Category: Acts (Page 7 of 12)

Holy Spirit Power

November 12, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

I’m in Dallas this week for the Preacher Initiative and ElderLink, both being held at the great Highland Oaks Church of Christ. And what a great week it’s already been. I’ve been blessed to spend a couple of days and nights with my great friend Jason Reeves and his family, I had dinner last night at the home of OLD friends Glen and Becky Burroughs, I’ve reconnected with and been inspired by some of the best preachers and teachers in our church fellowship, and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon with Sally Gary, one of the Church’s most important leaders today. Tonight, it’s dinner with the Four Horsemen and all the wives (except Carrie-Anne who’s in Amarillo) at Kevin and Anita’s new house in Sunnyvale. And then ElderLink begins tomorrow.

Now, the only pressure of the trip besides writing a sermon in the middle of this busy week on the road, comes Saturday when I begin my journey back to Amarillo. There is an empty ice chest in the back seat of my truck. My daughters have told me I cannot come home without a half gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream and a half gallon of Blue Bell Cookies and Cream. I’m not completely convinced I can make this happen. Can ice cream in those paper cartons last for six-and-a-half hours in an ice chest in the back seat? I’m going to be severely distracted over the next 48 hours with engineering in my mind a way to make this happen. I’d welcome your input and suggestions.

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“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” ~1 John 1:1-3

What God has done and what’s doing is real. “We’ve seen it!” the apostle writes. “We heard it, we touched it! It’s real! This is what we proclaim. This is about eternal life. We testify to it and we proclaim it!” As Paul would say, “I am compelled to proclaim the Good News! Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Good News!” Those who experience the salvation of God in Christ, those live in the lordship of Jesus, can’t help but proclaim it.

You’re the same way about a lot of things.

You probably tell your friends when you discover a new soap: “It makes my skin so soft! You’ve got to try it!” You see a good movie and you tell everybody: “Wow! It blew me away! You’ve got to go see it!” You experience a new restaurant and you won’t shut up about it: “Man, we love that place!”

That’s how disciples of Christ are about the Good News of the lordship of Jesus.

Yeah, but I don’t have that kind of personality. I don’t have much Bible knowledge. I don’t have a complete grasp of theology. I don’t have all the answers to all the questions. I don’t have any influence. I don’t have a Christian college education. I don’t have the confidence.

OK. I’ll give that to you. All of that may be true.

But let me tell you what you do have: If you are a Christian, you do have the power of God’s Holy Spirit. You, Christian, have Holy Spirit power. And the reason you have Holy Spirit power is so you can proclaim and so your proclamation will be effective.

“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

The part we play in Act Five of the Story of God — Proclamation — can only be fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so important. The mission of Jesus is urgent, the Good News must be told. But Jesus wouldn’t let them start until they had received the Spirit. They were prepared, they had been taught, they were witnesses, they were ready. But not without the Spirit. They had to wait for the Holy Spirit. It won’t work without the Spirit. And when the followers of Jesus did receive the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they could not be stopped.

The Holy Spirit’s main purpose is to speak to people about Jesus. Throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit fills the disciples with strength to meet special witnessing challenges. He gives boldness and courage. He provides the right words to say and he provides the power to say them.

The disciples had no academic advantages. They had no political connections or financial strength. They had no upper hand in any way. What they had was Holy Spirit power. By that power they proclaimed the lordship of Jesus. And by that power the proclamation could not be stopped.

Peace,

Allan

Proclaiming the Kingdom of God

September 28, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

The Good News is that Jesus is the new King. With the resurrection and ascension of our Christ, all the kingdoms and nations of the world are claimed under his Lordship. That’s what we proclaim. That’s what the Christians were doing in Thessalonica; and it got them in trouble.

“They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” ~ Acts 17:7

Paul goes to Rome, right under the nose of Caesar himself, right in the middle of the Empire’s capital city and “preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ boldly and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).

The whole point is that the world has turned a new corner. A new age has arrived. The entire earth has a new King and people have to be told about it. Because not everybody knows.

Most people today, in a world where Jesus is Lord, are still serving the old kings. And there’s no hope in that. No hope. Most people place their trust and faith in the old kings and old governments, old political systems and old rulers. And there’s no hope.

You see it in the Middle East where dictators rule unjustly and people are treated unfairly. You see it in Africa and parts of Europe where the government refuses to meet the basic needs of their people. No grace. No mercy. No salvation. You see it in the United States where the political system is a gigantic mess. Every politician on both ends of the spectrum and at every position in between says, “Vote for me! Vote for us and everything will be better!” But we don’t believe any of them anymore so they have to dress it up with more hype and noise and spin.

We are sent, each of us, by the authority of Christ Jesus and by the power of his Spirit to spread the news of his good and righteous rule. By our calling as his ambassadors and emissaries, it is our duty and command, all of us, to tell the nations they have a new King. By virtue of his resurrection and our own participation in the new eternal life, it is our great privilege to shout from the rooftops the dawning of the age of the Kingdom of God.

And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we’re up for it. We experience God’s restoration every day. We have received his grace and peace. We can speak of a new creation and we can live a new life because our Lord has already won the war and reigns right now today and forever at God’s right hand.

