Bent Oak Church

With God's spirit poured out at Pentecost, a new truth was settling in. God was on the move. The healing of the crippled man, outside the temple gate, was proof.  God was not waiting, he was meeting and restoring brokenness. The kingdom was coming and with it the restoration of all things.

Luke doesn't end the Pentecost events with the miraculous salvation of 3,000. Instead, he ends with a picture of the church's common life together. It is a passage that has been abused by many, but it's image challenges all of our ideas and expectations concerning community.

Peter stood to bear witness to what the crowd was experiencing. This had always been Jesus' promise; they would be his witnesses once they had received the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn't give them the command to witness but knows that they will having experienced his presence through the spirit.

When Pentecost came so did the Spirit. Thick with layers of Biblical imagery, Luke's picture of the church's spirit baptism is a powerful depiction of God's presence with his people.It was a crucial moment for the church and a necessity in fulfilling their purpose. The disciples needed 40 days of education from the resurrected Lord, but knowledge was not enough. They needed an experience of God that would compel them into worship and witness.

The book of Acts is a story of action—miracles, riots, persecution, Spirit-empowered speeches, missionary journeys, and explosive growth. The story is epic, one of the great stories of all times.But it doesn't begin as we might expect. Jesus last command to his disciples before his ascension was to wait. Waiting is the opening stance of the church and waiting is the action which drives forward the events of the early church.

Chapters 21-24 provide us with the final image of David. Like so much of his life, it is a mixed bag. Complicated stories, deep friendships and honest prayer before God.At the center of this image are David's final words, a psalm. And in that psalm four titles which have come to define David: psalmist, anointed, exalted, and son. Those titles walk leave us with the final image of David; a life of integrity; a man after God's own heart.

Chapters 19 and 20 bring the chronological story of David to a conclusion. David, having defeated Absalom's rebellion makes his way back to Jerusalem. Our expectations are of fanfare: victory parades, speeches of reconciliation, and the restored hope of a divine throne—a man after God's own heart.But the story takes a bizarre and unexpected turn. Your expectations are dashed as the story unravels into ambiguity and chaos. What do we do when there is no "happily ever after?"

The conflict has been inevitable; David and Absalom will face off in battle. But David's men won't let him join the fight. David is dismissed from his own story. He is forced to acknowledge that his own future is not in his hands. Worse, David faces an impossible situation. To save his life will mean the death of his son. To save his son will mean the loss of his life.

Thomas Paine famous expressed, "These are the times that try men's souls." The crisis doesn't make the man, it reveals him. David's faith was immerging through the conflicting advice he was forced to navigate. Now we turn to Absalom. Absalom with face a critical decision between his two advisors. It will prove to be a time that will, in fact, reveal his soul. Absalom chooses foolishly.