"Bringing It" (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

Introduction

Who do you look like? Often we have look-a-likes. When you look in the mirror who do you see?

Today I want to talk about growing into the image/likeness of Jesus. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives – to make us more like Jesus. And this is NOT just for its own sake – for our own sake – this is for other people’s sake. We are charged with the responsibility of bringing Jesus to the people around us. We are called to make it easier (not harder) for people to believe in God!

My message title today, “Bringing it”, refers to bringing a representation of Jesus into all of our daily interactions and relationships … for the sake of others. And we would know why this is important. We believe that people need to know Jesus, and that people would benefit greatly from knowing Jesus. And, people are more ready to experience something with integrity, than listen to sometimes empty words.

More than this, the text we read, talks about an unveiling of the glory of God. Now I find that an exciting concept. With Jesus on the scene, there is the very real possibility of the glory of God being seen and experienced … broadly across a community. Again, this happens as Jesus-followers open themselves to growing into the image of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Biblical Inspiration

I was really attracted to these verses in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 3. Let’s read again verses 17 & 18. We have come to know Jesus, experienced grace and been forgiven, accepted Jesus into our lives as Saviour and Lord, and dedicated ourselves to following him. Well, hopefully! Through the cross and resurrection we are being drawn into the new creation - the old has gone, the new has come. And the Holy Spirit has begun a process in our lives whereby all the attributes and capacities of Jesus have started to take root. That has been traditionally referred to as sanctification – being made ‘holy’, which really means … being ‘set apart’ for God’s purposes (for all to see).

In this we are being brought into true “freedom” (v 17). “Freedom” means that we are no longer confined by sin, regret, or any other addiction or negative behaviour. “Freedom” also means that we naturally exhibit peace, hope and purpose. ‘Peace’ … knowing that we don't have to strive for approval and acceptance anymore, for Jesus loves us and accepts us. ‘Hope’ … knowing that we don't have to wonder about our future, for we are held in God’s faithful hands. ‘Purpose’ … knowing that we don't lack understanding why we are here. A life like that, should be powerful (in a good way) and make a real difference in the lives of others.

In verse 18, Paul reflects on how, as part of this process, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus. We do NOT need to distinguish too much here between God and Jesus, for Jesus came to fully reveal who God was; and so it is this ‘Divine’ image we are being transformed into. Lest this sounds way to out there, we shall try to show how the rubber hits the road with this. After all, in being transformed into the image of Jesus, this has to make sense in real life … like it did for Jesus when he was on earth. We still remain our unique selves; and just as it takes a village to bring up a child, it takes a collection of unique versions of Jesus to raise a community!!

We ourselves, each of us, anyway, was made in God’s image. It’s just that this image in us has been marred by sin. This is our own personal sin, and also the effect of the accumulated sin of a fallen world … that subtly impacts on us every time we fail to resist. This is where we follow a culture that is not inclined toward Kingdom values. This is the earthbound corruption that affects us all. And, there are alternative images to Jesus that can be adopted.

We might just prefer our own image! Would we rather be like Jesus, or prefer Jesus to be like me? We might like to design God in our image! We have our own idea of what we want God to be like. We might like to eliminate Jesus from our consciousness (and stay in charge ourselves)! Some may say, we have no king but Caesar, and prefer that Jesus be crucified.

But, in all this, God’s (pure perfect) image has NOT been marred; and this can be restored in us as we submit to Jesus. So the image we were born into, is the image that we can recapture through relationship with Jesus. The power of sin is broken.

The Unveiling

In our growth process there is an unveiling of a face … a new face … one that no longer reflects shame, but only reflects the glory of God. We once lacked the sort of face that could make any difference at all ... it was tied up in hopelessness. But now, we have experienced God’s glory, and this has become part of who we are. “… when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed” (v 16).

Earlier in the passage (vs 13-15), Paul draws an example from the life of Moses. When Moses spent time with God on Mt Sinai his face would glow. When he came back before the people he would veil his face. Paul here suggests that when Moses departed from the presence (or glory) of God, the radiance in his face diminished, and to cover that fact … Moses veiled his face. There was an understanding here that without God, it was very difficult to live up to the ‘law and commandments’ – this sense of failure needing to be veiled.

