[1] While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them,

[2] much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead.

[3] So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

[4] But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

[5] The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,

[6] with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

[7] When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"

[8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders,

[9] if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed,

[10] let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.

[11] This Jesus is
'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.'

[12] There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

[13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

[14] When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

[15] So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another.

[16] They said, "What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it.

[17] But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."

[18] So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

[19] But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;

[20] for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."

[21] After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened.

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

One of the things I remember about growing up was Sunday mornings. Our family didn't go to Church. Occasionally I would go to Sunday School but very rarely stayed for the Worship Service. Sunday mornings for our family was a time to sleep late, read the funnies, grumble because there was nothing good on TV (back then Sunday mornings was mostly religious broadcasting) and Sunday brunch.

Sunday brunch usually consisted of eggs, bacon or sausage, and still my favorite, biscuits and gravy. We all piled into the dining room and piled on the food. Mom always made enough biscuits and gravy to feed an army. And with three boys, she said it was like feeding an army.

For whatever reason, Sunday mornings was also when Dad regaled us with his war stories. And by the time I turned 15 or 16 I'd heard them all about a million times. He didn't talk too much about the war or the battles, he mostly told us stories of the shenanigans he and his friends pulled. But occasionally he let us in to see what really happened and how it had effected him.

Dad was in the Navy and served in every major Naval battle of the South Pacific. I remember him telling us about when he was on a gun crew on a destroyer and how he was the only one to walk out of that gun turret when a Kamikaze pilot made that gun turret his target.

I remember hearing him gag occasionally when he brushed his teeth. That was because he had gingivitis and sometimes his gums would bleed and the taste of blood would choke him. One Sunday I found out the reason. Dad had been the coxswain on one of the landing craft. His particular landing craft had been blown out of the water shortly after unloading the men. It was Dad's 2nd or third trip. And of course, Dad was blown out of the water, too.

Dad woke up face first in a shell hole which was partially filled with the blood of another soldier who hadn't made it. The blood had half filled his mouth. And from that point on, the slightest taste of blood would make Dad gag.

Tom Brokaw wrote a book about men like my Dad. Maybe you've read it, "The Greatest Generation." In it are stories about the men and women, who like my Dad, survived WWII. It's a good book that gives great insight into the mind and feelings of those veterans.

I'm proud to say that I'm a veteran, too. I served four years in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam era. I was one of the lucky ones of my generation who didn't have to go to Vietnam. But I'm still a veteran.

Today is Veteran's Day. In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, an armistice was signed. The "war to end all wars" was over. November 11, 1919 was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States, to remember the sacrifices that men and women made during World War I. However, as we know it wasn't "the war to end all wars." An even larger conflict came along.

In 1953 the townspeople of Emporia, Kansas called the holiday Veterans' Day in gratitude to all the veterans in their town, no matter what conflict they were involved in. It wasn't long after, that Congress passed a bill introduced by a Kansas congressman renaming the federal holiday to Veterans' Day. In 1971 President Nixon declared it a federal holiday on the second Monday in November. And for years, this has been a day to remember all Veteran's but also a day to give thanks for peace.

That's not something we have right now. I don't want this to turn into a patriotic rally but I do think we need to remember those men and women who have served their country. So, if you've served in the military, would you do me a favor and stand.

On behalf of the people of this Congregation, "Thank You! Thank you for the sacrifices you made. Thank you for protecting the freedom we so love. Thank you!"

Also, take time to remember those men and women who are in the service today. They need your prayer support. So, cover them in prayer.

Now, what does all of this have to do with our passage from Acts? Well, as I was thinking about today and thinking about the Scripture, I realized that the book of Acts is really a first century version of "The Greatest Generation."

Within the chapters of this book by Luke, are the stories of the very first veterans of our faith. Through these chapters we get a glimpse of just how life changing Jesus is. We also see how empowering the Holy Spirit is. And we gain insight into the daily lives of the faithful in the first century.

As we read these stories we see that these men and women were CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY TASKS, EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE and EXTRAORDINARY FAITH.

I. CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY TASKS:

A. THE DISCIPLES WERE CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY TASKS

Look at all the characters of this book. Peter, James, John, Paul, Barnabas, Luke, Timothy, John Mark, Philip and Stephen. The one thing that united them was their faith in Christ. And their determination to spread the Good News of Jesus to rest of the world. They carried an unpopular, hard to believe, un-provable message to the entire world. They became the first members of the VFW. Veterans of the Forgiveness War. Or Veterans of Foreign Witnessing. Because, let's face it, what they preached was foreign, and beyond belief. And yet it transformed lives and filled them with hope and courage to stand up to anyone and to stand up for Jesus.

They were Ordinary Men And Women called to carry out an extraordinary mission, and an extraordinary task. Imagine the mission impossible music playing right now. (Maybe right it like this)

Picture Peter, sitting in Jerusalem or at boat dock in Galilee. The music starts: Peter picks up fish, holds it to his ear and inside a tape recorder inside begins to play and you hear the voice of Jesus:

"Your mission, should you choose to take it, Pete, is to spread the Word of my teachings through out the world. You will face opposition, misunderstanding and persecution at almost every corner. Yet there will be those who believe. You will be doing My work. And as a result, you will see miracles and witness lives being changed. Hope and faith will fill the hearts of those around you. I hope you and your Mission Possible team are you up to it?"

"This fish won't self-destruct in 60 seconds. Instead, it will become a symbol of your mission. So, get up and go fishin', Pete, for people."

In the opening of another episode you see Saul, walking on a dark road to Damascus with members of Sanhedrin. Suddenly whole sky lights up and Saul drops to his knees. Under the cover of darkness Saul heres:

"From this day forward, your new identity is Paul. And your mission, Paul, should you choose to take it, is to spread the Word of my teachings throughout the world. You will face opposition and persecution at almost every corner and even from some of the other believers. You will even be beaten and imprisoned for your message and your faith. Yet, there will those who believe because of you. You will see miracles and witness lives being changed. Hope and faith will fill the hearts of those around you and new communities of faith will spring up in the most unlikely of places."

"A Mission Possible team of like minded men and women has already been set up. All you have to do is contact them and prove your loyalty. Others will join you later, they are young and may need your guidance. Are you up to it? The Church of the future is counting on you."

B. I could go on but you get the point. The Disciples and the followers of Jesus were called to a seemingly impossible Mission. Jesus' last words in Matthew's Gospel are the commission for that Mission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

In Acts, just before His ascension, Jesus reminds the disciples of their Commission in that Mission by saying: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

So, you see, the Disciples and this tiny fledgling Church were given and extraordinary mission, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to the entire world. So, how were they supposed to do that? I've got a friend who likes to ask, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer: "One bite at a time."

It's the same here. How do you share the Good News with the whole world? One person at a time. That EXTRAORDINARY TASK, is still the Task of the Church Today. It's still Our Task.

II. CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE:

A. THE DISCIPLES WERE ALSO CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE.

We don't usually think of people in the service professions as being extraordinary. We don't think of those people who wait on us in restaurants or department stores or at the checkout stand as being extraordinary. And yet, this is the very lifestyle of the early disciples. A lifestyle of service and servanthood. This was the lifestyle of Mother Theresa. And her life was definitely extraordinary.

That's the way it was with the Disciples too. There's was a lifestyle of service.

The story is told of a young on fire Christian by the name of Rees who led a Bible study in a distant Welsh village. Every night he walked two miles each way to share the message of the Scripture with his small group, after a twelve-hour day in the mines. One night he came home in the middle of a downpour, completely soaked to the bone. His father took one look at him, shook his head and said, "I wouldn't have gone out in that mess or walked across there tonight for twenty pounds."

Rees grinned and said, "I wouldn't have done it for twenty pounds either. I did it for Jesus." (1)

That's the same spirit of service which the disciples possessed or should I say, which possessed the disciples.

B. Look at Peter and John from our passage. This is the self same Peter who at one point told Jesus NOT to go to Jerusalem because he didn't want him to die. This is the same Peter who denied even knowing Jesus not once but three times on the night that Jesus was arrested. And here he is before the Council speaking out boldly and with great confidence. Witnessing to the rulers, elders and scribes, to Caiaphas, Annas and the high-priestly family assembled in Jerusalem.

