WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.860 Welcome again. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.219 My name is Thomas, one of the pastors here. 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:10.540 ! Delighted to welcome all of you, especially if you're new or visiting. 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:12.759 ! This is a special Sunday, as we've been saying. 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:13.480 It's Pentecost. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:15.620 It's the birthday of the church. 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:19.940 We celebrate the birth of this movement that we're still a part of. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.039 But, you know, when we look at the beginning of this movement, 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:26.800 the rise of Christianity, scholars widely agree, 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.219 and these aren't just sort of Christian or Bible scholars. 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:33.119 These are historians, sociologists, people like Rodney Stark, 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:35.460 before he was converted to Christianity. 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:40.140 They widely agree that the rise of Christianity in the first three centuries 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:42.079 dramatically altered the ancient world, 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:44.879 dramatically changed the landscape. 00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:47.899 The question is not whether it happened, it's how it happened. 00:00:48.620 --> 00:00:49.780 What made it possible? 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:55.340 How did a small, with all due respect, socially unimpressive movement 00:00:55.340 --> 00:01:01.120 made up largely of the poor, of former slaves, people without power, 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:07.060 how did a tiny little movement made up of people like that spread across all races, 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:13.140 all classes, all nations, until even the Roman Empire couldn't ignore it, 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:17.379 until even emperors who were persecuting Christians reluctantly had to admit 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:21.359 that Christians were the only ones holding the fabric of society together 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.739 as the late Roman Empire crumbled? 00:01:23.899 --> 00:01:25.899 How is such a thing possible? 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:28.119 And the answer that we're going to look at this morning 00:01:28.119 --> 00:01:32.899 is quite simple and yet unfathomably deep. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.000 The answer, of course, is the Holy Spirit. 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:37.959 It's the only possible explanation. 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:43.359 So, this morning, we're fortunate enough to have a historic record 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:46.579 written by a physician and historian named Luke, 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:49.819 and he gives us an eyewitness account of the moment 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:54.819 the Holy Spirit was poured out on God's people and the church was born. 00:01:54.979 --> 00:01:58.239 So, we're going to look at this event, which we refer to now as Pentecost, 00:01:58.919 --> 00:02:01.979 and we're going to consider the meaning of Pentecost for us 00:02:01.979 --> 00:02:03.639 as we look back 2,000 years later. 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:04.560 The meaning is this. 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.780 The meaning of Pentecost is that there is God's presence with us. 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:12.500 Pentecost means God's power through us, 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:16.800 and Pentecost, of course, reveals God's purposes for us. 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:19.479 So, let's pray, ask God to guide us, 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:20.860 and then we're going to open His Word together. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:23.560 Lord, we thank You for Your Word. 00:02:23.640 --> 00:02:26.960 We thank You for the joy it brings. 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:29.460 We thank You for the comfort it brings and also the challenge. 00:02:30.140 --> 00:02:32.520 We pray that as we open Your Word, Lord, 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:34.659 that Your Spirit would open our hearts, 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:37.439 that as we consider the written Word, 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.260 we would come face to face with the living Word. 00:02:39.320 --> 00:02:42.040 And, of course, we pray all of this through the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:42.760 --> 00:02:44.360 And it's in the name of Jesus we pray. 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:45.000 Amen. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.920 So, the first thing we want to consider as we think about Pentecost 00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:50.680 is the presence of God. 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:53.360 What does Pentecost have to say about the presence of God? 00:02:54.040 --> 00:02:57.640 The word Pentecost simply is a reference to 50th. 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:00.959 It's the 50th day since the Passover. 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:03.719 It was one of the big three Jewish festivals. 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.679 And Pentecost is happening here in the first century. 00:03:08.339 --> 00:03:12.919 And Jesus' disciples, it says, are all gathered together in one place. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:14.079 This isn't just the 12. 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:17.579 This is commonly understood to be all of Jesus' disciples, 00:03:17.779 --> 00:03:18.639 which is about 120. 00:03:19.459 --> 00:03:21.959 So, at this point, we have about 120 disciples, 00:03:22.119 --> 00:03:24.459 men and women, and they're all gathered together. 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:29.140 And we know from the previous chapter that they are gathered together, 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:31.860 and they're praying, and they're waiting. 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:34.340 They're praying, and they're waiting. 00:03:35.140 --> 00:03:38.819 The reason that they're waiting is because Jesus told them to wait. 00:03:38.920 --> 00:03:41.000 He made them a promise, and He said, 00:03:41.760 --> 00:03:44.620 I want you to wait until this promise is fulfilled. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:49.300 Before His crucifixion, Jesus, in John 14, if you want to read about this, 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.439 Jesus says, don't be afraid. 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:55.259 I'm not going to leave you and abandon you like orphans. 00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:57.359 I'm going to come back to you. 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:00.199 And He says, in the meantime, I'm going to ask my Father, 00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:04.139 and my Father is going to send another one to comfort you and help you. 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.979 He's going to send someone called the Holy Spirit. 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:10.780 And the Holy Spirit is going to be in you and with you, 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:15.319 and through the Holy Spirit, the Father and I are going to be with you and in you. 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:16.939 We're going to make our home with you. 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:19.959 And then after His resurrection, Jesus appears to them again, 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:23.160 and He reminds them of this promise in Acts chapter 1. 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:28.680 He says, do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift that my Father promised, 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:30.579 which you have heard me speak about, right? 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:31.579 Back in John 14. 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:35.240 For John baptized with water, but in a few days, 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:37.899 you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:42.379 Now, at that time, they didn't understand much more about what this meant that we might, 00:04:42.659 --> 00:04:44.519 if this is our first time hearing it. 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:50.979 So, they're waiting, and they're praying, and then, lo and behold, everything changes. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:58.120 Luke says, and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:00.919 and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.839 And He goes on to say, divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.579 So, all of a sudden, they're waiting and they're praying, and then wind and fire. 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:19.300 And in the Bible, in the Old Testament, wind and fire are markers, they're indicators of the presence of God. 00:05:20.039 --> 00:05:22.300 So, wind and fire come into this room. 