Pentecost 2018

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Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Fundamentally Reduced:

In fact every time we see someone filled with the Spirit in Acts we see some kind of Gospel proclamation that follows.

Today is Pentecost, the day we celebrate and remember the next phase in God’s mission. God sends his Spirit to his people to empower them to proclaim the good news of Jesus kingdom.

At Pentecost we celebrate the final phase in God’s mission. Acts is God’s mission moving forward through his Spirit empowered church. Luke tell us in verse one

Acts 1:1 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

Now in Acts, we read all that Jesus continues to do and teach through his church.

It is his mission. Luke the author of Acts wants us to see that it is God who has and is orchestrating his mission to bless all people and fill the earth with his image.

God is the one who has and is orchestrating his mission to bless all people and fill the earth with his image.

Acts begins by Luke the author reminding us that in his gospel

He is the one with the master strategic plan.

And our passage in Acts shows us how his Spirit empowered church is to participate with God in his mission. Right after this miraculous sending of the Spirit, we see what this new church did. It gives us the blueprint or mission strategy for the church.

And we need to see this because it because it is so easy to get distracted as a Church, to lose focus, to focus on the minors and not major on the majors. To experience mission drift. To not focus on God’s mission and his means for accomplish his mission.

And it is God’s mission, before there are missionaries, before there are missional churches, or missional communities, or missions committees, or mission boards, there is the mission, God’s mission.

or as someone saying the church faces a crisis of mission drift.

the church crisis of mission drift.

FCF: Mission drift

At Pentecost God sends his Spirit to empower his people to accomplish his mission. and

Let’s face it the truth is a church can lose focus. We can start straying from doing the things that are vital to our life as a church. We get sleepy or complacent, or board, or we can can get distracted with the next best thing. Or we import the cultures way of doing things instead of trusting in God’s way.

Because God has invited us into his mission We should trust his mission strategy

Because God has invited us into his mission we trust his mission strategy

We should trust his mission strategy

The the response of the Christians after Pentecost shows us what it looks like for Spirit empowered people to trust God’s mission and strategy, devoting themselves to the apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.

First we see that the church should

Trust his strategy in teaching

After peters sermon, after they believed we see these new Christians devoted themselves to the apostles teaching.

What did that mean for the church to be devoted to the apostles teaching?

Well later in we get a little more clarity as to what this entailed, as the apostle Paul was leaving the Ephesian church, and saying good bye he recounted their time together.

Acts 20:27–31 ESV

for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

Acts 20:31 ESV

Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

Day and night for three years he taught the whole counsel of God. The whole counsel of God is all of Scripture. Not just parts of Scripture, or the stories, or just the red letters in the Gospels. He taught the entirety of Scripture. For the church to join in God’s mission, God thinks it is important for us to know his word. To be taught by his word. It is his vital for knowing God and his mission strategy.

Application:

The church throughout its history up til today faces the temptation to de-emphasize the teaching of Scripture. Sometimes we don’t because it takes to much time, or we pit teaching God’s word against evangelism. We should just be evangelizing, do we really need to be studying about or being taught what God was doing in Ezra or 1 Chronicles really?

It takes to much time, it is too hard, we should just be evangelizing, do we really need to be studying about or being taught what God was doing in Ezra or 1 Chronicles really?

The Spirit filled church devotes themselves to the apostles teaching and the apostles taught the Whole counsel of God. And in Ephesians Paul taught them day and night for three years. I imagine that it would be hard for us to even think about doing that.

But there is always a temptation to downplay Scripture.

Just this week I read of a pastor from one of the largest evangelical churches in America say that Christians need to unhitch themselves from the Old Testament. I imagine Paul would have warned churches about such teaching, because anytime you start to downplay the role of Scripture in the life of God’s people you unavoidably elevate yourself or another ideology above God’s word and people get hurt.

Anytime we move away from teaching the whole counsel of God we are moving away from God’s mission and his mission strategy. If this is God’s mission we should trust his strategy and devote ourselves to the studying and teaching of Scripture.

For when we are immersed in Scripture and being taught Scripture, it is not like we get just nuggets of insights that maybe we have never seen before, although that will happen, it is more that our imaginations and our loves are shaped so that we perceive the world from God’s vantage point.

We should trust his strategy in teaching

We also see we should

The importance of teaching the Bible, and being taught. You don’t know what you don’t know

One famous pastor recently said that Christians need to unhitch from the Old Testament

Main Point 2: Trust his strategy in fellowship

they devoted themselves to the fellowship. The Greek being koinonia, a deep, strong and costly oneness. They had “everything in common,” and no this was not an early form of communism. But it was such a deep fellowship that if a brother or sister was in need they would sell what they had to meet that need. Fellowship is a sharing in each others lives. To feel another persons pain as if it were your own pain. To mutually indwell each other, to be fully known.

Illustration:

If you remember the story of the tower Babel, everyone was unified, but in an unhelpful way. They spoke the same langue and were working together on a mission, to build a tower and make much of themselves. So God came down and confused their language. But at Pentecost God came down and reverses the curse at Babel and made everyone languages understandable so that people would then be unified and work toward God’s mission to fill the earth and make much of his name

Application: They devoted themselves to the fellowship, the partnership the oneness. Fellowship in the church is God’s mission strategy. But today the word fellowship is often just Christian jargon for coffee and deserts, with a little bit chit chat.

We need drop the jargon and risk being known by one another. To trust each other with our selves. So how do you do this?

You must permit others to know you, and to know you in such a way that they can make an assessment of your worth. You give other Christians the power to be affected by you and you by them. We experience fellowship with each other when we risk being loved or rejected.

You give other Christians the power to be affected by you and you by them. We experience fellowship with each other when we risk being loved or rejected.

Now in a very individualist culture, this will feel odd. Fellowship is quite a risky endeavor.

