Transcription
THE APOSTLES’ CREED SERIES(WEEK 6/8: HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, COMMUNION)SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONSCONNECT: Write down this part of the creed and put it somewhere you will notice it everyday.WARM-UP Questions1.Does believing in the Holy Spirit scare you, confuse you, or excite you? (Or something else?!)2.How do you see the Holy Spirit alive and at work in and through you? How about in our church?Read Acts 2:1-213.How do people react to this incredibly dramatic scene as the Holy Spirit is given? Why do you thinkthat would be the case? How do you think that you would have responded?4.What are the clues that make it clear that this is an amazing act of God?5.How is the gifting of the Holy Spirit a fulfilment of the promises of the prophets and of Jesus himself?6.What do you find most remarkable about the Holy Spirit?7.What differs in a Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit compared to other people who believe inlots of ‘spirits’? Why is it important to note that the Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Trinity?8.Are Christians ever in danger of simply treating the Holy Spirit as an ‘impersonal force’? How can weavoid this and develop a clearer understanding of who the Holy Spirit is?9.What is the ‘Church’? (Especially be clear about why the reference in the Creed is not specifically to theRoman Catholic Church.) How would you explain this to a friend who is not yet a Christian?10. How does the Holy Spirit join us together as a people? Do you think we ever struggle with thesignificance of this reality? Why and in what way?11. How can we become more unified as a church?12. In what way did the Holy Spirit gift the people (in Acts 2) for a single purpose? How do we share in thesame purpose? How does the Holy Spirit equip and shape us for that same endeavour?13. When you read the part of the Creed in focus this week (i.e., “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holycatholic Church, and the communion of saints”) has anything been the cause of concern or confusionfor you? Is that still the case?APPLY (to this week): How can you cooperate more with the Holy Spirit at work in you forGod’s purposes in the world?PRAY: Loving God, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit! Please help us to grow in our understandingof you, working with your Spirit and drawing us together in unity. May our lives be increasingly shaped byyour will and your agenda for the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU
THE APOSTLES’ CREED SERIES(WEEK 6/8: HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH, COMMUNION)GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONSEach week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we’recurrently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, onlinesermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don’t feel under pressure to look atevery resource, but consider what could be useful to.I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s onlySon, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under PontiusPilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose from thedead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come tojudge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion ofsaints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.Talks & Audio Previously at St Bart’s: Three-Part Series on the Holy Spirit (Purpose, Power, Purpose):https://stbarts.com.au/sermon?category The%20Holy%20Spirit%20Series Anglican Church of Noosa: Holy Spirit, Holy Church, Communion of Saints (by the Rev’s Simon ommunion-of-saints/ The Apostles’ Creed by Gerald Bray (St Helen’s reed The Apostles’ Creed: Getting a Vocabulary for Faith s-creed-getting-a-vocabulary-for-faithVideo & Music The Holy Spirit and the Church by R C es-creed/the-holy-spirit-and-the-church/ “This I Believe” (The Creed) by Hillsong:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v x7AQeYL9c74Books & Articles Relevant Chapters from Michael Bird’s, ‘What Christians Ought to Believe’.For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU
Talk 6/8 (The Apostles’ Creed Series): 12/11/17“The Holy Spirit, holy catholic church, communion of saints”by the Rev’d Adam LoweBible Passage: Acts 2:1-21Today we continue our series on the Apostles’ Creed,coming to a trio of statements: I BELIEVE in the:Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, and the communion of saints. For some people, it’s this part of the Creed that leaves them confused or concerned,wondering what do we mean by the Holy Catholic Church?,after all, isn’t St Bart’s an Anglican Church,and what about all of the other denominations that use and say the Creed? But it doesn’t stop there, because what is meant by the ‘communion of saints’?You might be thinking: aren’t saints a Roman Catholic thing?How is that relevant to us? Now whilst we’ll unpack it in detail, I can allay any fears immediately, for the Creed,is not speaking of the ROMAN Catholic Church but the entire Christian Church,nor is it speaking of individuals designated ‘Saints’ merely by humans,but the setting apart of every single follower of Jesus, as a people, for God’s purposes. It’s in this part of the Creed, in response to who God is and what he has done,that we really come to grips with what it means to be a people, his people,who are shaped not by our own agenda, but the very agenda of God.That’s part of the entire flow of the Creed.!2
