“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” - Acts 19:11

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” - John 11:5

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” - John 11:20

But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. - John 11:22

“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” - John 11:24

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” - John 11:32

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” … 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” - John 11:38-39; 41-44

“The future has burst into the present. The new creation, and with it the resurrection, has come forward from the end of time into the middle of time… He has come from God’s future into the present, into the mess and muddle of the world we know. ‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ he says. ‘Resurrection’ isn’t just a doctrine. It isn’t just a future fact. It’s a person.” - N.T. Wright

At its very essence, communication is a conduit of love.

So today I would like to make a case for prophecy which much like communication is messy but in my opinion, and that of the biblical authors, is so worth it.

This past fall, we began a series called Come, Holy Spirit with the following goals:

• to move beyond information into experiences with God

• to encounter God in the ordinary

• to radically open ourselves up to God

• to do the Jesus stuff.

So today we are tackling the gift of prophecy in three parts:

1. Prophecy Biblically

2. Prophecy Defined

3. Prophecy Now

“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to [Moses], and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.” –Numbers 11:25 (ESV)

“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” – Numbers 11:29 (ESV)

“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” – John 20:22

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…” –Acts 2:17

Prophecy is not an optional subpoint of the Bible- it is at the very center of the biblical story, of our story.

What exactly is Prophecy? Is it….

• God’s voice?

• Is it being able to predict something that hasn’t happened yet like a magic 8 ball or a fortune teller?

• Is it knowing something about someone that you couldn’t have known?

• Is it being able to understand and interpret the scriptures?

• Is it giving a word of encouragement to someone when they really need it?

“Prophecy’ is the activity through which particular words are given to particular individuals or groups by people speaking in church and claiming that the spirit is leading them to say such things, or that Jesus himself is speaking these words.” –N.T. Wright

"Prophecy involves God speaking to or through a servant who listens to his voice." – Craig Keener

• Prophecy can be to an individual or to a community.

• Prophecy can challenge injustice like in the book of Amos or encourage as we will see in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church.

• Prophecy can be something revelatory, like a word of knowledge or of wisdom, or it can be something incredibly ordinary.

“1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. “ – 1 Corinthians 14:1-4

“God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5

Prophecy consists of:

1. Hearing

2. Giving

3. Receiving

The stuff the Spirit does.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. –1 Corinthians 12:1

pnuematikan | “gifts of the Spirit”

• “things of the Spirit,

• “manifestations of the Spirit”

• “Spirituals”

• “The stuff the Spirit does”

Paul offers a list of 9 things that the Spirit does.

1. a message of wisdom

2. a message of knowledge

3. Faith

4. Gifts of healing

5. Miraculous powers

6. Prophecy

7. Distinguishing between spirits

8. Tongues

9. The interpretation of tongues

Acts 2: New Era of the Spirit.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. – Acts 2:1-4

This was the text we read at the beginning of the teaching, I just want to point out a few things of note–

1. Before this moment only certain people were recipients of God’s Spirit. This is a new age in which God’s Spirit will not work through the few, but through the many.

2. Second, those who were experiencing this phenomenon were declaring the mighty works of God in languages that they had never learned.

Acts 10: Even the Gentiles.

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. – Act 10:44–46.

Acts 19: Receive the Spirit

5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. –Acts 19:5–6.

On the Corinthian Church

As we jump into it, Paul is offering a compare and contrast between prophecy and tongues.

The Corinthian Church had this reputation for wild gatherings. And it seems as if the gift of tongues was being used performatively to demonstrate superior spirituality.

Defining Tongues.

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 14:1-2

Tongues are a form of prayer and praise expressed to God in a language you have not learned or understand.

“Tongues’ refers to the gift of speech which, though making sounds, and using apparent or even actual languages, somehow bypasses the speaker’s conscious mind. –N.T. Wright

Unlearned Languages.

2B for no one understands [the one speaking in tongues], but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 14:1-2

A few instances suggest they are human languages the speaker does not know.

“Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?”–Act 2:7–8.

Another theory is that these are the languages of other Spiritual beings. Paul writes just a chapter before, “if I speak in the tongues of men and angels…” (1 Corinthians 13)

There is a mystery at work that we will likely never understand.

Prophesy edifies the Church. Tongues edify the Speaker.

3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.” – 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 (ESV)

Without a common language, the meaning of a message is lost on us.

“Intelligibility is the reason that Paul prefers other gifts to speaking in tongues in public worship.”– Ben Withington

Speaking in Unlearned Language has some kind of building-up effect.

1. The one who speaks in a tongue, speaks to God. (1 Cor. 14:2)

2. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself. (1 Cor. 14:4)

3. I want you all to speak in tongues (1 Co 14:5).

4. “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” (1 Cor. 14:14–17)

I think Paul imagines speaking in tongues as an experience that bypasses messy minds and allows one's soul to connect directly with God.

“the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” –Romans 8:26.

1. Tongues build up the believer.

2. Praying in tongues also helps us worship God.

3. Praying in tongues helps us in times of confusion.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. – 1 Corinthian 14:18-19

Eagerly Desire

So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. – 1 Corinthians 14:39(ESV)

Pursue love, and eagerly desire all the stuff the Spirit does.

Tongues are a means, not an end.

Paul’s invitation to the Corinthians, and consequently to us is to examine our desires and to reorient them back to God, and the stuff he does through his Spirit.

For those who would like to pursue this gift.

1. Create Space.

2. Ask God.

3. Take a shot.

4. Practice

Our God’s invitation is into an ongoing relationship so there is a place for intentional effort and pursuit.

“I think therefore I am.” – René Descartes

We have come to believe that knowledge is only information or data or facts– content that can fit on a spreadsheet.

Knowledge is more than cells on a spreadsheet or information in a memory bank.

Experiential Knowledge.
So according to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is a marked improvement over a direct face-to-face conversation with God in the flesh.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you... In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”–John 14:16-17,20.

This comforter will not be seen but will be experienced by those who follow Jesus.

“I purposely emphasize the word ‘experience,’ and will seek to show from the scripture the importance of experience. A non-experiential religion is suspect, for it fails to deal with the totality of our being.” – Simon Ponsonby

John 14 alone is full of examples of experiences with God.

1. “I will give you an advocate…”(John 14:16)

2. “The Spirit will live with you and you will know him.” (John 14:17)

3. “The Spirit will teach you and remind you of all I’ve said.” (John 14:26)

4. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27)

5. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27)

A non-experiential Christianity, a faith that of disembodied ideas is a departure from the scriptures.

Knowledge is built on experience with God.

“19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” –John 20:19–21 (ESV)

The work of the Spirit is not our entertainment; it is to renew the whole world.

“the Spirit, above all else, carries on Jesus’ mission and mediates his presence… The personal functions of the Spirit are also the functions of Jesus in the rest of the book, and the sensitive reader cannot miss the connection.” – Craig Keener

For those who learn to receive and rely upon the Spirit, we begin to experience the life spoken of in the scripture.

1. New intimacy

2. New holiness

3. New possibilities

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. –John 14:12 (ESV)

Receive the Spirit.

“And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” –John 20:22–23 (ESV)

Throughout the New Testament there are a variety of metaphors that stretch human language in an attempt to convey the experience of encountering God.

The three most common metaphors are Filled, Baptized, and Receive.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”– Eph 5:18.

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.” –Romans 8:15.

Three metaphors for this same experience with God’s Spirit– to receive the Spirit is to be consumed, influenced, inundated, saturated, and complete with God’s presence and power.

Whatever you want to call the experience, there has been a debate over the question of when.