Paul used this to point to the difference between the old and new ‘covenants’. This showed that the ‘law’ or the ‘old covenant’ was never going to be enough to restore human well-being … the ‘law’ would be the ethical guide, but NOT the ultimate path to salvation. The Scripture says the people’s “minds were hardened” (v.14a) – they had a hard time obeying the ‘law’, and were getting stuck. Guilt, shame, and a sense of hopelessness remained with them, and their faces would be veiled. The ‘old covenant’ would never provide for a permanency of relationship with God ... only Jesus could do that.

Without Jesus we necessarily have veiled faces. But with Jesus (and the ‘new covenant’), faces can be unveiled – permanently unveiled. Uncovering the face, because we know Jesus, means that, we have gained new confidence and freedom. Because of condemnation under the ‘old covenant’, people were shame-faced and hesitant in the presence of God, whereas under the ‘new covenant’, people are open and confident with their God. There is no longer any confusion about who we trust and who we serve. We are completely free in the Holy Spirit to live, speak and act for Jesus.

What Changes?

It is the glory of God that is then seen reflected in our faces. We look in the mirror and see the glory of God, not for our own sake, but for those who witness this. Yet anything that shows on the face actually derives from our inner character. We undergo a moral and ethical transformation. And the sort of character we need, was most clearly seen in the life of Jesus. This means we will look like Jesus, and by extension, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus, live like Jesus.

Michael Frost talks about us living “questionable lives” … to surprise the world, i.e. to invite questions from others. Eventually, we will need to know what to say when those questions come. So, we need to become very familiar with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). In so doing, we have a dialogue with Jesus’ life. Michael Frost refers to us needing to be “marinated” in the Gospels, so we can share any part of the Jesus story as the occasion calls for. When people ask you why you live as you do, our goal should be to let them know … that it’s because of the example and teaching of Jesus.

When people ask me why I’m so committed to areas of social justice … at some stage, I will refer to Jesus. When we are concerned for the poor, we can say that this is because Jesus was concerned for them first. What if a neighbour of yours was to ask you, ‘Tell me, what do you know about Jesus’? What would you say? Michael Frost concluded … that when we live “questionable lives” people should be asking us about our motivations; and then we should be able to speak about Jesus … with energy and enthusiasm, with reverence and awe, and with delight and wonder.

The most impacting capacity of Jesus' human life was his radical forgiveness of others. This was afforded to many broken people, whose lives had taken debilitating directions - prostitution, adultery, corrupt tax-collecting, etc. Jesus was even able to forgive those who put him on the cross, mocked him, and gambled over his clothes. This means that we should be increasingly able to emulate this capacity to forgive, and quickly deal with any instances of bitterness in our own lives – ably releasing ourselves and others.

Another consistent capacity that Jesus expressed was compassion. He was moved deeply within when he saw people struggling under disease, disability, demon-possession, or other forms of oppression. Love is the family resemblance the world should see in followers of Jesus. And (sacrificial) service is what drove Jesus in his ministry (Philippians 2:6).

Others will see the ongoing work God is doing in our lives ... becoming convinced that Jesus is real. If we share Jesus well, it will then lead people to question their own lives. The glory of God is starting to be unveiled far and wide. This is not because we are perfect, rather the opposite ... because we are imperfect ... yet the Holy Spirit, as we allow, is making us look like Jesus for the sake of others ... all those who will get to have a look at us. This is despite the warts and blemishes and scars and nail-marks.

In this, we have joined God in the redemption, repair and renewal of this world. The glory of God has been veiled – “ … the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" (R B Hays). Can we get a vision of the unveiling of the glory of God across our community … across the nation … across the world?! It begins with our faces being unveiled!! The real Gospel ministry is unveiling Jesus – sharing how King Jesus has changed our life, and is still changing our life. We do some life modelling within the relationships we form, and this starts to take effect as we gain and develop another person’s trust.

Conclusion

This ‘unveiling’ doesn't usually happen overnight ... this is progressive (NRSV & NIV) - an extended process - a continuous and progressive transformation. As we experience life, with all its challenges, struggles, problems and setbacks, and as we deal with these in partnership with God, the glory of God becomes more apparent in our being and the way we carry ourselves.

We have an amazing opportunity to offer Jesus through our authentic presence. The Holy Spirit helps us demonstrate Christlike characteristics – we are to look like Jesus and imitate him. As we come to know Jesus, and in all ways fix our eyes on him, we can grow more and more like him. As a church, if we collectively want to be like Jesus, we will gain tremendous momentum, experience the glory of God; and not just in our worship, but through all our endeavours in the local community. This is the work of the Holy Spirit amongst us! Let’s ‘bring it’!!

