Series Intro
German Psychologist Erik Erickson famous for his theory on “Identity Crisis”
- Summarized by “identity cohesion” vs. “role confusion”
- Erickson: most acute during adolescence
- Identity Crisis in our culture is much bigger than “adolescence”
- Essential Question of Identity is: Who am I?
I want to be clear with you that I believe the “church” is an identity crisis, and Lake is in that observation. Why do I think this?
- Plethora of books, conferences, and blogs on how to “do” church
- Reduced down to formulas, techniques, tips, advice, and storytelling on “what we did”
- AND WE EAT IT UP!
- Church is seen as a building or a venue (not a people)
- Church is about consuming – “getting fed”
- Church is about the pastor, and the need for a pastor to be really (fill in the blank)
It leaves me asking the fundamental question of Identity: Who are we?
And, this is why we are spending the next 10 weeks in search of truthful answers to who we are to be!
The Word of God is our authority, and the book of Acts will be our guide and teacher.
Framing the Book of Acts
Acts is second volume of a 2-part work, Luke is the first volume. So often referred to as Luke/Acts.
Narrative Writing and when you dig into this you will see that there are 2 main ways people think about the work:
- “Descriptive” – back then
- “Prescriptive” – for now
- BOTH is how we read this – descriptive and prescriptive – a story we can find ourselves in – THIS IS US
The Book of Acts triggers passions for many of us – unlike many other books. If we know it, we identify deeply to different and specific aspects of the narratives.
Example: In the 11 verses for today I can count at least 7 different sermons: (Resurrection, Assentation, Holy Spirit, Kingdom of God, Local Missions, Global Missions, discipleship, and Waiting/Patience”
My Point is that if you love Acts for specific reason or stories, you will be disappointed in this series at some point (if your story isn’t emphasized as you have connected with it)
We are not hitting the whole book and over the course of the 10 weeks we will have large jumps in the text – so study along the way, read up in-between weeks!
So many great resources to help you with this, let me suggest 3. If you were to get one, I would say get John Stott’s Commentary on Acts. We will try and get some at the table. The other two are a commentary by Willie James Jennings and a book called Who is the Holy Spirit by Amos Young, who is the newly named Dean of School of Theology and The School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller. He will actually come and preach a week during this series with us in November.
Now that we have covered why we are doing this and some general overview of the book of Acts – lets jump in.
Would you stand for the reading of God’s Word?
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Sermon (Acts 1:1-11): A Patient People
What has happened so far:
- Easter Sunday has come and gone
- And Jesus keep appearing for 40 days to the apostles
- Over these 40 days we see that was teaching them, preparing them – But the text tells us in verse 4 that he gave them a command
- Command to wait, to do nothing.
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:4-5
Wait! But there were people mocking Jesus days before, they could go and prove them wrong!
There were people in need of Jesus, there was healing to happen, conversion to be done, love to give…but Jesus tells them to stay put and wait… to be patient.
They were not asked to be patient because there weren’t things to do (there was plenty of need), so what was Jesus doing here with this command?
We will see that patience was hard for the apostles and patience is hard for us still today. But, when I reflect on the role patience has played in my life, I have some to see:
There are some amazing things that happen when we wait.
There are some amazing things that happen in this text as the apostles “wait”.
- We can learn the right PERSPECTIVE (1:3-7)
Notice that during this 40-day period, Jesus was teaching them. He didn’t finish his training with them at his death, through resurrection there is still more teaching for followers of Jesus. We read in verse 3 that he specifically was teaching them about the Kingdom of God.
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
We also read in these verses about Jesus teaching and referring to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was teaching them about 2 very deep truths of the Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit.
These are not light topics… and we see that the apostles were having a hard time understanding them. Verse 6:
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom and Holy Spirit
The Apostles were thinking about Israel and the Itinerary
One way to think about this is:
- Kingdom and Israel: “the who”
- Holy Spirit and Itinerary: “the how”
They needed time with the resurrected Jesus to learn from him. To understand his teachings, his ways, the kingdom, the holy spirit -
The Resurrected Jesus is still teaching…we still much to learn… and we can learn best when we find a way to “wait” with Jesus… to linger with him.
The Right Perspective: getting our who and how right…. This happens when we wait, when we linger with the Resurrected Jesus.
LAC: are you lingering with Jesus? Kingdom and Holy Spirit and you?