When are we filled, baptized, or receive the Spirit?

“...we seek not a single experience but a continuing relationship, daily encountering our master in the power of his Holy Spirit, living out of the power already imparted to us when we became followers of Jesus Christ.” – Craig Keener

The invitation of the Spirit is to be filled, and to keep being filled.

“Consumerism is the desire for a life without shame." Adam Smith

“Consumerism’s most glittering prize is the promise of immortality itself: an earthly paradise of never wanting, never needing, never lacking for anything imagination can dream of.” Tim Jackson

“And again Isaiah says, the root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the gentiles; in Him will the gentiles hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope.” Romans 15:12-13

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance (or patience) and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have HOPE. Romans 15: 2 & 4

“We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.” Romans 5:5

Hope is the result of both endurance and encouragement

“May the God of endurance (or patience) and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” Romans 15:5

"Hope is not about the future, hope is about the present. It obviously has to do with the future, but it is a virtue which is cultivated in the present. It fills the present with energy, it connects the two comings of Jesus so that we are now a participant in them. We are not just remembering the one and believing in the other ....we are participating in the continuity of the comings." Eugene Peterson

Three Misconceptions about Joy:

• Joy is simply a feeling

• Joy is feeling 100% satisfied 100% of the time

• Jesus denies fulfillment

“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. John 15:1-11 MSG

• Where are you going for your source of Joy?

• What would you trade your soul for?

• Do you believe Jesus restricts your fulfillment or completes your fulfillment?

“Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.” Peter Scazarro, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

“Healthy feelings, properly ordered among themselves, are essential to a good life. So if we are to be formed in Christlikeness, we must take good care of our feelings and not just let them happen.” Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart

1. Abiding

2. Slowing Down

3. Community

4. Openness to Pruning

“If we think we will have joy only by praying and singing psalms, we will be disillusioned. But if we fill our lives with simple good things and constantly thank God for them, we will be joyful, that is, full of joy. And what about our problems? When we determine to dwell on the good and excellent things in life, we will be so full of those things that they will tend to swallow our problems.” Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

• Where are you going for your source of Joy?

• What would you trade your soul for?

• Do you believe Jesus restricts your fulfillment or completes your fulfillment?

The story of Secularism.

The Story of Secularism is that the world is slowly, but progressively, marching toward a utopia built by our own two hands and in our image.

“I am assuming that we are not going to genetically engineer out of our nature greed, avarice, competitiveness, aggression, and violence, because these characteristics are part and parcel of who we are as a species… Instead, what I foresee in the far future of civilization here on Earth… that have learned to design [our] political, economic, and social systems to bring out the best of our nature while holding back the worst… Civilizations this advanced would have so much knowledge and power as to be essentially omniscient and omnipotent, indistinguishable from God.”– Michael Shermer

It's the Kingdom without the King.

Revelation(s)?

It is singular, not plural.

John’s Revelation in 4 parts:

1. Instruction to 7 Churches

2. The throneroom of God.

3. Judgment

4. The Reign of God.

A New Heaven & A New Earth.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” – Revelation 20:1a (ESV)

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind…–Isaiah 65:17.

…the Sea was no more.

“...and the sea was no more.”– Revelation 20:1b (ESV)

For many ancient civilizations, the sea stands as this metaphor for chaos and evil lurking under the surface of life.

“That is what is meant by there being ‘no more sea’. Throughout this book, as in much of the Bible, the sea is the dark force of chaos that threatens God’s plans and God’s people. It is the element from which the first monster emerged… But in the new creation there will be no more sea, no more chaos, no place from which monsters might again emerge.” – NT Wright

The Dwelling Place of God.

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” –Revelation 21:2–3 (ESV)

Tent.

“I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” –Leviticus 26:11–12.

Temple
Under the leadership of Solomon the Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple: one of the most impressive structures in the ancient world.

Person.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:1-2, 14–15.

The Former things have passed away.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” –Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

“Separation from the Presence [of God] is, quite literally, what the Fall is. As a result of the Fall, mankind slipped from God-consciousness into the hell of self and self-consciousness. -Leanne Payne

All things New.

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” –Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

A foretaste of the Future.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him… By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”– 1 John 4:9,13.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?– 1 Corinthians 3:16.

"The best of all is, God is with us,” –John Wesley

Practice the Presence of God.

“...being with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become like that what that person is. An “apprentice” of Jesus is learning from him how to lead their life as he would lead their life if he were they” – Dallas Willard

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” –Luke 9:23–24 (ESV)

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20.

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” –Genesis 12:2–3.

“for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” –Galatians 3:26–29.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” –Romans 14:17–19.

“For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” –Galatians 5:5–6.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you…A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” –John 13:14–15,34-35

“This is what it means to live in the Spirit. The premier expression of the Spirit is love, and the Spirit-prompted person is one who loves God and loves others. Spirit-ual formation is formation into love.” –Scot McKnight

“If you want a good litmus test of your spiritual growth, simply examine the nature and quality of your relationships with others.”–Robert Mulholland Jr

“It is best to think of flesh like this: we are born into and socialized in a fallen world, we embody some good habits and some bad ones, our habits form our character, and since our habits are not all good, our character gets corrupted. Our corrupted character, like some agent with power in our life, steers us into a deepening of our corrupted actions and character.” –Scot McKnight

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.” –Galatians 5:19–21 (MSG)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22–23.

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. – Jeremiah 31:31,33.

“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” –Philippians 2:12–13.

“In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.” ― Brother Lawrence

“...we are so habitually self-absorbed by heartaches, headaches, and greed for experience that we rarely find the time and space to be in touch with the deeper movements inside of us and around us. For every kind of reason, good and bad, we are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion. It is not that we have anything against God, depth, and spirit, we would like these, it is just that we are habitually too preoccupied to have any of these show up on our radar screens. We are more busy than bad, more distracted than nonspiritual, and more interested in the movie theatre, the sports stadium, and the shopping mall and the fantasy life they produce in us than we are in church. Pathological busyness, distraction, and restlessness are major blocks today within our spiritual lives” – Ronald Rolheiser

“God’s presence in the present moment is the single most important task of the Christian life and no spiritual discipline is more foundational or transforming than this one.” – Greg Boyd

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” - Acts 1:2

PART 1: The Promise of Pentecost

“3[Jesus] presented himself alive to [the disciples] after his suffering [, his death on the cross,] by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” - Acts 3:9

PART 2: The Preparation of Pentecost

“they devoted themselves to prayer.” - Acts 1:14a

PART 3: The Proofs of Pentecost

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?” - Acts 2:1-8

“There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues [languages] being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues [languages]?” - Acts 2:5-11 (MSG)

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” - Acts 2:17-18

“Worshiping God in other people’s languages shows that God has empowered the church to cross all cultural and linguistic barriers with His gospel.” - Craig Keener

PART 4: The Prophecy of Pentecost

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” -Acts 2:17

“If we are too accustomed to that notion to catch its full force, we might imagine Jesus speaking to us and saying, “You will be like Isaiah,” or, “You will be like Jeremiah,” or, “You will be like Deborah.” - Craig Keener

PART 5: The Purpose of Pentecost

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” - Acts 2:41

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:7

Spiritual Practice: Pray for Radical Openness to God

“Part of the challenge of this passage is the question: have our churches today got enough energy, enough spirit-driven new life, to make onlookers pass any comment at all? Has anything happened which might make people think we were drunk? If not, is it because the spirit is simply at work in other ways, or because we have so successfully quenched the spirit that there is actually nothing happening at all?” - N.T. Wright

“Be prepared for wind and fire, for some fairly drastic spring-cleaning of the dusty and cold rooms of one’s life.” - N.T. Wright

Luke is the third of the Synoptic Gospels, which means he follows the same general timeline as Matthew and Mark; whereas John’s Gospel is unique.

