January 7 2018 Fresh Voice: New Ears

January 7 2018 * Acts 19. 1-7, Genesis 1.1-5 “Fresh Voice: New Ears”  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Our lesson this morning says while a man named Apollos was in Corinth, Paul was on his way to Ephesus. Apollos is a name in the bible that stands out in the book of Acts. Apollos was a very, very intelligent man and an important leader in the first centuries of the church. Apollos was a native of Alexandria, Egypt.

Alexandria is a place known even to this day for serious biblical scholarship. A famous church father of the second century named Origen, [slide # 1 Origen] that every student in seminary reads about, was from Alexandria, Egypt. Origen was a critical thinker and marvelous teacher. He wrote biblical commentaries, sermons, philosophical essays on free will, the trinity, and he intertwined history and thoughts on atheism which gave many people a chance to reflect on life’s mysteries and to think about their relationship to God. He organized the bible [slide # 2 bible] by putting the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament together as one unit as we know it today. Can you imagine having just the New Testament in our pews and leaving the Old Testament only for our Jewish brothers and sisters?

Origen helped Christians from many traditions think through their faith. His hometown, Alexandria was named by Alexander the Great, who gained lots of territory through military feats. Alexander the Great was entombed in Alexandria along with many others who were considered great in their day.

Alexandria, Egypt was the place to be, dead or alive. Scholars, scientists, philosophers, engineers, mathematicians, artists, and historians –Archimedes, Heron, Euclid, Eratosthenes and of course, Origen.

Apollos was influenced by the great Origen and all the great spiritual and academic nurturing that was so much a part of the city of Alexandria. Apollos was very helpful to the Apostle Paul who, like Origen, wrote a lot and helped people to think about their faith and their witness to the world and their lifestyle as well as their relationship to God and others.

Apollos and Paul both worked in the ancient city of Corinth, about 700 miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Alexandria. [slide # 3 map Corinth to Alexandria] Corinth was known to be where all the wild and crazy things happened; a place where anything goes. You could probably buy recreational marijuana legally like California can now. You have to wonder what the fallout will be for California in a few years. We might think of Corinth as a place where all the do’s were laughed at as lame and don’ts were allowed and thought of as hip.

From time to time, people ask me about all the do’s and don’ts of the United Methodist Church. Our Book of Discipline [slide # 4 UMC Book…] is a legal document and contains several do’s and don’ts that are designed to help us serve God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. Our spiritual disciplines help us become champions of the faith and win great victories. Fortunately, by the mercy and grace of God, we are all a work in progress, and we patiently ask the Holy Spirit to help us help each other.

While Apollos was in Corinth dealing with the do’s and don’ts, Paul was going through Ephesus, some 400 miles away. [slide # 5 map Corinth to Ephesus] Paul wrote letters back and forth to Corinth while he stayed in Ephesus for three whole years. Ephesus was another fine city, not as favored perhaps as Alexandria, but important nevertheless. Legend indicates that Ephesus was founded by female warriors called Amazons.

One thing more certain is that in spite of there being many pagan temples in Ephesus, there was also a Christian church that was founded there with the help of husband and wife Aquila and Priscilla with Paul as the lead teacher and minister.

The Christian church is still being built up just as it was in the first and second centuries. People are still traveling miles across land and sea to share the gospel. The church is still riding high on the many tides, ebbs and flows that the church goes through from year to year. The church still endures through thick and thin, from age to age.

So, Paul was teaching this new and controversial gospel in Corinth. Many were ready to hear and others paid no attention at all. Twelve men had gathered to listen to Paul. When was the last time you saw a dozen men gathered alone in one room for God’s sake?

Paul asked the 12  if they had received the Holy Spirit. [slide # 6 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit …]   They answered that they did not know anything about the Holy Spirit? [slide # 7 We have not even heard… ]

Who baptized you Paul asked? John the Baptist baptized us. We can imagine that Paul breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that John the Baptist had baptized them. In those days it was more common than it is in today’s world   for anybody to be baptized, whether they were atheists, agnostics, part of cults, or whether they worshipped other Gods. Many simply wanted a nice ritual with a beautiful ceremony and a fancy party, even though they were not Christians. Christians are not the only ones who baptize, then or now. You may have heard that Satan worshippers have types of baptism services in the US and around the world.

