And You Shall Receive Power

It was a cold one this morning as we bundled up for the 9:30 service, temperatures about twenty degrees below average for the first weekend in June. But things got warmer once we'd gathered for worship with many new faces in our midst today. Brad warmly welcomed all, and we quickly forgot all that chill outside.

I can't say enough about how much fun it is to hear the quartet sing for us to kick off the worship time. Thank you to Darlene, Chuck, Ken and Dale for their faithfulness. We're very blessed to have you and we don't take it for granted.

Amongst the announcements, two are especially important. VBS begins Monday June 15, a week from tomorrow. And the Church Rummage Sale is coming up, so bring your things to sell, and your wallet to buy.

Guest Alan Finnifrock shared with us about a ministry in Alaska called Alaska Christian College. ACC is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. Its mission is whole life discipleship.

Today's Scripture readings were from Isaiah 6:1-8 and Romans 8:12-17.

Our prayer time revealed that we have a range of needs in our church to continue praying for. This was followed by the breaking of bread as we celebrated the sacrament of communion, a participatory even in which God says, "I am with you."

And You Shall Receive Power

Pastor Brad began the message with a series of questions. "Suppose you picked up a paper and read a story about a church where they had what they described as an apostolic outpouring of the Holy Spirit so strong that miraculous healings were commonplace. What would be your honest first response after reading an article like that? Would you tend to be skeptical? Or would you take it at face value?

"Suppose you were to see a television report about a church in downtown Duluth that had been dying and then they had some real dramatic services and people started speaking in tongues, and long time members said they'd been baptized in the Spirit and understood what Christianity was about like never before. Would that be a good thing or bad thing? How sure are you?"

Brad followed with more questions. When someone says we should expect a miracle every day, can I expect a miracle every day? Can God speak to us in dreams?

Finally, leading into our topic, "How certain and clear is your understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit?"

Brad began by reading this passage from John 16.
6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Can you believe this? Jesus said it is better to live in the era of the Spirit than to have lived when Jesus was here on earth.

The Lord's very last words to His disciples after the resurrection and before the ascension were these: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Jesus did not promise a starter kit or more instructions. He promised power. This was before Pentecost and the disciples no doubt talked about what it could possibly mean. Then it happened. These men, who had been hiding in fear, were no emboldened. Acts chapter 2 tells the details. Flames of fire, a mighty wind, and emboldened disciples preaching the Gospel in a whole assortment of languages including Greek and Egyptian and even Swedish, which Brad TIC called "the original language of heaven."

Peter, who only weeks earlier had betrayed Jesus three times, was so emboldened that when he stood and preached there were 3000 people saved in a single day. All barriers were torn down, and, according to the book of Acts, nobody claimed any of his possessions as his own, but they shared everything they had. "And there were no needy persons among them."

In short, when the Holy Spirit came, everything was changed and nothing would ever be the same again.

Brad cited Acts 19 where it is recorded that, "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."

In another place it was written that "everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles."

He then returned to his theme. "You will receive power." For 2000 years Christians wrestled with this. What does it mean? What if we devoted ourselves to understanding this truth?

One thing it does not mean is that our church will look like a first century church. Here are some things we can take away from this promise from Jesus.

1) Reverence the Spirit's mystery. There are many things in life we can control and put into a box. The Holy Spirit is not one of them. While talking with Nicodemus in John 3 Jesus said "the wind blows where it will." Like the wind, the work of the Spirit is uncontrolled. It is not our genie in a bottle.

2) Align yourselves with the Spirit's work in your life. Mystery is not to be confused with randomness. The Holy Spirit operates on clear guidelines. For example, the Bible says "do not grieve the Holy Spirit." We grieve the Spirit when we knowingly and willingly sin. He is grieved when human beings choose to defy what is the good will of God.

3) Walk in the Spirit. Walking is a picture of fellowship and relationship. The idea is to engage in activities that keep you connected to the Holy Spirit.

4) Request the Holy Spirit in our church, to manifest his power in our lives. This is Brad's prayer and he desires it to be ours, that we earnestly ask the Holy Spirit to manifest His power in our lives and in our church.

Does anyone here need any power? Paul's prayer in Ephesians was that we would be strengthened with power in our innermost being. What if we had the power to heal marriages, the power to knit the hearts of parents and children together?

