May 31 2009    Reading: Acts 2.1-21

 Theme: The Church springs into life............

After the great drama, the great meeting with Jesus, risen from the dead, and after seeing Jesus ascending into heaven, what happens next in Acts chapter 1, seems so very quiet. So very modest if you like, by contrast. The disciples gather in prayer, 11 disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus and His brothers and 120 believers, all there together in an Upper Room in Jerusalem. The only other thing they do is to choose Matthias as the new twelfth apostle. Here, then were the believers: they had been taught together by Jesus. Jesus had spoken to them about His Cross and Resurrection, and they had actually met with the risen Lord Jesus, several times in several places over the past forty days.

But here’s something that pulls us up short: Why were the disciples still in Jerusalem. Hadn’t they seen Jesus risen from the dead. So why were they not preaching, evangelising right through Israel now ? Or at least making travel plans, which cities to visit, which ports, which boats to take - so that they could take the astonising news of Jesus and His Cross throughout the whole region, the whole earth ? This is the mystery: Why were the disciples still in Jerusalem ? Well, there’s an answer to this. The answer is this. That Jesus Himself had told them to wait.

Jesus said this to the disciples: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem’, that’s His command. Do not leave Jerusalem. the command of Jesus Christ. What did this command mean ? It meant that the disciples, were simply to wait. Not to start planning trips north, south, east or west. What an extraordinary command by Jesus ! Very simple words. The believers are to stay in Jerusalem in the Holy City at the heart of Israel.

But here’s another question: Why ? After all, after all, the believers have walked and talked with Jesus, they have seen Him crucified, they have met Him risen from the dead.

Is something lacking ? What more could there be ? Aren’t they already a complete Church ?

There’s a little Church at Kilallan in the hills of West Renfrewshire. There, with the hills all around, is a little ruined Church, in a quiet valley with small farms, and little fields with stone walls round them. Close by there is an old holy well, where the water still springs clear and cool. Kilallan Church was built in the 17th. century for the little village that once stood there. The names of some of the old ministers are carved on an old memorial on the wall. And round the Church lie the graves of many of those who once attended faithfully every Sunday. In the year 1771, however, the Minister turned the key in the old door, and the congregation left for a new church. So the building is now a ruin without a roof, bringing back memories on a still afternoon, or sunlit summer’s evening, of times gone by.

Four walls, a quiet old graveyard, one or two memorials. Obviously a Church.

It wouldn’t take much to put a roof on that Church at Killallan, and if you did, it would be a complete Church.

Surely, we might say, those men and women in the Book of Acts have every right to call themselves a Church, the Church, the Church complete. But that’s not what the Book of Acts shows us. The 120 or 130 believers have all heard Jesus, seen Jesus, they know that He was crucified, and they had met Him risen from the dead. Yet Jesus tells them to wait. To wait. What for ? Jesus declares what they are waiting for. John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit. ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to ends of the earth’. That’s what they are waiting for.

Jesus commands the believers to wait upon God, for the gift He has promised. The believers do nothing but wait for all that the Father promised. And they do so, in faith. While they pray together, they see nothing from day to day, and there are long periods of quiet and stillness. But they wait. For the Spirit to come.

John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit

If you look at the Gospels, you will find that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, revealed by the Spirit as the Son of God to Peter at Caesarea Philippi, and again at the Transfiguration. All through the gospels, what Jesus does is done throught the power of the Holy Spirit. And from the very beginning of the Gospels, this is declared uniquely of Jesus, that He is the One who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. That’s exactly what John the Baptist says at the beginning of the gospel: Jesus is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, (Matt.3.11, Mk.1.8, Luke 3.10).

And now the day of Pentecost dawns.

And as it does so, the 12 apostles, the mother and brothers of Jesus, and 120 believers are gathered. Waiting. What will happen on this day ? Perhaps they are not sure.They do not know exactly. But they wait. And shortly after dawn, there is the noise like a rushing wind, and the Spirit arrives in flames of fire.. The Spirit of Jesus sweeps into that Upper Room each believer is filled. Filled by the Spirit sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. . The Spirit comes and rests on each of the apostles and believers, and all are filled.

And above the sound of mystery, now there comes the sound of prayer, the believers begin to praise God, to speak of His wonders of God in many languages. And because of this, in turn, a crowd gathers outside, when the crowd numbers into the thousands. Peter speaks to them.

Think back for a moment over all that has happened. The believers waited, faithfully. The Spirit of Jesus came upon them in life and power. Peter speaks about Jesus to all the crowds gathered outside.

This is the Church. This is how the Church springs into life. Waiting, men and women are filled with the Spirit, with new life, new power, from Jesus.

and such is the freshness and power, that they cannot keep what they have seen and heard to themselves.................

This is the Church.This is how the Church springs into life.

And perhaps you, like many others, have looked around the Church of today, and wondered, wondered about the future.

The Church seems sometimes so distracted,

sometimes so much without direction,

sometimes so fearful,

sometimes so wearied,

as we wait, prayerfully,

God is faithful,

He promised this through His servant Joel In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and your daughters........

In the book of Acts, we read the believers waited, faithfully. The Spirit of Jesus came upon them in life and power, crowds gathered outside.

This is the Church. This is how the Church springs into life. Waiting, men and women are filled with the Spirit, with new life, new power, from Jesus.

and such is that freshness and power, that they cannot keep what they have seen and heard to themselves.................

This is the Church of Jesus Christ. This is how Church springs into life.

O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,
Revive Thy church with life and pow'r;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
And fit Thy church to meet this hour.

O Breath of Love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Thy church in every part.

AMEN