Old Greenbrier Baptist Church

Blog for Week of June 18, 2017

The Inspiration

Acts 2:1-13

Hurricane Alicia hit the Texas Gulf coast on August 18, 1983. You most likely don't remember or even may never have heard of this hurricane, but I remember it. I had just moved to Houston to work at NASA almost exactly one year before it hit. Hurricane Alicia struck Galveston and Houston, Texas causing $2.6 billion, which is the equivalent of $25 billion in 2017 dollars, in damage and killing twenty-one people. It was the worst Texas hurricane since Hurricane Carla in 1961 and the first billion-dollar tropical cyclone in Texas history. As I rode out Alicia in my apartment in Clear Lake, Texas, it sounded like a train was coming through my front door and that it certainly would fly off the hinges at any moment. I listened to news report that a tornado was coming up my street right toward the intersection where I lived. It was the most awesome display of nature's power that I have ever personally experienced. It might have sounded something like the wind that the disciples heard as they were gathered in the upper room praying.

¹ 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 water, but in a few days you will be baptized with 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” (Acts 1:1-11 NIV).

Jesus’ ascension was not the end of his mission/ministry. Jesus is the foundation of the church. Jesus told his disciples to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (cf., Acts 1:4-5). Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to fill the lives of his followers and to inspire them to follow him each day. The word inspire (Lt,  inspirere) means “to breathe in,” “to motivate,” or “to guide by supernatural means.” Jesus inspired his disciples to proclaim the gospel with power, purity, and passion.

Power (1-2)

The disciples, 120 in number, had gathered in a room (site of Last Supper?) to pray and wait on the Spirit. They heard the sound of a great wind like that of a powerful hurricane or tornado. In the Old Testament a great wind was the sign of the presence of God (Elijah's whirlwind - 2 Kngs 2:11). The coming of the Holy Spirit in power was a fulfillment of Jesus' words in Acts 1:8 and Jn 14:16-17: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” God still comes powerfully into our lives by his Spirit today. His coming is not marked with the sound of wind and seeming tongues of fire, but he still comes to us as we live in his awesome resurrection power. He enables us to love others in his name, to be morally courageous, to resist temptation, and to serve. Good things happen as God’s people gather in the powerful presence of God with expectation.

Passion and Purity (3-4)

They disciples saw what seemed to be a ball of fire with parts that separated and came to rest on the heads of each of them. Fire was/is a sign of God’s powerful presence. Examples include Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush; Israel being guided by God’s pillar of fire; and Elijah's fiery chariot ride to heaven. Today, we use expressions like, “He’s all fired up” or “What are you fired up about?” These terms indicate we are passionate about something. The fire of God's Spirit present with us should cause us to live with passion for him and his kingdom’s work each day.

Fire was/is also a sign of God's purity/purification. God's fire fell on Sodom and Gomorrah to cleanse sin (cf., Genesis 19). A fiery coal form the altar of God cleansed the unclean lips of Isaiah (cf., Isa 6:6-7). God’s purifying fire reveals what is genuine, pure, and valuable (cf., 1 Pe 1:7). The Spirit in us urges us to be obedient to God and to work with him on removing the impurities from our lives—to become more like Christ.

What does it mean to be “filled” or “baptized” with the Holy Spirit for us today? There most likely is no wind or flame, but we are still filled with and baptized in God's Spirit. The word baptize (Gk., baptidzo) means “to dip,” “to sink under water;” It means to be fully identified with or at one with. We are unmistakably identified with Jesus and at one with Jesus in the Holy Spirit (Heb. 2:4). When are we filled with the Spirit? We are filled when we come to Jesus in faith as Savior and Lord of life and submit in obedience to God, we are immediately filled with and empowered by his Holy Spirit. Good things happen as God’s people live Spirit-filled lives with passion and purity for God.

