ANYBODY WANT A LIGHT?
Text: ROMANS 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

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I am going to read the same passage from the Peterson translation. I find it most helpful to read a couple of translations to get a better understanding of the text. I find the Peterson version especially helpful because it puts things in common, every day terms.

"But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells--even though you still experience all the limitations of sin--you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves in your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!

"So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent.. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are.. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us -- an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard time with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!"

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They came to Jerusalem -- Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappodocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphlia, Egypt and the regions of Lybia around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabs -- many had come for Passover and stayed the 50 days till the Harvest of Weeks at which they celebrated the giving of the Law and the first fruits of the Harvest.

Some of them came as an entire family, some came alone, some were probably dragged by others and some probably came because that was where the action was at this time of year, even if they did not come for religious reasons. Perhaps some were there to make a buck from the crowd selling the equivalent of flags, beer and cotton candy. Jerusalem was full of people from all over the world as well as those who had resided there their entire lives. When, all of a sudden it happened--God used fire to show His presence. Hundreds of years ago he had used fire to show the Hebrew children His presence was in the Tabernacle housing the Ark of the Covenant.

Just fifty days prior, during the Passover, the veil that separated the sacrifice area from the Holy of Holies had been rent from top to bottom by God to show that His Jesus, His only Son, had paid the price for us all as the ultimate sacrifice. Because of that act, the Ark of the Covenant is no longer in a place entered into once a year by the high priest, but rather it has been transferred to the hearts of God's people who have become his temple. I Corinthians tells us. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."

Tongues of fire appeared showing where God's temple now was. The Gift that Jesus had promised at his ascension had come. The disciples were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they were engulfed by it.

You know what happened. Peter stood up in the midst and said, "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs but you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross.."

He continued further, "This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear."

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers what shall we do?"

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Many left that day having heard the word of God somehow preached in their own language by a bunch of Galilleans. They may have been startled and a bit confused, but they believed. Others perhaps stayed longer and wondered about this phenomenon. Some probably figured it was yet some charlatan ruse and went on their merry way.

We are told about 3000 were converted that day, many of whom stayed in Jerusalem with Peter and the rest. Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles . . .

The fire was spreading and now there were people to be taken care of. Although many sold their possessions and brought the profits to be shared among all, a dispute arose that the Hellenist widows were not being taken care of as well as the Hebrew ones. The Apostles called forth and anointed seven to take care of the needs of the people so they could continue preaching the word.

Among them were Timor whose name means honorable and worthy of praise, Prochorus meaning leader of a chorus or dance, Parmenas meaning faithful, Nicanor meaning conqueror, victorious, and Nicholas meaning conqueror of the people.. If these men were anything like the meanings of their names, they must have been an outstanding group they were. Unfortunately, their names are all we have.

The sixth was Philip, not the Disciple but someone else, whose name means warrior. And what a warrior he was for God. Talk about being on fire. He helps bring Christianity to the heathen country of Ethiopia through the conversion of a eunuch on the road to Gaza. He preached in city after city until he reached Caesarea in the north. He spread a wild fire all on his own.

Lastly, we have Stephen, the first to die for Christianity, so on fire that he could not help but preach about Jesus. Unfortunately, others were jealous and brought false charges of blasphemy against him. At his defense, he spoke boldly about Moses and Abraham and how the leaders have never believed the prophets. This so incensed the Jewish leaders that they took him out and stoned him in an act unsanctioned by Roman law.

As Stephen was being stoned, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and just like His Savior from the cross, Stephen called for forgiveness of his murderers and gave up his spirit. It is certain that Stephen, whose name means Crown, received just that as his spirit arrived in the bosom of God.

One would think this act of violence would quench the fire, but it does not. While the Apostles stay in and around Jerusalem, the others are dispersed through Judea and Samaria. They may flee, but they do not keep silent. They continue sharing the Word wherever they are. The fire has gone wild!

But we haven't seen anything yet. As Stephen was being stoned, the murderers are said to have left their coats at the feet of one named Saul who was ravaging the believers, intent on destroying them. He zealousness is so vehement that he requests to go as far as Damascus in search of these trouble makers. While on this trip he is blinded by a light (gee, fire in some form perhaps) and is asked by Jesus, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" Paul has a dramatic conversion experience and learns he is an instrument chosen by Jesus to bring his name before the Gentiles and kings and sons of Israel. Paul renews his zealousness, but this time, it is as an evangelist, a preacher, a messenger of the Lord Jesus. Paul, if anyone, knew what he wrote to us in Romans -- "God's Spirit beckoned. There were things to do and places to go!" The flame in the heart of one sparking the fire in others -- in Tarsus, Antioch, Crete, Thessalonaki, Corinth, Athens, Macdeonia, Rome -- much of the civilized world at that time.

One by one -- or many by many -- from Jesus to Peter to Stephen to Paul and all the others in between and since -- the Holy Spirit fire spread the word about redemption and the profound love of God.

