Some Observations on Pentecost

My reading and teaching is taking me deeply into the profound declarations and mysteries of the Spirit's infilling at Pentecost. Here are some of my obeservations from Acts 2:1-21. If these seem confusing, that's probably because I'm still working out my own understanding of the text and the ramifications of its meaning.

1. Pentecost is a visualization of the kind of whole-world vision the church is to have in its scope of outreach.

Pentecost is the reverse Babel. At Babel (Genesis 11) humans made a tower to reach God for human glory. At Pentecost, God declares his work of salvation to reach humans for God’s glory. At Babel, God confuses speech to divide a single nation. At Pentecost, God clarifies speech to unite disparate nations under one Gospel to build one holy nation. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, we begin to see the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the world through him. So our vision for missions should match God's passion for all nations.

2. Peter is arguing that the sign of Pentecost is the inauguration of the last days that lead to the Day of the Lord.

We are in the time between the times. And in this epoch of human history, God does mighty things in the name of Jesus, through the power of his Spirit, working in his church. Which puts us in an already-but-not-yet situation. God’s Kingdom has come, is coming, and will come.

3. This church age is the promised time when God pours out his Holy Spirit on all his people. The Spirit gives utterance to his people to declare the Gospel. The Spirit gives visions and dreams, though their content is not explained here.

This is perhaps the observation that challenges me most. We live in a world where the Holy Spirit is active among all of his "sons and daughters." Every true follower of Jesus is indwelled with the Spirit and is led by the Spirit. They are empowered by the Spirit to do work that far exceeds any work humans can do on their own. So why do I choose so often to make decisions based on what I know I can do? Why doesn't the church take more risks and make more sacrifices? Why do I let my inadequacy determine my willingness to share the Gospel with another person?

Value of Life

As you watch this incredible video, consider the source of such joy.

99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

HT: JT

After Jesus and Before the Spirit

I've always been intrigued by the period of time between Jesus' ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It strikes me a little like wilderness camping where you have neither the guide who trained you nor the supplies you were trained to use. I pictured a scared huddled mass of humanity, afraid to step out the door. But over the past few days I've had the opportunity to study Acts 1:12-26, which is really the only narrative we have describing this period of time. To my amazement, the first church didn't see themselves as lacking anything. They were just waiting for more. Let me show you what I mean. Here's a list of their activities:

They went home as they were instructed by Jesus. (vs.12)

They devoted themselves to praying "with one accord." (vs.14)

They met in large groups. (vs.15)

They interpreted their experience with Judas using Scripture. (vs.15-20)

They sought the Holy Spirit's guidance through Scripture. (also vs.15) (This is the one that really changed my view.)

They selected nominees based on wise discernment. (vs.21-23)

They asked God to select between their nominees. (vs.24-26)

There is nothing about this narrative that would give the impression that the disciples were anything but confident in their ability to live as Christ's community. Sure they were waiting per Christ's instructions so they would recieve the power to do the work they were called to do, but they weren't powerless. On the contrary, they went to the same sources we do today to determine how to interpret our experience and to hear what the Lord wants of his people: Scripture, wise discernment, and prayer.

Shai Linne: Spread His Fame

Here is a man with passion for Christ and a gift to proclaim it.

Shai Linne with "Spread His Fame." from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

This incredible poetry is both theologically sound and breathtaking. Enjoy this. Here are the words.

All praise to the name of the savior who reigns.
He’s taken our blame, embraced all our shame,
He’s raised from the grave so his fame we proclaim.
Salvation by grace through faith in his name.

All praise to the name of the savior who reigns.
He’s taken our blame, embraced all our shame,
He’s raised from the grave so his fame we proclaim.
Salvation by grace through faith in his name.

Jesus, the beautiful and blessed Son,
Immutable, majestic one
Who was resurrected from the grave
for the depraved.
He paved the path for some
Place faith in His passion, son
Be saved from the wrath to come.

He’s fabulous, His status is immaculate
I’m lacking the vernacular to adequately capture His glory.
Incomparable, unconquerable, all powerful, unstoppable
Absolutely phenomenal.

No obstacle He can’t navigate.
He’s God and so He fascinates.
With Him it’s impossible to exaggerate.

Lord of all continents,
Source of all consciousness,
His compliments are the consequence of His accomplishments
Every sphere of life, He’s the Lord of it
And every other power is either fraudulent or subordinate.

At first we snubbed Him,
Now His vessels of mercy love Him.
Your highest thought is infinitely unworthy of Him.
Beyond vocabulary His actions vary,
His wrath is scary
All His adversaries are imaginary.

He has no competitors.
Ask Nebuchadnezzar, bro
He’ll mess you up, have you eating grass,
You can bet He’s amazing.

He takes in blatant, flagrant vagrants, breaks them, remakes them, and shapes them
to hate sin.

Jesus!
There’s no better name!
That’ll never change and He’ll forever reign while we spread His fame.

So all praise to the name of the Savior who reigns
He’s taken our blame
Embraced all our shame
He’s raised from the grave so His fame we proclaim
Salvation by grace through faith in His name!

All praise to the name of the Savior who reigns
He’s taken our blame
Embraced all our shame
He’s raised from the grave so His fame we proclaim
Salvation by grace through faith in His name!