“Now to him who is able to establish you by the Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ… so that all nations might believe and obey him — to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” ~Romans 16:25-27

Peace,

Allan

Holy Spirit Community

September 25, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

The proclamation of the inaugurated Kingdom of God is expressed through Holy Spirit community. Following the Resurrection of Jesus, God’s Spirit creates a brand new community of all people, all nations, all languages, all brought to perfect unity under the Lordship of the Messiah. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter quotes the prophet Joel:

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people… Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved… Repent and be baptized, every one of you… The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ~Acts 2:17-39

The Holy Spirit breaks down barriers between people, he destroys the walls between all people and brings us together in Christ.

“Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace… [he] has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… his purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” ~Ephesians 2:13-18

The Berlin wall was erected by the Soviets to separate East and West Berlin. In Bethlehem today, there’s a 27-foot wall that divides the Palestinians from the Israelis. We know all about dividing walls. Not all of them are physical. There are social and racial barriers. There are gender and economic walls. We’re divided by language and ethnicity and education and politics. But the blood of Jesus brings all of us together and the Spirit of God holds us together so that our unity in diversity becomes an unmistakable testimony to the true Prince of Peace!

We have to practice this tearing down of walls, we have to be committed to demolishing the things that separate us. We must do the very, very, very hard work of reconciliation because it is such a vital component to the Christian witness.

Peter slipped up in Antioch. He was under some social pressures there and he stopped eating with Gentiles. He wouldn’t associate with them in public. And Paul called him on it. He told Peter he wasn’t acting “in line with the truth of the Gospel.”

“You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” ~Galatians 3:26-28

If these barriers have been set aside by Christ — the walls between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, men and women — if these distinctions have been abolished at the cross, then what other barrier can be justified? If God does not show favoritism, if all people are created by God in the holy image of God, if God’s great purpose and goal is unity in his Son, if we are to love even our enemies, if Jesus took the hostility into himself to destroy it forever, on what grounds can we justify keeping in place any barriers?!?

Peace,

Allan

Act Five – Church: The Proclaimed Kingdom

September 24, 2015 / Allan / 2 Comments

The Texas Rangers’ magic number for clinching their sixth division title is “8.” After last night’s clubbing of the A’s, Texas has its largest division lead in more than two years at 3-1/2 games. Texas has won Cole Hamels’ last seven starts, and he’s pitching the getaway game today in Oakland. And then they fly to Houston for this critical three game weekend set with the Astros. As good as Texas has played in September (14-7) and as badly as Houston has played this month (7-14) it’s still going to come down to this weekend series. Going to Houston with the division lead sure helps. Taking two of three from the ‘Stros would just about clinch it.

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Act Five of the Story of God is where all of us are suddenly pushed out onto the stage. The lights come up, the curtain opens, and we’re on the stage with lines to say and parts to play. We’ve been given a role in the Story of God, an important role. This is not just a cameo appearance.

On that first Sunday morning, the women arrive at the tomb to find the stone has been moved and their rabbi Jesus is not there. And the angel says:

“Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'” ~Mark 16:6-7

In other words, look, everything Jesus told you about the coming of the Kingdom of God — in his work, his teachings, his life and death — has all come true! The Resurrection is not just a miracle to show us how powerful God is. It’s not just a way of showing us there is life after death. The Resurrection of Jesus is the decisive event that proves God’s Kingdom has been launched on earth. The Resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s Kingdom. It’s not, “Hey, Jesus is risen, it looks like we all get to go to heaven when we die.” It’s more like, “Hey, Jesus is risen, you’d better get to Galilee and check in; see what he wants you to do.”

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.'” ~Matthew 28:6-7

When Jesus ran into these women at the tomb, he tells them the same thing:

“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” ~Matthew 28:10

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go… Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” ~Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus is claiming all authority in the universe now belongs to him. And by that authority he commands his disciples to go now and make it happen. Go do the Kingdom work as agents of my authority. Jesus is now enthroned as Lord of heaven and earth. His Kingdom has been established. And now his Kingdom rule is to be proclaimed. Jesus’ ambassadors are told to declare the Good News to all the nations and to call all the territories to allegiance to their new Lord.

“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms… The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things!” ~Luke 24:44-49

The Resurrection is not a happy ending for the Son of God. Jesus says the Resurrection is the turning point for a brand new beginning. Because of the Resurrection, all the old promises are coming true: the promise of an unshakable kingdom, the promise of God’s holy presence, forgiveness and a restored relationship with the Creator, blessings from God through Abraham’s line for all the peoples of the world.

There’s a new order. New rules. New law. Everything’s brand new for all the nations. The enemy has been destroyed. Peace between God and all people has been established. The good and just reign of the true King of the world has begun. Jesus is Lord over all the earth today, tomorrow, and for ever more! True peace. Genuine security. And Jesus, the King, says to his disciples, “You go tell everybody the Good News!”

In the mid 30s AD, this is what a King does when he becomes the ruler over a new region.

