Ministry Matters.... supporting Christian ministry with resources, community, and inspiritation - preach. teach. worship. reach. lead. for Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Ministry Matters.... supporting Christian ministry with resources, community, and inspiritation - preach. teach. worship. reach. lead. for Wednesday, 28 May 2014
7 Helpful Skills for Pastors Leading Growing Churches by Ron Edmondson
I came close to titling these “essential” skills, but I knew that was unfair. God can and does work through all different types of people. But, he has appointed some to be leaders, some teachers, etc. And, I know this from my experience working with and hearing from dozens of pastors each month. There are some great pastors who admit they aren’t skilled at leading the church.
I hear it at least weekly — “I know how to teach and cafe for the people, but I’m simply not always sure how to lead.” And, yet they recognize the value in and the need for leadership. They aren’t afraid of church leadership, as I’ve written about previously.
I believe there are some helpful skills for those who want to lead a church to not only care for and disciple the people in the church now, but actually grow and be healthy at the same time — where there is momentum and unity and excitement around the vision of the Great Commission.
Here are seven helpful skills I’ve observed:
Networking – For definition purposes, this is “the cultivation of productive relationships”. It is the ability to bring the right people to the table to accomplish the mission and it is invaluable for any position of leadership. This is true inside and outside the church. One place where good relationships are proving helpful in the community, for example, is within school systems. With the right people, churches can make significant missional differences in their community with school relationships. Those relationships are formed through networking. And, the possibilities here are endless.
Connecting – If the church is large or small, the best leaders bring people together. When a new person comes into the church, it’s important that they be able to connect quickly to others. First, the pastor needs to meet them, but that isn’t enough to really make people feel connected to a church. Good leaders connect them to people within the church, or help create systems of connection. They value connectivity — creating healthy, life-changing relationships in the church — and see that it is a natural, but intentional part of the church’s overall mission.
Visioneering – Good leaders are able to cast a picture beyond today worthy of taking a risk to seek. They may not always have all the ideas of what’s next — they should have some — but they can rally people behind the vision.
Pioneering – To lead a church by faith, a leader has to be willing to lead into an unknown, and take the first step in that direction. People won’t follow until they know the leader is willing to go first. Momentum and change almost always starts with new — doing things differently — creating new groups, new opportunities — trying things you’ve not tried before. Pioneering leaders watch to see where God may be stirring hearts and are willing to boldly lead into the unknown.
Delegating – No one person can or should attempt to do it all. It’s not healthy, nor is it biblical. This may, however, be the number one reason I see for pastoral burnout, frustration and lack of church growth. Good leaders learn to raise up armies of people who believe in the mission and are willing to take ownership and provide leadership to completing a specific aspect of attaining that vision.
Confronting - If you lead anything, you will face opposition. Period. Leadership involves change and change in church involves change in people. And, most people have some opposition to change. After a pastor is certain of God’s leadership, has sought input from others, cast a vision, and organized people around a plan, there will be opposition. Perhaps even organized opposition. Good leaders learn to confront in love.
Following – Ultimately, it’s all about Christ. I can’t lead people closer to Him — certainly not be more like him — unless I’m personally growing closer to Christ. But, following also involves allowing others to speak into my life. It means I have mentors, people who hold me accountable and healthy family relationships. Good leaders have systems in place that personally keep them on track. Self leadership — and following others who are healthy — keeps a leader in it for the duration.
That’s my list. Or, at least seven on my list.
What would you add?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
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The Best Person for the Job by Joseph Yoo
I believe that when churches are hiring for positions, they should be looking for the best person for the job. Sounds obvious, right? But some churches inappropriately use "grace" when hiring people, especially when they hire from within the congregation.
A church hired someone because "she needed a job" and "needed a pick-me-up" after her husband passed. The church had a position open (an assistant office administrator) and this person was available and needed something to keep her mind occupied. It was a win-win situation: The position would be filled and the church was extending grace by hiring her. She didn't even go through the traditional interview process because she was a long-time member of the church.
She was wonderful and lovable, but she didn't know how to do the things that were required for that job.
She had no grasp on the phone system (how to transfer calls and transfer to voicemails); the fancy copy machine intimidated her, so she avoided using it; she didn't know how to use the program to send out mass emails — all basic things for the job. What ended up happening was the church hired another person to be the assistant office administrator, doing all the things that the church member hiree couldn't do. And the church member basically ended up being a paid bulletin folder, as that became her main role.
I know another church whose choir director is way past the retirement age. He has a difficult time coming to rehearsals and often forgets things between practice and Sunday mornings. Everyone knows he should retire but because he is adamant that he continue no one says anything.
Or hiring the Chair of Trustee's grandson as the church's custodian simply because he's the trustee's grandson and needs the job to gain work experience. Never mind that he has no experience in that area, or the fact that even the trustee has complained many times about the grandson's laziness and inability to keep the room clean.
The common phrase that people say regarding situations like this is, "this is a church, and we should show them grace."
Perhaps.
I'm not a Star Trek fan, however, I can't help but quote Spock, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
I mean, yes. What a generous thing to do for those individuals. But at what cost? One church has two assistant office administrators where one isn't really administrating the office. I'd argue that's not being very good stewards of church resources. Another church's (once proud) music ministry is dwindling and suffering because the grace-filled thing is to let the director continue until, at this rate, he passes. The trustee's grandson? Doesn't do his job adequately. Often comes in late, if he remembers to come at all. Other church members have come and vacuumed, cleaned and restocked the bathrooms, etc. during their free time. And no one wants to say anything because they want to be graceful and help out this young man and because he's the trustee's grandson.
Isn't there a better way to show "grace" than offering someone a job? Someone recently asked me if I'd consider a certain person for our nursery job because he is lonely and needs things to do and that it would be nice for the church to do something like this for him.
I don't think hiring a 90 year old to watch 1-3 year olds is the best scenario. For anyone.
When a church is hiring, shouldn't we hire someone who's best suited for the job? Someone who can actually do the job? Instead of taking the next warm body available or hiring someone out of favor (or "grace")?
Of course there are stories where a church showing grace by hiring someone worked out perfectly and was one of the best hires ever. But that seems to be more of an exception than the rule. (Although I could just be a sucker for church "horror" stories.)
The church doesn't need to feel obligated to give someone a job out of grace. I believe the church can do far greater and meaningful things to help someone in the community out, to meet their needs, to show support, grace, and love.
The church should be faithful stewards and hire the best person for the position they are seeking to fill. That's the grace-filled thing to do for the entire community.
