“The Basics: Refreshed In the Spirit”

Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42

This is our last week of considering some of the basic issues of Christian faith, but these are, by no means, the only issues that we must live by. Learning to live by the example and teachings of Jesus takes a life time. In the last verse of John’s gospel, we read that if everything that Jesus did and taught were written down, there wouldn’t be enough room in the entire world to hold all the books! (John 21:25) So I don’t want anyone to say that I told you that these few items of faith are all that are necessary for a Christian life!! It takes a lifetime of study and learning.

The truth is that the Great Commission is but an overview of the faith process. (Matthew 28:16-20) Trusting and believing in Jesus, and proclaiming him throughout the world is vitally important, but there is one more important aspect of faith that we must consider – and that is claiming the power of the Holy Spirit for our lives. Our passage for today doesn’t directly mention the Spirit, but the call that these verses place on our lives will fall flat without the Spirit’s involvement. And so we begin.

Read Matthew 10:40

“He who receives you receives me.” Jesus begins this section of his address by placing the commitment squarely on our shoulders! We are the first step in the world’s coming to accept him. So what does that mean for us? It means that we are the first line of witness to the people of earth. It means that, while the Holy Spirit could very well move through the earth changing lives and hearts all on his own, he doesn’t. The first step in evangelizing our world is in our willingness to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others.
Now before you get too nervous over this, I want to reassure you that there is a lot more to it than just going out and telling folks about the hope that Jesus offers. We don’t just start proclaiming Jesus without a lot of preparation. When we are called to serve him, we begin with a lot of prayer, and we DON’T pray “Lord, send someone else!” In John 14:14 Jesus told us that whatever we ask for in his name, he will do, and in Mark 11:24 we read “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” It isn’t just a matter of asking, and not just believing that we will receive it – we must also believe that we have already received it!
And that is where the Holy Spirit comes into play. The Spirit will fill all who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, and that is the power that every Christian needs if they are to be an effective witness to the Gospel message. On our own, we fail. Period. And without Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there is no Spirit. Period. And without the Spirit, every plan, every desire, every action, every word will be totally devoid of God’s Promise and Presence. Period.
It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that enables us to truly believe that our request has already been granted, and it is the power of the Spirit that will give us the direction, the vision, and the words to proclaim Jesus to the world.

And that is what Jesus is telling us when he says when they receive us, they receive him. It’s not that we are that believable – trust me, we’re not! It’s that when we are refreshed and renewed by the Spirit of God, we become believable. But even then, there will be those who will refuse to hear and receive the word, but that is their choice, and not our fault. But even then, we may have planted a seed that will, one day, begin to sprout and grow and flower and give fruit. Once the Spirit begins, he never gives up.

Read Matthew 10:41

And now we begin to get down to the power. When we speak through the authority of the Holy Spirit, whether as a prophet or a righteous person, and if that word is received – that is, when it is believed – the one who hears and believes receives the heavenly reward. But, you may ask, can’t they believe without our proclaiming Jesus?
Romans 10:13-17 reminds us that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him if they haven’t believed? And how can they believe if they haven’t heard his good news? And how can they hear if no one has told them? And how can we tell if we haven’t been sent?
I guess the answer is that if no one – and that means us! - shares the gospel with a person, they will never call on the name of Jesus. And that means that our reluctance to witness – yours and mine – will be responsible for the failure of that person to receive the Lord’s salvation! I don’t know about you, but that isn’t a very pleasant thought! And how, when we are standing before the Throne of Judgment, can we tell the Lord “Well, I had a lot on my plate that day and I didn’t have time.” “I had to go shopping.” “I had to mow my lawn.” “I was really tired.” “I was on vacation.”
Is there any good excuse for not sharing Jesus with someone? For allowing them to miss out on their righteous reward? I can’t think of any!

And do we really think that God doesn’t know that we have many responsibilities in this life? Of course he does! And do we think that the Spirit won’t help us to care for them? Of course he will. It’s just that we can’t start using our everyday activities as excuses for not following the Holy Spirit! Others will receive the Holy Spirit whenever we are faithful in sharing that same Spirit with them.

Read Matthew 10:42

And simply speaking the Good News of Jesus Christ, in and of itself, is not enough! Matthew 25:34-36 tells us that whenever we act on behalf of Christ – when we meet the needs of another – that we are meeting the Lord’s needs, too. A cool drink of water for a parched throat, a bit of food for an empty stomach, a warm and welcoming embrace for a stranger, a visit to shut-in – each and every one of these is a service to Jesus himself.
And when we reach out to those “little ones” in the Church - to those who can never repay us, who can never return the favor - we have brought great joy to the Lord.