Closing Prayer

Lord, help us to gaze on You, to study You, to know You. Transform us into Your image … seen in what we say, how we love others, and how we worship You. May others see Jesus in us. Amen.

"Being God's People" (Jeremiah 7:1-11)

Introduction

Being God’s people! How can we truly be God’s people. Can we just casually assume we are? God instigated a covenant to be our God; however, continually, sadly, God has had to confront his people, with how they were ignoring God’s ways of being, and thus disrupting their relationship with him. Generation after generation, often strangely when things were going well, the people resisted the leadings of God’s Spirit, and suffered a consequent downturn in their well-being. These were people who had the opportunity to know better. There was a consequent loss of freedom.

Sometimes it took exile in a foreign land, following political and military defeat, to wake people up to what God required of them. We know what that is – to live justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). The Hebrew Scriptures, from which we read, often demonstrate how disobedience leads to calamity (including their very temple’s destruction). {In individual terms, we read last week about the rich man who could not fully embrace God’s leading in his life, because of his addiction to things, and thus went away “sad”.} Here we look at the welfare of a whole nation, and how this might apply to any local church expression.

Six centuries before the time of Jesus, God used a man named Jeremiah to be his mouth-piece … a true prophet in Judah (the Southern Kingdom of Israel). This passage (from Jeremiah 7) is typical of the messages of the ‘Old Testament’ prophets … in calling people to a genuineness, a consistency, an integrity in the way they lived together (and in community). Christopher J H Wright wrote these very instructive words: “The prophets simply would not allow Israel to get away with claiming the blessing and protection of the covenant relationship for their society, while trampling on the socio-economic demand of that relationship”.

Ultimately, Jesus called us to be salt and light as we followed him together; however when we go away from this, it is not just sort of neutral, but rather it can have damaging effects on our actual witness to God’s love. We have seen this in more recent times, as some arms of the church have completely abrogated their responsibility to care for humankind. This has led to suspicion, and a lack of trust … that we all feel. Thus we need, more than ever, to experience the Holy Spirit’s leading into authentic community engagement.

Some may feel that they live in a very unfamiliar culture here now, but this heightens, rather than lessens, our call to witness for Jesus. And, fortunately, with such a merciful compassionate God on our side, whose intention is always inclined to our good, there is always a pathway through which to return to the right track. How can we be known as God’s people? We might simply answer ‘love’, and that would be the right answer; but sometimes it’s an easy answer … in word, and we would need to flesh that out a bit more.

In Jeremiah’s Day

We may have thought that God would have asked Jeremiah to stand in the centre of town, or speak at the town hall, because all the problems are out there – but that wasn’t the case. It was those who had already committed to him … that were in view (read verse 2). It seems from verse 3, that God felt … pushed out of the spiritual centre of these people’s lives. If we are to be in the position to provide some solutions, then God has to be allowed to work fully within us first! So, God asked Jeremiah to go to the entrance of the temple precinct … and speak out.

A big ask … that would require guts. But Jeremiah was not one to walk away from his calling once he had signed on. Obviously there was something wrong, which was interrupting God’s free reign among his people. We might say these days, that the Holy Spirit was being restrained. And as we come to see, it relates to the connection between the people’s worship and their attitudes in life. Thus to make the point in the strongest way, Jeremiah speaks where the worship activity is currently happening.

What could the problem have been? The emphasis is seen in the repeated expressions in verse 4. Oh, aren’t we good … the temple of the Lord! Look at our respectability and good behaviours. No worries – our blessing is assured. Really!?! I grew up in that appearance management sort of thinking about church – put on your best clothes, and use all the right words … that sort of approach to church! I think we are now stripping this aside in Australia, and being more real. And what we might consider to be more challenging times … to be a Christian, actually affords tremendous opportunity to show we are fair dinkum!

In Jeremiah’s time … the way in which the “Temple of the Lord” was spoken of, or thought about, had become “deceptive”. What could this indicate?? It seems that this assembly or gathering had perhaps become exclusive, insulated, protective, defensive, escapist, detached, aloof, complacent – all with a sense of superiority, pride and even arrogance. It had no connection with the real needs of people within, and especially, without! The root of the problem seems to be an over-confidence in their rights and privileges … a false confidence indeed! We’re here – we’re okay! Or as we read it in verse 10 – “we are safe”. This led these people to somehow justify ignoring the broader needs of the community. They were blind to what was happening outside their windows.

