River City Church - Smyrna, GA
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Josh looks at the Pentecost story in Acts 2 today, and we see what can happen when we wait on God and step out in boldness when the Holy Spirit prompts us. We cannot see Acts 2 without the waiting disciples of Acts 1. The Church involves both the Spirit and the spiritual practices. The Church is about both freedom and structure. If we will wait on God and learn the languages of others around us, the Holy Spirit will lead us into powerful and life-changing moments as well.
Josh shared several quotes today:
1) Nathan Clair: "I want Eucharist and ecstatic tongues. I want the processional with thurifer/crucifer and harp and bowl singing. I want antiphonal chanted Psalms and open mic prayer/prophecy. I want Creeds, the Our Father, and miraculous healings, dancing in the aisles. I want it all."
2) Debi Thomas: "What the crowds found baffling was that God would condescend to speak to them in their own mother-tongues. That he would welcome them so intimately, with words and expressions hearkening back to their birthplaces, their childhoods, their beloved cities, countries, and cultures of origin. As if to say, 'This Spirit-drenched place, this fledgling church, this new Body of Christ, is yours. You don't have to feel like outsiders here; we speak your language too. Come in. Come in and feel at home.' "
3) "The power of the Holy Spirit in worship services resembles the vision of poet-theologian Amos Wilder: 'The world is molten and hearts are sifted. The altar is like a third rail that spatters sparks. The sanctuary is like the chamber next to an atomic oven. There are invisible rays, and you leave your watch outside.' Spiritual power can create thundering choirs, soaring rhetoric over-the-top praise bands, and sermons that rock with joy. It can create congregations who sing with their hearts in their faces, pray without ceasing, and extend themselves for others. Many congregations can use a reminder of these facts."
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