Acts 2:1-13. A New Power

Today there are megachurches in some parts of the world that take in millions of pounds each year.  They are large corporate organisations and the pastors need MBAs to run them.  Some years ago the magazine ‘Business Week’ had as its front page headline,

“Evangelical America – Big Business – Explosive Politics”

Inside was a feature article that discussed this issue.  At the end it said,

“For all their seemingly unstoppable success, evangelicalism must contend with powerful forces in United States society.  The ranks of Americans who express no religious preference have quadrupled . . . Despite the megachurch surge, overall church attendance has remained fairly flat and if anything popular culture has become more vulgar in recent years.”

It is a great concern that ethical standards amongst those who attend church are so similar to those who do not.  These problems are being seen throughout the world.  What is the answer?

Jesus must have taught his disciples the importance of the prophecy in Ezekiel 36 because they keep referring to this:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not to give experiences but to enable us to live effectively for God.

This chapter in Ezekiel ends with a promise that God will step in and hear his people’s prayers,

“This is what the sovereign LORD says: ‘Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep.” Ezekiel 36:37

Jesus’ followers waited patiently in the upper room with a sense of expectation.  Doubtless they studied the Scriptures and prayed.  They knew what Jesus had commissioned them to do but were unsure what would happen next.

It is the Holy Spirit who changes how people live and enables them to stand when the pressures are great.  It is he who who transforms lives.  He revives us and deepens our experience of God.

This passage in Acts chapter 2:1-13 describes the seminal event that was for the whole church, The Holy Spirit comes on every believer and ushers in the new age of the Spirit of God.

Acts 2:14-41 is Peter’s sermon in which he describes the meaning of what had happened at Pentecost.  He emphasises Jesus and his death on the cross and that the Holy Spirit has been given so that others may know the great news about him.

Acts 2:42-47 then explains the effect the Holy Spirit had on the 3000 new believers after they were baptised.

1.  The need for the Holy Spirit tv. 1-4

Why are many churches in Britain closing down?  Why are so few people attending?  It is easy to blame the quality of the preaching, the quality of the leaders, the emotionalism or the lack of it, the quality of the music or the lack of that.  All these may be factors but essentially the problem is that Christians today do not, as a whole, have a singleminded desire to live their lives for Jesus.  How we need this same spirit that the early Christians had, the Holy Spirit.  If our churches today are going to reverse the present trends, we must open our lives to God again.  We must receive him.

The first disciples had been taught the significance of of Joel’s prophecy,

“And afterward,  I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28

In the Old Testament God’s Spirit was only given to a few individuals to enable them to do a particular work for God.  Joel foresaw the day when all God’s people would be gifted with the Holy Spirit.  Peter explains in his sermon what the effect of this would be, all people would share openly with others what the Word of God is about.

These prophets foresaw the day when God would revive and restore his people.  He would take out their callous hearts and replace then with sensitive hearts in which God’s law is written.  This means that God’s people would be intuitively keen to minister to the whole world.  This is what the early followers of \Jesus were praying for in the upper room.

Churches may have good technological skills and good business sense but still be lacking the power that only the Holy Spirit can give.

We cannot organise revival, just as we cannot control God.  Revival occurs when God is active in the hearts of people.  Our role is to be genuinely open to what he wants to do with us.

Let us test ourselves, do we have this appetite and longing to put god first and do what he says.  Is my commitment to God that deep?  Our prayer life will mirror how we really think.  If we want to be sovereign we will cannot have a deep experience of the Holy Spirit.  If we hunger and thirst for him and his pleasure, if we seek to please him above all else then the door is open for us to know again his power.

We evangelicals are often good at our theology but not so good at our intimacy with God.  Love for God is always demonstrated by our obedience.  Hadn’t Jesus repeatedly said to his disciples in the upper room:

“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” John 14:21

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” John 14:23

How can we obey if we do not know God’s commands given in Scripture.  It is a disaster to dissociate the guidance of the Holy Spirit from Scripture.  The word of God was given to guide us.  It is a strange concept of churches to have prayer meetings ‘to seek the mind of God’.  We know how God thinks from Scripture.  The Quakers in this country fell for such a dichotomy and look what has happened to them.  We must prayer to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, to commit ourselves to achieving what God has already told us.

How do we experience the power of God again today.  It is in the same way that we became Christians.  We say to God, ‘I want you to forgive my rebellion against you and take over again.’  We return to that same sense of need and dependance on God.  We cannot find this power by ourselves.

The church at Laodicea was similarly to many modern churches.  The church members were relatively affluent but self satisfied.  God saw their hearts. Their lukewarm commitment to him made him sick!  Jesus said to them,

“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17

That church was challenged to open their eyes to see their spiritual poverty.

The remedy was to go back to the beginning, and remember how they became Christians,

“So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19

John goes on to explain that they need to allow Christ back into the centre of their lives,

“Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, |I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20

The members of the church at Ephesus were hard working, theologically sound and had kept going but there was one major problem.

“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4

They also need to go back and remember how they started the Christian life,

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:5

There was an urgent need to change direction,

“If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5

Surely God is saying to us today, start again and commit ourselves to humbly obey and live for our Saviour.

The Wind and Fire

The young church was all together on the Day of Pentecost, presumably hearing the Scriptures read and explained and praying together.  This day was also called the Feast of Harvest of Day of Firstfruits.  It is no coincidence that God chose this day to empower his people so that they could go our and win fruit for Christ.  Then,

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” Acts 2:1

In the Old Testament ‘breath’ or ‘wind’ was a symbol for the Spirit of God. When Ezekiel given a vision of a valley containing many dry bones, he was told by the Lord to preach to them and say,

“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” Ezekiel 37:10

Then, using the same Hebrew word for both wind and Spirit (ruach), God says,

“I will pour my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.” Ezekiel 37:14

Fire was also a symbol for God’s presence.  Moses met God at the burning bush.  The Israelites were let during the exodus by a pillar of fire at night.  John the baptist had prophesied,

“But after me will come one who is more powerful that I . . . He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Matthew 3:11

This fire is the fire of judgment,

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12

It is also the light that shows people the way to harmony with God as well as the way to live.

It is also the fire of passion that makes our message so attractive.  It is the light of this fire that warms people to Christ.

John Wesley was asked,

‘Why do so many people come to hear you preach?

He replied,

“People just come to see me set myself on fire and burn in front of them!”

The Spirt of god does more that keep us as faithful believers who work for Christ.  He gives us that fire and that urgency that the early church had in Acts, that longing to see others won for Christ, that state where all the people in the church, young and old, male and female, are living in the world for Christ’s glory.

2.  The need of the nations  v. 5-11

When the Holy Spirit comes to us, whether as a church or as individuals, we witness to the whole world.

What is our message?

It is not to talk about the experience we have had.  After Pentecost the church did not talk about the sound of wind or the tongues of fire they had experienced.  Instead they used their voices to to declare the mighty deeds of God to everyone in Jerusalem.  God is not to be trifled with.  They pointed everyone to the power of God and the coming of his Son.  He is great and good and loves all and longs that we should repent and live with and for him.

This is our message today.  It is not primarily how people will find happiness or healing of their ailments, it is about Christ who is God and whom all must serve.

