St. John’s Church on Morgan Hill

Blake Heffner January 13th, 2007

“Something More” 1/13/07

Texts: Matthew 11:2-6 I Thessalonians 1:2-5

“We brought the Good News to you, not with words only, but also with power and the Holy Spirit, and with complete conviction of its truth.” This is how Paul begins his first letter to the church in Thessalonica. This letter is regarded as the oldest piece of Christian literature we have, written some twenty years or so before the first gospel (Mark). This letter is remarkable for many things. We will focus on just one this morning – the fact that Paul’s message was delivered to them “not with words only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit.” It was not simply on oral message; it was also visual and experiential. It had to be in Macedonia, where people worshiped many gods, and the God of Abraham and Moses was relatively unknown, except among the Jews living there. For Paul to win people to faith they needed to see the power of God demonstrated before their eyes.

Isn’t this basically how Jesus answered the disciples of John? John was in prison, and his followers must have been very distraught. So, John sent them to Jesus (as the youth say today) “to scope him out” - to discover for themselves whether Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One, who has come to save the world. So they approach Jesus with the sixty-four thousand dollar question: “Tell us, are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?” Were they somewhat skeptical? Were they discouraged? We don’t know, but Jesus realized right away that merely telling them the truth would likely not convince them. They needed to see it for themselves. So, he answers: “Go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing: the blind can see, the lame can walk, the lepers are being made clean, the deaf hear, [even] the dead have been brought back to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. How happy are those who have no doubts about me!” Do you think they were convinced? Matthew gives us the impression that they are indeed.

1. Pastor Kiran and the Situation in India

Last spring, Pastor Kiran Pagarey of India came to St. John’s and told us about missionary efforts in his native land. It is virtually the same there today, as it was for Paul in Macedonia. The Hindus have 330,000 gods. They are a very religious people. So, if one is to make any impression upon them regarding Jesus Christ, one has to do more than talk about the good news. People need to see the truth of the gospel demonstrated in the power of Holy Spirit.

Kiran tell the story of preaching in a hostile village. He was only 20 years old. The folks from the neighborhood brought a woman to him who had a flow of blood for days on end. Kiran was afraid. He knew the story of the woman who was healed of that kind of malady by reaching out and touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. But, just telling the story to these people would not suffice. They wanted to see what his God could do for this woman. Kiran prayed earnestly – with great fear and trembling. He didn’t even wait around for the results. After the prayer, he got on his bike and headed for home. Along the road, that same woman met him with some vegetables just picked in the fields – to say thank you. Kiran was so beside himself he didn’t even recognize her. Only later, was he told that she was healed completely that day. And because there were so many eye witnesses, folks in that village began to believe in Jesus Christ.

2. Our Situation

We live a totally different cultural context. Just about everyone in this country has heard about Jesus from early childhood. Almost everyone knows the basic elements of his story – that he was born in Bethlehem, died on Good Friday, and was resurrected on Easter. The story is so familiar there’s nothing “new” for most folks. What seems to be lacking is what Paul brought to Thessalonica: a powerful demonstration of the good news through the Holy Spirit. Do you agree? It’s one thing to have heard that Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus; it’s another to have seen that healing with your own eyes. It’s one thing to have heard that Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from her deathbed; it’s quite another to have witnessed a resurrection firsthand.

But that, my friends, is precisely what people in our culture need – they need to see the gospel demonstrated before their eyes, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you do too!

3. Something More!

More than thirty years ago, Catherine Marshall wrote a book about this very thing, called Something More. In this book, she describes how the Holy Spirit is very much still at work in our world doing the same things that we read about on the pages of the New Testament. In story after story, Mrs. Marshall demonstrates how the Holy Spirit is doing miraculous things in our day – before our very eyes. The Spirit is still restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansing lepers and raising the dead. This book made a huge impression on me, at a very impressionable time in my spiritual journey.

The challenge that lies before us this year is to become a people that are not just talk. Talk is cheap, as they say. We need to bring “something more” to the table: the conviction of those who have witnessed the power of the gospel in the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, how will our relatives and neighbors ever take Christ seriously - unless they see his Spirit at work in our lives?

* How will they take seriously Jesus’ words about loving one’s enemies, unless they see that awesome love in our words and deeds? After all, Jesus said, even the pagans love those who love them. Our love must have that “something more” to be taken seriously.

* How can we suggest that someone trust Jesus to guide them through a difficult time, unless (like the psalmist) we can recount how we sought the Lord and he answered our prayer and delivered us from confusion?

* How can we encourage folks to trust God with their finances, and give generously, unless we have seen firsthand how you can’t out-give God? Can you and I testify that “giving by faith is an essential part of living by faith”?

* How can we begin to talk about the Holy Spirit’s power, until we have seen it at work healing our diseases?

This year we will hear a lot about three words: Ministry, Mission and Music. But before we can get excited about such words, we had better get excited about Jesus Christ and serious about the power of his Holy Spirit in our lives. That wasn’t reserved for a few disciples of John the Baptist – it’s essential for every disciple in every generation. Healing was not just for a blind man named Bartimaeus, but for everyone who cannot see the Kingdom of God in our midst. Resurrection was not reserved for Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus; new life, new perspective is meant for every child of God – from the youngest, like little Madilynn Mae Andrew, to the oldest among us. I invite you to join me in praying that 2007 will be a dynamic year of seeing the Word of God become flesh in our very lives, bringing us new love and joy, new peace and reconciliation, new insight and understanding, new vitality and zeal, and a new sense of purpose and mission. Jesus Christ is worthy of nothing less!

Prayer:

O Lord, open our eyes to your presence and power in this world. Open our hearts to believe the promise that we will find you – if we seek you with all our hearts. Open our minds to your truth and goodness.

Help us to seek you in the regular reading and studying of your Word this year. Help us to find you when we gather regularly for worship together. Help us to find nourishment and encouragement in the fellowship of other Christians this year.

O Lord, above all, have your own way with us. Lead us and guide us. Move mightily among us with your Holy Spirit. And send us forth to serve you in love, joy and peace – in the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

• Sermons
• Comments(0)