Acts 2:1-21 These...
Illustration
Object:
Acts 2:1-21
These Christians in Acts 2 aren't the priesthood's hierarchy or the temple's choir. They don't base their hope upon a restructuring or uniting of their denomination, enlightened methods for church advertising, or upon their new, tall, handsome pastor. They don't keep up appearances for their neighbors' sake. They trust that God loves them enough to die for them and that God takes up residence in their hearts. They believe Jesus' promise of coming power.
What of us? We look away as we drive by someone carrying a cross on our streets. We toss the religious flyers stuck under our windshield wipers and we don't come to worship to be upset by people such as in Acts 2. We attend church to keep what we've got and add a little more. We disregard anything in worship that challenges us to cast aside our self- interest and shift our loyalties. Make us feel good the way we are. Patch us up so we can return to the life we've chosen.
Perhaps this is why what occurs in Acts 2 doesn't happen in our churches.
Acts 2:1-21
Peter boldly stood up with the other apostles to explain the stirring, strange events of Pentecost. Some think that the Holy Spirit powerfully changed the apostles' outlook and told them what to say that day. That's no doubt partly true. But there's also evidence to show that their boldness and readiness of speech resulted because Jesus trained them in the scriptures. Peter quoted numerous Old Testament sources when he explained the Spirit's effects and Jesus' resurrection.
In my opinion, Jesus probably spent a lot of time helping his disciples know the word. Jesus fulfilled everything predicted about him in the law and the prophets. He likely showed the apostles where those Old Testament predictions were and had the twelve memorize those sections. They possibly wondered why it was "necessary to learn all of that stuff." We'd likely speak with greater inspiration and power if we read more of God's word and committed it to memory.
Acts 2:1-21
One lesson of Pentecost is a call and reminder to "take time to be holy."
Following the resurrection, the disciples had just become aware of the best news of all time, and they were told to wait. They had the message of the resurrection! Their impulse was to tell everyone the glorious good news of the gospel.
I have a strange illustration to share, it will cause you to notice how pigeons walk. Their stutter walk is almost unnoticed unless you are looking for it. With careful observation, you will notice that with each step the head moves forward, then stops while the bird makes another step. It is called a "stutter step." Head moves ahead, stops, bird steps, then head moves forward.
Actually, the bird can only focus when head is stopped, so that style of step must be used. Maybe we should stop inwardly with each step. We let life get out of focus so very easily. Just before the crucifixion, Peter had allowed his life to get terribly out of focus with Jesus. It was the crow of the rooster that called Peter to stop and take time to focus. Each day take some time for God. Each step of each day we need to be in touch with God asking for his guidance.
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Bruce Springsteen sings of an old friend who is stuck back in the "glory days" of his high school years, when he had been something of a hero.
It's a tragic tale, when that's as high as a person climbs -- when the "glory days" of a man's life belong to his time on the high-school baseball team. Yet, it's a tragedy that's repeated often enough.
First Corinthians 12:6 speaks of the way the Lord "activates" spiritual gifts within us. One of the characteristics of gifts of the Spirit is that they don't wear out. With the Holy Spirit, the glory days are now, and in days yet to come.
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Violet Little was troubled, there in the city of Philadelphia, when she saw a homeless man, dressed in ragged clothes and not smelling the best, stop in at a fast food place and be turned away. She knew that many homeless people were sleeping in cars, and that their only opportunity to clean up and change clothes was to sneak into a public restroom.
Why wasn't there a place, she wondered, where they'd be welcome and helped, where they could really rest for a while?
Finally she found a church, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, right in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, that was willing to provide such a room.
Now, two days a week, volunteer hosts and hostesses serve 25 to 40 homeless people lunch and tea. Meanwhile, these guests can clean up, watch television, help create an afghan, play chess, join in the gospel choir practice, or simply visit and relax.
(From Lutheran Woman Today, January-February '08, pp. 28-29)
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Whenever Deloris hosted a party at her home, her guests were always eager to attend. Deloris would always overdo things a bit, like making theme placemats for each guest. Her decorations were always elaborate, as well. Her friends would say that they could hardly wait to see what she would do next. With each party, Deloris always managed to outdo herself.