Proclamation (4-13)

Jews had gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost from all over the world for a celebration at the Temple. The disciples were supernaturally enabled to proclaim God’s truth in a variety of human languages. This is not the glossalalia, unknown tongues or heavenly prayer language in 1 Corinthians 12-13. This is a reversal of the curse on sinful humanity (confusion of languages) at the Tower of Babel. The powerful proclamation that took place fulfilled Jesus’ promise about the Spirit in John 15:26: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out form the Father, he will testify about me.”

God’s Spirit still works through our words today, if we will simply share them with others as we rely on his power and leading to do so. When it comes to sharing our faith, we are not on our own. Jesus promised us help in John 16:13-14: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking form what is mine and making it known to you.” People can read the Bible and say, “So what?” But when you tell others what a powerful difference Jesus has made in your life, they must take notice of its truth.

What we fear the most in witnessing is other people’s reaction to our proclamation. Those who heard the Spirit’s message on the first Christian Pentecost reacted much as people do today. First, the people who heard the gospel were “amazed” and “perplexed” (12). They were amazed and perplexed not as much by the miracle of languages as by the message they heard. Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father where you can see me no longer” (Jn. 16:8-10). Are people in our city “amazed” and “perplexed” by our individual and corporate witness for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit? Second, some of those who heard the gospel “made fun of them” and claimed that had drunk – “too much wine” (13). This is the reaction we fear. People’s reaction is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to proclaim God’s impact on our lives with power and passion. Their reaction is not against us but against the Spirit of God living in us and speaking through us. Good things happen when believers gather in the powerful presence of God with expectation; allow the Spirit to fill their lives and lead them in passionate and pure living for Christ each day; and rely on the Spirit’s leading and power to proclaim what God means to and has done for them.

Blog for Week of June 11, 2017

The Foundation

Acts 1:1-11

Recently our son Joseph flew as First Officer on his first commercial flight with American Airlines. As with most professions, he didn’t just land in the cockpit by chance. He built a foundation to support the career which he has now put into action. He completed a three year pilot training program with Delta Flight Academy and received an Associate of Arts in Aircraft Sciences from San Jacinto Junior College. He then completed a four year program at Texas Tech University leading to a B.S. in Geosciences and Atmospheric Science. Along the way he worked as a flight instructor at local airports and as a charter pilot fill-in. Upon graduation he flew a Cessna Citation jet for Executive Airshare for two years. Throughout his training he has taken multiple written FAA exams and check rides. He has logged nearly 1,900 hours of flight time. On a recent commercial flight from Charlotte, NC to Springfield, MO Joseph flew and landed the plane. Unbeknownst to him or to her at the time, Charlotte Melton, our church treasurer, was on that flight. It truly is a small world.

Like becoming a pilot, most jobs, as well as relationships, skills, and even hobbies require us to build a strong foundation in order to do them well and prosper. This blog is the foundation for a series titled “Acting on the Acts.” What lessons can we learn from the actions of the earliest Christians that we can apply today? All the Acts of the Apostles are based on the foundation we find in today’s text.

Who or what is the foundation of the church? The Temple was the church building for early believers. Jesus and early Christians worshiped there. The Jews laid a foundation stone for this Temple which they re-built after their return from the exile (cf., Ezra 3:10). Of course we know, that Jesus is not just the founder of the church. He is the church’s foundation. As the Apostle Paul well said, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ”(1Cor 3:11). Jesus is the foundation of the church today just as he was the foundation of the first century church. Jesus gave his disciples instructions so they could act upon the foundation that he had laid for the church.

¹ 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 water, but in a few days you will be baptized with 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” (Acts 1:1-11 NIV).

Know Jesus (1-3)

Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, said, “In my former book . . . all that Jesus began to do and to teach . . .” The books of Luke and Acts are two volume set. The name Theophilus means “lover of God” (1). Theophilus may have been a wealthy benefactor of Luke identified by this pseudonym. Luke also stated that Jesus gave “convincing proofs” of his resurrection for forty days (3). Paul added details about the acts of the resurrected Christ.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV).