We know that each of us is a sinner saved by grace … and we would never be like this; but sometimes wrong attitudes do creep in subtly … that work towards an ‘us and them’ type mindset?! We can become defensive of our position. We might buy stuff from them, let them make our coffee, employ them to fix our plumbing, but not necessarily see them as one loved by God (and one needing to know Jesus)! We do NOT have a lock on the love of God – God does NOT love us anymore than those walking past us right now!

These people of Jeremiah’s time thought that saying those words, “The Temple of the Lord”, could count for much on their own! As if!! Words are never enough; and if such words are NOT in harmony with ones’ action, it would be better if they were NOT spoken at all! There could have even been an attempt at a cover-up, but God cannot be fooled. It’s NOT enough to say we are God’s people, we have to BE God’s people – in the actuality of daily life. For the people of Jeremiah’s time, their problem areas were all spelled out in verses 8 to 11. We can’t think that God would miss anything like this. God saw it all – verse 8 begins … “here you are …”! There had been clear infringements and obvious neglect.

We read they treated the ancient commandments quite loosely. At the same time as seemingly worshipping Yahweh, they were heavily attracted to the Canaanite gods. This lack of character plagued them. The integrity of corporate worship had been compromised by unrepentant sin. This reference to being a “den of robbers” was quoted by Jesus in his time, when he routed out the traders and money-changers from the temple – for they were cheating the poor, and making it nearly impossible for Gentile seekers to find space to worship their newly found God. In all circumstances like this, change is required to release God’s activity amongst them. Worship and ethical living cannot be separated. Worship involves the whole of our lives.

For Our Day

Do we perhaps underestimate the importance of this? What if I said there were Christians out there who made absolutely no positive difference in the world around them (and possibly aren’t even aware of this)!!! Do we cheapen God’s grace? Is the cost of the sacrifice made by Jesus too remote from us? Another prophet by the name of Amos, who lived a couple of hundred years before Jeremiah, put all this in even stronger terms. Amos, speaking for God, in the face of over-confidence and complacency, says (5:21-24):

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them; … Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Back in Jeremiah 7 – verses 5 to 7 give us a clue, and take us in the right direction. These verses give us an idea of the right sort of mindset. What does it mean to be God’s people? How can we be authentic worshippers?

• Acting fairly in all interpersonal dealings,
• NOT oppressing anyone or bringing them harm (especially the most vulnerable),
• offering hospitality to those outside of our community, and,
• NOT chasing after alternative (and more comfortable) allegiances (to our own destruction).

• Think about others,
• live out of compassion,
• help the vulnerable, and,
• stick with the Lord.

This is the consistent message of the Old Testament, which is then endorsed and lived out by Jesus. What does the Lord require of you, asks another prophet Micah – live justly (or “do justice” – NRSV), love mercy, walk humbly with your God (6:8).

To put this into the most general, but practical, terms, to be God’s people, we need to:

• Encourage, not discourage
• Welcome, not push away
• Support, not ignore
• Lift up, not push down
• Engage, not withdraw
• Participate, not simply consume.

This is a sort of filter through which we can assess our life together in the church.

And then, this can also be a filter through which to evaluate our church’s role in the community.

This is the sort of character that allows for the good news of Jesus to be recognised.

Conclusion

God never loses interest in what is happening in his world. God might baulk and shudder and weep, but never loses interest. We read in verse 11, “I too am watching, says the Lord”.

There was that song written and sung quite a few years back, ‘From a Distance’ (famously recorded by Bette Midler) – ‘from a distance … God is watching us’. We might more easily suggest that God is actually close to us, as I often say – “I am with you always”. However, for me, this particular song paints a picture of God, looking upon a less than ideal world, waiting in the hope of being welcome again. Things are so different when God is in the centre. Yet, sometimes we push God out, and things go awry, and war and famine break out around the world – but God still watches from a distance waiting to be invited back.

Blessing comes as we are totally aligned with God’s ways. Blessing comes as human hearts are fully in touch with God’s heart. We don’t have to pretend, we shouldn’t pretend, we can’t pretend – for the only way to true blessing is through honesty, humility, repentance and openness to God doing new things. We can never be complacent when it comes to God’s grace – God is watching. The Holy Spirit starts working when we drop the pretences, and stop feeling defensive, and are ready to embrace the opportunities that each day affords.

