Tawa Baptist

The Spirit & Lydia

Scripture: Acts 16:6-15

Video Link:  https://youtu.be/Yuu1LtQLwQk

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • An open window
  • A small beginning
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The expression God never closes a door without opening a window has become a bit of a cliché. But that does not make it any less true. To say that God never closes a door without opening a window implies that God is exercising a guiding hand over our lives for good.

A door represents the usual means of entry. While climbing through a window is not the usual (or expected) way of getting in. Gaining access through a window requires us to think differently, to look for alternatives and to be prepared to make ourselves a bit uncomfortable.

During the month of August, we have been focusing on a series of passages from the book of Acts in support of Arotahi, our New Zealand Baptist mission organization.

The book of Acts tells how the Holy Spirit worked through men and women to spread the message about Jesus. Last week we heard how the Spirit involved Stephen, Ananias and Barnabas in the call and conversion of Saul.

This week we jump ahead in time around 15 or 16 years. By this stage, Saul is now the apostle Paul, about to embark on his second missionary journey.

But, as we shall see, this journey takes an unexpected turn when the Holy Spirit closes a door and opens a window. From Acts 16, verse 6, we read…   

6 Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we travelled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that districtof Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

An open window:

Can you think of a time when God closed a door and opened a window in your life? Such that your life took a whole different path.

Perhaps you thought you would be an accountant or an artist, but you became a social worker or a teacher instead. Or maybe you thought you would live somewhere sunny and warm, but you ended up in Tawa.

Sometimes we think we are headed in a certain direction, only to encounter a roadblock before reaching our destination. Then, when we least expect it, another way is opened to us; a window to a world of possibility quite different from what we first imagined.

The Holy Spirit closes doors and opens windows quite a bit in the Bible.

David thought he was going to be a shepherd of sheep, playing his harp in the field. But God made him the shepherd and king of all Israel and the author of many psalms.

Peter thought he was going to be a fisherman following in his father’s footsteps, but God made Peter a fisher of men following in Jesus’ footsteps.

Paul thought he was going to be a Jewish religious leader, a guardian of the law. But Jesus made Paul an apostle, a guardian of the gospel of Christ.   

What doors has God closed in your life. What windows has he opened?

In the verses we just read from Acts 16, the Holy Spirit shut the door to Asia and opened a window to Europe.

We don’t know why or how the Spirit prevented Paul and his mates from entering Asia, but we don’t need to know. The point is, the Spirit of Jesus was directing the Christian mission with a bigger picture in mind.

The book of Acts isn’t primarily about the acts of the apostles. It’s more about the acts of the Holy Spirit, working through the apostles. 

Verse 6 of Acts 16 says that Paul travelled with his companions. This tells us Paul was not a one-man band. Paul worked as part of a team. Not a large team, just 3 or 4 highly committed people.

When it comes to Christian mission it is best not to go it alone. We need the encouragement, support and accountability of other believers. Paul’s team on this occasion included Silas, Timothy and Luke.

Silas was a respected leader in the early church and recognised as a good speaker, someone who would assist Paul in preaching the gospel.

Timothy was an emerging leader, Paul’s apprentice. The missionary journey was good experience for Timothy. Paul had an eye to the future, hoping that Timothy would carry on the work after he was gone, which Timothy did.

Luke was a physician and historian. Having a doctor travelling with them was a good health & safety measure. But Luke did more than take care of blisters. Luke took notes. He documented Paul’s work and wrote one of the gospels about Jesus, as well as the book of Acts. We (today) owe a great deal to Luke.    

Verse 9 says, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When Paul shared his vision with his companions, they all concluded Macedonia must be where God wanted them to go.

This shows us at least two things. Firstly, discerning God’s will is best done in community with other believers. Paul had the vision, but Silas, Timothy and Luke helped him to interpret it.

Secondly, Paul and his team held their plans loosely. They were open to God. God’s ways are not our ways. God has his own plan and we need to be flexible enough to adjust our sails to the wind of his Spirit. If we push a door and it doesn’t open, we don’t force our way in. We look for a window.

Verses 11 & 12 of Acts 16 tell us how Paul and his team obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit, travelling from Troas to Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia. The open window from Troas to Phillipi involved sailing across the sea and walking inland for a bit.

Macedonia is one of the largest regions of Greece. It is the place Alexander the Great came from. When the Romans took over from the Greeks, Philippi was populated with Roman army veterans. Consequently, Philippi was a city that was very loyal to Rome, quite different from Jerusalem.

Verse 12 says that once they had arrived in Phillipi, Paul and his friends stayed there several days. This is interesting. Paul doesn’t dive into preaching the gospel straight away. He simply observes for a while. He walks around, taking in the culture and getting a feel for the place. 

The first job of a missionary is to listen. Before we can communicate effectively, we must get to know the people and their culture.

A small beginning:

So what happened next? From verse 13 of Acts 16 we read about Philippi’s first Christian convert…    

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God.

The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Life starts small. Biological life doesn’t come much smaller than a cell.

Cell size is measured in microns. A micron is a millionth of a meter, which is tiny. Your average human cell is about 25 microns in diameter, so you can’t see a human cell with the naked eye. You need a microscope.

As small as they are, cells are the basic building blocks of all living things.

The human body is composed of trillions of cells. Cells are essential to our physical functioning.

