Last Sunday I was asked to preach the first in a series of messages on the Book of Acts at our international fellowship, Chiangmai Community Church. Below is the sermon outline. I'm always a bit nervous when asked to preach, but this time there was more excitement in me because I love the topic! My sister Kris said to post it so here it is. Hope it blesses you!

THE JOURNEY BEGINS: Acts 1 and 2:1-41
Sermon Date: 11 April 2010
Chiangmai Community Church

I. INTRO: The Book of Actsa. The book of Acts was written by Luke, a doctor and a Gentile. Acts is a sequel to Luke’s Gospel.
b. The book is written to Theophilus, a name meaning “one who loves God.” Was Theophilus an individual or a symbolic name for all who love God? Was he a patron (major donor!) who financed Luke’s writing? Was he a Roman acquaintance who was interested to learn more about this new Christian faith? Those are all possibilities.
c. Luke probably wrote the book of Acts sometime between 63 and 70 AD, just 30-40 years after Jesus walked this earth.
d. Part 1 (Chapters 1-12) talk about the establishment and expansion of the Church and the ministry of Peter,
e. Part 2 (Chapters 13-28) is about the conversion and missionary journeys of Paul.
f. Acts 29 – and this is a shameless plug - a TV show produced by CBN Siam (also the ongoing story of the Church through the ages!)

II. CHAPTER 1: Jesus’ Ascension – Disciples Await the promised Gift (Read Acts 1:1-11)
a. Acts 1:1-11 (Key verses: 4 and 8)
i. Luke begins his book referring to his previous book where he wrote about all that Jesus BEGAN to do and to teach. He continued to teach about the Kingdom of God after His resurrection. Key word is BEGAN! Because the doing and teaching continue through all those who believe – all of US. While on earth, Jesus was (intentionally) limited to his physical body and the small geographical area of ancient Israel. When he ascended to heaven, his Spirit was poured out on all of us so we could go into all the world. Acts tells about what Jesus continued to do and teach through the church.
ii. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told the disciples to WAIT for the promised Gift from the Father: that gift was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They needed to be EMPOWERED and EQUIPPED to fulfill the Great Commission.
iii. It’s interesting to note the disciples were still a bit “งง” (confused) about Jesus plan – their vision was so much more narrow than God’s plan. They were still asking if this was the time that the Lord would restore the kingdom to Israel…but God’s plan was to restore the whole world THROUGH Israel! How often do we think “small” when God wants us to think BIG?! Note that Jesus didn’t answer their question, and he doesn’t always answer ours because—from God’s perspective—they may not make sense. Jesus gently redirected them to what they needed to know.
iv. Their confusion about what came next was also evident as they gazed upward after Jesus ascended to heaven. They weren’t really sure what would come next or what the awaited Gift would mean….
b. Acts 1:12-26
i. …but WAIT they did. They WAITED TOGETHER. And they PRAYED TOGETHER. Obedience and Unity were the characteristics of this small group of 120 believers.
ii. They also carried on with the business at hand, choosing a replacement for Judas. They appointed Matthias to take Judas’ place. This was done in unity and prayer. Good leadership lesson here: The disciples chose two people based on their qualifications (with Jesus from his baptism by John through the ascension; first hand witnesses) … and then they left the final decision to God, the only One who knows peoples’ hearts. Note: God doesn’t just tell us what to do as though we were robots; he allows us to participate in decision making!
iii. Key Points: They WAITED and they PRAYED..TOGETHER in UNITY & OBEDIENCE. *Application: Do we wait for the leading/filling/guiding of the Holy Spirit or do we rush ahead on our own strength?

