"Best. Gift. Ever."
​ 
I love getting gifts.  October is my favorite month because that’s when I get birthday presents!  Just for me!  And don’t get me started on Christmas!  All kinds of gifts flowing around.  I’ll bet some of you are receiving some graduation gifts this time of year – you know, because you’ve accomplished this little thing we call education.  What a wonderful invention, this gift-giving! 

On the Day of Pentecost, biggest birth day party ever, the birthday of Christ’s Church, everyone was given the best gift of all – the gift of God’s Spirit to live right inside of us.  Jesus called the Spirit of God “another Friend” to come and be with us after Jesus ascended into heaven – this is the gift of “another Jesus.”  This is not only a gift from God but also the gift of God. 

And from the gift of that Spirit, we continue to be given more gifts.  All kinds of gifts.  It’s like October all the time!  A generous time when we find peace and love and healing. 

Paul tells us that there are varieties of gifts and services and activities, but only one God.  Every one of us is given something unique, something special just within us – but it’s all given by God. Maybe you have the gift of healing. Maybe you have the gift of prophecy, or preaching. Maybe one of you has the gift of working miracles, or the gift of speaking in different tongues, while another may be able to interpret those languages. Someone may have wisdom, another knowledge, another faith. 

Some of you are thinking “Nope.  That doesn’t sound like me at all.”  But the gifts are given as God chooses – not as we think ought to happen.  All of us are given gifts, different gifts, but all given by the same Spirit of God – and all given for one reason.  Paul says:  for the common good of all. 

Several years ago some friends of mine gathered together, formed a work team, and headed down to Mexico to do some mission work.  True story.  Now, two of my friends were United Methodist pastors and had been the best of friends for many years.  And although they had traveled to Mexico for several years in a row, neither one of them spoke a lick of Spanish.  Actually, these two men barely spoke good English – they spoke Southern.  When they were in Mexico, they always had an interpreter with them, and except for a few badly pronounced phrases that John used from time to time, neither John nor Ned knew anything of the Spanish language.  Especially Ned.  Ned never even tried. 

Now at the end of this particular week of mission work, Ned was invited to preach at the closing worship service.  The mission team gathered with the people of the community there in Mexico, and with the interpreter’s help, he began to preach.  Ned would speak a line or two, and the interpreter would translate it from English into Spanish.  And so it went through the sermon.

And as Ned moved through his sermon, he began to feel his heart being moved.  I don’t know that Ned would have named it “the movement of the Holy Spirit” at that moment, but he did recognize that God was alive and at work in the service.  And he began to get caught up in the preaching of the Gospel message.

Now at that point in his sermon, when Ned felt his own heart being moved by the Spirit of God, he noticed that the people began to pay particularly close attention to what he was saying that was being translated into Spanish for them.  And it was at that point that the translator actually stumbled a bit in the translating.  But after a few lines the translator caught up, and Ned kept right on preaching from his heart.  It was a particularly moving service and many people were touched by Ned’s preaching.

Well, after the service was over, Pastor John came up to Pastor Ned and said “Ned, what was that?”  What was what? What was that sermon?  And after a few minutes of trying to get at what the question meant, John explained to Ned that right in the middle of his sermon, right at the point where the people really got caught up in the Word, right in the moments when the translator himself had stumbled… that was the moment when my friend Ned, American United Methodist Ned, Southern English-only Ned, had switched to preaching in fluent Spanish. 

That’s why the people had been so attentive.   The Spanish speakers were hearing the Word in their own language, and the English speakers were reliant on the translation.  That’s why the translator had stumbled.  He had had to switch his train of thought from English to Spanish and begin moving from Spanish to English. 

And Ned did not know he had done it.  Ned, who didn’t speak a lick of Spanish, had preached in fluent Spanish… and he didn’t know it until John told him.  To this day, my friend Ned doesn’t speak Spanish.  But he did that night I believe through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The power of our God who is alive and working in the Church today.   
 
