transformed by the spirit

the necessary relationship between faith and mission

introduction 

Surely by now, you will have worked out which are my favourite subjects to preach on: they are transformation and mission. I am unapologetic about this because there is just so much more to life than ‘meets the eye’ and I want to know the truth about ‘what is going on’ both within me and around me. This truth fills me with great excitement and passion that I cannot help but share this good news with you and with everyone cares to listen to me.

It seems to me that we are occasionally granted glimpses of God and dimensions to life of which we are not normally aware. Such glimpses will naturally —or is that supernaturally— fill us with great joy, a joy which cannot help but change us with its touch.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Shakespeare, Hamlet).

But what would you say if I were to tell you that you can intentionally draw close to God whenever you want? and that, when you do, you will become much more than you ever thought possible for yourself? and that, when you become more of who you were created to be, that joy will overflow your life with very little effort on your part? and when it does, then others will be granted such glimpses of God?

acts 2:1-21

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, 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, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs —in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power”. ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine”.

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

committed to relationship

Before His ascension into Heaven, but after His resurrection, Jesus “ordered [His disciples] not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father [... they were to] be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). In response to this command, they gathered together and “devoted themselves to prayer” (:14), to “wait upon the Lord” (2:1b).

It seems to me that, if God exists, then He would want to be known by us, the crowning achievement of His creation that is actually capable of being in a relationship with Him. Having said that, if we want to know this God, then it is not at all unreasonable that we would likewise have to initiate our own side of this relationship.

If I want to go fishing with Brad Pitt —since he showed himself to be quite a good fly-fisherman in the 1992 movie A River Runs Through It based on the 1976 novella of the same name written by Norman McLean— then I would have to initiate contact with him. But Brad Pitt has not expressed any desire to go fishing with me, so all the effort must be from my side. There is always two persons involved in any relationship; both parties must participate in nurturing that relationship for it to be long-lasting and healthy. Why should it be any different in our relationship with God? Why should we expect that all the onus is God’s?

God has clearly made Himself known to His creation and made Himself available to us, if we so desire to be in relationship with Him (Romans 1:19-20). He has opened up a way for us to know Him and that pathway is the spiritual discipline of prayer (Psalm 145:118-19).

Because of the prayerful devotion of the disciples gathered at Jerusalem, they had an overwhelming encounter with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-3; cf. Isaiah 6; Revelation 1:9-10).

Now, if Brad Pitt were to call me back and say, “Sure. Let’s go fishing.”, I would be pretty stoked about that. I would very likely tell just about every person that I meet, “Hey. Brad Pitt and I are going fishing together. Yah, we’re friends.” I might not go skipping down the street because that would be a little embarrassing.

But consider how you might react if God were to show-up, right here and now. If God were to respond to our prayers and fill this place with the glory of His presence, there is no doubt that one aspect of our reaction would be great joy (Psalm 30:11-12). We would certainly be inclined to offer Him our praise and worship.

power in relationship

Being overcome with joy in worship does not explain why the disciples were given the ability to speak languages other than what they knew (Acts 2:4b). The answer to this question is in the context provided by the passage: They were enabled to give praise to God in a way that would bear witness to God’s glory and power to those around them who spoke different languages (:17ff). While this may seem rather incredible to us, it is just one more example of God wanting to make Himself known.

It is also interesting to note that the audience described is made up of people who already have faith (:5). They were in Jerusalem on pilgrimage, to worship the Lord, their God. Why is this point important? Because God was finally fulfilling a certain prophecy recorded in the Old Testament: God was declaring that He was “doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19). This scenario with the disciples of Jesus is thus God announcing to the world the establishment of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31ff; cf. Luke 22:20). As indicated by this new covenant, God would, from now on, expect from His people a different standard for faith than the works-salvation orientation typically promoted by interpreters of the Law. Almighty God now expects a “righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees” (Matthew 5:20).

There is no doubt that the Spirit of God was present in the world before Pentecost (Genesis 1:2; cf. Job 33:4; Psalm 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 63:10-11). The Holy Spirit spoke through people (2 Samuel 23:2), provided spiritual gifts (Exodus 31:1-5), transformed people (1 Samuel 10:6-9) and, clearly, was involved in salvation (John 3:5-10; Luke 11:13). But with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, a new covenant was established by God between He and His people. Those who worship God, from then on, would do so “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). They will be taught by the Holy Spirit the truth of God (16:5-14), rather than rely on that which was taught by humans (Jeremiah 31:34). “Pentecost signalled a visible and mightier-than-ever manifestation of the person and work of the Holy Spirit [...] This was the inception of the full experience of the Holy Spirit.”

plans for relationship

The gathering crowd was “amazed and perplexed” (Acts 2:12) and ask after the nature of this miracle, thus revealing an important quality of mission: People will be naturally drawn to the miraculous transformation of Jesus’ disciples. It is because of their questions that Peter earns the right to explain the nature of the miracle (:14-21).

In this way, then, we can say that Pentecost was not just the ‘grand unveiling’ of the new covenant, but also its archetype. This fuller indwelling of the Spirit —for those who seek the Lord and find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29; Matthew 7:7-11)— did and will overflow into the lives of others. The curiosity of those around us will naturally be tweaked when they witness our transformation, the outgrowth of our faith into our lifestyle.

The “ministry of reconciliation” that has been given to us (2 Corinthians 5:18) may confuse and scare us away from being involved in mission; but, if we are authentically “transformed” by the Holy Spirit, then we cannot help but live a missionary lifestyle. Our mission, then, inherently requires very little effort. Not much more than simply drawing close to God and letting Him fulfil His purposes in us.

Perhaps surprising to the crowd, although it shouldn’t have been, Peter declares that this “new thing” is exactly in accordance with the prophecies of God (:16; Joel 2:28-29), thus revealing His intentions for us from the beginning (Ephesians 2:10).

It is important that we do not forget this fact: God always wanted to be in relationship with us. Indeed, Adam and Eve enjoyed the kind of relationship in which God casually walked around their neighbourhood and He spoke directly to them (Genesis 3:8ff). Unfortunately for God, for us to freely choose to worship and glorify Him, we also must be free to choose otherwise. Nevertheless, God planned for and made possible our reconciliation to Him, as well as our participation in His mission on behalf of others.

conclusion

What a privilege it is for us to be a part of the process that reconciles another person to God! Yet, instead of joy, we often feel fear at this prospect. Rather than fear, let me encourage you to simply continue to do what your faith naturally leads you to do: to draw close to God and be transformed by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24; cf. Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 1:14). Following the example of the earliest disciples, the joy that will necessarily overflow your heart at the accomplishing of your salvation will also necessarily draw others to the throne of God’s grace, to worship Him there.

sermon delivered by Ian Forest-Jones
at Hurstville Church of Christ
on Sunday, 27 May 2007 at 10am
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