Jesus was who he claimed to be—the Messiah. At Caesarea Jesus asked his disciples, “‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Christ (Messiah) of God’” (Lk 9:18-20). After Peter’s confession Jesus confirmed Peter had received his knowledge from God the Father. Furthermore he said, “And I tell you that you are Peter (Gk., petros = “little stone”), and on this rock (Gk., petra = “large rock”) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Mt 16:18). The “rock” on which the church is built is not Peter. Jesus called Peter petros meaning “little stone.” He was a part but not the foundation of the church. Neither is the foundation “rock” Peter’s faith nor the truth of his confession. In the Old Testament rock is often used to describe God—“You are my rock and my fortress” (Ps 71:3). Jesus is the foundation stone, the rock upon which the church is built. We become part of the church as we know who Jesus is and accept him by faith as our rock of salvation. We cannot act upon the foundation Jesus has laid until we personally receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, which is the foundation for our faith and of all our actions flowing from that faith.

Wait on the Spirit of Jesus (4-8)

”On one occasion . . .” Jesus gave some final instructions to his disciples before his ascension (4-5). Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem.” Jesus would soon commission his disciples to leave Jerusalem for the ends of the earth. However, that time had not yet come. Jesus counseled, “. . . wait for the gift my Father promised . . . the Holy Spirit.”

During the Last Supper Jesus revealed to his distraught disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:16-17a). The Holy Spirit would be a comforter, revealer of truth, testifier, convicter, guide, and unifier. Just before his arrest, Jesus prayed for himself, his disciples, and for you and me.

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:20-26 NIV).

Jesus asked the Father, “. . . I myself may be in them.” The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the very presence of God/Jesus in us. Jesus knew that the actions his disciples had to take could not be done without him. The disciples were to wait on the Holy Spirit who would fill, empower, and direct them (8). The kingdom of God would continue to come into the world through the church, “my witnesses.” The kingdom of God would spread through the witness of the church “to the ends of the earth.” The foundation for these acts was the infusion of believers with the Spirit of the Resurrected Christ. Still today we cannot act apart from the truth, direction, and unity of the Holy Spirit. We must meet together, pray, seek the Lord, and wait on his direction even as the first disciples did. When the Spirit speaks as confirmed by the body, then we must be ready to act.

Act in Obedience to Jesus (9-11)

The disciples witnessed Jesus ascending into heaven. It must have been an awesome sight (9). The text says that they were “. . . looking intently up into the sky . . . .” (10). They were caught up in the moment; totally enthralled. In my personal experience it must have been something like watching the STS-4 launch as the Space Shuttle took off at Cape Kennedy. It was an experience overwhelming to all the senses and commanding full attention. As the disciples stood transfixed by the experience, two “men dressed in white,” angels, questioned why they were standing there gaping into heaven (11).  The angels confirmed that just as Jesus ascended to heaven that day, so at the end of the age he will descend from heaven. In the meantime they had to get busy. They needed to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit and work of sharing the good news of Jesus with the world.

The Book of Acts documents God’s “hurry up and wait” plan for the church. We are to be ready and willing to move at any moment, but never until the Holy Spirit directs us. The disciples met together; they prayed together. They did all they could while waiting on the Spirit. Like the disciples in Acts 1, it is important for us not to just stand still but to continue doing good while we wait on the direction of the Holy Spirit. We must only move when and how the Spirit directs. Paul described it this way, “. . . you are . . . members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph 2:19-22).

So what can we learn from this passage that we can apply to our lives and actions today? First, we must know Jesus. Jesus is our foundation stone, our “chief cornerstone” (Eph 2:20). Second, we must wait on the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus builds and joins us according to his plan. He shows us our place and enables us to fill it in his kingdom plan. Third, we must act in obedience to Jesus. A church must never be just a building. It must be “a holy temple in the Lord . . . in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph 2:21-22). We must work together under the direction of Jesus and in his enabling power to act as he directs. The living Spirit of God in our midst must always be the one who ultimately inspires, directs, and empowers our actions. We will consider more concerning the coming of the Spirit in power in next week’s blog. Stay tuned.

