In his book Megan’s Secrets Mike Cope writes stories of his mentally disabled daughter named Megan. Early in the book he tells this story which involves Megan and Mike’s wife Diane:[1] I head a sound from the other room: splash, splash, splash. I walked into the bathroom to find Megan lapping up water from the toilet. Her ladle was Diane’s toothbrush. I was too tired to worry about it; I guess I thought, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you” (plus the toilet had just been cleaned), so I slung the water off the toothbrush and put it back in the toothbrush holder. That evening, I walked into the bathroom to see Diane brushing her teeth. The laughter I’d been fighting back now came out like a locomotive. She looked at me strangely and asked, “What’s so funny?” I choked out the words, “Megan used your toothbrush in the toilet.” That’s when she started laughing hysterically. I said, “What’s so funny?” Diane replied, “She usually uses yours.”
There are some stories we just don’t share. At least initially Mike didn’t share with Diane the story of Megan using Diane’s toothbrush in the toilet. And Diane didn’t tell Mike the story of Megan using Mike’s toothbrush in the toilet. There are some stories we just don’t share. We hold them in. We keep them to ourselves. We’re a little afraid what might happen if we tell them. But when we finally do share them, they can lead to great surprise and laughter.
In some ways, that is the case with the story that is the focus of our current Sunday morning series. We’ve been focusing on the story of Jesus. The New Testament summarizes this story in six chapters. Sometimes it’s a story that too few of us share with others. We hold it in. We keep this story to ourselves. We’re a little afraid of what might happen if we tell this story to others. But if we’d just start sharing it, I think we’d see it leads to great surprise and even laughter. Here are those six chapters:
First, there is the manger. Jesus’ comes to earth as a human. He is God in the flesh. We call this the Incarnation.
Second, there is the cross. Jesus dies in our place on the cross. We call this the Crucifixion.
Third, there is the tomb. Three days after his death Jesus is raised. This is the Resurrection.
Fourth, there are the clouds. Jesus’ followers watch the risen Lord ascend to his throne in the clouds. This is called the Ascension.
Fifth, there is the fire. Jesus sends the Spirit on his followers in the form of tongues of fire. This is called Pentecost.
Sixth, there is the trumpet. With a loud trumpet call Jesus returns to reign finally and fully. This is known as the Second Coming.
These are the key chapters in Jesus’ story. They are chapters of very good news. Too often we don’t share this story. But if ever a story was worth sharing, this one is.
We’ve seen in this series that we can learn a great deal about sharing Jesus with others by looking at how God shared Jesus with us. These six chapters not only summarize how God shared Jesus with us. They also instruct us in how we can share Jesus with others.
This morning we come to the fourth and fifth chapters of Jesus’ story: the clouds and the fire. We find both of these chapters close together in Acts: 4And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:4-11 ESV)
1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: (Acts 2:1-14 ESV)
Let’s begin with the ascension. The ascension of Jesus tends to be one of those chapters in the story of Jesus which we neglect. It seems to pale in comparison to other chapters like the tomb and the cross. But there’s something essential about the ascension. New Testament scholar N. T. Wright points to two critical aspects of the ascension.[2] First, because of the unique relationship between heaven and earth, a person in heaven can be present anywhere and everywhere on earth. The ascension therefore means that Jesus, who ascended to heaven, can now be present anywhere and everywhere on earth. He has risen to a position so high that the entire earth is under his gaze. He can be accessed by all on the earth and he can be present anywhere on earth. Thus, first the ascension means that Jesus is present everywhere.
Second, the ascension means that Jesus rules everything. Point number one means that heaven is the “control room” for earth. Heaven is the CEO’s office. It is the President’s office. There is no office higher than the heavenly office. And since Jesus has ascended to that office, he is now in charge of all the earth. Not only can he be present everywhere on earth but he is in charge of all the earth. N. T. Wright says, “The early Christians knew the world was still a mess. But they announced, like messengers going off on behalf of a global company, that a new CEO had taken charge”.[3] Jesus rules everything.
This is why virtually every passage in the New Testament which speaks of the ascension sounds something like this: 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things… (Eph. 1:19-22 ESV). The ascension means that a new CEO has taken charge. And there’s not a square inch of dirt on the planet that he does not rule over. All things are under his feet. He is present everywhere and he rules everything.