Let’s hear God’s prophet Jeremiah in our time. May we experience God dwelling with us. May the Holy Spirit be released … so we can truly become God’s people. Let’s follow Jesus into authentic life. Let us worship God in Spirit and in truth.

"Missing the Point" (Mark 10:17-22)

Introduction

This story has such a sad outcome. The rich man went away grieving, and was never heard about again. You could say that this rich man went away … very poor. There were so many great possibilities within this encounter, however, in the end, they were lost. The Holy Spirit had been preparing this man for an encounter with Jesus, and even brought the two together; yet this unnamed rich man did NOT find freedom. Sad indeed!

The Holy Spirit is NOT short of activity. The Holy Spirit is everywhere … bringing opportunities of faith, renewal and ministry – in our home, in every café we visit, in the community group, at the sporting ground, in the music venue, within the church. We just need to dispense with whatever is holding us back, and leave behind whatever it is we prize more highly than Jesus, and walk into freedom.

In the incident we have read, money or wealth was the problem. And we will dig into what was going on in this man’s life, and reflect on the way in which Jesus dealt with him … and why. However, in reflecting on this scripture, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit as to what our particular problem area might be (possibly very different to the man in the story), and how we, particularly, are being invited to respond to deepening our relationship with God.

A Sense of Need

We see that this rich man had a keen sense of his own need, in the way he runs up to Jesus and kneels before him. This also shows … that whatever he had heard about Jesus was enough to think that Jesus could give him some answers. Despite his wealth, he was discontented with his life, and perhaps recognised a spiritual void. This man wanted to gain “eternal life” (v 17). And this was a reasonable question to ask … maybe … depending on his mindset. Was this man asking with complete sincerity, or rather, just seeking an ‘easy ticket’ to salvation? Was he just looking for a sort of theoretical cut-and-dried answer, or was he prepared to expose his inner being?

When he asked what he needed to “do” (v 17), we might say that it was really a case of just accepting Jesus; however, as we shall see, sometimes there are things that are stubbornly standing in the way, that you do have to “do” something about. Looking at the biblical context, the incident before this … is where Jesus welcomes the little children to come to him. On that occasion he says (10:15), “Truly I tell you, whoever does NOT receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it”. Aha! This speaks of empty-handedness, being uncluttered, acknowledging dependence, and desiring to learn … all epitomised by little children. We need to approach God with the sort of humility and openness that allows for transformation in our life. We need to consider daily … what God might want to teach us; and what God may want us to do in response!!

When the rich man refers to Jesus as “Good teacher” (v 17), we see that Jesus queries the use of the word “good”. What do you mean by calling me “good”? What does this man think is “good”? What do we think is “good”? 'That's good', we say, but why is it "good"? Something that suits us, something we like, or something much broader than this?! For instance, do we describe a federal budget as “good” … because it works well for us personally, or … because it serves the greatest needs within the community as a whole? Being “good” is surely about much more than our own preferences! There is a sense here, that this rich man may be looking for a convenient rather than challenging answer!

Jesus Responds

Thus, Jesus quickly refers the man to the ultimate source of all goodness … God … the actual definition of goodness. This was so that Jesus could then refer the man to well-known commandments that come directly out of the heart of God’s goodness. Aha! There is a test of sincerity coming!! We should notice that the particular commandments Jesus cites are the more ethical and social ones (out of the big ‘ten’) … the ones that deal with human relationships. Of course this is where the rubber of loving God hits the road! {Jesus doesn’t quote the ones dealing with idolatry, but probably doesn’t need to – this man knows them all.}

To make the coming ethical test even stronger, on top of the command not to steal, Jesus includes another instruction regarding not defrauding anyone. How does this man here think about his wealth? {Now I’m NOT looking to judge wealthy people here, just let the text speak for itself. This man had a problem that needed to be dealt with.} This rich man thought that he had kept these commandments; but, if he had really done so … why did he still feel so spiritually lacking. Has he really kept these, or just deluded himself?

Maybe, he had actually missed the point! Perhaps he had only applied an immature notion … that if he hadn’t taken anything from another, if he hadn’t stolen anything literally, he was okay!? At this moment, Jesus didn’t judge him, or berate him, but we read that Jesus looked at him and “loved him”. Why did Jesus “love him”?? Because he is a beautiful creation of God; because he was a seeker with an expressed need; because he had potential for good; because Jesus knew there was a significant challenge ahead of him {that he may not be able to respond to}!!

