‘WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVES… IT IS DIFFERENT”
Acts 2:1-13; Eph. 4:3; 5:18
Westminster Shorter Catechism: Q. 5- "Are there more Gods than one?" A:There is
but one only, the living and true God.
Q. 6- How many persons are there in the godhead? A: There are three
persons in the godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and these three are one
God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
"Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit." (Eph. 5:18)
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
(Eph. 4:3)
I started to say
that I have changed my strategy and now my sermons will last an hour and a
half, I will not preach behind the pulpit, I am going to run and jump and
yell and bow and throw a chair down because I saw hundreds of you respond to
his preaching. What makes me nervous
is that there are some who absolutely made a life-changing commitment to Christ.
I am most nervous of not following up with them and quenching the
spirit, snuffing out the renewed hope in some.
It is easy for me to do unintentionally because of my method.
But hear me say, for those who made a real commitment to Christ- my hopes
are that we can fan that flame that was ignited into a life-long, slow
obedience for the long haul for God.
We don’t want this to be a quick blaze- a shooting star.
Yet, we also know
Spiritual Enrichment is not for every single Sunday.
In the Bible it wasn’t that way either.
There is an illusion that all Jesus did was walk on water every
day, calm every storm that came, and die on the cross and be resurrected
every day- it was a one time deal.
There were people who wanted an every day experience- after he fed the 5,000
some wanted to make him king and have him feed them bread every day.
Spiritual Enrichment is a rare thing.
n a few days we will
celebrate Valentine’s Day- which obviously comes only once a year.
Some guys are full of passion and will write “I love you” to their wife
in the sky, and make my little bouquet seem insignificant. Yet, I would say my
love is not any less- just a bit more subtle and quieter.
If I called my wife “a righteous fox” each time before I preached you
might not have a preacher for long for my wife might shoot me.
My point is love is shown in different ways- but it doesn’t mean its not
real.. As Christians we show love
for God and love for neighbor in different ways as well.
We should all fan the flames of our love for God. We all should keep that
focus before us.
But let me
say this, and say it as strongly as I can and as clearly as I can.
When God is at work, expect to be challenged to broaden
your thinking. When God is at work
the status quo and just coping with life will not do- flexibility and
adaptation is the key. When I go on a mission trip- always are told- be
flexible and trust in God is the key. One
thing I love about the Presbyterian Church USA is that there are not
rules restricting methods. Do you
know many churches say that you have to read the same scripture that all the
other churches read every single week?
In the Presbyterian Church we have the lectionary- I have used the
lectionary, but it is not mandatory.
In some churches, there are restrictions saying you have to baptize at this age
in this way- in the Presbyterian Church we baptize adults but we also baptize
infants; you can be baptized in the lake or baptized in the sanctuary- to me
that is grace and flexibility. In
some churches you can only serve communion in a certain way- in the Presbyterian
Church you can have intinction or serve it in these little cups.
Too often we want to restrict things so we can know exactly what to
expect so that we will be comfortable with God.
I understand that. When
God is at work, God is let out of the box.
Think about Pentecost. Pentecost was one of the holiest moments in the
church. We wear red stoles on
Pentecost- and we only wear red stoles one day a year- to commemorate the
birthday of the church- when the Spirit was poured out.
It was not just an ordinary, comfortable day.
The disciples went from freezing in fear to being on fire for God
everywhere they went.
We
need to see here about how Pentecost was different.
1) THEY WERE NOT IN CONTROL- In fact, at Pentecost they were so out of
control, someone was implying they had been in the liquor cabinet too
long. The symbols of the Spirit are wind and fire- things often
uncontrollable. If you have ever
tried to shoot a dove you know they fly wildly and are hard to hit- the wild
dove is a symbol of the Spirit too.
You know what, I am glad that they questioned that experience.
Not all experiences are good or from God.
We believe in doing things decently and in order, but we also believe in
being open to the Holy Spirit.
We live in a fluid time-
a time when many things are out of control.
The national debt, personal debt,
Some of you have had your expectations crushed- you thought things
would go on like they always have and that didn’t happen.
You feel out of control- but guess what- God has a plan.
God has a purpose. God is in control- we must learn to put Him first and
trust Him.
2) THE FOLLOW UP WAS IMPORTANT- One thing they did was they kept
meeting together. When they
asked Peter, “What shall we do?” He
said “repent and be baptized.” They
did, and then they started wanting, desiring, with passion to meet together.
It was not just another thing to do.
It was not putting God in a box.
Perhaps you remember another great experience called “The
Transfiguration” when Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus- Peter, James, and
John. Peter was so awed at the
experience that he wanted to capture it and make it last forever.
He said, “Why don’t we build little box houses (booths) to put Moses,
Elijah, and Jesus in. Jesus
basically ignored the request. When
the youth get back from Montreat or Camp Fellowship- they want to make those
mountaintop experiences like the rest of church.
Let me say it is really important to have Montreat, Camp, and
revival/renewal experiences- and to have them regularly.
But trying to box in an experience never works.
Instead of boxing it up- we
should seek to fan into flame our first love- our passion for Jesus.
3) THEY WERE UNITED- When the Spirit
moved, they were all together in one place. Unity is a prerequisite for
spiritual renewal. When the Spirit
came it was the opposite of the Tower of Babel.
At the Tower of Babel- people were divided by their languages so they
couldn’t accomplish much. At
Pentecost they were brought together- so much could be accomplished.
Every indication is that those who questioned their experience did not
get mad but were gracious enough to join in the work of the church and hear
Peter’s sermon. We sang Monday night
“Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
I do that at every spiritual enrichment because it is important. The tie
that binds is “the unity of the Spirit which is the bond of peace.” We
are to make every, every, every effort to stay together, to love- which is a fruit of the
Spirit, to be patient and kind- which are also fruits of the Spirit.
I would like to see in scripture where it says to stop being kind or
patient or loving or united.
Today is
Boy Scout Sunday. I was talking
to Conner Effinger this week who was working on his God and Country merit badge.
He asked me how I felt called by God.
This is, in some ways for me, how God’s Spirit works- my Pentecost
moment- and so I wanted to share this story with you.
You may have a different one.
We believe that
the call of God is given to us by the same spirit who came on Pentecost.
For my call, we had good ministers at Eastminster who set good examples
of faithfulness and love for the people.
But I can tell you that my call began when I was about ten years old and
was in boy scouts at boy scout camp- the old Camp Barstow.
We were in these three sided adorondaks and there were tornado
warnings everywhere. Later it
was reported that seven tornadoes came through that part of the county that
night. The wind was whipping up like
never before. I heard the big pine
tree fall just behind my adirondak- and I remember praying, “Lord, if you get me
out of this, I’ll do anything… I’ll even become a preacher!”
That’s how the Holy Spirit began to work in my life.
But after that it was affirmation of gifts, a re-dedication I had after I
had strayed away in high school, and God’s leading me in many ways, believing
God gave me a calling within. Maybe
God is beginning to call you to do something more for Him.