Jesus had told his followers they would perform greater acts than he; and they did! Amazingly so, they did what Jesus did -- healed the sick, raised the dead, shared all the God-given gifts with the multitudes, both natural and supernatural --From person to person mid shipwreck and persecution, while breaking bread or mending tents, the fire's spread could not be stopped.

.... And so they came, some looking for a new life, some because of a job change, some had been here since the beginning days and their family knew no other home. Some had been here a long time as well, but their ancestors had come in chains. They came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Germany, Colombia, and the far off regions of Somersworth, Berwick, Barrington, South Berwick, and Newington.

They came on their own. They came because that was what one always did. They came because a friend said, "Come, go with me," or perhaps because a young child said, "Daddy, how about coming with Mommy and me." They came perhaps not knowing why they came.

Some came expectantly for some good music and a short sermon. Some came reluctantly. Some came with hearts and minds open; some with them closed. Some had heard the voice of God all their lives; some didn't realize it till they were adults; some stayed away for 30 years and found themselves nearly running to become part of the family of God.

Some had learned about God in many places; others heard the voice of God directly in their hearts. Some cannot remember a moment when they did not feel the presence of God in their beings; others have just found out He exists. Others still question the relevance of faith in today's world of technology and knowledge and easy pleasure.

But they all arrived at this time and this place. The wild fire continues. Here we are 20 centuries later and many have been touched by the wild fire, perhaps from the spark of a friend's love or the stirring music of a choral anthem, or, yes, even the white suit and molded hair of a televangelist. Or maybe it was a still small voice that would not go away.

Although the circumstances may be very different from Pentecost, the message is still the same:

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit." And further: "God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are." Within the last year or so, we have seen people step forward to be Stephen ministers, willing to go through about 50 weeks of training to be able to assist others in need. We have seen a few step out to be part of building teams for new churches. There are new faces in the choir. Other have served as liturgist, outfitted a library, given blood, baptized kids and themselves. Some just go about doing without any fanfare, and some are so excited that they can't stop talking and describe a feeling of fire in their bones.

A few of us had our consciences pricked during a Bible study discussion of Isaiah 9 that was read earlier. Most of us are familiar with the portion about "unto us a son is given" used in Handel's Messiah that talks about Jesus birth. The earlier part: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light ... you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor" is usually seen as what will happen when Jesus comes again. However, one of the class mentioned civil rights, human rights, cures for diseases, our responsibility in making sure justice and mercy are in place for all -- all ways that this passage may have application in the here and now -- something the rest of us had not thought about -- wild fire.

During one of our Lenten studies, there were nearly two dozen people who wanted to know more about their spiritual gifts. They discovered that while often those gifts relate to your vocational talents and abilities, they can go much further as there are natural and supernatural varieties. Unfortunately, six short Monday evenings barely allowed us to scratch the surface. The hunger is still there to know more about the specific gifts, how they manifest themselves today and how they can be used to further God's kingdom. The fire continues, ready to cause more wild fires!

At a gathering of folks from mid-to-late 20s to 70s, we were asked to introduce ourselves in some way as is so often the case. While there were still some "I am 45, work as a physicist by day and a hang glider at night, with 4 kids, 12 canaries, and a spouse who helps me run the local gas station," more often than not what came forth was an eagerness to share what God was doing right now. Sometimes the road was leading somewhere new and they were ready though the road map had not yet been provided. Some talked about training in a new area of Christian ministry; many in or near retirement years talked about how the Gospel will be shared as they move into that new chapter of life. What permeated the room was a sense of expectancy and eagerness. The Lord had placed a call on them, from coordinating adult classes to seminary to special visitations at nursing homes, to possible career changes. And they were responding. Each sharing the wild fire one by one.

Our recent Children's Day brought tears to many an adult eye -- tears of laughter, tears of pride, and tears of emotion seeing our kids perform in humorous skit and with eloquent violin, and share their testimony in joyful song and powerful testimony. Our youth are definitely on fire and very willing to share it here and in far off places like LA. But lest you think that we are the only ones, it's happening all around us.

• Last month at Finance, I shared a story from Guideposts about a man who didn't learn to read until he was nearly 100 years of age. When the invitation came, he was ready and eager to accept this new challenge. Now his greatest pleasure comes from reading God's Word and helping other seniors learn to read. At 103, he may think about marriage if he has time for it. There's snow on the roof, but there's still a fire in the furnace.
• Issues of the UMC magazine, The Interpreter, have many examples taking God's light into new places.
• A 61-year old biked 4200 miles across the US to raise money to make a church in Illinois handicapped accessible.
• An 86-year old has never missed Sunday School -- that's 63 years or 3,299 Sundays. Not only does he wear all 63 pins on his lapels each Sunday, he says that "Sunday School is the most important thing in my life; it's where I've grown closer to God.
• A gentlemen who lost both his arms in a baling accident in 1976 returned to work on his farm and a job with an automotive company. He opened a food pantry in his area and at 74 still works on his farm and volunteers 3-5 days a week.
• A congregation in which there were a number of special needs children, included a few with autism, designed "family church". Its simpler format with lots of repetition and music helps these children relate to the service. All other services have also been adapted to be more inclusive.
• A mother and son were so affected by the homeless families in New York City that they started taking them sandwiches. This eventually grew into a ministry where folks are housed for a week in a local church rather than at shelters, allowing families to have some quality time and develop a sense of unity despite their current hardship. Plans are starting in the Seacoast to get such a group going.
• My cousin has just returned from a trip to Ukraine as part of Habitat for Humanity. In addition to spending many days doing difficult physical work building, he and his team were called on to preach and share their testimony. In the e-mails I received during this time, they talked about young Ukrainians stopping in the middle of a walk home to go over and witness to a group gathered on the street. While not always successful, they were willing to risk to share the fire in their bosoms.
• A church in New Orleans started an after school program to provide instruments and lessons for underprivileged kids. Not only does this provide them a place after school where they are shown the love of God, but their math scores have improved because of the discipline involved with the music practices..