III. CHAPTER 2: The Day of Pentecost, The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s Powerful Sermon! (Read Acts 2:1-6, 12-13)
a. Pentecost: One of 3 big yearly festivals that drew crowds from many places to Jerusalem. Also called the Feast of Weeks, it was a celebration of thanksgiving to God for the harvest. The Jews also celebrated the giving of the Law (10 Commandments) on this date because that was 50 days after the Exodus. Pentecost is 50 days after Passover. This particular Pentecost was 50 days after the Resurrection! And it was the Birthday of the Church…a time when the church reaped a huge harvest of new believers 25 times their number! (This year, Pentecost Sunday is May 23rd).
b. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit happened SUDDENLY…The Spirit of God came as a Mighty Wind and Tongues of Fire. Two images/symbols of God. Power and Passion. Uncontrollable. Scary?! Mysterious! Messy? Untamed (“Aslan is not a tame lion!”) Probably not what they expected! But this was how God gave birth to the Church!! How the church was established. Tongues of fire: speech/communication, purifying, igniting (passion); Wind: mystery of God’s presence; His movement and power…we can’t control but it’s the air that moves us.
c. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was the Fulfillment of Prophecy:
i. John the Baptist (Luke 3:16 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”)
ii. OT Prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”)
d. Holy Spirit Baptism is both crucial and controversial! The church cannot be the church without it…but we can’t seem to agree on just what/when/how it happens. But we are all Pentecostal Christians – The Church’s DNA is Pentecostal!
i. Some believe Baptism in the Holy Spirit happens immediately when we are first born again. All Christians do agree that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer.
ii. Some believe it is a “second blessing” .. separate from salvation. Some believe the evidence is speaking in tongues; some don’t.
iii. Some believe in ongoing filling of the Spirit. Not just once, but many times..
iv. C.S. Lewis, when he came to Christ as a student at Cambridge, described his experience this way: “There was just the room, with its shabby furniture and the fire burning in the grate, and the red shaded lamp on the table. But the room was filled by a presence that in a strange way was both about me and within me like a light or warmth. I was overwhelmingly possessed by someone who was not myself. And yet, I felt more myself than ever before. I was filled with intense happiness and almost unbearable joy as I had never known before or never known since. And overall, there was a deep sense of peace and security and certainty.”
v. My own experience was similar to C.S. Lewis’ experience when I first received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I remember joy and warmth, driving in my car from Quakertown to Morrisville (PA). First time I prayed for someone’s healing; a small thing perhaps but I’ve never forgotten. My sister had a headache. We prayed and God healed her. There have been many other “fillings” and experiences since then…healing, special words of knowledge or direction that were confirmed. Another recent experience happened just the week before last. Our production team were ready to shoot 5 episodes of FROM HEART TO HEART, including the Easter episode. We always pray but I think this time we prayed more intentionally for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on our program hosts. It was amazing to me how bold and powerful their presentation, ministry and praying were that day! And on the way home I felt so full of joy (and wondered why since I had been very sad about the death of my cat)…then I realized that the Holy Spirit had visited us that day!
vi. To me there are several important points to remember, no matter where you stand…
1. The Bibles says that we-the Church-have become the Temple of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus died the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in two. N.T. Wright says in his book SIMPLY CHRISTIAN, “Somehow, God’s dimension and our dimension – heaven and earth – overlap and interlock” (in the Spirit). “..those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God’s new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.” He also says, and I agree, that this fact “ought to make us shiver in our shoes.”
2. What you do/how you live a life empowered by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is more important than how you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. (just like your marriage is more important than how you get married…big wedding, small wedding, elopement). In truth, we are ill-equipped to do anything in our own strength;
3. We should not be afraid of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we do because we are afraid of being “out of control” or looking “undignified” … The Holy Spirit is a Gift to be received with joy and gladness.
4. Don’t quench or limit the work of the Holy Spirit. God works in many different ways, uniquely in each of our lives. Allow Him to work in our own lives and the lives of others the way He chooses. He may surprise you and do something different from your expectations! He might come as a violent wind or a gentle breeze… If a flame sits on top of you…don’t blow it out!
5. Bottom line (for me…in an organization, CBN, much like our diverse congregation): Be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life! And listen to Him. If we are living with an intentional awareness we will hear Him speak! We MUST have the ENERGY, the EQUIPPING and the EMPOWERMENT of the Holy Spirit in order to “Embrace our World with the Heart of God.”
e. Peter’s Powerful Sermon: WOW!! (Read Acts 2: 22-24, 36-41)
i. WOW!! Is this the same man who, less than two months earlier, denied Christ 3 times? This impetuous apostle who often spoke or acted before thinking? Obviously there was a big change in his life!
ii. WOW!! Everyone is hearing the Gospel in their own language. This is the first International Evangelistic Event and it bore much fruit. A great start to going into all the world, preaching the Gospel to all nations!
iii. WOW!! Peter was very bold. His Gospel message was powerful, clear and fruitful.
iv. WOW!! The response was incredible. There were more than 3,000 people who came to the Lord that day. The community of believers – THE CHURCH – grew to 25 times their original number in one day. From 120 to more than 3,000 people!! What did that mean for the community? …find out next week!

