Witnessing - Chapter 3

Click here for audio

Lesson 3

Developing Our Story, Learning the Bible Story

Nothing tells a story better than a story teller. The lost art of witnessing is because we have forgotten how to be storytellers. This lesson is about developing your story and using stories in the Bible to respond to questions and to witness to the power of God. In developing your story, break down your life into three phases: Before Christ, Why Christ and Christ in me.

Before Christ is all about who you were before you allowed Christ to enter into your heart. Some of you may have powerful witness about life on the fast lane, taking the road most traveled or just a series of constant bad decisions with consequences. My life was like that. I had grown up in the church because my Mom made sure that I got a religious education. Truth is part of the problem with the world today is that not enough mothers assure their children get a religious education. I’m not talking about the judgmental kind but rather the stories of the Bible told and retold. More on that in a moment! But what will be important to your story is if you are honest and authentic about whom you were before Christ finally entered your heart. Now maybe you were baptized at a young age like me, maybe you confirmed your faith around the beginning of your teen years (also like me) but maybe like John Wesley, your heart was never strangely warmed until much later (like me). And that story of transformation touches people right where they live.

At some point in your life you decided, truly decided, to let God into your life. That moment may have been at a Billy Graham crusade, a camp meeting or at some group study like this one, but at some moment you opened your heart to God. Now some of us may not remember that exact moment. For some it is a lifetime of progression through study and action that leads you here today. But for all of us there are stories along the journey. And it is those stories that I want you to tap into. There was some compelling reason that you decided to allow God in. What was it? What was going on in your life that caused it to happen? What were the circumstances that led to your decision? For me it was a lifetime journey of seeking answers and never finding them in the places I was looking. In 1981 I almost lost my life in an industrial accident that left me wondering what my purpose in life was. And in that wandering found my way to an Emmaus weekend, a weekend of Christian love and teaching that helped me focus on what God was both doing in my life and calling me to do.

The last phase of your life is after that time of transition when God’s work in your life is bearing fruit and that fruit is evident. Some people keep journals that help with this aspect of their lives. In the journal you might write down a scripture that you are studying today. Or you might write down a particular prayer concern that you have on that day. Leave room to the right of it or below it so that a week or month from now you can revisit that journal entry. As you revisit, remark on how God has used that scripture or prayer concern to impact your life or someone you know. Or how God has responded share with others about how God is working in your life.    

So we have reached the pinnacle of preparation and are now ready to share our stories with others, right? OK, well maybe not so fast. The focus of evangelism efforts by the faithful disciples needs to be centered on the biblical story with a firm foundation on how God is in relationship with you. We have all been brought up to believe that we need to be theological scholars in order to discuss the bible with others and my contention is that we have led down the wrong path for evangelism. Our most important lesson here is that we are about the business of building and establishing relationships. We want to use our own experiences and words to illustrate a relationship with God and relationships with one another in such a way as to present the story of creation, redemption and salvation. My own experiences allow me to share how God has been interacting in my life. In order to do that, we need some tools in our arsenals.

I had shared with you previously that we need to learn our own stories and how to develop that story to share with others. Our spiritual journeys have all been about how we met, developed a relationship with and how we follow the awesome God who loves us unconditionally. Our stories need to be concise and directed to the individual we are talking to. In other words, we need to meet our audience where they are, not expect them to come to us. We need to be focused on listening to what they have to say, explore who they are and where they are in their life’s journey and then interact with them. Part of what I have suggested is that we develop our stories about our own lives and how God has been in relationship with us throughout our lives. That would allow us to come across as genuine people who are human, make mistakes, are then forgiven and continue to grow. Development of your personal story is helpful in learning about ourselves and developing who we are. Then I would suggest that we learn at a minimum five important stories in the bible and be prepared to talk about them in our own language. They are: the story of Abraham including the Isaac Sacrifice (Gen 22: 1-17), the story of Moses including his killing of an Egyptian and his wandering through the desert (Exodus 2& 3), the story of David including his relationship with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) and two parables, the parable of the sower of seeds (Mark 4: 3-9) and the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 29-37). These stories are great illustrations for interacting with others.

There are no questions for this lesson other than re-reading the Biblical stories and developing your own story.

