Fuel of the Spirit

2^nd in Four Week Series: “To Be A Lighthouse”

May 11, 2008

Mother’s Day, Pentecost

John 7:37-39

Acts 2:14-21

Jn. 7:37-39, The Message Translation.

On the final and climactic day, Jesus took his stand and cried out, “I anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Jesus the Light of the World: John 8:12-15

¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

This month we are focusing on Jesus, the Light of the World, and trying to get at the implications of this concept. We as the Centenary church, have a vital role to play for Christ, right where we are standing; at a busy intersection in downtown Bath. WE ARE LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE ON A TREACHEROUS SHORE, STABLE AND SECURE, BUT WE MUST ALWAYS BE SHINING OUR LIGHT: THE LIGHT OF CHRIST!

Picture your favorite lighthouse, if you have one. If is a working lighthouse; think with me of all the people who depend upon its light every night. If it is an historic lighthouse, imagine the day when it was fully operational. Those who traverse the sea or great lake around it, know they can depend on it as a landmark. Even those captains who now use gps for navigation, feel a comfort and a confirmation of their directions once they see it in the night.

A lighthouse protects all who would perish, not knowing the location of the danger that lurks beneath the surface. Its light spreads out silently, yet sends a constant, consistent message of warning. We think about the light, we focus on the light, but have we ever stopped to think about all that makes that light remain lit?

There must be fuel. The fuel must be supplied every day and night. And it must be consistent. A keeper in the olden days had a full time job keeping the light lit. There was the fuel acquisition and safe storage. There was the trimming of the wick. There was the cleaning of the lens, sometimes every day.

The fuel for us in the church of Jesus Christ is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the third part of the Trinitarian nature of God, who manifests to us in power. But we must give the same kind of diligence to keeping that Holy Fuel safe and replenished that the lighthouse keeper of old did. We must not let the light go out!
 

We cannot see the Spirit but we know when he is here and when he is not here; when the Holy Spirit is not present, there is no light being shone out to a darkened world.

In today’s gospel reading from John, he says: “The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

In other words, it was possible to be a believer without ever having heard of the Holy Spirit of God. In fact, in Acts there are some who believed in Jesus but who had not been aware of the infilling of the Holy Spirit and therefore were not truly Christ’s followers. They had the intentions, but not the power.

When we try to serve God on our own power we cannot achieve God’s results. Only when we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, for help, and for wisdom, can we effectively serve the world.
 

Imagine a lighthouse that has no more flame. It is only a relic, a landmark where tours are taken and history is read and pictures are taken, but no light protects the ships from danger any more.

Now imagine a church that has forgotten its purpose. It forgot to shine its light into the dark world because now it is only a landmark where, on a Sunday morning, tours of the ancient rituals are taken, and the history of the church is read, and even pictures are taken, but the light of Christ does not shine out into the darkness of a sinful world to protect people from the dangers of hell any more.

We must not become that church. So how can we protect against becoming a relic, a tourist stop only?

1. Monitor your fuel supply closely. (ask, how are we getting close to the Holy Spirit in our services, at home in our families, in our small groups, in our ministry groups, and in our parking lot conversations? Use the preface: If the Lord wills….

2. Keep the fuel for the main purpose of shining the light (evangelism)

It is so easy for a church to become discouraged. Numbers are down right now, and money is down. But friends, all the bills are paid. We may not be able to do what we used to do, but perhaps God has us in this time so we may regroup and retool for our mission!

The main purpose of the church is to make disciples.

And my job here as pastor, along with all the teachers, apostles, evangelists, is to equip the church for that task. How do we do this? It means education, guidance through mutual times of prayer, and it means fellowship to build strong relationships. It also means having an outward focus, giving up our desire to simply please ourselves. Church As God intends, is really less like a supermarket where you choose your style of worship and then the kind of Sunday school class that helps you feel better, and then the programs you feel are the nicest, cleanest and least challenging so your busy life does not get too riled. Church is more like a family, where you are placed with relatives, some of whom you adore and some of whom are your challenge, and you are called to love them all. Make a commitment to Christ’s church, and you shall not be disappointed in your church, because you are part of the solution to every problem! But make only a commitment to one church, and you will be leaving it as soon as one or two parts of it make you unhappy!

It amazes me, the number of people who leave this church who in leadership one week and then gone. Leaders should be the most committed to the fellowship or else they should not be leaders! Leaders are to be the most spiritual, the most Christian, meaning the ones with the most fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, peace, patience, kindness, self control! Leaders are to communicate with each other, not shun each other with silence and snubbing! When Christians stoop to this it is because they were not actually the spiritual leaders to begin with. They have given in to the consumer mentality of the culture: if it does not meet my felt needs, then I will leave instead of work for change.