For whom is the message?

It is for the whole world.  At that time the world was thought of as the Roman world, which was amply big enough as a mission field.  Fifteen Roman empire areas are mentioned, divided into five regions, moving from east to west.  Since the various dispersions of Jews caused by the Assyrian (8th century BC) and Babylonian (6th and early 7th centuries BC) Jews were now dispersed throughout the Roman empire and had set up synagogues where, to begin with, the early Christians could proclaim the message that Jesus is the Jews Messiah.

What is the language of our message

Although many of the people attending the Pentecost celebrations in Jerusalem would be Jewish and would probably speak several languages, God chose to speak to them in their own languages.

“. . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.”

Probably most would speak Hebrew, many Greek and Latin but it was local languages that were given.  The message is probably that God’s message comes to people where they are.  It is not a Roman, Greek or even Hebrew message, it is God’s message for people where they are.

The Lollard revival in the 14th century that spread through England and Europe was associated with a translation of the Word of God into English.  It is no coincidence that the revival in Germany in Luther’s time was associated with a translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into German.

There are more that 7117 languages in the world.  In the 1950s, 220 had the Bible in their own language.  By September 2020 the full Bible has been translated into 704 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,551 languages and Bible portions or stories into 1,160 other languages.  This must have an impact.

One of the features of a real revival is that it affects all classes and all nationalities in any area.  The kingdom of God is truly international.

This is very different from other religions.  To become an orthodox Jew today a person has to accept the codes and practices of an ethnic group.  To become a sincere Moslem also means entering an Arabic culture.  No Moslem accepts that the Qur’an can be properly translated into other languages!  Notice the similarity in dress and the beards of devout Muslims.

When God’s Spirit enters a church there comes a new power to break down barriers.  There is a remarkable unity amongst those in Christ.  The gospel reaches into local communities to transform them to live for Christ.

‘Tongues’, is another word for ‘languages’.  The early church was given the supernatural ability to explain the gospel in unknown languages. This gift is not mentioned in any writings of the early church fathers as being a feature within mainline Christian churches.  Augustine did refer to the occurrence in the very early church.  Some people were suggesting that the gift of speaking real foreign languages was still necessary evidence for the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Augustine strongly refutes this,

“How then, brethren, because he that is baptised in Christ, and believes on Him, does not now speak in the tongues of all nations, are we not to believe that he has received the Holy Ghost?  God forbid that our heart should be tempted by this faithlessness . . . . Why is it that no man speaks in the tongues of all nations?  Because the Church itself speaks in the tongues of all nations.  Before, the church was in one nation, where it spoke in the tongues of all.  By speaking then in the tongues of all, it signified what was to come to pass; that by growing among the nations, it would speak in the tongues of all.”

Many religious groups in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism as well as some groups in ancient Greece have claimed that the ability to make ecstatic noises is an indication of the presence of God and some call this ‘the gift of tongues’.  This is not what is happening in Acts 2.  In Acts an extraordinary miracle occurred in which the Christians were endowed with the gift to speak other languages and people from other nations understood the gospel from what was said.  Are those speaking were largely Galileans!

This change is amazing.  In Acts 2 there are several words used to describe the reaction people had to what they saw and the gospel they heard - bewilderment, utterly amazed, amazed, perplexed.  It was after this that Peter spoke and gave a summary of this gospel.

How we need to pray for the empowerment of God’s spirit today, but, as the churches of Laodicea and Ephesus were told, this would require a radical return to making Jesus Christ the priority of our lives.

BVP

Acts 2:4-14. The Marks of a Pentecostal Church

This title may seem confusing but it is not meant in denominational terms but in a spiritual sense.  In history all new church groupings need a title such as Lutheran, Wesleyan, Methodists or Brethren.  However most of these titles should apply to all try Christian Groups.  For example:

Catholic – all Bible-based churches should be catholic or universal as they all have the same foundation.  It is significant that David Yonggi Cho, the Korean religious leader and Christian evangelist who founded (1958) the Yoido Full Gospel Church (YFGC) in Seoul, which he presided over the megachurch until 2008 insisted that they say the Creed at every service to show that though in the Pentecostal denomination they are very much part of orthodox Biblical Christianity.

Society of Friends – all churches should be communities of friends of Jesus

Brethren Assemblies – similarly this title should be applicable to all biblical churches

Baptists – even this title should be one that all churches who follow the teaching of Jesus follow.  It is not the means of baptism that matters but that people make a public confession that Jesus has washed them of their sins and that they are dead to the old life and are now living a new life with and for Jesus.

Lutheran and Wesleyan – Luther reminded the church that people are saved by faith alone and not be church affiliation.  Wesley woke up churches to this message and taught all types of people what this meant.

There are many marks of a Spirit-filled or pentecostal church that this passage in Acts 2 reminds us of.

1.  The chief mark is preaching

It is striking that immediately after the church receives the Spirit of God we have a sermon!  Indeed 65% of the verse in this Pentecostal chapter are a sermon, an explanation of the Christian gospel.  Whenever the Spirit of God comes, people speak.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak . . .” Acts 2:4

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God . . .” Acts 2:11

“Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.” Acts 2:14

“Men of Israel, listen to this . . .” Acts 2:22

“When the people heard this . . .” Acts 2:37

Teaching, sharing with words that describe what God has done is a vital feature of the Spirit-filled Christian and church.

After 3,000 people had become Christians, what they most needed was to be taught the Word of God.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .” Acts 2:42

Truth should matter to all people, whether they have become Christians or not.

Some modern churches have tried to divorce the work of the Spirit from the teaching of the Word of God.  In Scripture they are combined.  The ‘sword of the Spirit is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17).  In this chapter the Spirit came and men spoke.  Jesus associated the work of the Spirit with teaching God’s truths.

“But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.” John 14:26

“When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.  And you also must testify.” John 15:26-27

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own . . .” John 16:13

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:8

The Holy Spirit teaches the mind about the truths of God and this will impact people’s conscience.  The Spirit of conviction is the Spirit of truth.  This is what happened to the 3000 who responded to Peter’s teaching of God’s message.

There are some who think that Christian truths are too complicated and difficult for ordinary people, so their message changes.  A young Christian attended a local evangelistic mission but after three days he felt he couldn’t continue to support it as the message seemed to be, ‘If you want to be happy, step forwards.’  In contrast, the Christian message is serious, it is about life and death and both the words used and the passion with which the message is delivered must portray this.  The ‘tongues of fire’ today must similarly be tongues passionately on fire as we pass on God’s truth.

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher in the mid twentieth century in London, coined the phrase for what preaching should be, ‘Logic on fire.’  A good talk must have content with passion, not just good theology that has no fire!

2.   Evangelistic concern for outsiders

The Holy Spirit has been given, not for private praise but for public proclamation.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses to . . .” Acts 1:8

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak . . .” Acts 2:4

It is obvious that these people spoke real local languages to their hearers.  The Greek word, translated ‘tongues’ simply means ‘languages’  They were surely given this audio-visual aid to remind them of what Jesus had repeatedly said, their message was for all people of all races.