In Matthew, the first words spoken by Jesus following his Resurrection are, “Greetings. Do not be afraid. Go and tell.” Later, that same evening: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In Mark, the first recorded words of the risen Jesus are, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all of creation.” In Luke, Jesus says, “The Good News is going to be proclaimed to all nations.” Same thing in John when, on Resurrection day, the King’s first words to his disciples are, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Jesus is Lord. Jesus is now the undisputed King over all the earth. And his messengers, his emissaries, are to go to all the territories where Christ is enthroned as Lord to proclaim the Good News of his righteous rule.

“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

And that’s exactly what happens. And please notice — this is the main point — they don’t just offer people a new and different religious experience. They don’t just teach about eternal life after we die. They don’t just preach the Resurrection as a miracle that proves how powerful God is. The disciples are commissioned by Jesus to go and tell the world that Jesus, the Messiah, really is the world’s true Lord and to call all the nations of the earth to submit now to his rule.

Act Five. The Proclaimed Kingdom. There is where we come in. We are living today in the unfinished fifth act of the drama of the Story of God. God’s Church was established by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in order to proclaim to the world the Good News. We are telling all nations that God has come here in the flesh-and-blood of Jesus to establish his rule and to forgive and redeem and restore all the men and women of the earth. We are no longer enemies of God. It’s truly Good News! And we are called to declare it to all the earth.

Now, you are not exempt from this part of the Story. In this Act Five, you are not in the audience. You’re not backstage. You’re not a spectator or a critic. You’re not selling programs in the lobby or reading about it the next day. You are on the stage. You have lines to say. You have a role to play. To borrow from Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”

You must contribute a verse. All of us who have been baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are commissioned to jump into the Story and proclaim the Good News. In Act Five, following the Resurrection of Jesus all the way through the rest of the New Testament, all the characters in the Story are proclaiming. Church leaders, church members, all Christ followers do the work of evangelism. It’s the number one priority for all disciples. No exceptions. Everything takes a back seat to the proclamation of the Good News. Everything serves the purpose of proclaiming the rule of Christ and the Kingdom of God. That is our role today in Act Five.

What will your verse be?

Peace,

Allan

God is The Creator

August 24, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

And then there was one. For the first time in thirteen years, when we took first day of school pictures this morning, there was only one child standing in the frame holding her school supplies. Carley starts her sophomore year today at Canyon High School. Val began classes today at WT and Whitney is at United. So, yeah, this is different. Carley lamented last night that when I sing our traditional first-day-of-school song (that all the girls publicly protest, but secretly admire) she’ll be the only one I’m singing to. That’s right. Of course, I sang it loud enough so that maybe Valerie could have heard it. But how would I know: she’s not returning phone calls or texts. CarleySchool2015

Carrie-Anne is beginning her third year as the Culinary Arts Director at Canyon High. We had to stick C-A in one of the photos because Carley was feeling lonely.

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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ~Genesis 1:1

We mostly blow right past this opening sentence, when this opening sentence ought to blow us away. You can’t create a pencil. I can’t create a ping pong ball. We can’t create anything. And God created the heavens and the earth.

You can theorize about a big bang and discuss primordial matter all afternoon. But what we clearly have in Act One, Scene One is God speaking into nothing and creating everything. In the beginning, there is an explosion of life and God is the sole initiator. This story counters all the other stories that were out there at the time: that creation was a mistake, that it was the result of strife between rival gods, that human beings were an accident. All the creation stories before the one in Genesis were about conflict and hate and violence and war and mistakes. Our story says creation is the intentional action of a loving God.

“The Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
These gods who did make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.
God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” ~Jeremiah 10:10-12

Act One tells us there was a beginning and in the beginning there was God. A person. With an identity and character and a consciousness. A God with a personality and traits and emotions. We are a theistic people. But we are not a generally theistic people, we are a specifically theistic people: we believe in the God of the Bible. He is all powerful and he is all responsible.

Sometimes we shake our fists at God. When he’s not doing what he think is loving or just or wise, we yell at God. “Why are you doing that? Why are you not doing this?” The reason we believe he is all responsible is because we believe there is no other God.

In Acts 4, the early church is praying for God to do something great. The Christians are being persecuted and arrested and thrown in prison. And the church prays. “God start healing people. God start doing miracles. God handle the problem of the government. God perform some mighty wonders.” They’re expecting great things. Why?

“Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” ~Acts 4:24

God is the The Creator. It’s basic. It’s foundational. It’s so important. All of salvation is predicated on Creation. Once we get a handle on it, the whole rest of the Story of God makes perfect sense. The ugliness of sin, the redemption and New Creation of all bodies — it truly adds up when Creation is the first Act.

Peace,

Allan

Easter Sunday

April 5, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

“The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead! God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him!”
~Acts 5:30-32

Christ Jesus our Lord is risen and reigning today, right now, at the right hand of God. May he bless us and his Church with the same boldness and courage of the apostles who witnessed it.

Peace,

Allan

Category: Acts (Page 7 of 12)

Holy Spirit Power

Proclaiming the Kingdom of God

Holy Spirit Community

Act Five – Church: The Proclaimed Kingdom

God is The Creator

Easter Sunday

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