For those who knew her, it was hardly a surprise when she took a spiritual gifts inventory at church that it revealed hospitality as one of her spiritual gifts. However, Deloris was surprised and uncertain how to use her gift. She prayed seeking discernment for how to best use her gift in church. One night, Deloris shared with her small group her concern. Someone from her group had recently read an article on "radical hospitality" in the church. Tom would see that Deloris received a copy of the article. Deloris carefully read the article before speaking with her pastor.
Deloris soon found herself in charge of welcoming first-time guests to the church. The first thing she did was look at the narthex area. She felt it was not very welcoming, there was clutter on a table and it looked like the bulletin board had not been changed in years. One day, she came and began cleaning, mopping, and waxing the floor, throwing away outdated material and changing the bulletin board. When people visited the church for the first time, she explained she wanted them to feel awestruck. Deloris held a training session for greeters on how they might make guests feel more welcome.
She never realized how she could use her gift in the church. When others in the church saw how Deloris used her gift they, too, wanted to use their gifts. Before too long, the church that had been struggling to attract new members began growing, thanks in part to Deloris using her God-given gift in the church.
The apostle Paul claims that spiritual gifts should be used to build up the church, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Regina, who raised seven daughters and two sons, never allowed her girls to tamper with her cooking. When Regina hosted the family Christmas dinner, her daughters, all of whom were excellent cooks themselves, were allowed only to set the table, make coffee or tea, and cut the desserts, but not to touch Regina's turkey, baked ham, or special vegetable dishes. "I know what spice to add and when," she'd say. "Just stay away." It was, of course, her way of saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."
As Regina's grandson, I found this idiom played out when I coached youth baseball. At the first practice, I asked each player what position they wanted to play. Inevitably, the aspiring superstars responded with pitcher or shortstop. I had to explain that God had given some of them the talent to catch and that first base or catcher would be good positions for them. Others had the gifts of running fast and tracking the ball, so outfield was good for them. I found over the years, that God also sent youngsters with the variety of gifts that made a whole team (even if the gifts were in need of some polish). It was Paul's spiritual gift analogy in action.
John 20:19-23
My friends lived at the end of a dark, dead-end street a quarter mile from a prison. They left their car outdoors, unlocked, with a key in the ignition. When I expressed my astonishment, they told me that if a prisoner escaped and came to their house they wanted their car unlocked so he'd take only the car and leave -- pretty crafty.
The disciples fear their fellow Jews. But Jesus comes to them while they're hiding behind locked doors. The disciples experience that Jesus isn't stopped by locked doors.
Are modern Christians slightly crafty in dealing with our risen Lord? Do we leave a little something of ourselves unlocked so Jesus can claim that part of our life while we try to barricade the very center of ourselves for fear of him and his Holy Spirit? The good news remains the same: The risen Lord passes right through locked doors.
John 20:19-23
Most of us wonder what kind of life we'll have in heaven. Will we have an ethereal existence -- light, airy bodies fit for relaxing on clouds? Or will those bodies have substance to them -- a physical nature as our present ones? This passage presents us with some of the mysteries of resurrection. It also may give us some hints of the life to come.
Jesus made appearances on his first day out of the grave. On some of those occasions, people had trouble recognizing him. Still, his crucifixion wounds were evident and he offered them as proof of his victory over death. Jesus apparently didn't need a door, window, or other opening to enter a house. He just appeared behind closed doors.
Will we have abilities like that in the resurrection? It's possible. The Bible gives limited information, but Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 15 that there will be some kind of connection between our present bodies and the new ones we'll receive in the resurrection. John said that it's too soon for full explanations, but that we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
John 20:19-23
One of the strongest statements against war is that which Mark Twain wrote in the form of a prayer; it is really not a prayer at all, but a brutal statement of what can happen.
O Lord our God help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds, favor our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the same death they brought to ours. Help us to drown the thunder of their guns with the wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes. With a hurricane of fire, help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out rootless with their little children to wander unfriended through wastes of their dislodged land ... for our skies who adore thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their ways. Stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask of one who is the Spirit of love and who is the ever faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset, and seek his aid with humble and contrite hearts. Grant our prayers, O Lord, and thine shall be the praise and honor and glory now and ever. Amen.
How many of these things have we supported in our current war in Iraq? Lord have mercy! Do we call it science fiction? Or is it a sad reality, with the killing of the innocents in every war?