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:27.379 The problem is, all throughout the Old Testament, the presence of God, although beautiful and mysterious, 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:29.439 is also terrifying. 00:05:30.479 --> 00:05:31.500 It's dangerous. 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:39.139 Some people learn the hard way that if you get too close to anywhere where God's presence dwells, 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:42.160 you're likely to lose your life. 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:44.959 You're taking your life into your own hands. 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:46.279 It's dangerous. 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:48.720 It would be like us trying to draw near to the sun. 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:53.000 We can't survive being anywhere near it. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:06:02.579 And yet, somehow, at Pentecost, this holy God comes down again, and there is wind and there is fire, 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:05.000 but this time the fire does not consume them. 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:08.259 Now, that's a mystery, right? 00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:12.939 Because in the Old Testament, the reason that human beings couldn't get near God is because God is a holy God, 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.439 and human beings are sinful. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:16.860 We've rebelled against God. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:20.079 We're spiritually disconnected from God. 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:23.740 And so, to try to come into the presence of a holy God, we can't survive that. 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:30.219 But somehow, the fire comes to rest over each of these disciples, and it doesn't consume them. 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:34.060 And it raises this question, how is such a thing possible? 00:06:35.479 --> 00:06:39.079 And, of course, the answer is because Jesus has made them clean, 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:42.000 because Jesus has made them holy, 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:47.120 because the fire of judgment already fell on Christ on the cross. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:52.780 And what that means is that this holy fire of God's presence is now able to rest on His people 00:06:52.780 --> 00:06:56.160 as a sign of mercy and power and blessing. 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:03.019 So, Pentecost means that grace has cleansed us so completely 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:05.740 that instead of fearing God's presence, 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:09.360 we can actually be filled with God's presence. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:14.060 And it's hard for us to imagine how radical that would have been 00:07:14.060 --> 00:07:17.439 for these first century pious Jewish people. 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:20.600 But this is the first great meaning of Pentecost. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:23.120 For those of us who follow Jesus, meaning we, 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:25.400 at some point we came to Jesus, we said, 00:07:25.520 --> 00:07:28.000 we want to follow you, please forgive our sin, 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:31.160 we want to turn from that, we want you to cleanse us and make us holy, 00:07:31.259 --> 00:07:33.280 we want to devote our lives to your word and your way. 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:35.199 So, for those of us who have done that, 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:38.179 God is no longer an abstract idea. 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:42.579 God is no longer a theological concept that we write about and study. 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:47.299 God is not some distant being who may or may not be watching us from afar. 00:07:48.119 --> 00:07:51.639 It means that the living, holy God is with us 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:54.299 and even more radically in us. 00:07:54.300 --> 00:08:00.740 So, we're not meant to merely know things about God. 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:05.319 We're meant to know God himself. 00:08:06.460 --> 00:08:08.340 We're meant to experience God. 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:12.300 Sometimes that comes with deep feeling. 00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:15.980 There have been times in this church, very recently, 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:20.600 where we all sort of left saying that the Holy Spirit was moving and powerful 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:22.980 and we're moved and we're emotional, right? 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:27.180 There are times, a recent worship gathering that Hillary and I were at 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:30.200 with our diocese where there was this movement of the Holy Spirit 00:08:30.200 --> 00:08:33.740 and people are speaking in tongues and people are weeping 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:36.379 and there's this powerful move of the Holy Spirit, right? 00:08:37.300 --> 00:08:42.920 And then other times, we experience God quietly, right? 00:08:43.060 --> 00:08:47.379 Through prayer, through worship, through a reading of Scripture, 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.519 through receiving the sacraments. 00:08:50.180 --> 00:08:52.620 And that experience is not this emotional high, 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:57.740 it's more like the steady, warm embrace of a loving parent. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:00.600 It's the comfort that you would feel if you're a small child 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.480 and you're in your room and it's dark and you're scared 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.120 and a parent comes in and they put their hand on your hand 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:06.299 and they say, don't worry, I'm here. 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:09.340 And it doesn't make the darkness go away, 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:10.759 but all of a sudden, it changes the darkness 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:11.840 because you're not alone in it 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.960 and you have this reassuring hand of your parents saying, 00:09:15.060 --> 00:09:17.639 I'm here and you're safe and it's okay and you're not alone. 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:20.100 So sometimes that's what it's like, right? 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:23.580 And the reassurance of God's presence means that God is with us 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:24.879 whether we feel it or not. 00:09:25.939 --> 00:09:29.019 That's the amazing thing, right? 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:33.899 So for us gathered here, for those of us who are Christians, 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:34.939 let me ask you this. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:37.919 Is there anywhere in your life where you are living 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:40.360 as though God has left you alone? 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:40.800 Right? 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:44.080 Where are we living as though we are alone? 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:47.019 As though God isn't with us? 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.100 And for those of us who desire to experience God's presence more, 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:54.320 I'll tell you right now, there's no formula for that, strictly speaking. 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:56.000 Anybody who tells you there's a formula for that 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.000 is trying to sell you something. 00:09:57.180 --> 00:09:58.440 There's no formula for that. 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:00.500 But it is worth noting this, 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:05.539 that these men and women did not have this powerful experience 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:08.039 of the presence of God as the result of dynamic preaching, 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:12.779 as the result of highly emotive worship music, 00:10:13.079 --> 00:10:15.620 as much as I personally love both of those things, 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:19.480 they experienced the presence of God through prayer. 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:23.360 And friends, I don't know a single person in my life, 00:10:23.419 --> 00:10:25.659 any of my mentors, any of the people that I've looked up to, 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:27.939 any of the people I know who regularly experience 00:10:27.939 --> 00:10:29.120 and encounter the presence of God, 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:31.099 I don't know a single one of those people 00:10:31.099 --> 00:10:34.699 who does not also have a rich, consistent prayer life. 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:39.140 Prayer is the vehicle into God's presence. 