I don't know a lot about the Holy Spirit, Pastor Brad, but I do know one thing. Jesus promised... "You shall receive power."

This is the Gospel.

Sardis

After a warm welcome and announcements, Darlene opened the service today with a beautiful medley, weaving together “As the Hart” and “Fairest Lord Jesus.” It was a quite moving introduction to our worship time.

Today’s sermon was a continuation of the messages we have been hearing based on the letters to the seven churches, from Revelations chapters 2 and 3. This morning’s message was drawn from Rev. 3:1-6, the letter to the church at Sardis.

1"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Pastor Brad opened with comments about one of the number one TV shows today, CSI, which stands for “Crime Scene Investigation.” This popular show has expanded to include CSI Miami, CSI New York and CSI Las Vegas. Brad jokingly noted that the show’s popularity is such that we may even have a CSI Twig one day.

The show always begins with a death. Then it’s the job of the CSI team to do an autopsy and find the real cause of the death.

Then Pastor Brad turned the tables toward the direction of his message. “At one time in my life I was on a Crime Scene Investigation,” he said. “Only is was a Church Scene Investigation.” Instead of a murder victim, there was a dead church body. “One of the saddest things in the world is to see a church dying,” he explained, a fitting intro to his exposition on the letter to the church at Sardis.

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (vs 1)

Sardis had been a wealthy city. It had been a cultural trendsetter. This was a city which had been formerly filled with splendor, a city of wealth and luxurious living, something akin to another TV show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

The church of Sardis, too, had initially been a beacon of light. It had been a vibrant witness for Christ, making a difference. In the past this church had been a trauma center for wounded people and a lighthouse for the lost. But no more.

In this brief letter to the church at Sardis there are no words of commendation. Where it really counted, this church was dead.

Interestingly enough, unlike the troubles at some of the other churches, the downfall was not due to false prophets, persecutions, pressures from outside. The problem was from within.

Referring back to his own life lessons, Brad stated, “I learned that if a church is not being continuously renewed, it will die.” He said he labored hard to make the church relevant. He had a great vision for the church, but its methods were old fashioned and ineffective.

It is an interesting oxymoron: Dead Church. Because Jesus once said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

In point of fact, the Church, the body of Christ, has prevailed through the ages. But individual churches can, and do, die. Currently, in this country, 2700 churches a year close their doors, permanently.

Brad’s passion for New Life Covenant is that we be continuously renewed, for we can die, too.

Typically, historically, churches expand and decline over a course of thirty years. He said that when he arrived at the church he has been referring to, it had been dying for five years.

To the church at Sardis Jesus says, “Wake up… Strengthen what remains.”

Brad aimed to make five points based on this passage.

1) Wake up.
Death in the future comes by living in the past. The church at Sardis had become self-centered and apathetic by resting on its laurels, self-satisfied based on its previous reputation. This letter is a wake up call, a call to spiritual vigilance.

Something is at stake. Living in the past makes it impossible to move forward. We cannot glamorize the past.

Brad noted that learning from the past is different from living in the past. “I’m proud, thankful, to be in a place where people matter more than whether a pastor wears a tie or not,” he said.

This was a lead in to another church killer, being inflexible.

2) Strengthen what remains.
A church needs to hold fast to its core values. Being flexible does not mean letting go of unchangeable truths or realities. Some things should never change.

Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

In the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says that our lives must be founded on a rock, on the unchanging truths, God’s word. The Bible is an unshakable, immovable rock.

And in Luke 21:33 Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

On the other hand, we need to be flexible in our methods. Living churches evaluate their methods in an effort to stay relevant. Because one of the most dangerous things that a church can do is fall in love with its methods instead of being in love with the lost people those methods are used to reach.

3) Remember what God alone can do.
The only way to be continuously dynamic is to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, there is a supernatural piece to church growth.

4) Hold on.
Hold on the primary mission. Hold on to the core value: people are what matters to God. Lost people matter to God.

5) Repent.
Jesus says this with urgency.

At this point it was evident Pastor Brad had much more to say than his heart could contain. With passion he exhorted us in a flood of heartfelt words that this scribe was unable to record. Lost people matter. God wants to us to stay vibrant, to be concerned about the things Jesus is concerned about.

Jesus says whoever has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

With this, stepping to the communion table our pastor said, “Communion is our sacred privilege…”

Gwen then offered up a beautiful song to usher us into the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.