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“Waking the Giant”. Weekend of June 7 th & 8 th , 2014. “Waking the Giant”. In 1811. Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his power, both militarily and politically.
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“Waking the Giant” Weekend of June 7th & 8th, 2014
“Waking the Giant” • In 1811. Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his power, both militarily and politically. • He was meeting with his generals to review and assess his conquests; • One place on the map he was studying, caused him great concern; • Pointing to China, he said, “Here lies the sleeping giant. Don’t awaken him.”
“Waking the Giant” • We fancy ourselves as a “Christian Country” and of course consider China a non-Christian socialist republic. • Right now, there are more Christians in China than in the United States; • While the numbers of Christians are small, they are growing quickly; • While Chinese Churches are growing, U.S. Churches are declining. Who’s the Christian Country now?
“Waking the Giant” • There is another “sleeping giant” in the world today and it is the Church of Jesus Christ. • There are more than two billion Christians around the world today; • That represents one third of the world’s population; • Christians exist throughout the world, so much so that no one geographical continent or region can claim to be the center of global Christianity; • Today more that one third of all Christians live in North and South America; • One in four Christians live in Africa; • One in eight are found in Asia and the Pacific;
“Waking the Giant” • Today, most of the growth of Christianity is happening in Africa and Asia; • Where does that leave America? We think of ourselves as a Christian enterprise, but unfortunately we really are • One Pastor was complaining to his friend, “My Church is hopeless when it comes to evangelism.” • “Yeah,” says the friend, “a lot of congregations struggle with that issue.” • “Yah but,” the Pastor replies, “how many congregations do you know have an unlisted phone number?” “A Sleeping Giant?”
“Waking the Giant” • We certainly are not quite that bad! • But who would deny that we have lost our passion for reaching this world, our community, or even the street on which we live, for Jesus Christ? • George Barna, in a recent survey showed that most Christian Americans think of themselves first as Americans and only second as Christians. • Please don’t hear me put down patriotism – it’s a good thing for sure; • But if the flag is elevated above the cross, I think we are in trouble. Wouldn’t you agree?
“Waking the Giant” • The Bible teaches in Philippians, there will come a day when all the followers of Jesus, whether from China or Africa, South America or North America will come before Jesus. • “That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” • That’s the purpose toward which every Christian is to be working… • That every knee would bow; • Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; • But how will that day come unless we have a new Pentecost in the western Church?
“Waking the Giant” • You know the story of the First Pentecost. • Today, you heard it read from Acts 2. • Here’s how “the Bible,” the Movie, depicts it. Show the Movie Clip
“Waking the Giant” • Pentecost represents the birth of the world’s “sleeping giant” – the Church of Jesus Christ. • Without Christmas, there would be no Church; • Without Easter, there would be no forgiven Church; • Without Pentecost, there is no powerful Church; • So, how do we recover the power of Pentecost and reawaken this sleeping giant?
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • The re-awaking really begins with Prayer. • You just heard the reading – so, what were the disciples doing when that first Pentecost happened? • In Acts 2:42, we read: “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” • For the early Church, prayer was its power source, that connected all the Bible Study, the fellowship and the celebrating of the Lord’s Supper together. Praying!
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • One man compared prayer for the Church to that of deep sea diver, being attached to an oxygen line above on the boat. • Without that oxygen line, you know what will happen to the divers. • We, too, have no power down here on earth unless we are connected by prayer to the power from above.
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” Some of us do! • Do you pray regularly for your Church? • Do you pray passionately for your Pastor? • Either we draw our strength and power from God, or else we might just as well close up shop. • The early Church prayed, and prayed, and God granted them power to turn the world up-side down. Maybe more of you do!
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • We must recapture the original purpose of the Church. • 60 years ago, the ship the SS United States was built. • It was designed to carry 15,000 troops faster and further than any other military ship; • Only one problem, this ship never, ever carried any troops; • It was such a remarkable ship, it was turned into a luxury liner for celebrities and heads of state;
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • “When the Church, which was designed to carry troops of Jesus Christ,” says Pastor John Ortberg, “is turned into a luxury liner, simply for the benefit of its passengers, theChurchhaslostitspurpose.” • What is the purpose of St. John Lutheran Church? • To serve me and provide me pleasure and benefit? • To be around long enough to burry me? • Or is it to prepare the troops of Jesus Christ for an all-out assault on the world? • The early Church could answer that very easily and clearly; • It knew its purpose was to make a difference for Jesus Christ in this world;
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • The early Church served Christ with passion and zeal. • There was nothing half-hearted about those early Christians; • In Acts chapter 17, the believers who were meeting in Jason’s home were attacked. Do you remember why? • Acts 17:6 tells us why, “They dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.”
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • What would it take for us to make a real difference in our community? • We know there are people we are not touching with Jesus Christ in this community; • What would we need to do to start ministering to them? • You might be sitting here, saying to yourself, “I have no idea!” • Okay! Would you pray about that? Not once, but over and over again, with passion and zeal? • Would you pray that God would give us a burning desire and passion for serving others for Jesus Christ? Would you really do that?
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was converted in a little chapel in Nottingham, England. • From that conversion has resulted a world-wide effort to impact every community for Jesus Christ. • One day an elderly black man dressed in his Salvation Army uniform was reading the story of William Booth’s conversion there in the Chapel.
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” • He asked the minister of the Chapel, “Can a man pray here?” • The ministered responded, “Well, yes, of course you can pray here!” • The elderly black man got on his knees and prayed: • On this Pentecost Sunday 2014, would you be willing to pray, “O God, Do it again?” • It will only happen as we continuously pray, focusing on our original purpose and then living passionately for Jesus Christ. “O God, Do it again!”
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” “Doitagain!God” Awaken this Church!
“How to Re-Awaking the Giant?” Comments? -or- Questions?