The Scripture describes that there were many Jews staying in Jerusalem because they had traveled for the Pentecost Feast – they were “devout Jews from every nation under heaven” – and when they heard the noise of the wind and the commotion of the Spirit, they came running to see what was happening.  The Message says: “Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, "Aren't these all Galileans? How come we're hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?”  They said “They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works! … What’s going on here?”  And some of them joked that the disciples were drunk on cheap wine.

But Peter stood up and spoke out – now remember Peter?  He’s the one who just two months ago was so afraid of persecution that he denied he even knew Jesus.  And in the past 50 days with Jesus’ rising from the dead and being with them, he has been hiding out with the other disciples not quite knowing WHAT to think.  And in the past 10 days, since Jesus’ ascension into heaven (remember we celebrated that last week), in these last ten days, Peter has remained in a kind of hiding state.

But this same Peter has just been empowered by the Holy Spirit who is alive and at work, and he stands up and, backed by the other eleven, he speaks out with what the Bible calls not just urgency but bold urgency.  He speaks with passion and excitement.  He raises his voice and says:  “Listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren't drunk… They haven't had time to get drunk — it's only nine o'clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen…”  And then Peter quotes from the Book of Joel which would have been familiar words to those who were listening. 

You see, Peter is no longer afraid to admit that he is a follower of Jesus.  He’s not the same guy who heard that rooster crow awhile back.  He is actually excited about being a Jesus Freak because he finally is understanding the big picture.  And Peter wants to tell other people and help them understand that what they are seeing is the Spirit of God being given to all of them. 

Peter is reminding them what Joel was talking about and how it makes sense now.  Joel had said that God would pour out God’s Spirit on the people – look at it there in verse 17:  “God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh [on all people]…  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [he’s saying ‘Even on my servants, both men and women] I will pour out my Spirit…  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”  … through the power of the Holy Spirit who is alive and working in the Church that day. 

Now, we didn’t read the rest of the story in Acts, but Peter goes on to remind the people about Jesus – the one who had done all the miracles through the power of God.  Peter reminds them of how they had put Jesus to death, and with his newfound voice, Peter maybe even surprises himself by telling them that Jesus is alive! 

He tells the people that he has seen Jesus – has spent time with him – and that Jesus now has ascended to be with God the Father because that same Jesus that the people killed IS God’s own Son, and that same Jesus IS the Lord and the Christ.

Well, when the people hear Peter’s speech, they start to see a little clearer about what has happened, and they start to understand how wrong they have been in killing Jesus.  They yell to Peter and ask him what they can do, and Peter’s answer is to turn from their evil ways and be baptized.  They have to believe that Jesus will forgive them for the way they have been living – and when they do that, God will give them the Holy Spirit. 

That very day “about three thousand persons were added” – My children’s Bible says: “about three thousand people [say] that they believe in Jesus and want their sins to be forgiven.  They are all baptized, and with great joy they become part of this band of disciples here in Jerusalem.  Those who are saved from their sins become members of Christ’s church...  All the members are like one family; they love one another with a love like Christ’s.  And when others see this wonderful love, they come to believe on the same Savior.”[1]

That’s what we are celebrating today – the birthday of the Christian Church.  Without the influence of the Holy Spirit, who is alive and working in the Church today, there would be no Church today – we wouldn’t be here worshiping the One True God whom we recognize in the Father, the Son AND the Holy Spirit.  We would be lost and floundering and maybe wondering who we are and what our purpose is to be. 

But WITH the gift of the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost Day, we were given that purpose.  We know who we are and why we are here – and we KNOW that our purpose is to take the message of this day, and the power of our stories, out into the world – to share with those around us so that they see in us the love that those first church members had for one another – a Christ-like love.

“That outpouring of the Spirit that began at Pentecost has never stopped.”  Oh, sometimes we may think that we have stopped seeing it or witnessing to it in our midst, but it hasn’t stopped. The people in Mexico can testify to that!  Today is a day to live into the spirit in worship and languages and hearing and understanding as we are reminded of the power of the Word![2]

Now, I may not be speaking in other languages – I haven’t been given that gift yet, – but I guarantee you that every week in our church someone hears something that they need to hear whether I actually said it or not. 

