| Acts 1:1-11 "Heads Up!" |
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| Written by Rev. Don Lee | |
| Saturday, 03 May 2008 | |
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I’ve got a Bible Trivial question for you: What are the last words of Jesus recorded in scripture? Is it: A. “It is finished” B. “Go, therefore and make disciples…” C. “Be good!” D. “Beam Me Up Scottie!” Actually, according to our reading from the Book of Acts, Jesus’ last words to his Church (at his Ascension) are a four-fold command: Stay, Wait, Receive, and Go 1) Stay….in Jerusalem. Verse 4. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem… Given the Emmaus Road narrative, we know not all the disciples stayed in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death. Some left to escape persecution. Others abandoned the movement that, for all intensive purposes, appeared dead. So why stay? Why? Because Jerusalem was “Ground Zero” the staging area of the Revolution called “God’s Kingdom.” Something was about to happen that would send shock waves rippling out from the Holy City, to Judea and Samaria, and then on to Rome, Ethiopia, Asia Minor, and eventually Carrollton. Pentecost was coming to Jesus’ Church,… just not yet! Stay in Jerusalem. Do you want the Don Lee paraphrase of that? Jesus is saying, “Hang tough, hang together.” There’s a reason Jesus commands us to be together as we do every Sunday. We are more powerful, more available and receptive to God’s Spirit; more capable of world change when we stay together (as the Church). I love how one of our Confirmands put it in her “Creedo.” She wrote, “I believe in the power of the Church!” Stay…in Jerusalem. 2) 2ndly, Wait. Wait for what I have promised. Vs. 4-5 He ordered them … to wait there for the promise of the Father…John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…’ A great many people believe that the church exists to manufacture spirituality. As if the church is a business and spirituality, our product. But if God is the true source of spirituality, then no one can manufacture it for you. Rather, spirituality is about being open and responsive to the Holy Spirit already (at work) in you. Ephesians 3:20 says: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine… In biblical terms, spirituality is about learning to “wait upon the Lord.” Waiting is a spiritual practice; a reminder that in God’s Kairos (God’s time), God’s purpose (for your life and for the world), will be accomplished. When as a church, we gather for worship, sing and pray and celebrate together, we are “waiting upon the Lord.” And in the words of Isaiah 40:31, “those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Wait….for what I have promised. 3) 3rdly, Receive. Receive my power. Vs. 8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Here’s an incredibly important spiritual truth: You cannot receive the gifts God has for you when you hands are already full. Pride, anger, apathy, material possessions. All the stuff we think we need to control our lives; to guarantee our comfort and happiness. We’re like Charlton Heston proudly proclaiming, “From my cold dead hands!” But if I approach God with closed fists, I will leave empty handed! In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Last week I attended a luncheon sponsored by the Pastoral Counseling Center of Dallas last week. The guest speaker was Donald Kraybill, coauthor of the book Amish Grace, about the Amish families who lost loved ones in the Nickel Mines school house shooting that took place in Pennsylvania, a couple years ago. The author spoke about visiting with the funeral director who coordinated the funeral of Charles Carl Roberts IV. Roberts had lined up 10 young girls from the school house and shot them execution style, leaving 5 dead and the rest, seriously wounded, before taking his own life. At the funeral of the shooter, family members of the Amish girls killed, lined up to weep with and hug the murderer’s widow sharing in her grief. The funeral director told Dr. Kraybill, “I suddenly realized that I was experiencing a miracle.” When asked about their uncanny ability to forgive, the Amish members of the community all responded the same. “Why is this so surprising to you? Isn’t this was Jesus taught us to do?” The Gospel, taken seriously radically reorders everything, and I mean everything in your life, (if you will let it). And Jesus commands his church to receive power, but first we’ve got to unclench our fists! 4) And Finally “Go.” Verse 8: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ Do you know what the shortest Commencement speech was at Harvard University? It was given by American journalist George Plimpton. He told graduating seniors, “Don’t go! It’s terrible out there.” And then he sat down. That was it! No question, it’s a scary world out there. Just ask any of our parents with graduating seniors. And yet if there is a word that summarizes God’s message to God’s People, it would be “go.” Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Jonah, Mary, Joseph, even Jesus…God said go, go, go, go, go, go and go! Then of course, Jesus says to his disciples, “go.” One writer describes The Book of Acts as “The Book of Go.” I’ve been reading Tony Dungy’s book, “Quiet Strength.” The head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Dungy led the Colts to victory in Super Bowl 41. Dungy writes about playing for the University of Minnesota under head coach, Cal Stoll. Each year, at the beginning of the season, Coach Stoll would meet with freshmen players and inevitably ask, “Who here thinks they’re NFL material?” Everyone would nod. He’d hold up a team photo of his freshmen class from the previous five years, pointing to two circled faces saying, “Out of thirty-five, two made it,” adding: “You are going to have to outwork everybody in this room and then catch a break, to make your living in the NFL. Success is uncommon and not to be enjoyed by the common man or woman. I’m looking for uncommon people because we want to be successful, not [just] average.” The command to “Go,” is not simply about “movement.” It’s about living up to your God given potential. Is that what you do? Live up to your God-given potential? There’s a key biblical principle to successful discipleship that if we could do this one thing, it would wide ranging impact on our life, and the world. It is the principle of Generosity. Jesus taught his followers Generosity as a way of life; giving more then what’s expected. He taught them not to settle for mediocre performance, but to give 110 percent to being active disciples for Jesus Christ. Married folk: God does not want you to have a good marriage. Let me repeat that. God does not want you to have a good marriage. I don’t care what Dr. Phil says. God wants you to have a great marriage! And that takes generosity! It takes: • Giving one another the benefit of the doubt. • Forgiving even though you don’t want to. • Giving more then what is asked. • Lavishing the other with attention and love. In other words, treating them better then they deserve! Some of you already do that, don’t you?! And by the way, I’m not saying this because I’m an expert. I’m not, just ask my wife Susan. I’m saying this because it’s the Gospel. Parents: God does not want you to be a good parent. God wants you to be a great parent, and that takes generosity. Giving more then is expected. God doesn’t want you to be a good friend. God wants you to be a great friend! God doesn’t want you to be a good neighbor. God wants you to be a great neighbor! God doesn’t want you to be a good employee. God wants you to be a great employee! God doesn’t want you to be a good boss. God wants you to be a great boss! And you know what? God doesn’t want this church to be a good church. God wants this church to be a great church! And that takes generosity! Generosity does not ask, “What’s this going to cost me?” It asks, “What more can I do?” God is not going to rip you off. Don’t be afraid to genuinely pray, “What would not simply be a good gift, but a great gift?” Much more is at stake here then a capital campaign. We’re talking about you and me living up to our God given potential! Stay: hang tough, hang together Wait: Wait on the Lord Receive: Empty your hands and receive. Go: Live generous lives. Don’t settle for being just good. Be great! These were Jesus’ last recorded words for us, his church. So what are you going to do about it? In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen |
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