Mythbusters And The First Spirit-Filled Sermon
God reminded me in a new way this morning about my calling. My reading was in Acts 2, a little off the trail of my normal yearly reading cycle. I couldn’t get away from this for the past two days. I am called to preach.
Acts 2 uses the words sound, hear and listen 9 times in the same chapter about the same event. The event we all know as the pouring out of the Spirit accompanied by a great sermon and service to the community. Here are the things that stand out to me.
1. The Gospel must be audible. Speaking solidifies belief and faith. The presence of the terms sound, hear and listen cannot be overstated. Preaching is more than cognitive endeavor. It is action. If I hear the word of God in my personal time, what am I going to do with it? Just hold onto it? Keep it as a nugget of truth for just my own spiritual needs? No. It is shared aloud. When God speaks to you, you cannot be silent. If you find yourself silent, you may want to see if God’s actually speaking to you. If not, find out why.
2. The preacher is a Mythbuster. The audible message is heard by listeners who are saturated in culture. Folk theology and belief systems develop over a period of time making it difficult for the listener to process what you’re saying. Part of Peter’s message in Acts 2 involves breaking down and rebuilding the connection with the audience. He uses the culture’s conclusions on history which are truncated. He starts where the people are and builds on the history. Helping the audience see the intentional hand of God through their own historical perspective. He has rehearsed their history and now adds Jesus’ message to it, making their understanding of life about the Messiah. ?? (Is the understanding about their life or the Messiah’s?)
3. It takes a miracle. In no way do I want to leave out the outpouring of the Spirit. Peter is speaking out of the fullness of the God’s Spirit. He could have reasoned with this crowd all day by saying the same words. They may not have responded. But God had other plans. A miracle took place. Where human wisdom and preaching talent left off, God was there. This was the moment of awe. Preaching no longer was about Peter’s technique, it was about God’s power to communicate His word to all. There were no barriers that day. Not even the wall of race, language or culture. God broke down every barrier with a miracle.
4. Preaching in the Spirit leads to results. We are a result based culture. How do we know if the Word of God was heard after our speaking it? The proof is how the people responded. They were changed for ever, although not all of them were changed. This should bring every preacher to a tough evaluation process. Ask the tough question. Are people responding to your preaching? If not, perhaps you need to call on God for help. Read Acts 2 again from the preaching perspective. What’s the difference between your preaching and Peter’s?
Those who accepted his message are baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:41