Ground Zero: Fresh

ground ze·ro

noun noun: ground zero 1. the point on the earth's surface directly above or below an exploding nuclear bomb. The site of the former World Trade Center in New York City in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

singular proper noun: Ground Zero; noun: Ground Zero; plural noun: Ground Zeros a site of devastation, disaster, or violent attack. "the pictures from Indonesia's ground zero are beyond description"

2.a starting point or base for some activity. "if you're starting at ground zero in terms of knowledge, go to the library"

Can either of these definitions describe accurately where we are today?

-This could describe a range of where people are in their lives

-Total devastation of their business, small businesses, or a career that was deemed “non-essential”

-A starting point or base for some activity.....there will be new ideas, businesses, possibly whole career fields developed from the new world we have been thrust into.

I’m not going to propose that where we are on this spectrum is based on how we interpret or view the events that have happened because many people are living in the raw reality of:

-Job loss

-Family members being sick

-family member dying

-Seniors are losing the last part of their senior year

-Futures in every sense are uncertain as to how we will proceed

Have you ever thought I wonder what it would have been like to live in Bible times?

-What would it be like to live under the circumstances people in scripture could have found themselves ?

WELL YOU GOT YOUR WISH!

In many ways where we find ourselves now is also pretty similar to where the disciples found themselves in the book of ACTS.

-We are going to spend the next 6 weeks leading up to Pentecost walking through various parts of the life of the NEW CHURCH

-We will look at Characteristics of the experiences and try to understand how we can live in these days we find ourselves in today.

-We have an opportunity to understand the first century church better as they too were scattered and adjusting to a life that was not familiar to them as well

Imagine a little over 2 months ago your world was turned upside down

-as a follower of Jesus you were with Jesus as he processed into Jerusalem to the waiving of palm branches and cries of hossanah

-later that same week Jesus the one whom you have invested your whole life into at this point was killed and you were powerless to change anything

-3 days after that again you whole life is turned upside down by his resurrection and his appearing to you to show you he is alive.

-maybe you see him a few times hear and there over the next 40 days, but HE IS ALIVE

-BUT THEN at the time when you can see he is going to do his biggest work on earth .....maybe even establish the new kingdom here on earth.

-You have th rug ripped out from under you again and Jesus leaves you and disappears into the sky but he says he is coming back and you need to go wait for him in the upper room.

-We are pretty worn out from all this change of the last month and a half right?!?!

-BUT you want to be there when the Holy Spirit visits so you go back to the upper room to wait.

-after about 10 days again you are hopeful that something will happen…not sure what, but right as you were ready to doze off there was what you thought was an earthquake and a strong wind ....

-again your life has been turned upside down, but this time it is because you can see clearly what Jesus has been talking about and you can see and understand so clearly you are compelled to share what you have seen and heard with everyone you know......and those you don’t know....anyone who will listen to you.

Acts 2:22–32 NLT

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’ “Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word FRESH?

Fresh would not be the word that would first come to mind when I read this passage, but this week Jesus spoke this word to me in my quiet time with him in regards to this passage.

This made me question what I knew about the word fresh and when I went to look it up a funny thing happened.....I learned something.

fresh

2. not previously known or used; new or different.

This section of scripture that Peter is preaching to this group is from Psalm 16 which we heard Jeff read this morning.

David was not talking about himself in this section of v 8-11 Jesus is the messiah that David was talking about and now this message had a fresh view when the people heard about this and Peter made the connection for them that David was talking about Jesus as the Messiah.......

I would have loved to see the lights turn on in their minds and their hearts. Ah-HA moments were exploding all over the place in this sermon.

The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak with Authority that was not only filled with his presence, but because it was filled with his presence it was also filled with his power.

-When we spend time with Jesus and we say and do the things he asks us to say and do we will see the power of God in those actions and words because it was birthed from God.

Our world is in a time where as a culture we are at Ground Zero we are in a fresh time where things are new and unknown. What better time to see a fresh movement of God in our world.

If we want to see God move we need to understand:

Jesus is always talking to us and inviting us to do and say his actions and words

We are the physical presence of Jesus in our world if we want to see Jesus do something through his Spirit ....HE WORKS THROUGH US! WE NEED TO DO IT!

If you want to be able to hear the voice of God better in this time.....it is important that we spend time listening for him in our thoughts, his word, and through other people.

God is ready to breakout in our world in fresh ways! We are at ground zero of the new world we are walking into......are we willing to be a fresh expression of his presence?