These Christians in Acts 2 aren't the priesthood's hierarchy or the temple's choir. They don't base their hope upon a restructuring or uniting of their denomination, enlightened methods for church advertising, or upon their new, tall, handsome pastor. They don't keep up appearances for their neighbors' sake. They trust that God loves them enough to die for them and that God takes up residence in their hearts. They believe Jesus' promise of coming power.
What of us? We look away as we drive by someone carrying a cross on our streets. We toss the religious flyers stuck under our windshield wipers and we don't come to worship to be upset by people such as in Acts 2. We attend church to keep what we've got and add a little more. We disregard anything in worship that challenges us to cast aside our self- interest and shift our loyalties. Make us feel good the way we are. Patch us up so we can return to the life we've chosen.
Perhaps this is why what occurs in Acts 2 doesn't happen in our churches.
Acts 2:1-21
Peter boldly stood up with the other apostles to explain the stirring, strange events of Pentecost. Some think that the Holy Spirit powerfully changed the apostles' outlook and told them what to say that day. That's no doubt partly true. But there's also evidence to show that their boldness and readiness of speech resulted because Jesus trained them in the scriptures. Peter quoted numerous Old Testament sources when he explained the Spirit's effects and Jesus' resurrection.
In my opinion, Jesus probably spent a lot of time helping his disciples know the word. Jesus fulfilled everything predicted about him in the law and the prophets. He likely showed the apostles where those Old Testament predictions were and had the twelve memorize those sections. They possibly wondered why it was "necessary to learn all of that stuff." We'd likely speak with greater inspiration and power if we read more of God's word and committed it to memory.
Acts 2:1-21
One lesson of Pentecost is a call and reminder to "take time to be holy."
Following the resurrection, the disciples had just become aware of the best news of all time, and they were told to wait. They had the message of the resurrection! Their impulse was to tell everyone the glorious good news of the gospel.
I have a strange illustration to share, it will cause you to notice how pigeons walk. Their stutter walk is almost unnoticed unless you are looking for it. With careful observation, you will notice that with each step the head moves forward, then stops while the bird makes another step. It is called a "stutter step." Head moves ahead, stops, bird steps, then head moves forward.
Actually, the bird can only focus when head is stopped, so that style of step must be used. Maybe we should stop inwardly with each step. We let life get out of focus so very easily. Just before the crucifixion, Peter had allowed his life to get terribly out of focus with Jesus. It was the crow of the rooster that called Peter to stop and take time to focus. Each day take some time for God. Each step of each day we need to be in touch with God asking for his guidance.
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Bruce Springsteen sings of an old friend who is stuck back in the "glory days" of his high school years, when he had been something of a hero.
It's a tragic tale, when that's as high as a person climbs -- when the "glory days" of a man's life belong to his time on the high-school baseball team. Yet, it's a tragedy that's repeated often enough.
First Corinthians 12:6 speaks of the way the Lord "activates" spiritual gifts within us. One of the characteristics of gifts of the Spirit is that they don't wear out. With the Holy Spirit, the glory days are now, and in days yet to come.
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Violet Little was troubled, there in the city of Philadelphia, when she saw a homeless man, dressed in ragged clothes and not smelling the best, stop in at a fast food place and be turned away. She knew that many homeless people were sleeping in cars, and that their only opportunity to clean up and change clothes was to sneak into a public restroom.
Why wasn't there a place, she wondered, where they'd be welcome and helped, where they could really rest for a while?
Finally she found a church, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, right in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, that was willing to provide such a room.
Now, two days a week, volunteer hosts and hostesses serve 25 to 40 homeless people lunch and tea. Meanwhile, these guests can clean up, watch television, help create an afghan, play chess, join in the gospel choir practice, or simply visit and relax.
(From Lutheran Woman Today, January-February '08, pp. 28-29)
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Whenever Deloris hosted a party at her home, her guests were always eager to attend. Deloris would always overdo things a bit, like making theme placemats for each guest. Her decorations were always elaborate, as well. Her friends would say that they could hardly wait to see what she would do next. With each party, Deloris always managed to outdo herself.