Joseph Yoo is a Ministry Matters contributor and pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara, CA. He is the author of Practical Prayer and Encountering Grace from the Converge Bible Studies series. He blogs at JosephYoo.com.
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Feasting on Fruit: Nine Days of Welcoming the Holy Spirit by Kasey Hitt
Are you breathing? Then you are enjoying the gift of the Spirit of Life. Yet God is such a generous gift-giver, there is more...we have access to the dynamic, creative, and healing power of this Life-giving Spirit. We are invited to feast on and bring into this world God's nourishing gifts—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Now doesn't that sound better than mere survival? What does it require?—Openness to God.
Throughout the New Testament we see a variety of ways Jesus-followers encountered the Holy Spirit and brought to life, or incarnated, the Living God through the Spirit's power. Mystical encounters and experiences like Pentecost, Peter's vision, and Paul's blinding as well as soul-shaping conversations, prayers, and testimonies unleashed a power leading to boldness, change, forgiveness, healing and love. This same Spirit is still available within, around, and among us today.
Looking at Scripture and sitting with people as a spiritual director, here's something I notice about many who experience and embody the Beloved—they were and are not perfect people, but prayerful people. They long for God to speak. They learn to discern and recognize God's voice, whether it comes in ordinary ways like through the words of Scripture or a friend or unorthodox ways like a burning bush or nighttime dream. They are willing to be changed by God and follow God's instructions. Once again, these instructions may be ordinary like treating an employee with fairness or offering kindness to an angry family member. These instructions may also be unorthodox like marrying a woman saying she is pregnant by immaculate conception or welcoming the very group of people one was excluding, even persecuting.
Are you willing to spend nine days becoming even more open to this God?
What might happen as our minds, hearts and bodies offer a deeper hospitality to the Holy Spirit?
For the next 9 days (or 9 weeks depending on how you would like to go through the practices) you are invited to take and eat of some simple exercises focusing on the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.
(The whole series is posted here and the free pdf download below explains the body postures, one of the suggested prayer exercises.)
St. Ignatius of Loyola once mentioned that it is not the abundance of knowledge that satisfies the soul but the interior sense and taste of spiritual things. Start tasting by picking at least one suggested exercise out of each of the two groupings. You might even consider ways to integrate this series into your small group or congregation. The practices are found under:
Breathe In 
Breathe Out
After his resurrection, it is written that Jesus appeared to his disciples inside the room where they were fearfully gathered and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” “And with that,” wrote John, “he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'” They did, and what followed not long after?—Pentecost.
This power of the Spirit they breathed in Jesus' presence, they also heard and saw evidence of in Jesus' absence. They knew His Spirit continued to be with them and they went from being fearful to miraculously speaking good news to the diverse world right around them. Witnesses were either amazed as they recognized their mother-tongues being spoken in the cacophony or they were calling the disciples fools for they only heard the cacophony. Regardless, a revolution of healing love began which would change the world.
May you breathe deeply this same Spirit. May you be willing to look like a fool. May you feast on the Spirit's fruit and become what you eat. May the world taste and see that the Lord is good.
The whole series is posted here and the free pdf download below explains the body postures, one of the suggested prayer exercises. 
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/FeastingOnFruitYoga.pdf
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Why Do Pastors Often Act Like the Parishioners They Complain About? by Dave Barnhart
Nearly any pastor can tell you the symptoms of an unhealthy church: members distrust their leadership and their pastor; they insist on voting on everything, even the color of the carpet; they threaten to leave or withhold money if they don’t get their way; they spread rumors and innuendo; they write anonymous letters and litigate everything.
Many of us also know the solutions to these kinds of problem parishioners: make them irrelevant. You have to learn how to bypass excessively bureaucratic processes. You work to empower the people who “get it.” You cast a vision for the folks who will follow you into a preferred future. In short, you lead.
The United Methodist Church on the denominational level often looks exactly like a small, unhealthy church. At the 2012 General Conference, we rejected visionary leadership and bold change in favor of mutual distrust which, in so many ways, is more comfortable.
Although I consider myself an ally in the movement toward LGBTQ inclusion, I do not believe this issue alone is at the heart of our problems in the UMC (I believe most allies, and most opponents, generally agree.) It is, however, a thermometer with which we can diagnose how unhealthy we are.
Let me give you an example of how this plays out: Last quadrennium, I was part of a caucus to elect young clergy to General Conference. We got within one vote of getting a woman under 40 elected to General Conference. At the last ballot, we asked another candidate to do the gracious, inclusive thing and step aside to let her be elected. This would be the first time since we began tracking it that a clergy delegate under 40 would have gone from our Annual Conference. His response was disheartening. He said that he couldn’t because he didn’t know how she would vote on LGBTQ inclusion.
Now, I know this delegate, and he’s a good guy. I think he’s a great leader and pastor. But he also couldn’t see how his response was exactly like the fearful reactions of problem people in unhealthy congregations: “We can’t let the teenagers use the new family life center, because they might mess it up.” Instead of helping us achieve an historic election and send young delegates to General Conference, generational suspicion and litmus-testing ruled his decision.
We can see this same kind of response on the macro level. Whether it is threatening to leave or split the church or withhold funds, some churches and church pastors mimic the behavior of our least committed and least healthy members. Letting their behavior run the way we create policy will not help us in the long run, whether we’re talking about the local church or the denomination. I’m sure they can give well-reasoned, articulate explanations for their behavior. They usually can. But people who talk this way demonstrate that they should not lead.
Let me make one assumption explicit, because I know it’s controversial: faithful churches are healthy churches. They may not all be megachurches, but they produce fruit. Generally, they will be growing churches (unless external circumstances prevent them from doing so). And you can find growing churches of all different stripes: liberal and conservative, urban or rural, oriented toward social justice or evangelism, and you can find them in every Annual Conference. Here’s what blows my mind and frustrates me about our denomination: we already know what makes churches healthy. When it comes to our denomination, though, we can’t seem to put it into practice.
Maybe this reveals my naivety. I know that systems and structures (like General Conference) can prevent us from doing as a group what we know to be right as individuals. But I believe we should be able to apply what we already know about healthy churches to our denomination. Perhaps it begins with us church leaders acting like the best church members we have. May God give us the grace to lead at the macro level the way we lead our churches.
Dave Barnhart is the pastor of Saint Junia UMC in Birmingham, Ala. He blogs at DaveBarnhart.net.