00:10:39.660 --> 00:10:42.879 It's through a prayer meeting that the church was born. 00:10:44.020 --> 00:10:45.400 So it says in chapter 1, 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:48.440 they were joining together constantly in prayer, 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:49.460 is what it says. 00:10:49.900 --> 00:10:51.220 So I would encourage you to do this. 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:53.420 If you want to experience the presence of God, pray. 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:56.000 Pray that God would meet you. 00:10:56.340 --> 00:10:59.420 Ask to experience His presence more in your daily life. 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:02.199 And when you come to worship, like we've gathered this morning, 00:11:02.299 --> 00:11:03.559 come with expectancy, 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:07.459 with a kind of openness to encountering the Lord here. 00:11:09.219 --> 00:11:11.659 And if you're someone who longs for the presence of God 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:13.079 and you feel like you look back and lately 00:11:13.079 --> 00:11:14.879 you just haven't experienced it that much, 00:11:14.939 --> 00:11:17.179 and that's frustrating and discouraging, 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:20.179 I love what Frederica Matthews Green says. 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:23.899 She's an Eastern Orthodox deep thinker, beautiful writer. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:25.819 And she says this. 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:27.480 I think it's in her book, The Jesus Prayer. 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:29.360 If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. 00:11:29.420 --> 00:11:32.180 But she says our hunger for God itself, 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:33.879 if you're hungry for the presence of God, 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:35.779 that itself is a sign 00:11:35.779 --> 00:11:38.200 that you have most likely already experienced. 00:11:39.180 --> 00:11:39.840 God's presence. 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:41.960 And she says it's like when you're walking through a mall. 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:43.620 Remember back when we had shopping malls? 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:44.860 You're walking through a mall. 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:47.240 This is back in the 90s, 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.740 which our kids think was when humanity peaked. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.060 And then it was all downhill since the 90s. 00:11:52.440 --> 00:11:53.820 But back in the 90s, we had shopping malls 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:54.680 and you'd be walking through 00:11:54.680 --> 00:11:55.720 and maybe you just ate lunch 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:56.560 and you're not even hungry, 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:58.459 but all of a sudden you catch this whiff of cinnamon. 00:12:00.459 --> 00:12:03.199 And you're like, where's that coming from? 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:05.839 And like that, you're all of a sudden hungry again. 00:12:05.959 --> 00:12:07.859 And you're going through, you know, 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:10.099 looking, trying to find the Cinnabon place, right? 00:12:10.819 --> 00:12:13.899 And she says that's not something that you manufactured. 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:14.879 You didn't whip that up 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:16.339 out of your own kind of imagination. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:17.659 Like you were going along 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:18.439 and all of a sudden, 00:12:18.699 --> 00:12:22.019 some particle of spice or sugar or butter 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:25.579 made contact with your olfactory receptors, right? 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.340 And because of that contact, 00:12:27.439 --> 00:12:28.840 it awakened the hunger in you 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:30.220 and you're like, I've got to have a cinnamon roll. 00:12:30.579 --> 00:12:32.100 And she says it's the same thing with God. 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:33.279 If you're hungering for God, 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:34.779 it's because somewhere along the way, 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:36.120 you came in contact with Him. 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:40.220 You felt His presence 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:42.440 and what you're wanting is more, 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.120 which, amen, of course you should want more. 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:47.620 So don't worry, 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:48.840 if you're hungering for God's presence, 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:50.200 it means you've already tasted it 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:51.759 and there's more to be had. 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:54.060 So Pentecost is about God's presence, 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:56.080 it's also about God's power. 00:12:57.259 --> 00:12:58.039 God's power. 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:02.120 Jesus very clearly has given us a mission 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:04.159 by us, I mean those of us 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:05.399 who would consider ourselves Christians, 00:13:05.579 --> 00:13:06.219 part of the church. 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:09.459 He's given us a mission that by design 00:13:09.459 --> 00:13:12.139 we cannot accomplish on our own strength. 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:15.159 He's given us an impossible mission. 00:13:16.339 --> 00:13:17.559 And in John 14, 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:19.959 He tells His disciples something amazing. 00:13:20.699 --> 00:13:21.500 He essentially says, 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:23.240 if you understand what He's saying in John chapter 14, 00:13:23.339 --> 00:13:24.279 we read a snippet of it, 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:25.679 Hillary did a moment ago. 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:27.299 He's essentially saying, 00:13:27.459 --> 00:13:28.439 the time is going to come 00:13:28.439 --> 00:13:31.500 when my ministry is going to pass to you. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:32.139 In other words, 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:33.519 I, Jesus says, 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:35.279 I'm going to continue my ministry 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:36.679 through my disciples, 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:37.720 through you. 00:13:38.819 --> 00:13:40.779 But they cannot do this 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:42.460 in their own strength. 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.279 You cannot continue the ministry of Jesus on earth 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.519 with human effort alone. 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:49.340 And that's why in Acts chapter 1, 00:13:49.439 --> 00:13:50.759 Jesus tells them to wait 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:52.340 until the Spirit comes. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:53.120 He says in verse 8, 00:13:53.579 --> 00:13:54.879 but you will receive power 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.460 when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 00:13:57.460 --> 00:14:00.019 And then after Pentecost, 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.320 this amazing thing that we just read about, 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:07.080 the ministry of Jesus continues through His people. 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:09.180 So, if you continue reading the book of Acts, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:10.840 this account from Luke, 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:12.420 you see Christians doing what? 00:14:12.460 --> 00:14:13.060 They're preaching, 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.720 they are healing, 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:15.660 they're teaching, 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:16.740 they're serving, 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:19.100 they're giving generously of everything they have, 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:21.620 they're evangelizing and sharing the gospel, 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:22.700 and people are coming to faith, 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:24.580 they're showing incredible mercy, 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:26.620 they're casting out demons, 00:14:26.920 --> 00:14:28.640 they're starting new churches. 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:31.600 We see this incredible explosive growth. 00:14:32.140 --> 00:14:34.440 And it's not that Jesus has stopped working 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:39.860 and handed it off to the successors. 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:43.220 It's that Jesus is continuing to do His ministry, 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:46.660 but through His Spirit-filled body. 00:14:46.780 --> 00:14:48.640 Paul, in the reading that we heard 00:14:48.640 --> 00:14:49.520 from 1 Corinthians 12, 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:51.580 refers to the church as the body of Christ. 