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Gospel Fluency III - Looking For Gospel Connections

4/26/2015

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Gospel Fluency

Looking for Gospel Connections

Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs

Sometimes someone comes along who does work that changes everything.    Most often these are inventors.  People such as:

George Westinghouse – modern day alternative-based electrical system

- Alexander Graham Bell – telephone

- Thomas Edison – light bulb

- Karl Benz– internal combustion automobile

- James Watt – first modern steam engine

Today these people – Westinghouse, Bell, Edison, Benz and Watt - are household names of individuals who changed the way we think and do things.

It isn’t just the inventors who, with their work, change the course of human history.   It’s not always the tinkerers, but sometimes also the deep thinkers who change the way we look at life.

One of those thinkers was a man by the name of Albert Maslov who as a child along with his Jewish family fled Czarist Russia for the US only to face incredible poverty and discrimination.

Out of his own experience he began to speculate on the quest by humanity toward what he called self-actualization, which in his mind was the deep desire of all people to reach their full potential as human beings.

Self-actualization is what he believed humanity’s greatest need was.  

In later years he would identify one state beyond reaching your potential, which he called transcendence. 

In his mind, transcendence was finding the ultimate meaning by giving your life to a higher cause or power.  This is what we understand as giving your life to God and using your potential for God’s glory.

To reach that state of self-actualization (reaching your potential) and transcendence (living for the glory of God) he points to obstacles that need to be overcome. 

In his mind, lesser more basic needs needed to be satisfied first before attention can be given to the need[JR1] s on this scale.

For him, it was like a pyramid whereby human needs will only be satisfied one level at a time and that by ascending up the stairs you would eventually reach the ability for self actualization and, even more importantly, for transcendence.

So in his work of ‘deep thinking’ he saw six basic needs that need to be met with each one building on the previous one, toward the ultimate goal of a life lived for the glory of God and the service of others.

These six needs are as follows:

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the basic or physiological needs including life, food, water, clothing, sleep and procreation.  

Next are safety needs consisting of physical safety, access to resources, personal health, earning a living and having shelter.

These two steps are important to the physical survival of the person.  Once individuals have basic nutrition, shelter and safety in place, they can then attempt to accomplish more.

This then brings you to the need for belonging, and to be loved within families, circles of friends and communities. The need to love and be loved can only happen after the physical needs are taken care of.

With this in place, then people can focus on esteem needs such as the need to be competent and recognized as such.

This, in turn, then leads to self-actualization or reaching full potential as seen in creativity, morality, inclusivity and productivity.

 

“This level of need refers to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have the strong desire to become an ideal parent. In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it may be expressed in paintings, pictures, or inventions.” Wikipedia

And, of course, later in life Maslov came to realize that all of this doesn’t end with self-actualization or us achieving our peak but with self-transcendence.   This means to give ourselves to a higher power than ourselves, which we of course know to be God!

As the Westminster Catechism states: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

The Intersection of Life & Gospel

I know that by now many of you are wondering what on earth is Jurgen talking about this morning, and what does any of this have to do with gospel fluency? 

I thought we were going to talk about how to share the Gospel with our neighbors and friends.  What does Maslov have anything to do with that?

However, the fact of the matter is that the Gospel always meets people at whatever level they happen to be at and positions Jesus as the answer to their greatest need at any given time.

Unless you know where someone is at in life how will you ever be able to connect the Gospel to that person?

It makes no sense, for example, to tell someone that Jesus loves them, when they are fearing for their lives or lack the basic necessities of survival.

It would be absurd for us to go to a starving child in Africa or India and simply wish them God’s blessings without first meeting their most pressing needs.

 

“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”  James 2:15, 16

So, key to our desire in taking the Gospel to people, is taking the gospel core into the various situations of life of where people find themselves.

You might remember from last time how we said that the gospel core consists of the four basic questions of: who is Jesus, what he does for us, what must we do in response and what happens to us when we do.

We need to bring this gospel core message to people who are all over the map, in terms of their needs and where they are in life.

Just like Peter shaped the Gospel to fit into Cornelius’ biggest concern of personal peace in light of the fact that he had blood on his hands as a soldier, so also we need to know where those who come our way are at so as to let the Gospel speak into where they are in life.  

The amazing thing is that the Gospel has come to us with no specific language nor culture, or even way of life attached to it. 

It is not a Jewish gospel that speaks into the questions of observant Jews of the first century any more than it is a Gentile gospel that speaks into the questions and fears of Italian militiamen such as Cornelius.

The Gospel is all things to all people and always positions Jesus Christ as the ultimate answer to wherever someone is in life.