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Should Conservatives Oppose the Death Penalty? by Clifton Stringer
The Boston Globe's Leon Neyfakh reports, in a May 25 story ("The conservative case against the death penalty"), on opposition to the death penalty from within the Republican party. He writes:
The argument [such Republicans] put forward is, overall, extraordinarily straightforward: People who share a deep worry about government overreach, who believe in the sanctity of life, and who place great importance on fiscal responsibility should not support a policy that empowers the state to spend large sums of money killing people.
When it turns out that (due to the process of appeals) it is much more expensive to hold someone on death row than in general population, when the death penalty is shown to be an ineffective deterrent to crime, and when citizens are, for all this, sometimes wrongly executed, all of this seems to add up to something Republicans should be eager to oppose. As Marc Hyden of Conservatives Against the Death Penalty states the case, "The question is not whether people who commit heinous crimes deserve to be executed — it's whether we trust the government to efficiently and effectively carry that out." One could add 'justly.'
One fascinating feature of Neyfakh's story is that two of the three anti-death penalty conservatives he profiles, Richard Viguerie and Ramesh Ponnuru, arrive at their anti-death penalty views due to the influence of their Catholic faith. Ponnuru says that at an emotional and intuitive level he feels pro-death penalty when he hears about horrible crimes. Yet the clear teachings of his faith win out: "Our emotional or intuitive reactions are not a sure guide to right and wrong in matters of moral import."
Neyfakh's story reminds me that it was through Catholic-worker style Catholics I met while in seminary at Duke Divinity School that I came to oppose the death penalty. (Read about the Catholic Worker Movement here and founder Dorothy Day here.) As Neyfakh documents through Viguerie and Ponnuru, I was surprised by how well the case against the death penalty fit within the larger framework of the logic of pro-life thought (which my friends would just have called the consistency of Catholic moral theology).
From the perspective of Christian ministry and discipleship, Ponnuru's point that what seems right emotionally and intuitively is not always right is important. To the extent that we are (self-consciously or not) Augustinian, we expect our emotions (which, in fallen form, Augustine terms 'passions') to be frequently out of whack even as our lives are transformed by the light of Jesus Christ. It seems important for Christian disciples and pastors to be able to emphasize this point. What kind of community life, what kind of focus on discipleship, do our churches need to sustain in order that we (pastors and congregants alike) may be able to imagine that our emotions and political intuitions need to be always held up to the greater light of divine revelation? What kind of spirituality do we need to sustain such a community life?
It seems, in relation to the death penalty as everywhere, Christians in American need to be able to think, pray, and act outside the somewhat arbitrary bricolage of ill-wed positions espoused by both the Republicans and the Democrats to be able to be, first and last, disciples of Jesus Christ.
Be sure to read the rest of Neyfakh's story.
Clifton Stringer is a Ph.D. student in Historical Theology at Boston College. He is an Elder in the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
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The Power of a Time Audit by Chad Brooks
Welcome to the first episode of the second season of The Productive Pastor. I LOVE doing this podcast and being part of the community. This season is going to rock. We have some great interviews recorded and great topics to help you rock time management in your ministry. 
Do you ever struggle with where your time went? I totally understand. I once had a director lead the entire ministry team through a time audit. It helped me tremendously learn to take control of my schedule and priorities. 
If you want to get a handle on your productivity, the time audit is the first place to start. 
Remember, you can’t improve what you don’t know.

Here are the 5 steps to a Time Audit:
1. Write out what you think you do.
2. Find a method. (episode 11 on daysheets)
3. Decide on an interval.
4. Take a week and do it.
5. Count it all up.
The time audit will give you a great baseline for personal productivity.
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I'm Not Your Pastor... Yet by Shawn Franssens
I love being a pastor. I love the sense of God’s call on my life and the way I have been invited to respond to the call.
Now as I prepare to join in God’s work among a people I do not yet know in a land I am only passingly familiar with, I find myself reflecting on how one becomes a pastor to a people. I suggest there is a progression of relationship I do well to keep before me as I explore this emerging opportunity. In fact, I think I will be called to serve in three related, but separated roles: Priest, Pastor, and Prophet. Knowing when to act as each may be the difference between successfully participating in furthering the Kingdom of God or not. (Yes. I think this is that important.) 
Start Here: Priest
When I show up on day one, I come as Priest. I bring the authority to order and preside over worship. I will administer the sacraments. I will officiate the weddings. I will bury our dead. It is the observance of our rituals where I will be called to lead. This is an important role rooted in the earliest expressions of our faith. It is a Priest who calls the people to worship. To remember and remind the people of God’s promises. To offer intercession and other forms of prayer. To sing the songs that shape us as God’s people.
This work was so important one of the twelve tribes of Israel was set apart to serve the people in this way with others supporting them and providing for their livelihood; a practice continued with many of our modern-day clergy.
Over time and through shared experiences, those I serve as Priest will come to be known by be and to know me. We will build trust in one another and come to see each other as companions on the journey. When trust becomes acceptance and genuine care and concern is shared, I will move from simply being a Priest into a more intimate role. 
Grow Here: Pastor
Though my title may be Pastor when I arrive, the title precedes the relationship. One becomes Pastor, one cannot be assigned as Pastor. Becoming suggests a growing or an unfolding. And this is the way of all relationships. Some will come to accept me as Pastor sooner than others. Some may not at all. That’s because relationships take time, they involve people and personalities, and they don’t follow formulas or well-defined steps.
When the relationship does blossom into one of mutual trust and care, the role of Pastor mirrors Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. The Pastor identifies with the people she/he serves as a friend and a partner in ministry. The Pastor willingly sacrifices for these friends as they explore increasingly deeper levels of love for God and for each other. There may not be a greater joy in life than to be considered someone’s Pastor.
The Pastor may fulfill their greatest responsibility, albeit their more difficult one, when they can speak into the lives of others, not from a place of perceived superiority (spiritual or otherwise), but from the place of deep love. Frequently the words spoken from this place are challenging, perhaps even confrontational, and yet they may be the ultimate expression of our calling.
Challenge Here: Prophet
Provocateur. Trouble-maker. Upsetter of apple carts and money-changing tables. Call them what you will, Prophets are change agents. Given enough time (Oh, how I have rushed this!), Prophets warn, remind, and challenge the people. It is as Prophet that we encourage people to walk to the edge of the comfort zone and step into new territory. It is the Prophet who declares “Thus says the LORD!” It is the Prophet who brings the harsh word that is often hard to hear.