Of the synoptic Gospels, Luke has a particular interest in the Spirit; which is evident just by the number of times he mentions the Spirit.

Matthew – 10 references.
Mark– 5 references.
Luke – 17+ references.

“God’s Empowering Presence.” – Gordon Fee

The Spirit of God started Creation by reorganizing the raw materials of the planet Earth; The Spirit of God started the New Creation by reorganizing the raw materials of the human heart.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” – Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus in the Power of the Spirit.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit(4:1)… led by the Spirit(4:1)... In the power of the Spirit(4:14)…

Baptized, Full, Led, Empowered.

And all four verbs operate metaphorically, and poetically to describe a holy experience– an interaction between the divine and human.

Peruvian bible translators – “the Holy Spirit permeates one”.

Jesus, an embodied human, is invited into a holy collaboration with the Spirit of God, for the sake of the world.

4. The Purpose of Jesus’ Spirit- Empowerment.

All of Jesus' life in the Spirit is pointing to something, the Kingdom of God.

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”–Luke 4:43.

Dallas Willard defines the Kingdom as the range of God’s effective will.

Jesus’ definition; “God’s will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.”

A ministry marked by Charisms

In biblical theology, these are called charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit.

These are divinely energized acts that defy our understanding of reality and point to the goodness of the Kingdom of God.

1. Charism of Wisdom (Luke 2:27; 4:31-33)

2. Charism of Discernment (Luke 5:20-22;6:6-9;7:39-50;9:37-43)

3. Charism of Exercism (Luke 4:33-27, 41; 6:18; 8:2-3, 26-39)

4. Charism of Miracles (Luke 5:1-11; 8:22-25; 9:10-17, 28-36; 24:1-12)

5. Charism of Healing– (Luke 4:38-39, 40; 5:12-16, 25-26;6:10-11, 19;7:1-10, 11-17;8:43-48, 49-56; 13:10-13; 14:1-6;17:11-19; 18:35-43; 22:47-53)

A Power Shared

“he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” –Luke 9:1–2.

Luke-Acts; the story of Jesus’ ministry and the story of his followers continuing that ministry

Jesus, an embodied human, is invited into a holy collaboration with the Spirit of God, for the sake of the world.

And we, his followers, embodied humans, are also invited into that same holy collaboration with the Spirit of God, for the sake of the world.

“Those who are in truth [Christ’s] disciples, receive grace from Him, do in His name perform (miracles), so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift each one has received from Him.” – Irenaeus, Against Heresies.

“…forasmuch as he excelled in the possession of all virtues– in the Spirit of Prophesy; in the power of Miracles, in the gift of preaching given him from Heaven; in the obedience rendered him by creatures without reason; in the mighty change of hearts at the hearing of the word; in the learning imparted to him by the Holy Ghost…to declare the Gospel of Christ.”– Bonaventure, The Life of St. Francis of Assisi

“We have an explosion of miracles taking place, especially in conjunction with the spread of the gospel. Some things are outside the norm for most Westerners, whatever kind of church we are associated with. It's probably good for us, to shake us up. Extraordinary things are taking place around the world.” – Craig Keener

Spiritual Practice: Take a Risk.

I want my life to be a living laboratory; an experiment in what it means to love God, walk in the power of the Spirit, and do the Jesus stuff.

“Faith is spelled R.I.S.K.” – John Wimber

Come, Holy Spirit

1. Knowledge of God that moves beyond information.

2. Foster ordinary encounters with the Spirit of God.

3. Become radically open to God.

4. To do the Jesus stuff.

Imposter Syndrome

“... to my surprise, the older I got, the more I realized the "big people" were often still "small people" hiding behind their roles, responsibilities, and accomplishments. They never got the talk either; they just got older. There is a name for this sense of lack as you try to navigate life without the tools you think you need: Imposter Syndrome.” – Jon Tyson

“People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements and the high esteem in which they are, in fact, generally held. They feel that they aren’t as competent or intelligent as others might think—and that soon enough, people will discover the truth about them.” – Psychology Today

And so, we do all kinds of things to maintain the illusion that we are who people think we are.

One of the most striking things about the character of Jesus is detachment from external validation.

The Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ talk, and the Spirit’s role in communicating our identity.

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. – Mark 1:9-10 (NIV)

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,” –Isaiah 64:1 (ESV)

“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” –Mark 1:10 (NIV)

1. “You are my son”

“The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” –Psalm 2:7–8 (ESV)

2. “Whom I love.”
Jesus is the beloved son; language that is reminiscent of Abraham and Issac.

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”– Genesis 22:2.

3. “With you, I am well pleased.”

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” –Isaiah 42:1 (ESV)

So in the waters of baptism, the Spirit rests on Jesus, and his identity is communicated to him; That he is the coming king, the beloved son, and the messianic servant.

It is with the knowledge of that identity that Jesus is propelled into the wilderness.

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. – Mark 1:12–13.

πειράζω peirazō - examine,to test, tempt

Mark writes this forty days in the wilderness in such a way that it brings to mind the story of Israel.

And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” – Deuteronomy 8:2–3 (ESV)

Jesus is not just showing us how to be a good Christian; he is demonstrating what it means to be fully human.

Jesus is right back in the Garden confronting the powers of evil, represented by one called ‘Satan’.

The Bible does not give us all the answers, but we do know that this evil figure is presented as

• a personified creature

• a being lesser than God

• who exists in rebellion to God,

• hellbent on destroying the good world God created.

Jesus is replaying humanity’s failure to resist the evil one and turning it into a victory.

Mark wants us to see that Jesus’ identity bestowed at the water is now revealed in the wilderness.

Marks’ purpose in this brief account is that we see ourselves in the life of Jesus.

“...In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)

“If you want to be like Jesus remember, he had a wilderness, a Gethsemane, and a Judas.”—Leonard Ravenhill

“The whole Christian gospel could be summed up in this point: that when the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ.” –N.T. Wright

We are marked by the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.”—Henri Nouwen

Listen to the voice of the Spirit.

The challenge of your life, and mine, is actually believing what was spoken over us in the water.

“ …when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” –Galatians 4:4–7.

Listen to the Spirit, who is continually testifying to our hearts the radical love of our God in Christ.

Holy Spirit in the OT:

In Genesis, the Holy Spirit, or Ruakh, is the very breath breathed into creation and into our lungs.

In the Pentateuch or the first three chapters of the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit empowering people for work, giving them divine resource.

In the History of Israel, we see God’s liquid Spirit, his anointing poured out on the person of David as he foreshadows the true anointed one, Christ.

In the Prophets, we see people rely on the Holy Spirit to speak truth and stand for justice. And we see God give us the Holy Spirit to discern true from false prophets even in our day.

Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life seen in three acts through the synoptic Gospels:

Act 1: His Birth (Matthew)

Act 2: His Baptism and Wilderness Journey (Mark)

Act 3: His Ministry (Luke)

Matthew’s Gospel works to answer two questions:

What is the origin story of Jesus?

And what is Jesus’ goal?

Colossians 1:15-20

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Jude 1:25 “to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Nicene Creed: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. -Matthew 18-20

“The office of the Holy Spirit from the very beginning of the Chrsitian story is to bring Jesus into human life…The Son is not the Son without the Spirit.”