I hear it all the time – someone will come to me and say:  When you talked about this or that, it really spoke to me.  And I’ll think to myself, YES! The Holy Spirit IS alive and at work because I didn’t say anything like that!  But when you hear what God wants you to hear, when your heart is open to hearing from the God who is alive and at work in his Church, that is confirmation that the Spirit of God is alive and working in our lives! 

That’s one of the most exciting things about being surrounded by people who are ready and open to hearing God’s message for their lives.  It’s exciting to watch it happen!  And it’s happening to the people who are around you – whether it’s happening here or in Mexico or in a Zoom Sunday School class or in Bible Study or at work or at the grocery or the drive through window – the Holy Spirit is alive and working in the lives of people everywhere.  And there’s power in that life and work IF we take the step of accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit!

When we do that, we are given the tools we need and the words we need and the languages we need and the experiences we need to be God’s people.  And with that guidance comes the passion and the excitement of Peter as we embrace the role we are called to fill, and we recognize the power of sharing the stories that the Holy Spirit is alive and working in God’s Church.  It’s the best gift ever!  Happy Birthday Church! 
 


[1] Beautiful Bible Stories, The Southwestern Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1964, 439.
[2]http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp act=reader&item_id=46192&loc_id=733,32,51

"And That's the Truth"

The writer of Acts is sharing with us an account of what he actually saw and experienced, and now has to tell. This is his witness to the events following Jesus’ resurrection.   

You see, by the time this is written, the Roman government has martyred Paul and Peter.  The first-hand witnesses are dwindling.  Christians are being persecuted and accused of being against the government.  They are sometimes called enemies of Rome – those who believe things and spread stories that work against Rome and the empire. 

And people maybe are starting to question their beliefs.  Maybe doubting their own faith, and this two volume writing of Luke and Acts is a way to offer the stories from an eyewitness – to help folks gain a better understanding of what happened.

You see a witness isn’t someone who simply sees or hears or experiences something – the something doesn’t mean anything until the witness tells about it. 

In our house, we have watched many TV shows that end up in a courtroom. And I find that an attorney can never solve a case without hearing the story of the witnesses.  You can say all day long that you have witnesses, but until they climb up in the chair and actually tell their story it does no one any good. 

And so the story in our scripture lesson is being told by the witness – because that’s what witnesses do. 
 
Now the witness tells us that Jesus has continually appeared to his disciples for forty days after he rose from the dead.  Physically – in human form not spirit form.  He eats fish.  He shows them his scars.  He spends time giving them instructions on how they should act and what they should do. 

Jesus tells them that they have already been baptized by John with water – an incredibly important baptism but one that is focused on repentance.  Now they will soon be baptized with the Holy Spirit – which actually completes the baptismal covenant, this outpouring of the Spirit – and that’s going to make all the difference. 

Because, you see, when they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, they will be empowered to go into the world healing and preaching and telling their eyewitness accounts in the areas of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth – in other words, they are going to tell what they have seen and what they know and what they have experienced to everyone at home and at church and in the community and in the county and in the state and the nation and the continent and all over the world. 

And they are going to receive that gift of the Holy Spirit very soon.  They just need to stay in Jerusalem for a bit and wait for God to give them the gift.  Which does hap0pen in about ten days, and which we will explore next week on Pentecost Sunday.
 
Now the disciples are a little excited at this because they think they are going to witness God’s Kingdom coming in to take over the world and restore the Jews to power and dominion over everything. 

They are concerned about their standing in the community.  They are concerned about status.  They are concerned with whether Israel is going to be brought back into power – whether THEY will have any power – whether Rome is going to be overthrown – whether the poor will be liberated – whether the people of Israel will be free to worship the One True God. 