I may never gain the level of trust needed to be Prophet. I may never get a hearing with the people I am called to lead. I will likely feel compelled to speak the prophetic word nonetheless. However, if I try to short-circuit the relationship, if I seek a fast-track to speaking the vision placed on my heart, if I rush to push/pull/prod the people without first building the relational capital necessary to share the fire burning in my bones, we will all suffer for it.
So as I make my transition to a new land and a new people, I will start where I can start; I will do what I have been given permission by the people to do. I pray for the wisdom to know when I have been granted more authority, when I have been invited into a new relationship and a new role. This calling is too important to do anything less.
Life is better together, 
Shawn
Shawn is a United Methodist pastor in Missouri. He blogs at Big Rubber Band Ball. 
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Anticipating Pentecost by Kay Huggins
The story of Pentecost is one of the best known stories of the New Testament. As with the beloved stories of the Gospels— such as the Good Samaritan, the Last Supper, and the Visitation of the Magi— familiarity actually obscures rather than enhances our understanding. This text, however, comes to life when read slowly and thoughtfully. As with other good stories from Scripture, the story of Pentecost has a specific setting: a festival day in Jerusalem. Not only do the place and time set the context, but also there is a sense of anticipation related to this day. The day of Pentecost was fifty days after the festival of Passover.
Two dynamics blended to make this a popular holiday. The ancient roots of Pentecost are traced back to an agricultural celebration; the harvest of the first sheaves of barley brought joy to the people. Later, as the liturgical life of the people developed, Pentecost became a remembrance of the events on Mount Sinai, specifically the gift of the law to Moses. This blessed gift of the Ten Commandments also evoked joy. These two joyful elements increased the significance of the holiday of Pentecost; not only was God dependable, as witnessed in the first sheaves of the barley harvest, but God was also gracious, as attested to by the provision of a divine law.
Every year the nation gathered in gratitude to celebrate and remember God’s providence. On this particular year, when the day arrived, all the followers of Jesus were together, attending to their usual tasks of remembering and giving thanks.
Every year the whole nation waited in anticipation for the announcement of the actual day of Pentecost. In this particular year, when the day arrived, all the followers of Jesus were together waiting and praying. Into the quiet of prayer, a sound like a mighty wind shook the room. (Try to imagine the shock and surprise of a prayer meeting blown open!) The sound, however, was only a call to attention. Next came the vision of something like tongues of fire, and with that vision came the peculiar manifestation of foreign speech.
The formal name of this phenomenon is xenolalia, the inspired capacity to speak a foreign language. As distinct from glossolalia, the gift of speaking in spiritual tongues requiring interpretation, xenolalia is articulate speech immediately understood by those familiar with the particular language. The wind, vision, and foreign tongues were amazing; however, even more amazing was the inclusivity of God’s Spirit. All were included in the event: disciples and followers, young women and old men, as well as strangers from across the known world.
Adapted from The New International Lesson Annual Copyright © 2005 by Abingdon Press 
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This Sunday, 1 June 2014
Ascension Sunday: Acts 1:1 The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom. 4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. 5 For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold,[a] two men stood by them in white clothing, 11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”
Footnotes:
a. Acts 1:10 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
Psalm 47: For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.
1 Oh clap your hands, all you nations.
    Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For Yahweh Most High is awesome.
    He is a great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues nations under us,
    and peoples under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
    the glory of Jacob whom he loved.
Selah.
5 God has gone up with a shout,
    Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praise to God, sing praises.
    Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth.
    Sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations.
    God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together,
the people of the God of Abraham.
    For the shields of the earth belong to God.
    He is greatly exalted!
Psalm 93:1 Yahweh reigns!
    He is clothed with majesty!
    Yahweh is armed with strength.
The world also is established.
    It can’t be moved.
2 Your throne is established from long ago.
    You are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, Yahweh,
    the floods have lifted up their voice.
    The floods lift up their waves.
4 Above the voices of many waters,
    the mighty breakers of the sea,
    Yahweh on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes stand firm.
    Holiness adorns your house,
    Yahweh, forever more.
Ephesians 1:15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 having the eyes of your hearts[a] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Footnotes:
a. Ephesians 1:18 TR reads “understanding” instead of “hearts”
Luke 24:44 He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52 They worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
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Ascended Into Heaven by Carl L. Schenck
Acts 1:1-11
Today is one of those relatively obscure Christian holidays of which many are unaware: Ascension Sunday. This is the day in the church calendar when we celebrate the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. In all honesty, the ascension is a rather difficult idea for the modern mind to handle. It’s the story of how Jesus went to the Mount of Olives after his resurrection from the dead. There, according to the book of Acts, Jesus literally flew off into heaven. “He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).
In the first century, the understanding of the cosmos was very different from ours. People understood heaven to be a place that was literally, geographically, “up” from the earth. They could visualize Jesus leaving them and going “up” into heaven. With our scientific view of the cosmos, we know there is no up or down in the universe. Even our notion of heaven is not of a geographical location or direction. When contemporary people think of the ascension, it is a little hard to imagine the Lord Jesus Christ flying off like a one-person space shuttle into the skies.
Yet, despite our scientific reservations, the story of the ascension is spiritually important to us. The ascension was the church’s way of dealing with a fundamental fact. The earliest disciples had experienced the bodily presence of the risen Lord, the one who was no longer under the claim of death. After a passage of time, this experience of the risen Lord as bodily present with them seemed to pass. He didn’t appear again. They accounted for his absence by saying that the risen Lord was now in heaven. They had to go forward without his physical presence. He had ascended into heaven.
Christians today have the same circumstance. We believe in a risen Lord who is no longer physically present. The body of Jesus is not here any longer, except in the church as the body of Christ. So on Ascension Sunday, we do well to think about what Jesus’ physical absence means for Christians today.
First, the absence of the physical Jesus calls us to take seriously the church as the body of Christ. This is a concept with which we all are very familiar. We say that the church is the body of Christ without thinking about what that might actually mean. If the church is the body of Christ, then we are called to give to the church the devotion and respect that Christ deserves.
Think about it. How precious to you is the church? How central to your life is the mission of the church? It is easy for us to think that we would respond to the physical presence of Jesus with all the love and devotion we could humanly summon. Yet we often treat the church as just one more volunteer community organization. Now civic clubs do good work; health-related charities appeal to us, especially if we have lost a loved one to the disease the charity seeks to overcome; organizations that support our schools do important work. But none of these organizations are the body of Christ. Only the church is Jesus among us. Its mission is to be consistent with Jesus’ mission. The love we have for it is the love we have for Jesus.
