"Empowered for Growth"

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1 May 19, 2013 Acts 2:1-21 Pastor Janet Shaver Creekside COB "Empowered for Growth" JOKE After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another. The Methodist minister said, "The revival worked out great for us! We gained four new families." The Baptist preacher said, "We did better than that! We gained six new families." The Presbyterian pastor said, "Well, we did even better than that! We got rid of our 10 biggest trouble makers!" CHURCH GROWTH Ahh! Church growth -- how do we grow our church? That is something that we all want. I am sure if all of you were asked how to grow a church, each one of you would have a different understanding. I was looking on Amazon for books on church growth and I found 4, 913. And when I Googled it I found 1, 430,000 sites anywhere from specific themes such as statistics and strategies to ideas and principles and what are barriers and hindrances to church growth. So if we want to grow a church, we have plenty of advice and tips and all claiming to have the answers. BOOK OF ACTS So what is the truth about church growth?

2 If we look at the book of Acts we might find plenty of truth about church growth. In fact there is a story about a group of pastors who while in seminary were asked to write a paper on church growth. Making a point, one pastor tore out the pages of Acts Chapter 2 from a Bible and handed it to the professor. HOLY SPIRIT FILLED THE BUILDING Today in the scripture God releases the Holy Spirit- woosh the promise of Christ and the whole building and all of the people there were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was so powerful that it spilled outside where people came running to see what caused such an explosion. THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE CAME TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST Three thousand people came to the saving knowledge of Christ. And then we find that people are living in community, sharing all their belongings, communing with God and with each other and fellowshipping in meals and in prayer and at the end of chapter 2 it is said that everyday their number grew as God added those who were saved. What is it that is making the church grow? JOHN 14 SAYS Well, of course it is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said I will send you the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth - an advocate who will tell you everything that I did. Jesus said it was coming. But when??? WAITING IN THE UPPER ROOM So here it is, the disciples, Jesus mother and other followers are told to go back to Jerusalem and wait. ACCORD

3 Did you know when they went back to Jerusalem they car pooled? Yep, they were all in one Accord That is what the New King James says Instead of saying they were in one place, it says That they were in one accord. WAITING IS HARD WORK Have you ever waited for something? Have you ever waited for something that you weren t even sure what it was you were are waiting for? Why are you waiting? We are waiting for the Holy Spirit. What will you do with this Holy Spirit? We are not quite sure. But Jesus told us to wait. ONE ACCORD And in their faithfulness they waited and prayed. And they were all in accord they were all in the same spiritual place. A place of knowing they were called to stay and do this. That is the before the Holy Spirit makes her grand entrance. These wonderful faithful followers of Jesus did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They were there waiting and praying. This reminds me so much of our own church. I am thinking that we struggled for a while in our finances and our future but in our faithfulness we stuck it out. ORIGINAL NOT STICKING IT OUT. I imagine many of the original followers went home, got tired of the hot upper room, the windows opened as far as they could be but still not enough air. Barely a breeze - No some people would have given it up and said this can t be worth the wait.

4 We lost some people in the midst of the waiting for things to get better for a soft breeze - some glimmer of hope. We kept to the task at hand - working through our difficult times in prayer and faithfulness. FOUNDATION OF FAITHFULNESS It is good to have that foundation of faithfulness. It is a good reminder of God s goodness. We will remember and appreciate everything that God has brought us through and we learn from it. Our experience builds our faith, as these disciples were. We are disciples of Christ and believed in what we were doing. A GALE FORCE WIND And then today in the scripture, they got more than a breeze but a strong wind gale force POWER. MAKING OF CHURCH GROWTH DIRECTING US TO FOLLOW HER LEAD We have that same Holy Spirit power today right now. It might not come in like a tornado but it is here and it is empowering us for all sorts of kingdom work but today I want to talk about the Spirit s power to grow God s kingdom right around us. This is a making of church growth and the Holy Spirit is the one who leads the way. If we look at the scripture today we will see how the Holy Spirit directs the growth. COMPELS US TO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER Today the Holy Spirit compels the group to speak in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. SPEAKING IN OUR OWN TONGUE BUT DIFFERENTLY

