Exponential Part 3 of 3 - The Holy Spirit

There's been a lot of talk in Christian circles about being an "Acts 2 Church". But what is an Acts 2 Church? What leadership model did the Acts 2 Church use? What church did they borrow from before implementing their small group strategy? Were they Missional or Attractional? And did they even know that they were an Acts 2 Church? Did they set out to be an Acts 2 Church?

It's interesting the amount of benchmarking and model swapping and idea stealing that goes on in the church world. We all do it. We read the latest and greatest book, grab the next big idea, slap the newest sticky word on everything we do (Missional) and then wait for the next latest and greatest book to come out so we can start all over again. We watch other big churches to see what they're doing. And we piece meal our strategies together, a little from here, a little from there, and then wonder why we always end up in the same place - waiting for the next latest and greatest book to come out, again.

What did the Acts 2 Church know? They certainly couldn't have gleaned ideas from other churches. They were the first. What did the Acts 2 Church have? They certainly did not have extensive manuals and leadership models and the latest and greatest small group curriculum.

What then, did the Acts 2 Church have?

1. The Acts 2 Church had "Jesus' Teaching".

And more than that. Most of them walked with Jesus, were right there with Him. They not onlyheard His words first hand; they felt His touch, they breathed in the scent of His clothes, theyshared of the same bread and drank of the same wine. They were intimately connected with the Son.

2. The Acts 2 Church "Witnessed the Resurrection".

Not only were they with Him in life as He lived and taught; they were with Him in death as He suffered and saved. Then, after witnessing the death of their Savior, they were with Him in His resurrection and viewed first-hand the fulfillment of His promises afterward witnessing His ascension from earth to heaven as He promised the Holy Spirit.

3. The Acts 2 Church had the "Power of the Holy Spirit".

Perhaps what we most lack today is a true understanding of the work and power of the Holy Spirit. We easily pray, "Lord send Your Spirit; Let it have it's way." When in fact, the Holy Spirit isnot an IT; the Holy Spirit is a HE. And we often misunderstand the Holy Spirit's leading. Perhaps more in certain circles than others, the Holy Spirit is viewed as a pocket genie. Rub Him when you need Him and He'll open up that front row parking space, get you a sweet deal on a new car, and make you a millionaire.

I suppose Jesus got everything He asked for, it just happened to be a front row parking spot on a rough wooden cross with huge, heavy nails forced through His hands and feet to make sure He didn't lose his spot. And He worked miraculous miracles through the same power that lies in us today, but they were always for other people, not Himself. And thinking back to His baptism, right after the Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove and His Father God announced that in His Son He was "well pleased", the Holy Spirit didn't lead Jesus into a position of honor but into thedesert to be tempted by the devil for forty days. Some initiation that was! Thanks Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit isn't an IT, He's a person. And He is powerful. He is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and He has been given to us until Jesus returns. He is our counselor, our comforter, our best friend, our guide to all truth, our power to overcome all sickness and disease and every temptation and sinful desire.

We don't lead the Holy Spirit and make Him do what we want Him to do. He leads us. And often into difficult and ugly places. Without Him, there is no formula, no leadership model, no small group curriculum and absolutely no amount of skill or leadership ability that can build an Acts 2 Church. There is only one way to be the church that God intended for us to be. That is,

We must be intimately connected to the Son,

unshakably emboldened by His Resurrection

and abundantly led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Exponential Part 2 of 3 - Missional Church

When Jesus was asked by his disciples which is the greatest commandment, He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. Everything hangs on these two commandments."

Jesus modeled for us the perfect church, the perfect leadership style. He loved God with all of His heart. He loved people so much that he suffered on their behalf. And to prove it, to show God and people the endless bounds of His great love, He did what few are willing to do - He made himself second.

As the church, we should be gratefully thankful that we've been invited into God's family and given an opportunity to work in His Kingdom. We should respect and honor what has been given to us, this abundant life and Kingdom work. And we should be responsible with how we handle it and with what we do with it.

We've geared our weekends and outreach ministries as "in-house", "all-you-can-eat buffet", "one-stop-shop service centers".

Interesting Jesus never chose a mountain or hand-picked a temple to make His job easier by sending mass emails and posting giant billboards along the donkey trails to get the people to come to Him. If anyone could have been successful at one-stop-shop ministry, Jesus could have certainly done it.

Fish & bread? Jesus will hook you up!

Prosthetic leg? Forget prosthetic, He'll get you the real thing!

Trouble with Demon Possession? One word and out they go!

Jesus didn't make the people come to Him. Not to say our churches can't be attractional. Jesus certainly knew how to both attract and wow a crowd. But He was always on the move. And He expected his followers to do the same.

So what does missional look like? That's simple. It looks like loving God and loving people - all people.

Ed Stetzer summed up the Missional Church as movement - A missional church should 1. Serve Locally, 2. Send Nationally, and 3. Adopt or Serve a People Group Globally.

Movement. Action.

If Satan had a strategy to derail the church, what could that strategy possibly be? Perhaps it could be to get the church more internally focused than externally purposed - buildings over people.

If we really walked our city streets, I think it would be nearly impossible not to become missional. Problem is, we don't. We walk the halls of our churches instead. If we truly became outward focused and asked God to break our hearts for what breaks His, I think He'd do it. Problem is, it'd mess up our schedules and suddenly Sunday School classes and softball tournaments would seem a bit irrelevant.

People need Jesus. They also need some practical needs met. And they need to see Jesus in action, through us, His church.

If we really loved our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, what would life suddenly look like for us? What would we keep for ourselves? What would we demand be given away? How would our time be spent? Where would our money go?

Francis Chan said it best when he addressed the financial commitment he and his church had made - If we truly loved others as much as we love ourselves, we'd give as much to others as we keep for ourselves. The church Francis Chan pastored now gives 55% of it's entire budget away. That wouldn't even cover facility expense in most churches! That surely wouldn't cover staff and salary expense in most churches either. Yet, they're doing quite well.

Jesus met both the physical and spiritual needs of the people he met while traveling. He didn't make people come to him. He went to them. And whether it was food for the hungry, healing for the sick or counsel for the emotionally troubled, Jesus did it all.

I guess the point is this.

Remember how Jesus first officially introduced himself to the people of Jerusalem- He rode into town on a donkey.

Then what did He do?

He got off his donkey and got to work.

I think it's time we did the same.