This past summer a completely unknown artist, Anthony Oliver, released a song called “Rich Men North of Richmond.” In the video, he’s out in the backwoods of Virginia, singing to his chronically lethargic dogs. The lyrics resonated with a vast swath of the American public. In mere days, the song cut through the charts, to become the biggest viral hit in America. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The first artist to ever do this, having no prior chart history.
In his song, he pushes about every button you can push. But there is a line where he sings about “Living in the new world… with an old soul.” A lot of people, of all political backgrounds, of all races and ethnicities, relate to this sentiment. Who doesn’t feel a deep sense of alienation in this newly emerging world.
We’re old souls, living in a new world! A new world whose morality, values, and beliefs… whose thinking and very logic… whose laws, rules, principles… whose ever evolving vocabulary of gender, sexuality, and pronouns… whose world view is starkly different than our own. In this new world right is wrong, but wrong is right. Good is bad, but bad is now good. Light is dark, but dark is light. There are a million ways we could lament the gross perversity of our lawless age. Our culture is so rapidly jettisoning its ancient foundations to build sandcastles on the shifting sands of this new world order.
If you feel you’re living in a new world with an old soul, you are not alone. Here is my encouragement to you. We don’t have to be on the defense. We don’t have to stay hunkered down, living in uncertainty or fear. We may be old souls living in a new world, yet we’re living in this new world with an ancient gospel that is as relevant as it’s always been.
You might remember where we began our Luke series last fall. In your Bible, the books of Luke and Acts are not only a part-1, part-2, two-volume history… these books are the most comprehensive history that exists about the rise of Christ and rise of the early Church.
1. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Certainty? If I were to summarize Luke’s purpose in writing Luke (Volume 1), it was to elevate a sense of “certainty”, a convictional clarity, regarding the good news of Jesus Christ. Lakeside had one of its strongest years of ministry last year—we saw attendance grow, we saw people making decisions, there was an outpouring of generosity that not only strengthened Lakeside’ ministry, but also our partners. I’d like to think some of that came as fruit of all of us growing in our faith in Jesus.
Here was how Luke wrote his introduction to Luke-Volume 1. Luke 1:1-4, “Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.” The gospel of Jesus isn’t a cleverly invented story. Luke is applying the same rigors to the historicity of Jesus’ life and ministry that any historian would apply to any other historical figure or event. In your Christian life you ought to be able to attain a very high degree of not only clarity, but certainty and conviction about the things of Jesus. I continually pour over the things of Jesus.
But notice how Luke’s purpose for writing Acts-Volume 2 expands. Acts 1:1-3, “I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Again, that’s Luke. But notice what he says next…
2. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Power? This second purpose is mentioned in Acts 1:4-5, “While he was with them, he [Jesus] commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
Luke’s gospel of Jesus isn’t just an inspirational story. You know, people are so hungry for inspiration. A lot of people see Jesus merely as an inspirational example, whose self-sacrifice ought to inspire us to give as he gave, to love as loved, and sacrifice as he sacrificed. That’s why Joel Osteen, or even the secular psychologist Jordan Petersen, sell millions of dollars in books and are so popular. They wax eloquent about everyone from Abraham to Jesus—and it’s not entirely misguided that they do so. In my estimation, Jesus is the single most inspirational person who ever graced the face of this earth. But the issue is this… is Jesus more than an inspirational character? Is he savior? Is he lord? Is he king? Is he God?
Even more so… the “promise” of Jesus was that in baptism—that in pledging or giving ourselves over to Jesus in faith, God wouldn’t just emotionally “inspire” our hearts but he would tangibly “fill and indwell” all our heart, mind, body, and soul with his very own Spirit!
Friends. Hear me on this carefully! It's one thing to be inspired by the spirit of a person, but it’s a different thing for that person’s same spirit to take up residence, dwell, fill, inhabit your soul. What happens when the same Spirit of which Jesus was conceived, born, baptized, ordained, filled, driven by, anointed by, spoke by, ministered in power of, resurrected by… begins to indwell a group of people like the Twelve Apostles, or the band of women, or the 500 believers who remained in faith after Jesus’ death? That’s what Luke, in Acts Volume 2, is going to show us. Not just what happens when believers are filled with a sense of certainty regarding Jesus’ identity as the Son of God… but also What this powerful life in the Spirit was in the beginning, has been throughout the ages, and can still be for all of us who believe!
1. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Certainty? 2. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Power? 3. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Sent-ness?