HT: Justin Taylor

We Have the Same Power as Jesus

Luke wrote two accounts of the time between Jesus' resurrection and ascension. In them, he tells of the power Jesus used to open the minds of disciples, and then he gives that power to the disciples to use for the glory of God. Consider the following verses:

____________________
Luke 24:45a Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures...

Acts 1:1-2 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

Acts 1:5b ...you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

Acts 1:8 But you will recieve power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
____________________

There appears to be a lot more to "being like Jesus" and "following Jesus" than taking on his character and being a better person. That's important, but it's not the extent of the mission Jesus has given his people. As a commissioned disciple of Jesus, a Christian, I am one small extension of Jesus' ministry in the world. And the Spirit empowers all of Jesus' disciples to do ministry they never could do as mere human beings. Like Jesus, we move and act in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that should change the way we see our purpose in the world.

I want to be clear.

I'm not suggesting we have the power to command the Holy Spirit. We cannot open people's minds to the Scriptures on command. But we can read, preach, and speak them knowing the Spirit can use our efforts to carry out his purposes and enact his power. We can pray for the Spirit's power to be poured out. And we can take risks, choosing to follow the leading of the Spirit, trusting that he has the power to sustain us and bring about his purposes through us.

"Sure to Bring Joy and Comfort to All Who Wear It"

The above title is a quote in the ad for this cross necklace. Wow. The other day I received a mass mailing letting me know I could receive a free blessed prayer cross from some scam organization down in the south. The first is a legal business, the second is an illegal trap, but I don't see much difference. Why is the church so susceptible to this kind of slick marketing and trickery? Is there something within the Church that opens it's members to thinking along these lines?

HT:Tim Challies

Do You Embrace True Blessing?

I want the Lord's blessing. I do. Whatever great things God has to pour into my life, I want him to bring it. I'm not switching my theology to health and wealth or anything crazy like that. But if God gives out good gifts to his people so that they will use them to worship him, magnify his glory, and find their greatest joy in treasuring him, my answer is "Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

But I don't understand what I'm asking for, and perhaps you don't either. When I think of God's blessings, I think of stuff I enjoy: Good food, money to pay my bills and buy other stuff too, a happy family, vacation time, etc. In the picture album of my mind, God's blessing looks a awful lot like the dream life of your average materialistic hedonist. There's nothing wrong with anything I've mentioned, and indeed God does give us those things in order to worship and enjoy him. But there is something wrong with interpreting God's blessings entirely as stuff we would give to ourselves.

Consider Aaron's Blessing

Here is the blessing God instructed Aaron to speak at the dedication of the tabernacle:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

"So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."
Numbers 6:24-27

What an incredible promise. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard or seen this blessing in sermons, benedictions, weddings, coffee mugs, etc. God's blessing is graciousness, peace, and his promise to stand in our presence.

But notice the phrase "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel..." "They" are the priests, and the priests will put the Lord's name on the people who will, in turn, recieve God's blessing. But what does it mean to wear God's name?

Here is the part of the blessing I would never give myself. This short speech falls in the middle of a load of instructions on how to live faithfully before the Lord as his people. Chapter 5 instructs people to confess their guilt and repay those they wrong beyond the offense. It also has a method for exposing adultery that would never pass today! Chapter 6 contains instructions for sacred vows and the aesthetic discipline necessary to carry them out. Chapter 7 calls for the sacrifice of material possessions by each tribe in order to dedicate God's temple. And right in the middle of all of this sacrifice, piety, and confession, God says, "Wear my name, and I will bless you."

God Knows What Blessing Is

My conception of God's blessing in my life needs to include all of the ways he makes me more like Jesus, including the discipline that strengthens me, the confession that rights wrong relationships, and the punishment he uses to correct and guide me through my sin. It includes the way he calls me to sacrifice my money for his glory. God is truly gracious and brings us peace through Jesus. And he knows just how to bless me.

A Great Start

If you were part of our first In-Depth Study of the Book of Acts class last night, thanks for coming! Almost 40 of you packed into that little room to start off on an exciting journey. And don't worry, I'm on the space issues. In fact, I've already reassigned the class to room M27/29, which is the Feet to Faith Sunday School classroom. It's quite large, with round tables and plenty of room to breath. Next week I'll post signs on the other doors pointing eveyone to the new classroom.

I will be posting on my blog periodically concerning the content of the class. If you have questions or comments about what you're learning, please feel free to comment here and let us know what you're discovering in the Scripture.

Also, I am always open to feedback in order to improve the class. If you have ideas that would make the class more enjoyable or more productive, let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome as well.

What are your thoughts following the first class? What are your initial impressions of the book of Acts?

The Birth of the Church

On the morning of May 27 in A.D. 30, the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, a sabbath, 120 men and women were gathered in Jerusalem--people who were convinced, after having met the risen Jesus, that the eschatological kingdom of God had dawned with Jesus, who had been crucified seven weeks earlier, and that it was a tangible reality in the presence of the risen and exalted Jesus Christ. And they were convinced that the kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus, would be carried from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth through their ministry as witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:3-15).

- Eckhard Schnabel
Early Christian Mission

They were convinced. Are you? If you're not doing anything Wednesday night at 7:00pm, and you live in the greater Chambersburg PA area, let the above summary of the birth of the church inspire you to join me for my new class at King Street Church, room M21/23. Hope to see you there.