Stepping into God’s Story – Episode Seven
A New People
Glenn Garvin • March 3, 2024
Like a mustard tree seed. The kingdom of heaven did in fact start VERY SMALL, imperceivable by almost everyone at the time. Why do we de-value small things, small beginnings? In startups, making the pitch for Series-A “angel investors, the “shark-tank-like” group looks not just for the next big idea but want to know if the company can pull off “hockey-stick” growth. They want it to take off fast and make them lots of money quickly. Jesus started with just a dozen guys, then it grew after his death to 120, then within a few days exploded into 3000 people.
Christ’s arrival on this earth was a minor and unnoticed event to the vast majority of humanity.
It was not broadcast on FOX or CNN. There were no marketing plans and no campaign offices set up to let people know that a new leader was arriving.
When Jesus was 30 years old, He began teaching publicly and performing miracles. He invited 12 disciples to live with Him and follow Him. These 12 disciples they were normal guys, uneducated, not from the religious elite, they were
After Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended back to heaven, about 120 people gathered together in prayer in Jerusalem
The kingdom of heaven started small. But then it exploded to 3000 on the day of Pentecost. By the year 250, the number of believers had risen to more than a million. After that, sociologists recognize that Christianity grew at a rate of approximately 40% per decade.
The Kingdom of God is the
, but not yet
.
In this grand saga of Stepping into God’s Story, we now come to a point where we ask who are we as the Church? We are the people of God and we are in His story. We learn three things about our new identity:
• We are a new people.
• We have new power.
• We are on a holy mission.
Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Shavuot, The Feast of Weeks: The Birthday of Judaism and the Birthday of the Church.
- We are a
The Christian faith is radically
Galatians 3:27-29 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
As human beings, all of us work to
• Before other
• To
• Before
• We still try to
It’s not that believers are better people. It’s not that followers of Jesus are perfect. It is that we are wearing the righteousness, the perfection of Christ.
This is the radical exclusivity of Christianity.
The Christian faith is also radically inclusive.
Every single background, ethnicity, socio economic class, and both genders!
Acts 2:9-11 lists a summary of the language groupings present that day. “Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs.
2. We have new
God’s Spirit has
• Acts 8:12-17 [KJV/NIV]
• Acts 10:44-46 [KJV/NIV]
• Acts 11:14-16 [KJV/NIV]
• Acts 15:7-9 [KJV/NIV]
I believe that God, through the power of the Holy Spirit wants us to continue to BE a disciple and MAKE a disciple – be one, make one.
We have new power, and we should be using it every day!
3. We are on a holy
People are going to be rescued from every tribe, tongue, and nation. There is no greater mission than to take the gospel to other people – starting with our family, neighbors and friends (where we work, live and play) but also taking that message of hope to every spot on the planet.
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”