But this is Jesus interrupting their very focused we-have-to-concentrate-on-our-own-neighborhood thinking.  Jesus redirects their focus away from restoration of Jerusalem, away from their own backyard, and moves them in the direction of the mission field.  Their world just got a whole lot bigger – it now even includes not just the Jewish Christians, but all the Jews, and the Gentiles, and the Muslims, and the agnostics and the atheists. It includes America, and England, and the Australians, the Africans, from the Italians to the Chinese, from Germany to North Korea – everyone.  Their world now includes everyone living. 

So Jesus – even though he knows what they are after when they’re asking questions – doesn’t answer them directly.  Jesus only says: It is not for you to know the times that God the Father is going to move.  You may have times or ‘seasons’ in your Bible – whatever word you have there, the Greek means “you don’t know whether it’s going to be a short period of time or a long period of time” – but what you do know is that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in this area and the areas which are familiar to you, and even to places you haven’t even heard of yet much less have travelled to.  You are going to tell everyone my story, my good news.  He is basically saying “You don’t need to know when” but here’s the promise that it will happen – the Kingdom of God will come.  And WHEN the Holy Spirit comes, you have to be the witnesses, you have to tell all the stories so that people will have readied and faithful hearts. 

And then in an instant – he is gone.   Look in verse 9: “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”  He ascended into heaven.

Now, Jesus’ ascension into heaven is not an historical event we are trying to prove or disprove.   It’s just the truth – and necessary truth.  It is necessary for Jesus to show himself to the disciples and to show himself ascend into heaven.  Otherwise, the stories and rumors are going to get out of hand.  We saw him alive; we saw him rise into the clouds.  We can’t explain it – we just believe it because we have the eyewitnesses telling us!  And this is core to our faith.  Christ is alive and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and is in charge of the whole world.  That’s the truth.

Now if we put ourselves in the place of the disciples, we have a very different view of the whole world.  Remember, this is long before Christopher Columbus; everyone believes that the earth is very flat. Heaven is up in the sky and hell is below the ground, but most importantly for this moment, is that regardless of how we view the world, I know we need Jesus with us and – drat it all – he’s headed out of sight.   And I’m standing here not knowing what to think watching him disappear from sight right up into heaven – and I’m nervous and anxious and a little scared. 

Verse 10 says: “While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.”  Wasn’t that long ago that two men stood with Jesus and he was enveloped in a cloud as he took his place between Moses and Elijah. Took his rightful place between the Law and the Prophets – when he was transfigured right before their eyes – when he shined bright as the sun – when he showed himself to be fully human AND fully divine.  And now he is taking his rightful place.  And the disciples are going to talk about that when they talk about this. They are going to share that transfiguration experience when they share this ascension story… and things are beginning to come together for them as they look on divinity itself.   

And then they get the promise: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? There’s work to be done.  You can’t get the work done standing there staring at the sky.  (Here comes the promise.) This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go.  So get busy.”

And when the disciples receive this promise, when they first hear and realize that it isn’t over – that Jesus Christ really IS King of all and really IS coming again – guess what they do.  They gather together…  and they constantly devote themselves to prayer.  They were active in prayer – they were faithfully doing what they were called to do.  

During this time between the Ascension and the upcoming Pentecost, they waited in a period of faithfulness and devoted themselves to prayer.  At Ascension, we are impressed with the power of Christ.  At Pentecost, we are filled and driven by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In between we wait – and not passively sitting around killing time until we figure out what God has planned for us, but active waiting. 

The Book of Acts tells us in those next verses what those first disciples did while they were waiting.  They prayed and they prayed and they prayed… and in their praying they became of the same spirit.  They didn’t sit around waiting for God to herd them into one accord.  They actively prayed and opened themselves up to God’s power.  They were looking for the truth. By being so intentional in prayer with one another, they prepared the way for God’s uniting power to take hold among them. 

Active waiting – spending time praying and listening and seeking God’s will for our lives together.  That’s what we are called to – whether we believe we are ready or not to receive answers, we are called to faithful unified living through active waiting.  That comes first. 