What then do the clouds of the ascension teach about sharing Jesus? They teach many things. Here’s just one: The clouds of the ascension reveal the conviction which fuels evangelism. I believe one of the reasons we’re experiencing a decline in evangelism is that we’re experiencing a decline of conviction. That loss of conviction can be illustrated by a church sign I recently saw. Last week I was speaking in Oak Ridge, TN and I passed a church sign which said this: “Jewish? Agnostic? Spiritual? Gay? Straight? We Are Too.” In other words, whatever you believe is fine. There are no absolute truths when it comes to spirituality or morality. Believe whatever you want to believe. You’ll be welcome here. We live in a culture that does not believe there is one true God. Our culture believes in many gods. Each is as good as the other. We live in a culture that does not believe that everyone outside that one true God is in peril. And we live in a culture that does not believe that everyone needs that one true God. Whatever you want to believe is fine. There’s very little reason to share Jesus in a context like this. With more and more of our culture believing this, it begins to affect our conviction regarding evangelism. Why share Jesus if no one really needs him? Why share his story if his story is no better than someone else’s story?
But the ascension challenges this. The ascension says that Jesus, and no other god, is seated on the throne. The ascension says that Jesus, and no other spiritual figure, reigns supreme. The ascension says that Jesus is above all other powers, rulers, and authorities. He’s the only one with ultimate spiritual authority. He’s the only one who can be everywhere and rule everything. And thus all people everywhere need Jesus in their life. All people everywhere need to follow Jesus’ way of life. All people everywhere are in peril without Jesus. The clouds of the ascension reveal the conviction which fuels evangelism. Why do we evangelize? What motivates us to share a story that too often is kept to ourselves? The short answer is this: the ascension. In the ascension we are reminded of the uniqueness of Jesus, the preeminence of Jesus, the exclusivity of Jesus and the fact that he is the one and only true God and all people everywhere need him.
Let’s turn now to the fire of Pentecost. What does the fire of Pentecost teach us about sharing Jesus? I’ll answer with a recent study. A couple of years ago three thousand Christians were polled about their spiritual gifts. Can you guess what percentage of Christians said they possess the spiritual gift of evangelism? One percent.[4] We have about 900 people at Highland this morning. That means only about 9 of us feel we are gifted evangelists. The other 891 of us do not feel gifted when it comes to evangelism. That makes evangelism hard, doesn’t it? It’s tough to do something you don’t feel gifted at. For example, for several years I’ve been an assistant soccer coach. At first it was very hard. I never played soccer in school or recreationally. I was introduced to it the same time my daughter was when she started playing in elementary school. During those first few soccer seasons as an assistant coach, I felt completely incompetent. I’d say something to the kids in practice and the head coach would have to correct me. I’d yell something to the kids on the field during the game and the head coach would have to yell, “No. Don’t do that.” Today, it’s much better. I think I’ve come a long way. I feel much more comfortable in that role. But it’s hard and humbling to do something we don’t feel gifted in, isn’t it? And that’s why many of us may not even try to share Jesus. 99% of us don’t feel gifted in it.
That’s why we need the fire of Pentecost. The clouds of the ascension reveal the conviction which fuels evangelism. And the fire of Pentecost provides the collaboration we need for evangelism. The fire of Pentecost was the visual symbol of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to live within each of his followers. That Spirit does many things within us and through us. But notice how Jesus speaks of the Spirit in Acts. Jesus tells his followers to wait for the Spirit, so they can receive power, and thus become Jesus’ witnesses. One of the primary roles the Spirit plays is to empower them to witness to others about Jesus. The Spirit does many things, but one of the primary things he’s doing in Acts is empowering people to witness about Jesus. We see this early in Acts. The mighty wind comes blowing through and the Spirit rests like flames on Jesus’ followers. And each of them is enabled to speak to those in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is filled with people from all over the world. Luke focuses on groups from five large areas: people from the Caspian Sea westward; people from Asia Minor or Turkey; people from North Africa; people from Rome and the Mediterranean; and Cretans and Arabs.[5] And they speak many different languages. But when the Spirit comes upon Jesus’ followers, they each are empowered to speak in different languages. And they each proclaim the mighty works of God.
Luke then gives us an in-depth example of the Spirit’s collaboration. Peter gets up to speak. Who could have ever expected Peter to get up and speak?[6] Toward the end of Luke’s Gospel we find Peter following Jesus “at a distance.” We find Peter denying Jesus three times. We find Peter saying, “Woman, I don’t know him.” But now he’s transformed. Now he’s filled with boldness, with eloquence, with courage and conviction. Peter stands in Acts 2 and preaches the kind of sermon that leads three thousand people to become followers of Jesus. How? It was the Holy Spirit collaborating with Peter.