There had been several hints that this was always God’s intention.  God said to Abraham,

“ . . . all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3

Jonah was sent as a missionary to Nineveh.  Jesus himself had gone up to the Syro-Phoenician and the Gentile Gadarene areas and shared the gospel there.  However this must have been hard for those raised in first century Judaism.  When Peter had a vision of eating unclean animals he was appalled, but this was a prelude to his being taught that he was to go and explain the gospel to a |Gentile occupying soldier, the centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:45).  When Paul was allowed to  explain himself to the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem we read,

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.  The crowd listened to Paul until he said this.” Acts 22:21-22

The Jews felt they had exclusive privileges and God needed, by his Spirit, to change this way of thinking.  His people were to love not only those inside the church but those outside too.

The Australian evangelist, John Chapman, was asked by a new pastor to come and lead a mission in his American church, aptly called, ‘The Good Shepherd church.’  The minister was having a difficult time with some of the old guard in the church.  At a reception John Chapman asked one of the old guard what they found difficult and was told,

“It’s all these new people coming to our church!”

Apparently John gave a curt Australian response!

How ironic it is if Christians are not geared up for and seeking to win the lost.  Didn’t Jesus say to Zacchaeus,

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

If we belong to Jesus then this must be our ambition too.  Is this our personal prayer and is this what the church is praying for at the prayer meetings?

The great preacher, James Denney, once said,

“I have not the faintest interest in a theology that doesn’t help you evangelise.”

Whenever Jesus preached the Word of God, people understood and many were ‘cut to the heart’.  This is what we should be praying for today.

A young man working with young people on an estate was talking about the local vicar and said, ‘He debunks the word’  He then went on to say that he never visits the estate.  This is not surprising because if someone rejects what the Bible teaches they will surely reject the idea of working hard to save people.  The two go together.

The question we need to ask is whether the world or our country or our region or even our town can be reached by the clergy.  God has a better answer:

3.  Every believer is a missionary

I was taken by a friend to go and watch Spurs play at White Hart Lane.  There were around 60,000 people there and I wondered, ‘How many of these people will be saved?’

Peter reminded his hearers of something the prophet Joel had said:

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18

In the Old Testament dreams and visions were the normal way for God to communicate with his special representatives or prophets.  Today God still uses this way when reaching out to people in lands were there is no or limited gospel ministry.  Many people in Muslim lands have said that a dream was how they first began to think about spiritual matters.  Occasionally this happens here in the United Kingdom.

We had a telephone call from a Jewish man who had represented Great Britain at football in the Maccabean Games.  He wanted some help and he came for a meal.  He was a tough man but he told us this story.  He was a salesman who came from a non practising Jewish background in the east End of London.  Suddenly everything in his life began to go wrong.  His wife left him so he bought a flat with a heavy mortgage.  The value of the flat then dropped and he was caught in a negative equity trap.  Furthermore, redundancy loomed.  He didn’t know what to do so talked to a friend at work. That friend had recently become a Christian, so his suggestion was that he tried praying.  This was a problem for David as he had never prayed before.  The friend suggested he get a book on how to pray and do what it said!  This David did, he went to his room to follow the directions given in the book.  He emptied his mind and was told to say whtever came into his mind, but he couldn’t think what to say.  It was at this point that he saw Jesus standing there in front of him.  Jesus didn’t say anything, so David blurted out,

‘You’ve got it wrong.  I’m Jewish!’

When he asked his work mate what he made of all this, his friend was flummoxed but said he would ask someone in his church, which was down in Thame.  It just so happened that the man he talked to at his church had been in my year at college. We had become close friends and he had become a Christian there.  On hearing that David lived in Letchworth my friend suggested that he phone us up and David had the courage to do this.  He came for a few meals and joined us at the Friday Group, a Bible Study we run in our home. Within a few weeks he had understood the gospel and he committed his life to Christ.  He had no more visions, God now spoke to him through the Bible.  David went on to become a full time Christian worker.

V.J Menon was brought up as a Hindu in India but came to work in London.  One Tuesday he saw a crowd of people going into an old church in the city and assumed this was to hear a musical concert.  He sat down and was soon boxed in.  It was only then that he realised he was in a church for a midday service.  The sermon was simple and challenging.  For the next week VJ had vivd dreams that were all about Jesus and the gospel.  When he went to meet the preacher, Dick Lucas, he mentioned these dreams.  Dick said he had never heard such a clear understanding of the gospel from someone so untaught.  VJ joined a Bible Study group and had no more dreams.  He is still an active worker for Christ.

God is not limited in the ways he communicates with people to start with, but he quickly leads us on to hear him speak through his Word.  His usual way of speaking to people is through a Christian friend.

What is important is that now all of God’s people are the channels by which God’s message is spread.  No longer will it just be a few professionals. Now it is both young and old, men and women, people of all social ranks who will be the bearers of God’s message – all Christians will be given this power or ability.

The evangelist John Chapman was led to Christ by a boy in his class at school.

Isn’t it sad that so many in our churches do not know what they have been chosen by God for!

BVP

Acts 18:1-17 Giving Meaning to Life

The big questions of life are always present but are seldom addressed.  What is the point of life?  Why are we here?

Jean-Paul Sartre, the French philosopher, stated,

“Human life is meaningless without an infinite reference point.”

Sartre is saying that there must be someone or something beyond our finite world if there is to be a real meaning in life.  As he believed there is no God, he concluded that there cannot be a reference point,  so he deduced that we have to accept that life is meaningless.  The problem is that the vast majority instinctively think that life has a meaning.

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) predicted:

“God is dead.  We have killed him and the stench will be over Europe.”

The consequences of not believing there is a right and wrong have been seen in the last 125 years.  Society has eaten of ‘the tree of knowledge of good and evil’, rulers now make the rules according to what they think is best for them and their society without reference to God, with disastrous consequences.

C.S. Lewis gave a talk on the concept of meaning in the universe, contrasting this with atheism saying:

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. Very well then, atheism is too simple."

He argues that the very act of recognising that the universe might lack meaning implies a standard or a framework of meaning against which it is judged. This standard, he suggests, points to something beyond the purely material or naturalistic explanation of the universe. 

The Scottish theologian, James Denney, has said,

“Where the human mind is concerned, it is idle to speak of an authority that can simply be imposed, the real question is whether there is an authority that can impose itself, which can freely win the recognition and surrender of the mind and heart of man.”

The Bible stresses that there is such an authority who eventually will always achieve his own ends.  It teaches that this authority is the eternal Son of God.

This is a totally different world view to that accepted by most people, giving radically different priorities and values.  The Bible gives us a perspective of an eternal kingdom that is not of this world.  Those accepted into this kingdom have their entire lives transformed.  Their purpose of life and the experiences of those in God’s kingdom are very different to those whose priority is a worldly kingdom.  This radical change in how Christians’ think and behave is the ultimate reality.  For two thousand years this worldview has been spreading throughout the world.  It is always resisted because it proclaims the sovereign rule of the eternal God above all other petty rivals.  It presents and seeks to persuade people of a coherent worldview that gives meaning and purpose.  What Jesus and his apostles taught makes sense of all we face in a way that no other outlook can.