5 Speaking different languages is a difficult task. If anyone has tried to learn a different language they might say it is difficult and for some it is easy. But if you think about it when we think of different languages we might only be thinking about languages that originate in foreign countries but there are lots of languages to learn to day just in our own culture. Let me tell you a story how easy it is to misinterpret someone s language. ILLUSTRATION Recently, a judicial friend was presiding over a case in a small, rural county. The defendant was charged with drunk driving and trying to assault the police officer who arrested him. To convict the defendant on the assault on an officer charge, the District Attorney had to prove that the defendant knew the person he was assaulting was a police officer. And the easiest way to do that is to show that the officer was wearing a police uniform, and therefore the defendant knew that this was a police officer. So the District Attorney asked the officer on the witness stand "And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" The witness looked at him blankly. It was clear he didn't know what the District Attorney meant by "attired". Everyone saw this but the District Attorney. "Would you repeat the question, please?" In a slightly irritated voice the District Attorney said, "And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" The witness still was puzzled. "Say that again", he pleaded. "How were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" barked the District Attorney. My friend said you could suddenly see the light bulb come on in the officer's head, and he proudly proclaimed "I was traveling on standard issue radial tires!" LISTEN TO THE MOVEMENT Not everyone speaks the same language as we do. Though technology we are inundated with different cultures right in our living rooms and I believe that as people are experiencing these different

6 cultures they begin to take on some of these nuances of languages and culture. It is up to us to listen to the movement of the people and have the Holy spirit help us to understand the languages of these cultures. For instance: Duck Dynasty I have been hearing these murmurs about Duck dynasty and they were getting stronger and stronger and more frequent where I finally said I need to see this. I need to understand what they are looking for. Duck Dynasty is a reality television series on A&E. It shows the lives of the Robertson family, who became wealthy from their family-operated business, Duck Commander, operated in West Monroe, Louisiana, which makes products for duck hunters, primarily the duck call named Duck Commander. The Robertson men, brothers Phil and Si, and Phil's sons Jase, Willie, and Jep, are known for their long, flowing beards. The business began in a dilapidated family shed, where Phil Robertson spent 25 years making duck calls from Louisiana cedar trees. [1] His son Willie is now the CEO of the company. \ Text Messaging is another language that is foreign to many of us but I have to tell you I had to learn it or I would have a hard time communicating with my kids. I had to learn and now Pastors Betty and Rosanna and I text each other all the time. OMG Text Messaging LOL - Laughing Out Loud SMH - Shaking My Head TTYL - Talk To You Later PAW - Parents Are Watching The Holy Spirit compels us to learn about people and understand them where ever they are in life.

7 HOSPITALTIY It is important to understand that in the midst of Duck Dynasty and Text Lingo there is a place for us to connect to each other. It is a different culture and language than what we know and it is a place of hospitality. Learning a different style of communicating says that I value what you value. I want to know you. You see the message of God s love doesn t change but how we communicate does. THE HOLY SPIRIT POINTS TO GOD S ACTIVITY AND COMPELS US TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ACTIVITY CAME WHEN THEY HEARD SUCH A RUCKUS When they heard the sound they came on the run. I wish it was that easy to notice God s activity that it was that loud but the Spirit helps us stay attuned to it. Some things that God is doing doesn t always look like what we expect. I am sure the disciples had no idea how the Spirit was going to appear. What it might look like? One of the easy things we see in activity in the church are the baptism and new members. This is an obvious activity. That is God s activity in the lives of the people and in the church. A SOCCER GAME God s activity reminds me of when my son used to play soccer and he started when he was about five years old. When they begin they don t know the rules or their positions so when the ball is in motion everyone follows the ball. All the kids would run toward the ball. That reminds me of being aware of God s activity where is our focus now. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CHURCH Staying in tuned to what God is doing is a matter of paying attention to where God is inviting us in to a new way of looking at things or a new way of doing things. What is happening in all of the areas of the church and what is God inviting us into. Is there something different going on where is God directing our focus and how is the spirit empowering us to discern how to respond to God s invitation.

8 These are the questions we must ask ourselves and of God. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it pleases. You can hear it, but you don't know where it's coming from or where it's headed next." We just don t know how God is working in our midst but the Holy Spirit calls us to look and stay awake. We don t know what God is up to but the Holy Spirit compels us to respond with discernment and prayer. And we accept God s invitation to do something new. HOLY SPIRIT GIVES TO US DREAM AND GIVE VISION TO THE ONGOING WORK OF THE SPIRIT I like the story of the pastor who went to the bedside of a seriously ill parishioner named Fred, only to have the patient (in the process of his visit) begin coughing, choking and gasping for air. While thrashing wildly about, Fred reached for a pencil, grabbed a pad, scribbled a message, handed it to the preacher, and died. "Pastor, you're standing on my oxygen tube." We never want to stop the flow of life in the church. God gives to us dream and visions for his kingdom and it is up to us to encourage and walk alongside each other to realize those dreams. If God is calling any of us to a purpose here or in the larger church community, we say, yes, how can we help you. If we see hurdles, what can we do to help you over the hurdles. CLOSING: If we continue to read the Book of Acts, we the Holy Spirit growing the church in leaps and bounds. The disciples and the Apostle Paul kept close Jesus and what Jesus was calling them to do. Experts are helpful but we

9 need a firm foundation of Jesus and and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us in the process. Reveal to us Holy God your activity here in our lives and in our church. We are faithful in our waiting.