But now that Peter had the Holy Spirit in him, it was different. He noticed a fellow human being in need. AND…This is the most important part…Peter saw this man as another person who would be better off if he had Jesus in his life.
How do you think of other people? I know what you say you believe. You say that you believe everyone would be better if they knew Jesus like you know Jesus. But is that how you live your life? When you drive into your driveway at home and your neighbor is mowing the grass next door…Do you think he or she would have a better life if they knew Jesus? When you buy a cup of coffee at a coffee shop or a gas station…Do you think the person taking your money would have a better life if they knew Jesus? What about your boss at work? He makes more money than you make. He takes better vacations than you take. But, would he be a better person if he knew Jesus?
That is a hard question to answer. I know you believe other people need Jesus in their lives. But do you make the effort to introduce other people to Jesus?
For the man in our story today, it is obvious how he needed Jesus. He needed to be healed! But what about the people we know who seem perfectly happy without Jesus? There are some preachers who will say that it is impossible to be happy without Jesus. And, I suppose there is part of me that believes that as well. But, I know a lot of people who seem to live happy and fulfilled lives without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
One obvious answer is eternal life. I believe in a real heaven and a real hell. Life does not end at the grave. For those who place their faith in Jesus and give him control of their lives, heaven awaits. For those who do not place their faith and lives in Jesus, hell awaits.
In addition to eternal life, I also believe in abundant life. That is Christian language for the hope and help Jesus provides us as long as we live on this earth. If you can imagine this with me, imagine a husband and wife riding in a sports car. The man is in the driver’s seat, and the woman is sitting right next to him. The man has his right arm around his wife and he is waving to all his friends with his left arm. He has NO HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL.
Everything is perfect and happy…as long as the road is straight. But how will they manage when the road becomes rough or curvy? The rough and curvy times are the times when we most need the hope and help only Jesus can provide.[1] In my personal experience and in my experience walking with many of you through rough and curvy times, this is when our faith in Jesus sustains us!
III. Power of God Is Never Hidden.
The first thing I want you to notice about the power of God is the way Peter could not keep it hidden. When God is at work in our lives, people will notice it. No matter what God does—whether it is big or small—everyone knows God is the one who did it. Not Peter. Not John. Not even the man born lame. God did it, and everyone saw.
Several places in the New Testament we read about a battle between flesh and spirit. Early pagans thought this was a battle raging inside every human being. Flesh was understood as evil, and spirit was understood as good. Live by the spirit, and you can save yourself. Live by the flesh, and you will be just like everyone else.
In a Christian understanding, this is not an internal battle. It is an external battle. At the moment of salvation, God places his Holy Spirit within each of us. The Holy Spirit begins immediately convicting us of sin and convincing us of righteousness. But at the same time, the world begins its work on us through temptation and appeals to our popularity. We have to choose. Will we let the culture around us transform us? Or will we let God’s Holy Spirit transform us?
If we keep walking past people in our lives without ever showing them the power of God in our lives, then the world is winning. But, if we have the power of God, which cannot be hidden…If we truly believe that we have experienced something through Jesus that everyone else needs in their lives…If Jesus is the greatest gift we have ever received and we want to share that with others…THEN the Spirit of God is winning.
IV. Conclusion.
There is an ancient story about Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is told that Aquinas once visited Pope Innocent II in the Pope’s treasury room. The Pope was surrounded by treasures and was actually counting his money when Aquinas arrived. The Pope said, “You see, Thomas, the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” Thomas replied, “True, Holy Father, but neither can she say, ‘Rise and walk.’”[2]
Do you believe that Jesus still changes lives? Do you believe that your faith in Jesus is something everyone needs?
[1] Lee Strobel, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary: How to reach friends and family who avoid God and the church. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993). This is Lee Strobel’s illustration about his life before he became a Christian.
[2] F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1988), pp. 77 – 78.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Seeing Is Believing: Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008
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.
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 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.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