This is why we say at Christ the Redeemer we want to risk vulnerability. It feels like a risk.

And if our schedules are filled up in such a way that this is not possible, then we should reevaluate our calender's and commitments

But as we fellowship and mutually indwell one another and experience the unity the Spirit brings we build a tower for our name sake, but the very temple of God on earth, his Spirit indwelt people.

This is God’s mission strategy, because when we are unified this way we build not a tower for our name sake, but the very temple of God on earth, his Spirit indwellet people.

We should trust his strategy in fellowship and we should

Trust his strategy in communion

They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. The phrase breaking of bread the way that Luke the author of Acts speaks about Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. In Paul says

1 Corinthians 10:16 ESV

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

That word participation is kononia. When we come to the Lord’s table we participate, felllowship, indwell Christ, we in him and he in us. Jesus ascended into heaven and sent his Spirit at Pentecost. And at communion we fellowship with Christ in this meal, but the Spirit lifting us to heaven where Jesus is and there we come into his holy presence vulnerable and needy and we are reassured by his acceptance of us, and strengthened by his victory over our sin, and emboldend to go and invite others to join us in joy of Christ life.

are reassured inhis presense that we

Illustration:

When I first married Sara Frances, I did not realize that I married into a bicycling family. Well so I went on a family vacation in West Vergina and it was a bike riding vacation. Looking back I should have known what I was in for when they had a bike for me with all the spandex, gloves, helmet, and shoes that clip in to the peddles. So we get there we wake up the next morning and we started riding, and we kept going and going and going, and I made a rookie mistake, I did not eat enough for breakfast, and there was not place to stop and get food.

and there was not place to stop and get food. So at about 5 miles out I was done and when I say done I was done. My legs could not physically peddle the wheels anymore, and Sara Frances uncle and dad took turns pushing me the rest of the way. Now after that trip I am not sure if my legs that hurt the most or if it was my pride.

So at about 5 miles from the finish I was done and when I say done, I was done. My legs could not physically peddle the wheels anymore, and so Sara Frances uncle and dad took turns pushing me the rest of the way. Now after that trip I am not sure if my legs that hurt the most or if it was my pride. Either way both were in pain.

Not eating enough was a big mistake. There is a reason that when Jesus chooses to fellowship with us he chose a meal. One of the reasons is that if we want to participate in his mission, we must feast and be strengthen by him.

Sometimes in our pride we think oh I don’t need to go to worship with God’s people and communion with Jesus, I have got my bible and a radio preacher. That is not God’s strategy for his mission. We need to come again and again to be nourished by our fellowship with Jesus at his table and so be strengthen as we fellowship in his life.

Participation in the life of Jesus

God’s mission will uses his Spirit empowered people who communion with Jesus at his table. Let us trust his strategy and devote ourselves to being strengthend by Jesus life at his table in communion.

We should also

Trust his strategy in prayers

Main Point 4 Trust his strategy in prayers

Our passage says these newly Spirit empowered Christians devoted themselves to the prayers. The prayers were the set hours of prayer that God’s people followed, probably it seems at least three times a day, morning, afternoon and night. We see this in the next chapter

Acts 3:1 ESV

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

This hour of prayer would have included Scripture reading, and the praying and singing of the Psalms. Often we may read this and see “the prayers” and simply think they individually prayed a lot, which was probably true. But this “being devoted to the prayers” is more about communal set prayers often the Psalms or hymns that were said or sung together. Giving words that expressed their corporate desires as well as shaping their desires.

Illustration:

Illustration:

Last year some of us watched the solar eclipse out here. It was an experience like I had never had before. And at the moment of totality I had one of those moments where I lacked words to adequately give weight to what was happening and what I was experiencing. I was at a loss for words and basically what happened was that all I was left with was saying “wow, or awesome.

Actually the times I find myself unable to give voice to something is when I feel strong emotion. In grief I struggle to find the words to describe it, or when I am celebrating I again feel limited in my ability and usually stick to something like “cool or fun.”

Coming together and using set words to pray allows us to express desires that we cannot on our own express. We need poets and wordsmiths. Because the words we use express what can feel so inexpressible, but also the words we pray shapes our desires so that we long for what God desires.

that both express our inward experiences and desires, as well as shape our experiences and desires.

This is what the Psalms do for us. They cover the range of human emotion and give us the opportunity and ability to express our experiences and desires, and they also shape our desires to be more in line with God’s desires.

The Psalms give us words. The Psalms cover the range of human emotion and give us the opportunity and ability to express our experiences and desires, and they also shape our desires, dreams and hopes to be more in line with God’s desires.

Every Sunday we pray somewhat set prayers, and every Sunday Jenna leads us in at least 5 fairly long set prayers. Singing together is praying together with music. From the very beginning of the service to the end each part is important.

And when we devote our selves to the prayers and give thanks to God, confess our sins, and ask for his help, we find that one God does respond and he answers our prayers

And we also find that our hearts are re calibrated. Our hearts are tuned to his heart. So that our longings reflect his longings, and his Spirit empowered people move forward in his mission.

God’s Spirit filled people devote themselves to the apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.

For this is God’s means of moving his mission forward.

But let us remember that this mission is God. It depends upon him. The success of his mission rests upon his promises.

It is God’s mission that he will accomplish. The very last verse tells is this, look at verse 47.

Acts 2:47 ESV

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Lord added to their number day by day. God did it. Devoting ourselves to these things does not make God’s mission go forward, devoting our selves to these things allows us to participate in God’s mission and get the joy of seeing him accomplish what he promises.

God will accomplish his mission, and we get to participate in his mission in the power of his Spirit.

And since it is God’s mission, that he is accomplishing let us with the newly Spirit filled church in Acts devote ourselves to the apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.