Witnessing - Chapter 2

Click here for audio

Lesson Two

Evangelism, A Dirty Word

Early evangelism in America originated with the people who immigrated to America, particularly from areas in England, Ireland and Scotland. These were the people who were facing persecution during the early years of the Protestant reformation. The Puritans, Anabaptist, Methodist and Congregationalist made their footprint during this era in American history. Early evangelists include Jonathan Edwards who led a Congregationalist revival in New York and New England in the early to mid-1700. William Tennent led a Presbyterian revival in New York during the same period. Thomas Coke, Francis Asbury and George Whitefield led a Methodist revival throughout the Mid-Atlantic and then into the western regions of the young nation. In the 1800’s we had Charles Finney and then DL Moody who led evangelistic camp meetings throughout areas in New York, the Midwest and even across the ocean in Europe. Probably the most recognized name’s in modern times is Billy Graham whose crusades brought thousands to Christ.  

Much of the evangelistic movement in America is dead! The earliest foundations that grew the churches that now are scattered across the counties and cities of America has been lost to time, culture and our own sense of priority. And yet we now face a reality of life that offers more questions than answers, has more people seeking peace and serenity and a culture that spends more on drugs for depression than on any facet of health care. Is it such a wonder that many seek professional help when our churches stand sadly empty? God wants us to be a blessing to the world and to tell them about the redemptive power of a relationship with God. And yet, we have lost touch with the power of storytelling. We find ourselves strangely frightened at reaching out to another human being with our stories and our witnessing to the power of a God of grace and love. But it has not always been that way. Our earliest memories of our American culture are of evangelistic meetings in every corner of population. Where we go from here depends on what we learn from our last twenty to thirty years and about what we learn about ourselves.

Our understanding of evangelism has been greatly influenced by the evangelistic movement through the median we call television. As a result of much of the negativity associated with televangelists, evangelism in America has become a negative term rather than a positive focus of the church. If we look back at the history of the church, especially the early church and use that as the model we have a clearer understanding of what our role should be.

There are two models for evangelism that have been promoted and used since the 1970’s. I would suggest that neither is the appropriate biblical standard by which we are to spread the Gospel of Good News. The first is what I would affectionately call the model of fear. This model has been promoted by several groups using fear tactics as the way to get people’s attention. The focus of this model is on where you will be in eternity if you are not brought to salvation. Many terms such as the fiery pit, hell and fire and eternal temptation, saved, and born again are thrown around as if they are biblical terms. The term “born again” appears once in the Bible when Jesus talks to Nicodemus and suggests that we must begin anew with the Holy Spirit. The truth is that even this is a modern day translation. The actual Greek suggests instead that this term should be “born from above.” But at no time does Jesus focus his attention in a fearful way; rather the ways of grace, compassion and love are his tools to restore relationships with God and the people.

The second model suggests that as a church we are to be servants. Our whole focus has been in the last 40 years to become a serving church reaching out to the folks who are in need, who are hurt and who could use compassion and support. This is the model that is presented as living in the image of Jesus. And yet, I would suggest that not once did Jesus heal someone, teach someone or feed someone for the singular purpose of the healing, teaching or feeding. Rather, Jesus singular focus was always to evangelize to the person about restoration of relationship with God and the focus was and is always on the Kingdom rather than on the individual. Not surprisingly then, we have evolved into a church whose purpose becomes missional outreach where we work hard not to impose our religious beliefs or ideals on those whom we are offering financial, emotional or physical support to.

And last but certainly not least is the focus towards individualism in the world we live in. Today it is more likely that families will not even know who their neighbors are, much less interact with them. In this technologically advanced world, we find ourselves interacting with humans less and less. I would suggest that we are becoming a world of lonely people fixated on increasing the loneliness by eliminating the need to interact at all.

Lesson Two questions:

1.   Where have we come from, what have we learned?

2.   How do we incorporate witnessing into a revival of the church?

3.   How do we incorporate witnessing into service and outreach?

4.   What would we need to do to create a resurgence of evangelism in the church?

Inner child

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 6/11/17

Click here for audio

^NRS  Mark 10:13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is too such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." ¹⁶ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

A Year 5 teacher was giving her Primary pupils a lesson in developing logical thinking.

'This is the scene', said the teacher.

'A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help.

His wife hears the commotion, knows he can't swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?'

A little girl raised her hand and asked, 'To draw out all his savings?'

The young couple invited their aged Vicar for Sunday lunch.  While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son, what they were having.

'Goat, 'the little boy replied.

'Goat?' replied the startled man of the cloth, 'Are you sure about that?' 

'Yep', said the youngster. 'I definitely heard Dad say to Mum, we might as well have the old goat for dinner today as any other day.'