When you step back a bit, and look at the big picture of the Creed,we note two big movements: of who God is and who his people are. WHO GOD IS: the entire structure of the Creed centres around the identity of God:I BELIEVE: in God:the Father Almighty, Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, and then this week: the Holy Spirit. As you read the Creed: the nature of God as three persons, one God is proclaimed. But there’s also a secondary movement, that moves from who God is, to who we are.So that as God with our creator,that with Jesus as our Lord and Judge,as recipients of the Holy Spirit,God unites us together, as a forgiven people,and thrusts us out into the world,in anticipation of his coming Kingdom. When we say I BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,and the communion of saints, we are saying that we believe in: One SPIRIT;One CHURCH; withOne PURPOSE.!3#1 ONE SPIRIT \\ ONE GODSo first, we BELIEVE in ONE Spirit, the HOLY SPIRIT.Whenever I read or hear the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2,on the day of Pentecost, it never ceases to amaze me of just how phenomenal this scene is. It seems completely OUT of this world yet impinging INTO our world;It seems at first glance so out of control yet a long-anticipated act by God. The Spirit clearly comes from God and with power.When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowingof a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw whatseemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filledwith the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4) People are bewildered, perplexed, amazed,but some are of course sceptical, saying “they’ve had too much wine” (v.13). It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to understand that sort of response! But Peter, with the other eleven stand up, and explain what is happening.Saying, that these people aren’t drunk, no! Nor is it a mass-hallucination.!4
This is the long-awaited day in which God would pour out HIS SPIRIT on his people. The Spirit was always with and around God’s people.The Spirit would rest on particular people for particular purposes On one occasion, in Numbers 11, the Spirit rests on two individuals temporarily. People think Moses should stop it, but he says: I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit onthem!” (Numbers 11:29) That’s exactly what Joel prophesied would happen one day. That’s who Peter quotes to help people make sense of what is happening.Pentecost was an agricultural festival at which people would bring their first sheath ofwheat from their crop and offer it to God: offering thanks, praying for the future harvest. There’s people from everywhere, but it’s not just an agricultural festival, because it’sembedded with echoes of the rescue story that dominated the minds of the Jewish people. Remember, it was at Passover when the lambs were sacrificed and they escaped. Fifty days later they would come to Mt Sinai and Moses would receive the Law.!5 And now, it’s fifty days since Jesus pointed to his own death on the cross,as he shared the Passover meal with his friends, that the Holy Spirit fills them. This is the day that Jesus had PROMISED.This is the day that John the Baptist had POINTED to.This is the day that people had longed for and PROPHESIED by the Prophets. THIS IS THE DAY when the Law of God would not be written on stone tablets,but on the hearts of his people. Peter quoting Joel, is saying THIS IS THE DAY.And this Spirit is not some sort of impersonal, mysterious force, or forces, not an energy,but a person, one person, equal to the Father and the Son. That’s why we say THE Holy Spirit.There is only ONE Spirit, and he is not only from God, but IS God. Lots of belief systems speak of spirits, or spiritual forces,but when we say that we believe in the HOLY SPIRIT,we are saying that just as there is ONE GOD, there is ONE SPIRIT, a real person. Who was involved in the act of creation, who testifies about Jesus,inspired those to write about God, led the prophets to speak, gives gifts to those who believe. Who along with the Father and Son, HAS always existed and WILL always exist.!6
But as we say ‘I Believe’ the news is even more amazing, for as we say it, it meansthat we don’t just believe that this is intellectually true, but also true for us. As Jesus gathers with the disciples he promises to send them the Spirit.As Jesus sends the disciples in the Great Commission, he promises to be with them. And for all who trust in Jesus today, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For some that will be like a roaring wind, for others it will be like a gentle breeze.But it doesn’t matter which - it’s the same amazing claim in which we BELIEVE:that when you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour,it means that the relationship with God is so intimate, that he takes up residence in you! The same POWER that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in every believer. SAVING by softening hearts and leading people to Jesus,STITCHING us together, with Jesus and one another,SANCTIFYING us, doing a work of new creation in us,SHAPING us with gifts and in Christ’s likeness,SENDING us into the world to proclaim the Good News.!7#2 ONE CHURCH \\ HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCHSo, saying I BELIEVE, means believing in ONE SPIRIT,but it also means that we are ONE CHURCH. The gift of the Holy Spirit does not just have personal implications but corporate implications. With Christ as our head, it’s on the day of Pentecost that the church celebrates its birth. We are of course connected with God’s people of old, but on the day of Pentecost,God was bringing to fulfilment something promised and doing something new. There’s a fundamental link between the HOLY SPIRIT and the CHURCH.When we say this part of the creed - holy catholic Church - each word is critical. CHURCH refers not to a building but to a people. When we see letters written in the New Testament, addressed to the church in Corinth,it’s not talking about the big building, but the collection of Jesus people in that place. The word for church, often used in the New Testament, literally means,those - plural - who have been called out.!8