Corinth

In Acts 18 we are told how the apostle Paul left the intellectual centre of the ancient world, Athens, to go to Corinth which was then the most prosperous commercial centre of the world with everything that goes with that.  The city was built on an isthmus and had two ports, one in the west facing the Adriatic Sea and the other in the east, Cenchraea, facing the Aegean sea.  The city had been founded by Julius Caesar in 46BC but a hundred years later it was still called ‘New Corinth’  Archeology has revealed that this city had streets lined with splendid buildings and it is easy to imagine these streets being thronged with cosmopolitan crowds from all around the Mediterranean. It had international games that were only second to the Olympic Games held on Mount Olympus.  As so often happens in a prosperous city, with many visiting sailors and business men, sexual immorality was rife.  To be a Corinthian meant to be an immoral person and ‘to Corinthianise’ was to go with a prostitute.

Paul’s strategy

Paul arrived at Corinth in 50AD.  It was a tough challenge for a solitary Christian missionary. What should his strategy be?  How can the gospel be made known? He gives us the answer to this in his first letter to the Corinthian church:

“When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,  so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

He did not use underhand publicity stunts to get noticed, he just talked to people about Jesus.  Churches today need to rediscover what Paul had learned.  The power of God is essentially released when the message about Jesus is clearly what the church is proclaiming.  Today many churches run food banks, mother and toddler groups and youth activities in which the message of Jesus is right in the background, if there at all.

Paul arrived in this great metropolis in weakness.  How could the message of Jesus reach such a city?  No wonder he ‘trembled’.  He knew that his only hope was to keep preaching the good news about Jesus, God’s Christ, who had died to pay the price for our sin and who rose to prove his claim.  He relied not on clever rhetoric or healing campaigns but in sharing a message about Jesus and then people would see the changed lives of those who come under his authority.  His confidence was not in himself but in the proclamation of the Word of God, the message from God.  Paul reminded the young Corinthian church in the beginning of his first letter to them that his essential message was to tell them about Jesus and his death on a cross to pay for the sins of all who follow Jesus:

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

Paul’s usual approach was to visit the local synagogue every Sabbath where the Scriptures were revered and, being a rabbi he taught how the Jewish Scriptures proclaimed the coming of God’s Messiah and this enabled him to try and persuade them about Jesus.  His evangelism was convincing and persuasive and was all about Jesus.

Paul needed to support himself financially .  All rabbis had a trade and Paul went to meet other tent-makers so he could earn his living.  It was in this grouping that he met Aquila and Priscilla. Although Corinth was a prosperous city he wanted to present the gospel free of charge so all could see that he was not in the ministry for himself.  What a tragedy it is when Christian ministers are seduced into seeking  a high income, living in the best five star hotels, owning multiple mansions and even aeroplanes.  As Marshall McEwan said,

“The medium is the message”

No-one could say that he was in the ministry for what he could get out of it.  Paul did later recognise that in a church setting:

”Those who preach the gospel should get their living by the gospel" 1 Corinthians 9:14,

Here Paul argues that those who lead churches have a right to be supported by the community they serve. This is based on the principle that those Levites who worked in the temple or offer sacrifices are supported by the temple and offerings. However he also recognised that ministers who are active in evangelism can do great harm to the message by the way they live.

Aquila and Priscilla

Aquila and Priscilla were a Jewish couple who had recently been expelled from Rome.  The Roman historian, Suetonius mentions this expulsion of Jews from Rome in 49 AD. He attributes the expulsion to disturbances caused by "Chrestus" (likely a misspelling of "Christus" or Christ). The expulsion was probably due to conflicts between Jewish factions and the emerging Christian movement within the Jewish community in Rome. 

Their common interest in Judaism, in Jesus, in tent-making and in evangelism resulted in these two becoming some of Paul’s closest friends and helpers.  It is notable that God often divinely orchestrates such relationships to further the spread of the gospel.  As Paul arrived in Corinth in 50AD they could only have been there for much less than a year.

The hostile reaction in Rome could be so destructive for gospel ministry but it meant that the Gentile Christians in Rome had to take leadership roles and those who were scattered were able to take the gospel to new areas.  God had permitted a similar persecution in Jerusalem just as the gospel was getting established there:

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. . . Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.” Acts 8:1-5

What a wonderful example these illustrations give us of a church that was on fire for the Lord Jesus.  In the 1950’s western missionaries were expelled from China as there was horrific opposition from the Communist authorities; many feared for the life of the churches there.  However the church continued to grow as individuals passionately shared the gospel about Jesus to friends and family.  Now members of the churches in china are far more numerous than members of the Communist party.

God’s plan are always better than ours.  It is the mark of Christian maturity to live in the light of this realisation.  Soon Paul was working alongside Priscilla and Aquila, he lived with them but keep on teaching in the synagogue.  Using reason was his method.  People need to become followers of Jesus because of the evidence; he really is the Christ, he really did die for our sin and he did rise from the dead to prove his claim.  This rational evidence-based method of evangelism was Paul’s approach,

“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” Acts 18:4

When Paul had visited Thessalonica, prior to going to Athens and then Corinth his approach had been rational:

“As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.  Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.” Acts 17:2-4

His approach in the next town, Berea, had been similar:

“On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up Acts 17:10-13

Paul had no doubt that God used the Scriptures to convince people about their need for Jesus.

William Cowper (1731 – 1800)

William Cowper was a poet and hymn writer who suffered form recurrent severe depression.  However he understood the grace of God.  The phrase "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace" is a line from his hymn, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way". This poem explores the idea that God's actions may seem unclear or even unfavourable at times, but we can trust in God’s ultimate goodness and wisdom. This hymn encourages faith, a reliance on God's grace, even when faced with difficult circumstances. The full stanza from the hymn reads:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face. 

This stanza emphasises that human understanding is limited and that God's ways are often hidden from us. It suggests that apparent hardship or negative events (the "frowning providence") may be part of God's larger plan, which ultimately leads to blessings (the "smiling face"). The poem also includes the lines: 

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower. 

These lines reinforce the idea that God's plans unfold over time, and even things that seem unpleasant in the present will ultimately reveal a positive outcome. 

The final stanza of the hymn is:

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain. 

This hymn suggests that while we may not always understand God's actions, He will eventually reveal His purposes and make things clear. It is a powerful expression of faith in the face of adversity and a reminder to trust in God's sovereignty and grace, even when things seem difficult or confusing. 

Change of tactics

Paul continued working in this way until Timothy and Silas arrive from Berea.

The churches in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea had sent Paul a gift so he could work full-time for the gospel.

“When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.” Acts 18:5

Today this is still the best approach.  All Christians should be in ministry, testifying by word and action that Jesus is God’s Messiah.  If a person’s gift for leading or for evangelism is recognised and people want to support him to go full time teaching of the Word, this is great.  If this method, with ministers and missionaries first proving their worth and effectiveness, was widely adopted it would prevent there being many full-time ministers who appear to have lost their zeal for leading people to trust in the Lord Jesus, if they ever had it!

What a great example the churches in Macedonia are, they go out of their way to support Paul and his ministry.

This  freeing up of Paul to promote Jesus as the Messiah did cause problems, just as any active evangelism does today.