Another thing that this text teaches us about what happens when we wait…
- We can grasp our PURPOSE (1:8)
There are 2 aspects to grasping our purpose I want us to see from verse 8. Becoming and Mission.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- Becoming: Our purpose is to become a witness
Becoming vs. Doing: there is a “doing” but the call here is to “become” first (notice the order)
LAC, great at doing! More! More! More!
What about becoming? Witness isn’t just something we do, it is someone we become
- Mission: Our purpose is to become a witness to Jesus… to all people, all places, all times
Just cities for many of us… geographic concentric circle… sort of told emotionless. From Pasadena, to Nevada, to USA, to the Globe.
When the apostles hear this these locations and this mission it was super intimidating. It included enemies, pagans, differing cultures, ugly history –
Acts as a whole follows this mission… what God does in:
Jerusalem: Acts 2-7
Judea and Samaria: Acts 8-12
Nations and Ends of the Earth: Acts 13-28
Mission: all people, all places, all times… no god forsaken place or person. We are here beicase of this mission…
Transition: how do we become this? This seems really hard? Here comes the freedom, the freedom that comes in waiting… we learn that it is not about us, not about you… not in your own strength, intellect, plans…
Because in waiting we learn that:
- We will receive POWER (1:8)
Back to verse 8:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The power we need to be fulfill our purpose is not something we muster or earn, it is gift we are given. The gift of the Holy Spirit!
Many of us might think that the apostles who were with the resurrected Jesus had the best seats in the house…
What is better than Jesus beside you? The Holy Spirit inside you!
Holy Spirit can be a loaded topic, we will not get through this all today (but guess what? The Spirit is all over Acts so get ready!)
Quickly, there seem to be 2 extremes when it comes to understanding and talking about the Spirit.
One extreme is in a common maxim: Father, Son, and Holy Bible. Easier to understand, less mystery, more control, tighter theology and experience of God. Lack of Trinitarian Theology.
The other extreme also lacks Trinitarian Theology because it elevates the Spirit above the Father and the Son – making the Holy Spirit outside of the Trinity.
For us at Lake, I love how our Statement of Faith declares our belief about the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He makes sinful people alive to God through faith in Christ, and through the Spirit they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs into the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
Lake Avenue Church Statement of Faith
He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
Let me reduce this down: To fulfill the mission, to become the witness we are called to be – it is not about you and your own power. In fact, we know that it is in our weakness that Christ power is made all the more… this is the crazy part of following Jesus! Beyond, crazy – this is the freedom found in following Jesus!
Not about you …in your own power and strength
His Spirit gives us power for the purpose!
We often see the Holy Spirit like we do our mobile phones… a battery charging mentality… load me up and send me out until I need some more…
The living God has given you a charging station to go get some more of God when you need some – he has given you and me his very presence and when we accept Christ we are given his Spirit and his Spirit is the one with the power fuel us in our ‘Christ-like living and service”
Let me be clear – the church is not a plug in station… this is part of the identity crisis we have found ourselves in.
Summary of Acts 1:1-11
- Perspective – what is true
- Purpose – what we are to become and what our mission is
- Power – how this all happens…
But I have one final thought: I see in these verses an invitation. An invitation to PRAYER.
Waiting doesn’t mean nothing… I see this as an Invitation to prayer, to relationship with Jesus.
Invitation to Intimacy and Dependency
LAC, do you hear an invitation from the resurrected Jesus? He wants us to linger with him… so we can become and then “do”. He wants us to understand his ways… his kingdom, the holy spirit, he wants to change our hearts for the places and people we don’t like or frankly, care all that much about… and he will give us power for the journey, for the mission… we will see this throughout Acts… and it will be the same invitation to us today – because, This is Us.
Do you want intimacy? Dependency?
We are not the first time in history the church had an identity crisis… when the church needed a revival. The famous pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who led for almost 30 years at the Westminster Chapel in London said something decades ago that we need to hear today… that when a church knows something needs to change…
Conservatives would rather work to reform church theology and practice. Intellectuals doubt super natural intervention. Rationalists dismiss emotional enthusiasm. All convene committees and organized campaigns but few will plead for revival. – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Will you plead with me? Will you accept the invitation to be a patient people? Not so we can do nothing… but so we can become. So we can linger some with the resurrected Jesus – understand and know our mission, receive his power – and watch him work for his glory?