And it isn’t us who can actually do these things fully – it is only by following the lead and blessing of the Holy Spirit that they will be accomplished in God’s way. Jesus didn’t just send the “Counselor”, the “Advocate”, the Spirit of truth into our lives to spy on us, as some may think – the Spirit has been given to us to enable us to witness and serve, to advise us and challenge us in the faith, to lead us and empower us to do God’s will, to renew us when we stumble, to refresh us when we tire, to become the means so that others will come to know the glory of Jesus Christ.

Go and make disciples of Jesus Christ in every corner of the world.
Help them to become connected to the Body of Christ, his Church.
Teach them to trust the words of Jesus - that they were given for their life.
Be an example of what a witness for Jesus is all about.
And trust the leading of the Holy Spirit, and don’t strike out on your own – EVER!

How will they ever know the truth of Jesus if we decide to take a back seat, to live a life of fear and reluctance to ever step out, to claim an attitude of “wait and see” or worse yet, if I “wait long enough, someone else will surely do it”?

Romans 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” At one time, Paul was not only ashamed of the Gospel, he persecuted the Gospel as heresy! And then one day, he met the Living God, the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and shame and disbelief dropped from his heart, never to return again. He discovered the power of the Holy Spirit, he discovered the grace that is inherent in Jesus Christ, and he never looked back.

And as much as we may marvel at all that Paul did in the name of Jesus, the power that sustained him is within and available to each of us, too. The only difference that may exist is that Paul let that Power flow through him. There was no more shame, no more fear, no more hesitation in his life, simply because he believed and he trusted.
We all need to take a lesson from Paul – we need to let the Spirit loose within us, and then we can enjoy the trip with him all the way to glory.

“The Basics: Who Is Teaching Who?”

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-39

Jesus’ teachings were never obvious, never politically correct! And this is one of the things in secular society that causes the most heartburn today. Our language and the terms we use in conversation are constantly under scrutiny, and whether we are speaking the truth or not, there are certain topic and issue thresholds that must never be crossed – at least in the minds of some! For many, truth is subjective and relative, and is never absolute. They believe that everyone has their own truth and they must be allowed to live that truth without challenge.
But for Christians, there is only one truth, and one reality, and one life, and we can only come to understand this through the teachings of Jesus.

John Cobb, author and Christian theologian, writes:
If we trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have no reason to fear that truth from any source will undercut our faith. Indeed, we have every reason to believe that all truth, wisdom, and reality cohere in him.
--John Cobb, Being a Transformationist in a Pluralist World, Christian Century, 10-17 August 1994, 749.

All truth, all wisdom and all reality come together in Jesus Christ. And with that hope and promise, we go to Jesus’ teaching for today.

Read Matthew 10:24-25

First, some background on this passage. Jesus is preparing the 12 to go out in mission to the people of Israel. This would be the first time that they would step out in ministry without the Lord leading them. Verse 1 tells us that Jesus had given them all “authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” He gives them specific direction as to who they are to minister to, where they are to stay, and what they are to do in his name. He also warns them of the hazards they will encounter – arrest, flogging, and all kinds of persecution.
And now he offers a few more truths for their lives and ministry. The first is that, as his students and disciples, they are also under his example. “Do what I have taught you, do what you have seen me do – and that will be enough!” Jesus is reinforcing the importance of the relationship that they have with him. He isn’t only their teacher, he is also their master. If they wish to do his will, if they intend to follow his instructions, if they want to truly cast out demons and heal every disease, they had better be living their lessons well! Not only must they have learned the lessons, but they must be willing to follow and obey the Lord’s teachings.

This thought should give us all a great deal of pause! It isn’t enough to have many passages from scripture memorized - even though that may be very impressive! We also have to understand what each one means, what they will produce in us, and we must be willing to live them out, no matter what may come from them.
Jesus even prophesies to the time when the Pharisees will refer to him as Beelzebub, or Satan, because he was commanding demons to leave a person (Matthew 12:22-30). He wants to remind the 12 that because he will be called Satan, those who follow him will also be demeaned. And how would Jesus respond to the Pharisees? He simply tells a parable that shows that, first, Satan would never conquer his own minions, and second, it takes more power to defeat evil than exists in evil itself.
Jesus never retaliated with hateful accusations – he simply exposed his accusers to the truth, whether they wanted to hear it or not. Now there’s a lesson for us all to learn and live!