Dale Bruner

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:23

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21

Matthew 28:18-20

18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“When Jesus Christ comes to anyone in history, even in his coming to Mary, it is always the work of the Spirit, not of human preparation or enterprise. Every conversion is a virgin birth. “With human beings this [new life] is impossible; but with God absolutely everything is possible” (Matt 19:26). The Holy Spirit, in other words, is the miraculous how of New Life.” - Dale Bruner

Spiritual Practice

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - John 3:3-8

Receive the Holy Spirit’s gift of salvation.

Remember your salvation.

A Displaced People

“Whether we are talking about the upwardly mobile who view each place as a rung in the ladder that goes up to who knows where, or the postmodern nomad with no roots in any place or any tradition of place, or the average consumer who doesn’t know anything about the place where she lives or the places her food comes from, the reality is the same– we are a culture of displacement.” – Steven Bouma-Prediger and Brain J. Walsh

“[The twentieth century is the] age of the… the refugee, the stateless, and the wanderer. Never before, have so many human beings fled from so many homes.” –Elie Wiesel

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” – Augustine of Hippo

“Cell refers to duty, vocation, and commitment. In essence, this is what’s being said: Go to your cell, and your cell will teach you everything you need to know: Stay inside your vocation, inside your commitments, inside your legitimate conscriptive duties, inside your church, inside your family, and they will teach you where life is found and what love means. Be faithful to your commitments, and what you are ultimately looking for will be found there.” – Ronald Rolheiser

What if in a culture of displacement, there is simple wisdom in making the best of wherever you find yourself?

In 587 BC, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was destroyed and the Israelites were taken into exile by the Babylonian Empire.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.– Jeremiah 29:4–7.

There is a play on words in the Hebrew text– welfare is a translation of the Hebrew word shalom.

“Seek the Shalom of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its Shalom you will find your Shalom..”

In its shalom you will find shalom.

“God’s wholeness where… nothing is missing and nothing is broken.” – Adam Gustine

Our calling, as exiles, is not to the extraordinary or the astonishing; it is to see the raw materials of life as opportunities for God’s grace, mercy, and goodness to flow.

“Christian spirituality means living in the mature wholeness of the gospel. It means taking all the elements of your life—children, spouse, job, weather, possessions, relationships—and experiencing them as an act of faith. God wants all the material of our lives.”– Eugene Peterson

“[T]hrough acts of imagination, ordering, planning, building and so on, all humans may participate in the hopeful renewal of our creation. …God’s presence can be found in arenas of local human placemaking, and that is this very locality that speaks to the abiding presence of God in all the world.” –Jennifer Craft

To reveal the Kingdom of Jesus, together, in Kansas City is to give everything we are to help life blossom in this city.

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood…”– John 1:14 (The Message)

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” –Abraham Kuyper

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”–1 John 4:15–16.

To Seek God in Kansas City.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you” –Jeremiah 29:11–14.

1. Seek god by paying attention to where God at work in our city

2. Make your home in Kansas City.

Last week, we pushed pause on our Come, Holy Spirit Series and kicked off the first of our three week vision series. This series is something we will revisit every fall to remind us of what we as a church feel compelled by Jesus to do and it is centered on this statement:

“Revealing the kingdom of Jesus, together, in Kansas City.”

To reveal the kingdom of Jesus, we have to first understand what Jesus’ kingdom is, which is why Alex spent the first week of our sermon series unpacking the kingdom of Jesus. More on that in a few minutes.

But today, I have the seemingly simple assignment of tackling just one word- together. But as we will learn today, that word is not so easy.

When it comes to following Jesus together, we face a lot of challenges. There are a lot of reasons, both good and bad, to say I can reveal the kingdom of Jesus but I just can’t do it with other people.

And so briefly, before I dive into what it looks like to follow Jesus together in this church family, I want to look at a few of these challenges in the light of Jesus’ teaching.

CHALLENGE 1: CHURCH REPUTATION

I can do Jesus but not the church.

Does this phrase sound familiar to you? This phrase has become a popular way to sum up the legitimate and growing discontentment with the institutionalized church whether it be because of politics, theology, church hurt, failed leaders, mean Christians, you fill in the blank.

And as potentially destructive as this phrase is to my profession as a pastor, I get it.

I grew up in a family that helped plant three churches and one out of those three churches still exists today. I am well acquainted with dysfunction, moral failure, church hurt, and pain. I have every excuse to abandon the institution, to a more private religion, to wage war against the religious machine.

However, despite all that pain and hurt, the legitimate dysfunction of the organized church, I still believe in it.

Why? I believe in church, not because I have self-destructive tendency, or because I am a pastor, or because I started a church, but because Jesus believed in it.

As evident in the scriptures, Jesus believed in the institutional religion of his day.

In the words of Tyler Staton, “For Jesus the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple…. [Jesus] immersed himself in the relationships at the temple, he went to the temple for prayer, and he added his own voice to the teaching of that temple.”

This is not to say the temple or synagogue of Jesus’ day was perfect. Far from it. Jesus and his disciples did not turn a blind eye to the corruption of the religious leaders or of the institution. They call it out.

Jesus does this in the temple courts when he turns over tables.

He does this with the Pharisees as they rebuke his disciples for gathering wheat during the Sabbath.

Jesus was likely accused of being mean, rude, and hostile towards the Pharisees and Jewish elite of the day.

But notice, despite all Jesus’ woes against the synagogue and temple leaders, he doesn’t boycott the temple and the synagogue in protest, he shows up. Jesus continues to believe in and participate in institutionalized religion.

Eugene Peterson writes, “Because Jesus was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, gathered disciples in Galilee, worshiped in synagogues, ate meals in Bethany, went to a wedding in Canna, told stories in Jericho, prayed in Gethsemane, led a parade down the mount of olives, taught in the Jerusalem temple, was killed on the hill Golgotha, and three days later had supper with Cleopas and his friend at Emmaus, we are not free to make up our own private spiritualities.”

CHALLENGE 2: CHURCH CONFLICT

Not only does Jesus participate in the institutional religion of his day, but he also participates in an intimate Christian community. Jesus gathered twelve people around him, individuals who bridged every socio-economic, ideological, and political line that existed in ancient Israel. He called blue collar workers, tax collectors and zealots to the same inner circle and said let’s do life together, let’s become a family.

And as beautiful as that is for us to look back on, those who actually got called by Jesus, those twelve disciples, had to work through real conflict to do so. It is clear from scripture that the twelve disciples of Jesus were not perfect, they seldom all agreed or got along, but they did have one thing in common: their pledge to follow Jesus.

And this leads us to challenge 2, church conflict. Many decide to leave a church because of conflict that arose between them or another person in the church, a leader, or a pastor.

And although there are definitely moments where we confront abusive leadership, injustice, challenge the treatment of people, or theology, there should also be a lot of moments of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the ability to agree to disagree. Jesus instructs his disciples in Matthew 7 to watch out for false prophets and teachers, wolves in sheep's clothing, while also giving them the Matthew 18 principle for conflict resolution and arbitration.

When we dive even deeper into a study of the early church, we don’t just see a utopia where everyone held things in common, gave to those in need, opened their homes, and worshiped together. We also see a lot of dysfunction. Just to name a few-

Segregation

Incest

False teaching

Cultural colonization

And ignoring the poor

We think the modern day church is unique in its dysfunction and conflict and the simple truth is that it is not.

After translating the bible into the paraphrase, The Message, Eugene Peterson wrote this: “The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches.”

