What are we (is Jesus) doing here? - Acts 1:1-8

What are we doing here?

What are we doing here? Ever ask that question? That question can be asked all sorts of ways. When we first moved down here from Ohio, I think I asked that question every other week… and there are times, I find myself still wondering what I’m doing here at this spot on the globe at this point in my life. Life has been an adventure. But that question can also be one of confusion. “What are we doing here” is a question you ask when you’re not sure why we made plans to eat at a restaurant that doesn’t turn out to be the experience you were expecting. What are we doing here is also a question we ask our kids when we catch them doing something they’ve been told multiple times not to do.

What are we doing here? is a question that we might be asking about a move from Los Fresnos to San Benito. I bring up the question because last fall I had already contemplated a Bible talk series on the book of Acts, but never dreamed that it would unfold in a different town under different circumstances. And yet, what we would have found in Acts in Los Fresnos is the same as what we will find here in San Benito. The book of Acts is a perfect place to answer the question: what are we doing here?

However, the book of Acts answers it in a way that we would find both surprising and unsettling. The book of Acts is the second of two volumes written by a traveling companion of St Paul. His name was Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke’s two volumes take up more space in the New Testament than any author, including St Paul himself. And if you add the possibility that Dr. Luke is the anonymous author of the book of Hebrews, Dr. Luke is responsible for almost half of the New Testament. Dr Luke is writing to a congregation that is most likely a multi-ethnic congregation of Jews and Gentiles. He addresses both volumes to a friend named Theophilus, and we can safely assume the books are written to Theophilus and his congregation.

But Luke opens the book of Acts with this surprising statement:

Acts 1:1–2 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up.

What’s surprising isn’t that Theophilus is named. Listen to what Luke says… the first volume, what we know as the Gospel of Luke was written about what Jesus began to do and teach. What Jesus began to do. That means then, that the book of Acts is a continuation of what Jesus is doing and teaching. We’re going to come back to this in a few moments. But I thought we would quickly run through just what the book of Acts is about, and this is going to be a template for our Bible talk series this summer.

Acts: The story of Jesus

We just read a moment ago that the story of Acts is the continuation of what Jesus began in his earthly ministry. It’s a mistake to assume that Jesus is not in the book of Acts. Read a theologian this week that said in the book of Acts, Jesus is gone and now it’s the Holy Spirit’s turn. That’s a popular take on the book of Acts, and even church history… and that’s the world I came from. That’s not what’s happening in Acts. The idea that Jesus is not present and now it’s the Holy Spirit’s turn is based not only on a misreading of what Jesus is doing, but also the entire ministry and person of The Holy Spirit. Everywhere we go in the book of Acts, Jesus is present and working to accomplish His mission to spread His Good News to the ends of the earth. And it all begins with his ascension and exaltation, a story we will look at next week.

Acts: The birth of the church

In two weeks, on Pentecost Sunday, we’ll consider the story of what happened with the church at Pentecost. While he was preaching and teaching the kingdom of God on earth, Jesus had promised to establish his church. And sure enough, that is the story of Acts.

Acts: The gift of the Holy Spirit

Jesus had also promised to send the Holy Spirit after his ascension into heaven, and that’s exactly what happens. Throughout Christian history, at various times and places, there’s been a lack of emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit and an over-emphasis on the work of the Spirit, not to mention a persistent error that denies the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead in the Trinity. The Spirit is not a force. The Spirit is a Person and a member of the Godhead-three-in-one that we confess.

Acts: The increase of the Word

We tend to miss this because of our habit of running to pet themes in the book of Acts, but Dr. Luke has his own purpose statements for the book of Acts repeated throughout the book in plain sight.

Acts 6:7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number

That theme is repeated over and over and over in the book of Acts. This is one of those things that, once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The summary statements of Acts are the glue that holds the book together. How do we know that the Spirit is working? Because there is an increase of the word. The Good News of Jesus is spreading everywhere. The Spirit is actively increasing the exposure to, the impact of, and the Good News of salvation in Jesus throughout the book of Acts. Dr. Luke again and again shows that the increase of God’s Word everywhere happens through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word… through the verbal proclamation of the Gospel… the Good News of Jesus… who He is, and what He does for sinners in forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Acts: The mission of the church/kingdom expansion

This is the second half of Luke’s purpose statements that occur all over his book.

Acts 6:7 “So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number

Wherever the Word increases, salvation itself increases. Jesus’ kingdom grows bigger. Jesus had promised this in Acts 1:8

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

How does the gospel and salvation move from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth? The increase of the Word. The proclamation of the Word. There is a tendency in some areas of Christianity to downplay this. I grew up being told that this was a one-off. This is how it all started, but that’s not the way it works any more. And while we have to be careful as to what we suggest from Acts is to be expected today, you simply can’t escape the fact, that where the Word is preached and the Sacraments are faithfully delivered that there is an expectation of increase in people being connected to Jesus.

