Leaving the Building

Series Intro - finding our purpose in leaving

leaving something good behind

grieving kids leaving; here to raise them to be an adult; being with children is great: sending them out of the house even better

childhood / adolescence is great, but move on

churches clinging to tradition - incompatible with the mission of God; don’t need nudged, need to be forced

leaving sin behind v. leaving good things; negative v. positive; define faith in the negative; I’m a good Christian because I stopped; part of being a Christian IS leaving bad; also Leaving good;

Sermon

building greater emphasis than God intended: specific instructions on how it should look, but in the end it was temporal; the eternal was far better

History - lots of building - sanctuary in 1984; celebration hall in 1998

e.g. churches burned down; parsonage burned down - they are temporary

notice what is not mentioned

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

overlooked story

Acts 1:1–8 NIV

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”

stay and wait

building - temple - the center of God’s activity; work

Acts 1:4 NIV

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

purpose of building - preparation for mission; everything we do should prepare us to make disciples; examine activity - missional?

being a good Christian means going into a building;

receive before leaving

do not go w/o power; plan without prayer; do without discernment

house of prayer; house of discernment; worship, study, fellowship - spirit filled? our ministries, daily lives help others receive the HS

Holy Spirit at Pentecost - a group of failures = missionaries to the world

Holy Spirit at Pentecost

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.”

not just talk, but experiencing

We don’t need the Holy Spirit to talk about God...volunteer at church...fascination with spiritual matters or even applaud someone else’s miracles. The most rebellious of sinners can admit miracles come from God. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Spirit is not a part of this natural world. He is above nature. He is supernatural. Indeed, he is God. He is the immediate cause of the new birth.

sign of the HS? ability to go; ability to do the humanly impossible; experience what cannot be experienced

sign of Hs? feeling of peace; healing; deliverance from spiritual oppression; overcoming of limitations; God will not share the glory;

go

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.”

something new, out there - not improvement of here

not improvement of the old

something unknown, not the predictable and plan able

something risky and dangerous, not safe -

buildings good: prepare us for mission; encouragement from fellowship; worship

buildings bad: keep us safe, minimize risk; obscure the need

The Acts of the Apostles The Kingdom and Its Witnesses (Acts 1:6–8)

Let us note certain things about this Christian witness. First, a witness is someone who says: ‘I know this is true.’ In a court of law, hearsay is not accepted as evidence; witnesses must give an account of their own personal experiences. A witness does not say ‘I think so’, but ‘I know.’

Second, the real witness is not of words but of deeds. When the journalist Sir Henry Morton Stanley had discovered David Livingstone in central Africa and had spent some time with him, he said: ‘If I had been with him any longer, I would have been compelled to be a Christian—and he never spoke to me about it at all.’ The witness of Livingstone’s life was irresistible.

Third, in Greek, the word for witness and the word for martyr is the same (martus). A witness had to be ready to become a martyr. To be a witness means to be loyal whatever the cost.