The Spirit and Mission

Intro

I have been thinking a lot about the performer Harry Belafonte who passed away just a few weeks ago. In the early 2000’s, I had the privilege of seeing Harry Belafonte perform at the beautiful Wolf Trap venue in Virginia. I likely wasn’t his target audience, but as a middle schooler I really enjoyed his music. He brought me joy during a hard season in my life.

Only in the last couple of years have I learned that Belafonte was much more than a performer; he was a tireless activist for Civil Rights, deeply involved with the movement of the 50’s and 60’s here in the United States. While reading Taylor Branch’s trilogy on America in the King Years, I have been shocked by how many times Belafonte’s name kept coming up. Behind the scenes of numerous major events and turning points in the Civil Rights movement, Belafonte could be found supporting those on the front lines of social activism.

Belafonte could be counted on to participate in protests, mediate conflict between civil rights leaders, influence in celebrity and political circles, and mentor younger activists. He regularly gave of his own money to advance the Civil Rights mission.

While never receiving the spotlight himself for most of these efforts, many major turning points of the Civil Rights movement would not have been possible without someone like Belafonte behind the scenes making the cause move forward. This history is unknown to most and is only noticed by those who will slow down and pay enough attention.

As we come to our passage this morning near the end of Luke’s gospel, what likely rises to prominence for most of us on our first reading is Christ’s charge to his disciples to proclaim the gospel and be his witnesses to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. This is Christ’s mission in the world: that he is drawing all peoples to his salvation and giving them his gifts which he has obtained for them. Our charge is to participate in Christ’s mission.

And yet, if we slow down enough to pay close attention, we will notice an unnamed actor is at work in the disciples; preparing them, equipping them, and sending them out into the world on mission as Christ’s witnesses.

This actor is the third person of the Triune God; the Holy Spirit. As we sit under this text together for the next several moments, I want us to pay special attention to the Spirit’s role in our mission as Christ’s witnesses in the world. We desperately need the Spirit to work in and through us. Without him, our interest in Christ’s mission will wane, and we will likely succumb to attitudes of stubbornness, pride, fearfulness, or dominance.

So, to that end, there are three ways I want us to notice in this text that the Spirit works in us for the sake of Christ’s mission: He prepares us in humility, he strengthens us with confidence, and he sends us in love. All three of these are key to Christlike witness in the world.

The Spirit prepares us in humility.

The disciples are experiencing a unique moment in God’s plan of redemption. They occupy a space in-between; a space which we ourselves cannot now occupy. Christ has been resurrected, but he is not yet ascended. The Holy Spirit is active, but he has not yet been poured out as it will be at Pentecost. These six verses are a summary of this unique space in history. In this period of 40 days, Christ is with his disciples, teaching them and charging them to be his witnesses in all the earth.

In verse 45 we read that Christ opened their minds to understand the centrality of his person in the Scriptures, the full purpose of his redemptive work, and who it is for.

Jesus is working in his disciples through the person and power of the Holy Spirit. The term we sometimes use to describe this operation of the Holy Spirit is illumination; which means exactly what you think. He makes the lights come on. The Spirit illumines our hearts and minds to comprehend the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul laid this out pretty explicitly in 1 Corinthians 2 which you have in your worship guide:

The New International Version Chapter 2

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

This is more than a matter of intellectual knowledge; I know plenty of people who know much about Scripture, but do not have faith. No, what is happening here is much deeper. The Spirit works on a personal level. He actually shares God’s thoughts with us, implanting them deep down in our souls. He shows us that Scripture isn’t just true in an abstract sense, but in an objective and personal way. He makes Jesus beautiful to us.