The increase of the Word is also aided by the mission of the church to proclaim the Good News in strategic locations. There are intentional efforts for church planting in the book of Acts. Again, I’ve been part of a world where this is dismissed as an incident or accident of Dr. Luke’s biography, that this is a one-off, not to be duplicated again. But I don’t think that’s a good reading of the book of Acts. There is expectation and design and intention for multiplication of church groups and people as disciples.

And where there is an increase of the Word and an increase of people being saved by Jesus, Jesus is expanding his kingdom on earth. Here in Acts 1, the disciples ask a question about the kingdom:

Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

The disciples want to know about the kingdom of Jesus, but they are thinking in terms of politics and government and national boundaries. And Jesus gives them an answer they are not expecting:

Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

You want kingdom? There’s your kingdom: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth. Christ’s kingdom is not political. It’s not national. It’s wherever forgiveness and salvation are proclaimed and recieved. We’re going to keep coming back to this point.

Acts: The story of Promise

Acts 1:8 is a big deal… and it is closely aligned with the main themes of increase of the Word and increase of the church in Acts. Acts main summary statement is this:

The Gospel will go from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth through the increase of the Word and increase of the church.

That’s the book of Acts in a nutshell. But there’s also this.. Jesus gives a two-fold promise in talking about the expansion of his kingdom to the ends of the earth. Look at the language here:

Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you. You will be my witnesses. You will. You will. Two promises given that guarantee that the Good News of Jesus will move from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

You will receive the power of the Spirit.

Jesus isn’t leaving His disciples and followers to fend for themselves. Jesus will continue His work of grace, forgiveness, and life through the Spirit. And… they will be given the power of the Spirit. But this power isn’t some vague motivating person… it’s not even a spectacular sign (which is how that power is treated these days). This promise of a baptism and power of the Spirit is a means to an end… and the end we find in the next part of the Promise.

You will be my witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

You will be. So often, Acts 1:8 is treated as if it is a command. You get the Spirit… now go be my witnesses to the end of the earth. That’s not the language here. You will be my witnesses. That’s a promise. This is the same kind of Promise language we find in the Old Testament when God is promising work out His salvation plan for His people. You will be. The task is huge. Filling the earth with Christ followers. But the success of that task is not up to us. Jesus Promises.

This is all promise. Jesus wants his disciples to hear His Word of Promise. You will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. You will receive power. You will be my witnesses. Words of promise. Words of comfort. Words of hope.

It’s not about whether or not we’re up to the challenge. Jesus will use us as His witnesses for the Good News of Who He Is and What He does for us. Jesus will use us as witnesses of His grace, His forgiveness, His life, His salvation. He promises.

Christ’s mission, using His people: From Jerusalem to the end of the earth

This is not our mission. This is Christ’s mission… to fill the earth with Himself. And He promises to use us.

Acts: The story of The Table Church

This has sounded like a survey this morning. A drive by. But I thought it would be good to start here. In the book of Acts, we find our story. We’re told how we came to be. We’re told what our congregational life looks like. We’re told what our mission is. We’re told our identity. It’s all here.

We’re in this “new” building. We’re in this new town. We’ve spent a lot of time already to make this a place where Jesus is proclaimed. But we’re always going to have to come back to this: What are we doing here? And more importantly, What is Jesus up to? While we’re not promised the specific answers to these questions, we are given the general answers in the book of Acts. And in the book of acts, the story of Jesus is constantly moving… moving toward people and moving into places where sinners are.

Jesus gave us this building. Jesus gave The Table a building. But he gave us a building to continue doing the stuff that is in our DNA. Mission, outreach, being guest-oriented.

The building is a mission tool. Facilities are catalysts for kingdom expansion.

Everything The Table Church has already done since moving in, everything we're doing in the coming days and weeks, and everything we plan to do here at our "new" home is aimed at making Jesus known here in San Benito, surrounding communities, and beyond.

Our "new" building is a kingdom asset to be maximized and optimized for the Gospel.

Every decision we make, every tweak of the set up for our worship service, every penny we spend, we're asking the questions: how does this impact our guests, how does this serve the mission to connect people to Jesus, how will this be used to expand Christ's kingdom? We are making this campus mission-ready. Mission begins and Word and Sacrament, but doesn’t stop here. Word and Sacrament are a launch point for the Good News of Jesus beyond this sanctuary. That’s the story of The Table Church as we find it in the book of Acts.

Let’s Pray.

The Table

The story of the book of Acts is right here. The expansion of Jesus kingdom in the increase of His Word. This is where Jesus rules and reigns for us.. this is where we receive from Him life, forgiveness, and salvation. As more and more people receive Jesus here, the more the kingdom grows. Kingdom expansion through Word and Sacrament.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 May the Lord bless you and protect you;

may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.