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you maydeclare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you werenot a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you havereceived mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10) Note how this new identity, is completely dependent upon God and his mercy.We cannot be the church without God. I know that sounds absolutely obvious, but if it is so obvious,I wonder why we so often try to do it on our own, or live like God doesn’t matter? // Because we have such an individualised culture, I think we’re on a back-foot when wetry to really understand what it means to be a people. That’s even more emphasised in the word CATHOLIC in the Creed.It doesn’t mean Roman Catholic, it means ‘according to the whole’ or ‘universal’,that is, we believe ultimately in one church that is not defined by denominations,but by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I’m a Christian before I’m an Anglican. In Jesus, there is one faith, and one Spirit, who unifies us as his people. Note just how INCLUSIVE and EXCLUSIVE that is as a statement.On one hand it’s EXCLUSIVE: there is only one way into the church: through Jesus.!9But on the other it’s INCLUSIVE: that all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour,are one, and part of the same church. Sometimes we can obsess by what separates us, but the Scriptures are clear:that for all who trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, we are one. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues that divide us: but it means that we ought tomeasure and respond to the significance of those issues based on how they relate to Christ. If a group steps away from confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, as the only way,then we are broken from them, because it’s only in Christ that we’re joined. But if a church worships a different way, but the same Lord, then we are indeed unified.It’s just sometimes that the quality of our relationships needs to catch up with our connection. We joined not only as St Bart’s, not only with all Christian churches,but with a body of believers the span the centuries. That’s what God has done, and is doing in the power of the Spirit. And that meansthat we must value the church, because it’s not only of God’s doing, but it is God’s. When we say that it is HOLY - it’s got nothing to do with how good we are:holiness has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God:we belong to him, we’re set apart for his purposes, and he’s remaking us in his likeness. We Believe in ONE CHURCH.!10
#3 ONE PURPOSE \\ COMMUNION OF SAINTSAnd as that ONE CHURCH, it is the same Spirit who thrusts us into action. Christians believe that we all share in the Great Commission given to the disciples.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I amwith you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 29:19-20) Sometimes in forms of this Creed, or other Creeds we say,you might have said, not only ‘one holy catholic Church’,but, ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church’. Which simply means that as we continue in the faith and teaching of the Apostles,we not only share in what they were taught, but also in the mission they were given.That doesn’t mean we’re all meant to go to the ends of the earth,but it does mean that we are to proclaim the Gospel.That’s so evident in the entire account of Pentecost. People from every nation When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard theirown language being spoken. (Acts 2:5-6)!11 In 1 Corinthians (12 and 14) Paul speaks of a gift in which people speak a languagespontaneously that is not understandable by others without someone having a gift ofinterpretation. That’s not what is happening here. Because whilst that other gift is a private experience,here, people from all over the region are able to understand the message! There were people gathered from everywhere!This is an international and multi-lingual audience.Yet miraculously, people from every nation could understand the message. And the message is clear: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That’s our purpose. It has many facets with our words and with our lives.But the crux is: that we would keep on pointing people to Jesus,and that we would build up God’s church to point to Jesus. Not for our glory, but for God’s glory.Not so that we can look good, but so that people can see just how good God is. That’s why our mission as a local church is to make and mature disciples of JesusChrist for God’s glory.!12
And the great news is that we don’t do that alone. We’re the ‘communion of saints’. ‘Communion’ simply means ‘fellowship’,‘saints’ simply refers to the holy ones - those who believe and set apart from God,and seek to live lives according to his ways. When we say holy: it’s confirming of how God sees us through the lens of Jesus;it’s anticipatory of what we will be like when Jesus returns; andit’s descriptive of how we are to live today. So when Paul writes, he will say, to the saints in Ephesus,he’s meaning all who are Christians. We’re holy not because we’re a holy club or a holy huddle,but because the God in whom we believe is holy. We are a saved people, members of a new kingdom, sharing in a new purpose.One of the great joys for us as a family is that in the good times and the challenging times, along witheverything in between, that we are part of the fellowship of believers. Brothers and sisters who sharein the same mission. Brothers and sisters who share in the same Lord. Brothers and sisters withwhom we are connected not just by shared interest, but by the same Spirit.!13 If you’re here today and you feel deeply connected to this church: I won’t to say, great!Let’s continue the work of God in building up the Body for God’s glory! If you’re here today, and you’ve been hovering around Jesus for some time,not quite making a commitment to him, I just want to encourage you today: take the step. And if you’ve taken that step, and you’ve hovered around the edge of churches,and never felt confident, or its never been convenient, to press in: take the step. I know that can be scary. I know that it sometimes means addressing part hurt,I know that it often means vulnerable. I often know it means being more accountable. But when you do it, when you follow Jesus: you’re just getting real with who you are.You’re getting real with the reality that because Jesus died and rose,we have received ONE SPIRIT, who has connected you with ONE CHURCH,and sharing in ONE PURPOSE. I BELIEVE in:the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints.!14
“The Holy Spirit, holy catholic church, communion of saints” by the Rev’d Adam Lowe Bible Passage: Acts 2:1-21 Today we continue our series on the Apostles’ Creed, coming to a trio of statements: I BELIEVE