Read Matthew 10:26-33

Once again, Jesus is telling his followers that simply believing in him, even though that is critically important, is just not enough. We must be intentional in our proclaiming him to others, and we must continue to do the same things that the Lord always did. True faith is not just a condition of the mind and heart – it is also a state that controls the things our hands and feet and voice are always doing. The love we have for Jesus in our hearts must be so great that it overflows into all of our actions. James 2:26 – “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.”

And Jesus tells his disciples that fear can never become a limiting factor in our ministry to the world. “Speak it in the daylight” and “proclaim it from the rooftops” seems to be pretty descriptive of how we are to share the Lord with others. He is telling us to be obvious and intentional in our witness, that we are to shout it out to all who will listen. Don’t hesitate. Don’t soften the message. Don’t let threats and persecution stop you. Nothing can be done to you that won’t bring glory to the Father.
Now, that may not be a comforting thought for you – that God just might allow you to suffer physical harm! But I don’t think that this is exactly the thought that Jesus was trying to convey. He’s telling us that if we are living and acting and speaking in the will and way of Almighty God, there is nothing that should ever worry us. And even if physical harm does come our way, the Holy Spirit is going to be with us and we will be able to deal with it all – we are loved and valued that much by our Lord.

But what if we do hesitate, or retreat, or cease our mission in Christ’s name? What if fear does begin to rule our life, and our witness suffers because of it? Remember Peter’s journey across the water toward Jesus? (Matthew 14:22-33) His steps were sure and strong – until, that is, he began to turn his eyes away from Christ and onto the waves. Fear grabbed him, and faith began to leave him, and the waves began to overcome him. He was doing very well, until he allowed fear to creep into his life, and it was then that his chances of a powerful walk in faith came to a screeching halt!
Turning away from the things that Jesus taught us is never a very good choice! If we proclaim him as “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:1-7) to the people of earth, and that means not just those in the Church, we will bring honor to him, and in return, he will bring honor to us. But if we refuse to lift up his name at all times and in all places, we will quickly find ourselves in the same “boat” that Peter was in on the night when Jesus was arrested (John 18:25-27), and his failure to acknowledge the Lord wouldn’t be resolved until it was nearly time for Jesus to return to Glory (John 21:15-19).
Peter very nearly fell into ruin, and we have to be very careful to avoid the “Peter Syndrome”.

Read Matthew 10:34-39

We think of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, and rightly so. But he isn’t the peace that we would like him to be. The “peace” of Jesus is more like a blessing, a comfort, and assurance, a future promise, than it is a dismissal of human conflict. We see that this is true by the news reports that come our way, almost on a daily basis. We see it in the Christian woman, Meriam, who is currently under arrest and sentenced to death in Sudan, simply because she will not renounce her faith in Jesus; we see it in the many men and women in Islamic countries who have been executed for their Christian faith; we see it in the persecution that is running rampant in India and China, and other nations. It all tells us that “peace”, at least in our context, is nearly nonexistent!
Families and neighbors and friendships have been broken to pieces, because others reject the message of Jesus Christ. But then, why should the world treat us any different than the way they treated the Lord? They don’t understand the words that our Lord has given us, and they fear that part about taking up our cross to follow him, and that declaration that we have to give up our life to find him. Even though there have been, and will be, those who will suffer physically and whose lives have and will be taken from them, this isn’t the crucifixion, the life that Jesus was talking about. It is our old way of life that must die if we want to live in him. In Galatians 2:19-20, Paul writes “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” The old life must die before the new life can live. Nicodemus didn’t understand that “new birth” that Jesus told him about, and he would have liked the thought of dying with Christ even less. (John 3:1-21) But there is no room for both lives – the one of earth and the one of glory. The “old” must leave us before the “new” can fill us.

This is the teaching that Jesus offers us. Some of it is hard and some of it is wonderful, but it all reveals the glory that the Lord is prepared to cover us with. Of course, there are some folks who try to soften the message by ignoring the difficult passages and emphasizing the peace and love of Christ. They are simply unwilling to proclaim the fullness of his truth from the rooftops, aren’t they!