The Scriptures contain a number of different images to communicate our need for the the Spirit’s work in this way. One image it uses is of a kind of blindness; so in Psalm 119 the Psalmist prayed:

The New International Version Psalm 119

Open my eyes that I may see

wonderful things in your law

Paul gave us three other images in Ephesians 4:18

Ephesians 4:18 NIV

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Think of it like this; apart from the Spirit of God illuminating us, our spiritual receptors are dulled, perhaps even dead. A number of years ago, I had surgery on my left elbow because of what I think is commonly called tennis elbow. The surgeon actually moved my ulnar nerve, or my funny bone, to release it from all the torn and inflamed tendons. So I actually have a spot here on my elbow where I can’t feel anything. It’s super weird.

That is who we are apart from the illumination of the Spirit; numb, dulled, deadened in our comprehension of God and our need for redemption. Just as the Father sent the Son to accomplish redemption, the Son sends the Spirit to apply redemption to us; to unite all things in the name of Jesus.

The Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit are together completely committed to your good and your redemption.

As we meditate on God’s total commitment to us, what does that do? When we recognize we are completely helpless, unable to comprehend our need for redemption apart from the Spirit working in us, what does that do to us? Well, it makes us thankful, for one.

And humble. Humble enough to say, “God, I know what you’ve done for me, I know your commitment to me, I will trust you no matter where you might lead me.” That’s the posture the Spirit was putting the disciples in, such that when the Spirit came upon them in fullness they were overcome with zeal for Christ’s mission, and they scattered, taking the gospel to all the places the Spirit would lead.

Why is it that it can be so difficult to be in, or stay in, this posture? I think one of the ways this presses on us this morning is by calling attention to the darkened, hardened, ignorant places of our heart where we still need the Spirit to be working redemption in us. We are no less dependent on the Spirit today than when we first believed. But over time, if we do not intentionally cultivate this life in the Spirit, that sense of dependence can wear off. Independence gives way to a hardened hearts; hardened hearts give way to stubbornness and pride.

In the first few years of our marriage, I actually had three surgeries on my left arm. You’re getting a lot more info than you wanted on my arm this morning, I know. I used to be really into competitive kickboxing. But after getting beat on for a decade, and foolishly pushing through injuries, it took a toll on my body. My labrum was torn twice; I had a pretty rad bone spur that grew up here in my shoulder, and then of course I had the surgery on my elbow.

And every time after my surgery, I was in a state where I would really need help. Neva, in her love for me, would try to assist me. But in my stubborn immaturity, I would always rebuff her, and tell her I don’t need help. The line I would often say was, “I’m self-sufficient. I’m good.” Over time, that has become an inside joke in our marriage whenever we want to make fun of how stubborn I was at the time.

And while there is plenty of room to laugh at me in this, it does make me sad. Because I missed out on many opportunities to receive Neva’s love for me. And my stubbornness caused us to lose a season where our marriage could have sweetened in mutual care and affection. All I have to share about that season is jokes about how stubborn I was.

God’s Spirit knows the places of our heart where we need to grow in repentance and where Christ’s forgiveness still has to still work in us. He is present in us, washing us with the love of Christ, speaking God’s thoughts about us and to us and for us. Perhaps the reason why we feel reluctant to be Christ’s witness isn’t due to a lack of knowledge or a lack of skill. Maybe it is because in our stubborn ideals of “self-sufficiency” we have not been receiving the sweet fellowship of Christ’s love in the Spirit.

Jesus says we are witnesses of his gospel, of the need for repentance and the availability of forgiveness in his name. When that is more than abstract knowledge, when that moves into personal, applied experience in our heart, that’s when we have something to share; that’s when we are moved outward in love to be his witness.

In other words, when Christ’s redemption takes root deep down in our innermost nature, mission will necessarily follow. It has to.

What would it look like for you to slow down in this season and allow yourself to be humbled by the Spirit applying and working out redemption in your hearts and lives. If you need help starting with that, try this: Sit down and write out five ways you can see or sense the Spirit working in your life and give thanks. Identify one or two ways you know you still need the Spirit’s help to soften your heart or enlighten your understanding, and ask for help. Allow yourself to be humbled by God’s total commitment to you.