“But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”   Acts 18:6

This symbolic act of shaking out his clothes in protest marked a profound shift in strategy.  The Jews in Corinth had made a decision and so the time had come for the church to leave them to the judgment they had chosen.  In the first decade of his ministry Paul had focused on teaching Jews and God-fearers in the synagogues.  This approach had resulted in him being beaten in the synagogues five times.  This was the last straw.  He does just what Jesus had told his disciples on their first trainee short mission when he instructed his disciples to "shake the dust off their feet" when leaving a town that had rejected them and their message. This action, described in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, and Luke 9:5), symbolised a warning of God’s judgment. It also meant that the disciples were to move on from those who refused to listen and find others who would receive their message. 

Paul was saying in effect:

“If you reject the Lord, Jesus Christ, your fate is in your own hands.  I am innocent as I have shared the message with you.”

The next verses are significant as they emphasise this change in direction to evangelising Gentiles:

“Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptised.” Acts 18:7-8

The focus of the church in Corinth now moved to a home, that of Titius Justus who significantly lived next door to the synagogue.  Today effective home groups are the mainstay of most vibrant gospel churches.  Another who joined the young church was Crispus.  He had a Roman name but presumably he came from a Jewish family as he had been the ruler of the Synagogue. He also understood that the time had come for a radical change.

Faith in Jesus is not just an individual experience, people of all nationalities and creeds who have recognised Jesus also recognise the vital role of working together in his local church.

Divine intervention

Then came a most unexpected encouragement, Paul was given a vision:

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”  

So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” Acts 18:9-11

There are some people who claim they regularly receive ‘visions’ from God. They are the sort of people who frequently say ‘God told me that . . .’   Such claims need testing! The book of Acts tells us that even Paul only had a few direct words from God and these were all at crucial crossroads in his ministry.  At this time in Corinth the opposition from the Jewish authorities was mounting and doubtless Paul could well remember what had happened to him in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea as a result of Jewish opposition.  A flogging was very painful as well as humiliating and riots did not help with the promotion of the gospel.  However the Lord now encouraged him to stay put and not just to make it a short visit as had been his usual practice in cities up till then.  Here he was told to stay put as God has many who would come to openly confess Christ in that city.  It was not God’s plan for him to move on.  Consequently he stayed there for 18 months, teaching the Scriptures, the Word of God to the people of Corinth.  This was a new strategy, a Gentile/Jewish Christian church was founded, based in a home, and the Lord himself had guaranteed their safety.

This promise was demonstrated when Gallio was appointed to the role of Proconsul of the whole of Greece, south of Macedonia.   Gallio was the brother of Seneca, the Roman philosopher in Rome.  It is likely that he came straight from Rome, remember this was where Claudius had had problems over Jewish antagonism to the Christians and riots had been the result.  The Jews wasted no time in trying to have Paul, a Roman citizen expelled from Corinth.  Paul was accused on a technicality and Gallio obviously did not want the Roman authorities to become involved in this dispute in Corinth.

“While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” Acts 18:12-13

They accused Paul of promoting a ‘religio illicita’.  Paul was teaching that the Christian gospel was the fulfilment of Judaism, a religion approved by Rome yet the Jews accused him of promoting a new religion.  Gallio clearly understood that this was an internal theological matter and not one he wanted to be involved withn.  It would be good to know how much Gallio understood about the gospel and the evidence for it.  Paul was about to defend these charges when Gallio intervened.  He was not going to give in to the Jews and so gave a firm reply:

“Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanour or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.”  So he drove them off.” Acts 18:14-16

It would appear that there was already some anti-semitic feeling in Corinth, this was not uncommon in Roman cities at the time.  As soon as this case was thrown out a crowd attacked the ruler of the synagogue and Gallio showed no sympathy.

“Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.” Acts 18:17

Gallio’s decree that Christianity was part of Judaism gave gospel workers protection for the next 10 years.  This explains why Paul was so ready to appeal to Caesar when the Jews in Israel tried to have him killed.

Paul had no doubt where authority really rested.  God had promised, ‘No-one will harm you’ and this proved to be true.  However the gospel must continue to be taught.  On his way back to Israel he visited Ephesus with Priscilla and Aquila.  They stayed there to prepare the ground for Paul’s subsequent long visit on his third missionary journey while Paul returned to Antioch.

Application

What confidence we can also have that the Lord is sovereign and he is in control.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Sometimes events do not work out as we would like them to but Paul was later to affirm:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Calvin commented on this verse:

“If all things are for our good, then what is left to work for our ill?”

That is a mature Christian view.  We are not Pauls and we are not in Corinth but Paul’s God is our God.  He will keep us and use us.  He will never let his people down.  We, like all Christians are to both live the faith and find ways to teach teach it to others.  We have the same mighty God.

The 17th century Christian missionary, William Carey, advised all Christians:

“Attempt great things for God because we expect great things of God.”

It comes back to the question of authority:

“Who is in control of my life?”

BVP

This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.

Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching gospel centred local church.  More details can be found on its website.  It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock

Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com

Acts 2:22-36. A Man Accredited by God

Chosen

The God had given Peter, the apostles and the whole church the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This has resulted in a boldness to proclaim God’s message (prophecy), a passion to win people for Christ and a realisation that God wants every one of his people to be involved in gospel ministry.  This was not a completely new idea.  When the Children of Israel were wandering through the wilderness for forty years, after fleeing from Egypt.  God promised to provide them with food but the people were, to say the least, sceptical.  Moses told the seventy elders to come together around the tabernacle:

“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirt on the seventy elders.  When the Spirit rested on them, the prophesied, but they did not do so again.” Numbers 11:25

Two elders, Eldad and Medad, who had not joined the group also started to prophesy in the camp and one young man complained.  Moses replied,

“Are you jealous for my sake?  I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

Exactly what prophecy was is open to question but it always involved proclaiming what God’s word to people.  When David was delegating tasks to people for when the temple was built, we read about the sons of Asaph.  Prophecy was controlled and could be given through music:

“The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.” 1 Chronicles 25:2

The next verse talks about the six sons of Jeduthun who were

“. . . under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 25:3

Substance of Peter’s message

We now come to the core of Peter’s first sermon after which he makes an evangelistic appeal.  Today evangelistic preaching in big meetings has fallen on bad times.  The focus is too often on what people feel and these feelings can be heightened using psychological tricks such as prolonged rhythmic music before the talk. The preaching can be highly emotional, with promises that have little basis in fact.  Healing can be offered if ‘people come forward’.  This is evangelism without the evangel, gospel preaching without the gospel!

In some ways Peter’s first sermon was unique as he was talking to people at a one off place and time.  They had experienced the preaching and miraculous signs that Jesus had performed among them, his crucifixion and now the remarkable sign of seeing what was happening to the disciples and hearing God’s word in their own languages:

“Men of Israel, listen to this.  Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonder and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. Acts 2:23

“ . . . and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Acts 2:23

“ . . . and has poured out what you now see and hear.” Acts 2:33

Consequently this sermon was unique but there are important lessons we can learn from it.

Another difference to some modern groups today is that they were well versed in the Old Testament.  Consequently when Peter quotes From Joel and then from the Psalms, his listeners know of their  authority.  It is significant that when Paul preached to the crowds in Athens he doesn’t base his argument on Scripture but quotes their poets and authors.  In post-Christian Britain we need to consider what will most help people be convinced by what we are saying.