IV. CONCLUSION. ACTS 29: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES (Read Acts 1:8 – it’s the key verse for the book of Acts)
a. These first 2 chapters of the book of Acts represent a MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT for the people of God. There is so much information here that it is impossible to do it justice in one sermon! Please go back and read and re-read these chapters and ask God to show you what He has for you.
b. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Don’t leave home without it! To embrace our world with the Heart of God we MUST rely on the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit. If we try to serve the Lord in our own strength it will lead to arrogance or burnout, or both! Don’t be afraid, don’t quench, be ready to be surprised (in a good way!) and always be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

A TRIBUTE TO MILOHe was a very fine cat indeed. The best of cats. He lived with me more than 10 years and was my best friend, my baby.
He died on March 21, 2010, but he will always live on in my heart.

I adopted Milo on August 28, 1999, just 1 month after I moved to Chiangmai and 3 months after my wonderful mom passed away. I always knew Milo was God’s gift to me, a guardian angel of sorts. Born in Chiangmai, Milo was rescued from the (canine) jaws of death as a kitten and “fostered” by an Aussie family. Australian laws being what they are, the family decided it was too hard and too expensive to take their pets back home when they left and so they advertised in the Chiangmai Classifieds. I took Milo (who was about 3 years old at time) and his “sister” Champagne, a Siamese cat, home with me that night in August. A month later Champagne disappeared. I never knew what happened to her but always hoped she was taken by someone who would love her.

Milo was “just” a Thai cat. An orange tabby with a stub of a tail, not that he ever felt handicapped by the lack of it! He had the girth and personality of Garfield with an affectionate temperament and we bonded almost immediately. I remember being confined to bed after eating something that wasn’t right (!) and how Milo climbed under the covers and pushed up against me. His purring had a palliative effect and I realized this was a sensitive cat. Later on that first fall, I remember sitting on my sofa looking out on the rice field and crying softly, missing my mom. Milo was sitting beside me and when he looked up and saw my tears, he did a double take and moved right onto my lap.

So Many MemoriesI have so many memories of my furry orange little beast that I could never write them all. The ways he looked at me with those deep, deep eyes of his. How he loved to jump up into my arms (in later years he just asked to be picked up, but he always wanted to be hugged!) He was so cute the way he loomed vulture-like over the bag of Whiskas Temptations (kitty treats) until I took notice. If I didn’t, he would tap on the bag with his paw – pulling the “adorable card” he knew I couldn’t resist.

He had a few kitty friends over the years. A female Siamese also named Milo who lived next door (and who died just a week after my Milo!). She came to call every time she was in heat—hoping Milo would father her children. Alas, he wasn’t able. Another friend in our new neighborhood was Diego, a one-year old male Siamese. It was too cute how he came to the screen door and meowed. Milo was able to open the lightweight door with his paw and in he came. His visits ended abruptly the Monday morning he decided he wasn’t ready to leave and tried to escape by jumping on the hood above the stove. He fell, knocking over and breaking a bottle of red wine. He eventually moved to Holland. And then there was Calvin – a stray black & white kitten who lived with us just a few short months before he was hit by a car. He followed my very patient Milo everywhere he went, copying him as he groomed himself and snuggling up next to him for a nap. Milo took it in his stride when Calvin ducked in front of him at the food bowl.

