It Is Pentecost Sunday - Where Are You Going - Acts 1:1-8 05/27/2012

Sermon 5-27-12 *

It is Pentecost Sunday.
Title - where are you going?
Acts 1:1-8 NIV 1984

1 In my former book,(A) Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach(B) 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven,(C) after giving instructions(D) through the Holy Spirit to the apostles(E) he had chosen.(F) 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them(G) over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.(H) 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait(I) for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.(J) 5 For John baptized with[a] water,(K) but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”(L)
6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore(M) the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.(N) 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;(O) and you will be my witnesses(P) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,(Q) and to the ends of the earth.”(R)

What is Pentecost Sunday
50 days after Passover – Easter
Festival commemorating the giving of the law on Sinai
That is why all of the people were in the city

Commemorates the giving of the Holy Spirit
Disciples waiting upper room [check acts 2 story]
Tongues of fire on their head
Wind blowing through
They are empowered to share the story of love

How does your life feel? Empowered? Powerful spiritually? Or not
Let’s talk about our life
Our relationship with God

What are we pursuing?
What do we want?
What do we pray for?

Maybe the reason that we don’t sense the presence of the spirit is that we are asking for the wrong things and heading in the wrong directions

The disciples still wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans

You will receive power
Power to what?
To make money? To buy a truck? To live in a nice house?
To live a long healthy life
If the Christians in Mozambique cannot have such things, why would Christians in America pray for such things?

Power to what

What are we expecting god to do for us
God has already done something for you in Jesus
What are we expecting god to do for us
Vs
What can I do for you, God?
The jfk thing, ask not what your country can do……..

Power to be my witness. To Jerusalem Judea to Samaria to the uttermost parts of the earth
To those we like, to those we don’t like, and ultimately to everyone
Oh t o be a witness. Does that scare you?
Not surprising- because of how so many Christians go about it
• The anonymous letter in the mail from a supposed neighbor
• My trips to sf to golden gate park
• My daughters accosted on the beach
• the street preacher in st Louis/daytona

Ok. We don’t want to be that.
Does that let us off the hook? Can we not just go on our merry way?
Or does god still expect us to witness

Still nervous
Let me put it this way
When you get up and head into your day, do you go for you
Or do you go for him. For God

You will receive power. Power to what.
To overcome your fears
To see the good
To live a life of love
To know where you are going

When we go for god we are his witnesses. Every kind word, every kind act, every hug, every act done in the name of Christ is a witness
There is nothing secular. You are a Christian living on behalf of Christ.

Examples
Darren Copeland – from bball to softball to worship
Man in the office- steps up to the plate for another man
Going to Joplin – the work we have done there, should we have just stood on the curb and preached?
Something changes in us. Something changes in them

=-=-
conclusion

God always sends you to people
If we are listening, we are sent from our comfort zone to a place of care and ministry

Where are you going?
What message will you carry?

What will you share? What is your message?
How would you do it without words?

Prayer- Lord please show me someone that I can care about for you today




Mark Stanton- my project move this or delete
Didn’t work. I gave up. Asked kindly
Why did you agree to go this time?
Because now you are acting like a friend
Before you were a jerk
When we make someone our project we totally miss the point