The church is the closest we will ever come on earth to having Jesus to care for and to love. On Ascension Sunday, we are called to reassess our devotion to the church as the physical body of Christ still among us. The risen Lord is not here; he has ascended. The body of Christ is very much here, and the way we treat the church is the way we treat the risen Lord.
Second, Ascension Sunday reminds us that we are each, individually, a part of Christ’s body. To honor the church as we honor Christ is also to remember that in a powerful way, we are each a part of this body of Christ. When we neglect our part in the mission of the church, we disable the body of Christ. As Paul said, each of us is a physical part of the body of Christ. We are the arms and legs, the eyes and ears; we are limbs and organs of Christ’s present body. When we fail to do our part, the body becomes disabled. Christ becomes disabled without the limb or organ that each of us is called and gifted to be. (See 1 Corinthians 12.)
The absence of the physical body of Jesus places a claim upon us to relate to the church as we would relate to Christ. It also reminds us that without our individual faithfulness to our role in the church, the body of Christ is weakened and disabled.
Last, Ascension Sunday reminds us that if Christ’s work is to continue, it is up to us to do it. Now that is not to say we receive no godly help. Next Sunday is Pentecost, and we will celebrate our empowerment by the Holy Spirit. But this divine help comes to empower us in doing the work of Christ. Jesus is no longer here to heal the sick. He is no longer here to touch the outcast. He is no longer here to feed the hungry. It is up to us, the body of Christ, to continue this work. If the church fails to be the body of Christ, Jesus is absent. If the church fails to be the body of Christ, Jesus is nowhere to be seen.
Yes, this is an obscure Christian holiday. It celebrates an event that is difficult for the modern scientific mind to take literally. At the same time, this is a critical day in our personal and collective self-understanding. It is significant that the risen Lord ascended into heaven. His ascension invites us to relate to the church as we would to Christ. It reminds each of us of the critical nature of our role in the body of Christ. It calls us to take up Jesus’ work on earth. This is a most important obscure day.
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Worship Elements: June 1, 2014 by Leigh Anne Taylor
Ascension Sunday
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53
THEME IDEAS
Christians confess that Jesus fulfilled the promises of God as written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and Jesus Christ ascended to God where he has ultimate authority with God. From this place of authority, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, whose purpose is to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to the entire earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s readings, Jesus blesses his followers, telling them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in his name. But first they must wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. His followers return to the temple to worship God where one can imagine that they sang Psalm 47, which celebrates God’s ultimate authority over all.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 47)
Clap your hands, all you people!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our sovereign Lord!
God is sovereign over all the earth!
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Let everything that has breath sing praises.
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Opening Prayer (Ephesians 1, Acts 1)
God of all glory,
as we come to know your Son
through the living word of scripture,
enlighten our hearts
with the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Remind us again of Christ’s authority over the church
at all times and in all places.
Renew in us again our purpose as Christ’s followers:
to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins
in the name of Jesus Christ
to all people in all places.
All glory and honor be to you, Christ Jesus. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 47, Ephesians 1)
Our Savior Jesus,
even while we extol you as Divine Sovereign
whose authority is above all earthly power,
we have failed to give you authority
over even the smallest matters of our lives.
We confess our arrogant,
self-centered exercise of power
over matters in our lives (pause),
in our church (pause),
and in our world. (pause)
We desperately cling to our own power,
failing to yield to your divine authority,
wisdom, guidance, and love.
Forgive us, we pray,
for the harm we have done to others
and to ourselves.
In your mercy, save us, Lord. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Luke 24)
Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended to God,
“Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed
in my name to all nations.”
Repent then, followers of Christ,
and allow Christ to transform your lives.
Receive forgiveness in the name of the risen savior. Amen.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Ephesians 1)
Paul writes to the Christian community at Ephesus, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Near you now are people whose courageous expressions and acts of selfless love have profoundly influenced your lives. With thankfulness, let us greet one another in the
name of the risen Christ.
Response to the Word (Ephesians 1)
Holy Lord,
the gift of your hope and the power of your Spirit
are given to all who believe,
even to us who worship here today.
Help us grasp the enormity of your gifts,
that we may receive these gifts with open hearts
and celebrate them joyfully
as we serve you in every aspect of our lives. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (Acts 1)
If Jesus was giving directions to his disciples today, they might sound something like this: “You will be my witnesses to (your home town), to all of (your county), to (your state), and to the ends of the earth.“One way we become Christ’s witnesses is through our giving today. Some of our gifts will help people in Jesus’ name locally through (mention a local ministry). Some funds will reach into our state through (mention a conference or regional ministry). Some gifts will reach far into our world in the name of Jesus through our support of (mention an international ministry that you support). I invite you to give generously and joyfully as you fulfill Christ’s call to be his witnesses to (your town, your county, your state), and to all the world.
Offering Prayer (Luke 24) 
Bless these gifts, O Lord of all,
that we might worship you with great joy
and serve your people with great love.
In Christ’s name, Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Acts 1)
People of God, receive the blessing of Jesus Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go now to live in Christian love
and witness to the power of forgiveness
in your homes, in your community,
even to the ends of the earth,
until that day when Christ returns in glory. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Gathering Words (Psalm 47)
Everybody here, clap your hands!
God is in the house!
Everybody here, shout your praise to God!
God is in the house!
Everybody here, sing praise to God!
God is in the house!
Praise Sentences (Psalm 47, Ephesians 1)
Jesus Christ is the Ruler of all rulers.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
Jesus Christ is the Lord of all lords.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
Jesus Christ is the Name above all names.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2011,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2010 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2015” is now available.
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Worship Connection: June 1, 2014 by Nancy C. Townley
Ascension Sunday
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53
THEME IDEAS
Christians confess that Jesus fulfilled the promises of God as written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and Jesus Christ ascended to God where he has ultimate authority with God. From this place of authority, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, whose purpose is to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to the entire earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s readings, Jesus blesses his followers, telling them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in his name. But first they must wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. His followers return to the temple to worship God where one can imagine that they sang Psalm 47, which celebrates God’s ultimate authority over all.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 47)
Clap your hands, all you people!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our sovereign Lord!
God is sovereign over all the earth!
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Let everything that has breath sing praises.
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Opening Prayer (Ephesians 1, Acts 1)
God of all glory,
as we come to know your Son
through the living word of scripture,
enlighten our hearts
with the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Remind us again of Christ’s authority over the church
at all times and in all places.
