Vision Series: Does My Presence Matter?

July 19th, 2026/Seventh Day Adventist

Introduction:

There are some moments in life that you simply don't miss. You don't weigh the pros and cons. You don't ask whether it's worth the money or whether you can fit it into your schedule. When someone you love is walking through one of life's defining moments, something inside of you immediately says, "I've got to be there." Whether it's a wedding, a funeral, a graduation, the birth of a child, or a hospital room, our first instinct isn't, "Should I go?" It's, "How quickly can I get there?"

This is a big value in our family.

Last year, my parents celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Our family had gathered from all over the country to celebrate with them, and the evening before the party there was a knock at the door. My mom opened it, and standing there were her three brothers. They had driven all the way from Missouri to North Carolina to spend just two evenings together.

I'll never forget what happened next. She immediately started crying. She hugged each one of them and through tears simply said, "It just means so much that you're here."

She was overwhelmed because the people she loved chose to be present. Their presence communicated something that no card, phone call, or gift ever could.

Jess and I have talked about this for years. Whenever an important event comes up and we're deciding whether to make the trip, we ask one question: Years from now, are we going to wish we had gone? Almost every time, the answer is yes.

We were reminded of that in a profound way in late 2024. Within a span of three months, we lost three grandparents. My grandmother in Missouri, Jess's grandfather in Pennsylvania, and then, while attending his funeral, we learned Jess's grandmother had passed away in North Carolina.

Those months stretched us in every way. Traveling with six kids wasn't easy. It disrupted our schedules, stretched our budget, and left us emotionally exhausted. But through all of it, we never debated whether we should go.

We've always believed something bigger than convenience: it matters that we show up.

Can I ask you a question?

Has there ever been a moment when someone simply showed up for you... and it meant everything?

(Pause.)

I'll bet you're thinking of someone right now. Maybe they couldn't fix what you were walking through. Maybe they didn't have all the right words. But they were there, and you've never forgotten it.

If presence matters that much in life's biggest moments, why would it matter any less when God's family gathers together?

What if one of the reasons God calls His people together every week isn't because He needs our attendance, but because He knows the power of His presence... and He knows the difference our presence can make in the lives of others?

Maybe that's why one of the greatest ways God has chosen to work throughout history is through His people gathering together.

Let's open our Bibles to Acts chapter 2.

God Has Always Worked Through Gathered People

The idea that presence matters didn't originate with us. When you step back and look at the story of Scripture, you'll discover that God has always accomplished some of His greatest work through gathered people.

That doesn't mean God only works in crowds. He met Moses at a burning bush, spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper, and Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. But throughout Scripture, God repeatedly reveals His presence and advances His purposes when His people come together.

That's exactly what brings us to Acts chapter 2.

Setting the Scene:

When we arrive at Acts 2, we're only about seven weeks removed from the death and resurrection of Jesus. The disciples have seen the risen Christ, heard His final instructions, and watched Him ascend into heaven.

If you're one of those disciples, you're probably expecting Jesus to say, "Now go! Change the world." Instead, He tells them to wait.

Waiting rarely feels productive. We like action. We like momentum. Yet before God launched the greatest movement the world has ever seen, He first asked His followers to stay together and wait for Him.

Jesus hadn't told them exactly what was coming. He hadn't given them a timeline. All they knew was that He had told them to remain together in Jerusalem until God's promise was fulfilled.

So they gathered. They prayed. They worshiped. They encouraged one another. Day after day, they kept showing up, trusting the One who had given the instruction.

Then, during the Jewish festival of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with worshipers from all over the world, everything changed.

Passage: Acts 2:1-4 CSB

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

Every time I've read this passage, my eyes naturally jump to the wind, the fire, and the miracle of languages. Those are the dramatic moments. But this week I noticed where Luke begins. Before he tells us about any miracle, he tells us one simple detail: "They were all together in one place." I don't think that's just background information. I think it's part of the message.

• Before the wind filled the house, they were together.
• Before the fire rested on them, they were together.
• Before Peter preached the greatest sermon of his life, they were together.
• Before three thousand people surrendered their lives to Jesus, they were together.
• Before God changed the world, He gathered His people.