Pastor Leonard Sweet tells about a little boy who was born blind. His mother and father were heartsick, and like all parents, they prayed and hoped for some miracle. They wanted so much for their son to be able to see. Then one day when the little boy was 5 years old, the community doctor told them that he had heard about a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who was specializing in a new surgical procedure that might just work for their son that might just give their little boy his eyesight. The parents became excited at the prospect, but when they investigated further and discovered the cost of the surgery and the travel and the hospital expense involved, they became deflated because they were not people of means at all. But word got out in the community and their church rallied to help them. In a short period of time, the

money was raised to send them to Boston for the surgery. On the morning they were to leave for Boston, the little boy gathered his things together including his tattered little teddy bear. It had an ear chewed off, was missing an eye, and was bursting at the seams. His mother said, “Son, why don’t you leave that old teddy bear at home? He’s about worn out. Maybe we can buy you a new

one in Boston or when we get back.” But he said, “No, I need it.” So off to Boston they went. He held tightly to that teddy bear all the way. The surgeon sensed how important the teddy bear was to the little boy, so he allowed the boy to keep the bear with him throughout all the many examinations prior to surgery. On the morning of the surgery, the hospital staff brought in two surgical gowns – one for the little boy and a smaller version for the teddy bear – and off to the operating room they went, a little blind boy on a stretcher holding on dearly to his beloved

teddy bear. The surgery went well. The doctor felt good about what they were able to accomplish. “I think he will be able to see,” said the surgeon, “but we won’t know for sure until we remove the bandages in a few days.” Finally the day came for the doctor to remove the bandages. The nurses and interns stood with the parents as the surgeon slowly unwound the gauze from the boy’s eyes. Miracle of miracles! The little boy could see! For the first time in his life he saw his mother’s face, he saw his dad and his doctor; he saw flowers and candy and balloons and the people who had cared for him. For the first time in his life, he saw his teddy bear. It was a joyous celebration! When it came time for the boy to leave the hospital, his surgeon came into the room. The doctor had grown so attached to the little boy that he had to busy himself with those insignificant gestures that we use when we are trying to surmount a great wall of emotion. They said their good-byes with tears of joy all around and then the doctor turned to leave. The little boy called him back. “Doctor,” the little boy said. “I want you to have this.” He was holding out the teddy bear! The doctor tried to refuse, but the little boy insisted. “Doctor, I don’t have any money. So I want to give you my teddy bear to pay you for helping me so see. I want you to have it. It’s my way of saying, ‘Thanks.’” The doctor took the teddy bear and shook the little boy’s hand and wished him well. For a long time after that, on the 10th floor of the White Building of Massachusetts General Hospital, there was on display, a teddy bear, bursting at the seams with a chewed-off ear and one eye. And there was a sign under it written in the hand of that surgeon. It read: “This is the highest fee I have ever received for professional services rendered.” (from Leonard Sweet, Sweet’s Soul Café, Feb. 1995, p. 6).

This morning we are going to explore this piece of scripture. Jesus Disciples were so intent on protecting him that they did not want the little children interrupting his important messages and ministry. But Jesus had other ideas on that day. He reminded them and us that it is the children who have much to teach us about faith and love. Like the little boy in the story, we must learn to give up something precious in order to receive something that will change our life. What are you holding onto like that Teddy Bear, something you cannot seem to part with and means more than anything else that you have? Would you give it up for the ability to see? How about the ability to feel or hear or love? How about for the precious gift of forgiveness and redemption and eternal life?

Some years ago scientists placed children of all ages in a room with toys in the middle and the chairs surrounding the toys but facing away from them. The children came from all ethnic backgrounds and they all spoke different languages and could not understand each other. But within minutes they had turned their chairs around, gotten in the floor and had a found a way of communicating so that they could play with each other. So scientists tried the same experiment with adults. The adults never spoke to one another, never attempted to communicate and the test ended in silence. Children remind us that God gives us many ways to communicate and intended us for relationship with one another. So we must find a way. And the more we search for ways, the easier it gets to be.

How many times in the recent past in churches across the country have people complained about the little children. Yes, they can be disruptive and they can be loud, but we were all little children once. Some of us can remember that better than others and some of us have never completely grown out of that stage of our lives. Ask Bonnie, she will tell you I’m just a big kid at times. I believe it is what makes life around here fun and adventuring. I have served churches where children were not wanted in the sanctuary during worship service. In fact I remember once when a young mother stood up to leave because the child had gotten fussy. I stopped the service, got her a rocker to use and soon the child was resting in her arms and everyone was happy. At least until the matriarch of the church gave me the what for up one side and down the other about getting that rocker. But you know what, that mother came back the next week and the week after and came to Christ I believe in part as a result of getting that rocker. Yes, it is true that small children can be disrupting to a worship service. But I am reminded of the little guy who used to love to get in a chair up on the pulpit and talk into the microphone. One day it was turned off before he got there so when he got up to speak nothing came out except the enchantment he brought when he raised up his arms and asked what happened. Just maybe Jesus knew what he was doing when he welcomed the young children rather than sending them away.