So if you are an observant Jew in the first century then the Gospel is for you as it positions Jesus as the Messiah of Israel who comes to forgive your sins, which is what Peter pointed out at their Festival of Tabernacles.

If you are an Italian soldier with blood on your hands, then the Gospel is for you for it positions Jesus as the one who gives you an inner peace and absolves you of that blood when he forgives your sins, which is what Peter pointed out to Cornelius

The Gospel is all things to all people and always positions Jesus as the ultimate answer to wherever someone is in life.

This means you need to figure out where people are in life, and you also need to figure out how Jesus is their answer.

Thanks to people like Albert Maslov we have these tools such as Maslov’s Hierarchy that allows us to figure out where someone is at, so as to let the Gospel speak into someone’s life.

The good news is that the Gospel of who Jesus is, what’s He’s done for us, what we must do in response and what happens to those who do, speaks into every aspect of life regardless of where people are at.

I love the fact that God is all over Maslov’s Hierarchy, which is the point that blogger named Gravatar made in a blog:

“Where would we place God on this pyramid?  I can see Him all over it.  If we were to dissect the Lords Prayer we’d see elements of the hierarchy woven through it. Give us today our daily bread – physiological needs.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil – safety and security.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive our sinners – love and belongings. The Praise and Worship that begins and ends the prayer meets the needs of our self-esteem and the top of the pyramid where I believe worship takes place where God meets us.”  (http://gravatar.com/amazzicolors)

Six Gospel Conversations

Our friends from MB Mission who will be leading the Awake Niagara workshop on Gospel Fluency on April 25 talk about the obvious connections of where Gospel meets human needs.   

“While the Core of the Gospel is a critical understanding, there are many Gospel Conversations that speak of the relevance of God’s Good News in our lives today.”  Phil Serez

So, once you know the gospel core, you can go on and have “gospel conversations” as you look for natural connections between the Gospel and the underlying needs people experience.

He points out how these gospel conversations help us give gospel answers to the heart questions people are experiencing. 

Serez says that, “The typical Canadian will likely be experiencing one or more of these needs - each one connects to the Gospel story; each is a longing implanted by God into each human being”

While Phil Serez doesn’t use Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs as his template, he does outline six major areas of needs where most Canadians will find themselves at one point or another.

So he talks about salvation, adoption, peace, restoration, victory and meaning.  Most people will be somewhere in these places:

1) Salvation: Desire to be saved, forgiven from sin and to have the heavy burden lifted.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matt. 11:28             2) Adoption: Yearning to be a part of a community and family and relieved of isolation and loneliness; having a sense of belonging.

“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.   Eph. 1:5

3) Peace:  Seeking peace, reconciliation, relational healing with God and people. 

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Phil 4:7

4) Restoration: The need for personal repair, healing.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Cor. 5:17

 

5) Victory: Longing to overcome evil, release from bondage, experiencing justice and deliverance.

“Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

  Jn 8:34, 36

6) Meaning: Aching to find purpose in life. Longing for direction and significance.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Eph. 2:10

Every single person whom the Holy Spirit will ever bring across our path will be somewhere on this list.  

For some, it will be about salvation and to have their guilt lifted while for others it will be about adoption and that sense of belonging to God and his family. 

For some, it will be about peace with God and people while for others it will be about restoration and the need to be healed and restored.  

Then there are those whose deepest need is victory and liberty over bondage and addiction while yet for others it’s all about meaning and purpose in life.

Everyone that you will ever come across will be somewhere on this spectrum.  You will need to listen close enough and read people well enough to get a sense of where someone is at.  

And you will need to know the Scriptures well enough to articulate the God-answers to the questions of life.

The Great Advocate

In fact, you need to do more than that.   You will also need to listen to the Holy Spirit who will guide you to understanding where someone is at and what his or her greatest need is and how the Gospel provides the answer.   

Jesus made it very clear that  “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”   John 14:26

Don’t underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit in all this.

Not only will he provide you with insight and discernment into where someone is at, but He will also remind you what to say and do to open up someone’s heart to the Gospel.

Remember it’s not your work to convict, convince nor convert but only to bear witness.  

The heavy work of seeing someone come to faith in Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit applying what Jesus has done on the cross into the hearts of seekers.

You may lead them, you may bring them to a point where they open their hearts to what Jesus can do for them, and you may even pray with them the sinners prayer but at the end of the day the heavy hitting of convicting, convincing and converting is the work of the Holy Spirit.

It is what Jesus referenced in John 16 as the work of the Advocate who will stir the hearts and minds of unbelievers regarding sin, righteousness and judgment.

“Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.”  John 16:7-8

His work has to do with creating a deep dissatisfaction with life (“to be in the wrong about sin”), a hunger for a better way of living (about righteousness) and an urgency that this needs to happen sooner rather than later (and judgment).

That’s what it means to reproof the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

He is the great advocate and master planner behind this idea that God wants none to perish but all to come to repentance.

I want you to see how the Holy Spirit is all over this!  He is the great advocate.  He is the master planner.  He wants everyone to taste a new way of living. 

Toward that end He will empower you, equip you, open the doors for you and will have prepared the hearts of those long before you ever get there.

Nothing In, Nothing Out!

Now that doesn’t absolve us of our part nor does it mean we can be lazy or sloppy in this.   

When it comes to understanding and articulating the gospel core of who Jesus is, what he came to do, how people need to respond and what happens to people when they do respond; we better make sure that we own the material enough that it flows fluently off our tongue.

We need to know intuitively the needs of people and how they fit into the categories of human need that people like Maslov or Phil Serez have articulated and, more importantly, we need to know what the Bible says about these.

Just like Peter not only knew where his audience was at in his day, but also knew how to shape and position the gospel core as the only answer to where someone was, so we must do the same.

Relying on the Holy Spirit is not an excuse of intellectual laziness.  

While Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will remind you of everything I have said to you”, it implies that we have absorbed the things that Jesus has said to us. 

You see, nothing in, nothing out; as simple as that!  

If you have not disciplined yourself to own the Scriptures, how will the Holy Spirit ever bring to remembrance what you haven’t put to memory?    Nothing in, nothing out!

Spirit Led Preparation

But at the end of the day, it really is a two-step.  

There is our part in all this.   We are the ones who look for gospel connections. We are the ones who own the material well enough to allow it to flow off our tongues.  We also read people well enough to get a sense of where they are at in life.

 

Yet in none of this do we rely on ourselves.  We rely on the Holy Spirit to bring people across our path or point people out to us. 

He will give insight into where people are at.  He will remind us of what to say and how to speak God’s truth into people’s lives

At the end of the day the Holy Spirit will convince, convict and convert.   

All we need to do is open our hearts and be his instruments.

 

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Gospel Fluency II - The Gospel Core

4/26/2015

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        Gospel Fluency -  The Gospel Core

 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” Acts 2:4-8

How’s Your English?

How are you doing with the new language?  Getting better and better at expressing yourself?   For those of us here where English is our second language it can be a real challenge!

I made so many mistakes and I still do.   And it’s usually the teachers in my audience who correct me the most (other than my wife J).  Especially English teachers.

Let me give you an example of what I mean.  Who knew that there was no such word as “irregardless”?  Of course, now I know that “irregardless” is not a word since my spell check flags it.

But before that, I used the word a lot in my sermons.  I meant to say “regardless” but kept saying it wrong, until a teacher in my church in Lindsay pointed it out to me.

Even to this day there are some words I struggle with, and at times my punctuation is off.  It’s ironic that I should end up as a preacher.

Also ironic is the fact that we are to have gospel fluency when one of the biggest struggles of life is figuring out how to express the gospel succinctly and convincingly.

English is thus not the only language we need to show proficiency in.  Even if all of us are proficient in English, let me ask you about your gospel fluency?

Gospel Fluency

Does the Gospel flow as easily off your tongue as does English or whatever language you are most proficient in?

As you engage your colleagues, neighbors, friends and family there will be ample opportunities to speak the Gospel into people’s lives. 

Be it at the Benefit Shop, Club Night, Nemby events or even Spring Open Doors,  opportunities abound to share the Gospel with others.

This means that we need to be fluent in the Gospel.  We need to speak it well, and in such a way that people can understand it.

While we may shape the Gospel into various contexts and speak it differently regardless where we are (or is that irregardless?), we need to know the Gospel well enough to articulate it.

It may sound different in Spanish than it does in English, or in Russian or in German, but the Gospel is still the Gospel and we need to be well versed and fluent enough in it to easily and naturally share it with others.

And every language has sublanguages in which the Gospel still needs to be spoken.  Just like German has a crazy sublanguage called Low German along with a host of other dialects so English has various nuances.   

This means the English spoken in a Seniors Home is different from the English spoken on the streets, or the English spoken in the hallways of our schools.

We don’t need to worry much about mastering other languages; but instead we need to be concerned about mastering the Gospel sufficiently that we can speak it into the vernacular of whatever language we happen to be proficient in.

So let me ask you:  Have you mastered the Gospel sufficiently to speak it into everyday English?  Does the Gospel roll off your tongue easily and naturally in Spanish for those of you that speak it?  What about our Russian or Ukrainian friends?  What about our low-German speaking friends?