Life starts small but it grows. Last week we saw a video about the work in India. In 1938 Malcolm and Catherine Eade went to Tripura. Gwen told me the Eades worked as missionaries for ten years before seeing their first convert. Now, more than 85 years later, there are thousands of Christians and hundreds of churches in Tripura.  

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

The kingdom of heaven starts small, but it grows big enough to fill the whole earth.

Paul’s standard mission strategy, when going to a new city, was to begin by preaching in the local synagogue, because this is where the common ground was. As a Jew, Paul was usually welcome in the synagogue, at least at first.

Also, the Jews were more likely to understand what Paul was saying about Jesus being the Messiah of God. They already believed in the one true God and they had a concept of the Messiah through the Hebrew Scriptures.

However, there weren’t enough Jews in Philippi to warrant having a synagogue so that door wasn’t just closed, it did not exist.

Undeterred, Paul and his friends looked for a window. They went down to the river on a Sabbath where they expected to find people at prayer. The idea was to start sharing the message about Jesus with those who were most likely to receive it.

When Paul and his companions arrived at the river, they found a group of women gathered there. Before coming to Phillipi, Paul had seen a vision of a man from Macedonia. But on arriving they were faced with women. 

Now I imagine Paul and Silas probably felt a bit uncomfortable because, in their culture, it just wasn’t done for Jewish men to talk with women they didn’t know, especially Gentile women.

But that’s the thing about Jesus. He is for everybody, including those who are different from us. In Acts 8, the Spirit sent Philip to help an Ethiopian eunuch, who then came to faith in Jesus. And in Acts 10, the Spirit sent Peter to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.  

Verse 14 says, one of those listening was a woman named Lydia.   

We don’t know Lydia’s origin story, only that she was a dealer in purple cloth, which in today’s terms equates to a business woman in the fashion industry.

The most likely scenario is that Lydia was a widow who took over running the business and the household after her husband died. She appears to be very capable, a woman of means.

Verse 14 notes that Lydia was a worshiper of God. In other words, she was a Gentile who converted to the Jewish faith at some point in the past. Therefore, she believed in Yahweh and was familiar with the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament) but she did not yet know that Jesus is the Messiah.

Who is the Lydia in your life? Who do you know who is open to hearing about Jesus? Pray for them. Speak with them. Be friends with them.

Verse 14 goes on to say, The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

The heart, in Scripture, generally refers to a person’s inner life. The heart is more than one’s feelings. The heart is the core of your being, including the mind, emotions and will. The heart is where desire and longing and decision making come from.   

I imagine that Paul gave Lydia some wonderful rationale for believing in Jesus, but I don’t expect it was solely logic that convinced Lydia. I believe the door to Lydia’s heart was opened by the love of Jesus. As she heard about Jesus’ sacrifice, Lydia was moved from within to respond to God’s love

In Romans 5, Paul writes, “And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love and truth. The Holy Spirit is the key which unlocks genuine heart understanding. We can’t really put our trust in Jesus without the help of the Holy Spirit. So how does Lydia respond?

Well, she and her household are baptized with water. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. By being baptized, Lydia is sealing her commitment to Jesus and bearing witness to the work of the Spirit within her.

After Lydia and her household have been baptized, she opens her home to Paul and his friends, saying: “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And the apostle Paul and his friends show their acceptance of her as a true believer in the Lord (like them) by staying in her home.

We are not told if anyone else listening to Paul that day became a Christian.

Unlike the church in Jerusalem, which started with 3000 converts on the day of Pentecost, it appears the church in Europe started small, with just one household.

But life often starts small, with only a single cell. Lydia’s home became the first house church for believers in Phillipi. Since that humble start, 2000 years ago, literally millions of people have become followers of Jesus throughout Europe.

Conclusion:

The thing I like about today’s reading is that there is nothing spectacular or dramatic about it. The opening verses of Acts 16 are like a jam sandwich, sweet but ordinary.

So often in the book of Acts we encounter miracle after miracle. The apostles speak in foreign languages, they heal people and cast out demons, they confound their critics with wisdom from heaven, the doors of prisons fly open for them, they see the Spirit manifest God’s power in supernatural ways, they are bitten by scorpions and live. The miraculous is common place in Acts.

And while that is all wonderful and true (and irritating), it seems a long way from our own experience.

I like that Paul and his companions stumbled their way into Europe. They had intended to go to Asia but the way was blocked. For a few days there they didn’t know where the Spirit was leading them. That’s how it is for us most of the time. More often than not we only see God’s guidance with the benefit of hindsight.

I like the way Lydia and her household came to faith in Jesus. There was no walking on water, no healing of the blind or deaf. No tongues of fire or any other drama. The Spirit did something within Lydia, something deeply personal, which unlocked her understanding and communicated the love of Christ.

This is a work of God for introverts. How precious is that inner change, that almost goes unnoticed.

And I like way Lydia responded with a simple obedience of faith, no grand gestures. She was baptised in water and offered the apostles hospitality.      

Miracles are great but they are not the destination. They are merely sign posts along the way pointing to an even greater reality. The reality of God’s love for us in Christ.

So, this is my prayer today…

May Jesus be real for you in the ordinary things of life.

May Jesus be real for you whether you are vacuuming or making the dinner.

May Jesus be real for you whether you at the supermarket or at work.

May Jesus be real for you whether you are reading your Bible or watching TV.

May Jesus be real for you whether you are feeling happy or sad, angry or calm.

