Inauguration Day
- Jan 14, 2008
The Church marks its beginnings to the book of Acts, especially chapter 2. God records for us the inauguration of a whole new epoch in history. Jesus ascends to God's right hand. Now he is the Lord of all, and has the final word on everything! From there he sends the Holy Spirit into the world to do the work of God in this time: he is calling the church.
Acts 2 is dramatic. It is filled with unusual experiences - rushing winds, fire, tongues, and fulfilled prophecies. What do these mean?
When we go back to the Old Testament, we see their significance. Rushing minds marked the presence of God at Sinai, and in the experience of Elijah the prophet, and Ezekiel's visions. Fire is also a mark of God's presence, from the pillar of fire in the wilderness to the fire in the vision of Ezekiel 1. The tongues of fire on each person was like a miniature "pillar of fire" - showing the universal work of the Spirit in each believer. All the believers in the Upper Room would have seen and experienced these signs and thought, "God is present."
All of these phenomena point us to this truth: God is present among his people in powerful and abundant new ways. In sending the Spirit into the world, God is keeping promises made long ago. Acts sets our expectations for the entire age of the church.
Acts is about Jesus continuing his work. He is keeping a promise of his immediate active presence being among his people. Sin drove humankind away from the presence of God. Redemption brings the glory of God to his people once again.
God is keeping the promise of fruitful presence. God promised Abram that he would have children as many as the stars of the heavens and the sand of the beach. There had been some fruit, but not much, in the centuries that followed. Now the Spirit of God comes and the dry desert is turned to a lush garden - 3000 are converted in a day, as a beginning of a much larger harvest.
At Grace Church in San Diego, we want to participate in the active, powerful, fruit-bearing presence of God among his people and in this world. That's why we are studying and applying Acts to our life together.