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

And I guess my question for you today is, are you looking for a successful or perfect church? Are you looking for a church where no conflict arises and you are always in harmonious agreement with those around you? And if this answer is yes, I am sorry to disappoint you, but that is not this church, that is not any church.

The fruit of the Spirit or our spiritual growth is not grown abstractly but rooted among a people and a place.

We grow in love by being in proximity to our enemies or people who are less than loving to us.

We grow in patience by being around people for whom patience is a requirement of us.

We grow in self control by taming the anger, annoyance, and frustration caused by the people around us.

Maturity is born from difference, diversity, and dare I even say church conflict. Jesus knew this when gathering a very diverse group of people together, calling them his disciples, and instructing them to work together on behalf of his name.

The dark side of abandoning the church or trying to do the Jesus stuff alone is this: when you have no one around you that is shaping you toward Christ, Christ ends up looking exactly like you. And you know and I know, that is not a Christ that anyone wants to follow.

This is why Jesus, without the Church, does not exist on the pages of scripture.

Could it be that Jesus still knows what he is doing as he calls all different kinds of people- rich, poor, young, old, conservative, liberal, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic- into the real community of his church- one that is not idyllic, handpicked, or perfect- but one that shapes us?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this:

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”

And this leads us to our last challenge for today, complacency.

CHALLENGE 3: COMPLACENCY

We cannot be shaped by others, if we do not show up. It is that simple.

National church statistics for which this community accurately represents, state that people on average attend church 1.7 times a month.

And here is the problem with this: you cannot be shaped by other people, you cannot grow in the fruits of the spirit, in spiritual maturity by coming to church 12 or 20 times a year.

You cannot become a concert pianist if you only practice 12 times a year.

You cannot be a master rock climber if you only climb 12 times a year.

You cannot be a good parent if you rarely see your children.

You cannot be a good boss if you only talk to your employees 1-2 times a month.

You cannot experience transformation if you rarely show up. And look I get it, there are a lot of competing things out there that are so fun like the Chiefs, Sunday brunch, weekend trips, you fill in the blank. But at the end of your life, will they bear eternal significance? Will those things have shaped you into the person of Jesus Christ?

We cannot be shaped by others, if we do not show up. If we are complacent. If we think, oh I will go next week. Spiritual growth has to be the priority and it almost always happens in the presence of others.

There are a lot of challenges we face, but I I still believe the church of Jesus Christ is worth fighting for. This thing that is rooted in history, grounded in the saints, practiced for centuries, the place in which miraculous healings, one-eighties, families restored, forgiveness extended, community transformation, and love exists, I believe it’s worth it.

HOW DO WE DO CHURCH TOGETHER

So, if you call this church your home or if you would like to call this church your home, we want you to know what that means.

Throughout the scriptures, specifically in the New Testament, we see Jesus followers associated with familial language. To name a few-

Matthew 12:49-50 “And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, [Jesus] said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:49-50).

Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection.”

Galatians 6:10 “let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Ephesians 2:19 “So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God”

A quick note on family. Some of us had the privilege of belonging to wonderful biological families and others of us, not so much. Some of us have more family than we want and others have little to no family at all.

And if your experience is the latter of both of these statements, I am so sorry. And I hope that despite the pain and trauma you may carry with you regarding family, we can become the biological family you always wanted, a family that may not be perfect, but a family shaped by Christ.

And thus, Christ’s vision for the church is that we would learn to look like Him together. This is family. This is the church.

And so, with that said, what does it mean to be a part of this family? To belong to this church? To do this thing together? There are 5 commitments that we ask each participant in this community to make.

Reveal the Kingdom of Jesus

This is the first step in committing to following Jesus together which is why Alex spent all last week explaining the kingdom of Jesus. If you were not here, I would encourage you to go back and listen to it on YouTube or the podcast.

In summary, the kingdom of Jesus is not simply declaring Jesus as the king of my heart but the king of my life and that vision to bring God’s kingdom to earth is the good news, the gospel.

It is an upside-down Kingdom, a new world order– under the leadership of Jesus. It is a Kingdom that we were made to be a part of.

As Dallas Willard puts it – "We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat."

So the first step to committing to this church is revealing the kingdom or as Jesus puts it in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Belong to a Microchurch

We often get asked why we can’t just call Microchurches small groups and let me assure you the word Microchurch is very intentional. Every week we gather around the bare essentials of church- prayer, scripture, and mission. And as we do this, we are making a theological distinction that yes, even this very ordinary gathering is a church.

We are convinced that praying with one another and reading the scriptures can change the ways in which we live, and can help us reveal the kingdom of Jesus in a more powerful way.

And the beautiful thing about microchurch is when we commit to gathering around those three things, community naturally happens. But unlike other groups you may have been a part of in the past, similarity or how well everyone gets along, is not the thing that binds microchurch. Rather the mandate Jesus has given us, to be the church, to prayer, scripture, and mission, is the thing that binds and sustains us.

So just like the disciples, we may be a messy bunch of people with varying beliefs and backgrounds, but we come together time and time again, in the midst of laughter and of conflict, to shape one another.

So here is my encouragement to you today…

If you are not a part of a microchurch, consider joining one. The best place to start would be attending our newcomer lunch after church today or filling out the interest form on our website.

If you are already in a microchurch, re-evaluate and commit to being part of that community for it is practically impossible to be intentionally shaped by a community if you don’t regularly show up. So here is what we would ask of every microchurch member:

Regularly attend unless you’re out of town, sick, or there is an unforeseen, unavoidable circumstance outside of your control.

Give your wonderful mirochurch leader a 24 hours notice for any absence.

Actively participate: help with the meal, hosting, and clean up. Add to the conversation, prayer, and discussion.

Lead a microchurch. We need more microchurch leaders who are willing to open their homes and hearts to pastoring people. Alex and I would be fools if we thought we could intentionally pastor more than 20 people which is why we need people to share the load by caring, loving, and serving those around you. If you are interested in this, talk with your current microchurch leader or one of our pastoral team members.

Gather on Sunday

As much as we love and value microchurch, we still believe in the value of the Sunday rhythm. There is something about

gathering together,

letting the voices of those around you carry you,

hearing the stories of the people of God,

of being reminded of the teachings of Jesus,

of being challenged to commit to a spiritual practice every week,

of confessing with one another and

taking communion with one another that forms us and shapes us to be the sent people of God.

And thus, we invite you to prioritize this as a rhythm- we know life happens and you travel, believe me we want you to take intentional time away, to take care of your family. But, we ask that when you are in KC, you make this a committed rhythm because we really believe that showing up, shapes us.

The great missionary and Nobel Laureate Albert Schwitzer reportedly said, “Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan.”

And thus, would you prioritize gathering with us on Sunday?

Serve

Jesus’ teachings and the depictions of the early church in the New Testament are filled with instruction to us regarding service. To name a few…

Mark 10:44-45 says, “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”

Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus and his disciples instructed in and demonstrated service to one another and to those in need. Thus, it is our desire to reclaim the full breath of the word service to include both those two things: serving one another and the community of Kansas City.

Serve one another on a Sunday. At Midtown Church, we desire to be a place where many do a few things instead of the few doing many.

However, for many of you, based on previous church experience, serving on a Sunday has equated to unsustainable practice. One that has come at a spiritual and relational loss.

With that in mind, here is our commitment to you. We promise to create an intentional but paired back Sunday gathering that is not unduly arduous or time consuming. We also promise to care more about you as a person than what you can do for church.

So, here is my request: please consider serving one another 1-2 times a month, to say I am going to contribute to serving this community of Jesus followers on a regular basis. Signups are available on our website.