There is a sense of tender compassion here; but still … NOT without a test of this man’s genuineness. This man was on the precipice of deciding either for or against God. Would he be able to do what was in his own best interests? Would he be able to remove the barrier that stood before him? What Jesus was going to present to this man, was for his own good, and was out of God’s good heart – if he didn’t deal well with this, then he was going to miss out on the blessing that he so much desired. The Holy Spirit is available to take us deeper into God, but we have to be open for it.

The Challenge

To the rich man’s statement, “Teacher, I have kept all these [commandments] since my youth”, we get Jesus’ reply (in verse 21): “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor”. If this man could do this, he would have “treasure in heaven” {as he would have served the poor in a mighty way}, and also freedom to “follow” Jesus. Jesus was reaching down deep into this man’s values and motivations, and hoping to draw him into a proper understanding of the breadth of God’s “goodness”.

The world is full of economic inequity. Wealth is built at the expense of the poor. Hoarding wealth (without generosity) … is in effect … stealing. You can’t have more resources, without someone else having less. We have seen CEO salaries grow, while other people in the same company lose their jobs. {Apparently one train of political thought is to keep the poor working until they’re 70, to avoid having the rich pay a bit more tax.} In effect, to gain more and more wealth, and then spend all your time and effort keeping it, is to “steal” what really belongs to others.

Again in the biblical context, we hear Jesus saying to his disciples in the next verse (10:23), “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God”! How hard … the disciples wonder? “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle … than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God”, Jesus says (10:25). That this is the problem being faced by this man, is seen in the fact that Jesus didn’t just ask him to be more generous, but rather be prepared to give it all away. This man needed a total reorientation. He thought that he had obeyed the commandments, and may have done so at a legal level, but at the depth of his spirit … he had NOT! His wealth had become a mountain blocking the way to “eternal life”!!

Opportunity Lost

That this rich man had missed the point of the ancient commandments (also the prophets who applied them), is seen through … the report that … he was “shocked” … at what Jesus had asked of him (v 22). And this request was just too much! Salvation had come so close, yet he couldn’t take hold of it. ‘Couldn’t’ … because money had become such a strong addiction (that his possessions actually owned him); or … ‘wouldn’t’ take hold of it … because he just loved his things so much, and they were giving him a sense of security. Either way, he walked away! But, at the same time, he had this acute sense of loss … he was “grieving” (v 22). He knew this was a lost opportunity, yet he still couldn’t bring himself to fully embrace where the Spirit of God was leading him. He remained in his discontent and spiritual unfulfillment.

Conclusion

Let us open ourselves to wherever the Holy Spirit is leading us. We might need to leave something behind that is just so consistently getting in the way and disrupting our growth. If we are getting prompted about something, it would be much better NOT to ignore this, but dig a little deep to identify what is going on – and getting some trusted help as necessary. The need to let something, or some hurt, go, and forgive another. The need to forgive ourself. The need to say goodbye to a particular negative memory. The need to be liked, or have to be the centre of attention. The need to keep striving for that which we can have for free. The need to stop doing something that turns out to be destructive. The need to trust in God more ... to know that he has heard our prayers! What is it that makes us sad? What can we do about it? We might need to open up some space for the Holy Spirit to give us something new – something better – “treasures in heaven” rather than “treasures of earth”.

We often think that it is evil, and darkness, and sinful behaviour … that separates us from God … and of course these do. However, in this case of the ‘rich man’, It was not a direct “sin” that was his problem, but rather his attitude to life, and by neglect, his attitude to broader humanity. As believers and disciples, following Jesus means growing more into his image. It is the Holy Spirit that aids this process, by convicting us of what needs to change, and what will free us to be the sort of people to make a difference for ‘good’ in the world … and invest in those “treasures in heaven”. Let us NOT go away ‘sad’.

"Simply Witnessing" (Acts 1:1-11)

Introduction

As John said last week, this is the era of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will enable the followers of Jesus to live effectively for him. Whereas Jesus returned to be with God forty days after his resurrection, he promised us the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion and guide. In all cases the Holy Spirit will point towards the life, death and resurrection of Jesus … being the central point of history. Jesus said, “I will be with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20), and it is the Holy Spirit that makes this promise real.

The Holy Spirit develops our fruitiness, aids our discipleship, and brings us special gifts through which to serve others. The Holy Spirit sets us apart with growing integrity, faithfulness, peace, hope and purpose; guiding us into rich experiences of community and participation in the ‘Body of Christ’ – the church. And primarily, as we shall see, the Holy Spirit empowers (or enables) us to participate effectively in building the Kingdom of God.