However there is much to learn from the pattern that Peter uses.  We have already seen that he begins by building a bridge with his hearers.  He does this by explaining what they had just experienced and shows that God had said this would happen by the prophet Joel.  In this central part of the sermon:

1.  He talked about the life of Jesus  v. 22

2.  He then talked about the death of Jesus  v. 23

3.  He then talked about the resurrection of Jesus  v. 24-32  This is the emphasis of this talk

4.  He next talked about the ascension of Jesus  v. 33

5.  His grand conclusion  v. 36

The grand conclusion is what Peter, as God’s representative, wanted everybody to understand:

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36

This is the gospel message, this is the Christian good news – Jesus is both the Lord God as well as his chosen king, his Messiah, his Christ.

What a tragedy it is that in some circles the gospel has been reinterpreted as the love God shows to others through the way Christians live.  This may help attract people to Christ but it is certainly not the gospel – the Christian gospel is who Jesus is and what he did during his life, through his death and resurrection and his ascension and nothing more.  This is the message of Pentecost.

Paul also summarised the Christian gospel in similar terms,

“ . . . they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  For we preach not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us a light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Peter established by summarising the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus that he has irrefutable authority over all men on earth.  Some may not like this but that is what the apostolic faith proclaims.  Some criminals may not recognise that the judge they are standing before has authority over their future.  Rejecting the judges authority will not protect the criminal from justice.  All men will bow before Jesus when he returns to judge us all.  The apostle Paul said the same:

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knew should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

People will either bend the knee before Jesus willingly in this life or forcefully after death, that is the apostolic message.  Jesus is Lord and the Christ.  He will judge us all because he is God.  At the heart of the universe is Jesus Christ, its creator.

Peter’s listeners grasped who Jesus was and now they faced the problem that they had crucified this person.  It is no surprise that so many realised the only reasonable course of action was to kneel before him and ask for his forgiveness.

Paul finished his sermon to the people of Athens with these words,

“In the past god overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.  He has given proof of this by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31

Both Peter and Paul emphasise the resurrection.  Elsewhere Paul wrote,

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

The realm of Jesus is the whole universe.  Jesus will have the last word on my eternal destiny, that is the apostolic faith.  Rosy and I were looking around the cemetery around Willian church.  We found just two gravestones that had a Christian message.  One had a large cross engraved on the long stone which had the following words from the Bible:

The testimony of the church and of Christians is so much bigger than how faith in Jesus has affected me.  Too often you hear people say how they have found peace or happiness since they have become Christians.  Our testimonies should not be restricted to how Jesus became my Lord and made me feel better..  It must be a proclamation of the universal truth that Jesus is Lord of all and therefore Lord over you, whether you like it or not.  Our message is not that he can be your Lord and benefactor you if you accept him, instead it should be that Jesus is the world’s eternal king, whatever your opinion.

The world was changed, not through the militant dialectic of communism, but through the power of unarmed truth. It found revolution in the highest hopes of common men.

One of this revolution's symbolic moments was May Day 1990. Protesters followed the tanks, missiles, and troops rumbling across Red Square in Moscow. One man, a bearded Orthodox monk, darted under the reviewing stand where Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders stood. He thrust a huge crucifix into the air, shouting above the crowd, "Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!"

Gorbachev turned and walked off the platform.

Emotions

Peter preached that the Jesus of history is the Saviour of the world and as a result three thousand came to experience his power  in their lives.  They would experience the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“Peter replied, ‘Repent,  and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

Some think this experience was just for the apostolic generation, but Peter continued,

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:39

We must be careful when being critical of emotionalism because, of course, there are great emotional benefits when we surrender our independence and come under the authority of Jesus.  All Christians have an experience of the Holy Spirit and know what it is to enjoy the indwelling Christ.  He does give us great peace and joy.

However, the apostolic evangelist began not with Jesus entering into people’s lives but Jesus Christ entering his world.  This takes the attention off us.  Their message was not so much Christ in us as Christ for us.  This is where so much evangelistic preaching is wanting today, it tends to be so man centred.  Instead we should start speaking about Jesus, describing some aspect of what he did on earth and why he came.  This leads us to the cross and the substitutionary death there to pay for our sin. This moves us to the resurrection and the fact that Jesus is alive today who is able to change us so we want to serve him and live our lives in obedience to him.  It is true that then we can and will experience him, but it is only when we surrender to him that the real experience comes.

Why has the message changed?

a.  Too little time.

It is said that people’s tolerance for sermons is getting more and more limited and therefore talks should become shorter and shorter.  It could be that the speakers are becoming poorer and poorer and can no longer hold people for very long.  However since it is the appeal this is essential, the temptation is to go lightly over the links the gospel has to the listeners experience and to be very brief abou the historic Jesus, emphasising instead what he can do for people.  If the emphasis is on the experience then people will understandably say, ‘I can gain satisfying experiences in other ways that don’t cost me so much.  So substitute gods that offer short term experiences take over.  These may be sexual, drugs or alcohol, money, fame or careers.  It is only when people understand who Jesus really is that real conversion can occur.  Appealing to people’s needs is not the apostolic  message.  We cannot omit the historical Jesus.  We cannot safely talk about Christ being alive today without talking about Christ’s life then.

b.  The old, old story

Just telling an account about a figure who lived two thousand years ago can have little appeal to young people today so his life is glossed over.  Instead we are told about some modern sportsman, television personality or film star who has found joy or peace through their faith.  It is significant that when the apostles preached the gospel in other parts of the world, where people had no had first hand experience of Jesus, their message did not change.  Jesus is God who entered this world, as prophesied in the Old Testament and as witnessed by many who knew him well.  They saw his life, his death, his resurrection and his ascension and their subsequent sacrificial lives prove that they were not lying.  We need to return to the same principles today both in our preaching and in our personal conversations with others.  We have been deflected from the core of our message.

When Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones retired from medicine he went, as a young man, to be the minister of a chapel in Aberavon.  He used to write all his sermons out and put them in a box.  Years later his widow found this box when clearing out an attic after his death and they were reprinted.  Every one of the twenty-one evangelistic sermons given on Sunday evenings in a working class area of South Wales was based on a text from the gospels.  He clearly wanted people to come face to face with Jesus.  If you read through Mark’s gospel there are two great truths being constantly emphasised, Jesus is the Christ and he died for our sins.  What a great lesson, we preach the gospel by preaching the gospels.

When I was younger I thought the gospel was best portrayed in the apostles letters, but now I understand that they were based on the gospels.  If we do not teach the gospels we are in danger of teaching a deviant message, a different Jesus.  Paul gave some frightening warnings about this risk,

“For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirt from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” 2 Corinthians 11:4

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:6-9

It is all too easy to talk about Jesus and talk about his behaviour but miss the whole point about who he is and what he did to save us.

People will want to know how they can change for the better and experience this real power of the Spirit, changing them to becoming like Jesus.  Telling people to be good will never bring about this change.

A headmaster wrote the following in his autobiography,

“I was happy in conversation with boys always to tell them what ideal behaviour was and where selfishness, cruelty and exploitation lay, but unwilling to talk of the very centre of Christianity, the meaning of the cross, because I found it at times repugnant and in part beyond belief.

