Happy for the Gift

 

I’ve been thinking about my sermon from Pentecost Sunday ever since I presented it. I’m hoping that the message was clear…We need to be excited about the gift we received from God in the form of the Holy Spirit. I told the church that if we really believe in Jesus Christ and trust that he keeps his promises, then we are all Pentecostal Christians. After all, didn’t Jesus promise to send the Holy Sprit, the Advocate, the Counselor, to remind us of Jesus’ teaching and to guide us forward in our mission to the world? If this is true, then the Spirit’s presence in our lives makes us Pentecostal by definition.

If we accept this premise, then I believe we need to be very happy about this gift we’ve been given. This is a really great present and it’s worth sharing with everyone we meet. I think that was the general idea…God gives us the Spirit so we will know how to share Jesus with the world. We are not called to blend in and hide our gift; we are called to stand out and draw attention to God. I hope you enjoy this message. Below is a link to the audio version:

http://sermon.net/revdtabbs

 

“Mistaken for Being Sober”

"Speaking in Tongues: A 21^st Century Perspective"

The story presented in The Book of Acts, 2:1-12, has been studied for centuries by scholars and church-goers alike. It's the story of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and they were empowered to speak the gospel message of salvation in as many languages as there were folks listening. Reading the story we can pick out at least sixteen different languages represented in the crowd.

This story has given rise to the charismatic belief in speaking in tongues. Of course, this story doesn't really relate to the modern-day charism of speaking in tongues at all, since the disciples in the story did not speak unintelligible languages of the heavens; rather, they were speaking normal human languages that they didn't know. This was miraculous, but not cosmic. It has caused quarrels about whether the disciples actually learned a new language or if the people simply understood what was being said. Was this really speaking in many languages or was it some sort of First Century United Nations? Either explanation would be miraculous; but the conflicts continue.

Another issue seems to be that we have lost our enthusiasm for Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. Post-modern Christians are adept at thinking about social justice issues, but seem to lack the stomach for talking about and learning about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's gifts to the church. "Spirituality" is a great buzz-word, but there is a general disconnect when it comes to talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit and acting like the disciples did at the first Pentecost. I wonder why this topic has become so stale.

This passage is considered to be the focus of the Pentecost and provides the most-often preached text for this important Sunday. Maybe that is part of the problem; maybe we have heard this text preached so often that we think there's nothing new to say about it. Maybe we think we know the Pentecost story so well that it is no longer special. There is nothing more for us to learn here. Can't we just move on? This might a great day to dust off last year's Pentecost sermon. Read the story, make a few brief remarks about the birth of the church, and let's all go to lunch. That would probably be a pretty popular Sunday indeed!

The thing is: It is still a miracle when people actually hear about and understand the work of God in a way that speaks to them. There are people in our community who think differently, live differently, and understand differently than we do. There are still people out there waiting to hear the gospel presented to them in a way that they can understand and embrace. How are we speaking in languages for those people?

Think about those first disciples in the story. They were scared out of their minds, hiding behind locked doors, waiting for somebody to come and take them off to jail or to the same fate that met their Master. Then, on that special Pentecost Day, they changed their mood and their behavior because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. They went out into the streets proclaiming the saving work of God without any fear. They were able to speak in whatever language was necessary for the people around them to understand. For them, it was a great miracle of speaking in many different languages; for us, it might just be the miracle of being able to relate to many different kinds of people. The miracle of Pentecost in our lives might just be the ability to reach out to people in our own community and find ways to bring them to an understanding of God's love. Maybe we don't need to speak in tongues or any other language; maybe we just need to realize what people need and provide it.

In the story we just heard the apostles were accused of being drunk. How else could the people explain their wild appearance and behavior? The people knew that these followers of Jesus were different. However, their assessment as to why they were acting so strangely was wrong. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.

But it raises a question for us. When folks see and hear us, what do they assume? How do they explain our appearance and behavior? It may be that there is nothing to explain. If we seem to be like everybody else, then shame on us. We are not called to blend in — but to stand out in such a way that calls attention to our God. I wonder if too many Christians would never be mistaken for being drunk because their faith is so incredibly sober.