He strengthens us with confidence.

Jesus said to his disciples, “You are my witnesses.” These are words which will be fulfilled in the opening of the book of Acts, also written by Luke. Notice Acts 1:8 in your bulletin, Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

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.”

In the power of the Spirit, you are Christ’s witnesses in the world. This gives us such great confidence and encouragement. Let’s briefly tease this out in three ways.

First, your life matters to God’s redemptive plan for the world. You. You matter. Jesus intends to use you, your story, your experiences, your failures, your successes, your grief, your joy, your talents; and together with his Spirit in you he intends to use all of who you are as a witness to his kingdom and his gospel in the world.

This cooperation between us as unique creatures and the Holy Spirit is so total that it will be difficult to differentiate the two. Who is at work in Christ’s mission, me, or the Spirit in me? Yes, totally. Jesus uses each one of us as unique, redeemed disciples to be his witnesses in the world.

Second, you are not alone in your witness. Christ is with you and in you as you step out in faith to share his good news. In other words, it’s not all on you. And the places where you feel like you’re risking credibility or relationship to share Jesus with someone, you’re not alone there either. Jesus said in John 14 that he will not leave us as orphans because by the Spirit he will be with us and in us. Yes, sharing Jesus can feel like a risk, it can feel vulnerable, but he’s with you. You’re not alone.

Third, we are not witnessing to ourselves. What an awful mess that would be. Nor are bearing witness to some general principle of forgiveness. We are giving witness to repentance and forgiveness in Christ’s name. Which means there is an authority, a power, a guarantee behind our message. Christ has actually accomplished real redemption, and when his name is proclaimed to the nations, people really do come to faith.

Your life matters to Christ’s mission; you are not alone in bearing witness; you are ministering with His authority. That’s where our confidence comes from.

So I want to encourage us with this. I know many of you are earnestly and faithfully striving to be Christ’s witnesses in our city. You’re ministering to neighbors and coworkers. You’re patiently loving friends and family. You’re showing mercy to those in need. You’re praying, pleading, for those you love to know Jesus. You’re opening your home. You’re risking your own credibility.

And that’s hard. It feels unnoticed. You may even despair, and feel hopeless after years of nothing changing.

Be encouraged with this. Your efforts are not in vain. It’s not all on you. And Jesus is at work in all of these moments, no matter how small, or no matter how much you think you may have whiffed it. He is at work, because he has promised through his Spirit in you.

So take heart. Stay true. Have confidence in the Spirit’s work in and through your labors.

He sends us in love.

The Spirit moves us to be witnesses to all peoples and every nation. The force of this is lost in our modern world, with globalization being the norm, and the messages of acceptance and tolerance ringing in our ears. But this charge to be witnesses to all peoples is no less forceful in our day than it was at this moment for the disciples. And we need the Spirit’s help in this.

This charge to go to the nations was not a natural thought or disposition for these disciples. Consider what we know about a few of them: Peter had prejudice toward Gentiles. James and John wanted to call down fire and smite the Samaritans. Simon wanted to use military force to take down the Romans. Not exactly the most tolerant and loving bunch. Moving toward the nations was not something that these disciples in themselves expected or desired.

And yet, when the Spirit came upon them, they not only began to speak in other languages, but they actually went to the nations, to the other; they lived among those they formerly had prejudices of, and shared the gospel.

How did such a significant change happen? Love.

And since the earliest days of the Christian movement, the Spirit has been working love in Christ’s people, leading them out of themselves and toward “the other.” There has never been another movement like this in the history of the world, which has united people across culture, language, and class. Christ truly is reconciling all things and all people to himself.