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.680 This is now His body doing His ministry in the world. 00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:56.460 Right? 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:59.620 So, Jesus' power to bring healing 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:03.360 and reconciliation and renewal to the world 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:05.379 has now been distributed 00:15:05.379 --> 00:15:08.800 among all of God's people. 00:15:08.900 --> 00:15:11.700 And this is what we refer to as spiritual gifts. 00:15:13.060 --> 00:15:14.240 Spiritual gifts. 00:15:15.400 --> 00:15:17.020 Quick definition of spiritual gifts, 00:15:17.520 --> 00:15:20.860 the continued ministry of Jesus Christ 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:21.720 in the world, 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:24.139 through individual Christians, 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.800 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.460 That's what spiritual gifts really represent. 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:30.759 So, think of sunlight. 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:32.300 You know, sunlight, 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:33.840 actually pure sunlight is white. 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:34.879 It's white light. 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:36.460 It contains all the colors of the rainbow. 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.000 So, think of pure sunlight 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.279 being refracted through a prism. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:45.679 And it's refracted into a brilliant array of hues. 00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:48.860 All the colors in the spectrum that we can see 00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:50.539 and in many that we can't see, right? 00:15:52.579 --> 00:15:55.259 Now, think of the spiritual gifts in the same way. 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:57.959 You have the sort of the pure ministry of Jesus 00:15:57.959 --> 00:16:01.439 that is refracted through the prism of the church. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:04.100 And then you have all of these hues, 00:16:04.420 --> 00:16:05.860 all of these various gifts, 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:08.240 all these parts of the ministry of Jesus 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:10.600 that are now shining through 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.480 every individual Christian man and woman, right? 00:16:13.540 --> 00:16:14.620 It's like a great prism. 00:16:14.920 --> 00:16:16.960 So, you have, instead of colors, 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:18.460 you have all of these gifts. 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:20.240 You have some people who are teaching 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.920 in the way Christ would teach. 00:16:22.040 --> 00:16:24.280 You have some people showing the mercy of Christ 00:16:24.280 --> 00:16:25.980 or showing leadership 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:29.560 or some people who have the ability to bring healing. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:31.019 You have generosity. 00:16:31.220 --> 00:16:31.800 You have service. 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:33.899 You have encouragement and administration 00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:35.779 and evangelism and prophecy. 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:38.000 We have all of these gifts 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.440 being refracted through the church. 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:41.740 So, every Christian 00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:45.460 has their own combination of gifts. 00:16:47.539 --> 00:16:50.820 Every Christian, when they use those gifts, 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:54.759 reflects and shares in the ministry of Christ 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:56.100 in some way. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:16:59.980 So, right, so what? 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:03.220 For those of us who have repented 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:04.460 and put our faith in Jesus, 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:07.900 you have the Holy Spirit, 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:12.839 which means you have spiritual gifts, 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:17.599 which means you share in the ministry of Christ 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:19.220 on earth right now. 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:23.740 Christ desires to work through you 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:26.220 in all of these various ways. 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:28.980 So, Jesus desires to work through some of you 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:31.720 to deepen our understanding of God's Word. 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:35.039 And that's how He wants to work through you. 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:38.539 Jesus is working right now through some of you 00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:41.339 to disciple and form the faith 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:42.599 of our children and our youth. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:45.519 So, when they're being discipled 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.779 by somebody like Tom or Camille or Anna 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:50.660 or Lisa or Tim or Alex, right, 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:54.660 that's Christ discipling them, right, 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:56.800 through those men and women, right? 00:17:57.540 --> 00:17:59.779 Christ wants to bring physical and social 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:02.140 and emotional and spiritual healing 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:03.340 through some of you. 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:05.060 You have a gift of healing. 00:18:06.300 --> 00:18:08.380 Christ wants to meet practical, 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:09.920 tangible needs in our community 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:11.019 through some of you. 00:18:11.080 --> 00:18:13.519 He wants to generate and steward resources 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:15.759 for our church through some of you, right? 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:17.259 So, the question is this. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:23.359 What gift has God given you 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:25.819 that you may not currently be using? 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:29.140 What gift has God given you 00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:30.000 through the Holy Spirit 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.859 that you may not even be aware of? 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:39.539 Bill Bright, the guy who founded Campus Crusade, 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:41.359 now called Crew, years ago, 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:42.519 used to tell this story 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:45.220 of a West Texas rancher named Yates. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:46.420 And during the Depression, 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:48.339 Yates was struggling to keep... 00:18:48.339 --> 00:18:49.299 He had a sheep ranch. 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:51.519 And he was struggling to keep the ranch. 00:18:51.579 --> 00:18:52.759 He could barely pay the mortgage. 00:18:53.180 --> 00:18:55.160 His family was living on government assistance. 00:18:55.339 --> 00:18:57.319 It was kind of dire times for them. 00:18:57.400 --> 00:18:58.400 And then an oil company 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.500 asked permission to drill on his land. 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.319 And right at just over 1,100 feet, 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:05.440 this company strikes 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.000 one of the largest oil reserves 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.200 in the history of the country. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.840 The first well they put in there 00:19:10.840 --> 00:19:13.539 produced 80,000 barrels today. 00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:14.640 I'm not an oil man, 00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:16.640 but that sounds like a lot to me. 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:17.519 And... 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.600 But here's the astonishing thing, 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:20.799 and the reason I bring it up. 00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:23.120 Yates owned the mineral rights 00:19:23.120 --> 00:19:25.620 all along to that oil. 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:27.779 It was always there, right? 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:29.799 He had been a millionaire, 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.319 multi-multi-millionaire, 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:33.240 living in poverty 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:34.140 because he didn't know 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:35.200 what was right under his feet. 