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Message from the Pastor - Bob Bahr

This Sunday  (June 11) I will be preaching from Acts 4:16-31. The title for my message is “Filling of the Spirit As Special Enablement.”

A few weeks ago, I preached a sermon on the subject of how the early Church was able to grow dramatically from a small sect of Judaism to become the official faith of the Roman Empire.

At the time, I stressed the unique message of the gospel which challenged the values of the Roman Empire. The early Church modeled the equality of all people, practiced forgiveness, cared for the poor and marginalized, and offered a personal relationship with the living God based on grace. Values that we need to emulate today if we want to attract the attention of a skeptical, self-centered, and jaded world.

I want to underscore the importance of the early Church’s dependency upon the leading and empowerment of the Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. On Sunday, I want to emphasize how essential God’s Spirit was in the life and ministry of our Lord. Having received the Spirit on the day of His baptism He then withdrew to the wilderness to seek the Spirit’s guidance before He launched His public ministry.

I would like us to reflect on the question: “What shift in mindset will we need to make in order to make room for the leading and empowerment of the Spirit in our church?” I know that some of you might benefit from a hard copy of the sermon so I have decided to provide a number of copies for you at the information table on Sunday morning. This may help some to follow my main points a little easier. Let me know if you find this helpful.

Following the service this Sunday we will gather to dedicate our Memorial Garden followed by a congregational picnic. Please bring a picnic lunch and lawn chairs, we will provide shelter from the sun and beverages. This will give us the opportunity to build our community.

Please come. I look forward to connecting with many this Sunday.