The Pattern That Changes Everything

Once you notice that in Acts 2, you begin to see it throughout the book of Acts. God's people gathered, and God moved. He gave courage to fearful believers. He healed the broken. He confronted sin. He opened prison doors. He added people to His Church. The circumstances changed, but the pattern didn't.

Whenever God's people gathered around Jesus, God did what only He could do.

That's important because it's easy to reduce church to another event on our calendar. We ask, Did I like the music? Did the sermon connect with me? Those aren't bad questions, but Acts 2 invites us to ask a better one: What does God want to do when His people gather?

Acts 2 answers that question. God matures us. God saves people. God fills His people with His Spirit. God creates a community unlike anything the world has ever seen. What looked like an ordinary gathering became extraordinary because God was present.

The one hundred and twenty believers had no idea that morning would become one of the defining moments in history. They didn't gather because they knew what God was about to do. They gathered because they trusted the One who told them to wait.

I wonder how many Sundays feel ordinary to us. We walk into church thinking it's just another weekend, never realizing someone may meet Jesus, a marriage may find hope, or a discouraged believer may receive exactly what they need to keep going.

It’s never just another Sunday.

We rarely know what God is preparing to do before we walk through those doors. We simply know that throughout Scripture, whenever God's people gathered around Jesus, God moved.

And I believe He still does.

So…

Main Points:

1. What Happens When God Changes People?

   1. We've seen how the Church was born. Now Luke shows us what happened next.
   2. Luke isn't simply giving us a snapshot of the early church. He's showing us what God naturally produces in people whose lives have been changed by Jesus.

   3. Passage: Acts 2:42 CSB

      1. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

      2. One of the things I love about this passage is what Luke doesn't say. He never tells us these believers suddenly became perfect. They were still ordinary people with ordinary struggles. But something had changed. Their lives no longer revolved around themselves. They revolved around Jesus and His people.

         4. They wanted to learn God's Word together. They prayed together. They worshiped together. They shared meals, cared for one another, and carried one another's burdens.
         5. The Holy Spirit didn't just create individual Christians. He created a family.

      3. That's so different from the message our culture gives us. Our world celebrates independence, but the Kingdom celebrates interdependence.

      4. Jesus doesn't simply save isolated individuals; He adopts sons and daughters into a family. Following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey.

         6. One observation kept coming back to me as I studied this passage:

      5. None of this happens if everyone stays home.

      6. Fellowship requires people.
      7. Prayer requires people.
      8. Generosity requires people.
      9. Encouragement requires people.

      10. Almost every evidence of spiritual life Luke describes depended on God's people choosing to gather.

          7. Maybe that's why gathering has always mattered so much to God. It's not just about what He wants to do in us. It's also about what He wants to do through us.

      11. That's why one of the best questions we can ask before church isn't, "What am I going to get out of today?" It's, "Who might God want to encourage through me today?"

      12. Pinewood Story

          8. We rarely know what God is preparing to do.

      13. Someone may walk through these doors carrying grief.

      14. Someone may be one conversation away from giving their life to Christ.
      15. Someone may simply need another believer to notice them.
          9. We don't know every story in the room, but God does. Sometimes He changes us. Sometimes He changes someone else through us. And that's how the Church has worked from the very beginning.

2. Where Are You on the Team?

   1. As I was studying Acts 2 this week, I couldn't help but think about sports.
   2. It’s important to not isolate your presence to just one place. In sports you have training alone, training with the team, and then you have work with the team.

   3. Every one of those places has a purpose. But no coach wants a player to spend their entire career in just one place.

      1. I've never met an athlete whose lifelong dream was, “I just hope one day I can become the greatest benchwarmer in history.”

      2. The goal is always movement.

         4. I think our spiritual lives work the same way. God meets us in different seasons, but He always invites us to take another step.

      3. So let me ask you a simple question: Where are you today? What space are you showing up to consistently?

         5. The Weight Room
         6. The weight room isn't glamorous, but it's where strength is built.
         7. Spiritually, some of you are there right now. You're learning God's Word. You're developing a prayer life. You're discovering what it means to follow Jesus. Maybe you're new to faith, or maybe you're rebuilding your faith after a difficult season.
         8. If that's you, hear me:

      4. There is nothing wrong with being in the weight room. Every follower of Jesus starts there.

      5. If you'd honestly say, "That's me. I'm growing and letting God strengthen my faith," would you raise your hand?
      6. (Pause.)

