This Body’s Got Spirit

This Body’s Got Spirit – a sermon read by Br. Gary Vowles, written by Rev. Sjirk Bajema on Acts 1 and Lord’s Day 21.

Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls.

The verses we read in Acts 1:12-26 tell us about a time in-between. The believers are waiting. Though small in number, they know that soon the Lord’s promise would mean a huge blessing. At this point in time they stand between Christ’s ascension and His pouring out His Spirit. All that our Lord Jesus Himself is, will come upon His Body – the Church.

The Church is being prepared to receive this. The Spirit hadn’t brought Christ’s full empowering yet; still it is the Spirit who’s guiding them to be ready. Everything must be exactly as the Father planned it.

The apostles need to appoint another apostle, and they choose Matthias. Although we don’t hear anything about Matthias later on, his appointment was a necessary part, in God’s perfect plan, of the beginnings of the church of which we Christians are now a part.

Lord’s Day 21 is actually all about your own special part in the Church; this Church which was so uniquely organised way back in Acts 1. But the Church is a whole lot of people in a huge bunch – I’m just one member of the biggest crowd ever! Just a tiny cog in that big machine. Do I really have a part to play? Perhaps I am like Matthias: mentioned, but seemingly not important.

Boys and girls, have you ever taken a machine or toy apart? Maybe staring at all the pieces, you went too far in trying to find out how it all worked. Well, perhaps, you couldn’t put all the pieces back in their place. May even have one small screw left over. It shouldn’t matter, should it? I mean it’s only one small screw. But of course every part is important! Even the smallest bit has to be exactly in its place for it to work properly.

Believer, this Scripture and this Lord’s Day is about you! You the individual. The theme here is that the Church together is a redeemed community – chosen and enabled to serve her Saviour and Lord. All, each and every different member is needed to make up the spiritual Body of Christ.

We start with the last part of Lord’s Day 21 so that we begin with you – the individual. And moving on from the question as to “why there is this community?”, we’ll ask, secondly, “Who is in this community?” Then, thirdly, there’s the question, “What makes up this community?”

WHY?… WHO?… WHAT?