We can’t respond to something we don’t have so we have to get this in the right order.  We cannot take the message of Acts and disregard the message of the Gospels.  Remember, Acts is volume two; the gospel message of Luke is volume one.  Relationship with Jesus Christ comes first.  First we seek God, we become as one in that, we become the one Body of Christ… and then we respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit on our hearts.  You see, it’s a particular order. 

Sometimes our best prayer – our best “active waiting” is just to BE with God – and to seek God’s will for us – together in our thinking and our worshipping and our reaching out to Jesus. 

You know, we have to get this right before we head out to our Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth.  We come together on Sundays and throughout the week to be better spiritually prepared. Even in this crazy weird time of socially distancing, we are to be in this together. We are going to have to get really creative in how this works, but if we aren’t in right relationship with Jesus and with one another, then our efforts to reach the ends of the earth are pointless. 

We have to be witnesses to the end of the earth – people who have experienced the Risen Christ and are willing to tell about that.  How has God been at work in your life?  How has the Holy Spirit influenced your week?  How has Jesus been recognized in your day?   Those are the things we are to talk about as we develop relationships with each other. 

​None of this means anything until we become eyewitnesses for Jesus Christ – seeing, loving, seeking, experiencing, telling witnesses – in our active waiting for the glorious return of our Savior.  And that’s the truth.

"Narrow Pass"

Once upon a time there were two rulers who went into a fierce battle. Now this clash happened 2500 years ago, give or take a bit, and Leonidas, the King of Sparta, had set out to meet Xerxes of Persia – so you have Leonidas the Spartan and Xerxes the Persian in one of the most famous battles in history.  Now the Spartan Army was coordinating with the Greek naval forces to fight the Persian Navy, and that meant neither the Spartan Army nor the Navy was available to go into this battle – so Leonidas took only 7000 men from some of the nearby Greek cities to face Xerxes and his huge army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers because they were headed in to take over Greece.
 
But Leonidas had some helpful information.  He knew the area really well, and he took his little group of men to the small mountain pass of Thermopylae.  Because the pass was so constricted and was the only way in to the area, Xerxes’ whole army couldn’t get through at one time – they could only go through that narrow pass a few men at a time – and for 2-3 days Leonidas’ 7000 men overtook about 20,000 of Xerxes’ soldiers. 

It is said that the performance of these men – the defenders at the Battle of Thermopylae, the ones who stood in the narrow pass – their performance has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds.  

If they had chosen to battle all those soldiers at once, they would have been crushed.  But they figured out how to battle the challenger one at a time. 
As Christians, we stand in a sort of narrow pass of today.  If we choose to battle everything all at once, we're going to get crushed.  But if we trust God, we figure out how to battle the challenges one at a time.  We will find that we have more than enough strength and courage.

In our John reading for today Jesus is teaching:  Don’t worry about everything.  Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus says:  “The words that I speak to you aren't just words. I don't just make this stuff up. The Father who lives in me crafts each word into a divine act. Believe me; have faith.” 

Faith always has been the mark of God's servants, from the beginning of the world.  Faith is believing in things that are real but that cannot be seen by our eyes.  Faith is our way of acknowledging all the things that God has revealed, as holy, just, and good.  And our way of showing our faith is in the way we live our everyday lives. 

We believe that God has a plan, and because we believe that, we don’t have the luxury of worrying about how things will work out because we have to be too busy following the path that is Jesus Christ!  We know the way – Jesus is very clear when he says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

Peter calls him the cornerstone of our faith.  A “living” stone, he says.  And that’s not meant to say that Jesus is hard and rough like a stone; it’s just that Jesus is the source of life and eternal life, and he is strong as stone, invincible and permanent; a source of protection and security. 

The folks receiving Peter’s letters understand the beauty and purpose of calling Jesus a stone.  They recognize the imagery from the prophet Isaiah who refers to the Messiah as ‘a stone.’  They appreciate the strength of the cornerstone knowing how the Temple is constructed – the Temple with all its majesty and religious authority in their lives.  Jesus Christ the Messiah is the cornerstone, on which we are built. 