Does the Gospel roll off your tongue easily enough?  That’s the question this morning.

Four Key Questions

While it’s true that the Gospel is incredibly complex, with many layers and nuances addressing everything from the meaning of life to how we see God and thus can be studied forever, don’t get caught up in its complexity.  Instead, look for the simplicity in the Gospel that can engage even a child.

A great theologian was once asked how he would summarize theology and the essence of the Gospel.  He thought about it only for a minute before he responded with “Jesus loves me; this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

The Gospel, in its simplest form, is about Jesus and what we can do for others.

At its core the Gospel is about four things: 1) Who is Jesus?

2) What did he do for us?   3) What must we do?   4) What happens to us when we do it?

You master these four aspects and you will be Gospel fluent, which you can then take into whatever language you are at home in.

It’s as simple as that.  Four steps.  Four key questions.  You master these four, and you will know the essence of the Gospel.

Who is Jesus? What did he do for us? What must we do? What happens to us when we do it?

So here’s the Wikipedia version of the four key points:

1)  WHO IS JESUS?

The Gospel is good news about a WONDERFUL PERSON. Jesus is the GOOD NEWS.   Make much of Jesus!!!  Jesus is the Gospel!

He is the perfect man who lived a perfect life fully submitted to God the Father in all things.

 

He is the God-Man in the flesh, so we could know what God is like, and so that God could be near us.

He is the Saviour sent by God to save us from our sins, death, and destruction.

This answers the first question of who Jesus is.

2)  WHAT DID JESUS DO?

The Gospel is the good news about Jesus’ death as well as his resurrection and subsequent ascension.

In his death he exchanged his sinlessness for our sinfulness so that those who call out to him will have their sins forgiven.

In his death, not only were my sins removed or exchanged but they were paid or atoned for.

When he rose from the dead he showed his power of sin and death.  The wages of sin is death so Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated how that debt was fully paid.

He ascended to heaven not only to make intercession for us        (for God knows we need all the interceding we can get), but to also send his Spirit to empower us to live the life of the forgiven.

So that answers the second question of what Jesus did.

3) WHAT MUST WE DO?

This really becomes key.  The Gospel calls for a response; it’s  never good enough to offer what Jesus provides without inviting a response. 

The invitation without a response opportunity is like serving half a meal.

Peter was brilliant in this regard.   What he did in taking the Gospel to his Jewish audience was amazing (more on that in a moment), but equally amazing was how he pointed to the need for a response. 

In his discourse at the Feast of the Tabernacles he repeatedly called for a response:

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”   vs. 21

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”    vs. 3

No doubt, without the call for a response, there would have been no way that 3000 of them that day would have said yes to Jesus.

This is called closing the sale.  Don’t just make the offer without closing the sale, folks.  What you point to in a response is repent, believe and belong.

Repent – Turn away from your old life of sin.  Have a change of mind about what your sins have done, who God is, and what he offers.

Believe – Turn toward God.  Put your trust in who Jesus is, what he has done, and what it accomplished for us.

Belong – Belong to God, surrender to him; belong to the community by being baptized.

As Peter said: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

That answers the third question of what our response is to be.  The only thing left is to answer that fourth question of what happens to us.

4) WHAT HAPPENS TO US?

So here is what someone who has turned away from their old life and toward their new life with Jesus can expect:

 

Ø We are forgiven and cleansed from our sin

Ø We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ø We are included in God’s family forever.

Ø We are sent out to help others with that same offer

Again, there are ample scriptural references for all of these points.  This is just a precursor and overview of the Gospel Core.

The Gospel Core in Jerusalem

Now with this in mind, here is your assignment:  Take these four essentials of the Gospel into the languages around you.  

Take this to the Thrift Store.  Take this to the High Schools.  Take this to your neighborhood.  Take this to Spring Open Doors.

If your friends are hip-hop, then rap it in the spirit of the modern day spoken word artist.

If your friends are Spanish then put this into Spanish.  If it’s every day English then say it in everyday English.

Take this into every conversation that the Holy Spirit opens up for you. 

Do what they did in the book of Acts.  I love the Book of Acts.  It’s actually the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, which traces the incredible stories of these first generation Gospel-bearers.

I marvel at the Gospel fluency these people had and their ability to shape the Gospel into the various contexts and languages of their day.

Peter certainly stands out as one of these people.   What he did in Jerusalem was incredible.

He not only grasped the gospel core of who Jesus was, what Jesus did, what people had to do and what they could expect, but he did it within the culture of his day.

