"In Search Of A Kingdom" -Acts 1:1-12
Rev. A.L. Torrence
Pastor of the Cross of Life Lutheran Church
In our text, we see a group of Galileans searching for a kingdom and the power that goes along with it. They asked the question, "Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" As Israelites, they still held on to that promise that one day God would make his people a great nation. The disciples hoped for the day when their oppressors would be conquered and their enemies defeated. And they concluded that Jesus had the power to give it to them. They have seen Jesus healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, raise the dead, calm the stormy seas, and even escaped the cold grip of the grave. They have seen the resurrected Christ with all power in heaven and earth. The disciples knew that if anyone had unlimited power to make them into an invincible people that could conquer the nations of the world, it was Jesus. And after all, Jesus promised them a kingdom saying, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God," and "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my father has appointed unto me." Jesus constantly talked about receiving the kingdom of God. So, they knew they were to receive the promised. It was their hope and expectation. This kingdom would make them somebody. They would no longer be a group of misfits but they would be great. Their nation would no longer be enslaved, exploited, used and abused. The disciples were in search of a kingdom. They were fed up with their mediocre living as poor fishermen with no voice in the mainstream of society. They wanted a kingdom based on power, wealth and fame.
Like them, we also seek our kingdoms. The world is filled with those seeking to raise up mighty kingdoms. The search is on for financial empires. We see many like Donald Trump and Bill Gates seeking a kingdom through corporate takeovers, mergers, and buyouts. Many are striving to make six figured salaries either by working for ATT, Bell Atlantic or the local drug dealer. We all want to own the title and deed to a home in the suburbs while taking Sunday drives in a Mercedes or Cadillac. We work over-time and brown nose our bosses for job promotions and keys to the executive washroom. Others just play the lottery hoping to win the big one.
The search is on for political kingdoms. The war in Yugoslavia is over political kingdoms. Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other countries suffer from military upheavals due to the search for political kingdoms. The dirty politics in congress from white water to zipper gate was due to a battle over the political kingdom. Even in the church, we strive for political power. We all strive for position and influence where we boast about being kappa’s, deltas, and masons. We desire to have our voice heard on the Boards and standing committees. We like sitting in own pew where we can look important. We like seeing our names printed in the bulletins or having pastor call our name from the pulpit. We like to think that since we give our tithes, we should be able to tell the pastor when to jump and how high. We too have a hunger for political kingdoms in the church.
Even the best of us preachers seek ecclesiastical kingdoms. We envision having a large church overflowing with members in the pews and money in the bank. We want a dynamic worship service with large choirs and talented musicians. I would love to have standing room only bible studies and Sunday school classes.
We seek our kingdoms. Some of us pursue fairy tales kingdoms where, the husband can be king of his castle and the wife protected by her brave knight in shiny armor. Many of us men seek to have a harem of concubines where we can have a woman every night, like King Solomon. While some of our women are still going around kissing frogs and even sleeping with toads hoping to turn one of them into their prince. The search is on for a kingdom and if the truth be told, when we pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” we are hoping that God wills us a kingdom.
That's what going on in our text. We have a group of no bodies seeking to become somebody. Sinners and Galileans seeking silver and gold; fishermen trying to become aristocrats; preachers seeking be politicians. But, Jesus was offering them something better. For three years of his ministry, and forty days after his resurrection, Jesus tried to open their minds to the treasures of heaven; yet, their eyes could only see the wealth of the world. Jesus wanted to show them the glory of the Father, but they wanted to glorify themselves. They were asking Jesus, “When will you restore the kingdom to Israel?” When will we become somebody? When will we overcome?
We ask those questions everyday. Lord, how much longer do I have to toil before I seek some results? How long must I wait before my breakthrough? Lord how long must I wait before you answer my prayer? How long before we grow in membership? Lord, How long? God knows that we are waiting on him. He knows what you have been through the last ten years. He knows how you waited patiently as pastors came and went. He knows how your friends and neighbors criticized you for persistently coming to a church where the singing is off key and the membership is depressingly low. He knows how you have been disappointed and hurt. Jesus knows all about your struggles and frustrations.