Paul asked the question, who baptized you so he could determine if the twelve men had been legitimately baptized as Christians. Even Christians, to this day often debate who should be baptized – should we baptize infants or only those who can confess their faith for themselves. Should we baptize in the lake or should we build a baptismal pool in the sanctuary. The teachings vary from denomination to denomination. United Methodists do it all, except re-baptizing. We baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which includes Jesus, but in some churches, if you do not say “Jesus” when the water goes on, you are not considered baptized. I believe our United Methodist teachings are in sync with the teachings of the Apostle Paul because baptism is about dedicating our hearts to God with sincerity and humility. 

The twelve men gathered with Paul were legitimately baptized. Their hearts were right, their minds were clear about their commitment to Jesus from Galillee, they were humble, but they had not yet learned about the Holy Spirit. Paul was going to teach them. He began with a prayer and God did the rest. Verse 6 says as Paul prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon them. It did not have to happen like that. God does whatever God wants to do with the Spirit working in our lives. Some of what God does in the Spirit is simple and easy to recognize and understand. Other things God does through the Spirit in our lives can be very complicated and unbelievable.

One way to understand the variety of ways the Spirit works is thinking about another spirit – alcohol. [slide # 8 wine/spirit shop ]. Different spirits affect everyone in different ways. Some people change like day and night. Some lose control one way or the other as a certain spirit takes over.  Some become sweet, or angry, or sleepy, or giddy or amorous. When my sister had surgery a few years ago, she was under the influence of something the doctor had given to her and when we talked on the phone, she went on and on about how she loved me and how we needed to be closer and talk more often. She was ten times more lovey dovey than she was normally. It was a bit awkward.

The Holy Spirit moves us in a variety of wonderful ways. The work of the Holy Spirit always bring forth spiritual fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (generosity), faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Verse 6 says the spirit came upon the men and they did two things. They spoke in tongues [slide # 9 spoke in tongues…] and they prophesied.

No doubt you too have experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon you. No doubt you have spoken in tongues and you have prophesied. I can prove it. If you are a Christian, at some point you have used words that bless you or others. You have heard words, sung or said, unspoken though understood, foreign or familiar that bless you or others. Such words may give you goose bumps or cause the hairs to raise up on the back of your neck. They may make you want to jump up and down or shout out loud; they may bring tears of joy to your eyes, or cause your head to bow in submission. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Broadly speaking, you have spoken in tongues, if you have used words that work for God’s particularly loving purpose, words that move mountains and make a difference, great or small, natural or supernatural, in our lives or the lives of others. As we yield our whole lives to God our words speak for God, and God speaks with love.

Verse 6 says the twelve men also prophesied. You have prophesied, too. The bible defines prophecy as words that God designs to do three things - strengthen us, encourage us and comfort us. Sometimes those words also warn us or remind us about something that is going to happen in the future.

Radio host Janet Parshall interviewed a man named David Robertson this week who offered ten prophecies for the Church in 2018. He noted there would be a continual struggle of humanity with violence and sexual issues which was no surprise. What stood out was his mentioning that Africa and China would see significant economic growth. We will see what happens.

In some ways, his prophecies help us to hunker down, preparing for the worst while expecting the best. That is what we all do to one degree or another. It is good to be prepared in life, and it is good as Tyler Collins shared last Sunday to have hope when things are not going our way.

It has been said that the greatest sickness our young people have today is  not some virus, or cancer or diabetes, it is hopelessness. So let us continue being the Church, strengthening, encouraging, and comforting, so we can share some good news in a mixed up world. Let us use our tongues to pour out words that make a difference. If we do not do it for our children and all the children of the world, who do you think will do it? Amen. [Slide # 10 we will never change the world by…]