Since Easter we have been considering what keeps us locked away in the upper room like the Disciples. The point that I keep trying to support is that we need to learn how to be a church that is not limited by walls…Wither as protection from the world pressing in on us or as a way of blocking our movement into the world.
Basically, I have been suggesting that we become a church without walls.
Walls are manmade limits, rules that enable insiders to be comfortable.
I have been stressing the need for the church and its members to have a vision that has been shifted to be an attempt the see with God’s eyes. The only way that we can modify our vision by allowing scripture to help us to learn what God is looking for.
Several weeks ago, we started out looking at the Father’s response to the prodigal son…how the Father was welcoming to wayward individuals. However, the biggest danger for Christians is to be more like the older brother and use the walls of the church to reject sinners and outsiders.
We have also looked at the role that God expects of his children…Which is basically the position of Royal priest representing God to the people in this world that don’t know how to approach God. While most of us would say that we know that we tend to hold back thinking that we are not qualified to be a rep for God, so we only look for ways to improve our selves and resist interacting with others. The main point that I hope you heard was that no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are the church….
Wither you embrace the role or not your every word and action represents God to the people around you.
We have also taken a little time to make sure that we understand God’s mission. As priest we are to focus on reaching out to people so that they can join us in the journey to heaven. Our mission is not denomination, traditions, places or things. It is about People!
I explained that that we are to be a active ambassadors for God. We don’t just wait on people to approach is as priest…we also reach out to people and offer relationship.
Our mission is one where we are allow to be as creative and to invest ourselves in the importance of the mission. I describes the process as DAHG (BOG) Big Auditions Harry Goals. The problem is that BHAG (BOG) has a tendency to produce BHAA – (BAAAAA)
- Big Harry Audacious Anxiety which might also be pronounced FEAR.
In our last time together we looked at how a branch that gets separated from the vine can never bear fruit. The idea was that none of us can ever bear fruit if we fail to focus our relationship with Christ. It is His activity working through us that produces fruit. The idea is that God’s expects us to be in the world and empowered to be the priest and ambassador for Him out side of the walls of this place.
I know the recap was a bit long..but it seemed important to review the direction that we have been traveling.
So today we have come to a very special day in the church. It mist be special because all the paramanents are red. Today is Pentecost…technically the birthday of the Church.
Let’s read this morning’s scripture: Acts 2: 1-21
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 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.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
" ’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Jeff Foxworthy has made the word "redneck" a very popular one in today’s culture with his humor statements which begin "You might be a redneck if..."
Does any one have an example that we can share in Church?
(how about)
"You might be a redneck if you come back from the dump with more than you took....... your son is named for your favorite pro wrestler....
you begin most sentences with ’You ain’t gonna believe this’....
or you think fax is the opposite of fiction."
your fathers cell number has nothing to do with a phone.
You think a stock tip is advice on handling your livestock.
-- The word "redneck" is one that has become a part of popular slang, these days, referring to somebody who is rather unsophisticated, from the country, and often from the South. One would think all the sophisticated people would be more politically correct and not laugh at this kind of humor.
The only problem is that is seems that the people that enjoy this humor the most would actually call themselves rednecks. In a way the derogatory statements hold some basic element of truth. If not a physical reality perhaps something that a person has thought of doing.
So why in the world would I talk about rednecks on Pentecost Sunday?
It is because Galilee was the cultural equivalent of redneck country in the time of Jesus. You could always tell a Galilean by his or her accent. Galileans, scholars tell us, had the habit of blurring and shortening their words when speaking.
They might say things like runnin’ instead of running, or huntin’ instead of hunting.
As Judean rednecks, Galileans were looked down upon as being rural, backward and even a little slow. That is why Peter was challenged as he stood in the courtyard while Jesus was being questioned by Pilate. The servant girl knew Peter had been one of Jesus’ disciples because of his accent - his redneck accent gave him away.
It is even more specific – because it was not just a “your not from around here” comment. The hearer could actually place the area of the country they were from.
So now, knowing what we do about the Galilean accent, put yourself in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.
Here are these Galileans, these rednecks, and suddenly they are speaking eloquently in foreign languages! They are speaking in the equivalent of German and French and Japanese and they are speaking fluently.
Hearing a foreign language was not all that special either.
-- In the past I made a lot of week long trips to New York City, People always wanted me to say something just to here me talk. I guess they thought it sounded cute.
On one occasion my boss took me out to lunch and there was a person sitting near us that had a Southern accent.