We need to know just who the teacher is and who the student is; who the Lord is and who the disciple is; who it is that gives life and who it is that needs that life; who it is that provides the message and who it is that is to simply share it.
Have you shown your old life the exit door and entered into the Glory of Jesus as a new creation in him? Have you been born again in the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Almighty God? “Whoever gives up his old life for my sake will discover an entirely new one in me.” That life is waiting for you today!

“The Basics: Make, Connect, & Teach”

Scripture: Mathew 28:16-20

Jesus had spent his entire life amazing people. His birth had been prophesized many years before (Isaiah 9:1-7), but no one was truly prepared for what would come of that beautiful event. We see very little of his life before his ministry began, except for the 3 days he spent in the temple when he was 12, astounding the elders and rabbis with his Godly wisdom (Luke 2:41-52).
But everything Jesus did, whether recorded or not, whether in his childhood or in his ministry, everything either amazed or challenged, blessed or angered, revealed or frightened the people. The Sanhedrin thought that they had finally rid themselves of this royal thorn in their side at Calvary, and good riddance! But everything that he did, regardless of how it was perceived, was God-Breathed and God-Blessed, including his death and resurrection, and that is a gift that is desperately needed by the people of earth. Jesus was given to us so that the Church could become a true and righteous reality.
And as much as he gave and did during those 33 years of human existence, Jesus gave us two more things before he ascended into heaven. Luke 24:9 and Acts 1:8, which we focused on the past 2 weeks, tell us that he promised the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and the closing verses of Matthew 28, our text for today, reveals his final instructions to the Church. And this is where we begin today.

Read Matthew 28:16-18

There was still some doubt, wasn’t there! (verse 17) Are you surprised? We shouldn’t be! Things had been moving so fast those past 2 months that the 11 were still trying to sort it all out. But even our doubt, no matter how great, will never cause the Lord to hesitate – his plan has a purpose and it doesn’t wait for anyone.
And so, possibly to allay their concerns, he tells them one more time that all Authority is his – all Authority! - and by implication, he lets them know that whatever is his, is also theirs. And how had he revealed his authority before?
- When he finished his Sermon on the Mount, he never had to say he had authority to teach – it just was! And the people knew that he had it. Matthew 7:28-29 tells us that the crowds were amazed at what they had heard, “because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Jesus didn’t have to proclaim his authority, it was felt.
- Throughout the Gospels, Jesus heals broken and sickly and even deathly bodies, and again, he seldom states that he has authority to do so, it is seen.
- And he uses healing to prove that he also has the authority to forgive sin. In Luke 5:17-26, his healing of the paralytic is used in just this way. The proof was in his doing.

And so, with that very Authority, he begins to convey that same authority to all believers by granting it first to the 11. Remember 1 Peter 2:9-10? You are “his chosen, his royal priesthood”? You have been given the authority of Jesus, and you can do all things through faith in him. (Philippians 4:13) In John 14:12-14, Jesus tells us that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these... You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Believe me when I say that we could NEVER do these things of faith without Jesus, but with him, there are no limitations or restrictions whatsoever!
So what does he want us to do in his name? Here is the first.

Read Matthew 28:19a

Make disciples of all nations. And what is a disciple? The term is fairly broad, and describes anyone who is studying the ways of Jesus, those who may be new students of the Lord, right up through those who are strong in faith and have given their lives to the Lord. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are the ones who teach them in the faith, but it does mean that we are to be the ones who lead them to faith in Jesus.
But this is easier said than done. It isn’t easy to witness to the grace of God with those who don’t seem to want to hear!

Rev. James Harnish writes:
Where do you find the power to hang in there in this world?
Where do you find the power to keep going when the going really gets tough?
Where do you find the power to continue to believe in love in a world that is filled with hate?
Where do we find the power to continue to work for peace in a world that is addicted to violence?
Where do we find the power to continue to believe in good in a world that is filled with so much suffering and pain?
Where do we find the power to continue to believe that ultimately God's kingdom will come and God's will, as revealed in Jesus, will be done in all of the creation?
Where do you find the power to be a disciple of Jesus in this world?
--James A. Harnish, Out of Sight! Tampa, Fla. 19 May 1996.

Being a disciple who makes disciples is one who relies wholly on the Spirit to lead and inspire them, and who claims the authority that Jesus offers to all who will believe. And quite honestly, if we are a disciple of Jesus, we can’t NOT reach out to the world to tell them of the One who offers them infinite love and eternal life.