For Peter it was within the context and language of the observant Jews of the first century who had gathered in Jerusalem for their annual Feast of Tabernacle. 

Peter starts out referencing Jesus of Nazareth as a man accredited by God and builds from there:

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” 

Acts 2:22-24

Using their language and speaking in their context, quoting even their national heroes such as Joel and David, he positions Jesus as their long expected Messiah.

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ” vs. 36

This is how you speak the Gospel to observant Jews of the first Century.  This was the Gospel Core in their language at its finest!  No wonder there was huge surge of response.

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” 

Acts 2:37-41

That’s how you do gospel fluency among first century Jews!

The Gospel Core in Caesarea

Then we see Peter again, this time with the household of Cornelius, which became a huge turning point.

You see, Peter was comfortable in the world of first century Judaism, with he himself being Jewish.   These were his people, this was his language, and he was very effective in bringing the gospel core to his own kind.

Cornelius was a huge turning point.  Cornelius was neither Jewish nor from Judea but a Gentile from Italy.

Notice what it says: “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.” Acts 10:1

 

He was from a completely different world than Peter’s.  Peter not only had to learn the language of this man, but he needed huge convincing that this man was worth saving. 

You know the rest of the story, of how God had to come down in a dream and almost slap him in the face before Peter realized that this man was worth saving.

Peter confessed his prejudice to this man when he told Cornelius: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”  10:27

There is a lesson there for us, isn’t there?  Who have we written off?  Who would be taboo to reach out to?  Who are the lepers in today’s evangelical churches?  The transgendered, the gay, the common-law, the tattooed and body pierced?

That’s a whole other conversation, isn’t it?  We would do well to heed Peter’s confession:  “God has shown that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

The other question is what do we do with them when they become Christians?  Do they have to look like us, talk like us, have our tastes and preferences?

That was a huge conversation in the early church which actually started with the Ethiopian Enoch, who, I believe, was the first non-Jewish convert.

What do we do with non-Jews that convert?  Do they have to become Messianic Jews or Judaizers?   Do they have to observe the laws as we do?  Do they have to look like us?

It almost split the church of its day and led to the Council of Jerusalem where a ruling was made regarding lifestyle issues.

It’s easy to take the gospel core to your own people, but a completely different story when riffraff walks in.  

Well, Cornelius was Italian riffraff in the minds of these Judaizers, and yet look at what God was doing in that man and his family:

 

“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.”  Acts 10:2-5

Amazing that God would be at work in the life of an Italian centurion.  Who knew?

Never judge a book by its cover, friend!  God has an amazing ability to be at work in the most unlikely of people.  

As you look outside your box, who are the Cornelius’ in your life?  Who’s beyond your comfort zone?  Who is stretching you in ways you never imagined as you hear God whisper to you not to call anyone impure or unclean?

Look at what Peter did.  He engages Cornelius and his entire house with completely different language than he did with the Jews in Jerusalem.  

Different sentence structures, different wording, no references to Old Testament writings.   It’s like two different preachers.

But he still presents the essence of the four questions of the gospel core in terms of who Jesus was, what he did and our need to respond, and the assurance of what will happen to us.

So Peter talks about such things as: “announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” vs. 36 and “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” vs. 43

And Peter also provides assurance of new life upon repentance when he says:  “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” vs. 47

 
Many Tongues

I could go on and tell you about the language that Philip used so as to reach the Ethiopian from Africa, and how different that was from the language that Paul used to connect with the Epicureans from Athens, and how different that was from what Peter did.

Yet with each one the gospel core was conveyed.  This is what is needed in our days.  True to the gospel core yet fluent in the gospel and speaking it in the languages of those we come across.

As much as you may think that that is about human smarts, ingenuity and learning languages and that somehow Peter, Philip, Paul had the smarts and wherewithal to do this, let me suggest to you something else at play here.

That as much as the Book of Acts is about the incredible acts of the apostles, behind these men and women stood the force of the Holy Spirit, beginning at the very beginning of Acts and all the way through to the end. 

This is as much about the Holy Spirit giving them the ability and drive as it was about what they were able to pull off.

Of course, as a Pentecostal, I do believe that on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit fell that they did speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance and that this prayer language and infilling would go a long way to keep them motivated and effective.

But I also suspect that the desire and the ability to take the gospel core into the many languages and cultures of their day was also a direct result of the Spirit’s coming, and that the speaking of tongues they did in those days was also somehow related to their gospel fluency.

So where do you start?  By opening your heart to the Holy Spirit who will be your guide, teacher and the one who makes you an effective witness!

 

 





 

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