Renew in us again our purpose as Christ’s followers:
to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins
in the name of Jesus Christ
to all people in all places.
All glory and honor be to you, Christ Jesus. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 47, Ephesians 1)
Our Savior Jesus,
even while we extol you as Divine Sovereign
whose authority is above all earthly power,
we have failed to give you authority
over even the smallest matters of our lives.
We confess our arrogant,
self-centered exercise of power
over matters in our lives (pause),
in our church (pause),
and in our world. (pause)
We desperately cling to our own power,
failing to yield to your divine authority,
wisdom, guidance, and love.
Forgive us, we pray,
for the harm we have done to others
and to ourselves.
In your mercy, save us, Lord. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Luke 24)
Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended to God,
“Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed
in my name to all nations.”
Repent then, followers of Christ,
and allow Christ to transform your lives.
Receive forgiveness in the name of the risen savior. Amen.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Ephesians 1)
Paul writes to the Christian community at Ephesus, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Near you now are people whose courageous expressions and acts of selfless love have profoundly influenced your lives. With thankfulness, let us greet one another in the
name of the risen Christ.
Response to the Word (Ephesians 1)
Holy Lord,
the gift of your hope and the power of your Spirit
are given to all who believe,
even to us who worship here today.
Help us grasp the enormity of your gifts,
that we may receive these gifts with open hearts
and celebrate them joyfully
as we serve you in every aspect of our lives. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (Acts 1)
If Jesus was giving directions to his disciples today, they might sound something like this: “You will be my witnesses to (your home town), to all of (your county), to (your state), and to the ends of the earth.“One way we become Christ’s witnesses is through our giving today. Some of our gifts will help people in Jesus’ name locally through (mention a local ministry). Some funds will reach into our state through (mention a conference or regional ministry). Some gifts will reach far into our world in the name of Jesus through our support of (mention an international ministry that you support). I invite you to give generously and joyfully as you fulfill Christ’s call to be his witnesses to (your town, your county, your state), and to all the world.
Offering Prayer (Luke 24) 
Bless these gifts, O Lord of all,
that we might worship you with great joy
and serve your people with great love.
In Christ’s name, Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Acts 1)
People of God, receive the blessing of Jesus Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go now to live in Christian love
and witness to the power of forgiveness
in your homes, in your community,
even to the ends of the earth,
until that day when Christ returns in glory. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Gathering Words (Psalm 47)
Everybody here, clap your hands!
God is in the house!
Everybody here, shout your praise to God!
God is in the house!
Everybody here, sing praise to God!
God is in the house!
Praise Sentences (Psalm 47, Ephesians 1)
Jesus Christ is the Ruler of all rulers.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
Jesus Christ is the Lord of all lords.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
Jesus Christ is the Name above all names.
Exalt the name of Jesus!
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2011,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2010 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2015” is now available.
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Ascension of the Lord by Wesley King
Readings:
Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47 or Psalm 93; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53
Prayer:
35 Let us gather as they gathered on the Mount of Olivet 
Marilyn E. Thorton 
© 2008 Marilyn E. Thorton
Song Suggestions:
Praise God for This Holy Ground (Acts)
"Praise God who through Christ makes know all are loved and called God's own. Hallelujah!"
Worship & Song # 3009
How Great Is Our God (Psalm)
Because the Lord Most High is awesome, he is the great king of the whole world. Common English Bible 
Worship & Song # 3003 
YouTube
Open the Eyes of My Heart (Ephesians)
I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God's call, what is the richness of God's glorious inheritance among believers. Common English Bible 
Worship & Song # 3008 
YouTube
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (Luke)
"Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits!" 
Music and Lyrics 
United Methodist Hymnal - 213
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Worship for Kids: June 1, 2014 by Carolyn C. Brown
ASCENSION OF THE LORD
From a Child's Point of View
Acts 1:1-11. The Ascension story is of interest to children for two reasons. First, it answers the literal-minded questions, "What did Jesus do after Easter?" and "Where is Jesus now?" The answer is that for forty days Jesus helped his disciples understand what had happened on Good Friday and Easter. Then he returned to God. Second, the Ascension is the story of Jesus passing the baton of responsibility to his disciples. As he returned to God, Jesus instructed the disciples to pick up and continue his work. They were to be Jesus' witneses, and they were to expect God to send the Holy Spirit to help them with the task. The "two men in white" emphasize this change when they ask why the disciples are staring into the sky. There is work to be done. So on Ascension Day, we complete our celebration of what Jesus did and get ready to go to work as his witnesses today.
Older children are especially receptive to the challenge to be witnesses. Their parallel of the phrase "in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" is "at home, at school, in [your town], and to all the world."
These eleven verses are packed with a summary of the forty days after Easter, the promise of the Holy Spirit, a discussion between Jesus and the disciples about the messianic kingdom, and the Ascension story. The Good News Bible is by far the easiest translation with which to keep up with all this action. Even so, you may need to reread verses 8-11 in order that children focus attention on the Ascension.
Gospel: Luke 24:44-53. This is the easier of today's Ascension accounts for children. Reading it just before or after the Acts account will help children clarify what happened. The message is the same. The disciples (and we) are to take up Jesus' work after receiving the Holy Spirit.
Psalm: Psalm 47 or 93. The inclusion of these psalms with the Ascension texts is hard to explain to children. The psalms are all pomp-and-circumstance for the triumphant "king of the world." The Ascension accounts focus on the "servant king" who calls on his followers to take up his ministry. Adults can see the significance of this pairing of servant King and triumphant King, but few children can.
On its own, however, either psalm is a great reminder that God/Jesus is King of the universe, the greatest power that ever was or ever will be.
Epistle: Ephesians 1:15-23. This passage is for grown-ups. The sentence structure is too complex and the words too abstract for children. Children will hear Paul's basic message about Christ in the more concrete story of the Ascension.
Watch Words
Ascension and ascend are not children's words. Use them today to describe only this event.
Beware of using vocabulary about the triumphant king. Words such as dominion, exalted, and subdued people are foreign to children. Otherwise familiar words like triumphant, victorious, conquering, and glorious become meaningless when combined in long lists of adjectives or when used repetitively in varying combinations.
Take time to give the legal definition of witness so that children know what Jesus is asking his disciples to do.