In Ezekiel we are are told "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances."

In each of these examples, someone was nudged to step out, ("I have heard you calling in the night.") to reach out, to think of others as more important, to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, the new heart on fire. ("I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.")

In Acts 1 we are told: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."

We hear in Romans 8: "The resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, 'What's next, Papa?'"

Just like those folks who waited in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit, each of you has been called to minister. Yes, I said minister -- one pastor but many ministers. It says so right in the bulletin. The people are the ministers whose job it was to share the love of God with each other on a daily basis through the use of their own individual gifts and talents.

You're not sure what those might be? Read I Corinthians 12 a few times along with Ephesians 4 and Romans 12. Ask God to reveal himself to you and to make the gifts manifest. Seek out the company of other Christians that you trust and respect and feel have a reliance on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Some folks know that they know that they know they are filled with the Holy Spirit. Others need the affirmation of anointing prayer to give them the confidence they need.

Matthew 7 tells us: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. "

New experiences, new joys, new relationships with the creator of the universe await you along with perhaps new responsibilities and ministries.

After you have discovered your gifts build on them. Volunteer for assignments and training that compliment your natural giftedness. Get on the track to excellence by aligning your development with your talents.

There are all types of ministers, don't worry. There's a place for you. Some rouse and inspire. Some organize. Some have the power to heal. Some are strategic, and some tactical. Some spot opportunities and discern spirits, and some protect against disaster. All are needed in this world of ours.. What's the best type of minister to be? The type you were designed to be..

"God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go," says Romans 8. Need some specifics?

We have a chance to work with Habitat right here within our midst to help Donald and his family build their house. Will we pound nails and haul lumber with zealousness and thus by our actions and attitude share the Word with the folks in the new neighborhood?

A denomination-wide Open House campaign is being planned for September, its purpose to reach out to friends and neighbors and invite them to worship with us.

Perhaps St. John's can be like a similar-sized church in Wisconsin in which about 60 members called a total of 17,000 people in their community. Over 194 people attended a special service, more than half saying they came because of the phone call, with one traveling 13 blocks in his electric wheelchair.. Wild fire? You betcha!

The new Dream Team at St. John's comprised of Betty Galt, Barb Johnson, Bill Humphrey, Bill McWilliams and me has listed some possibilities for you in this month's Bell Wether. This list just barely scratches the surface and does not address the many projects and activities already occurring from Minnet's visits to the jail, the fund raising of the Hannah Girls, the blood drives, etc. Many ideas might have far-reaching results, some may be very small in the world's eyes. Some are serious; some are fun. If they bring people together in a safe, encouraging environment, whether to talk about books or movies, visit shut-ins, make phone calls, or pound nails, there is a wild fire. People's hearts and lives are touched, and they are never the same again.

I know my own spirit has been influenced by the amazing people I have met while sitting at meetings, stimulated by Disciple or other bible study, encouraged to grow on retreat. Many of the folks I consider my deepest friends and spiritual brothers and sisters came through the sharing at these events, our fires being fanned by the spirit wind in each other. The Disciples received Pentecostal power for sure, but it didn't make them super humans. They were just ordinary folk. In fact, there's probably more energy, intelligence, creativity and talent sitting in this room than those in first century Jerusalem had. What made them special is the fact that they were expecting something to happen and were filled with compulsion once it did. That compulsion thrust a dozen men out into the world with the message of redemption that was so intense that by the end of the first century over a half million people had been brought under the Christian banner.

Now that's power! That's wild fire!

Romans 8 further tells us: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God . . ."

You have been given the same Holy Spirit, the same gifts, the same Jesus, the same power. You are capable of doing no less than the Disciples did.

Some of you may remember a Breck commercial some years back where one woman has a wonderful experience using Breck shampoo, so she tells two people who tell two people, who tell two people, and off into the air, sort of like multi-level marketing.

To put that in spiritual and numerical terms, if in one year just ONE of you spread the fire and touched the lives of two persons who went on to touch the lives of two persons each and so one, after 4 occurrences, 8 people would be touched; after 10, 512; but after 31, 1,073,741,824 people would be have had their lives touched by God!

Now that's a pyramid I'd like to be part of.

That's power. That's wild fire.

Anybody want a light?

Amen.

(c) 2001, Diana Schuman