May Jesus be real for you whether the door is open or closed.

May Jesus be real for you whether the beginning is small or large.

May Jesus be real for you in all of life. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Can you think of a time in your life when God changed the direction of your life, when he closed a door and opened a window? What happened?
  3. Who does Paul take with him on his second missionary journey in Acts 16? Why does Paul take these companions? Who are your companions on the journey of faith and mission?
  4. What is the first thing Paul does when he arrives in Phillipi? Why does he do this?
  5. Why did Lydia respond to Paul’s message as she did?
  6. Do you know anyone like Lydia? Who are the people in your life who are most open to hearing about Jesus?
  7. What small (Spirit inspired) beginnings are you aware of?
Tawa Baptist

The Spirit & Saul

Scripture: Acts 9

Video Link: https://youtu.be/v9xfsj7_kas

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Stephen
  • Ananias
  • Barnabas
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Over the past two or three weeks we have watched Olympic athletes from all over the world competing at the highest level. These men and women are extraordinary in their ability, their commitment and their work ethic.

But, as capable as they are, most (if not all) of them did not get there alone. Each of them had people in the background of their lives supporting them. Coaches, parents, fundraisers, physios, friends and so on.

During the month of August, we are focusing on four messages from the book of Acts in support of Arotahi, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. The book of Acts tells how the Holy Spirit used men and women to share the message about Jesus.

Today our sermon focuses on the conversion of Saul, also known as the apostle Paul. Paul accomplished great things for God. He changed the world.

If Christian mission was an Olympic sport, then Paul would be one of the GOAT’s, one of the greatest of all time.

We do well to remember though, that Saul would not have become the apostle Paul without the help of some key individuals supporting him in the background. From Acts chapter 9, verse 1, we read…

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

I said before that Saul would not have become the apostle Paul without the help of some key individuals. The Holy Spirit used three people in particular in the process of Saul’s call and conversion: Stephen, Ananias and Barnabas. Let’s begin by considering how the Spirit used Stephen. 

Stephen:

If you have a blocked sewer pipe, it does no good to keep flushing the toilet. The paper and the poo will back up until it finds a way out. The way out might be a vent somewhere onto your back lawn or (if you are unlucky) it might be the actual toilet bowl itself. Either way you end up with a smelly mess.

If your sewer line blocks, you really have to call a plumber who will put a camera down to see what the problem is. Sometimes the blockage can be cleared with an auger or a high-pressure hose. But if the pipe is damaged, you may need to replace it.

The psychologist, Carl Jung, said: “Fanaticism is always a sign of repressed doubt”.

Or, to put this another way, if repressed doubt is like a blocked sewer line, then the fanatic refuses to admit there is a problem and continues to flush the toilet more and more, even as the paper and poo of his fanaticism and anger spew out where it is not wanted.   

A fanatic is a person filled with excessive zeal, often for an extreme religious or political cause. Fanatics tend to be one eyed. They struggle to see things from another perspective. Before Saul met the risen Jesus, he was a religious fanatic.  

As we heard last week, Saul was present when Stephen gave his speech to the Jewish leadership and he approved of the crowd stoning Stephen. In fact, the killing of Stephen became the catalyst for Saul to go from house to house, dragging Christian men and women off to prison.

Stephen’s message was basically this: Jesus is the Messiah of God and the religious leaders (whom Saul aligned himself with) killed Jesus. But God has vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead.

Stephen was so convinced that God had raised Jesus from the dead that he was willing to die for it. Stephen brought the religious leaders’ hate to the surface, only to forgive it.

This caused Saul to doubt his own belief system. If Stephen was right, then the religious leaders and Saul were on the wrong side of God. If Stephen was right, then much of what Saul believed in was a lie.

Of course, Saul does not want to face the possibility he is wrong. And so, he represses his doubt. He pushes his doubt deeper down into his unconscious. Saul thought he could get rid of his nagging doubt by flushing the Christians away. But the blockage caused by repressed doubt won’t be shifted like that.  

The more Saul persecuted the church, the more the paper and poo of his fanaticism and hate overflowed where it was not wanted.  

Having done as much damage as he could in Jerusalem, Saul moves on to Damascus to round up more Christians there. Damascus is about 140 miles north of Jerusalem. It would have taken about a week to get there on foot.

Saul was probably travelling with temple guards.

As Saul drew near to Damascus, the risen Lord Jesus appeared to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When Saul asks who is speaking to him, the Lord replies, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”.

It is characteristic of Jesus to say much with few words. In just two short sentences Jesus removes all doubt and frees Saul from his fanaticism.

Saul now sees first hand, for himself, that God has raised Jesus from the dead and he understands clearly that Stephen was right. He (Saul) is on the wrong side of God’s purpose. By persecuting Christians Saul was in fact fighting against God, without being aware of it.

We must not miss the inference in Jesus’ words here. The risen and ascended Jesus is intimately connected, by his Spirit, to his church on earth. When Saul persecuted Christians, Jesus felt it. ‘What you do to least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do to me’, is what the Lord says in Matthew’s gospel.     

The point I’m making here is that the Holy Spirit used Stephen to sow the irritating seed of gospel truth in Saul’s heart. Without someone like Stephen to sow the seed, Saul may never have become a Christian. Stephen’s message and death had a profound effect on Saul.