The Scriptures

Scripture presents many various ways in which the Holy Spirit has impacted humankind. The Holy Spirit was evident in Old Testament times – guiding people like Abraham, Moses and David … through God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit spoke through prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah. The Holy Spirit was endowed upon the human Jesus at his baptism, demonstrating that the work of God would be done through the ministry of Jesus. Jesus promised the availability of the Holy Spirit to all his followers. In the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit seems to be given while Jesus is still alive.

Acts tells us about a particular day, the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit swept powerfully through all the existing believers (and the community in general), leading to all sorts of remarkable happenings – the greatest of these being the three thousand people who were added to the Kingdom following Peter’s sermon. And we can’t help but notice, that disciples like Peter, John and James, previously fearful, and often clueless, became the most faith-filled and courageous ambassadors for the Gospel … because they had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The ‘Day of Pentecost’ served as a major launching pad for the Jesus movement (that became known as ‘Christianity’) and the future mission of God into the whole world.

As Peter called the crowd to repentance and faith in Jesus that ‘Pentecost Day’, to be acknowledged in baptism, he indicated that they would then receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit could bring our fragile determinations to ‘repent’ toward reality. And there are other instances of people receiving later blessings of the Holy Spirit, as they came to learn of its availability and effectiveness. Thus the Holy Spirit is available to us as we decide for Jesus, but we also need to be open for the radical change and giftedness that the Holy Spirit wants to bring. We need to be continually open for new things to be brought into our experience of God. Are we ready for those ‘out-of-comfort-zone’ experiences, or challenging calls to mission, that the Holy Spirit tends to bring?

It is also possible that the Holy Spirit has been working in our lives for a long time (leading up to our acceptance of Jesus), seeking to awaken us to the possibilities of faith. So, on balance, we shouldn’t see the Holy Spirit so much in terms of a point in time, but more as an ongoing and exciting adventure for the believer. And God works in each of our lives, as we are ready, his wonders to perform! This factors in … our varying experiences of life and unique personality types. This is why we can all continue to prayerfully sing these words: “Take me, mould me, use me, fill me – I give my life into the Potter’s Hand”.

Yet, the Holy Spirit is not just about us in individual terms, not just about me. We learn very clearly from Paul that the Holy Spirit, with all the associated giftedness, is given for the “common good” – for the collective work of the Kingdom and church, and also for the blessing and transformation of the world. It is the Holy Spirit that enables the children of God together … to embrace the new creation that we are all yearning for (Romans 8).

What are your experiences of the Holy Spirit?? I experienced the Holy Spirit bringing truth to my soul, when I first went to theological college in 1988, and I listened to Professor Athol Gill talk about Jesus, as I had never heard him talked about before. I experienced the Holy Spirit very emotionally, when we moved from inner city ministry to the SE suburbs of Melbourne, and I experienced new homegrown worship music that reached deeply down to the depths of my weariness (as if it was written just for me). I experienced the Holy Spirit in a healing way, when I first heard the teaching of Allan Meyer, who explained, in biblical terms, much of how I felt about myself. I experienced the Holy Spirit in a mighty way, when at the Point Cook church, where I was pastor, the congregation spontaneously gathered in a big prayer huddle around a woman who had just announced one Sunday morning her dire cancer diagnosis. I have experienced the Holy Spirit opening doors of ministry over the last 30 years. I sensed the Holy Spirit yesterday, as that beautiful cross-section of church, football/netball club and local community, came together to eat breakfast and have conversation.  

The Purpose

In our reading from Acts chapter 1, ten days before Pentecost, when hearing about the impending gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples immediately got diverted onto peripheral matters (verse 6). They were still most interested in their own preferences and personal agendas – this was the stuff of personal comfort zones. This was very much the WRONG QUESTION!! Jesus quickly set them straight – that this should NOT be their concern, and this was NOT the purpose behind receiving the Holy Spirit (verse 7).

Then follows, in verse 8, the real purpose of the Holy Spirit … from a God so intensely determined to connect with all humanity! The purpose of the Holy Spirit is NOT so that we get all wrapped up in how spiritual we are, and NOT get focussed on how theologically pure we can be, and NOT get distracted by side-issues – all the stuff of ‘ego’; but rather … simply … to be “witnesses” to Jesus.