Read Matthew 28:19b

This is the second step that the Church is to take, but not the last. First, Make Disciples, then help them to become fully connected and involved in the Church. We sometimes mistakenly take Jesus’ words as meaning that when we are baptized, it is then that we become his disciples. Not so. It must be the other way around. First, become a disciple – a follower of Jesus, then become part of the Church.
In 1996, a white paper titled “By Water and the Spirit” was produced by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. It stirred up quite some controversy, as it implied that Christian baptism was equated to regeneration, or “new birth”. Before that paper could be published though, another document which discounted that concept, titled “Not By Water Alone”, was put forward stating that without the presence of the Holy Spirit, without a commitment to Jesus Christ, baptism has little or no significance. (If anyone would like copies of either of these documents, let me know.)
I believe that when Jesus talked about baptism, he was talking about a life changing event, and not some mechanical action. In Matthew 3:11-17, John tells the people that his baptism with water is about repentance, while Jesus’ baptism “will be with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Both of these forms point toward a life changing event. Repentance is about letting go of those things of earth that have no eternal worth, and baptism by the Spirit and fire are about righteous purification.
Without commitment and without Spirit and purification, baptism is only a cleansing of the human body. But with commitment and the Spirit, all things will be made new, and life in the Church can then begin.

Read Matthew 28:20

And now we have the third instruction for the Church – teach, and continue to teach, regarding Jesus’ way of new life. But implied in this commandment is the fact that teaching must result in learning! If learning doesn’t occur, if understand isn’t gained, then teaching has not been effective.
And note that the Lord doesn’t call us to teach the things that we like, the things that are easy to do – he tells us to instill in the Church ALL of his commands – easy and difficult alike.

And what does this include? It means the concepts in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). It means the truth behind his parables. It means all 4 of the Gospels. Jesus never gives us any exceptions. His teaching is absolute and perfect, and we have no right to make changes or to omit a single verse.

And he finishes with his instructions to the Church by reminding us that he will be with us for eternity. While this may not be an call to action per se, it is certainly a vital aspect of the charge he gives. Jesus is with us, and he is with the Church, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. And without Jesus, we are lost. In John 15:1-11 he compares our relationship with him to that of vines and branches. When we are separated from the Lord, we wither and die, but when we remain in him, we will bear good spiritual fruit.

This is the first and most basic call on the life of the Church. Make disciples, connect them to the Body of Christ, and constantly teach them to obey Jesus’ commandments about the righteous life. And it is not just his word for the Church in general, it is his call on our individual lives as well.
But there are other calls on the Church as well, and we’ll look at some of them next week.

“The Church in Full Bloom - Pentecost!”

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the characteristics of the Church – what it is, how it works in faith, why it is instrumental and vital in our relationship with God, why a depth of involvement is required on our part, and that a life in Christ, a life that comes through the Church, is no longer about us or the things that come to us from earth – that everything must be about Jesus.
Last week, we began to tie the power and promise of the Church together. In our reading, the Lord said “I am going to send you what my Father has promised;” (Luke 24:49), and unless we had the background surrounding the Church’s life and purpose, these words could be construed as a simple blessing, when it would be anything BUT simple!

Today, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit – not only into the world, but into our lives and into the life of the Body. It would complete a transformation within the remaining few followers of Jesus from terror filled, uncertain men and women, into faithful, spirit-filled, confident and prepared witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. So with that, let’s take a fresh look at the coming of God’s promise and what this means for his Church.

Read Acts 2:1-4

Until this time, Jesus had been the only focus for teaching, prophecy, and healing. The disciples had been able to do a few things in the name of Jesus, but theirs was a very limited scope in faith. But Jesus was gone from their view now, and even though uncertainty had left them, there were still many questions in their lives. What will we do without him? Who will teach us? Where are we to go? What will our lives become now that the Lord is gone? And oh, by the way, who is this Holy Spirit?
As Jesus was preparing to return to heaven, we read in Acts 1:8 “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.” They may not have known it yet, but every question that they ever had was about to be answered, and not as a simple reply either, but in the most dramatic way! And that answer was that now they will do the teaching, they will know where to go, their lives will be the one who touch the lives of earth, and that they will come to know this Holy Spirit in a way that will fill them, and enable them, and inspire them, and will bless them in wonderful ways.