Now most people are not as fanatical as Saul was. But pretty much everyone holds some kind of false belief at some point in their life. And, whether you become a Christian or not, the Holy Spirit is likely to use a person (like Stephen) to challenge your false beliefs.

When that happens, you have a choice. You can either offer your doubts up to God and say, ‘Lord, show me the truth about Jesus and the truth about myself’.

Or you can double down and repress your doubt. But if you do that, your doubt will surface somewhere else in your life as fanaticism. Either way, the truth will come out in the end. You cannot avoid it.   

Who is your Stephen? Who sowed the irritating seed of gospel truth in your life? Whose Christian witness got under your skin? Who caused you to doubt your false beliefs? Who brought your fanaticism and hate to the surface, only to forgive it?

Jesus wants to remove the blockages to faith in him caused by the lies we believe. Be open to the truth. Accept Jesus by faith.

We are talking today about the people the Spirit of God used to bring Saul to faith in Jesus. We have heard how Stephen planted the irritating seed of gospel truth. Now let’s consider how the Holy Spirit used Ananias to heal Saul. From verse 10 of Acts 9, we continue the account of Saul’s conversion…

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Helen Keller once wrote, ‘Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light’.

She knew this from experience. Helen Keller was both deaf and blind. She was also intelligent and courageous, a woman of faith. She wrote a dozen books and became an inspiration to millions. But Helen Keller did not accomplish these things on her own. There were people in the background of her life who supported her and helped her reach her potential.

In particular, Anne Sullivan. Anne became Helen Keller’s lifelong teacher and mentor. Anne used touch to teach Helen the alphabet and to make words by spelling them with her finger on Helen’s palm. Helen soon caught on.

Eventually Helen learned to read Braille and write with a specially designed typewriter. With Anne Sullivan’s tutoring, Helen Keller was admitted to College and graduated with distinction. And, when Anne Sullivan married John Macy in 1905, Helen Keller went to live with them and the support continued. [1]

Without Anne Sullivan, the world may not have been blessed with the insight and inspiration of Helen Keller. 

After his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul was struck blind. He could hear well enough; he just couldn’t see. Saul’s blindness was quite different from Helen Keller’s blindness. Helen was only physically blind, whereas Saul was both physically and spiritually blind. 

Ananias, a Christian believer, received a vision in which Jesus told him to go and lay hands on Saul to heal Saul of his blindness. Ananias wasn’t too sure at first, but Jesus insisted so Ananias found his courage and obeyed Jesus in faith.

Christian faith isn’t just thinking the right things about God in our head. Real faith always finds expression in obedience to Christ.

The healing wasn’t just for Saul’s benefit. It was also for the benefit of the other Christian believers. The Holy Spirit’s healing of Saul, through Ananias, demonstrated to the church that Jesus had forgiven Saul and accepted him, therefore they could too.

When Ananias entered the house where Saul was staying, he said, ‘Brother Saul…’ Brother. There is no recrimination. No judgement. No accusation. Simply an offer of grace. Jesus had accepted Saul and that made Saul family. 

Saul accepts God’s grace through Ananias and his sight is restored, both his physical sight and his spiritual sight. Then, as a sign of his conversion and commitment to follow Jesus, Saul was baptised with water.

We don’t really hear much else about Ananias after that. His time in the spotlight is brief but significant. For without Ananias’ faithful obedience to Jesus, Saul may not have become an apostle of Christ. The Holy Spirit used Ananias to help Saul at an important crossroads in his life.

Usually, when someone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit involves a number of different people in the process. But, at some point in that process, we each need to make a decision for Christ. At some point we reach a crossroads, when we must make a commitment and say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. I surrender my life to you’.  

Are you at the crossroads? Are you ready to commit to Jesus?

Who is your Ananias? Who has the Spirit provided to minister God’s grace?

Who has Jesus sent to hold you through the waters of baptism?

Accept the Lord’s help. Be in Christ. Be right with God.

And for those who have already given their lives to Jesus, are you ready to be an Ananias for someone else?

The Holy Spirit used a number of different people in the process of Saul’s conversion. Stephen diagnosed Saul’s sickness, and Ananias ministered God’s cure. But there is one other person who played a vital role in supporting Saul and that is Barnabas.

Barnabas:

For many days after his baptism Saul stayed in Damascus and began preaching that Jesus is the Son of God. Eventually though he had to leave because there was a conspiracy to kill him. From verse 26 of Acts 9 we continue Saul’s story…

26 When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. Barnabas told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 

Some trees, in nature, require other buddy trees of the same species planted close by to help promote pollination. For example, apple trees, pear trees and plum trees may need up to three other trees of the same variety around them in order to fruit well.

Christians are a bit like that too. To be fruitful we need other believers around us.

Saul had a problem. People were afraid of him. They wouldn’t let him get close. Saul was like a lone apple tree. He couldn’t be as fruitful or effective in his witness for Jesus by himself. Saul needed an advocate, someone trustworthy who could vouch for him.

Barnabas was just that person. Barnabas believed in Saul and trusted the work of the Holy Spirit in Saul’s life.

Barnabas reassured the believers in Jerusalem that Saul was the real deal and could be trusted. This enabled Saul to stay connected to the church and continue the work Jesus had called him to.

There is much more we could say about Barnabas and Saul’s partnership in the gospel, but we don’t have time today. Suffice to say, that without Barnabas, Saul’s career as an apostle may have been far less fruitful. 