Milo followed me around like a puppy dog. He slept on the bed. He napped on my lap when I sat reading in my LaZBoy chair. He finished the milk in my cereal bowl and always came running when I called. Okay, almost always. Once in a while he’d bring home a half dead mouse for me. He was healthy most of his life and made only a few trips to the vet, once for a few stitches after a bad fight with another cat and then a year ago on St. Pat’s day when he had to have a cast (bright green!) put on a broken foot – the result of another fight. Just protecting his territory, he was! All in all, I would have to say that he had a darn good life for a cat and was undoubtedly the most loved cat in all of Thailand.

Milo died of an infection that led to hepatitis. I buried him with the help of Allan Eubank, a long-time missionary to Thailand and a close friend. He is underneath a tree on their property, near two of their dogs who died a year ago.

Pets in Heaven?
To those of you who have never owned a pet, all this might seem a bit outre. But I know many of you understand the grief when you lose a beloved pet. Will I ever see Milo again? I don’t know. The Bible doesn’t say – but then again it doesn’t say I won’t and I’m hanging onto that! C.S. Lewis believed that animals “become themselves” through the love of their people and that because they are a part of us, they will be with us in the new heaven and new earth. There will be animals there – we know that. Jesus died to redeem not only mankind but all of his beautiful creation. That thought gives me great comfort.

Before I burst into tears I will close with this thought that I read a month or so ago: “When you come upon your cat, deep in meditation, staring thoughtfully at something that you can’t see, just remember that your cat is, in fact, running the universe.”

HOW I GOT TO CHIANGMAI
It’s been 11 years since I moved to Chiangmai, Thailand. It’s now home for me, (along with Pennsylvania and Virginia, of course!) I remember when Scott Ross visited with a CBN group soon after I arrived and said, “Girl, you’ve landed!” An epiphany! I have felt at home here since the first moment I landed. But all that came as a surprise.

Rewind to 1973 and Bible school. I’d just heard a sermon about how we’d better be careful not to tell God we didn’t want to do something or go somewhere – because it just might be the place God wanted us to be. At the time, my relationship with God was based more on fear than on love and my interpretation of the sermon was that whatever it was that I really wanted to do, most certainly God would not want me to do it.

I distinctly remember leaving the auditorium with a few friends and telling them that God better not ask me to go to Southeast Asia (particularly, of course, to Vietnam or Cambodia) because I wouldn’t go! I had no interest in Asia and with the wars always in the news at that time I was frightened. I pictured myself riding a bike beside the rice paddies, a single woman in a foreign land, doing a job I didn’t want to do. I wanted none of that. God must have laughed, knowing that I hadn’t a clue what I was talking about.

Back to the future—to the late 90s. A difficult time in my life. I had left CBN in 1995 and was working at the Travel Channel in Atlanta. My mom was sick with ovarian cancer. I felt alone and scared, discouraged about my life and about a job that I didn’t really enjoy. Then something good happened. I was laid off. The Travel Channel was up for sale and they couldn’t afford to keep the staff at the same levels. With 6 months severance pay, I was able to move home and be with my mom for the last two years of her life. I was also able to travel a bit, visiting my sister Kristen in Tanzania and joining 2 friends for a tour of Italy and Greece.

For a time it was great. I was so happy to have that time with my mom and I enjoyed working around the house, something I’d never really done. Painting the walls, restoring old furniture, planting flowers in the garden. All very therapeutic. But I didn’t know what it was I really wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was burned out from my many years in production. Still, I applied to all sorts of broadcasting want ads. I don’t know if I got more than one response to all the resumes I sent out. With 20 years of experience in TV production, I was discouraged and beginning to doubt that God had a good plan for me.

Then I wrote to a friend at CBN to congratulate him on his recent promotion and asked him to keep me in mind should any jobs open up in the international division. It wasn’t long before one did open up – CBN WorldReach needed a production trainer who could travel to all the new offices around the world and train foreign staff. I said yes and began to work on curriculum. Within a few weeks, I got a second call from CBN. Was I interested in taking on an additional short-term project, to produce a pilot program for broadcast in Thailand? Yes, most definitely, I was!

What I assumed would be a short-term assignment and a few trips to Thailand turned into eleven years…and counting. The happiest and most fulfilling years of my life!