The apostles weren't drunk — just excited. They were filled with the Holy Spirit that they encountered through a violent wind and tongues of fire, and they took the message of Jesus to the entire earth. They were mistaken for being drunk. I think that many Christians today are mistaken for being sober. We are so afraid that somebody might think we're weird or different or strange that we act so sober that no one would ever mistake us for being excited about our faith. That's just wrong! I don't want to be mistaken for sober; I want people to wonder why I'm so happy and excited. I want people to ask me what's gotten into me so I can tell them – the Holy Spirit has gotten into me! That's what Pentecost is really all about…It's about showing everyone how excited you are to be a Christian. It's about going out into the streets and proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ with enthusiasm. It's about being able to communicate with many different types of people in ways that they can understand and appreciate. It's about helping lots of different people learn about Jesus and come into a relationship with him.

So, how about you…Do you want to be mistaken for being drunk on the love of God or mistaken for being sober?

Can you do it?

"I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love." (Ephesians 3:16-17, NRSV)

The Letter to the Ephesians includes encouragement for new believers who are just beginning to realize what it means to be transformed by the gospel message. The readers of this letter are reminded that because they now live in Christ they are no longer aliens or strangers from God. Because of their response to the gospel, these readers are experiencing a radical transformation of their personal and social identity. They are being re-socialized into God's purposes and family. I urge you to read the entire letter.

This is a beautiful section of the Bible where we see how wonderful it is to have the Holy Spirit present with us; we see how inspired and motivated we can be when we recognize this spirit of love inside us. It is empowering to think that we receive spiritual strength as we grow and develop in our relationship with God. The prayers we read here give thanks to God for the unbelievable power and love God shows us in Jesus Christ. We see that God gives and gives and then gives some more to those who follow Christ. God's Spirit strengthens us as this spiritual nurturing takes place and we are led to know God better and better.

It is important that you read the entire letter because Ephesians is not simply encouraging; it is intended to influence the thought and conduct of the reader. It was written to build up the church and to tell the readers how they should act. I don't think we should be surprised by this message. After all, the gospel message is supposed to transform us; it is intended to change our behavior. OMG…There's that frightening word – "change"!

We don't much care for change; we resist it with all our strength. We like change even less when it isn't our idea. Maybe that's why following Christ is such a challenge for us – Christ calls us to change the way we think and the way we behave and we're happy just the way we are. We must realize that the reason Jesus came was because the way things were was not acceptable to God and the people needed to change; Jesus came to reconcile the people back to God – to show them a new way to change their behavior. Jesus came to unite all peoples into God's family for God's purposes.

We are now beginning our 5^th year together as pastor and congregation. As I review the work we have done together I see many wonderful things done in the Name of Jesus for this church and our community. I thank God for your faithfulness. I also see the potential for so many other things that would lead us into better relationships with God, with each other, and with our neighbors. In our committee meetings and small groups there is a lot of discussion about what our next steps should be and how we might better serve the community. I hear many good ideas and I see plans to nurture those ideas into ministry. What seems to be in shorter supply is the commitment to actually begin the work of clearing, planting, fertilizing, and harvesting these ideas. The list of people who have signed up to help with these new ministries is a fraction of the number of people needed to actually bring in the sheaves. The spirit seems willing, but the flesh appears weak when it comes right down to saying, "Yes, I will help with this project or that ministry; yes, I will teach Sunday school; yes, I will go on a mission trip; yes, I will volunteer my time in the kitchen; yes, I will be an active
participant in my church."

I need your help; your church needs your help. Each one of us has something to contribute. Every contribution of time and energy helps us to realize new opportunities for ministry that bring more people into a relationship with Jesus. That is, above all else, why we are the church in Mangum: "To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." Please prayerfully consider how you fit into the ministry of your church and make a commitment to serve. Don't wait for someone to "recruit" you, fill out the form, turn it in, and get involved today. Remember what Helen Keller said: "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

God bless,
Pastor Don