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:37.400 And the point is, 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:38.799 I think there are a lot of Christians 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:41.440 who are living the same way, right? 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:42.299 I think a lot of Christians, 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:43.279 you know, in Christ, 00:19:43.399 --> 00:19:45.000 we have been given the Holy Spirit. 00:19:45.139 --> 00:19:46.200 We have His presence, 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.019 His gifts, 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:48.139 His power, 00:19:48.399 --> 00:19:49.720 but I think we tend to live 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:50.819 as though we are poor 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:51.819 and powerless 00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:52.659 and alone. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.559 But it's right here, right? 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:57.579 It's right here. 00:19:57.839 --> 00:19:58.919 Pentecost reminds us 00:19:58.919 --> 00:20:00.659 that God has already given His church 00:20:00.659 --> 00:20:01.619 everything we need. 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:04.000 So why do we operate 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:04.819 out of scarcity 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:07.059 when there is such abundance 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:07.940 to be enjoyed? 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:09.500 The question is whether 00:20:09.500 --> 00:20:10.440 we will be willing 00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:11.740 to receive His gifts 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:12.880 and offer them 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:13.820 for the good of the body 00:20:13.820 --> 00:20:14.400 or not. 00:20:16.460 --> 00:20:17.960 So one of the main goals 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:18.400 this year, 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:18.660 again, 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:19.680 if you're part of our church, 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:20.000 member, 00:20:20.100 --> 00:20:20.680 regular attender, 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:22.720 maybe you're new 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:23.799 and soon you will be 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:24.180 a member, 00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:24.900 a regular attender, 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:25.799 but anybody who's part 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:26.140 of our church, 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:27.000 one of the main goals 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:28.559 is to see every member 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:29.539 and regular attender 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:30.900 come to a place 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:31.759 where they know 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:32.640 and they are actively 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:33.740 using their gifts. 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:35.779 I think one of the biggest things 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:37.139 that holds churches back 00:20:37.139 --> 00:20:38.740 is when that doesn't happen, 00:20:39.339 --> 00:20:39.980 right? 00:20:40.019 --> 00:20:41.099 And one of the best things 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:42.180 that we can do as a church 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:43.879 is to help you figure out 00:20:43.879 --> 00:20:46.220 what are your gifts, 00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:47.139 what is your share 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.019 in the ministry of Christ 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:49.980 and how do we open that up, 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:51.019 right? 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:52.279 How do we get that flowing 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:53.899 so that everybody benefits? 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:55.660 Because all these gifts, 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:56.160 it says, 00:20:56.339 --> 00:20:57.940 are for the common good. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:58.399 They're for the good 00:20:58.399 --> 00:20:58.799 of the whole, 00:20:59.079 --> 00:20:59.220 right? 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:00.819 So how does that happen? 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:02.440 There are certain needs 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:03.500 only you can meet. 00:21:03.620 --> 00:21:04.640 There are certain roles 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:05.860 only you can play. 00:21:06.100 --> 00:21:07.120 There are certain hands 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:08.400 only you can hold. 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:12.559 So Pentecost is about 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:13.680 God's presence. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:16.000 It is about God's power. 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:19.720 But all this has a purpose. 00:21:20.620 --> 00:21:22.600 The purpose of the Holy Spirit, 00:21:22.600 --> 00:21:24.720 the purpose of the spiritual gifts, 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.200 the purpose of that big oil reserve 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.340 of spiritual power under our feet 00:21:29.340 --> 00:21:32.080 is to build up the church 00:21:32.080 --> 00:21:33.559 and bear witness to Christ. 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:36.240 And that is crystal clear 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.500 if you read these passages 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:38.259 that we just read. 00:21:38.340 --> 00:21:40.120 Jesus says in Acts chapter 1, 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:41.559 you will receive power 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:43.319 when the Holy Spirit comes on you. 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:43.740 Why? 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:47.200 And you will be my witnesses 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.920 in Jerusalem, right, 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:49.559 where they are, 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:51.380 and on all Judea and Samaria, 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:52.340 the larger region, 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:53.799 and to the ends of the earth. 00:21:54.380 --> 00:21:55.740 It's a spiritual map 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:56.799 of the mission of Christ. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:59.720 So God's mission 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:01.539 is to spread the gospel 00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.779 through us 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:04.160 to every tribe, tongue, 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:06.100 and nation of people on earth. 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:06.900 And it's beautiful 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:08.980 how God gives us a preview of this 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:10.660 at Pentecost. 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:11.940 Right? 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:12.960 See, as I mentioned 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:13.720 at the beginning of the sermon, 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:15.580 Pentecost is one of the big 00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:17.140 three Jewish feasts 00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:18.279 where everybody would make 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:19.480 a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:20.400 So you literally have 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.380 Jewish pilgrims 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:23.240 from every part of the known world 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:24.940 all streaming into Jerusalem 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:26.700 at this time of year. 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:29.259 And so you have all of these people 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:31.380 from kind of an international gathering 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:32.880 of Jewish people 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:34.180 all together in one place. 00:22:34.320 --> 00:22:35.519 And it is no coincidence 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:37.500 that the first public miracle 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:38.440 of the Holy Spirit 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:40.059 is that the gospel is heard 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:41.240 in all of their languages. 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:45.099 This shows 00:22:45.099 --> 00:22:47.160 that God's mission 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:49.460 is not cultural domination. 