Who is your Barnabas? Who believes in you when no one else does? Who sees you and trusts the work of the Spirit in your life. Who comes alongside you and keeps you connected with God’s people? Who makes you more fruitful for Christ? Take care of that relationship. Your life may depend on it.

Consider also who you can be a Barnabas for.

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Father God, thank you for including us in your plan of salvation.

Holy Spirit, give us eyes to see your hand at work in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, help us to live in a way that glorifies you. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Who do you identify with most in Acts 9? Saul, Stephen, Ananias or Barnabas? Why? 
  3. How does doubt affect human behaviour? How did Saul deal with his doubts? How do you deal with your doubts?
  4. Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ words to Saul on the road to Damascus. What does this tell us about Jesus and his relationship with the church?  
  5. How did Stephen help Saul? Who is your Stephen? Who sowed the seed of gospel truth in your life? Whose Christian witness gets under your skin? Who caused you to doubt your false beliefs?
  6. How did Ananias help Saul? If you haven’t yet committed your life to Jesus, what are the next steps for you? If you are committed to Jesus, are you ready to be an Ananias for someone else?
  7. How did Barnabas help Saul? Who is your Barnabas? Who believes in you when no one else does? Who makes you more fruitful for Christ? What can you do to take care of that relationship? Who can you be a Barnabas for?

[1] From womenshistory.org

Tawa Baptist

The Spirit & Stephen

Scripture: Acts 6-7

Video Link: https://youtu.be/-NhR2-BJGTY

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Grace and power
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

A light bulb works when it is connected to electricity. Without electricity, all you have is a glass globe and darkness.

A river works when water flows through a channel along the ground. Without water, there is no river, just a scar on the landscape.

Your mouth and your tongue speak when your mind provides a thought. Without a mind, the mouth and the tongue having nothing to say.

During the month of August, we are focusing on four messages from the book of Acts in support of Arotahi, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. Then, at the end of August, we will take up a special Renew Together offering for our Baptist missionaries.

The book of Acts tells how the Holy Spirit used ordinary men and women to share the message about Jesus. The Spirit is essential to the spread of the gospel.

The Spirit is to mission what electricity is to a light bulb.

The Spirit is to mission what water is to a river.

The Spirit is to mission what the mind is to speech

The church simply cannot function without the Spirit of Jesus.    

Last week we heard how the Holy Spirit worked through Peter and the other apostles, in Acts 2. This week we hear how the Holy Spirit worked through Stephen. From Acts chapter 6, verse 8, we pick up the story of the Spirit and Stephen…

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen… who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Grace and Power:

Some things are powerful but not graceful. Storms are like that. Lots of power, but little or no grace. Storms can do a lot of damage. Guns are also powerful, but once the trigger has been pulled, there’s no grace. The bullet is unforgiving.

Other things are graceful, but not powerful. Take butterflies for example. Butterflies are graceful, they are beautiful to watch, but they lack power. You have nothing to fear from a butterfly.

Flowers are also graceful, but not powerful, at least not in the same way that storms and guns are powerful. In fact, flowers are quite fragile. Sometimes flowers can have a powerful affect though, if arranged in a certain way or given with great love.  

Then there are those things which are both powerful and graceful.

Medicine is powerful and graceful on a chemical level. It has the power to heal you, in a relatively gentle way.  

Dancers possess both power and grace. They have exceptional strength for their body weight. At the same time, their movement is beautiful to look at. A ballerina glides with a grace and power that defies gravity and touches the heart.

And then there is the power and grace of the moon. The moon is beautiful to look at. Reflected light gracing the night sky, but with the power to move whole oceans.

The Holy Spirit combines divine grace with divine power. The Holy Spirit possesses a power unmatched in the universe and a grace far beyond human comprehension. The Holy Spirit gives life to all creation.

In verse 8 we read that Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power.

This is another way of saying that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.

If Stephen was the lightbulb, then the Holy Spirit provided the electricity.

If Stephen was the channel, the Holy Spirit was like water flowing through him.

If Stephen was the mouthpiece, then the Holy Spirit was the mind providing the thought for Stephen to speak.  

The grace and power of the Spirit of God enabled Stephen to perform great wonders and signs among the people. We are not told exactly what these signs and wonders were, but it may have included miraculous healings. To heal someone is an action that is both gracious and powerful.

Verse 9 says opposition arose from one of the Jewish synagogues. A synagogue was a bit like a local church congregation, except for people of the Jewish faith. These Jews began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him.

Here we see the God given power and grace of reason and logic. The Holy Spirit empowered Stephen to overcome his opponents with words of reason, as opposed to acts of violence.

Christian faith has intellectual integrity. Becoming a Christian does not mean throwing away critical thinking. Although we cannot grasp all the mysteries of Christian faith, we still seek to understand what we can. Jesus taught us to love God with our mind as well as our heart and everything else we possess.  

Stephen’s Spirit inspired rationale and wisdom should have been enough to convince the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah, but they refused to believe. Worse than that, they framed Stephen. They falsely accused Stephen of blasphemy. They stirred up the anger of the people and brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin was the name for the ruling council of Jewish leaders. Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, falsely accused of blasphemy, just a few years before Stephen. Stephen was quite literally following in the footsteps of Christ.

The accusers said Stephen spoke against the holy place (that is, the Jerusalem temple) saying Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down.

