What is the correct way to fold a towel?  This was one of the first “conflicts” that I faced once I was married.  I grew up learning that the “proper” way to fold and hang a bath towel was to fold it 3 times.  My spouse grew up folding the towel 2 times.  For 25 years I had folded the towel a certain way and the right way it was to be done was second nature to me. The towel, the rack, and Jeff Mattesich had a routine!   And then suddenly, I get married and a new way of folding the towel emerged into my life.  And, although we had agreed to go with :her way” of folding bath towels, it took me a long time to adapt to the new way of folding towels… and we just celebrated our 17^th wedding anniversary – I can tell you that I think I have figured it out – and the evidence might be in our children – who seem to have even a newer way to fold the towel, by just throwing it on the floor!

The point here is that when we are used to a certain way that things are done we can have a hard time adapting to new information and a new reality.

Before we read Acts 2 today, I want us to understand this context.  The people of God have had a very particular way of worshiping God unto this point.  There was a certain way that people gathered to have relationship with God – and what we will see is that in Acts 2, God doing a new thing and beginning a new reality for worship and relationship.  For church folks, we know this story, if you are new to the Scriptures, get ready for a ride – this is a thrilling and gripping text!

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word found in Acts 2:1-13

When the day of Pentecost came, they 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 tongues as 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? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 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?”

¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

This is the Word of God.  You may be seated.

We will get into the text in a moment, but I want to give the sermon away in the beginning.  The headline is what we have titled the sermon, this is the story of the New Church.  In fact, this is the story of “the” Church.  But what is NEW, is the way in which people worship and connect to God.  If for the first part of human history the “towel” was folded a certain way – this is the moment, the actual history, the story of how a new way is launched.  But we do not live in the ld Testament, that way of doing things is far from our experience… so let me briefly help us with some context of the “former way” of how God and his people interacted.  There are 3 statements that help capture this.

1. Old Testament: There are a chosen people. God chose one nation, one particular people group set apart from the all other nations and people groups to be his special people.  That chosen group is Israel.  His purpose for choosing them was to demonstrate to the rest of the world who he is as God and how he has relationship with his people. It would be through them that the rest of the world can know whop God is and what his ways are.

2. Old Testament: There are chosen individuals. This is a general statement as there are exceptions, but the Old Testament is filled with stories of certain individuals that God uses in very specific and personal ways. Moses, Jacob, David, Ruth, Jeremiah, and it goes on and on.  We can see that God often calls an individual for a particular task at a particular time to advance his name and the Biblical story.

3. Old Testament: There is a physical space for worship. The Temple.  There are very specific instructions for both how the Temple was to be made and how worship was conducted.  It was actually quite complicated, and I was tempted to do what I once did as a high a school pastor when we had students sit according to ethnicity, gender, and age on morning.  The Temple was the place where heaven and earth met and God’s presence dwelled and was to be worshipped and accessed by his people.  We could do a whole morning on the temple, but in for today – what I want us to see is that there was a particular physical space where God dwelled and was worshipped in the Old Testament.

There was one people/nation

God used individuals

God had a Temple

With this in mind, let’s get back to Acts 2 and see how within this context how radical this NEW CHURCH actually is!

There are 3 observations that the text can teach us today, first:

1. Observe: the posture of prayer (2:1)

Let’s look back to Chapter 1 for a moment, starting in verse 12

¹² Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. ¹³ When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Now, in verse 2 we see that they are still together in that place, and it is safe to conclude that they were still doing what they had been doing since Chapter 1 – joining tgetehr in constant prayer.

The posture of the apostles and all gathers (the women and Mary too) was one of prayer.  They had been with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and the call on them was to wait – and as they waiting they prayed together… in a room… not the Temple – more on that later.

So, in this posture of collective prayer we can observe the next movement in the text:

2. Observe: the “sudden” power of God (2:2-4)

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 tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

• The scene is crazy!
  • Violent blowing wind
  • Tongues of fire that sperate and rest on them
  • Filling of the Holy Spirit
  • Speaking in languages – new, not ones they had studied.

• The part I want us to see is the word SUDDENLY.
  • The Spirit comes when he wants
  • The Spirit doesn’t work on our timelines
  • The Spirit can be anticipated but when a where are not within our ability.

Remember Jesus in chapter 1: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

This is important and a distinctive of Christianity – God will move and do as God does. He is not an equation to master or a formula to appease.

We have a God of SUDDENLY! 

(story needed)

3. Observe: the Church of and for all peoples (2:5-13)

• Remember the context of 1 nation / 1 people group.
• Pentecost – from all over gathered
• Multiple languages each declaring is the moment that God has gone global… no longer just for one chosen people, but for all people and all nations.
• A whole new people, a whole new community
• And it did not make sense to the crowd, they thought they were drunk. When God brings all peoples together it doesn’t make sense… it stands out... and it is through this that people come to God. 

This NEW CHURCH:

• from a building to a people
• from individual to communal
• from one nation to global, all peoples

Application

The first question I have for us @ LAC is, What is our posture?

• How are “waiting” together in prayer?
• Where are we facing when we think church and God?
  • Facing toward other churches?
  • Facing backwards to the former days?
  • Facing toward people to either save us or leave so we can (fill in the blank)

I wonder if we spend more time planning God’s moves rather than having a posture of prayer waiting for him to move?

The Lord is doing something here among us, have you sensed it yet?  I believe from becoming a church with a prayer ministry to being a church of prayer.  Our posture matters… and not just individually…but as an entire church.

In October, we have a 7-day prayer week.  all day, every day set aside so we can be together in a posture of prayer asking for God to move among us… to use language from last week, to plead with God for revival.

The second question for us today is, when is the last time we suddenly experienced God’s power?

• Do you know a suddenly God?
• We often put God on our agenda and timing
• We often tell him what and when he needs to work
• LAC is a church full of amazing and gifted engineers, scientist, doctors, and prpfessioanls who are VERY good at what they do, successful at executing and delivering results. Having a plan and seeing that plan through… and I say AMEN and thank you.
• But I also want to warn us… we cannot do this with the Spirit of God.
• We can’t schedule what God will do.
• There is freedom in this truth… there is an adventure in this reality… we will see in Acts and I can tell you from my own life – it is a ride!

The last question today is, do you long for being a church of and for all peoples?

We are in a global movement.

These days statements like this can be controversial.  Why do we struggle with this, why do we live as (whoever you are) are the chosen people of God apart from everyone else?  Why do we reduce God and his love, redemption, and promises for only ourselves?

LAC is a church in which we take this very seriously… look around! And if you are new let me tell you something you are in a church family that has members working in just about every corner of the globe and every neighborhood in this city and valley. 

In fact, here is the Mission Statement of LAC, I really hope you have seen this!

Following Jesus, we participate in God's reconciling work by making disciples of all peoples and generations. LAC Mission Statement

But do you love this about us?

Do you long for this about us?

Do you allow this to transform us?

How big is your God?

Our God takes us to all peoples… in fact we are going to close this service in a way that illustrates this whole message… because in just a few days we will send a team to Lebanon …

(Lebanon team comes up to be commissioned)