But still He answers our impatient questions with the same response he gave his disciples: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the father has fixed by his own authority.” In other words, you can’t put God on a stopwatch and time him. We can’t clock an infinite God with finite time. He transcends the twenty-four hours we schedule in a day. One day with him is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Our life span is but a twinkling of his eye. How can we know when God is about to move unless he tells us?
And we are looking for a move of God among us. We are looking for him to move within this church. We don’t need a Cross-of Life kingdom. We need a move of God. We don’t need to increase our membership. We need to increase our relationship with the Father.
That’s what the disciples needed. They needed a stronger relationship with God. Now that Jesus was about to depart from them again, they need someone that would keep them in touch with the divine. They need someone who had a hotline to heaven. And would you know it. Jesus met their need. Jesus promised and gave them something better than the kingdoms of this world. He says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Ghost has come upon you." Jesus gave them the key and catalyst for building the kingdom - Dunamis power from on high- the power of the Holy Ghost. (And you see, we don’t like to talk about the Holy Ghost. Baptists tend to shy away from the subject. Lutherans tend to theologize it and say Holy Spirit or Paraclete because we are well educated and don’t want to sound ignorant. But whether you call him Spirit or Ghost, the fact is that you need him. And with him we have something better than the temporal power of this world. With the Holy Ghost we have power that is both internal and external. You see, earthly power can influence the behavior of others but Dunamis power can change attitudes. Earthly power has the tendency to oppress, manipulate, and humiliate others. But Dunamis power conquers the temptation, sin, and evil that causes us to be destructive, oppressive, and wicked. With earthly power, we kill our brothers and rape our sisters but with Dunamis power we love our neighbors as ourselves. We love those who despitefully use and persecute us. Earthly power fades when we lose our position, wealth, and fame. But with power from the Holy Ghost, we are comforted when we are brokenhearted. We have shelter in the midst of the storms.
We have a helper amid our flood. With the Holy Ghost upon us we become more than conquerors but we become creators. Men become visionaries and dreamers. Women become prophets and priests. With the Holy Ghost Bible study becomes standing room only and the preacher can get an Amen (every now and then).
And that's what America needs today. We need the power of the Holy Ghost. From the White House to the poor house we need the Holy Ghost. Society needs a power that changes its consciousness as well as the community. We a power which will conquer our sinful nature as well as fight powers and principalities in high places. We need DUNAMIS power that will change our selfishness to servanthood. We need a power that will change our cowardliness to courageousness. We need Holy Ghost power that will empower us to heal the sick while comforting us in our illness. We need Holy Ghost power that will empower us to feed the hungry while being living water for us in a dry and thirsty land. We need power to clothe the naked while being clothed with the Spirit.
We need the power of the Holy Ghost that is internal and external. You see our Pentecostal brothers and sisters need to know that it's not enough just to speak in tongues, roll around on the floor, dance and scream on Sundays. But we need the Holy Ghost to witness on Monday, Testify on Tuesday, Intercede on Wednesday, and comfort us until we meet again Sunday Morning. We need the power that only the Holy Ghost can give us.
That's what the disciples got. They received the power when the Holy Ghost came upon them. They receive the power not only to speak in tongues but also to preach the gospel. They were changed on the inside so that they could what was on the outside. Jesus gave them something better than what the world had to offer. Instead of giving power to control society Jesus gave them power to change society.
But here’s the catch- for them to get the power they had to make a move. Before they could move the world they had to move themselves. Look at the text, Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait. The disciples could no longer dwell on the Mount Olives but they had to go the city and wait. They could no longer dwell in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed or stand upon the summit where their Master caught a cloud departed into heaven. They could no longer stand glazing into peaceful blue skies or walk among beauty of olive trees. They had to go into the city and wait.