Jesus had predicted (with tears) that the temple would be destroyed. This happened in AD 70, nearly 40 years after Jesus. But it wasn’t Jesus who destroyed Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed the holy city because the Jews rebelled against Rome. Jesus tried to warn the people, telling them not to revolt against Rome, but the people would not listen.

As for the charge that Jesus had come to change the customs Moses handed down, this wasn’t right either. In fact, Jesus came to fulfil the law of Moses.

Stephen could see that Jesus’ once for all sacrifice on the cross made the ceremonial and ritual aspects of the Jewish Law unnecessary.

The moral aspects of the Law, which can be summarised as loving God and loving your neighbour, still stand. But we don’t need to keep sacrificing animals for the atonement of sin because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is sufficient. Our forgiveness is through faith in what Jesus has done for us.

We can see why the Jewish religious authorities felt so threatened. If they accepted what Stephen was saying, their whole organisation would need to be restructured. They would lose a lot of power and control and status.

What’s more, they would have to humble themselves and admit they were wrong about Jesus. No wonder they wanted to silence Stephen.

Verse 15 says, ‘All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.’

Angels have knowledge from heaven. Stephen had knowledge from heaven and the Sanhedrin could plainly see that, it was written all over his face. Yet they would not concede that Stephen was right about Jesus.

As far as the Sanhedrin were concerned, this was a legal proceeding (Stephen was on trial), so the high priest gave Stephen an opportunity to respond to the charges brought against him. Stephen addresses his accusers with grace and respect, calling them brothers and fathers.

Stephen starts by finding common ground with his enemies. He talks about their shared history (their whakapapa or ancestry). After highlighting God’s call of Abraham, Stephen goes on to feature Joseph and Moses.

The thing Joseph and Moses have in common, is they were both used by God to save the people, and they were both rejected by the people they came to save. Stephen is drawing a connection here with Jesus. Like Joseph and Moses, Jesus was rejected by the people he came to save.

In verses 37-39 of Acts 7, Stephen says…

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us. 39 “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and, in their hearts, turned back to Egypt.

Stephen is saying that Jesus is the prophet Moses talked about, and they (the Jewish leadership) have rejected Jesus, just like their ancestors rejected Moses.

Stephen goes on to talk about the idolatry of the Israelites in the wilderness and how, later when they settled in Canaan, the first Jewish temple came to be built. But the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. Heaven is God’s throne, and the earth is his footstool.

It’s like the Jewish religious leaders have (ironically) made an idol out of the temple. They are worshipping something made by human hands. They have made the temple and sacrificial system more important than God Almighty.

From verse 51, Stephen makes his point clear, saying…

51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One [Jesus]. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

This is powerful stuff from Stephen. Stephen is borrowing words from Moses. In Deuteronomy 10, Moses had said to the Israelites in the wilderness, 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

Circumcision was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. In ancient Israel you were not considered part of the people of God if you were not circumcised. You don’t need to be circumcised to become a Christian.

Baptism and communion are the signs of the new covenant for Christians. 

Whether it is circumcision or baptism though, outward rituals mean nothing without a corresponding inward loyalty of the heart and mind.   

Circumcision of the heart refers to keeping the covenant with God in the core of your being. Stephen was saying that many of the Israelites of his time were like the Israelites of Moses’ time, not truly committed to God and his covenant.

The Sanhedrin thought they were putting Stephen on trial, but Stephen (by the grace and power God’s Spirit) demonstrates that it is the religious leaders themselves who are on trial before God. They are the guilty ones, not him.

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.

In Acts 2, when Peter confronted the crowd with the fact they had crucified the Messiah of God, the people were cut to the heart and repented. But Stephen is facing a different audience. These are not the same God-fearing Jews of Acts 2.

Stephen’s audience are more like corrupt politicians. These are men who only know the power of brute force and coercion by fear. Theirs is a power without grace. The power Stephen knows is different from political power. Stephen’s power is the power of the Spirit, power woven together with grace.

From verse 55 we read how, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stephen, the man with a face like an angel, who possesses knowledge from heaven, is witnessing to the fact that God has vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead and giving him the place of highest honour in heaven.  

From verse 57, we continue…

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

At this point all justice has broken down. This is not a lawful proceeding. This is a lynching. The crowd is out of control. They are about to murder Stephen.  

Stephen has clearly hit a raw nerve. On some level the crowd know that Stephen is right, but they don’t want to admit they are wrong, so they double down.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen responds just like Jesus, with the power and grace of forgiveness.

Verse 60 says that Stephen fell asleep. Actually he died, but for those who die believing in Jesus, death is like a restful sleep. Death is not something to fear if we are forgiven in Christ and forgiving of others. For just as Jesus was raised from the dead to eternal life, so too those who hope in Jesus will be raised.

In verse 1 of Acts chapter 8, we read how, on that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

While persecution is not pleasant, we can see God’s power and grace at work in it. It’s not that God wanted the followers of Jesus to be harmed. But, like Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, God used it for good.

As Christian believers fled for their lives, they took the message about Jesus with them, and so the Christian faith spread like seeds on the wind. 

Conclusion:

Stephen was the first Christian martyr. When we hear the word martyr, we think of someone who was killed for their beliefs. And while that is true, the word martyr originally meant witness. A martyr is a witness. Stephen bore witness to the power and grace of Jesus and died as a consequence. 

As Christians we don’t want to be persecuted for our faith. We pray that God delivers us from trial and persecution. But if we do suffer because of our allegiance to Christ, at least we know our witness is being taken seriously.

