You can listen here: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
Focus: “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.”
(Acts 1:8)
Today is world communion Sunday. The Church of Jesus Christ has spread out to the ends of the earth, just as Jesus said it should. But how well do we remain aware of that fact, our connection to it and the role we play in support of it? Today the majority of Christians all over the world celebrate communion with us on this same day to express our world-wide unity in Christ and in His spirit. It’s a big wide world. And it’s a small world after all. Advances in communication and travel mean that we can go farther faster and even make half way round the world long distance phone calls a lot more easily than just a few decades ago, and sometimes at no cost.
Thanks to Facebook I have friends all over the world. I talk and debate with Muslims and other Christians in places like Nigeria and Australia. But still, there’s only so much one person can do! Doesn’t it just make sense to focus on what is near at hand and not get too involved in long distance relationships?
Well, God’s got the whole world in his hands. We know that don’t we, from a kids’ song that some of us would still love to sing again; “He’s got the whole world in his hands…” And we are God’s children. We should care about what he cares about. The Church is a world-wide organization, and it is the body of Christ. So we are all connected. Play video from Pastor J. John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=114&v=L6TGxKvSqH8 …
With our support, and the support of Covenanters all over the world, our denomination is fulfilling its share of the vision to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world. The Covenant Church currently has over 120 missionaries in twenty-three countries. We also work alongside ministry partners in fifteen additional countries. Among those, several locations are not listed for security purposes. That means some of our missionaries are working bravely undercover in areas where the Christian Church is persecuted and they could be arrested or worse.
And now, thanks to some of the modern technology I just mentioned, we have a special message from Steve and Janice Quackenbush. They are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Janice is sort of an adopted a daughter of this church. Some of you here today might not know that Ed & Ruth Noren were Covenant missionaries to Africa and when they retired, in about 1982, they settled in with this church. I contacted Steve Quackenbush through Facebook earlier this week. I asked Steve to send a video message for you to hear some good news, and a prayer request, all the way from the Philippines. Play video… https://youtu.be/9bw3saFhKkQ It would have been really fun to have a live conversation with them right now, but it is about 11:30 pm their time.
This congregation has a legacy of being connected with the wider world. Our church has sent out missionaries. This church has sent out one who became a pastor for several years and then a seminary professor at our denomination’s own North Park Seminary. In fact Fred Holmgren was one of my profs when I was in seminary. I never knew then that I would end up serving the church where he grew up. So this congregation already has a legacy for its own global impact by birthing the seminary prof who has influenced hundred is pastors in seminary and some missionaries who have reached thousands. But the important thing is for us today to remember and maintain that global perspective so that we keep doing it again.
That’s one of the blessings we get from Operation Christmas Child. I have another video for you that tells the story of the power of Operation Christmas Child in the nation of Uganda…http://video.samaritanspurse.org/uganda-good-news/
Another connection we have with the wider world is that this congregation personally minsters to Francys Gutierrez, a 6 year old little girl and her family by sending regular financial support and birthday cards and Christmas gifts. I don’t have a video from there because her village is poor and remote. But every now and then she sends us a picture and or a note to let us know how she is doing and to express her gratitude. She lives in Nicaragua. Since I have come here and learned about your love and care for her, I have started praying for the day when a small group of us could take a short missionary trip and go visit her and her family. Just think of how excited they would be to meet you! The Covenant can help us with the logistics of that.
As Steve mentioned in his message, the work of God’s church is still important and unfinished. But with modern computers and communication tools, Wycliffe hopes to see a Bible translation program going in every language that still needed one by the year 2025.1
Many believe that a significant sign of the end of the age, one major task that must be accomplished before Jesus will come again, is that “the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” That’s in Mark 13:10. We are a part of this work. Our support, even if we think it very small, is nevertheless very necessary and significant. If this church were to close, the body of Christ would suffer a loss. And when one part suffers, the whole body suffers.
Even so, we must affirm that the only way our congregation will be used of God in healthy missional ways is as we cling to him and let him bear the fruit in us. We are the branches. He is the vine through whom the life blood flows that gives us strength and makes us bear fruit. Then and only then will we fully enjoy what it says in the beginning of our text today, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
In the early days of the church, on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit first came, the disciples were filled with the Spirit and their praises and worship of God burst forth. At that time they ended up speaking in many different languages because there were people all around them, people from all over the world visiting Jerusalem and they needed to hear the gospel in their own language so that it touched their hearts with meaningful power. Today also, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we should burst forth with praise and adoration of God, and end ups speaking into the lives of the people who are around us, using words and phrases and actions and ministries that speak to their hearts with meaningful power.