Keep in mind that Luke’s introduction to Acts doesn’t stop at verse 3, nor even verse 5. It continues at verse 6! Acts 1:6-8, “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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.”
There are many reasons God might want to indwell us by his Spirit. This past year I sat down, and tried to identify the thirty most powerful verses in all of Scripture, that talk about what God’s Spirit can so powerfully do in our lives by faith. God can melt your heart of stone and make it beat alive again. God can penetrate our thick skulls and not only give us new minds, but enable us to have very mind of Christ himself. God can change any and all aspects of prickly personalities to cause us to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. By the way I saw that the next topic at the Women’s Ministry gathering is going to be about “choosing joy” and will be led by Sunny Boatman. That’s going to be a life-changing night because God’s Spirit can slip the script of our lives from bitterness, regret, anger, darkness to complete joy! The Holy Spirit can heal our heart, our mind, our body, and our souls—the greatest healing this side of eternity is found in the Spirit. The Spirit builds up the body of Christ, giving us gifts, talents, and resources to build one another up. The list is a mile long.
But one of GREATEST reasons God fills us with his Spirit is to send us on mission!
Jesus says, “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.” We may be old souls living in a new world. I think there is a time and a place to lament all the perverse ways this new world robs souls of true, everlasting life. Even the Apostle Peter says were like aliens and strangers in this godless world.
But friends, there is hope. There is an election coming in 2024. And boy if the Democrats could just maintain control with Biden… If the Republicans could take back control with Trump… If Caesar Augustus’ star could shine just a little brighter… NO! NO! NO! We may be old souls in a new world, yet we have an ancient gospel that’s as relevant, and powerful, and transformative, and hope-filled as its always been. And God is giving us power not to be political pundits but to tackle 2024 being Spirit-Filled Witnesses of his majesty and power! And this gospel isn’t just for a nation (America) but nations (all the ends of the earth!)
What might God do with a church that possesses a growing sense of gospel certainty and clarity? A church with a growing sense of Holy Spirit Power? A Church with a growing sense of Sent-ness and Purpose?
As if these ideas aren’t already amazing enough. Luke mentions a fourth purpose to writing Luke and Acts. Not just that we might Have a Growing Sense of Certainty … a Growing Sense of Power … a Growing Sense of Sent-ness but also this… 4. Do we Have a Growing Sense of Urgency?
Acts 1:6-7 Luke records, “So when they had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
And then in Acts 1:9-11 Luke records this: “9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
The overwhelming majority of Christians make one if not two errors. The first error is to think God’s Kingdom Agenda is all about human politics. God’s Kingdom is as undeterred by what happens in Washington, Moscow, or Beijing as it was by what happened in Rome, Babylon, Persia, Assyria. God’s Kingdom is advancing powerfully, and globally, and no nation will prevail against God. We need to get our politics into kingdom perspective.
But the second error we make is to think the Kingdom of Christ, and being a Christian is all about having our heads in the clouds. It is true that Christ is going to return at the appointed time. He will return on air, just as he departed. But what if we Christians were to invest a fraction of the energy we spend speculating about the ends times, and the antichrist, and the rapture, and not being left behind… what if we spent our energies not looking to heaven but to our mission? The final timeline of Christ’s return will take care of itself. But let me tell you what will never take care of itself—it’s our mission.
Matthew 28:16-20, “18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Fine, keep an eye toward heaven and the end times. But we better keep our other eye on mission.
We’re going to spend these winter months looking at the book of Acts. We’re going to be answering this question: What does it look like for Christ's followers to truly be God's people, while holding out hope to the world? The book of Acts of course, is a fitting place for us to camp out. Acts records the explosive rise of the Christian Church (the Kingdom of God) after Jesus’ death and resurrection. If ever the people of God found themselves in a vulnerable place it was in the wake of Christ’s crucifixion and death. In the wake of Jesus’ death, the Christian was a hunted minority. There were the eleven apostles, a tiny band of women, and circle of witnesses no larger than 500 who knew of Christ’s resurrection.
Do you know that Lakeside is a church of 500? 500 is the number of people who trouble themselves to show up, worship, serve, give, and grow. We have over a thousand names in our database—but for all practical purposes we’re 500 strong. How many of you would like to see Lakeside grow and become 1000 strong? Here is where we begin our journey this new year…
1. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Gospel Certainty?
2. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Holy Spirit Power?
3. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Personal Sent-ness?
3. Do I Have a Growing Sense of Missional Urgency?