      7. I love seeing those hands. Keep showing up. Keep growing. God is building something in you.

         9. The Sidelines
         10. Others of you have moved beyond the weight room, but you've found yourself on the sidelines.
         11. Now, every athlete spends time on the sidelines. Sometimes you're recovering. Sometimes you're learning. Sometimes life has simply been overwhelming.
         12. But there's a difference between spending a season on the sidelines and building a home there.
         13. Deep down, you know God has more for you than simply watching.

      8. If that's you, would you raise your hand for just a moment?

      9. (Pause.)

      10. Thank you for your honesty. I believe the Holy Spirit is inviting you into something deeper. Not because God needs another volunteer, but because He wants you to experience the joy of being part of His mission.

          14. The Field
          15. Then there are many of you who are already on the field.
          16. You're serving in Pinewood Kids, leading a bible study, greeting at the doors, praying with people, setting up, tearing down, giving generously, and opening your homes.
          17. Thank you for getting in the game.
          18. For almost eight years, this church has been built by ordinary people who simply kept showing up. Most of what you've done will never make Instagram or a highlight reel, but heaven has seen every unseen act of faithfulness.

      11. Nobody has ever posted, “Check out these flags I set up at 6:15am this morning.” But because of people like you, countless lives have been changed.

          19. If you're actively serving and helping build what God is doing here, would you stand?

      12. (Pause.)

      13. Church, can we thank these men and women?
      14. (Applause.)
      15. Thank you. You can be seated.

3. The Goal Is Movement

   1. God loves every person in every one of those groups. But He loves us too much to leave us there.

      1. He strengthens us in the weight room so we'll one day step onto the field.
      2. He meets us on the sidelines so we'll discover the joy of participating in His mission.

      3. And He continues to grow those already on the field.

         2. That's exactly what happened in Acts 2. God first did something in His people, and then He did something through them.
         3. So let me leave you with one picture I hope you'll remember this week.
         4. (Bring up the three icons.)
         5. Three Places We All Need

      4. 🏋️ Weight Room

      5. 🏈 Sidelines

      6. 🏟️ Field

         6. Take away the Weight Room = Running on Empty.

      7. "You're trying to pour into others without first letting God pour into you."

         7. Bring it back. Remove the Sidelines.
         8. Missing the Team.

      8. "You're trying to follow Jesus without the encouragement, coaching, and equipping of God's people."

         9. Bring it back. Remove the Field.
         10. Stuck on the Bench.

      9. "You've been growing personally, but growth was never meant to stop with you. God wants to use your life to change someone else's."

         11. Bring all three back.
         12. Here's what I hope you'll remember:

      10. 🏋️ Weight Room = God strengthens me.

      11. 🏈 Sidelines = God equips me.
      12. 🏟️ Field = God uses me.
      13. And we need all three.
          13. And if you miss one for long enough… eventually you'll feel it.
          14. Which brings us back to the question we started with.
          15. Does my presence matter?
      14. According to Acts 2... yes.
      15. Your presence matters to God.
      16. Your presence matters to His Church.
      17. And your presence may matter more than you'll ever know to the person sitting beside you.

Invitation:

If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, today can be the day everything changes. The Bible says that Jesus died for your sins and rose again so that anyone who puts their faith in Him can be forgiven, made new, and become part of God's family.

If that's you today, I want to invite you to pray with me.

Prayer of Salvation

Jesus, I acknowledge that I need You.

I confess that I have sinned against You.

I believe that You died for me and that God raised You from the dead.

Today, by faith, I declare that Jesus is Lord.

Thank You for forgiving me.

By Your grace I am saved.

By Your power I am made new.

Amen.

As we continue to worship, let me encourage three groups of people.

If you're in the weight room, keep growing. Stay in God's Word. Stay close to God's people. He's building something in you.

If you've been on the sidelines, it's time to take your next step. Join one of our small groups and start building community today. Find a place to serve by joining us after service for Growth Track. Get on the field. God wants to use your life to make a difference in someone else's.

And if you're already on the field, thank you. Don't grow weary. Keep serving. Keep loving people. Keep building what God is building.

If you need prayer for any reason, our prayer team will be here at the front. We'd love to pray with you, whether you're beginning a relationship with Jesus today, taking your next step, or simply walking through a difficult season.

Let's worship.