With this semi religion I was able to live with some contentment, but I knew well that it was ‘non-infectious’.  That if what I believed was all Christianity amounted to, it would attract few.  I knew that our Lord did not walk about Palestine beginning a world revolution, by saying,

“Come along everyone, be nice to everybody, be truthful, be honest.  No he spoke of repentance, of salvation from sin, of conversion.”

How right this headmaster is.  The Christian message is that the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God, is at work. He enables individuals to recognise the rebellion against God that is in us all and draws us to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of any who turn to him.  When we respond, his Spirit enters our life and begins the radical change in our characters.  The Holy Spirit wants us to become like Jesus.

There are now some, brought up in liberal and high churches who have not been taught about the real Jesus.  Archbishop William Temple astutely said,

“Why anyone should have troubled the Christ of liberal protestantism has always been a mystery.”

Why crucify someone who was a harmless social worker, full of good advice, who set high standards of integrity, unselfishness and love.  Why execute a person like that.  Reading through John’s gospel will reveal that Jesus was so much more than that – he claimed to be God!

Evangelism must be educational

A study in England by Professor Christie Davies found that crime was lowest a century ago when three out of four young Britons were enrolled in Sunday school. Since then, Sunday school attendance has declined, and crime has correspondingly increased.

I was fortunate to go to a prep school that had a very wise headmaster.  He understood that much of evangelism is educational.  It is not just appeal after appeal.  People need to be sure about Jesus.  He taught us to think and question.  Didn’t Jesus say to Jews who had believed in him:

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31

Freedom is a cherished value, but poorly understood.  Freedom is never free, all people must be restrained by something or somebody.  Lord Acton explained,

“Liberty is the highest political end of man . . . [But] no country can be free without religion. It creates and strengthens the notion of duty. If men are not kept straight by duty, they must be by fear. The more they are kept by fear, the less they are free. The greater the strength of duty, the greater the liberty.”

People need to know why they must put themselves under the authority of Jesus.  How this need to be repeated to those who say they are Christians today.  Evangelism must be educational.  Peter focussed on this in his Pentecost sermon:

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders ans signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know . . . and you, with the help of wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead.” Acts 2:22-24

Peter then continues to teach people about the relevance of the Old Testament prophecies.  He chooses to uses Psalm 16, reminding his hearers that this was written by King David, the hero of Jewish history and a direct forebear of Jesus.  Peter explains that this prophecy is about Jesus.  This Psalm talks about his resurrection from the dead, but more of this later.

BVP      

Acts 1:12-26. Wanting God

The book of Acts contains some remarkable stories of exceptional power demonstrated by the apostles.  For example:

The new Christians could explain the gospel to people using their languages.

Peter healed a lame man at the gate of the temple.

Ananias and his wife die for lying to the apostles.

Paul survives a bite by a poisonous snake on Malta.

There were also remarkable acts of apostolic eloquence.

Peter speaks to a crowd and 3000 put their trust in Christ.

Stephen explains the gospel to his persecutors when on trial for his life.

Paul explains the gospel to Agrippa when on trial for his life.

Throughout the book the Christians are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.  Today this is the longing of many Christians who long to have a more satisfying Christian life.  The book of Acts explains how we can fulfil these desires.  However the book emphasises that God gives as he sees fit and is not open to being manipulated.

Peter, quoting the prophet Joel, said that a time was coming when God would pour out his spirit on all people’(Acts 21:7 quoting Joel 2:28).  The book of Acts explains what that means.  Jesus had explained that when he left this earth he would leave his people ‘another Comforter’ (John 14:16).  We cannot understand God’s working but the Holy Spirit enables us to have a basic understanding of how God works in and through us.

A boy asked his Grandfather, a lifelong fisherman, “What is the wind?”  The old man replied,

“I can’t tell you what the wind is, son, but I can tell you how to raise a sail.”

The book of Acts explains how we can raise a sail so that we can receive the winds of the Holy Spirit in our sails.  It explains what attitudes we should have if we long to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The apostolic band had just experienced the ascension of Jesus.  This article will examine what their attitude was before they experienced the Holy Spirit.

“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:12-14

Expectancy

It seems that Jesus spent the forty days after his resurrection moving between heaven and earth.  Whenever he met people he raised their sense of expectancy.  When he joined Cleopas and his companion on the seven mile walk to Emmaus on the day he was raised from death by crucifixion he left that couple with a great sense of expectancy, what would his resurrection mean?  Jesus had told his disciples,

“Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Acts 1:4

Waiting for Christmas and its presents would be nothing compared to the expectancy those disciples would have felt.  The experience of seeing Jesus leave them in a cloud would have reminded them about the significance of clouds in the Old Testament;  clouds represented the presence of God in all his glory.

Disappointed

The disciples would also know the story about how the ark of God had been captured by the Philistines and how two sons of Eli, the High Priest had been killed.  The effect of this defeat was that Eli fell and broke his neck and Phineas’ wife went into labour.  She named the child Ichabod (which means ‘no glory’) saying

“The glory has departed from Israel.” 1 Samuel 4:21-22

They knew that Jesus was very concerned that the glory of God had left His chosen people.  He exclaimed:

““Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate.” Matthew 23:37-38

Would this gift that God had promised return the glory to God’s people?  How would he do this?

How we in modern churches need to understand the lessons of this book of Acts today with our impotent churches infiltrated with sin, compromise, disobedience and idolatry.

1.  Expectant Belief that God will act

Can you imagine the conversations that went on among the disciples as they returned from the Mount of Olives.  A Sabbath day’s journey was the distance Jews were permitted to walk on a Sabbath according to Rabbinical law; it was just 1100 yards or ¾ of a mile.  They must have been stunned, yet excited.  They returned to the ‘upper room’ which was probably the same ‘upper room’ where Jesus had eaten the last supper with the disciples, where Jesus had laid down at the table and said, ‘If I go away, I will come again.  I will not leave you as orphans.” and where he had appeared to them after his resurrection.  It must have been a large room as it could contain 120 people (Acts 1:15).

The eleven remaining disciples are named, Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew (John calls him Nathanuel in John1:45-49) and Matthew; James the son of Alpheus (also called Thaddeus Matthew 10:13, Mark 10:14) and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

Imagine the chatter going on in that room.  What is going to happen to us.  What did Jesus mean?  The reason they were ‘joined together’ (1:14) was surely because they believed that the Holy Spirit was going to come and change things.  They believed with all their hearts t hat God was going to do something big.

The first necessity if we are to raise the sail to receive the winds of the Holy Spirit is expectant belief.

R.A.Torrey was once a tongue-tied preacher.  He found the early years of his ministry to be absolute torture.  He gave three sermons on Sundays, two in the morning and one in the evening.  He quickly discovered that he had to memorise them as that was the only way he could preach.  He said he would,

“Twist out the sermon as he twisted the top button on his top coat.”

After the third sermon he used to fall back in his chair in relief.  Then he would think, ‘I’ve got to start again tomorrow to get another sermon ready.’  He lived in perpetual misery, his early years were a misery.