We see this again and again in Acts.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… (Acts 4:8 ESV)
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31 ESV)
But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (Acts 6:10 ESV)
9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10and said… (Acts 13:9-10a ESV)
Again and again the Spirit empowers Jesus’ followers to witness to others. Evangelism in Acts becomes this collaboration between people and the Spirit.
And the Spirit orchestrates opportunities and directs the mission. In Acts 8 the Spirit leads Philip to an Egyptian official whom Philip teaches and baptizes. In Acts 10 the Spirit leads Peter and Cornelius to one another and Cornelius becomes a follower of Jesus. In Acts 13 the Spirit prompts Paul and Barnabas to engage in a mission that results in numerous churches being planted. In Acts 16 the Spirit directs Paul where to go next to find the most fruitful hearts for the good news of Jesus.
The point is not that we can expect the Holy Spirit to physically move us into the path of people against our will or stuff our mouths with words so that we are the puppet and he is the master. The point is that sharing Jesus is a collaborative effort. It’s not merely us being launched into the unknown forced to do what we feel ill-gifted to do. It’s us walking stride by stride with the Spirit, with God himself, working in tandem with him to lead others to Christ.
In his book A Meal with Jesus, Tim Chester tells of Jim Petersen. Jim had a friend named Mario from South America who was a non Christian and deep into philosophy. Over a period of four years Jim studied the Bible with Mario. Eventually Mario became a Christian. One day Jim and Mario were reminiscing: “Do you remember what it really was that made me decide to become a Christian?” Mario asked. Jim told Mario he thought it had to do with all their Bible studies and philosophical discussions. But Mario said it was something else: “Remember that first time I stopped by your house? We were on our way someplace together, and I had a bowl of soup with you and your family. As I sat there observing you, your wife, and your children, and how you related to each other, I asked myself, ‘When will I have a relationship like this with my fiancé?’ When I realized that the answer was ‘never,’ I concluded I had to become a Christian for the sake of my own survival.” Jim indeed remembered that day. Only he remembered it differently. He remembered his children behaving badly and his frustration at having to correct them in front of Mario. Yet it was that messy, ordinary scene which finally opened Mario’s heart.
What happened here? It was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was at work. There was a divine collaboration taking place between the Spirit and Jim—and Jim didn’t even realize it. We can trust the same will be true with us. In each relationship, in each interaction, every time we listen to their story, or share Jesus’ story, or share our own story, or plan a Divine Dinner, the Spirit is at work. There is a divine collaboration taking place, though we may not even be aware of it. It doesn’t matter how ungifted or incompetent we may feel. The fact is that the Spirit is working right beside us. We can depend on him to do what we think we cannot do.
How do we leave here and start living out the stories of the clouds and the fire? I want to make one simple application. Those of you my age or older may remember a song written as a prayer. It goes, “Lead me to some soul today, O teach me, Lord, just what to say, Friends of mine are lost in sin, And cannot find their way.” It is a simple song with a profound theology. The song summarizes the theology of the clouds and the fire. Like the ascension, the song reminds us that Jesus is Lord—“O teach me Lord.” Like the ascension, the song reminds us that Jesus is preeminent and those without him in their lives are lost in sin. And like Pentecost, the song reminds us that this Lord can help us know just what to say and work with us in reaching those who need him. So here’s my recommendation for one small way to begin living out the story of the clouds and the fire: each time you enter a space where there are other people—your classroom, the field or gym, a locker room, a home, a mall, your workplace, and even the church building—quietly pray this simple prayer: “Lead me to some soul today, O teach me, Lord, just what to say, Friends of mine are lost in sin, And cannot find their way.” Each time you find yourself around others this week, pray that simple prayer. Then trust that the Lord and the Spirit will be at work. And as much as you are able, follow their lead.
[1] Mike Cope, Megan’s Secrets (Leafwood Press, 2011), 14-15.
[2] N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope (HarperOne, 2008), 111.
[3] Ibid., 111-112.
[4] http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/211-survey-describes-the-spiritual-gifts-that-christians-say-they-have?q=evangelism.
[5] John Stott, Acts The Bible Speaks Today (IVP, 1990), 65.
[6] William Willimon, Acts Interpretation (John Knox, 1988), 31.