So what does this message really mean to you and me? Jesus is telling us that unless we learn to love God like we did when we were little children; we have little chance of getting into heaven. Faith is not about just believing that something is true, it is about trusting God to do the right thing at the right time. A little child can teach us about trusting. They trust us parents not to harm them, to take care of their needs and to love them. Ever had a child hug you for no reason other than that child either thought you needed a hug or needed one themselves? Children can teach us how to love. While we get caught up in perceptions of what other people might think children just do without regard to what someone might think. Children want attention. Ever watch a child check out a crowd? They don’t look at us to see what we are doing. Rather, they look at us to see who is looking at them. Maybe we need to spend our time in the company of people who we can communicate with, commune with and make relationships with. Children live each day without regard to what is going to happen tomorrow. They aren’t interested in the future, only in the present. Tell a child they are going to the store or to get ice cream and you will spend the next period of time answering why you aren’t already there.

I heard a story the other day about a little boy who was three who had a terminal illness. His parents had gone to great length at shielding him from discussions about death and his condition. One day he told his parents that Jesus was coming to get him and that they did not need to be afraid. That he would be in heaven with Jesus and that there were wolves there but that they were friendly and you could pet them, he was afraid of wolves. His parents just kind of blew it off as well as the staff of the hospital. One day he told his parents that he needed to go to the gift shop to buy something for someone who needed something special so down they went. He bought this small stuffed pony and said it was for the little boy in PEDS. As they returned to his room his mother asked the nurse who was in PEDS and the reply was that no-one was in there at the moment. Shortly after that the little boy passed away and as the parents were cleaning up his belongings his mother found the little pony. She told the nurse that she could save it for a little child at which point the nurse said that a little boy has just been brought into PEDS from emergency surgery.

What if we could have the faith of a little child to see, to hear and to touch Jesus?  What pony might we leave for those who need it most? 

Witnessing our Faith - Chapter 1

Click here for audio

Lesson 1

God decided you should witness

The very first thing that we must focus on in a study about witnessing is what God said. In order to fully appreciate our need to witness, we need to understand the order of things. I always begin with the story of Abraham (Gen 12: 1-3) and the blessing that God gave to Abraham if he would follow the desires of God. He blessed him and his descendants who would be as numerous of the stars (Gen 15:5) and said that they would be a blessing to the families of the world. Now we can get into a theological discussion about what that means, but for the brevity of time, let me simply say that I believe that God is blessing Abraham so that he would become a spokesperson through his actions, words and deeds to the power of God in the world. And by doing that the world would be blessed because all would come to know the love and grace of God. We can also argue that by virtue of our descending in faith from first Abraham, then the Hebrew people and through Jesus as Christians, we are all descendants of Abraham and therefore part of this covenant of God. And so we too are to be both blessed by the power and grace of God and then be a blessing to the world.

We then follow that line of thinking into the prophets where Isaiah answers God’s call in Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" I truly wonder how each of us might respond to God’s call on our lives. Are we prepared to sacrifice what we have and what we know for what God would have us do? In the Gospels we receive further instruction about what it means to be a follower of God through Jesus. Let me share with you some scriptural reference from none other than Jesus as he talked with the disciples about their role in the world.

^NRS  Matthew 10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.

^NAS  Mark 1:17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

^NRS  Mark 16:15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

There can be no doubt about what Jesus expected of the disciples. And once you stood before the congregation and before God and professed your faith, at least in the Methodist understanding, you took a vow to follow God’s commandments, God’s desires and God’s direction. So on that day, each of us in fact became a disciple until such time as we are called to glory or lifted to be an Apostle. I think that the mandate then for God’s calling on our lives is very clear, don’t you? Now before we put the cart before the horse, an expression I have always enjoyed, let me caution you about what priority God puts on that witness. In one of the lessons on the Gospel about Jesus calling disciples to follow is the lesson of “I can’t go because…” We find it in the Gospel of Luke.

^NRS  Luke 9:61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."  