And going on to declare followers of Jesus as living stones themselves, moves us to see that we make up a living temple made up of living parts.  Matthew Henry described the church of God as a ‘spiritual house’ built on Christ the foundation.  He said the house has strength and beauty, a variety of parts (that’s us), and usefulness of the whole.  It is built with the materials of spiritual persons – furnished by grace – held together by the Spirit of God and by one common faith – used for spiritual work, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. This house is built up every day, every part of it improving, and constantly being supplied in every age by the addition of new members.  New building blocks, if you will.

And for those who do not believe – who lack faith – they are going to fall over that stone.  Actually, over in Matthew, Jesus says:  “The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

Do you see that you and your faith is what keeps the living Church from crumbling?  You are standing in the narrow pass.  Peter calls you a holy priesthood – there’s a lot of accountability and responsibility that comes with that. 

Here’s the good news, though.  This is not rocket science – not even something WE do!  This isn’t essentially about what we can do. It is about what God does for us that we can’t do for ourselves.

Jesus says don’t let your hearts be troubled!  That means this is not our troubles, not our worry, not our burden!  We simply place ourselves in the narrow pass that is Jesus because nothing can crush us there!  We are just drawn into his waiting arms one by one where it is safe.

The only thing for us to do is decide to place ourselves in that space. We decide to trust him with our hearts. Our job is to respond to Love in ways that bring us together – even in a time when individuality is prevalent and separation is encouraged.

We are better together.  Even today when we are socially distanced because of a pandemic, we are better together. We are better when we join our hearts – even when we have to do that for a time through a phone call or an email or a Zoom meeting. When we join in music or mission, or ministry or fellowship, we discover that God makes us better, being built upon one another like living stones in the house of the Lord.

God is alive in our midst and begins life anew among us. Even technology-gathered us. When you look with your heart, you will see the very nature of God in those gathered around you. Through scripture we have some helpful information.  If we know our environment really well, and we place ourselves in the right space, the enemy can’t get to us all at once. We still have the battles, but we don’t have to be crushed by them. And when we stand with Jesus we have courage against overwhelming odds.

I can’t believe that we will be encouraged to socially distance forever so our work now is to be ready to stand firm, to stand on the Rock that is Jesus Christ. From there – from THAT vantage point – we will feel the confidence of those who follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life – those standing in the narrow pass.

"Fully Committed"

A few years ago, I was driving down my street headed home on a warm day like this one.  I had the windows of the car open, and I could hear the sounds of my neighborhood.  It was a good feeling until I heard something strange (but somehow familiar) coming from my own yard.  As I got closer and closer to my house, I realized what I was hearing – it was my dog barking hysterically. 

She had been at it awhile because her bark was very hoarse and she sounded tired, and I wondered just how long the neighbors had been listening to her. 

So I parked the car and hurried to the backyard to see what all her commotion was about, and there she was – right where the fence met the corner of the house – barking and barking, completely focused on one spot in the grass. 

And as I approached her, she jumped back just in time to miss a pretty good-sized snake striking at her.  Immediately the snake recoiled and the dog went back to her barking stance – and before I could get to them just across the patio, there were three more strikes, three more jumps out of the way, and three more near-misses.

Now the snake never connected, and I got them separated long enough to pitch that snake over the fence and out of the dog’s sight.  But when I thought about it, I realized that that dog had never taken a breath. 

Once she had seen the danger of the world around her, it was as if she had determined the need to tell others and save them from the threat.  She was being the family shepherd of the yard.

And I know that dogs don’t reason and think things through like you and I do, but I also know that my dog had barked every second with full commitment until her master had come.  She was completely exhausted, and I wondered just how long she had been at it – but I believe that if I hadn’t come home for hours, she would have been right there committed to her cause. 
 