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:51.519 God's mission 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:52.440 does not take the shape 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:53.759 of taking one culture, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:55.120 calling it superior, 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:56.259 and imposing it 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:57.480 on all of the other cultures. 00:22:58.380 --> 00:22:58.519 Right? 00:22:58.660 --> 00:22:59.640 God's mission 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:01.519 is not cultural domination. 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.339 It is gospel translation. 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:04.740 Right? 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:06.140 It is the seeds 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:06.880 of the gospel 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:07.660 being planted 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:09.860 in different cultures 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:10.360 and places 00:23:10.360 --> 00:23:11.300 all around the world 00:23:11.300 --> 00:23:12.259 and then taking root 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:13.440 and then growing up, 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:15.200 reflecting all of the goodness 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:16.100 and truth and beauty 00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:17.360 of those cultures 00:23:17.360 --> 00:23:18.740 and of those languages. 00:23:18.900 --> 00:23:19.600 So God's kingdom 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:21.519 is by design multilingual. 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:23.220 It is multi-ethnic. 00:23:23.340 --> 00:23:24.080 It's multicultural. 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:26.100 So the gospel 00:23:26.100 --> 00:23:26.600 is meant 00:23:26.600 --> 00:23:28.180 to be planted 00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:29.320 in and redeem 00:23:29.320 --> 00:23:31.779 all of these various cultures. 00:23:31.860 --> 00:23:32.920 I think it's a beautiful idea 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:33.180 to think 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:33.900 that the kingdom of God, 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:34.600 the new Jerusalem, 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:35.640 the new heavens and earth, 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:37.640 it's going to be decorated 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:38.600 and it's going to reflect 00:23:38.600 --> 00:23:39.160 the beauty 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:41.700 of all of the various cultures 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:42.540 that have developed 00:23:42.540 --> 00:23:43.700 over the centuries. 00:23:43.820 --> 00:23:45.200 The best of those things 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:46.340 will be captured 00:23:46.340 --> 00:23:47.300 and redeemed 00:23:47.300 --> 00:23:48.740 and then put on display 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:49.900 and it will enhance 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:51.240 the joy 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:51.720 and the beauty 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:52.600 of that place. 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:53.080 Right? 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:54.560 So again, 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:56.660 this is a big bold vision 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:58.640 and like it or not, 00:23:59.540 --> 00:24:00.180 God intends 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:01.080 to accomplish this 00:24:01.080 --> 00:24:01.880 through us. 00:24:03.020 --> 00:24:03.720 And then in the Bible, 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:05.120 as we often say, 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:06.659 the church is God's plan A 00:24:06.659 --> 00:24:07.079 for the world, 00:24:07.159 --> 00:24:08.139 there is no plan B. 00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:08.879 This is it. 00:24:09.719 --> 00:24:10.399 It happens through 00:24:10.399 --> 00:24:11.099 very normal, 00:24:11.239 --> 00:24:11.579 ordinary, 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:12.659 struggling people 00:24:12.659 --> 00:24:13.579 just like us. 00:24:15.419 --> 00:24:16.119 This means, 00:24:16.239 --> 00:24:16.619 of course, 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:18.619 if God wants to reach 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:19.719 the world with the gospel, 00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:20.259 right, 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:21.759 of course this means 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:22.559 that we need to be 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:23.139 raising up, 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:23.719 sending out, 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:25.279 and supporting missionaries 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:26.159 to go to other parts 00:24:26.159 --> 00:24:26.599 of the world 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:27.699 to share the gospel. 00:24:28.739 --> 00:24:29.839 We do this now. 00:24:29.919 --> 00:24:30.779 My hope and prayer 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:31.959 is that in the years to come, 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:34.440 we would greatly scale up 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.019 and increase 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:36.100 what we're able to do, 00:24:36.539 --> 00:24:37.160 sending out 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:38.299 and supporting missionaries. 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:39.140 Right? 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:40.180 Something I hope to see us 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:40.680 do much more 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:41.440 in the years to come. 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:43.960 But do not make the mistake 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:44.400 of thinking 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:45.660 that it is limited to that, 00:24:46.100 --> 00:24:47.340 a few people being sent out 00:24:47.340 --> 00:24:47.960 as missionaries. 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:51.100 If we're reading this correctly, 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:51.720 we're all, 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:52.500 everybody in this room, 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:53.200 we're all called 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:53.920 to be missionaries. 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:55.259 We're all actually 00:24:55.259 --> 00:24:56.299 full-time missionaries. 00:24:56.600 --> 00:24:57.779 It's just that most of us 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:58.100 are called 00:24:58.100 --> 00:24:59.259 to be missionaries here. 00:24:59.879 --> 00:25:00.420 We're called 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:01.779 to live out our mission here. 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:02.440 Right? 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:04.099 Through our relationships 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:06.019 with our family 00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:06.759 and our friends 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:07.559 and our neighbors. 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:09.339 Through the work 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:10.240 that God has given 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:11.279 many of us to do. 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.339 Through the vocation 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:13.819 that God has given you. 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:15.240 You have access, 00:25:15.379 --> 00:25:15.799 many of you, 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:16.420 I'm just kind of looking 00:25:16.420 --> 00:25:17.119 at various faces 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:18.059 and I know what you do 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:18.420 and I'm thinking, 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:20.400 each of you has access 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:21.759 to people and places 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:23.119 and spheres of influence 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:23.920 that most of us 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:24.839 don't have access to. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:26.180 God has opened 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:26.859 certain doors 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:27.400 and you've gone 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:27.960 through those doors 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:29.160 and now you're in that place 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:30.220 where we can't be. 00:25:31.120 --> 00:25:31.480 And by we, 00:25:31.540 --> 00:25:32.220 I mean the church. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:33.100 Right? 00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:34.259 God has placed you there. 