Clearly Jesus believes that our first priority in life, before family and vocation is to be a disciple. Anything else excludes us from heaven. Now that is a powerful statement but it goes straight to the concept of faith, belief and our hearts. If we do not believe then we are lost. If we believe and yet hold back, we are lost. Only complete submission to the will of God is acceptable.

I want to share two more scriptures with you about our witnessing journey. One is a commandment and the other provides strength and direction. The first is the “Great Commission.”

^NRS  Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  

Jesus directed us to first “GO” and the make disciples in all nations. Clearly his desire of us is that we witness to the power of God to all of creation so that all may know about the grace and love of God. And in Acts before his ascension he tells us:

^NRS  Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

So what are we supposed to do? Witness through our actions, words and deeds!

Questions for Lesson One

·       What is God’s purpose in the world and how can we be a part of that?

·       Why were the people building a tower in Babel and how did God’s reaction make our job more difficult?

·       What is the blessing that God gave to Abraham?

·       What did God expect in return?

·       What good news should we the people want to share?

·       What does God want us to do in the Great Commission?

·       Can we do one part without the others? 

Pentecost

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 06/04/17

Click here for audio

Scripture Reading:

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

The village atheist was not a bad man; he just didn’t believe. He was not interested in church and there was only 1 in the area. It was cold and dead—a social club, with no decisions being made. One day the church building caught on fire, and the whole town ran toward it to help extinguish the flames including the village atheist! Someone hollered out: “Hey, this is something new for you, the first time we’ve ever seen you running to church!” He replied, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the church on fire!”

Today is the day when we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the indwelling in the Disciples of Jesus Christ. Many in the church call this the birthday of the Christian church, the day when the church began and there is some truth in that. Some remember that this is the in the same week that John Wesley felt a strange warmth in his heart upon hearing a sermon on Romans and that warmth spread across the globe to become the United Methodist Church. Some simply remember it as the day when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within the disciples to give them courage, direction and strength. It means all these things to us in the Christian world. But before it was a Christian holiday it was a Jewish festival celebrating the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. The festival is called Shavuot or the Festival of Weeks and is still a prominent feast today. Can you make the connection? Jesus died during Passover, the festival of the giving of life after the sacrifice of blood and now the Holy Spirit comes into the Disciples during the feast celebrating the giving of the Law to Moses. God wants us to know that God is up to and wants us to see the plan God has in work around us.

In the book of Ezekiel, we read a story of breath poured into the bones and people made new. In the Old Testament, the spirit of the Lord is listed 214 times. That sounds like this spirit has been around for a long time, like maybe from the beginning of time. So what is it that we do celebrate on this day, if not the coming of the spirit and what did Jesus mean when he said Acts 1:8 that the Holy Spirit will come upon you. Well to understand that we must go back in time to the time of Moses. When Moses went onto the mountain top, he was transformed. The spirit entered him and he was changed forever. God had placed in him, part of God, in order for Moses to be able to do great things in God's name.

We focus too often on this day the coming of the Holy Spirit, but the truth is something even more incredible than that. Let us look at the story for a moment and see if we can glean the truth of scripture from the word of God. When we look at John the Baptist, the spirit of the God came in the form of a dove to illuminate who Jesus was. So this spirit brings the essence of God into the world. Barth, one of the great theologians would say of the spirit, that the spirit is the form of God that allows us to gain understanding of God’s presence in the world. Isn't that a great definition of the Holy Spirit?

God brings in the Holy Spirit in a dramatic fashion. Why might God do so is the question that is often asked. There may be several reasons to consider why this would be an important thing to do. First, God breathes life into the bones of Ezekiel's story so the Hebrew people would have an immediate understanding of the presence of God as present in the wind. Second, God has often used dramatic forces of nature to announce God’s presence and to do God’s work. This is one way that God provides us an understanding of God’s power. Have you ever been inside a house when the wind suddenly shifts and doors slam, windows rattle or things fall off the shelf? Imagine with me for a moment that you are inside of a house when suddenly there comes a sound of a violent wind that fills the whole house. I would be petrified at what was about to happen, wouldn't you? Then as if the wind is not enough, divided tongues that appear as fire appear and alight on each disciple. Now to the non-believing Hebrew, this would have been as dramatic and display of God as there could possibly be. God and fire would conjure images of God and Moses and there would have been little doubt among those watching about who was involved here. Imagine again with me for a moment that you are part of the crowd that is viewing this unusual chain of events, speak of shock and awe.