To that end, we turn now to our Lord’s Supper. Today is world-wide communion Sunday. Today the majority of Christians all over the world celebrate communion with us on this same day to express our world-wide unity in Christ and in His spirit. Jesus is the vine. All the branches of the true church are rooted in him and he is spread all over the world. He gave his blood so that we could have life in him. Let us renew our connection to the power of the Holy Spirit given in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
1https://www.wycliffe.org/about/why
(Acts 1:8)
Today is world communion Sunday. The Church of Jesus Christ has spread out to the ends of the earth, just as Jesus said it should. But how well do we remain aware of that fact, our connection to it and the role we play in support of it? Today the majority of Christians all over the world celebrate communion with us on this same day to express our world-wide unity in Christ and in His spirit. It’s a big wide world. And it’s a small world after all. Advances in communication and travel mean that we can go farther faster and even make half way round the world long distance phone calls a lot more easily than just a few decades ago, and sometimes at no cost.
Thanks to Facebook I have friends all over the world. I talk and debate with Muslims and other Christians in places like Nigeria and Australia. But still, there’s only so much one person can do! Doesn’t it just make sense to focus on what is near at hand and not get too involved in long distance relationships?
Well, God’s got the whole world in his hands. We know that don’t we, from a kids’ song that some of us would still love to sing again; “He’s got the whole world in his hands…” And we are God’s children. We should care about what he cares about. The Church is a world-wide organization, and it is the body of Christ. So we are all connected. Play video from Pastor J. John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=114&v=L6TGxKvSqH8 …
With our support, and the support of Covenanters all over the world, our denomination is fulfilling its share of the vision to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world. The Covenant Church currently has over 120 missionaries in twenty-three countries. We also work alongside ministry partners in fifteen additional countries. Among those, several locations are not listed for security purposes. That means some of our missionaries are working bravely undercover in areas where the Christian Church is persecuted and they could be arrested or worse.
And now, thanks to some of the modern technology I just mentioned, we have a special message from Steve and Janice Quackenbush. They are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Janice is sort of an adopted a daughter of this church. Some of you here today might not know that Ed & Ruth Noren were Covenant missionaries to Africa and when they retired, in about 1982, they settled in with this church. I contacted Steve Quackenbush through Facebook earlier this week. I asked Steve to send a video message for you to hear some good news, and a prayer request, all the way from the Philippines. Play video… https://youtu.be/9bw3saFhKkQ It would have been really fun to have a live conversation with them right now, but it is about 11:30 pm their time.
This congregation has a legacy of being connected with the wider world. Our church has sent out missionaries. This church has sent out one who became a pastor for several years and then a seminary professor at our denomination’s own North Park Seminary. In fact Fred Holmgren was one of my profs when I was in seminary. I never knew then that I would end up serving the church where he grew up. So this congregation already has a legacy for its own global impact by birthing the seminary prof who has influenced hundred is pastors in seminary and some missionaries who have reached thousands. But the important thing is for us today to remember and maintain that global perspective so that we keep doing it again.
That’s one of the blessings we get from Operation Christmas Child. I have another video for you that tells the story of the power of Operation Christmas Child in the nation of Uganda…http://video.samaritanspurse.org/uganda-good-news/
Another connection we have with the wider world is that this congregation personally minsters to Francys Gutierrez, a 6 year old little girl and her family by sending regular financial support and birthday cards and Christmas gifts. I don’t have a video from there because her village is poor and remote. But every now and then she sends us a picture and or a note to let us know how she is doing and to express her gratitude. She lives in Nicaragua. Since I have come here and learned about your love and care for her, I have started praying for the day when a small group of us could take a short missionary trip and go visit her and her family. Just think of how excited they would be to meet you! The Covenant can help us with the logistics of that.
As Steve mentioned in his message, the work of God’s church is still important and unfinished. But with modern computers and communication tools, Wycliffe hopes to see a Bible translation program going in every language that still needed one by the year 2025.1
Many believe that a significant sign of the end of the age, one major task that must be accomplished before Jesus will come again, is that “the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” That’s in Mark 13:10. We are a part of this work. Our support, even if we think it very small, is nevertheless very necessary and significant. If this church were to close, the body of Christ would suffer a loss. And when one part suffers, the whole body suffers.
Even so, we must affirm that the only way our congregation will be used of God in healthy missional ways is as we cling to him and let him bear the fruit in us. We are the branches. He is the vine through whom the life blood flows that gives us strength and makes us bear fruit. Then and only then will we fully enjoy what it says in the beginning of our text today, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
In the early days of the church, on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit first came, the disciples were filled with the Spirit and their praises and worship of God burst forth. At that time they ended up speaking in many different languages because there were people all around them, people from all over the world visiting Jerusalem and they needed to hear the gospel in their own language so that it touched their hearts with meaningful power. Today also, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we should burst forth with praise and adoration of God, and end ups speaking into the lives of the people who are around us, using words and phrases and actions and ministries that speak to their hearts with meaningful power.
To that end, we turn now to our Lord’s Supper. Today is world-wide communion Sunday. Today the majority of Christians all over the world celebrate communion with us on this same day to express our world-wide unity in Christ and in His spirit. Jesus is the vine. All the branches of the true church are rooted in him and he is spread all over the world. He gave his blood so that we could have life in him. Let us renew our connection to the power of the Holy Spirit given in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
1https://www.wycliffe.org/about/why
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