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In the current hit movie Iron Man II there are two fathers who are scientific geniuses, both capable of having great influence over the destiny of the world by virtue of their amazing inventions, and both training their sons to pick up where they left off.

God's Team - Acts 1: 15-26 - May 16, 2010 - Cicero United Methodist Church- Everett J. Bassett

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In the current hit movie Iron Man II there are two fathers who are scientific geniuses, both capable of having great influence over the destiny of the world by virtue of their amazing inventions, and both training their sons to pick up where they left off. One father trains his son to do good - and the other trains his son to take revenge for his bitter life. At one point, the former father stands among all the charts and models and inventions of his amazing life's work, and then says to his son, "My greatest creation has always been you." And the torch is passed from one generation to the next.

That is not so different from the story that is told in Acts, chapter 1. Jesus has spent years sharing a message of salvation and hope. Now he will be gone, and the question is, "How will the work continue?" Will he leave a library of instructions written down, so people can always refer back to it? Will he come back from time to time to renew the enthusiasm and make sure things stay on course? His disciples must have wondered what would be next. They asked, "Is this the time when the kingdom will come? How will people know? What has changed here?" And Jesus said, in effect, "It will be because of you. You are the witnesses. You are what has changed. The torch is now passed."

A couple weeks ago I preached about how Acts 1 can be seen as in-between time for
the disciples - between Easter and Pentecost. But like all of our in-between times, a great deal is happening here that is absolutely crucial. And one of the things we can see in this chapter is the Who, What, When, Where, and How of being God's team -- the greatest creation Jesus made - his witnesses. Let's take a look at how that plays out for us today.

First of all, the Who question. This chapter spends a lot of time on this question, and answers it in a couple different ways, depending on which circle of involvement you're talking about. At the widest level of involvement, the answer to Who is everybody and anybody. If we look at verse 8 it says that Jesus intends for his message to go to the ends of the earth. In the next chapter of Acts, 3000 people will become the first wave to join up. Jesus wants everybody to experience his grace, and everyone will have a part to play in God's kingdom. That's the first answer to Who.

But within that widest circle, there are some who are called for a more specific ministry, the middle circle of God's team. In verse 15, Luke tells us that there are 120 in that circle - and numbers are important. Some have suggested that 120 was the number required for a village to be entitled to have a synagogue. In other words, once you had 120 people, your village could become a place of teaching and carrying on the news of God's grace. So we might say that that middle circle represents our church, here in Cicero to shine a light for Jesus across our community. That 120 represents us.

And then, within that 120, there was a smaller circle yet, and that was the circle of the
Twelve. And once again, the number is no accident. It's almost certain that Jesus chose twelve disciples to remind people of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament- that God had chosen a people to deliver his message to the world. No wonder Peter was so intent that the disciples must replace Judas, so that their number might rise again to twelve. God's team was incomplete, so Acts 1 tells us the process used to find a new leader. Two qualified men were chosen, and then the final decision was revealed by drawing lots, with the expectation that God would lead the process. In one of my earlier parishes there was a significant Mennonite community, and once the time came for them to choose a new pastor. They found three qualified men, and then they handed each of them a Bible at random. There was a slip of paper in one Bible, and that was how they knew who God was choosing to be the pastor. In The United Methodist Church we don't choose leaders by lot, but we still trust that God is guiding the process of selecting pastors and lay leaders for the church. We pray carefully over that, so that God's team is complete. And many of you are the leaders God has chosen.

There are a couple things to notice about the Who question, and the choosing of who will be a witness for God. First of all, tragically, some will not take part. Judas was Jesus' choice for the inner circle, but he turned against it - by betraying Jesus, and then, as Luke tells it, as if to add insult to injury, by taking the blood money and buying a field with it. This was another affront to Jesus and his disciples who had left their fields to do God's work. Judas was making a statement, and it ended terribly for him. Not everyone will listen to God's call; not all will stay on the path. We pray for those, and move on.

The second thing we shouldn't pass over is that in verse 14, Luke goes out of his way to mention women. This was the early stages of breaking down a long-standing social barrier that said that women were not entitled to be disciples - were not entitled to learn and to pray and to share in the leadership. Yet here, women are in the inner circle, at the leadership level. And it's clear that is exactly where Jesus wanted them to be included. It was still too risky to have them named as disciples; but it is no question that that is exactly what they were. So that is what Acts 1 tells us about the Who question.

