Chasing the Wind
-Living the Great Adventure-
Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-2
The book of Acts is about “Chasing the Wind” and living the great adventure. The author of the book of Acts was Luke the physician. He wrote to Theophilus, a Gentile official who became a Christian through the influence of Luke or Paul. According to several sources the Book of Acts was written around 62 AD. Luke a research historian interviewed the key leaders in the early church and the book Acts is a summary account of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the expansion of the church in the Roman world.
Following his resurrection Jesus met with the disciples on and off for forty days. Their non-chalet attention prior to Christ’s death and resurrection became focused and when they met with Jesus their minds were riveted on every word spoken by Jesus. They kept wondering what was coming next? What were the plans of the risen Christ? What was his new mission?
Jesus told them He was going away and they would never see Him again on eath. In fact He told them he needed to ascend into heaven so He could send the Holy Spirit to enable them to continue the mission He started of seeking to save the lost and making disciples of all ethnic groups both Jews and Gentiles.
He told them he would ascend into heaven, but they were not to go back to Galilee but stay in Jerusalem until they experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Jesus gave the disciples his final 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.” Acts 1:4
The disciples were telling Jesus, “Now is the Time for You to restore Israel as the leader of the Roman Empire.” In response Jesus looked the disciples in the eye and said with conviction: “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.” Acts 1:7-8
In obedience to Jesus the disciples waited in Jerusalem for the promise. As they waited they weren’t sure what to expect. They waited faithfully coming and going from the house of prayer. The prayer group was made up of faithful believers including women: Mary the mother of Jesus and the brothers of Jesus. It took the resurrection of Jesus to convince his brothers to join the fellowship of believers.
As they waited they decided to replace the empty place of leadership left by the betrayal and death of Judas of Iscariot. The person to replace Judas had to be someone who was a follower of Jesus since the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River. The person also had to have actually seen the risen Jesus in person. Lots were cast and Matthias was chosen. Jesus chose His replacement for Judas in Acts 9 when Saul was confronted by the risen Christ and given the mission of taking the good news of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
The Promise Fulfilled
In Acts 2 we have the fulfillment of the promise given my Jesus. Verse 1, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” 120 had gathered in the house church for prayer, but this prayer meeting was not an ordinary prayer meeting.
“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire, that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:2-4
The sound of blowing violent wind came from heaven reminded the Jews of the Holy Spirit. Ruah in Hebrew is translated wind or Spirit. Pneuma in Greek is translated wind or Spirit.
Tongues that looked like red flames of fire rested on the head of everyone present. Fire represented God purifying presence.
All were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other languages as the Spirit directed them and as the believers spilled out into the streets all who heard them understood what they were saying in their respective dialects. The people included people living East of the Tigris River, people living in parts of Asia Minor, people from Roman Provinces, Egypt, Cyrene in Libya in North Africa and visitors from Rome. In all 15 nations are named.
The filling of the Holy Spirit cleansed people of their sins and gave them a passion and love for all people who had not yet experienced God love and grace.
The Celtic Christians in Northern Ireland had a unique name for the Holy Spirit. They called the Holy Spirit, “the Wild Goose.” I’m not sure why they called the Holy Spirit “the Wild Goose!” But as we choose to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit, He takes us places we would never could have imagined going on our own.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 :8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Following the Wind – The Great Adventure
I know that in my life before I surrendered to Jesus and open to doing God’s will my life was fairly dull and boring. Following Jesus has been a great adventure.
Following Jesus has taken me to ministry in Kansas, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, and California. Following Jesus has taken me on mission work teams and Free Methodist Mission Conferences in Haiti, twice to the Dominican Republic, twice to England, twice to Ireland, Buda Pest Hungry, Harare S. Africa, Chili, Korea, Hong Kong and China.
Take the Holy Spirit out of our lives and for many of us life would be boring.
A child asked, “Do angels ever yawn?” I don’t think so.
