Living As a One-Kingdom Citizen May 20, 2018 [Acts 2: 1-21] While today s text is primarily about the Holy Spirit s arrival at Pentecost, I love the thought that people were of one kingdom on that day. No matter where you were from or which language you spoke, folks were on the same page. The original Pentecost Sunday may, in fact, be the last time that folks from all over the world were on the same page. A quick look at the world news confirms that it may have actually been a few thousand years ago that we were all getting along and working together. So clearly not today SCRIPTURE Some of you may have been put off by my use of The Jesus Storybook Bible in worship this morning. Most preachers have their favorite resources when it comes to sermon-prep. For me, I try to go to The Jesus Storybook Bible to get myself started. Honestly, I wish that I had this book when I had Professor Lyle Vander Brooke in seminary! The scripture that Ray read this morning takes us back to the time when Jesus told His disciples to go to Jerusalem to wait for a special gift (some additional help) from God. I love what the Storybook Bible says about the disciples: So here they were. Waiting. Actually, most were just being scared and hiding. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit shows up and they receive a new lease on life. Nothing can separate them. Heaven came into their hearts! The real story of the Gospel became apparent: God s never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love had come down for everyone. Everyone had the opportunity to live as a onekingdom citizen. When the Book of Acts opens, Jesus had been with his followers for 40 days since his resurrection. Jesus had given the disciples convincing proof that he was alive. He spoke to them about the kingdom of Heaven. Before he leaves, he tells his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world.
In this case, the word witness, similar to the legal definition, means to testify. At the beginning of Acts, there are a little over 100 followers of The Way (as Christianity is first called). By the end of Acts, there are thousands of Christians spanning from Judea (the birthplace of the movement) to Rome and beyond. On the first day of Pentecost, the disciples were praying in an upper room. It s thought to be the same upper room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper (their last Passover). While the Disciples are praying, a noise (like a rushing wind) fills the house and flames of fire separate and rest on each of them. While this would definitely be a 911 moment for us, the reality is that these unusual occurrences were simply an announcement of the arrival of the Holy Spirit (as promised by The Christ). While it might scare us to death to witness something like this today, the image of fire on an individual s head signified a blessing in the Roman world (in those times)! This particular fire seems to recall the words spoken by John the Baptist in Luke 3 ( I will baptize you with water, but one will come who is greater than I, and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire ). The arrival of the Holy Spirit had an amazing effect on the disciples. They began speaking in a wide variety of languages. People thought that they may be intoxicated - but it was only 9 in the morning This miracle shows that Jesus was and is God s promised Messiah and that his death on the cross was part of God s pre-ordained plan to deliver us by providing a forgiveness of sin. Peter told people that Jesus resurrection demonstrates that he is both Lord and Christ. About 3,000 made the decision to follow Jesus on that day alone. SO WHAT? In their book Knowing the Bible 101, Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz share that The Book of Acts is an amazing story of power and miracles and the explosive growth of a new movement called Christianity. How did it all happen? How was it that a tiny band of scared-out-of-their-wits Christians (the disciples) were able to carry the Good News about Jesus to the ends of the known world in a fairly short time and do it in a way that created tremendous momentum? The answer is found in the mission, the means, the message and the method all designed and delivered by God himself.
Mission: The Great Commission (Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.) Please notice that the Great Commission doesn t reference only young people who will become the future of the church. The great commission is to reach EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE! Means: Jesus didn t just leave the disciples a mission, he also left them a means to carry out their mission. He left them the Holy Spirit! In Acts 1, we hear Jesus message that when the holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere. Message: Everyone doesn t have an opportunity to preach in the formal sense (in front of a group of people). But (in our lives) most of us will be asked by someone to talk about our faith. It may be a family member or a neighbor or a colleague. When you exhibit outward signs of your Christian faith, someone s going to ask you about it and what it means to you. We should all be prepared to share what we believe, remembering that the Holy Spirit s there as a helper. Method: The vehicle used to carry out the Great Commission starts with the church. In the Book of Acts, we learn about the vehicle (the method) used to share the Gospel. The church doesn t exist to provide us with what we want to hear, see, eat, etc. The church exists as the method used to share the Good News of the Gospel! NOW WHAT? This past year, our Starting With Why group, has been meeting and praying about why the church exists. There s a very popular secular book by Simon Sinek called Starting With Why that has been embraced by outward thinking church leaders. While we may disagree about the best color for the Fellowship Hall walls or whether contemporary or traditional worship styles are most effective or a zillion other church issues, seems that almost everyone agrees that the church exists to carry out the Great Commission. The Great Commission sends us out to share the Good News with those who otherwise may not hear this message. I really don t think that any of us would disagree with that! If we stipulate that we ve established our purpose (our mission; our reason to exist), we have to assume that we ll next hear this huge question - now what? I love that several of our adult discipleship classes concluded their study of Glenn McDonald s wonderful book Living Beyond the Sanctuary today.