The next three questions we can answer fairly quickly. The What is answered in the first verses of the chapter, when Luke reviews the glorious story that had been told in the Gospel of Luke - it's the story we know and love -- how Jesus was born into this world as a Savior sent from God, God's own Son; how he taught and healed and lived out many wonders, but mostly about a kingdom built on love and peace and new hope; how he suffered and died for the forgiveness of sins; and how he rose on Easter and conquered death forever. And then those pivotal words we read in verse 8 last week: " ... you will be my witnesses." There is no Plan B - no written manual, no writing in the sky. There are witnesses; that's all God ever had in mind to spread the word.

And really, that's still all there is. The Bible is our wonderful guide - but the Bible is words - inspired words to be sure - but it has no magical power. The power of the Bible is when someone who has experienced grace in their lives shares the meaning of the Bible in word and deed - it's about witnesses. And people who are spiritually hungry and searching for meaning and hope - and this world is filled with such people - are not moved by doctrine or words or rules - they are moved by people who have experienced the love of God, and can testify that it works. We are God's greatest creation.

The When of God's team is answered in verse 11: two angels come to stand beside the disciples and say, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven?" as if to say, "There's no time to just gaze at the sky. It's time to roll up your sleeves and do what God chose you to do." We spend a lot of time waiting for the right time to serve God. When I graduate; when I've sown my wild oats; when the kids are older; when I retire; when I find the right person; when I find the right church; when that pastor gets moved; when I have established myself; when I've read the Bible more; when I have more money - on and on. There may be a legitimate time to say some of those things - but there'll always be something. There'll always be some reason to wait. God says, Get over it; the time is Now. You are witnesses. The world is thirsting for Good News.

And the Where question is answered in verse 8, and I preached about it last week: in
Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In other words, at home, in your neighborhood or nation, in the foreign and even the enemy land, and to all the earth. Wherever God's love is not known, there we are called.

And finally there's the How question, and here's where it gets fun. How do we witness for Jesus? We witness by the power of the Holy Spirit. And as we'll see next week on Pentecost Sunday, that's the best party in the world. The Holy Spirit is the intangible that fuels the whole project. You can take inventory in Acts 1 of many plusses the disciples had going for them: They had been instructed and prepared. Verse 13 talks about their unity and togetherness. Verse 14 says that they prayed constantly. In verse 20 we see that they know their scriptures. All these were the resources they had to do the job Jesus had ordained them to do. But put all those things together, and you still don't explain 3000 people joining their ranks in Acts 2 - not to mention all the miracles and conversions to follow. Those resources were essential, but the blossoming of the church into a powerful force for love and hope in the world was possible because of one thing -
they were baptized by the Holy Spirit - the presence of God that brings power.

Again and again we see it in action in the Book of Acts. Acts 4: 33 is one example: "With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and great grace was upon them all." And again and again it happens in the life of our church. Great grace comes to this place: peoples' lives are touched and changed; healing takes place; the community is ministered to; mission teams go out. And we have great resources to help those things happen - a wonderful church facility that we hope will get more wonderful after our church conference today; glorious musical talent, vital youth and Sunday School programs; what we hope is faithful preaching; wonderful care ministries, and so on. All those things are important. But even with them all, it's still true that the only reason anything worthwhile happens around here is the Holy Spirit. That's How it happens, or it doesn't happen at all. We need to continually pray for the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Many people today are struggling to find their purpose for living. I heard someone say just a couple weeks ago, "1 know I must be here for something, but 1 have no idea what." He's not alone. There are an alarming number who feel that their role is to go from cradle to grave with little impact on this world, and hope to grab a little joy and satisfaction along the way.

God has so much more in mind for us; God wants us to be part of His team.

President Lincoln was once riding home from church, and was asked what he thought
of the sermon. "It wasn't a sermon," said Lincoln, "because it didn't ask us to do anything great with our lives." That could never be said of any sermon preached about Acts 1, because God is asking of each of us nothing short of greatness: Who? to be part of God's chosen people; what? to be witnesses of the greatest News the world has ever known; when? to put all excuses aside, and do God's work now; where? to go wherever God sends you, even to the ends of the world; and how? to do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no greater way to find your destiny. In the end it's not about what you live on; it's about what you live for. And lives lived for God's team will never be disappointed.