For those who knew her, it was hardly a surprise when she took a spiritual gifts inventory at church that it revealed hospitality as one of her spiritual gifts. However, Deloris was surprised and uncertain how to use her gift. She prayed seeking discernment for how to best use her gift in church. One night, Deloris shared with her small group her concern. Someone from her group had recently read an article on "radical hospitality" in the church. Tom would see that Deloris received a copy of the article. Deloris carefully read the article before speaking with her pastor.
Deloris soon found herself in charge of welcoming first-time guests to the church. The first thing she did was look at the narthex area. She felt it was not very welcoming, there was clutter on a table and it looked like the bulletin board had not been changed in years. One day, she came and began cleaning, mopping, and waxing the floor, throwing away outdated material and changing the bulletin board. When people visited the church for the first time, she explained she wanted them to feel awestruck. Deloris held a training session for greeters on how they might make guests feel more welcome.
She never realized how she could use her gift in the church. When others in the church saw how Deloris used her gift they, too, wanted to use their gifts. Before too long, the church that had been struggling to attract new members began growing, thanks in part to Deloris using her God-given gift in the church.
The apostle Paul claims that spiritual gifts should be used to build up the church, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Regina, who raised seven daughters and two sons, never allowed her girls to tamper with her cooking. When Regina hosted the family Christmas dinner, her daughters, all of whom were excellent cooks themselves, were allowed only to set the table, make coffee or tea, and cut the desserts, but not to touch Regina's turkey, baked ham, or special vegetable dishes. "I know what spice to add and when," she'd say. "Just stay away." It was, of course, her way of saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."
As Regina's grandson, I found this idiom played out when I coached youth baseball. At the first practice, I asked each player what position they wanted to play. Inevitably, the aspiring superstars responded with pitcher or shortstop. I had to explain that God had given some of them the talent to catch and that first base or catcher would be good positions for them. Others had the gifts of running fast and tracking the ball, so outfield was good for them. I found over the years, that God also sent youngsters with the variety of gifts that made a whole team (even if the gifts were in need of some polish). It was Paul's spiritual gift analogy in action.
John 20:19-23
My friends lived at the end of a dark, dead-end street a quarter mile from a prison. They left their car outdoors, unlocked, with a key in the ignition. When I expressed my astonishment, they told me that if a prisoner escaped and came to their house they wanted their car unlocked so he'd take only the car and leave -- pretty crafty.
The disciples fear their fellow Jews. But Jesus comes to them while they're hiding behind locked doors. The disciples experience that Jesus isn't stopped by locked doors.
Are modern Christians slightly crafty in dealing with our risen Lord? Do we leave a little something of ourselves unlocked so Jesus can claim that part of our life while we try to barricade the very center of ourselves for fear of him and his Holy Spirit? The good news remains the same: The risen Lord passes right through locked doors.
John 20:19-23
Most of us wonder what kind of life we'll have in heaven. Will we have an ethereal existence -- light, airy bodies fit for relaxing on clouds? Or will those bodies have substance to them -- a physical nature as our present ones? This passage presents us with some of the mysteries of resurrection. It also may give us some hints of the life to come.
Jesus made appearances on his first day out of the grave. On some of those occasions, people had trouble recognizing him. Still, his crucifixion wounds were evident and he offered them as proof of his victory over death. Jesus apparently didn't need a door, window, or other opening to enter a house. He just appeared behind closed doors.
Will we have abilities like that in the resurrection? It's possible. The Bible gives limited information, but Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 15 that there will be some kind of connection between our present bodies and the new ones we'll receive in the resurrection. John said that it's too soon for full explanations, but that we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
John 20:19-23
One of the strongest statements against war is that which Mark Twain wrote in the form of a prayer; it is really not a prayer at all, but a brutal statement of what can happen.
O Lord our God help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds, favor our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the same death they brought to ours. Help us to drown the thunder of their guns with the wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes. With a hurricane of fire, help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out rootless with their little children to wander unfriended through wastes of their dislodged land ... for our skies who adore thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their ways. Stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask of one who is the Spirit of love and who is the ever faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset, and seek his aid with humble and contrite hearts. Grant our prayers, O Lord, and thine shall be the praise and honor and glory now and ever. Amen.
How many of these things have we supported in our current war in Iraq? Lord have mercy! Do we call it science fiction? Or is it a sad reality, with the killing of the innocents in every war?