Chasing the Wind – allowing the Holy Spirit to guide your life is a life of adventure, anything but a boring life.
Chasing the Wind – allowing the Holy Spirit to guide your life can be dangerous. Peter and John were arrested for preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead. Acts chapter 7, Stephen became the first Christian Martyr. Following the stoning of Stephen: Acts 8:1-3, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” Note all except the Apostles were scattered across the land. Acts 8:4, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
In many ways the spontaneous expansion of the early church was a lay movement. The apostles were not trained priests or scribes. They for laymen who became fully devoted followers of Jesus. Stephen and Philip two of the seven appointed to serve the Grecian widows because outspoken evangelists.
You become a dangerous Christians when you are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides you into truth and helps you become more and more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives you boldness and encourages you to build bridges of loved and friendship to people who are not yet following Jesus.
Peter and John were brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Jewish Court of Law because they were proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. The Sanhedrin had them put in jail and the next day they were commanded not to continue their false teaching about Jesus. Peter and John gave their reply, Acts 4:19, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” The Sanhedrin had Peter and John whipped with many lashes of a whip and set on their way with the warning to stop telling about Jesus.
Peter and John called a prayer meeting and prayed that God would give them boldness to continue speaking about Jesus and the resurrection.
Ask Peter and John if their life was boring and a drag? They would say life is exciting. Following Jesus and chasing the wind is the greatest adventure you could ever wish for.
A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good think must I do to get eternal life.” Matthew 19:16 - Like many of us today, he wanted to buy his way or do some dead to have the assurance of his sins forgiven. He said he kept all the commandments and then said, “What do I still lack?” Matthew 19:20
The young man was doing all he humanly could to please God, but still sensed something lacking in his life. Possibly his life was too easy, predictable and comfortable. He had no challenge. Jesus offered him a new adventure of faith and life.
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 “When the young man heard this, he want away sad, because he had great wealth.”
Jesus guarantees that if you follow him you will not be bored. You are set free to be all that God wanted you to be.
A naturalist was visiting a farmer one day and was surprised to see a beautiful eagle in the farmer’s chicken coop. “Why in the world, asked the naturalist, have you got this eagle living with the chickens?”
“Well, answered the farmer, I found him when he was little and raised him in there with the chickens. He doesn’t know any better; he thinks he is a chicken. The eagle strutted around with the chickens and kept his eyes on the ground pecking at seeds.
The naturalists asked if the eagle ever spread his wings and tried to fly. The farmer said, “the eagle doesn’t know what it means to fly.”
The naturalists asked the farmer if he could take the eagle out of the chicken coop and do a few experiments with the eagle. The farmer agreed. The naturalist tossed the eagle up into the air and said, “Fly.” The bird fell to the ground in a pile of dusty feathers.
Then the naturalist took the eagle to the top of the hayloft of a barn and threw him out the high door and commanded “FLY!” The bird shrieked and fell down to the barnyard and resumed pecking the ground in search for dinner.
The naturalist then put the eagle in his pickup truck and drove to the high hill in the area. Then he carried the eagle to the top of the hill said to the golden bird, “You were born to soar not live in a chicken pen.” He tossed the bird out into the open space and this time, if opened its seven-foot wingspan and flew gracefully into the sky and climbed ever higher.
God created each of us to soar like the eagle and live a life of adventure chasing the wind.
Years ago Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stated: “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men."
Erwin McManus in his book Soul Cravings, tells of a young man that dared to dream. Randy Bradford stood less than 4 feet tall. When asked about his journey in life he would reply, “I’m a bumblebee.” He believed with God’s help he could do the impossible.
When he was five years old he had a dream of flying. In the late 1960s his parents took him to the airport to watch planes take off and land. It was watching planes that his dream to fly was born.
When he would tell people of his dream they would look at him and tell him that becoming a pilot was not reasonable for him to even consider becoming a pilot..
