Newburg Christian Church

11-09-2008 Sermon

The Converted Community

Acts 2:14, 32-39

I have to admit the events that take place in the second chapter of Acts have captured my attention for quite some time. I am intrigued by the scene of the Holy Spirit’s arrival like the sound of a “violent wind.” I try to imagine the reaction of the disciples to the “divided tongues, as of fire” that appeared above their heads. Then there’s the scene where the disciples, filled with the Spirit, begin preaching the Good News of Jesus and are heard by all the people in their own language. Then after a powerful sermon by Peter some 3000 people were baptized. What an amazing day!

Those are certainly the highlights of the day. Those events keep me focused on the Acts 2 church. Now today I am aware of more going on behind the scene of these events, one quite ordinary and the other quite extraordinary. The ordinary event takes place as the disciples are preaching and being heard in the native language of the people who are listening. It is the ordinary and expected response by some of the people. They were rejecting the Good News and accused the disciples of being drunk.

The Holy Spirit was working on the disciples; they were saying things that shocked many people. They were talking about a man who was crucified (a shameful form of execution) then three days later rose from the dead. They claimed that this Jesus was the Son of God. They claimed that this Jesus had reappeared to them, and given them the message to preach. They probably appeared to be a bit unstable. So they were accused of being drunk.

Then the extraordinary begins. Peter steps forward to explain what is happening and launches into the first of several powerful sermons that are recorded in the book of Acts. Why is Peter’s Acts 2 sermon extraordinary? Peter often spoke without thinking; he often reacted without understanding what he was doing. It was Peter who confessed Jesus as Lord in the Upper Room, and then later that night denied he even knew Jesus. It was Peter who abandoned Jesus at his crucifixion and couldn’t believe what he saw at the empty tomb on Easter morning.

We know from John’s gospel that after the resurrection that Jesus forgave Peter and Peter committed to feed Jesus’ sheep. But Luke is the writer of Acts as well as the Gospel of Luke. Luke’s story doesn’t include the reconciliation of Peter and Jesus. The churches that had Luke’s account see Peter deny Jesus and then his next public appearance is a fiery sermon on Pentecost. It’s a startling transformation that has taken place in Peter’s life from a man who denied Christ before a few people to a man who boldly proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In the book “Unbinding Your Heart” we are reading as a church during our 40-Day E-vent the author talks about something called a “Trinity of Relationships.” There are three circles of relationships that affect the life of the church and the individuals in the church. Each of us has a relationship with God. We have a relationship with people inside the church. And, we have relationships with people outside the church. All three of these areas are important for the life of the church and for our own lives as well.

We must maintain a close relationship with God individually and as a community of faith. We must make sure the relationships we have within this community are healthy because unhealthy relationships are obvious to those who visit. And, we must seek out relationships with people outside the walls of the church so we can expand the kingdom of God into this neighborhood and community. All three of the circles are intertwined…can we maintain a close relationship with God and ignore people outside the church? Are we really the church if all we desire is to be in relationship with our church friends but not deepen our relationship Jesus?

Peter is living through these same circles of relationships during this Pentecost event recorded in Acts. All three circles are played out in this story, Peter’s relationship with God, his relationship with the disciples, and his relationships with people outside the church.

First, something remarkable happened in Peter’s relationship with God.
Imagine being Peter, knowing how miserably you had failed Jesus. When Pentecost dawns, and the Holy Spirit comes upon all of the believers, Peter is included. He receives the power of the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Imagine his joy at the new start he receives from God! The denial, the abandonment, and the broken promises are all water under the bridge in Peter’s relationship with God. They are washed away, removed as far as the East from the West. Peter accepts the clean slate God gives him.

This is what a person freed by God’s love looks like. They stand boldly in the world, they proclaim the Good News freely, and they share the love of God generously. Peter is experiencing a whole new, fresh start given to him by God. The last words Luke has Peter say in Luke 23 are, "I do not know who Jesus is." But the words Peter says now are: "Let me tell you who Jesus is!" Peter's relationship with God has been renewed. He is living in bold joy due to the forgiveness he's received. Only if our relationship with God is renewed like this every day will we be able to stand up and speak up when we hear confusion in someone's life. At Pentecost, something remarkable happened in Peter’s relationship with God. Where do you find daily renewal? Do you find it in a time of personal prayer, do you find it in quiet moments, do you find daily renewal in conversation with Christian friends, or in reading devotional scriptures? At Pentecost something remarkable happened in Peter’s relationship with God and something remarkable can happen in your relationship with Jesus.

Second, something remarkable happened in Peter's relationship with people
outside the circle of believers. Peter is moved to his core by these people who don't know that God has sent Jesus for them. In verse 40 says Peter "pleaded with them." When you've received forgiveness like Peter you want to share it. This won't be the last time Peter is compelled to share the gospel. In a couple of chapters, he gets in real trouble by taking the news of Jesus to a non-Jew! This Pentecost event creates in Peter a passionate desire for people to know Christ.

Third, something remarkable is happening to Peter's relationships with his
fellow disciples. When Peter stands he does not stand alone. Acts 2:14 says, “Then Peter stood up with the eleven and addressed the crowd." When he speaks the other disciples get up and stand with him. They stand together. Yes, the other disciples know that Peter has a big mouth that gets him into trouble. They know that Peter promised Jesus more than he could deliver. They know that Peter bragged about how faithful he would be and then failed. But they also know their own sins against Jesus. They could have just pointed the finger at Peter. They could have said, "Here he goes again, talking the big talk." But they didn't. In humility, they got up to support him by standing alongside him.

This is a vivid picture of forgiven people forgiving each other. This is tangible evidence of the reality of the mercy of God. They are the most believable witness to the grace of Jesus Christ. Together, they are a community of the redeemed.

We live in a community of the redeemed. We are a community of forgiven people who bear the name Disciples of Christ. How’s your discipleship going? Are you following Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind? How’s your relationship with each other; are there wounds that need healing or are there trust issues that are not resolved? And, how’s your relationship with people outside the church? Are there people who need a relationship with Jesus we avoid; are there people we could serve but don’t? All three circles of relationship are critical for the church live out its God-given purpose.

Newburg is now in a time of transition. It is critical that all three relationships are right. The church’s relationship with God, the relationships within the church and our relationships with people outside the church are critical. When we are right with God and when we are right with each other we will be right with the people who come through our doors and with the people we serve. When we are right with God and we are right with each other we will always find ways to make room for new people. When we are right with God and when we are right with each other the kingdom of God is at its best. When the church is healthy its witness is powerful.

Commitment Sunday will be celebrated in two weeks. What better time will there be than to recommit yourself to God, recommit yourself to each other, and recommit yourself to reaching people outside the church. A fully committed and fully converted community provides a powerful witness to each other and to the world. The witness of this church will only be as strong as your personal witness. Will you allow the Holy Spirit to move through your life and the life of this church so that its witness will be seen and heard?

(Adapted from Dawn Darwin Weaks)

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