The Price Of Pentecost, Pt. 4 Series

The Price of Pentecost, pt. 4

Acts 1:15-26

Time magazine medical section: a man went to psychiatrist/complaining of voices in his head/oh boy!/what kind of voices?/sound like radio broadcasts/how about right now?/clearly!/what’s on?/Rudy Valley broadcasting live from Atlantic City/that’s odd!/pulled out his own radio/sure enough, it was on!/…man worked at a glass factory and had gotten some silica crystals caught in the cavities of his teeth/the combination of silica crystals, saliva, and bridgework had literally transformed the man into a walking radio receiver!/was referred to a dentist who removed the crystals and the man immediately went “off the air!”

A lot of churches have gone “off the air” w/ God/used to be tuned in to a heavenly frequency, but over time they’ve moved in small increments, or allowed disunity to scramble the signal! And now you could write over their door, “the church of the blessed memory!” Their memories are greater than their dreams…they have substituted motion for direction [going thru the motions]/gatekeeping for trailblazing/are keepers of aquarium rather than fishers of men…

We’ve been talking from Acts 1 about how to stay “on the air” w/ God/in tune w/ His signal…it costs quite a bit to receive the signal…the price of Pentecost! Acts 2 cannot exist w/out Acts 1!

Great churches don’t just happen by accident/not determined by location, facilities, or the economy--any more than by climate or skin color!

Great churches occur when God’s people become willing to pay the price…of Pentecost!

Great churches are made up of great families and individuals…and great families have 4 traits of greatness: obedience, unity, prayer, and leadership…churches, too, acc’d to Acts 1…we’ve looked at the first 3…

Now, what it all rises and falls upon, leadership:

Judas turned out to be a devil, forsook the Lord, committed suicide, and then there were only 11.

Had to be 12 for a reason: had to correspond w/ 12 tribes of Israel [another sermon altogether]

Today consider: what kind of leader were they looking for? And what kind of leaders do we then need to have in order to be a powerful, spirit-filled church? [acts 2]

When I say leaders, don’t think we’re just talking about church staff…we’re talking deacons, s.s. teachers, workers, cmte. members, those who serve in any capacity…Jesus said servants are the true leaders…those who get out of the boat/realize we’re not saved to sit but to serve!

In sign language, the gesture for a servant is hands out in front with palms up, moving back and forth between the signer and the signee. This simple motion communicates powerful component qualities about a servant and servant-leadership: trusting, being open, offering help, caring and being willing to be vulnerable.

3 qualities of a Biblical Leader:

A. Leaders must be genuinely converted

v. 22 isn’t it a tragedy the way some churches recruit leadership? On basis of personality/talents/or just willingness!/social status…

…first and foremost, a leader must be born again…genuinely converted!

How many have I talked to? I do the youth! I’m a deacon!…you guys seeing many saved? Umm…what do you mean?

The 11 remaining are being very careful, because they got burned by Judas! A tare among the wheat…a counterfeit Christian…a fake!

And he was a leader! One of the 12!

Evangelist Bailey Smith gave some statistics after 30 years of ministry:

57 pastors saved/69 pastor’s wives/139 deacons/171 deacon’s wives/17 missionaries!

You can be any leader at any level…but you still must be born again!

It’s one thing to profess Christ/another to possess

Claim His Name/another to submit to His person!

One of those wives Smith told about was 69 and had doubted her salvation for years, but for pride would not deal w/ it [afraid jaws would hit the floor]…then God spoke to her, “what good is pride in a lake of fire?”

Leaders must be genuinely converted…

B. Leaders must have conviction

15-16 powerful verse!

Notice 3 things Peter believed about the Bible:

1. Authority of God’s Word [Judas’ betrayal was prophesied hundreds of years prior!…it must needs be fulfilled/it had to happen!]

Every leader must believe this or step down, do the honorable thing…otherwise it’s the blind leading the blind!

There’s no such thing as a growing, soul-winning church that is not also a Bible-believing church!

Oh, you can draw a crowd in several ways w/out the Word of God, but you cannot build a true church on anything less… “How Firm a Foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!”

The bottom line is not getting people into the building, it’s what we do once they’re in the building! Isn’t it a tragedy today that so many churches are filling up buildings and preaching a soft-shoe gospel w/ no repentance, no conviction, no new birth, and no preaching on sin…hungry sheep walk in and out of the fold unfed.