On this festival of Pentecost, the time that occurs 50 days after Passover - a celebration of First Fruits, the first harvest, and also approximated the period when Torah was given to Moses on Mount Sinai - the city of Jerusalem was filled to overflowing with faithful Jews who had come from the far flung corners of the known world. What a perfect time for the arrival of the long promised Holy Spirit; what a perfect time for the birth of Christ’s Body, his Church.
And contrary to some thought, this Spirit came, not as a wind, but as the “sound like a blowing wind”, and not as fire, but as what “seemed to be tongues of fire”. The house was filled with the sound and vision of God, the faithful were filled with the Lord’s glory, and the power of the Spirit began to work in each and every one of them.

Read Acts 2:5-13

All too often, we focus our understanding of the arrival of the Spirit on its settling on the lives of those gathered in the house. And certainly, it was an amazing entrance, but there is so much more to it than that.

First, scripture tells us that there were “God-fearing Jews from every nation” there that day, and the Spirit not only fell on the faithful, but it called many more to come to hear the message. Acts 1:15 tells us that there were only about 120 believers at that time, but several thousand more would be added to their numbers that very day. People from literally the 4 corners of the world would respond to the presence of the Spirit. Faith in Jesus Christ as God and Savior would no longer be centered in Jerusalem and in Judea itself. The Spirit came to establish and grow the Church of Christ in ways and in places that the 120 could never have accomplished, or even imagined, on their own.

Second, it would no longer be the Incarnate God who would be speaking to the world – it would be common, everyday men and women who would assume that responsibility. The men who received the call of God to preach this day were Galileans – everyday folks who would be commissioned by God to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, that they might become part of his kingdom. They were fishermen, tax collectors - sinners all. They were the old and the young, the wealthy and the poor – they were the people who would never be expected to be used by God in such a powerful way. And as we read though Acts, we discover that women would also be called, and Gentiles would be called, and the Spirit would begin to work in the lives of anyone who would follow and believe.

Third, faithfulness would no longer be based in the 1,000+ years of tradition that had always been Israel’s legacy. Verse 12 tells us that the people were “amazed and perplexed”, and wondered what it could possibly mean. For many, there was no question that this was something that they had to pay attention to, even though it was new, and unusual, and totally unexpected. But then, that had been Jesus’ approach all along, hadn’t it! Faith was taking on a whole new mantle, an entirely new face, and while it was based in the tradition of Israel, the message would bring a completely new hope to their lives.

And fourth, opposition to the Spirit’s working would continue to grow. This new Way would, for some reason, be threatening to some, and mockery and scorn would arise as the first level of antagonism, and from there the resentment toward this new approach to faith would grow and eventually erupt into violence toward the believers, just as it had toward their Lord Jesus.

And so it was that first day.

Read Acts 2: 14-21

The prophet Joel was one of a few Messianic prophets of old. Messiah was not a foreign concept for Israel, but he was greatly misunderstood. Messiah was generally thought of being a warrior savior, not a gentle one. He was supposed to defeat the enemies of Israel, not the sinful ways of the people. He was to make Israel a great and powerful and respected nation once again, but not to be an advocate for the likes of the poor, the meek, the merciful and the hungry.
Joel prophesied that the Spirit would come into the faithful of the world; that the wonders of the Almighty would astound and amaze; that anyone, everyone, who called on the name of the Lord would be saved. In Acts 4:12, this concept is repeated – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” And all of it reinforces the gospel message, that Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life, and that he is the one and only way to the heavenly reward. (John 14:6)

And this is only the beginning of Peter’s incredible sermon on that first Christian Pentecost. The message that we read in Acts is only a portion of the power and glory that he exhibited that day. The Spirit worked in a mighty way that day, flowing through disciples and listeners together; inspiring, and invigorating, and opening hearts and minds to the truth and glory of Jesus Christ. He would preach repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus, and 3,000 souls would hear the truth, and would believe, and would be saved that day.
And the Church was on The Way with Jesus. There would be difficult days ahead, and, quite honestly, they will continue until the day of the Lord’s return. Remember that man who suggested that the Galileans were all drunk that morning? He, and those like him, would never go away, and his followers are still with us 2,000 years later. But the power of the Holy Spirit that became so evident that Pentecostal morning is also still with us, and still awaits us, and still fills us, and will fill all who will faithfully believe and proclaim the salvation of Jesus.