Finally in 1989 a flight instructor, Bob Wallace, took him on as a student. After a year of instruction and adaptive equipment Randy went solo. On April 15, 1998, Randy purchased a 1968 Cessna 150 and stated flying for a non-profit organization called Challenge Air for Kids and Friends, an organization that gives plane rides to children who are either disabled or in some way disadvantaged.
Randy is an example of “Dreaming no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from Oregon State University. He says that he is living proof that Darwin was wrong or at least had a poor definition of who was the most fit to survive.
The early Christians filled with the Holy Spirit carried on the life and ministry of Jesus. They cared for the sick, provided for widows, and lived every day expecting God to bless. Our mission as the Willow Vale Church is to continue the ministry modeled by the early church in Acts.
King Duncan says there is an organization in Hollywood, CA called the Holy Ghost Repair Service, Inc. They’re not in the business of repairing shoes, watches or automobiles. Their letterhead on their stationary states their purpose: “Repairing broken lives for Jesus…in the power of the Holy Spirit.” That is also our purpose: “Repairing broken lies for Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Our goal is seeing that no one miss out on knowing Jesus and God’s love.
A story about a teacher and student appeared in the Journal of the National Education Association. A teacher was following the school bus on a cold February morning on his way to school. The bus came to an unexpected stop at a hotel and a young boy stumbled out of the bus and collapsed on the snow at the curb. The teacher got out of his car and checked the boy and found he was not breathing. The bus driver checked him and said, “He is dead.”
The driver said the boy didn’t say he was sick, only that he had to get off at the hotel.
At school the principal called in the teacher and asked him to go tell the parents and he would cover the teacher’s class. The teacher asked, “Why me?” Shouldn’t you be the one to tell the parents? The principal replied that he didn’t know the boy.” Last year in the sophomore personalities column you were listed as his favorite teacher.
The teacher drove down the canyon road to the place where Cliff Evans lived. He thought, how could he be his favorite teacher, the student hadn’t spoken but a few words to him. He could see Cliff Evans in his classroom, a boy who never talked, sitting alone by himself in the back of the room. The teacher had never seen the boy smile once.
The teacher informed the stepfather of the boy’s death.
Back at school the teacher went through the student’s file to write an obituary for the school paper. The file of Cliff Evans had little information. He was legally adopted by his step father, had five young half brothers and sisters. A list of “D” grades were all the records had to offer. Cliff Evans had never belonged to a club. He had never played on a team. His life seemed to be a “zero.”
The records showed comments by the first and second grade teacher, “Sweet, shy child, timid but eager.” Third grade teacher, “Cliff won’t talk. Uncooperative. Slow learner. Other comments by teachers followed with “dull” and “slow witted, I.Q. low.” His I.Q. in 3rd grade was listed at 106, but in 9th grade it was listed as 83. His score didn’t go under a 100 until the 7th grade. Even, shy, timid, sweet children have resilience. It takes time to break them.
The teacher thought about Cliff Evans and wondered how the school had failed him. He wondered how many times Cliff had been chosen last to play in a game and how many other students conversation had excluded him? Or how many times he heard the comments over and over, “You’re dumb. You’re a nothing, Cliff Evans.” Cliff evidently believed them.
The teacher couldn’t find ten students in the school who knew Cliff well enough to attend the funeral. The student body officers were asked to attend the funeral and represent the school.
From that day on the teacher said that every September he resolves in his mind that whether or not he does anything else for his students, not one of his students will come out of the school as a nobody. He give his all to make sure no student came out thinking of himself as a zero.
As followers of Jesus Christ we care about people. We reach out in love and tell people that they matter to God.
Are you chasing the wind? Or are you caged up like an eagle with chickens? God wants you to soar.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and endue you with power. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you on the great adventure.
Four young people who are being baptized this morning have started their great adventure. Through the act of baptism they are testifying to the world that they have decided to follow Jesus.