Jesus said, 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Sharing our faith with others is a brave thing to do. It makes us vulnerable to rejection and abuse. But that is the pattern Jesus set. No one was more vulnerable than Christ on the cross.

Sometimes our witness for Jesus is well received, like when Peter spoke to the crowds at Pentecost and 3000 responded in faith to his message.

Other times though, our witness for Jesus is misunderstood, or it is understood all too well, and we are rejected like Stephen.

Peter’s message (in Acts 2) was in the goldilocks zone, but tradition says Peter was eventually crucified (upside down) for his testimony about Jesus.

We are not likely to be killed for our witness, like Stephen or Peter. But the reality remains, sometimes we make ourselves a target when we speak the truth about Jesus and align ourselves with him.

The promise of Scripture is that those who share in Christ’s suffering will also share in his glory. May the Spirit of God, fill us with the power and grace to stand for Jesus. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. How did the Spirit’s grace and power find expression through Stephen? Can you think of examples of the Spirit’s grace and power at work today?  
  3. How does reason support Christian faith? What role does reason and logic play in your faith?
  4. In what ways does Stephen’s experience correspond with Jesus’ experience?
  5. What are some of the key points of Stephen’s message to the Sanhedrin?
  6. Why did the crowd murder Stephen?
  7. How did God use Stephen’s death and the subsequent persecution of the church for good?
Tawa Baptist

The Spirit & Peter

Scripture: Acts 2:1-41

Video Link: https://youtu.be/hckX4rgSt9I

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Spirit’s presence
  • Peter’s message
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

Many of you probably know that the Tawa tree (from which our suburb gets its name) relies on just two birds for the dispersal of its seeds, the kererū and the kokako.

The fruit of the Tawa tree is quite big, up to 3.5cm long. The kererū and the kokako are the only birds large enough to eat the fruit and pass the seeds through their gut unharmed. If the kererū and the kokako became extinct then the tawa tree might follow.

Everything in God’s creation is connected. Each part relies on the parts around it for propagation and survival.

Today, we say goodbye to Joseph and hello to the book of Acts. During the month of August, we will focus on four messages from the book of Acts in support of Arotahi, the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. Then, at the end of August, we will take up a special Renew Together offering for our Baptist missionaries.

The book of Acts tells how the message about Jesus started to spread throughout the world. Just as God uses kererū and kokako to spread tawa tree seeds, so too the Spirit of God uses ordinary men and women to spread the gospel.

The Spirit’s presence

Let’s begin then with a reading from Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. From Acts 2, verse 1 we read…

When the day of Pentecost came, they [the disciples of Jesus] were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?… 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

You may have heard of the goldilocks principle, named after the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Like Goldilocks, we human beings want things ‘just right’. Not too hot or too cold. Not too hard or too soft and not too big or too small.

Dark KitKat is (for me) a goldilocks chocolate. Not too sweet (like milk KitKat) and not too bitter either. The biscuit gives the KitKat a nice texture without breaking your teeth (not too hard or too soft). And one KitKat finger is just the right amount, not too much or too little.   

Planet earth is in the goldilocks zone, situated the perfect distance from the sun and the moon and in the right part of the galaxy. The temperature and gravity (and hundreds of other things) are just right for supporting life.

The day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, is a goldilocks moment. Thousands of God-fearing Jews from all over the known world have come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Pentecost. It has been seven weeks since Jesus’ death and resurrection. The disciples have spent much of that time in prayer and worship. They are in the zone, spiritually speaking.

The disciples are together, ready and waiting for what God will do next, when a sound like a violent wind blowing from heaven fills the whole house. This sound is not too loud that it deafens them and not too soft that they don’t notice it.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind in some ways. A powerful, untameable, uncontrollable, unseen energy. But it’s not like the wind in every way. The Spirit is more than just an energy. The Spirit is a person; creative, intelligent, intentional and capable of self-control. The Spirit is just right.  

After the sound like wind, the disciples saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. The Spirit’s touch was not too hot or heavy. No disciples were harmed by the tongues of fire.

In the ancient world, fire was thought to be the purest thing of all. The Holy Spirit is like fire in some ways, an agent of cleansing and purification. But the Spirit is not like fire in every way. The Spirit is life giving. The Spirit fills people just the right amount, without destroying them or requiring a 111 call.

Verse 4 says all of the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in different languages (languages they did not know and had not learned) so that people from all over the known world heard a message in their mother tongue.

Why did the Holy Spirit do this? Well, the Spirit is given for the purpose of mission. The Spirit empowers believers to communicate Jesus.  

One thing we observe about the Spirit, from our own experience, is that he has a unique way of creating connections. It appears the Spirit was connecting the dots for those present at the Pentecost festival in Acts 2. 

If you find yourself in just the right place, at just the right time, with just the right skills and resources to help someone, that’s probably not a coincidence.

A goldilocks moment like that may well be the Holy Spirit’s way of connecting someone with Jesus. Making Jesus real for that person.

The crowd were amazed and perplexed, asking one another, “What does this mean?” They cannot understand how uneducated men from Galilee (a despised place) were able to speak so fluently in foreign languages. From verse 14 we pick up the story…

Peter’s message:

14 Peter raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. …this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

In the Old Testament, the festival of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the Law. For Christians though, the festival of Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Law was given through Moses, but the Spirit was given through Christ. 