But there must be a caution, nonetheless, and I call your attention once more to Jesus’ parable of the Talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) The two servants who faithfully followed the Master’s commands were rewarded far beyond any reasonable way, while the servant who foolishly refused to do anything to glorify the Master’s position would lose everything, including his place in the household.
Jesus can only save us if we truly believe in him. The Holy Spirit can only work in and through us if we are willing to follow. The Church can only survive if the faithful will share the message of Jesus with the world – that there is forgiveness and redemption waiting for all, but that it can only come to them when they raise up the name of Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The only thing that can separate us from the Lord is our own stubborn refusal to claim him as Lord and Master of our lives.

There is no other way than Jesus, and that must be the way of the Church. Amen.

“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!”

Scripture: Luke 24:44-53

For the past 5 weeks, we have been looking at the Church – what it is, how it impacts us, and how we are to live as members of the Body of Christ. Our involvement with Jesus Christ, as his “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his special possession” (1 Peter 2:9), can never be taken lightly. It is an obligation, a blessing of God, an opportunity to be in ministry with the Lord, and we must never shirk this responsibility.
At the Memorial service at annual Conference this week, the preacher told a story about one of the pastors we were memorializing. On numerous occasions, he would look a candidate for ministry square in the eye and ask “What would it take to talk you out of this?” He wanted to see just how dedicated the future pastor was to this calling. So I ask each of you today – what would it take to talk you out of being a member of the Body of Christ? I want you to consider the question very seriously, because it is a very serious question. How dedicated, how committed, how focused are you on the Lord Jesus Christ? I’m not going to give you your answer, and I’m not going to give you my answer, unless you really want to talk about the issue. Let me know when you’re ready.

The bottom line is that Jesus has a plan for you, and you have to decide just how eager you are to follow him, regardless of where it may take you, regardless of what it may require of you. The early Church had to consider that question every day of their lives, and as we read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry and the apostles’ “schooling”, we may very well have some doubts as to just how much they were learning! But for the next two weeks, we will see the extent of God’s commitment to them, as well as all that would come of the love and trust that they would return.

Read Luke 24:44-48

It had been about 3 ½ years since Jesus called the 12 to set the things of earth aside in favor of follow him, and 6 more weeks since Easter morning. For 3 ½ years, he had been teaching the world all about the glory of God and how to live the kind of life that would bring even more glory to the Father. He had explained the detail and meaning of much of his new teaching to the 12, and they still struggled with what it all meant for them. After all, they had been immersed in Jewish culture and tradition all their lives, and while they were amazed at all that Jesus told them, they seldom understood what he was trying to teach them.
But the Easter Resurrection had begun to change everything. The teachings were beginning to become clear, or at least less murky, and the amazement that was within them continued to grow. And even though he had been appearing to these and others for weeks, his arrival at this moment still startled them. And to relieve their fears, he gives them the same opportunity that he did for Thomas. “See my wounds, see my flesh, touch me, and let your doubts vanish!”
And it’s no different for us, you know. Have you ever experienced the Spirit at work in your life? Have you ever seen the results of that work and were blown away? Of course you have, and you were just as amazed and astounded as the 12 were. And Jesus is constantly telling us that a little faith goes a very long way (Luke 16:10) – “Believe in me, put your trust in me, and our life together will just take your breath way!” And he gives us the proof of his promise – it exists throughout his word. He gives us that word, just as he gave it to the 12 and all who will believe in him.
Remember Jesus’ encounter with the two men on the road to Emmaus? (Luke 24:13-35) Scripture tells us that “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (verse 27) And now we read that he reminded the 12 of the same thing – that all that he had taught had first been revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. In essence, he was saying that nothing in all of creation was new – that it was just newly discovered, newly understood.
And in verse 47, he tells them what they are going to do about all this – “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Our knowledge, our understanding of who Jesus is and what he is all about can never be ours to keep. It must be shared with “all nations” – the entire world. After all, how can something so amazing, so wonderful, so perfect, so all consuming, be kept quiet? We have seen the truth of Christ, and we have to tell others about him!
But is this all that there is? Are we on our own to try to do his will? Do we have to share Jesus without any further direction? Hardly! There are many wonders and signs and incredible powers awaiting us. The Holy Spirit is waiting for us.