In the story leading up to our Scripture text, Peter has been preaching – if we know Peter, we can probably assume he has also been barking – but he is committed to his cause, and he has invited his listeners to turn to God, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Now Peter’s sermon may have ended with the words of those verses we read – but the TRUE end of a sermon is what happens next.  The challenge is what happens in response, how we choose to approach tomorrow, what happens Monday morning.  How does our lifting up the Word of God show up among the people of God?

And in Peter’s case here, three thousand people respond to Peter’s invitation.  To put that in perspective for us… that’s more than forty school buses filled with people – with three people per seat!  And every one of them has committed his or her life, has been baptized, and has become a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.  It’s been a busy day!   

And these new followers carried maximum commitment with them.  They flung themselves fully into their task of barking the story until the Master comes.   They approach life from this point on with drive and determination and focus… and holiness.   The whole world is open to them with possibilities never before imagined.  It’s like they were all new graduates, and the potentials and prospects are wide open! 

And for these new converts, the first thing to do is commit to living smack dab in the middle of the community of faith.  These new converts committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles beginning with the life together.  And their life together began at church. 

We have lots of students in our communities who are graduating from high schools and colleges, and it’s happening in a way we’ve not experienced before nor could we have really anticipated it. Their lives have been interrupted in the strangest of ways – with a virus striking from the yards of their summer year.

As we get closer and closer to a time when we might return to being together, it could not be more important to remind one another of our commitment to being together – beginning with life together at church.

Just as those early converts to Christianity realize, life begins at church.  Their relationship with one another is found in their fellowship at the Temple.  They never give up being good Jews in the Temple courts – they continue to worship at the Temple, but their commitment to God is bigger and stronger and deeper than anything they have ever experienced there before.  This is personal.  This is the largest tent revival ever known, and they are dedicated to carrying their new diploma throughout today and tomorrow and into next week and the week after that… and for the rest of their lives barking their stories without reserve.  This is a certificate that is going to open doors for them – most importantly is the door to eternal life, and they are unbendable in seeking that new opportunity.  Life has a new purpose – and it is unending!
These folks are persistent in the time they give to one another and unwavering in the time they give to God.  And they carry that time spent in worship out into the world with them. 

There is a unity here unknown before.  And in that unity, they recognize the needs of one another and everyone gives according to the needs of the whole.  Everyone voluntarily gives to the community so that anyone who has need could be cared for.  What an example for us today! 

They take care of one another understanding that this is how they are to love one another.  This is social justice at the top of its game!  This is total commitment to the good of the world.  Passionate not just for the Scriptures and to the teaching, but completely unswerving in their task – faithful to the way of life that shows Jesus Christ to the world. 

And with the center of this commitment being the worship of God, the fanatical enthusiasm for Jesus Christ as their Savior, the devotion to relationship with one another – with that as the center of their lives – with that as the center of our lives – the church grows.  When you commit to developing ties within the framework of the Church, the Church grows. 

 “And in those relationships, day by day the Lord added to their number.”  Do you hear it?  In the relationships, the Church grows. 

We worship together, we talk together, we pray together, we spend time together – even when it has to be through technology for a time – and we tell one another the stories of the Church.  And in the togetherness, God blesses us and the Church grows. 

Without the effort, though, the Church will not grow.  And when you are not growing, you are dying.  That’s the danger. 

When I stop to think about it, I think maybe I want to be a little more like the dog.  Once I’ve heard the Gospel message, and I realize the danger of the world around us, once I have found that there is a need to tell others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, once I embrace Jesus Christ in my heart and feel compelled to spread his Word…   then I have to bark every second with full commitment until my Master comes.   

And it doesn’t matter if sometimes I feel completely exhausted.  Nor does it matter if I feel that everything is striking against me time after time.  I want to be completely committed to the cause because when we are in awe of the Living God, when we live in a wonderful harmony following a daily discipline of worship, when we celebrate as we praise God, when we are dedicated to relationship and intentional in loving and caring for one another – THAT’s when every day our number grows as God adds those who are saved, and THAT’s our fully committed response to the Word of God.