Here we see Peter and John being threatened with arrest and punishment by the religious leaders of the day if they didn't quit preaching. And what do they do? They boldly stand up and tell them: "Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20)

That's the Spirit of Service these early veterans of the church had. It was an EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE.

And we're still called to that same type of EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE today.

III. CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY FAITH:

A. And finally THE DISCIPLES WERE CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY FAITH.

We see their willing service. We see their willing tasks. Where did that willingness originate? It came from their in Christ. And through their faith in Christ. It came from the Holy Spirit.

When Peter and John stood before the Council and boldly proclaimed the Gospel it wasn't their own doing. It was the work of the Holy Spirit. Luke writes: "When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst they inquired, 'By what power or by what name did you do this?' The Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them." (Acts 4:7-8) And then Peter began to preach Christ and salvation through Christ.

Because of the presence and the assurance of the Holy Spirit in their lives, Peter and John and all the other Veterans of the faith could and did proclaim the Gospel boldly and without fear. They trusted God completely. Their faith in Christ was as deep as the ocean. And just think, these are the same disciples who, on the night Jesus was betrayed, ran away to save their own skin. All they could think of then was saving themselves. Now all they could think of was saving the world.

All because they had an EXTRAORDINARY FAITH that simply trusted Jesus.

B. And that's all it takes to have an EXTRAORDINARY FAITH. It takes trust and obedience. Trust in the one who has called you. And obedience to what He has called you to do.

A certain pastor was appointed to a new church. On that first Sunday after the move to the new church and after his first service, he stood at the door greeting all the members. He in turn was greeted at the door by a friendly parishioner who said, "Pastor, my name is David Jones, but that is not important. The important thing to remember is the answer is 'yes,' now what is the question?"

That struck the pastor as sort of odd. But a few weeks later the pastor called and said, "David, I hope you don't mind, but I have a favor to ask you."

David reminded the new pastor: "I hope you didn't forget, the answer's 'yes,' now what's the question?" (2)

That's the kind of attitude that the early Disciples had. That's the kind of attitude that Paul had has he left the Road to Damascus experience and went to Ananias. That's the kind of attitude Peter had when he went to the house of the gentile Centurion, Cornelius. That's the kind of attitude Stephen had when he asked for forgiveness for those who stoned him. That's the kind of attitude Philip had when he turned aside from what he was doing and preached in Samaria and to the eunuch.

Can you imagine what would happen if every member of every Church went to God with that attitude? Can you imagine what would happen if every member of every Church said that to their Pastor? First, the hospitals would be clogged with all the Pastors who fainted from shock. But second the Church would absolutely explode with excitement.

All because of EXTRAORDINARY FAITH. And we're called to have that kind of EXTRAORDINARY FAITH. We called to step out boldly with the veterans of our faith.

CONCLUSION:

A young preacher was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. It was the first time he had ever been in this particular funeral home. The dead man's military friends wished to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested the pastor to lead them down to the casket, stand with them for a solemn moment of remembrance, and then after they saluted, lead them out through the side door.

He agreed and proceeded to carry out the request, but unfortunately the effect was somewhat marred when he picked the wrong door. The result was that they marched with military precision into a broom closet, in full view of all the mourners, and had to beat a hasty retreat covered with confusion.

This true story illustrates two very important rules. First, if you're going to lead, make sure you know where you're going. Second, if you're going to follow, make sure that you are following someone who knows what he/she is doing! (3)

You and I follow someone who knows where He's going and who know what He's doing. You and I follow the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus willingly gave Himself up for us on the cross so that we would know the forgiveness God offers. And He died to put an end to death. And in rising from the dead, He offer us eternal life.

You and I follow Jesus and that's why, like the disciples, we are CALLED TO EXTRAORDINARY TASKS, EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE and EXTRAORDINARY FAITH.

1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), October 1998

2. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), September 1998

3. Excerpts from Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People, by Stuart Briscoe (11.95)

4.