00:25:34.340 --> 00:25:35.140 It's not by accident. 00:25:36.340 --> 00:25:37.740 So, we all are called 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.420 to participate 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:40.620 in this mission, 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:41.460 in the places 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:43.279 where God has planted us. 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:44.980 But we have to be willing 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:45.500 to embrace it 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:46.019 and live it out. 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:47.519 We have to be willing 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:48.580 to live for God's mission. 00:25:48.940 --> 00:25:49.100 Right? 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:50.500 John Ortberg 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:51.480 has this great image 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:52.140 and I find myself 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:52.920 coming back to it 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:53.600 all the time. 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:54.400 It's a little book. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:55.519 I can't remember 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.160 the name of the book 00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:56.779 but it's essentially 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:57.440 a book called, 00:25:57.519 --> 00:25:57.840 I think, 00:25:57.980 --> 00:25:59.060 Our Shadow Mission. 00:25:59.600 --> 00:26:00.220 Shadow Mission. 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:02.380 And that's the concept 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:02.860 of the book 00:26:02.860 --> 00:26:03.380 is that he says, 00:26:03.580 --> 00:26:04.360 he talks about 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:05.040 a shadow mission 00:26:05.040 --> 00:26:06.380 that every one of us 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:07.560 has a God-given mission 00:26:07.560 --> 00:26:10.100 and then there's also 00:26:10.100 --> 00:26:10.600 the potential 00:26:10.600 --> 00:26:11.820 for a shadow mission. 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:14.420 A shadow mission 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:15.900 is like a distorted version 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:16.500 of the mission 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:17.640 that God has for us. 00:26:18.100 --> 00:26:18.980 It's what happens 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:19.640 when our true 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:20.460 God-given mission 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:21.740 gets hijacked 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:24.220 by our desires, 00:26:24.540 --> 00:26:25.880 our wounds, 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:27.800 unresolved trauma, 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:28.680 ego, 00:26:29.300 --> 00:26:29.640 fear, 00:26:29.800 --> 00:26:30.340 insecurity, 00:26:30.580 --> 00:26:31.180 selfishness. 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:32.640 So for example, 00:26:32.760 --> 00:26:33.500 you may have a person 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:34.380 who is called 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:35.380 to lead 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:37.020 but they drift 00:26:37.020 --> 00:26:38.100 into a shadow mission 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:39.100 of needing control. 00:26:40.100 --> 00:26:41.460 Or you have a person 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:42.100 who is called 00:26:42.100 --> 00:26:42.880 to serve 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.360 but they drift 00:26:44.360 --> 00:26:45.420 into a shadow mission 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:45.980 of needing 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:46.700 to be needed. 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:48.360 Or a person 00:26:48.360 --> 00:26:48.980 who is called 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:49.560 to proclaim 00:26:49.560 --> 00:26:50.760 and teach truth 00:26:50.760 --> 00:26:52.020 but they drift 00:26:52.020 --> 00:26:52.920 into a shadow mission 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:53.860 of always needing 00:26:53.860 --> 00:26:54.620 to be right. 00:26:56.800 --> 00:26:58.200 Or the smartest person 00:26:58.200 --> 00:26:58.580 in the room. 00:26:58.860 --> 00:26:59.680 Or you have somebody 00:26:59.680 --> 00:27:01.180 who has a mission 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.080 to build 00:27:02.080 --> 00:27:03.519 and grow the church 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.440 to see more people 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:05.220 come to faith 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:06.180 and grow in their faith 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:07.240 but they drift 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:08.220 into a shadow mission 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:08.720 of building 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:09.680 a personal platform. 00:27:10.840 --> 00:27:10.960 Right? 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:11.700 So we see this 00:27:11.700 --> 00:27:12.320 all the time. 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:13.700 And the point is this, 00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:14.500 the Holy Spirit 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:15.460 gives the church 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:17.160 power for God's mission. 00:27:18.300 --> 00:27:19.500 So we have the power 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:19.940 that we need. 00:27:20.019 --> 00:27:20.400 We have everything 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:20.820 that we need 00:27:20.820 --> 00:27:21.539 right here in this room. 00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:24.039 But one of the great dangers 00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:25.379 for spirit-filled people 00:27:25.379 --> 00:27:26.519 is that we can take 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:27.440 God's gifts 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:28.619 and use them 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:29.319 in service 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.539 of our shadow mission. 00:27:31.259 --> 00:27:32.259 You can misuse 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:33.119 these spiritual gifts. 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:35.119 And so instead 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:36.119 of being motivated 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:36.819 by love 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:37.339 and obedience 00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:38.119 and humility 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:39.299 and the kingdom of God 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:40.839 we can allow ourselves 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:41.859 to be derailed 00:27:41.859 --> 00:27:44.019 by self-protection 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:45.180 and self-promotion 00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:46.519 and self-justification 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:48.139 and self-importance. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:49.920 And so a final question 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:50.659 that I would want you 00:27:50.659 --> 00:27:51.339 to reflect on 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:52.740 as we go our way today 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:53.299 is this. 00:27:53.859 --> 00:27:55.000 Are you right now, 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:55.899 to what extent 00:27:55.899 --> 00:27:56.500 do you feel like 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:57.139 you are living 00:27:57.139 --> 00:27:58.079 in alignment 00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:59.079 with God's mission 00:27:59.079 --> 00:27:59.839 in your life? 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:01.220 Or are there ways 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:02.059 that you see yourself 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:03.579 drifting toward 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:05.159 more of a shadow mission 00:28:05.159 --> 00:28:06.079 version of that? 00:28:06.139 --> 00:28:06.980 Where you're using 00:28:06.980 --> 00:28:09.279 these God-given resources 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:09.980 that you have 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:10.559 in ways 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:11.639 that serve 00:28:11.639 --> 00:28:13.199 self-promotion, 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:14.240 self-justification, 00:28:14.419 --> 00:28:15.240 self-protection. 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:15.679 Right? 00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:17.139 I would say 00:28:17.139 --> 00:28:18.279 that all of us 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:18.980 to some extent 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:19.980 are always going 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:20.579 to be struggling 00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:21.160 with that 00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:21.860 to some degree. 