For example, did you know that the history of Christianity in India can be traced back to as early as the first, or at least the second, century? The oldest traditions say that it was the apostle Thomas who first brought Christianity to India. Even if aspects of this tradition are more legend than history, the point of pride that Christians in India take to trace the roots of their historic faith is beautiful. And we know that by the sixth century, Christianity had a foothold in Southern India and Sri Lanka because of the witness of East Syriac Persian missionaries. This history was preserved for us in the writings of an Egyptian monk and missionary during his travels.

The Middle East was also a land of great Christian influence in the first few centuries of the church. In fact, when King Tiridates of Armenia converted to Christianity in 302, Armenia became the first nation to officially adopt Christianity - nearly a decade before Constantine and the Christianization of the Roman Empire.

Africa, too, was a place of fruitful Christian ministry long before it took hold in the Greco-Roman West. The early church scholar Thomas Oden argued that Western Christianity was first influenced by African Christians in Alexandria, the Nile Valley, and the deserts of the Negev.

Even into the present day, our faith transcends culture, race, language, or ethnicity far more than we think. According to Dr. Gina Zurlo of Gordon-Conwell seminary, if 100 Christians represented all of global Christianity, 67 would live in Asia, Africa, Latin America or Oceania, while 33 would live in Europe or Northern America. A typical Christian today is a non-white woman living in the global South.

This is the legacy of love left by the Spirit in the people and places where Christ has made himself known through the witness of his people. The promised Spirit is fulfilling Christ’s mission to take his gospel to the nations, and he’s doing it century after century in his people.

However, there can be no doubt that our history is stained with the witness of those who have used Christ’s name to advance prejudice and dominance. This is especially true in Western Christianity. Since the earliest days of the church there have been those who have used Scripture to justify violence and exert nationalistic supremacy. Even today, there are those on both the right and left of the political spectrum who would use Christianity to justify notions of nationalism and American dominance.

Where the fires of self-sufficiency, of pride, of fear, or prejudice rage, destruction is sure to follow. But where the cool waters of the Spirit flow, love always follows.

Author and theologian Willie James Jennings beautifully captures this movement of the Spirit. Here’s what he says:

The church should be the place that suspends the worry of how multiple peoples may [live] together, not by avoiding such complexity but through showing a collective body moving, living, and struggling to form a space of life and love. Indeed the joining of multiple peoples is born of the desire of the Spirit and enabled only as we yield to the Spirit and turn in relentless embrace of one another. Such [an] existence is not an unattainable goal. It is the reality that surrounds the Christian. Our goal must be to embrace to it.

God desires the joining of all peoples in Christ and by the Spirit. There is an intentionality of the Spirit which we have too often ignored. The Spirit, in love, presses us to join with people we do not want or could not imagine sharing life and faith with.

Where does this leave us this morning? This text has a lot to say about global missions, but it also has much to say about our lives here in Indianapolis.

The good news of Jesus Christ is for all people in our city. There is no person, no culture, no language, no class, no neighborhood, outside the reach of Jesus. There are no places in this city where the heart of Jesus does not burn for; there is no neighborhood outside of his reach; there is no household which the Spirit would not lead us.

The challenge for us is - will we yield to the love of the Spirit? Will we follow His lead as he wants us to widen our embrace to include those who do not yet know Christ? Will we break down the walls of hostility between those we have hardened our hearts to; toward those we disagree with; toward those we could never imagine being in fellowship with?

See, this text presents us with several different ways we can measure whether the Spirit is at work in us. There is a deepening of our awareness and joy of what Christ is doing in us, and there is confidence and comfort we take in the fellowship of the Spirit. But outwardly, one of the surest ways we know if the Spirit is at work in us is if our relationship to the broken, lost human community around us is changing. We see the Spirit at work when our attitude toward ourselves, toward our stuff, toward our time, if it begins to reflect the greatest commandments of loving God and neighbor.

Is that happening here? Is it happening to you? Yield to the Spirit at work. Let him sweeten your fellowship with Jesus. Take encouragement from his ministry with and in you. Mission will follow. Let’s pray.