Serve the community throughout the week. Service should always extend much farther and wider than these four walls to the people of Midtown and to Kansas City. At Midtown Church, we want to shift from a praxis that says only certain people or ministries are called to serve and love the poor, oppressed, and marginalized to a praxis that says all are called. Jesus’ teachings are pretty clear that serving the marginalized is a Gospel mandate.

And although this is a learned heart posture, we create monthly opportunities to serve our community and learn to love even the most vulnerable.

Past Serve days include…

An Agape Pamoja work day in which work on a house for a Congolese immigrant family in Kansas City.

An easter brunch at Synergy for at-risk teens.

The Juneteenth block party hosted by the Hope Center.

Teacher support and mentoring opportunities at Central High School, a local KCPS school just down the road.

So, if you are not regularly engaging in work where you are caring for and serving the poor, oppressed and marginalized, consider coming to our monthly serve days. Signups are online.

Be Generous.

We are a descendants of an ancient church that has historically practiced a 10% tithe. And as a participant in this community we ask that you work toward that 10%. Alex and I will never ask you to do something we do not do ourselves. We practice 10% and beyond in our personal finances.

So if you have never given before, 1% is a great place to start. If you have been giving 10% regularly for a long time, maybe it is time to consider going above and beyond.

I am fully aware that this is the stickiest thing to ask for in the 21st century and that it sounds extremely self-serving coming from a pastor whose salary is funded by your generosity. I am also aware that there is a lot of mistrust regarding finances and the church

But I am also fully committed to practicing, living, and instructing in the life of Jesus. And when you read the scriptures, there is no doubt that Jesus calls us to radical generosity, above and beyond even the 10% required in Jesus’ day. This is why Jesus commends the widow for her offering in Mark 12:41-44. It says,

“41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

This is why we pray our generosity prayer every week as we work to shape our hearts and minds toward the person of Jesus and not the idol of money. As we work to be more like the poor widow than the rich people in this story.

My invitation today is that you follow Jesus' call to live a radically generous life by just starting somewhere. Start with something, and continue working up to more significant measures of generosity.

Brief side note- we are on track to give $40,000 this year to church planting, missionaries, and community needs which is INCREDIBLE for a church of about 150. Thank you for your generosity as this deserves CELEBRATION!

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Worship team if you would join me.

In life I have learned that all great offers have unintended consequences. And the unintended consequence of following Jesus is that we have to do it with other people, we have to do it together.

I cannot promise you that this community will be perfect, in fact I can promise you that it will be messy. Alex and I will fail you, one of our leaders will fail you, you will experience conflict with others, you will not like everyone, and sometimes you just won’t have the energy for it.

BUT I can promise you that if you commit to revealing Jesus’ kingdom, belonging to a microchurch, gathering on Sunday, serving one another and KC, and to generosity, we will shape one another more towards the person of Christ every day.

Here is how Alex and I see these 5 commitments shaping us:

Running home to clean our house, getting something on the stove for dinner, and hosting people for a microchurch after a long Wednesday, sounds exhausting. BUT there has never been a microchurch where everyone has left, and we have regretted it. We always walk away refreshed, with tired bodies, but full hearts.

Getting to church at 8:00am on a Sunday is not my preferred sleeping schedule. BUT the moment you get here, I am filled with joy and reminded that I am not doing this life alone.

Spending a Saturday morning working on an Agape Pamoja house and getting dirty beyond recognition, is not easy. BUT the families it has changed and the friendships that have formed, make it all worth it.

The way Alex and I manage our finances does not make sense to most, we have given up the dream of the nicest car, the biggest house, and the vacation every month. BUT it challenges the idol of money that so often grips my heart and provides for someone in need.

Today, my offer is to join this community knowing full well that together does not mean perfect but it does mean transformation.

So if you are new today, there is absolutely no pressure to sign a dotted line. But if this vision compelled you, we would love for you to come and learn more at our newcomers lunch immediately following service today. And if not, we have some great church communities we can recommend as you search for a church family.

For those who have been a part of Midtown for a few months or a few years, I think it is easy to walk away from a teaching like this with guilt or condemnation. And although this is not my intended purpose, I do think this message will be a challenge to some of you to re-evaluate your commitment.

If you’re just looking for a good place to spend 90 minutes on Sunday, with friendly people, decent coffee— you are so welcome. There is no condemnation, no judgment.

But here is my warning to you- you will not discover the Church as Family that Jesus talks about with a half-hearted commitment. You will not discover the depths of rich relationship or the treasure that is life together. Observing a community by attending every month or so is not the same as being deeply committed to one another and the vision Jesus has for his people.

I want a community that knows the contours of my life because they’ve been close enough to observe it.

I want a community that has known suffering and victory with me. I want friendships that feel more like family,

that break into my refrigerator, sleep on my couch, and ask if I can take them to the airport at 6am.

I want a community that challenges me to follow Jesus more wholeheartedly, more sacrificially, and more faithfully.

This is the type of community I want. But I can’t want it for you. Our pastors can’t want it for you, our leadership team can’t want it for you. You have to make the commitment- you have to want it because Jesus wants it for you.

This teaching is an invitation to examine your commitment to Jesus’ church and this family and ask the question, Jesus, what step do I need to take as I reveal the kingdom of Jesus with others?

Defining the Gospel

Four common definitions of the Gospel in American Christianity.

1. Gospel of Prosperity

2. Gospel of Evangelicalism

3. Gospel of Church Attendance

4. Gospel of Social Justice

The best place to begin is with the gospel Jesus preached.

Scot Mcknight says, If we don’t start with the Gospel Jesus preached, we may very well end up with a Gospel Jesus did not preach.

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” – Luke 4:43 (ESV)

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14–15 (ESV)

When Jesus preached the gospel, he preached of the Kingdom of God breaking into our reality.

The Kingdom of God throughout the biblical narrative:

1. Creation: A Kingdom Established.

2. Fall: A Kingdom Challenged.

3. Redemption: A Kingdom Revealed.

4. New Creation: A Kingdom Reigning.

The Kingdom Established at Creation

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:26-27

This is the work God has given humans to do.

“[work ] is rearranging the raw material of God’s creation in such a way that it helps the world in general, and people in particular, thrive and flourish.” – Tim Keller

At Creation, humanity was given the delegated authority to create the culture of God’s Kingdom.

The Kingdom Challenged in the Fall.

"Did God actually say– ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1

God’s kingdom was and continues to be challenged by three forces; (1)Satan, (2)human sin, and (3) death.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 Jn 3:8–9.

Satan, an evil being hellbent on building his own kingdom. One who tricks humanity out of our delegated authority and responsibility to create culture.

“…the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. “ –1 Jn 5:19.

“Nobody believed he was real. . . . That was his power. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”—Keyser Söze

Satan’s aim is to take God’s authority from us; to create his own world and a people in his image.

Sin is our disordered desires passed down from generation to generation that become the weapons by which we harm ourselves and one another.

“[Sin ] is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” –Saint Ignatius

The biblical narrative suggests that every human, apart from Jesus Christ, has a rebellious instinct that consciously and unconsciously guides us.

The result of our pitiful insurrection is antilife, decreation; and death.

Our original task was to cultivate a world in such a way life flourishes, but humans have rejected that task opting to order the world in such a way death abounds.

Death is the final challenge to the Kingdom of God because it is the antithesis of the Paradise God imagined.

A Kingdom Revealed in Redemption

“...and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” –Daniel 7:13–14.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” –Mark 1:15.

