A Community of Misfits on a Mission

Spirit and Systems

Continuing in the season of Pentecost, this sermon follows up on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, with teaching on how the early church reimagined life together as a multiethnic community, confronted opposition from the broader society, and challenges from within. Two of the challenges from within were some self-interested disciples centering themselves while lying to the Holy Spirit, and ethnic discrimination within the system of food distribution. The Holy Spirit gave the early church the wisdom to overcome these challenges, partly by empowering minority leadership. This wisdom is also useful for Jesus-disciples today in a modern representative democracy.