Serving Christ through our Mission

I had the privilege of teaching our Vintage Uptown Campus family this weekend at our 3 weekend worship gatherings. We are in the middle of an "Identity" Series. We are talking about who we are as Vintage Church. I discussed serving Christ through our mission by explaining the concept of Spirit sensitivity.

Listen here

Here are the 3 Truths that form our Spirit sensitivity

• They had been waiting.

The important shift that happens in Acts can only be fully grasped when we understand that many past generations had been waiting for God to pour out His Spirit. Joel and Isaiah both prophesied about it. Jesus discussed this in John. So In Acts 3, post Pentecost, Peter & John are serving Christ because they know that the mission has begun.

Acts explains the shift:
- Jesus’ disciples waited [Acts 1]
- the Spirit fell [beginning Acts 2]
- the Church was formed [ending Acts 2]
- now every Christian has been launched to serve Christ through our mission [Acts 3-28].

Since the Spirit has fallen this means that today if you’ve surrendered your life to Christ you don’t need to wait, you now need to go!

• They were given the Spirit.

In order to better understand what/who we have been given there are 2 pictures of the Holy Spirit given in Scripture:

-The Holy Spirit is a gift.
Scripture says - the Spirit has fallen on everyone who has called on the name of the Lord. Therefore if we have surrendered our life to Christ we also have been given this gift. Like Peter & John served the mission as an outflow of this gift, we too have been given the gift to serve.

-The Holy Spirit is a person.
God hasn’t just given us just a talent or an unknowable power - he has given us His Spirit, who is a person. In the same way we grow with a spouse or friend through talking, listening, sharing and serving - we also need to cultivate our relationship with the Spirit through praying, journaling, reflecting and listening.

• They began to serve the mission. -

Acts 3 is a story that shows two Christians [Peter & John] serving Christ through their mission. More inspiring is that this serving happened in their everyday as they were sensitive to the Spirit. They were not on a special trip or following a special emphasis. Instead they were headed to the normal afternoon prayer meeting. The principal from their example is that they were still doing what they had always done, but what had changed was their perspective on the the community, the people and their daily routine.

In Acts 3 we see their Spirit sensitivity naturally led them:
-to Notice a man in need (v.4)
-to Listen to him (v.3)
-to Respond with the Gospel (v.7-8)

In response to this passage, let each of us live with a new perspective on our everyday life. Let us live each day with a Spirit sensitivity.

Here are some questions to ask as you live your everyday life:
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our spouse and friends?
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our neighbors?
How is the Spirit working in the lives of our coworkers?
How is the Spirit working in your life right now?
- Like Peter & John let us: Notice - Listen - Respond with the Gospel

Go BE the Church

Brick