Jesus commanded them to go the place where he was judged, condemned, and crucified. They had to go to the crowded city where beggars, prostitutes, and pious religious zealots cried out “crucified him.” They had to go to Jerusalem where Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied him, and the disciples fled for their lives. Jerusalem, a city of bitter memories and bloody encounters. Jesus told this group to leave the mountain and wait in the city. In the city is where they would receive the promise to be his witnesses. In the city is where the gospel would be preached, three thousand souls would be saved, the lame would made to walk, and the deaf will be made to hear. In the city is where they would receive the power of the Holy Ghost to be witness for Christ. But the disciples had to put their trust in Jesus and believe in his word. Once again they had to act on faith. That's what we need to do. We need to act on faith. We've got the power. The Holy Ghost has fallen. We've just got to act on faith. We need to move beyond these four walls and go into the city. Jerusalem to the disciples represented a place of bitter memories, death, and fear. But God sent them back to that place. Likewise we will have to venture out of Cross of Life and do ministry in those places that may not always appeal to us. Many of us are already uneasy with the fact that so many strangers come into our building during the week when we are not around. Well, just wait when God puts us out there on Rock Ave witnessing drug addicts and prostitutes. We have to realize that the same God who is with us at 1240 East 7th street will be with us on Front Street, Rock Ave, and Park Avenue. Every neighborhood we go into will not be as pleasant as Netherwood Historical District. Every person we tell Jesus to will not be dressed in a Versace suit or Ck outfit. Some folk will smell of alcohol and beer. Some folk will speak poor English, no English, or Ebonics. Everyone won’t come from Islands. Everyone won’t have blue eyes and blond hair. The kingdom of God has no racial or ethnic boundaries. It has no territorial or economical boundaries. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “you shall be my witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth” - from North Plainfield to Newark, from Wall Street to Watchung.
To the uttermost parts of the earth - the prostitute, the pimp, the drug dealer, the drug addict, the runaway, the gang member, the street vagrant.
To the utter most parts of the earth - rich, poor, black, white, man, woman, straight, and gay. You shall be my witnesses to the uttermost parts to the earth. We've got the power. We just need the faith.
Back in November, the council and I began a long difficult process of developing a mission statement. Finally, we have arrive at statement that we feel verbalizes the calling that God has placed upon CLC:
We are apart of the body of Christ – a warm, accepting congregation. We are God’s disciples growing towards God’s standards. We are called to minister to the needs of the saved and unsaved, through teaching God’s word. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
That’s who we are and our mission.
We recognized that it is time to stop hiding behind our walls and witness to the urban community. It's time to stop nesting here like the pigeons that visit roofs and start testifying about the goodness of Jesus. It's time for kingdom building instead of passive idleness. It is time for us to get involve with programs like the Teen Parenting Programming. It’s time for us to see how we can help the educational system of Plainfield.
It's time to seek God's kingdom and all of his righteousness. It is time to seek a place of peace, equality, justice, and love. And I'm so glad that a long time ago I decided to stop standing around wondering when God going to give me wealth and fame. I got my mind made up. My hopes are built on things eternal. And that's where my focus is - the kingdom of God. You see if I'm a faithful worker in building up the God's kingdom down here, great will be my reward up in heaven. If I go witnessing in the streets of Newark, I'll go sweeping through the streets of New Jerusalem. If I could be a witness and clothe the naked down here, I'll receive a robe and crown just over in glory land. If I could be a witness and provide shelter to the homeless, I’ll take up residence in a mansion on God's celestial shores. The old folks use to say ‘I’m sending up timber for my log cabin in the sky. Well if that’s the case. I’m sending up bricks. Just if I can be a witness and give my tithes and offerings faithfully while I'm on this side of the Jordan, then when I cross over I see the great pearly gates, streets paved with gold, and wall made of jasper. Just if I can tell somebody about Christ- I don't have to preach like Paul, but if I can tell somebody about Christ - I don't have be a theologian, But if I can tell somebody about Christ - Then I sing, shout, and dance all day long around the Lord's throne in that great by and by. God's Kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. While we made be here today and gone tomorrow, God's kingdom will be from everlasting to everlasting. The grass withers and the flowers shall fade, but God's kingdom will endure forever.
I am so glad that this is not my home. I have a kingdom over yonder waiting for me. You see, earthly kingdoms rise and fall but the kingdom of God shall never end. Amen.