Read Luke 24:49

There are times in scripture when Jesus’ teaching is understated. It’s not that the meaning or significance was changed – it’s just that we have to look closely for the fullness of the message, for the power and wonder that is contained within his words. “I will send what my Father has already promised you .. and you will be clothed with power from on high..” In John’s Gospel (John 14:25-26, 15:26-27), Jesus tells his followers that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit will come in his name. But did the apostles remember that? Did they make the connection?
The truth is that even if they did remember Jesus’ words, I doubt that they would have grasped the full significance of the Spirit’s coming to fill them. The power that the Father would be sending to them would be nearly overwhelming, and would enable them to do the unbelievable. In John 14:12, the Lord tells them that all who believe in him will do all that he had done, and that they would do even greater things. Notice that he didn’t say “would be able to do them” – he said that all believers would do them.
A couple of weeks ago, you were less than enthused about claiming that you are “God’s chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy people” (1 Peter 2:9-10) How do you like the fact that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you can do things that are even greater than the things that Jesus did? Are you starting to get a handle on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? What it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What claiming redemption and salvation in the name of Jesus means for your life? It’s certainly not for the faint hearted, but it is for you and me!
The Church, from the 1st century until today, has seen what God can do, and we are to share our experiences, our witness, with the rest of the world. The early believers didn’t understand that yet, but very soon they would, and they did, and they went, and they rejoiced!

Dr. Tony Evans writes:
What is the problem with the church as the body of Christ? Dr. Evans suggests that there's obviously nothing wrong with the head of the church. Jesus is alive and well .... Our central nervous system, the Holy Spirit, is also fine. The Spirit is taking the Word and sending it through the body so the body knows what to do and has the power to do it.
The problem lies in the body. The hands get the word from the Spirit, but they don't feel like moving. The feet don't feel like walking. The mouth doesn't feel like talking. As a result, the church stumbles around like a diseased body. Think of the message a sick church gives to the world.
--Anthony T. Evans, America's Only Hope, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1990), 90.

And I want to ask you to think of the message that a hesitant or reluctant church sends out! Let me tell you that we just don’t want to go there! We want to live to the fullest in the Spirit of Almighty God! And just as the disciples were pondering this concept of the Spirit coming to enable them to do all that God would have them do, there was one more thing that they had to experience that day.

Read Luke 24:50-53

Now, before we go on, I need to point out that Luke was giving us a couple of different messages. We’ve seen the almost “vanilla” version in his gospel, but if we look at the same account in Acts, we see a little more passion and promise in his words. First, in the coming of the Holy Spirit, he adds that the believers would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” That’s a little more definitive regarding the Power that would come. (Acts 1:4-5). And second, as these men stood watching Jesus ascend toward heaven, Acts tells us that they were staring intently toward the sky, when 2 angels came to them and asked them “What are you looking at? He’ll be back – don’t worry!” (Acts 1:9-11)

So here is where the Church was at. First, they had been witnessing the resurrected, the flesh and blood, the living Jesus over and over during the past 40 days, and every time, they were blown away. Second, he reminds them that the Holy Spirit, a Person of God that they hadn’t really met yet, would come soon and would baptize them in a power unlike anything they had ever known. And third, while they stood and gawked at the physical ascension of their Lord, they were visited by 2 angels who told them that Jesus would return to earth one day, and that while they waited for him, they were to get on with ministry in his name.
Think about it – in a month and a half, their emotions had run the gamut. From the elation of the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem, to their confusion over Jesus actions and teachings during Holy Week, to the breaking of tradition that turned their Passover meal upside down, to the anger that wrenched their hearts and lives on Thursday night and the fear that would cause them to abandon their rabbi and deny that they even knew him, to the agony and loss that flooded them at his crucifixion, to the amazement and disbelief at his resurrection, and to their panic at his physical appearance within the locked room and many other places.
And now, Jesus was leaving them, and yet he promised that not only would they never be alone, but they would have a power and anointing to continue the ministry that he had begun, that they would be lead to the far corners of the known world to be his witnesses.

Whew! Almost makes you dizzy, doesn’t it? But if you think that this series of events was powerful, wait until the Spirit goes to work in your life! Yes, I said in your life. You know what will come next for the first believers in Jesus, but that is also the Spirit’s promise for each and every one of us, IF we will just let him get to work. The Holy Spirit didn’t just belong to Peter, James, John and the rest – the Spirit is for ALL BEIEVERS, both then and now. Let me read to you about the Spiritual Gifts that come to those who believe in Jesus - 1 Corinthians 12:1-7. And then there is that incredible list of gifts that can only come from God.
This is God’s promise and offering to you, to all in the Church, to all who believe, to all who will surrender their lives to him. And if you think that the work of the Spirit in the lives of the 12 was amazing, just wait until you see what the Lord has in store for you.
Praise the Lord! May you be blown away!