44 Acts 1:Preaching/Teaching-Grassroots to glory

Grassroots to Glory

Intro:

EOT-Jesus commissions his original followers

EOS-We must get back to the grassroots of ministry

DDS-Embrace the rest of the year.

Have you ever been a part of movement that started from the ground up.

Could you picture being in the garage where Apple was started?

Could you picture being one of the first investors of Walmart?

Being a part of something at a grassroots level, is exciting, risky. But all movements started at a grassroots level.

Dr. Naismith invented basketball

The mikan drill: Fundamentals.

Pistol Pete could do stuff that other people could not do, he would do drills for entire days. The game was built on the fundamentals.

Shotgun-Give an example of this

Many people think of Michael Jordan as a freak athlete and he was, but he was committed to the fundamentals. He got cut from the varsity as a sophomore, as a Junior he practiced with the JV and Varsity basketball team.

We saw this finished product when the US took on the world.

When it comes to fundamentals you can’t get away from them if you want to be great at basketball.

In the same way you can’t be a great church if they are not foundational.

3 Fundamentals of a grassroots mentality

1. The first fundamental of a grassroots mentality is: a God vision (6-8)

Our problem is not if we have a vision but what kind of vision do we have. The real reality is that most of our problem is that we have too small of a vision.

We settle for a lesser vision:

Acts 1:6 NASB95

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

JESUS BECOMES SECONDARY

Notice what they were focused on: Politics.

They had the vision of most Americans, they had the American dream.

What is in it for me?

YES Jesus is going to restore the kingdom but not yet.

We want the blessing now instead of the assignment.

Don’t you love the disciples. Are we not so like the disciples.

In this moment they did not have a grassroots mentality.

They were not living on mission.

They were getting political.

How many times as Christians is our vision more attached to politics than to the Bible.

Instead of believing that Jesus is the answer we trust political parties....

Jesus is the hope of the world.

At this moment they were missing the blessing. They thought the blessing was tied to their national identity.

Their real blessing is that they were connected to Jesus.

Romans 4:7-8 ““Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.””

God defines his vision

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Notice it starts with a BUT.

This reflects a contrast

Powerful-Dynamite-Dynamics

God’s very vision is connected to power.

Holy Spirit power-When you become a believer

Holy Spirit comes in you

GOSPEL CONNECTION

Jesus vision is connected to his people and his people are called to be witnesses.

The disciples were making the end the means.

We are lot like the disciples we want the glory without the cross. But if we are going to be the type of church God wants us to be we have to get back to the grass roots.

Application:

Do you have a vision for your life? For your family? For your church?

Make it personal

3 Characteristics of a grassroots mentality

2. The second fundamental of a grassroots mentality is: gazing intently on Jesus (9-11).

Acts 1:9 NASB95

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

Could you picture what is going on in the disciples mind. Their rabbi, died, he rose again, he came back for 40 days and now he was floating up.

Weird times.

Acts 1:10 NASB95

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

They were gazing intently on Jesus.

Acts Exegesis and Exposition

It refers to a fixed gaze and means giving something significant attention. As they are looking, something else takes place.

I think at this moment the disciples knew that they did not know much.

But notice what that led them to do, gaze intently at Jesus.

We started this summer by talking about sitting at the feet of Jesus.

The disciples had spent a lot of time with Jesus and they knew that they had to spend time with him to gaze intently on Jesus.

These are most likely angels.

Jesus is so glorious that he needs this kind of escort.

Acts 1:11 NASB95

They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

If you think this is big wait until he comes back.

How were the disciples going to live out this grassroots vision?

They were going to gaze intently on Jesus.

You see when we gaze on Jesus you become like Jesus and the more you gaze on him the more you become like him.

3. The last fundamental of a grassroots mentality is: majoring on the upper room (12-14).

One of our values at RCC is restoring good things over God things.

Acts 1:12 “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.”

They were on their own, Jesus was out.

Could you feel the fear?

The excitement that they could continue on the work that was left to them?

What if we fail?

How much are we willing to invest in this.

What happened in the upper room?

Acts 1:13 NASB95

When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

Fellowship was non-negotiable

They were all together. We have made fellowship as optional.

Now don’t worry I am not saying we have to move in together, but they were with each other.

They were unified on the majors

What we would show inwardly will be revealed outwardly.

Acts A. Community Life: Replacing Judas by Depending on God and Reconstituting the Twelve (1:12–26)

The community is preparing itself for the coming of the Spirit with prayer.

Conclusion:

Why did the rest of the world catch up the the USA in basketball. They drilled into the fundamentals.

Now full disclosure I still think America is ahead in basketball but not by much.

When the USA hit the pinnacle of the 92 dream team the world took notice.

Guess what they went back to the fundamentals. Basketball became a world wide spirt and people from all over the world began playing and while they played they locked in on the fundamental.

Look at the last couple of MVP’s

Giannis-Greece

Nikola-Serbia

Joel Embid

The last five MVP’s were Foreigners.

How will the US keep dominant in basketball. They have to get back to the fundamentals.

The church started in an upper room, they started as a grass roots movement. The world went from persecuting Christians to reaching the known world at that point.

Church as we go into the rest of the year what if we go back to the fundamentals of a grass roots ministry.