Let the Children Sing
Most of the hymns designated for Ascension Day are filled with triumphal language and theological jargon which are beyond children's understanding. The children will be more readily celebrate Jesus' Ascension by singing "Come, Christians, Join to Sing," or even "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." Sing the latter hymn one more time to conclude the entire Easter season.
"Open My Eyes That I May See" is a good hymn with which to accept Christ's call to become his witnesses.
The Liturgical Child
1. Conclude your celebration of Easter by retracing the forty days of Easter. Reread several of the Easter lessons, matching them with different movements within your worship. Example:
John 20:1-10 (empty tomb)
Hymn: "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"
John 20:24-29 (Thomas's encounter with the Risen Christ)
Prayers of Confession and Assurance of Pardon: Pray about ways we fail to live the Easter faith. If you used the Easter tokens, pray a one-sentence prayer about our failures, as highlighted by each use of the tokens. Jesus' response to Thomas becomes our Assurance of Pardon.
John 20:15-19 (Christ calls Peter to "feed my sheep")
Prayers of Petition
Acts 1:1-11 (the Ascension)
Sermon
Psalm 47 or hymn of praise to Christ
2. Create an Ascension litany celebrating Christ's work and committing yourselves to take up that work as his witnesses. The congregation responds after each statement:
Christ, we will be your witnesses and carry on your work at home, in (your town), and in all the world.
Leader: Jesus, though you were God and Lord of the universe, you were not ashamed to live among us and love us. You even died for us.
Leader: Jesus, you kept an eye out for people who needed healing. You touched lepers, put healing clay on blind eyes, told the lame to stand up and walk, and went looking for the woman who touched your robe, believing you could heal her.
Leader: You made friends with people whom everyone else avoided. You invited yourself to dinner with Zaccheus, the tax-collecting cheat. You included rough fishermen and political troublemakers among your disciples.
Leader: You taught us to forgive and love even our enemies. And you showed us how to do it as you forgave the people who betrayed you, denied you, and killed you.
Leader: When we remember what you said and did, we know you were showing us how good the world could be. Give us the courage and wisdom to follow you.
3. Be aware of end-of-school events, such as special parties or trips, and concerns, such as grades, and the relief that summer is coming. Talk with children about their summer hopes (fun trips and release from homework) and summer fears (new camps, unwelcome baby-sitters or day-care set-ups; or tough kids on the loose in their neighborhoods). Pray about all these events and concerns on the appropriate Sundays.
4. Begin the benediction with a paraphrase of the question asked by the two men in white, "Why are you standing here?" Then send the congregation out to be Christ's witnesses and promise the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Sermon Resources
1. Tell stories about Christian witnesses. Include stories about people or groups in your church. In telling what was done, help the listeners understand these efforts as responses to Christ's Ascension request that we become witnesses.
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Sermon Options: June 1, 2014
FOUNDATIONS OF PENTECOST
ACTS 1:1-11
If, as some legends have it, Theophilus was a lawyer and the book of Acts is Luke's defense brief concerning the value of the apostles, then surely Theophilus noted the changes in these men. And no doubt he had more facts in that first half century of faith than we know. So he contrasted Peter's denials with the boldness of Pentecost; the scattering of the eleven from the cross and their gathering at Pentecost; the doubting of Thomas with the legends of his martyr's death in India; the craven attitude of Peter with his desire to be crucified upside down.
We, too, see the changes in these men and we are inclined to say it happened because of Pentecost. But Pentecost has foundations. All of us want the power and the surety and presence of Pentecost in our own lives, but we cannot have Pentecost unless we have its foundations. The foundations of Pentecost are seen in the account of the days between the resurrection and Pentecost. And what happened in those days can still happen in these days in our lives.
I. They Became Convinced of His Continued Presence
They were assured in their own minds and hearts that Jesus had overcome death. He appeared to groups of his followers—upon one occasion to more than five hundred at one time—at least ten times following his death and burial. They were convinced that Jesus lived, that Jesus was in their midst. Luke, in closing his Gospel, says that after the ascension of Jesus the disciples returned to Jerusalem filled with an abiding joy. These disciples would never understand our concrete signs saying that Jesus is coming soon—he never left them! Our witness to how Jesus was here and is to return soon may be a skewed emphasis; surely we need to sandwich in between these emphases the truth that he is presently in our midst. For this is one key to their boldness.
II. They Became Convinced That Jesus Was Not Through with Them
In the interim between the resurrection and Pentecost the disciples assumed a stance of growth. There was a green edge to their life as they immersed their fellowship in prayer, in thinking through the priority of their experience of having walked with Jesus and having been witnesses to his conquest of death. He had promised power upon them, and they realized that they were only at the beginning of this adventure with Jesus.
III. They Were Strengthened by One Another
Jesus commanded the gathered band of disciples (v. 4) to wait together for what God was about to do. The circle of fellowship formed by human companionship in the three years of their following Jesus was nothing compared to the bond forged by the Spirit as they waited in Jerusalem and prayed and pondered the events of these days. They felt led to replace Judas, to choose another to "occupy his place." And so the core of the church to come was being formed.
IV. They Were Willing to Wait
Ours is not a waiting society; we put the emphasis on busyness and activity. But the Bible is insistent that it is in waiting that we will most clearly understand who we are and what God can do with us. Waiting time is not wasted time. Jesus waited for thirty years before beginning his ministry. And remember, the disciples were not waiting for God to get ready; they were waiting for God to get them ready! And as they waited, they spent time in prayer and study and fellowship.
V. Be Open for Pentecost to Happen to You
If Pentecostal power is to rock my church and my life, I must lay the foundations for such an event. I must be open to the Holy Spirit in a greater way than ever before. I must realize that, like the disciples, I may not have all my spiritual questions answered, for what I need is not more knowledge but more commitment to whatever Jesus wants to do in my life. If Pentecost is to happen in my life, I must realize that regardless of how checkered my past has been, God is not yet through with me as one of his disciples. If Pentecost is to happen in my life, I must be committed to the circle of believers where God has placed me. (Earl C. Davis)
LET THE CHIPS FLY—I WANT TO SUCCEED
EPHESIANS 1:15-23
John Maxwell relates a story in his book, Be All You Can Be, about a Stanford University psychologist who did an experiment on productive attitudes. His thesis was that we live for productive results or fruit. The researcher hired a professional logger from a logging camp. The psychologist informed him that he would pay double what he got in the logging camp if he would take the blunt end of an ax and just beat a log all day. The logger was told he would never have to cut one piece of wood.