Now we come to the speaking in languages. If we go to the Greek root of the word, we find that it can be translated as tongues, languages or utterances. Some religious understandings see this as everyone speaking in the same language of tongues, a universal language similar to the story of Babel before God’s intervention. Some believe that the disciples were speaking many different languages and that each person heard them in their own language. Certainly that is what the context of the passage suggests if we take the whole passage in context. I cannot say what exactly happened however I will say that the context of the whole passage is languages. I counted 18 different languages specified in the passage and there were likely more.

Charles Finney, great revivalist of the 1700s, told about a church in a certain town…a church where the fire had totally gone out…no one saved, and even worse, no one cared! Well, it was a dead church, and no one cared…except for 1 man, and it was not the pastor. It was a blacksmith. He was not much of a talker…he stuttered so badly it was painful to hear him speak. But he had a heart for God, and wanted revival fire again. He was so burdened for the fire, that one day; he closed the doors of his shop, and went home and prayed the rest of the day. The next day he approached the pastor. “I’ve been praying for revival, for God to rekindle the flames around here. Can we schedule some kind of a meeting, some kind of a revival?” The pastor grudgingly agreed, w/ a warning that no one will come. They had the meeting and to the pastor’s surprise, the building was full! He stood up to preach as always, but he felt very different. The power of God was so strong in that place that everyone could feel it. Dozens of people were saved that week…the fire was reignited. Why? It wasn’t methods or programs, activities or organizations. It wasn’t because they had a youth pastor, or a PowerPoint screen! It was because somebody prayed.

I’ve don’t know if I have mentioned Rockin’ Roland Stuart before. Do you remember who he is? Let me ask you another question. How many of you have ever watched a sporting event, a Super Bowl or Monday night football game, and have seen the giant sign saying "John 3:16?" How many of you have seen that? That’s amazing! Rockin’ Roland Stuart is responsible for that. "Rockin’" is a nick name. His name is Roland Stuart. His story appeared in Peoples Magazine some years ago, and it is a fascinating story. Roland Stuart was a drunk, an alcoholic. He met Jesus, accepted Him as his Savior, became a Christian, and God healed him of his alcoholism. One day, the idea struck him that if he could just get into major sporting events and put the Word of God before the people, it would be seen by hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of people. So today, Rockin’ Roland Stuart and his wife, Margaret, and a friend named William James, live a very Spartan existence. They drive 55,000 miles a year in an old beat-up van, telling their story, and using their money to buy tickets to major sporting events to hang out a sheet saying, "John 3:16." Don’t you wonder how many tens of thousands have turned to John 3:16 and read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" because of Rockin’ Roland Stuart?

When someone gets on fire for Jesus, when someone begins to let the Holy Spirit into their lives, amazing things happen! We begin to speak the language of love, not hate, of grace and mercy, not stigma and culture. When we begin to gather the steam of others who have also reached out to the spirit and been touched, the church begins anew. And the church that resurrects itself out of the ashes of its own existence and becomes the church of the spirit begins to reach out to the world around them touching people.

I remember a story of a church in Ohio who began to pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit. They were located right next to a highway and had been in decline for a number of years. So they began to pray. Day after day, week after week and each waited patiently for God to respond to their prayer. They all had trust in the Lord that their prayer would be answered. Well one Sunday morning in the midst of congregational prayer a wind whipped through the church. Members remarked that tears began to fall from the eyes of many of those praying that day. The pulpit standing in the middle of the chancel area split in two. Shortly men began to file into the church and later when they were asked why they came, they said they felt this tremendous urgency to pull over on the side of the road and come into the church.

What might it look like if the fire of the Holy Spirit filled this place today? What might it look like if we became the church in Ohio or the Roland Stuart’s of our community? I know a man who will be honored this year at Annual Conference with the Harry Denman award. Harry was a great evangelist of faith who entered a hotel one night, tired and hungry and he wanted nothing more than to get to his room, order room service and rest. He felt this overwhelming need to engage the young man at the desk in conversation but he did not. That night he could not sleep thinking about the young man and what was God calling him to discuss with him. The next morning, he went down to the desk inquiring about the young man only to find out that the young man had committed suicide last night. If only he had talked to him. So he vowed never to miss an opportunity to share Christ with anyone he encountered. This award in his honor is going to man, Johnnie Morris, a personal friend of mine who is so on fire for Christ that he started a thrift shop that now is a small church in the Amelia area that brings the light of Christ to the world. What if we were willing to catch the fire of Christ and share it with the world around us? Whose life might we impact? Whose world might be changed? All because of Pentecost and the willingness of God to fill our spirits from above.