To me, it ties in perfectly with today s liturgical calendar. This week s chapter was titled Live As a One Kingdom Citizen. On Pentecost, folks began to live as if they were of a single kingdom. While they spoke different languages, everyone understood everyone else. God s kingdom grew by leaps and bounds - with the help of the Holy Spirit. Early in chapter 7 of his book, McDonald points out that 133 million folks attend regularly scheduled sporting events each year in America. 75M go to major league (baseball); 22M go to NBA games (basketball); 20M go to NHL (hockey) games; and 16M attend NFL (football) games. That s a total of 133 million fans! Oddly enough, this is essentially the same amount of folks who attend worship once a week. Glenn McDonald asks the question: Why do professional sports hold such sway over American life, while the bare essentials of Christian conviction seem to have far less impact on the shape of our culture s entertainment, governance, public conversation and civility? Why does the influence of those who represent the living presence of Jesus on earth apparently pack so little punch at the water cooler, in the classroom and on our family room TV sets? McDonald believes that there are two kingdoms in America and that there s this reality that the great majority of those who profess to follow Jesus of Nazareth have divided loyalties. Instead of fully living out our citizenship in the one true kingdom (the kingdom of God) which would transform our nation; we re preoccupied with the maintenance of our own kingdom. When you have a spare moment, take a look into that drawer that you have at home; the one where you keep all of your most important papers. Look through your papers and see if you can find your passport (the paperwork that identifies your citizenship). Then, answer this question honestly: Are you a citizen of the one true kingdom (the kingdom of God) or are you a citizen of your own kingdom (where you run everything) or do you have one foot in each? I ve shared with you before that my wife is my toughest sermon critic. A year or so ago, she mentioned that all of my sermons sound similar. You know what? She s right; they do. To me, my faith starts with what s most important to me and frankly, it s most often that I am most important to me - not God.
While I start most days asking God to help me put Him first, the reality is that it doesn t take me too long to slip across the border from God s kingdom to mine. I start out in the right place and then something happens to refocus me. I saw a video this week that really moved me. Maybe some of you saw it too. It s about a four year old named Austin and how he finds the time in his life to make a difference by sharing love. I was going to show you the video but I realized that it might be hard for you Presbyterians on the back rows to see and hear but it s a worthwhile example of how a four year old has focused his life on living as a onekingdom citizen. In the video, from CBS News, Austin takes all of his revenue (allowance, money that his parents would spend on gifts and toys) and he buys Burger King chicken sandwiches. He and his wonderful father then deliver the sandwiches and a canned drink to homeless folks in Birmingham, Alabama. Once a week, Austin dons a red cape and gives chicken sandwiches and drinks to those who don t have enough to eat and gives the following advice to folks: Don t forget to show love! Most of our kids have gone to Enrichment, haven t they? We can be honest Think of the youngsters in your life (your kids and grandkids) for a moment. Would they be willing to give up their time, toys and money to feed the homeless? While you re at it, think about our older kids and even ourselves Would we be willing to give up our time, toys and money to feed those who had nothing to eat? For most of us, our world revolves around us. If it doesn t affect what we have already planned, we might take the time to help someone else; especially if the someone else is a friend or family member. We have time for vacations and our kid s schedules and doing what we really want to do but have a hard time finding the time to help someone that we don t know (especially the least of these). I m going to go out on a limb to give US an excuse. Maybe we want to live in God s kingdom; we want to help but we just don t know where to start. Well, today s your lucky day. Providence is going to give you a hand We can start by praying for God to open our hearts, our minds, our eyes and ears to change our citizenship and help us find ways to make a difference like Austin does.
Secondly, I want to invite you to join the wonderful folks from Mission Matters who will be assembling Blessing Bags in the Fellowship Hall following worship today. We first learned about Blessing Bags from Mariah Smith, founder of Blankets for the Homeless. Mariah used to remind us that keeping these bags (filled with water, snacks and toiletries) in our cars to help those we encounter who are in need is an easy first step to helping others. The Blessings Bags that we ll be making today are the summer version. They include Chap-Stick, sun screen and other items that are especially helpful during summer months. While it seems that it would be easier to be homeless during the summer, we ve learned that it s not necessarily true. While it s not as cold in the summer, people who live in the woods have to deal with insect bites, sunburn, chapped lips and more After we ve made (100) bags, you will be encouraged to take a bag or two with you and then give them to people that you encounter who are in need. Don t worry about whether they re trying to scam you. Just give them a bag! Remember that each of us has the opportunity to live as a one-kingdom citizen. Choose the right destination. Make a difference. But don t forget to show some love!