Peter quotes some familiar verses from the prophet Joel as a way of interpreting these events. This is what the prophets foretold centuries earlier. This is God pouring out his Spirit on humankind.

The remarkable thing about the gift of the Spirit is the universal scope. It had always been God’s intention to pour out his Spirit on all people, not just the Jews, but Gentiles also. Not just men, but women too. Young and old.   

About 35 years ago, I worked for Youth for Christ as a volunteer. In those days YFC ran youth groups, camps and rallies, through which the gospel was presented in creative ways. YFC also provided training for their leaders. One skill they taught us was how to give a short talk about the gospel.

When speaking in front of a crowd your talk needs four things: hook, look, book, took. The hook is something to get people’s attention. Something that connects them to the message. Once you have people’s attention you tell them what your talk is about. ‘Look, here’s the point of what I’m saying’.

Then you support your main point with some words from the Bible, that’s the Book part. And the ‘took’ is the takeaway, something people can do to apply what you’ve said so the message sticks.

We see this pattern of hook, look, book, took, in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit provided the hook, by enabling the apostles to speak in foreign languages that the audience could understand. That certainly got people’s attention. It brought them together and connected them.

Then Peter (by the inspiration of the Spirit) provided the look, book and took parts. In verses 22-24 Peter points to Jesus, as if to say, ‘Look, here’s the point’…   

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

In just three short verses Peter directs his audience to look at the work, death and resurrection of Jesus, which was all part of God’s plan of salvation for humankind and directly linked to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter’s comment that it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Jesus, indicates that Jesus has conquered sin and death. For if death is the consequence of sin, then it logically follows that Jesus was without sin, for death had no claim on him.

Peter draws on various Scriptures (from the book of the Old Testament) to support his point. For example, in verses 25-27 of Acts 2, Peter quotes Psalm 16 saying…

25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

Peter is saying here that king David was talking about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead when he wrote Psalm 16. More than this, Jesus is even greater than David, for God did not raise David from the dead. So, Jesus is God’s promised Messiah. 

In verse 36 of Acts 2, Peter drives his main point home saying…

36 “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”  37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

This is gutsy stuff from Peter. He is telling his audience, quite bluntly, you are responsible for killing Jesus, the Messiah of God.

Verse 37 says the people were cut to the heart when they heard this. What Peter said resonates as true and they cannot deny it. They are convicted to their core.

This feeling of conviction and remorse is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit shows us the truth about ourselves so that we realise our need for God’s grace and call out for help.   

In verses 38-39, Peter finishes with his took. This is the takeaway of his message. This is what his listeners are to do, so the message sticks…

38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Peter gives us a recipe for Christian conversion here. Becoming a Christian involves believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as repentance, water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.

The elements of Christian conversion don’t always happen in the same order and they don’t always happen on the same day. Elsewhere in the book of Acts we see a variety of conversion experiences, all of which are based on faith in the resurrection of Jesus. And all of which are orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is always pointing us to Jesus. Always looking for ways to connect us to Christ and make Jesus real in our experience.   

Not everyone accepted Peter’s message that day, but for about 3000 people it was a goldilocks sermon, it was ‘just right’. Most of those 3000 had been present for the Passover festival, two months earlier, when Jesus was condemned and crucified. Now they were present for a miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Many of the 3000 were pilgrims from other parts of the world. They were like the kererū and the kokako. On returning to their homes, they took with them the digested seed of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus has conquered sin and death. Through Jesus, God’s Spirit is poured out.

Conclusion:

One other thing we notice and that is the transformation that takes place in Peter in such a short time. Just seven weeks earlier, the night of Jesus’ trial, Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. At that stage the Holy Spirit had not been poured out and Peter was understandably afraid for his life.

Now at Pentecost, when the religious leaders are still a very real threat, Peter (an uneducated fisherman from the backwaters of Galilee) is filled with the Spirit and boldly tells thousands of people about Jesus.

Without the Holy Spirit, Peter’s best intentions to stand for Jesus, end in failure and shame. But with the Holy Spirit, Peter bears witness to the risen Christ, with courage and clarity.

The Holy Spirit does not always manifest his power in such dramatic ways, like he did in Acts 2. But, 2000 years later, he is still very active in the world, creating connections and making Jesus real for people.

The work of the Spirit does not need to be dramatic to be effective. We may not speak in foreign languages, like the apostles, but our experience of the Spirit is still valid. There is a certain winsomeness and intimacy in seeing the Spirit do something special that only you and one or two others notice.

The point is, when it comes to Christian mission, we cannot do anything without the power and guidance of God’s Spirit. Our part is to prayerfully wait for the Spirit, remaining open to receive what God wants to give and ready to respond to Jesus’ prompting.

Whether we are speaking to thousands, like Peter did, or simply sharing our faith with one person over coffee, may we go on being filled with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. In what ways is the Holy Spirit like wind and fire? In what ways is the Spirit not like wind and fire?
  3. Why does the Holy Spirit empower the apostles to speak in foreign languages? Why is the Spirit given?
  4. What is the main point of Peter’s message in Acts 2?
  5. If you had the opportunity to tell people about Jesus, what would you say?
  6. How did you become a Christian? Are any of the elements of conversion, mentioned by Peter in Acts 2:38, missing for you?
  7. What is your experience of God’s Spirit? How does the Spirit help you to share the love and truth of Jesus?