Catching The Wave Of The Spirit Series

Videos may be downloaded from www.uplandfirst.org/YouTube.

Intro – Video: All together … SMART CAR

GWR version (Guinness World Record)

A new world record … 18 adults in a SMART CAR.

AMPLIFIED PASTOR KRATZ (APK version)

18 DUMB adults in a SMART CAR!

I think that this video offers us three great life-applications about this morning’s focus on UNITY.

I. Personal COMFORT VS COLLECTIVE Goal (Unity of Purpose)

1. Each participant put their own personal comfort and preferences aside to accomplish the greater collective purpose of setting a new world record.

a. It took cooperation of every participant.

b. No one was more essential than the other….

i. the 13th was just as important as the 3rd

ii. who was just as important in accomplishing the goal as the 18th

2. If any ONE decided that they would no longer cooperate,

it would have foiled the entire effort.

3. Although all equally important in the effort, there is no doubt that some participants had more preferable positions than others.

IE: In this situation

I would have opted to act very SPIRITUALLY MINDED

• Let others go first.

• I would really prefer to be THE LAST PERSON IN!

o The Bible says that the first shall be last and the last … FIRST

• I would willingly have been the last person in….

COME TO THINK OF IT…maybe it really has very little with SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS and more of a reaction to an acute condition of claustrophobia that I have had since a child!!!

• If I had to go into the car... it would have had to been at the last knowing that I would also be the first person out!

I. Personal COMFORT VS COLLECTIVE Goal

(Pictures available on website)

II. good visual PICTURE OF UNITY –

in comparison to UNIFORMITY.

1. If we were to line up all the participants,

anything but IDENTICAL.

about an equal ratio - Male/Female

Different abilities….

Think of all of the possible UNIQUE factors that each participant brought to the SMART CAR.

• musical abilities

• level of scholastic achievement

• cultural background

• economic conditions

• Mustaches!!!! (Females would have found that difficult to emulate for the sake of UNIFORMITY!)

Certainly, these participants DO NOT illustrate uniformity

At first glance, it would appear that at least their attire illustrates uniformity ... but at a closer look,

not even that …

OBSERVE.... some have sleeves, some short pants – some long

There WERE two areas of UNIFORMITY though…

ALL participants were ROCK CLIMBERS….

ALL AUSTRALIANS (UNIFORMITY)

SO what exactly brought about UNITY?

• An external influence otherwise referred to as THE SMART CAR!

under the supervision of a MUTUALLY AGREED UPON coordinator

who had the final goal clearly in view and could help reach that goal.

I. Personal COMFORT VS COLLECTIVE Goal

II. UNITY – not UNIFORMITY

III. Focus on the OBJECTIVE vs on OBJECTIONS

1. Each participant had to keep his/her focus on finishing the goal rather than to complain about the process or the position that they were put in to accomplish the collective goal.

Remember some of the looks of pain …. and yet, for the sake of achieving the goal, they opted to focus on the objective rather than state their personal objections.

2. There was no time for complaints (had to be completed in 10 minutes).

If someone had of taken it on themselves to express complaints,

it would have compromised the entire project.

IL. A horse can't pull while kicking.

A competitor can’t compete while COMPLAINING about the CONDITIONS!

3. The victory was shared by all alike.

They exemplified … ALL for ONE … ONE for ALL

i. There was no single victor….

ii. Each one won a medal

I’m sure that you are already ahead of me in applying the SMART CAR VIDEO PARABLE to what took place on the DAY OF PENTECOST and what should be our model in the church of Jesus Christ today.

APPLICATION: I would like to look at these three aspects from two perspectives.

1. PENTECOST

2. OUR LOCAL CHURCH

I. Personal COMFORT VS COLLECTIVE Goal

Remember, the "waiting time" was 10 Days before PENTECOST – not 10 minutes (Smart Car)

1. Judging by their past behavior …DISCIPLES seemed anxious to place comfort above their commission!

I.E. Jesus asked them to pray, they opted instead to take a nap.

Instead of following His instructions to "WAIT,"

they probably were tempted to DO SOMETHING!

a. GO FISHING - that was the choice of several disciples following the crucifixion.

b. 120 ….crammed in a small room ... maybe not quite as crowded as the Smart Car

little doubt: UNCOMFORTABLE

i. body odor

ii. arguments over who would lead

They had a lot of practice on this subject!

Little doubt that their former arguments now morphed into how long they should really stay .... DOING NOTHING!