The man thought it sounded like easy money and accepted the offer. For half a day the man swung the blunt end of the ax, doing nothing to the wood. He then quit. The psychologist quizzed him as to why he quit early. The logger replied, "Because every time I move an ax, I have to see the chips fly. If I don't see the chips fly, it's no fun."
Maxwell commented, "I'm convinced that there are many Christians who are using the wrong ends of the axes, and there are no chips flying. In other words, they are producing no fruit, and their joy is gone. Joy has been replaced by a sense of futility, uselessness, immobility" (Victory Books, 1987, p. 21).
Successful people like to see the chips fly! But how do people let the chips fly to live a successful life?
I. By Living a Life of Faith in a Dynamic God (v. 15)
Successful living must start and end living in faith with an all-powerful, all-present, all-knowing, all-wise God. When we grasp for God to serve, we don't have to waiver in our living. God doesn't move—we do. As long as we keep close to God, our faith will keep warm.
In a previous pastorate I had an office by the front entrance to the church. The front wall of the office was glass. During Chicago's harsh winters, whenever the front door opened, I would get cold! The designer of the church put the boiler room at the opposite end of the building. Monday through Friday my secretary and I would shiver from the cold. Often we found our way down to the end of the building where the heat was high.
One of the keys to spiritual success is keeping close to the heater—Jesus. Our faith in him must not be moved!
II. By Living a Life in the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (v. 17)
A spiritually successful life results from comprehending and applying to life all God's grace through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wanted the Ephesians to experience all dimensions of God. When they did they were sustained during all phases of life's circumstances—the good and the bad. For the disciple to be successful means a deeper, keener, and stronger experience with the living God as he reveals himself daily through his Spirit. As the Spirit takes control the things of God become more evident and keen.
III. By Living in Hope of a Real Inheritance (v. 18)
A small town in Maine was destined to become a large lake for which the Corps of Engineers had built a sizable dam. A man who was being interviewed said that the most painful part of that experience besides the relocation process was observing his hometown die. All improvements and repairs stopped. Why worry about building repair when it would soon be covered by water? Why fix the potholes? Why pick up the garbage? Why paint over the graffiti on the walls? He said for weeks the whole town was in a state of depression prior to the flooding.
He made this insightful comment, "When there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present."
I am convinced that for the Christian whose hope is in the resurrection and eternal inheritance, his or her feet will be on the ground with a power for the present! We must not be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly value. Let the chips fly and live life to its fullest—now! (Derl G. Keefer)
THE ONE WHO FULFILLS
LUKE 24:44-53
The disciples, like almost all of their countrymen, had grown up with great expectations of the coming Messiah. Then, as adults, they had staked their hopes on Jesus, the young prophet from Nazareth. In the beginning everything seemed so right—then everything had gone so wrong. The crucifixion definitely did not fit their plans. They were devastated. But then he was alive again! And here he was saying, "Touch me . . . talk to me . . . eat with me." "Why?" they wondered, "Why had it all turned out this way?"
"Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44 b). Must? Jesus' theology is showing. Events had unfolded as they had because they had been fore-written, and they had been fore-written because there is a God who "calls things that are not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17 b NIV). "Heaven rules," Daniel teaches (Dan. 4:26) . God planned his plan long ago (usually, in the New Testament, "before the world began"). Now, in time, his plan is being unrolled on the table of human events. God will not be thwarted. History will arrive at God's milestones. It cannot be otherwise.
I. Christ Is the Fulfillment of Prophecy
Fulfilled? It has been in vogue for some time now to downplay or deny altogether the possibility of predictive prophecy. As long as the Scriptures are passed through a filter of skepticism it will never be possible that human beings could actually and accurately foretell the future. To be sure, predictive prophecy was quantitatively rare in comparison to the volume of teaching or exhortational preaching of the prophets. But how else shall we hear Jesus who said of Moses, "he wrote about me" ( John 5:46 b)? Predictive prophecy calls Christians to suspend unbelief and believe. Imagine that!
Jesus speaks of the Hebrew scriptures as a threefold canon: the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms. Because the Psalms are the largest component of the Writings (Kethub段m), by metonymy Jesus names the part for the whole. This ancient classification is still reflected in the modern Jewish Bible, which is called Tanakh, being a vocalization of the initial consonants of Torah, Nebi段m and Kethub段m.
In the Law, Deuteronomy 18:18 was understood as prophetic of the Messiah even before Jesus began his ministry. "Are you the prophet?" the people questioned John the Baptist, their query driven by this passage ( John 1:21) . In the Prophets, Isaiah 53 was the text from which Philip began as he preached Jesus to the eunuch (Acts 8:32-35). From the Psalms, Paul was bold to declare, "What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled . . . by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father' " (Acts 13:32-33 NIV).
"He opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45 a). There are two ways the "opening" has been understood. One is that Jesus directly by divine intervention removed, as it were, scales from their eyes (Acts 9:18) and veils from their hearts (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The other is that the "opening" was effected by the explanations and expositions Jesus went on to give. Perhaps it was their zealous expectations that so tinted their vision and muffled their ears that "though seeing, they saw not; though hearing, they heard not." They thought they had seen an imperial Messiah sketched in Scripture; somehow the Suffering Servant never registered.
Seeing Christ as we want him to be, rather than as he is, has been a problem for more than first-century disciples. Artists have long painted Jesus in their own image. We should pray, with the theme song to Godspell, "to see Thee more clearly."
II. Christ Is the Prophet of Fulfillment
Between verses 46 and 47 is a subtle transition from that which had been prophesied and already fulfilled, to that which Jesus now prophesies and will be fulfilled. It is a transition from past to future events. It represents the transition between volume 1 and volume 2 of Luke's two-part opus, "Luke-Acts" (as we call them). In the Gospel, the evangelist has told the story of the passion and resurrection. In Acts, he will narrate the spread of the faith from Jerusalem to "all nations."
Luke structures the conclusion of his Gospel as a sort of chiasm with his beginning of Acts. Here in Luke (C) the prediction of the preaching of repentance and forgiveness of sins beginning at Jerusalem and then to all nations; (B) the promise of Holy Spirit sent with power; and (A) the ascension narrative, correspond in Acts to (A) the ascension narrative; (B) the advent of the Holy Spirit with power; and (C) the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) beginning at Jerusalem and then to all nations.
Jesus could thus accurately call the future because he is The Prophet. As he sits upon the throne of his ascension, heaven still rules. May he reign in the heart of each of us as well. (Barry K. Sanford) 
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