A New Beginning
Acts 2:1-4
This event that we call the day of Pentecost was the great important event that leads to the fact that we have a church today. After being with Jesus for His years of ministry, being with Him for His forty days after His resurrection and then witnessing his return to heaven in a cloud the believers needed this event to help them be what Jesus wanted them to be.
Barna surveys do not ask people to define themselves as “evangelical” but instead categorize people as such based on their beliefs. Evangelicals meet seven conditions. Those include saying their(1)faith is very important in their life today; (2)contending that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; (3)stating that Satan exists; (4) maintaining that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not by being good or doing good deeds; (5)asserting that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; (6) saying that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches; and (7) describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today.”.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt
1. We need to become empty that we might be filled.
a. These early disciples had to be rid of things in their lives that kept them from what God wanted in their lives.
Eph 4:21-31 “Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self. (This means living opposite of the way you lived before, that we are no longer the servants to sin, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (not living a deceiving lifestyle.) To be made new in the attitude of your minds; (you are in total control of your attitude) and to put on the new self,(when you are in Christ you can no longer live in the way you have lived for Christ not lives in you and self and sin cannot be where Christ is) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness(How is it possible as some have been lead to believe that we can live the way we want to for Christ even paid for a sinful lifestyle? That does not fit a life that is lived in righteousness and true holiness.) Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, (This is simple to mean we can not lie anymore and to be true to our neighbor) for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (If you are angry then do something about it to rid yourself of it and do not go to sleep with feelings of anger) and do not give the devil a foothold. (The enemy will strive to influence your mind and irritate your spirit and we overcome him by watching and praying) He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, (Any words that are corrupt to a holy life. This goes beyond using swear words, which are included, to any words that we wished we had not said.) but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (What does this mean to grieve the Holy Spirit? It means to give into a wrong temper, say unholy words, or be involved in unrighteous actions which would make God’s Spirit not want to be with us.) Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of meanness. If you do things to be mean the Spirit is grieved and will not be around.
Failure is not fatal. Failure should be our teacher, nor our undertaker. It should challenge us to new heights of accomplishments, not pull us to new depths of despair. From honest failure can come, valuable experience? William Arthur Ward
Col 3:5-10 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature :( which are) sexual wickedness, uncleanness, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (You are not to use any member of your body to sin against God) Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on you. Rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, meanness, slander, and filthy language from your lips to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
THE VALUE OF EXTERNAL FEEDBACK by TC Cummings
Mike Buckley is one of the most skilled hockey goalies in the world. Mike’s coach consistently produces top draft picks for the National Hockey League. Every year since college, Mike has ranked in the upper percentile in skills competitions. With these amazing abilities, why hasn’t Mike yet made it into the NHL? Like so many of us, Mike’s challenge was in applying his focus on the right thing at the right time so that he could allow his skills to come out and live successfully. Working with a personal coach, Mike discovered his strength was also his weakness. According to Rob Day of Puck Stoppers, his goaltending coach, Mike has the ability to examine his performance during practice and make corrections and adjustments that are amazingly effective possibly the best Rob has seen. During game time, however, Mike would react to the pressure by constantly examining himself. This inappropriate, self-conscious, self-doubt distracted him from experiencing the moment and allowing him to perform authentically. We’ve all heard the saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Yet, how do we go about our daily lives, experiencing the full benefit of living in the moment if we are preoccupied with self-conscious examination? Have you ever found yourself in a sort of whirlwind of self-examination and doubt? How does it feel? People say it can feel disempowering with seemingly no end in sight. We are all susceptible to it. Often we find escape routes to hide from our own examination. Sometimes these escapes are clearly destructive we bury ourselves in work, exercise or volunteer aid -- fooling ourselves that this is a healthy place to hide. What’s the solution? How do we experience the moment and enjoy life while still getting the best performance from ourselves? After all, people are depending on us. Purposeful, objective observations and relevant questions delivered in trust and confidence set us up to win consistently. Scheduling an hour every week with a no-holds-barred friend or committing to an effective personal coach elevates our self-awareness and can increase both our performance and self-acceptance. And this focused time, dedicated to self-examination, removes the need for such introspection during real-life situations where our attention is needed elsewhere. We then allow ourselves to experience life while it happens!
Now we elevate our confidence higher still! Confident that we are free to enjoy the moment because we know there is a time for examination. Over these past summer months, Mike learned to leave his self-examination off the ice and trust in his skills. Mike played in "high-caliber" leagues in which single-man defenses allowing 15 goals per game is considered acceptable. Fifteen goals? How about none? On June 28th, 2004, Mike delivered the first-ever shutout in the oldest, most prestigious league in the city. Mike lead his team to the league championship while experiencing more fun and confidence than he’s ever had on the ice! Mike called from the road. He was passing through Buffalo, N.Y. on his way to his new home with a minor league team where he has been placed by one of the three NHL teams pursuing him!
How could this man’s lesson in purposeful, professional, self-examination - empower you?
We may empty ourselves of all the things in the scripture but we must fill ourselves with God’s Word and His Holy Spirit every day.
2. We need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. These disciples had hidden in a room when Jesus had died on the cross and his body had been put in a tomb. They were fearful of men and what could happen to them. They needed to be empowered if God’s work was to go on. They were in prayer and it says that the Holy Spirit filled them for what God wanted them to do.
Why are more churches no longer emphasizing the importance of membership? First, we’ve given in to our culture’s hostility toward commitment and accountability. Like parents who are afraid to discipline their teenagers, church leaders are afraid they will be unpopular for emphasizing commitment and accountability. Secondly, there is a concern that if we create a barrier at the front door to the church, not as many people will enter, and the pressure leaders feel to grow the church is enormous today. But what we don’t realize is that by not emphasizing membership we may have a wide-open front door, but we also have a wide-open back door. Numerical growth is really not helped by de-emphasizing membership. The Bible speaks of the church as a family, or the household of God. If we emphasize this family language it will help people see that church membership is not like joining a country club, it is about joining an organic family. The concept of the Body is also very helpful. The church is called the Body of Christ in the New Testament, and you don’t just casually amputate a thumb. In fact, if the thumb is hurting the whole body goes to its aid. This metaphor shows the commitment, the accountability, and the interdependence of the church. "Times have changed from years ago when you could have a loose relationship with the church. Our society and our laws have changed. It’s time for us to renew and tighten up the covenant."
Jesus Perfectly Pleased The Father
God not only approved of everything Jesus did -- He was very pleased with everything Jesus did.
JOHN 8:29 NKJ 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
Why is it important for us to look at this?
Many people are unclear what God’s will is in many areas. There is much confusion over what many call "acts of God" which bring destruction. But if we understand that Jesus always did God’s will perfectly, and that God was thrilled with everything Jesus did, then we can examine what Jesus did and see what God’s will is.
Did Jesus ever make anyone sick, even to teach them something? Did Jesus ever tell anyone it was not the will of God for them to be healed? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that God would not love them and help them? Did Jesus ever destroy anyone’s property or steal it from them? Did Jesus ever kill anyone’s family member?
No. Never. Jesus did what was pleasing to God. Those things are still not pleasing to God, and He should not be blamed for them.
Is God pleased when people are helped? Is God pleased when people are healed and delivered from bondage? Is God pleased when people’s needs are met? Is God pleased when people have their sins forgiven? Is God pleased when people know that God loves them? Yes. Those are the things Jesus did, and He perfectly pleased God.
SAY THIS: God is pleased when people are helped like Jesus helped them.