In the cloud of conversation, I could here something familiar. A voice that reminded me of home, it got my attention and I looked for the source.
In our reading: “Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"”
The people hearing the disciples speaking - the people who came from distant places - understood them perfectly….. in their own home town accent.
It seems that it might be even more amazing – it seems that two people may have heard different languages from one person at the same time. That would be mind blowing.
-- It got their attention.
These country bumpkins suddenly became remarkable communicators - articulate ambassadors, witnessing to the Glory of God.
How? Because they were filled with the Holy Spirit!
Just what does that mean? ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’?
It means they were no longer ‘full of themselves’, …. they were ‘full of God’.
---- no longer ‘full of themselves’, …. they were ‘full of God’.
They didn’t just live for themselves and their wants and needs, but they began to live for Christ. They were so excited and so changed that they wanted everyone to share the experience.
-- It is like the joy that grandparents feel when the new baby comes and everyone is healthy. The pictures come out and details like pounds and ounces and length happen without a thought.
-- It is like when our favorite sports team wins the championship and we want everyone to celebrate.
-- It is an enthusiasm that we want to share.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have that same enthusiasm for the things of God.
Pentecost is from God. The power of the Almighty in the form of the Holy Spirit was at work there changing people’s lives then, and it still does today. When the Spirit moves, our lives are changed and commitments are made.
When we let the Spirit in we begin to realize:
The Christian life is not just about salvation, but transformation.
The message of “You need to be born again.” is good as far as it goes.
It is a necessary first step.
But if our faith only consists of a single event where we repented of our sin and came to Christ, then it is an incomplete faith.
- What if a baby was born and we all celebrated the new life, but the baby never took in nourishment, was never nurtured, never grew, never developed. As wonderful as its birth was, it would not survive. Pediatricians call it “failure to thrive.”
- If a young person never leaves home. Never gets a job or has any sound ambition of a life separate from his or her parents…it is the same kind thing – a “failure to launch.”
If you think that the Christian life is only about being born again, think again.
It is not just about salvation, it is about your transformation. Your maturity.
The only way that a church can grow up is to realize that it can not be limited by walls. It can’t just gather for private worship. It can’t just gather to be fed and not mature to a point where each members uses their God given gifts and talents for God’s mission.
The church is a group of people that are constantly working on the mission of saving people. However the process involves inviting people to join the team and train, empower and support people to be launched back into a community to continue God’s mission.
Question – as children, did any of you play with charcoal lighter fluid or other flammable materials? For the Men of the church the answer is probably yes.
The thing about flammable liquids is that they can make a really impressive flash when set off in an uncontrolled manner. However, if used properly they do all kinds of good.
Example a gallon of gas in a bucket will give a spectacular flash and maybe more. That same gallon of Gas might take you 10 or more miles to the hospital if needed.
Or how about charcoal lighter fluid, You can make an interesting flash, not quiet as impressive as gas. Perhaps I am revealing too much of my personal experimentation!
But if used to start charcoal, it is not long before we have a cooking fire of hot coals.
Folks in 27 days we are co-hosting a festival and each one of us needs to decide of we are gong to let the spirit lead us. Will we speak in tongues? I am going to say that it is not just a possibility. With the Holy Spirit it will be a reality.
- Some will talk about the music or politics.
- Others will talk cars, nascar, football, baseball.
- Others will talk of raising children or marriage.
- Still other may speak of fishing, or gardening.
-- And still others may speak of loss of loved ones, or jobs, or hope.
When we are no longer full of ourselves, when we forget the walls the man made limits on what we will do for and with God. Then we can and will be filled with God and people will notice.
I have this basket that is holding all my (empty) Easter eggs in one basket this morning. I wanted a way to visually say that our Jesus Jam event is really going to require every spirit filled member of this church to do their part.
I am suggesting that we put all our resources…All our eggs in one basket.
I have heard that was a bad idea because you might drop the basket. However in this case It is not you or me that is doing the carrying. It is God that is doing the heavy lifting.
I trust that God will not drop anything.
All we are called to do is to be redneck Christians. Dress the way we dress, talk the way we talk, share our knowledge of our interest in this world and acknowledge the wonders of God in our normal day.
The Holy Spirit will prompt you….don’t say no.
As for our event, it can be a flash in the pan if we run it our way. But if we use it as God intends I believe that we can have an inviting long term bank of coals and perhaps even better - a Bar-B-Que.
All glory be to God.