Blog for Week of June 4, 2017

A Disciple Remembers

Luke 24:1-12

By now almost everyone has heard the story of Dr. David Dao, a traveler on United Express Flight 3411. He and his wife were seated on the plane in Chicago awaiting the final leg of their journey. Dr. Dao and three other people were randomly selected by computer to be bumped from the flight in order to make seats available for a United flight crew that needed to make a connection in Louisville. In exchange for his seat, Dao was offered an $800 flight voucher. He refused to get off the plane. Security officers with the Chicago Department of Aviation were called on board and physically dragged him from the plane as he sustained injuries. In the aftermath, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has apologized for the incident, and the company has changed their policy stating they will no longer bump passengers already seated on a plane and will also review and change the incentives for being bumped. Dr. Dao settled his lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.

In reaction to this incident, I and others have wondered, “Why didn’t anyone on that plane give up their seat for him?” Especially when people saw Dr. Dao’s desperation, even coming back on the plane a second time dazed and confused, why didn’t someone, anyone give him their seat? Maybe Dr. Dao deserved to be dragged off for not cooperating with authorities. Maybe everyone else on the flight had good reasons to get home too. Maybe everyone was scared and shocked into inaction as security drug Dr. Dao away. Maybe no one remembered Jesus’ words about “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I hope I would have remembered and applied Jesus’ words, if I had been on that plane. I can’t really say what I would have done. Can you?

Friends, this incident paints a picture of what each one of us deserves in life. Because of our sins against God and others, each of us deserves to be dragged out of this life, crucified on a cruel cross, and left to suffer in Hell for eternity. But thank God, Jesus knew what to say and to do in the midst of our desperate situation. He said, “Take me instead. Let him go. Let her go. Let them all go. I will take their place. I love them and I forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing as they crucify me.” As Jesus’ disciples today, we need to remember Jesus’ words and act on them every day. In today’s scripture, Jesus’ disciples were told to remember his words when they found his tomb empty.

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened (Luke 24:1-12 NIV).

 Remembering Jesus Is Risen! (1-12)

The women were up at dawn to complete Jesus’ burial that had been delayed by the Jewish Sabbath. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb entrance and the body of Jesus gone. The women were astonished by two men, angels, in dazzling apparel. They naturally reacted with fear and respect as they bowed with their faces to the ground. The first angel asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee.”

Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection on several occasions as recorded at least twice in Luke. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Lk 9:22). Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again” (Lk 18:31-33). As the angel declared, “Remember how he told you . . . .” they remembered what Jesus had said, and it changed their attitudes and actions.  They believed and went to tell the good news to the disciples.

Jesus is alive. He is with us by his Holy Spirit. We are on a journey with Jesus each day, and we need to remember Jesus’ words. He still speaks powerfully to us and directs us in our walk with him each day. If we will only listen. If we will only remember.

Words of Jesus that We Need to Remember

A disciple remembers the words of Jesus and acts on them. What words of Jesus do we need to remember today? Well, all of them, I suppose. However, I believe the Lord will draw us to the words we need, if we will only listen and remember. Here are some words of Jesus that we need to remember:

Salvation - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (Jn 3:16-17).

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Lk 22:19b,20b).

Love - “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:37-40).

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

Comfort – “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mt 11:28).

Hope – “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn 14:1-4).

Prayer – “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Mt 6:9-13).

Truth – “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn 14:6).

Life – “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).

Commitment – “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it” (Mk 8:34-35). “Father, if you are willing, take this cup form me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Lk 22:42).

Mission - “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mt 28:18-20). “. . . [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high’” (Lk 24:45-49).

The disciples not only remembered Jesus’ words but also acted on them as recorded in the Book of Acts. Their attitudes and actions in life were transformed as they remembered and obeyed the words of Jesus. And so, Jesus’ words must still direct us, his disciples in the world today.

I challenge you to remember the words of Jesus each day. Let them change your attitude and actions. Ask God to bring his word into your mind. Remember his words and let them change your attitude and actions in daily life. Live each day remembering the words of Jesus and putting them into action by living to his glory!