The book of Acts begins with a promise of a gift from the Risen Christ to his disciples. Jesus offers us the same gift today.

Transcript

The first Hmong funeral I ever went to was back in 2002 at the Legacy in Maplewood. Now, it was a Christian funeral, but still, nobody could have prepared this white guy for the world he was about to enter.

We walked into the outer room and in the far corner is a big screen TV playing bull fighting from Laos. In the middle were a group of men playing cards. At the end of were a group of women eating fruit. And I thought to myself… “Are you sure this is a funeral? Ya’ll pranking me, aren’t ya? Just decided to mess with the mekas guy?

That was just the beginning. Then we walked into the main room… and everybody was just sitting there. No service, no music. Just the low murmur of conversation. And then out of nowhere, a women scream-cries from the front of the room. And she’s flung herself over the casket, wailing. And I’m out! No, but I did just keep saying, “This is normal. This is normal. This is normal.”

I was not prepared for any of that. Well, needless to say, Pang Foua realized that she needed to do a lot more debriefing with me before we went to Hmong events. I needed better preparation if I was going to survive living in the Hmong world.

Isn’t life kinda like that? You find yourself in situations you feel totally unprepared for. And it’s horrible. Because we all know that in order to be successful with any task, project, or job, you have to be prepared.

We see the exact same thing with Jesus’ disciples in the first chapter of the book of Acts. Jesus gives them a huge task, but he also promises to give them the tools to accomplish it. Let’s dive in.

Acts 1:1-8

“1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.”

Ok, I should probably back up. The Acts of the Apostles is the second half to the Gospel of Luke. It’s the Endgame to his Infinity War. It’s a continuation of the story. It also looks like Luke was writing this gospel for a wealthy patron or sponsor named Theophilus.

Luke refers to his gospel, the first half, with the phrase “all that Jesus began to do and to teach.” So, that means that the story you’re about to hear is “all that Jesus continues to do and to teach.”

“3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Believing that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead was critical for this movement. So, Jesus physically appeared and gave proofs that he was alive so there was no doubt about it. He also taught about the kingdom of God. Pay attention to that. I’ll come back later.

“4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus told them, “Wait in Jerusalem. I promised a gift, an advocate, a comforter—the Holy Spirit.” You heard that promise in the other Scripture readings today. Then he told them, “You know about getting baptized by John the Baptist for the forgiveness of sins. But in a few days, I’ll have a new baptism for you. A new way to be immersed in me and united with me. A new way to be empowered for my mission. And it involves the Holy Spirit.

But the apostles didn’t understand it.

“6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Do you remember what Jesus talked about over those forty days? The kingdom of God. But all they could think about was the kingdom of Israel. They wanted that new power to be used for their kingdom, their land, their people. But that wasn’t the mission God had for them.

“7 He responds: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

And here comes the most important verse in this whole chapter…

“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

God had a mission for his disciples—be His witnesses. To tell people of the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. And they were to start in Jerusalem, and then go into the neighboring regions of Judea and Samaria, and then just keep going.

God had a mission for them. AND God promised to give them the power to accomplish it—the Holy Spirit. This was not a mission they could do on their own. It was too big, too unprecedented, too dangerous. They needed the Holy Spirit.

But God’s not done with his mission.

God has a mission for you. But you need His Spirit in you.

Now, you can be one of four places on this map.

You can be here. This is outside of God’s mission and not living in the Holy Spirit. Maybe you don’t think about God’s mission of being his witness to the unbelieving world. Maybe you don’t really understand the Holy Spirit or were told that he’s not for today.

In Bible terms, you’re stuck in the book of Luke. You believe in Jesus, love the healing, forgiveness. But you need to move into to the book of Acts. Knowing Jesus is enough for salvation but not for Spirit-empowered mission.

Is that you? God is inviting you into his mission and life in His Spirit.

No? Well, maybe you’re here. You’re living God’s mission—being his witness, making disciples, bringing hope to a hurting world. But you’re trying to do it in your own strength. You’re not living in the fullness of the Spirit.

The problem with this is that you will wear out. God’s mission is too much for any one of us, including me, to do on our own power.

Is that you? Invite the Holy Spirit to take greater control over your life.

Maybe you’re here. You’re living in the Spirit, but you’re not on God’s mission. This is the disciples asking about kingdom of Israel after Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God.

You might be trying to build your kingdom or your career or your family or your hobby. You’re using the power of God for yourself. You’ve lost sight of His mission.

Is this you? Join God is his mission to build his kingdom.

There’s one more spot. This is where RiverLife wants to help you live. You’re living out God’s mission on earth and you’re doing it through the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no better place to live than right here.

• Union with Christ – right here

• Living out “on earth as it is in heaven” – right here

• The abundant life promised by Jesus – right here

• That benediction we say every week – right… here…

What does this look like in the life of a regular person? Here’s a quote from Francis Chan that describes is pretty well.

“I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed.”
― Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

Let’s be a church together that courageously lives out God’s mission and desperately relies on the Holy Spirit to do it