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:23.759 So it's not like 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:24.440 show of hands, 00:28:24.620 --> 00:28:24.740 you know, 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:25.200 you're out. 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:25.940 We're all, 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:28.279 we're all dealing 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:28.720 with that 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:29.640 all the time. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.440 This is one 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:31.200 of the main reasons 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:32.099 it is so vital 00:28:32.099 --> 00:28:32.559 to be part 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:33.400 of a church community. 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:35.460 Because you need 00:28:35.460 --> 00:28:36.319 people in your life 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:37.059 who know you, 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:38.099 who know your gifts, 00:28:38.259 --> 00:28:39.980 who know the power 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:40.779 and the beauty 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:41.799 when you're using 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:42.240 your gifts 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.099 to serve the Lord 00:28:43.099 --> 00:28:44.720 and can also detect 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:45.299 when you're kind of 00:28:45.299 --> 00:28:46.059 veering off course 00:28:46.059 --> 00:28:46.919 and the kind of people 00:28:46.919 --> 00:28:47.659 who you have 00:28:47.659 --> 00:28:48.299 the relationship 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:49.059 and the permissions 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:49.659 have been given 00:28:49.659 --> 00:28:51.319 where they can pull you aside 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:52.299 or you can pull them aside 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:52.539 and say, 00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:53.559 I feel like you're kind of 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.440 going off course here. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:56.779 And where else 00:28:56.779 --> 00:28:57.539 are you going to find that? 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:58.639 You're only going to find 00:28:58.639 --> 00:28:59.200 that in the church. 00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:00.119 This is why we need, 00:29:00.419 --> 00:29:01.460 I think on our own 00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:02.440 it's almost impossible 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:03.359 to stay on course 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:04.099 with God's mission 00:29:04.099 --> 00:29:04.819 for our lives. 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:05.539 I think we're almost 00:29:05.539 --> 00:29:06.639 invariably going to go 00:29:06.639 --> 00:29:07.079 off course 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:08.000 and pretty quickly. 00:29:09.659 --> 00:29:10.599 So let me just pull 00:29:10.599 --> 00:29:11.500 all of this together. 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:12.539 What does Pentecost 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:13.200 mean 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:15.919 for us? 00:29:16.059 --> 00:29:16.919 Right? 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:17.460 Number one, 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:19.579 it means God's presence 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:20.659 with us. 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:22.940 The holy God 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:24.059 who once filled 00:29:24.059 --> 00:29:25.019 the tabernacle 00:29:25.019 --> 00:29:25.779 and the temple 00:29:25.779 --> 00:29:27.819 so that the priests 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:29.119 could not even stand 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:29.779 to worship 00:29:29.779 --> 00:29:33.200 who made the ground shake 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:34.799 and the mountains tremble 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:38.980 dwells inside you 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:40.700 by the power 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:41.299 of the Spirit. 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:43.579 Pentecost means 00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:44.579 God's power 00:29:44.579 --> 00:29:46.599 working through us. 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:47.740 It means 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:48.339 the ministry 00:29:48.339 --> 00:29:49.299 of Jesus Christ 00:29:49.299 --> 00:29:50.559 continues on earth 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:51.839 through you 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:53.359 right now. 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:54.439 And it means 00:29:54.439 --> 00:29:55.519 God's purpose 00:29:55.519 --> 00:29:57.299 is ever before us. 00:29:58.299 --> 00:29:58.879 The Spirit 00:29:58.879 --> 00:29:59.319 is given 00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:00.199 so that we might 00:30:00.199 --> 00:30:00.759 bear witness 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:01.319 to Christ 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:02.099 in our homes, 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:03.299 in our jobs, 00:30:03.379 --> 00:30:04.039 among our neighbors, 00:30:04.199 --> 00:30:04.679 in the world, 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:05.799 not only with our lips 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:06.699 but with our lives. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:09.179 So the invitation 00:30:09.179 --> 00:30:09.779 is this, 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:11.920 let us not live 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:12.740 as though God 00:30:12.740 --> 00:30:13.559 is far away 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:14.039 or absent. 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:15.119 Let us not live 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:15.779 as though we 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:16.539 are powerless. 00:30:17.279 --> 00:30:18.299 Let us not live 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:19.079 as though our life 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:19.920 has no purpose 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:20.619 or mission 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:23.119 because the Spirit 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:24.839 has been poured out. 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:26.500 God is with us, 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:27.500 Christ is working 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:28.200 through us, 00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:28.859 and the church 00:30:28.859 --> 00:30:29.519 has been sent 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:30.579 for the life 00:30:30.579 --> 00:30:31.500 of the world. 00:30:32.139 --> 00:30:32.899 Let's pray. 00:30:34.519 --> 00:30:35.559 Our Lord in heaven, 00:30:35.660 --> 00:30:36.359 we thank you 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:37.339 and recognize 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:38.079 immediately 00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:38.779 that these are 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:39.559 things that, 00:30:40.159 --> 00:30:40.899 should they remain 00:30:40.899 --> 00:30:41.899 mere concepts, 00:30:42.359 --> 00:30:43.099 have no power 00:30:43.099 --> 00:30:43.919 to change us, 00:30:44.179 --> 00:30:45.259 much less anything else. 00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:46.839 And if there is 00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:47.659 anything to be reminded 00:30:47.659 --> 00:30:47.899 of, 00:30:47.939 --> 00:30:48.659 it is that we need 00:30:48.659 --> 00:30:49.519 your Holy Spirit. 00:30:49.959 --> 00:30:50.939 We need more of you. 00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:52.259 Father, Son, 00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:52.819 and Holy Spirit 00:30:52.819 --> 00:30:53.379 in us. 00:30:54.419 --> 00:30:54.819 Lord, 00:30:54.939 --> 00:30:55.519 so we pray 00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:56.199 for your Spirit 00:30:56.199 --> 00:30:56.939 to fill us, 00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:57.599 to overflow, 00:30:58.199 --> 00:30:59.119 that all we do 00:30:59.119 --> 00:30:59.819 would be an overflow 00:30:59.819 --> 00:31:00.659 of your presence 00:31:00.659 --> 00:31:01.319 and your love 00:31:01.319 --> 00:31:03.119 in our lives. 00:31:03.579 --> 00:31:04.179 We pray this 00:31:04.179 --> 00:31:04.839 for our community 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:05.240 and we pray 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:05.740 for the good 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:06.620 of those who might 00:31:06.620 --> 00:31:07.140 come to know you 00:31:07.140 --> 00:31:08.859 through our common witness. 00:31:09.339 --> 00:31:09.900 We pray this 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:10.660 in the name of Jesus. 00:31:11.120 --> 00:31:11.339 Amen.