Jesus’ interest is in restoring an ancient Kingdom– one marked by a plurality of royal sons and daughters, who cultivate the earth and walk in the cool of the day with their God.

“And [Jesus] was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And [Jesus] was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”–Mark 1:13.

15 “He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” – Colossians 2:15 (the Message)

The Gospel is the news that our true King has returned.

The Gospel is the announcement of something that has happened in Jesus, but it is also the announcement that is soon to come.

This is a theological theory known as Inaugurated Eschatology.

The Kingdom of has been started by Jesus but it hasn’t fully been realized.

A historical analogy to help us understand Inaugurated Eschatology is Juneteenth.

The Kingdom Come in New Creation.

Our God started his Kingdom in a Garden with collaborators he called humans, and he will complete his Kingdom in a garden city with collaborators, he calls sons and daughters.

"We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat." – Dallas Willard

“Repent and Believe”.

Repentance as is used by Jesus is an invitation to ‘rethink everything.”

“When we see ourselves in the light of Jesus’ type of kingdom, and realize the extent to which we have been living by a different code altogether, we realize, perhaps for the first time, how far we have fallen short of what we were made to be. This realization is what we call ‘repentance’, a serious turning away from patterns of life which deface and distort our genuine humanness. It isn’t just a matter of feeling sorry for particular failings, though that will often be true as well. It is the recognition that the living God has made us humans to reflect his image into his world, and that we haven’t done so.” –Tom Wright

Belief in Christ is an act of allegiance; an allegiance that may lead us to do strange things to this culture for the sake of the Kingdom.

In a world that is confusing, disorienting, and complicated we need luminaries to show us the way. We need those who have explored the reservoirs of human knowledge and found a way to the good life. In the days of Moses, these luminaries were called “Prophets”.

The Prophets

In the biblical literature, the prophets of the Old Testament constitute 17 different books – Isaiah through Malachi.

Moses said to GOD, “Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, ‘Give us meat; we want meat.’ I can’t do this by myself—it’s too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. Let me out of here.” – Numbers 11:11–15 (Message Paraphrase)

God says he will fill 70 elders with his Spirit, and they will share the burden of leadership with Moses.

24 And [Moses] gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. – Numbers 11:24-25

The simplest definition for a prophet is “a messenger from God.”

Three characteristics of true prophets

1. True prophets of God depend on the Spirit of God, not their own charisma.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” –Zechariah 4:6.

2. Second, true Prophets are compelled to speak the truth.

“I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times….” 13 ‘If [the King] should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?”–Numbers 24:12–14.

True Prophets moved by the Spirit are compelled to speak the truth, regardless of the consequences.

“[Know] this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” –2 Peter 1:20–21.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! – Psalm 119:10–12

3. True Prophets have the Courage to Stand for Justice

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” – Luke 4:18-19

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” – Acts 2:44-45

“Justice [in the Christian tradition] is learning to live out what God has done in Christ amongst ourselves first. And in living out this justice in this community, it becomes possible to share this justice with the world.” – David French

Justice is the shape of the Christian community.

“We believe firmly in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. I can see no conflict between our devotion to Jesus Christ and our present action. In fact, I can see a necessary relationship. If one is truly devoted to the religion of Jesus he will seek to rid the earth of social evils. The gospel is social as well as personal."– Martin Luther King Jr.

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” –Numbers 11:24–28.

Joshua’s Concern: False Prophets

It is dangerous to follow a false prophet.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” –Matthew 7:15–20.

1. A false prophet lacks personal integrity.

“Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character.” –Matthew 7:15 (The Message)

False prophets have charisma but lack character.

2. A false prophet lacks Moral Courage.

“We cannot reinvent a Christianity that fits nicely on the ‘coexist’ bumper sticker, avoiding the disgrace and shame of the cross for a respectable religion that bows to the idols of our day: consumerism and sexual autonomy. This manipulation strategy relies on using biblical words in anti-biblical ways. It shares with biblical Christianity the same vocabulary, but not the same dictionary.” ~ Rosaria Butterfield

Moses’ Dream: A Prophetic People

29 “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”–Numbers 11:29.

“will pour out [his] Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” – Joel 2:28–29.

There is a Tension between Joshua’s Concern and Moses’ Dream.

We must be able to discern between the true and false prophets.

“19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21.

Test everything.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”–1 John 4:1–3

Is this person’s teaching and life moving me toward greater obedience to Jesus?

Learn to trust God enough, to trust others.

Are you willing to let God use another person in your life?

Test everything, but also hold fast to what is good– that we might learn to hear the voice of God in surprising places. That we might be a people radically open to God.

In a world that is confusing, disorienting, and complicated we need luminaries to show us the way. We need those who have explored the reservoirs of human knowledge and found a way to the good life. In the days of Moses, these luminaries were called “Prophets”.

The Prophets
In the biblical literature, the prophets of the Old Testament constitute 17 different books – Isaiah through Malachi.

“Moses said to GOD, “Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, ‘Give us meat; we want meat.’ I can’t do this by myself—it’s too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. Let me out of here.” – Numbers 11:11–15 (Message Paraphrase)

God says he will fill 70 elders with his Spirit, and they will share the burden of leadership with Moses.

24 And [Moses] gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. – Numbers 11:24-25

The simplest definition for a prophet is “a messenger from God.”

Three characteristics of true prophets

1. True prophets of God depend on the Spirit of God, not their own charisma.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” –Zechariah 4:6.

2. Second, true Prophets are compelled to speak the truth.

“I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times….” 13 ‘If [the King] should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?”–Numbers 24:12–14.

“[Know] this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” –2 Peter 1:20–21.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! – Psalm 119:10–12

3. True Prophets have the Courage to Stand for Justice

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” – Luke 4:18-19

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” – Acts 2:44-45

“Justice [in the Christian tradition] is learning to live out what God has done in Christ amongst ourselves first. And in living out this justice in this community, it becomes possible to share this justice with the world.” – David French

Justice is the shape of the Christian community.

“We believe firmly in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. I can see no conflict between our devotion to Jesus Christ and our present action. In fact, I can see a necessary relationship. If one is truly devoted to the religion of Jesus he will seek to rid the earth of social evils. The gospel is social as well as personal."– Martin Luther King Jr.

“26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” –Numbers 11:24–28.

Joshua’s Concern: False Prophets
It is dangerous to follow a false prophet.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” –Matthew 7:15–20.

1. A false prophet lacks personal integrity.

“Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character.” –Matthew 7:15 (The Message)

False prophets have charisma but lack character.

2. A false prophet lacks Moral Courage.

“We cannot reinvent a Christianity that fits nicely on the ‘coexist’ bumper sticker, avoiding the disgrace and shame of the cross for a respectable religion that bows to the idols of our day: consumerism and sexual autonomy. This manipulation strategy relies on using biblical words in anti-biblical ways. It shares with biblical Christianity the same vocabulary, but not the sae dictionary.” ~ Rosaria Butterfield

Moses’ Dream: A Prophetic People

29 “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”–Numbers 11:29.

“will pour out [his] Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” – Joel 2:28–29.

There is a Tension between Joshua’s Concern and Moses’ Dream.

We must be able to discern between the true and false prophets.

“19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21.

1.Test everything.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”–1 John 4:1–3

Is this person’s teaching and life moving me toward greater obedience to Jesus?

2.Learn to trust God enough, to trust others.

Are you willing to let God use another person in your life?

Test everything, but also hold fast to what is good– that we might learn to hear the voice of God in surprising places. That we might be a people radically open to God.

“Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins

“I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, fewer than 7% of Americans polled in 2012 had read a work of poetry at least once in the past year.

“Poems are comprised of everyday material expertly arranged in ways that require a reader’s time and reflection. But the reward is great: a memorable insight into our humanity, a line that perfectly encapsulates a moment or a truth we want to remember, an experience with language that provokes new ideas and deeper understanding.” –Jen Benka

“The Christian gospel is rooted in language: God spoke a creation into being; our Savior was the Word made flesh. The poet is the person who uses words not primarily to convey information but to make a relationship, shape beauty, [and] form truth…” – Eugene Peterson

“Then the Lord said [to Samuel], “Rise and anoint [David]; this is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” – 1 Samuel 16:12b-13 (ESV)

“The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.” – 1 Samuel 16:13 (The Message)

The first person anointed with oil in the Old Testament.
There are three kinds of people in the Old Testament who were anointed with oil- priests, kings, and prophets. The first person to be anointed is the first priest in Israelite history- Moses’ brother, Aaron.

The recipe for anointing oil is actually included in the Exodus account- Exodus 30:23-24. It has two main components-

1. Fragrant spices like cinnamon and myrrh

2. Olive oil

Anointing oil symbolizes a combination of liquid life and the smell of the perfect garden.

The Genesis account.

“[B]ut streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:6-7

Adam is the first anointed one brought about by liquid Spirit.

Humanity was created by God’s liquid Spirit, to bridge the gap between sky and land, heaven and earth, to be God’s image bearers or representatives to all of creation.

David as the anointed one.
David's story is the fullest story of anointing in the Old Testament.

David is unique in that he is the first person since the fall of creation to be given both liquid and Spirit at the same time. And although David messes up time and time again, he is the best example of what it looks like to repent and continue to seek the guidance of the Spirit even unto death.

Sufferer & Victor

David is so closely associated with the anointed one or God’s liquid Spirit; on his best day, he is a picture of the new Adam, the suffering servant, the anointed one that we eventually and fully see in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is the true anointed one.

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins…In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Mark 1:1-4,9-11

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” – Luke 4:18-19

In the History of Israel, we see God’s liquid Spirit, His anointing rest on the person of David. And David foreshadows the true anointed one, Jesus the Christ.

The anointed ones.

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” – John 20:21-22

You are now an anointed one bringing God’s spirit to earth through both suffering and victory.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13.

Reflect on Your Identity as an Anointed One.
To be God’s anointed ones- those who bring the heavenly realms to land, who manifest God’s Spirit here on earth and change the world around us, we must understand our identity as such.

We are invited to reflect on, ponder, and to consider our identity as the anointed ones.

“[I]n the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” – David Foster Wallace

Workism is the belief that our job is not just for economic production or personal provision, but that a job can be – should be– the center of our identity.

“People … told me over and over that their careers are “spiritual journeys” and their work is a “calling.” Many said they had become more spiritual, whole and connected after working in tech. Their workplaces were communities where they found belonging, meaning, and purpose…But as I discovered during my research, the gospel of work is thin gruel, an ethically empty solution to meet our essential need for belonging and meaning. And it is starving us as individuals and communities.”– Carolyn Chen

“Our desks were never meant to be our altars.”– Derek Thompson

Set against this culture stands the biblical vision of work not as an identity, but as a collaboration with the Spirit of God.

“See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri” son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah – Exodus 35:30

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” –Genesis 2:15

“[Work] is rearranging the raw material of God’s creation in such a way that it helps the world in general, and people in particular, thrive and flourish.” – Tim Keller

A Theology of Vocation
In workism, our day job becomes the means by which we produce an identity. In the Christian vocation, our identity is first rooted in being image-bearers, and our work, whether paid or unpaid, becomes how we can explore that identity.

1. All people are called to follow Jesus.

2. We are called to recognize our work as an act of discipleship.

   “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” –Colossians 3:23-24

   “The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables.” -Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?”

3. We are all called to work for the good of all and the glory of God.

Filled with the Spirit: Collaboration with God.
Based on the example of the text to be “filled with the Spirit” is to be given access to divine resources.

“[God] has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship… and 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.” –Exodus 35:31,35.

They’ve honed their craft, but this passage suggests that the creating Spirit is furthering their natural ability.

Glory in their Midst.

In chapter 40, with the closing verses of Exodus, we are told about the product of Bezalel and Oholiab’s labor–

“… the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 36 Throughout all [Israel’s] journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.” –Exodus 40:34–38.

The product of Bezalel and Oholiab’s work is a meeting space for God and humanity

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt [he pitched a tent] among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14.

The final two chapters of our bible, reimagine that garden transformed into a garden-like city.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” – Revelation 21:2–3.

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” – NT Wright, Suprised by Hope

Spiritual Practice

Eugene Peterson puts it best when he says the primary location for spiritual formation is in the workplace (Living the Resurrection).

To practice the Jewish concept of Kavanah is to cultivate to holy intention: to bring the whole of yourself– mind, body, heart, and soul– to an activity as an act of worship to God.

May our simple practice be to repurpose a just few tasks this week as opportunities to invite the Spirit to work with us.

Scripture

In the beginning, God created the heavens [better translation here is sky] and the earth [better translation here is land]. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Ge 1:1-3

When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Ge 2:5–8.

“Come, Holy Spirit” Series Objectives

Moving Beyond Information

Ordinary Encounters

Radical Openness to God

Do the Jesus Stuff

“[Jesus] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.” – Matthew 4:23-24

You cannot escape the presence of God, for he is in your very breath.

Genesis Disclaimer: Genesis was not designed to be a scientific or abstract statement about the origins of the universe. Rather it is a theological and pastoral statement. Genesis reminds its readers that if God created the world, if he sustains the world, He can be trusted.

Part 1: The Spirit Defined

In the beginning, God created the heavens [better translation here is sky] and the earth [better translation here is land]. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Ge 1:1–2.

Part 2: The Spirit Creating and Sustaining

“And God said…” Ge 1:3a

“When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” Ge 2:5–8.

If it were [God’s] intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust. -Job 34:14-15

Where can I go from your presence, where can I flee from your Spirit? -Psalm 139:7

“God is everywhere present through his Spirit in the whole of creation. You can never get lost from God.” - Christopher Wright

You cannot escape the presence of God, for he is in your very breath.

PART 3: Lingering Questions

Question 1: If God’s breath is in all of creation, should we worship nature or even ourselves?

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. -Romans 11:36

Question 2: If God’s breath is sustaining and creating all of life, why are there natural disasters, invasive species, extinct species, global warming, disease, cancer, chronic illness, etc.

Question 3: If God’s Spirit is our very breath, why do we stop breathing? Or in other words, why do we die?

“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” -Job 1:21

“and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” -Ecclesiastes 12:7

“The paradox of the relationship between the Spirit of God and human life on earth in the Old Testament is this. On the one hand we have the breath of life—i.e. physical life, the gift of God, which we share with all other living creatures on the planet. But on the other hand we are spiritually dead in our rebellion against God and destined to die in the end when that life-giving Spirit leaves—as destined to die physically as we are already dead spiritually- breathing and leaving…Life and breath are the gift of God’s Spirit. But when the Spirit leaves, breathing stops and our mortality asserts itself.” - Christopher Wright

Spiritual Practice

As I inhale, I pray, “Come Holy Spirit.”

As I exhale, I pray, “I receive your wisdom.”

Come, Holy Spirit, I receive your strength.

Come, Holy Spirit, I receive your love.

Come, Holy Spirit. I receive the fullness of God.