Get on with that … witnessing to Jesus! Jesus – who loved the rejected outsider. Jesus – who brought healing into the life of the oppressed. Jesus – who taught us to love our enemies, and all sorts of other teaching that turn the world’s way of thinking upside down. Jesus – who forgave those who unjustly tortured and killed him. Jesus – the suffering servant of humankind. Jesus – who wept over the state of the city of Jerusalem and took action to overthrow the injustice that was being tolerated in the temple. Jesus – who died to relieve the guilt and shame of all humanity and give them a new life.

The Witness

To positively “witness” about someone is to: state your belief in them, and testify favourably about them. So we apply this to Jesus. The word “witness” is translated from the Greek word “martus” … from which we get the word ‘martyr’; thus already acknowledging the potential difficulty and danger involved at times. But this also suggests that we should be a witness for Jesus in all circumstances and contexts, and at all times, whatever the cost.

Witnessing to Jesus … will best testify to the truth of who he is, through revealing how our lives are being changed … not just in the past, but also yesterday, and right now, and what we are anticipating for tomorrow. We are unlikely to argue anyone into the Kingdom of God; the way of Jesus is to love, forgive and live them … into the Kingdom. To quote John from last week, “we have to be what we believe”. It is by showing in real life how Jesus works, that others will come to know him. And this is exactly what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be effective witnesses to Jesus. This happens as we grow and mature into the image of Jesus. This also happens as we work together to show what the ‘Body of Christ’ is like.

This is how it should be, and we can be rightly criticised when it is not like this! Often the witness of the church has become a sham, and this should bring about great regret and repentance. But this sometime sad assessment should NOT dishearten us into inertia or inaction, because Jesus is still alive (as always), and has given us the Holy Spirit as our teacher for the ages. We, as this local representation of God’s Kingdom, can bust free of our own baggage, and any ill-feeling around us, and make a huge difference for good. Jesus lives! “He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way – with salvation to impart”.

The witness Jesus referred to in verse 8, was to take place first around the home base of Jerusalem, then to the larger region of Judea, then out further to the Samaritans (who were no friends of Jewish people), and then on to Rome to the Gentiles. This was adventurous stuff! So the church has taken on this mission into the far reaches of the world, sometimes with great outcomes, sometimes with misplaced ideas and subsequent failure, sometimes being met with hostility. Still people cross national borders to share the good news – sometimes necessarily or advisably in the form of serving the poor.

A love for neighbour remains the best motivation and guide for the form our witness will take. And for us here in Australia, mission has become more localised, for “the ends of the earth” have come to us. So we may then rephrase verse 8 to read: “You will be my witnesses among familiar people, then by extending your networks and building new relationships (among the unfamiliar), and by getting out of your comforts zones altogether”. With the Holy Spirit ‘in tow’, there is NO challenge too great!

The first disciples had tremendous success. In 30 short years, the Gospel spread all the way from Jerusalem to Rome (without the help of the internet, or television, or telephone, or even Morse code). Just people on foot, or around tables, sharing the stories of what Jesus meant to them … in the power of the Holy Spirit. They had a burning conviction about sharing Jesus. And they backed this up with – care for the poor, widows and orphans; visits to prison; burying the dead of their general community; and sharing their resources with one another.

Conclusion

We can look for openings within current relationships. We can pray for new openings in more complicated situations. We can be ready and available. We can have the light on our veranda shining … to say that others are welcome. We can respond to needs as they become known to us. We can listen to stories of brokenness and joy. We can learn their language of their heart. We can draw connections between our positive experiences of Jesus with other people’s difficulties. We can model hopefulness in the most challenging of circumstances. We can be attuned to the Holy Spirit, and follow the quiet leadings … into the places God would have us be. In this way we truly speak in the native tongues of other tribes. Pentecost can happen over and over again.

In this we are ourselves, but we are not alone!! We plant seeds, trusting that others will water, and God will bring growth. We water the seeds planted by others. We also plant together – where the community gets to witness a diverse bunch of people love and encourage each other, working together in a unified way towards joint outcomes, each making unique and complimentary contributions – all embracing the richness of that diversity.

You gently call us into Your presence, guiding us by Your Holy Spirit; teach us dear Lord, to live all of our lives … through Your eyes! We’re captured by Your holy calling; set us apart … I know you’re drawing me to Yourself – lead me Lord, I pray!! Amen!