Then a day came when he realised that when he was standing in front of the congregation there was another standing beside him and that it was he who had the responsibility to apply the message to his listeners, not himself.  Torrey came to believe what he had been teaching others.  The result was that his preaching became powerful.  As he saw God working through him, his confidence increased.  For the rest of his life ‘he would rather preach than eat’.

The primary hindrance to people experiencing the power of God’s Spirit in their lives is a lack of belief.

Today people do believe that this fulness, this joy, this effectiveness can happen to others but seldom believe that the Spirit is now available to all God’s people.  We hear of the Wesleys, Billy Graham, Corrie ten Boom or Joni Ericksen but don’t believe it can happen to us.

How the modern church needs this expectant belief again that God will so fill the lives of ordinary Christians so that we overflow with joy and power.

In the upper room those disciples and the others expected this change to happen.

2.  Expectant belief led to expectant prayer  v. 14

The disciples and others in the upper room were devoted to Jesus with one mind.  This devotion showed itself in three areas.

Unity

Persistence

Dependancy

We read,

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:14

Unity

is that they were all of one mind what they wanted to see happen.  Previously the disciples had been disunited.  For example James and John were self-seeking when they asked Jesus for power and authority,

“Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Mark 10:37

They wouldn’t wash each other’s feet, leaving that menial job for Jesus!  His brothers, who were now with the disciples in the upper room had previously thought Jesus was crazy (Mark 3:21) but now something had changed!  It was a minor miracle for them all to be of one mind.  The reason was that they were now looking to the Lord for this power from God.  It is always as Christians focus on and look to Jesus that this unity is found.

God is pleased to pour out an experience of his Spirit on a united group of Christians who do not consider themselves superior to others, who are lifting others up and who are doing all they can to heal relationships.

This is one meaning of the act of taking communion together.

Persistent

They stuck to praying or literally, ‘the prayer’.  This could mean to the times of prayer or to a specific prayer.  We know that they attended the temple regularly.  Jesus encourages us to keep praying:

“Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. Luke 11:5-8

How much more will our heavenly Father respond when what we are asking for is precisely what he wants to see, a people devoted to living for him.  Jesus continued:

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10

If we want to know the Lord’s power in our lives we must first believe it is what he wants and then to keep on praying until God works his way in us. Note there is a progression in intensity.  We start by asking, then we seek and finally we clamour by knocking hard on the door!

God is pleased to pour out an experience of his Spirit on those who are persistently seeking for this.

Dependant on God

A great Bible teacher, William R Newell was speaking at a conference for China Inland Missionaries in China.  After the conference he walked up to the director of the Conference and asked,

“Do pray for me that I shall be nothing.”

The Director replied,

“Newell, you are nothing!”

In the presence of Jesus we are nothing in comparison.  Jesus himself reminded us of our impotence without him:

“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Good Leaders

How seldom this need is emphasised yet how vital it is.  Leaders must be respected by those they are leading.  Whatever Peter’s faults, everyone recognised the leadership skills that he had.  Again, at this time, it was Peter who was decisive.

“In those days Peter stood up among the believers ( a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled . . .’” Acts 1:15

Clear leadership is the clearest indication of where an organisation is going.  The spiritual maturity of a church almost never exceeds the maturity of its leaders.  The early church grew because of strong decisive leadership on men such as Peter, John, Paul and James.  When a church is appointing elders we must remember that the church will not overtake them in purpose or spiritually.

Churches that fail to train future leaders and who select poorly will go downhill.

a. Strong leaders are Scriptural

This section emphasises that a love for Scripture and training others in Scripture is fundamental.  How will others in the church catch this love iof the elders don’t both have it but also demonstrate it to others.  Peter demonstrates this knowledge of Scripture and the fact that he centres his decisions on Scripture in this passage.

“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas . . .” Acts 1:16

“ ‘For,’ said Peter, ‘It is written in the book of Psalms . . .” Acts 1:20

A good leader is Bible centred and that sense is infectious.  A godly leader will keep sharing what God has been teaching him from Scripture.

You hear some people say,

“Yes, we know that the Bible is important but we also want to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying.”

In such churches the prayer meetings start with empty minds, trying to discover what God is saying directly to them.  This can be a recipe for disaster.  Modern day Quakers and some charismatics have taken this route.  We need to be reminded that when we are listening to the Bible we are listening to the Holy Spirit.  Of course the Holy Spirit can prompt us in addition but this will always be in accord with Scripture.  God always wants the name of his Son to be glorified.  If we are to experience the blessing of God we should not chase experiences but obedience to Scripture.

We will all face many difficulties and trials in life.  Loved ones will become ill, some will die, children may go off the rails, financial problems occur and friends may desert us.

It was this last problem that this young band of immature Christians faced.  Judas had deserted them, turned his back on Jesus and then had committed suicide.  What a triple tragedy!  Peter reminds us that the answers to such trials are to be found in Scripture and we should look there, and not chase experiences.  Peter reminds his hearers what the book of Psalms had to say of the problem of a leader who deserts his post.  Firstly this problem is to be expected,

“May his place be deserted; let there be no-one to dwell in it.” Acts 1:20, Psalm 69:25

Then a decision must be made on how to fill the need:

“May another take his place of leadership.” Acts 1:20, Psalm 109:8

Peter is clear what sort of man they were looking for (Acts 1:21-22).  They must have been one of the band from the time of John the Baptist, they must have witnessed the resurrection, they must have the support of the group , they must be willing to be a bold witness to Jesus.  They had two candidates who seemed to fit the bill, Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias.  It is possible that there was uncertainty and even division at their selection meeting.  How was this to be resolved?

b.  Strong leaders rely on God

They had two possible solutions so they looked to the Lord for the answer – they prayed.  They knew that prayer was vital (1:4).  Here again,

“Then they prayed . . .” Acts 1:24

Jesus said to his disciples,

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38

Calvin wrote in his commentary on this passage,

“When the church needs missionaries, let her get on her knees and pray.”

c.  Strong leaders, like God, look to the heart of people

This prayer seems to be what the community prayed but doubtless they came from the mouth of one clear-thinking leader:

“Lord, you know everyone’s heart.  Show us which of these two men . . .” Acts 1:24

When Jesus had a big decision to make at the beginning of his ministry concerning who he should train up to be his apostles in the future he doubtless had some ideas but even he spent the night praying to God (Luke 6:12).  Similarly, when the church at Antioch were deciding who they should choose to be travelling missionaries.  They prayed about this decision, even after Barnabus and Paul had been marked out (Acts 13:1-3).

God knows our hearts, whether we are truly singleminded about our decision to live for the glory of Christ, and that alone.  Passionate leaders are vital if others are going to catch their fervour.

The church at Laodicea was a self-satisfied community but the Lord saw that their hearts were lukewarm in their commitment to him. God urges them to allow him into the centre of their lives.  Nothing matters more to God.  He is knocking on the lives of many church people urging them to let him in.  It is no longer us asking, seeking and knocking, the urgent need has led Jesus to knock on our lives!

“Here I am, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

It is no coincidence that when Paul recounts the qualities of Timothy, they were qualities that made him attractive to others.

“I have no-one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.  For everyone looks to their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ . . . But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” Philippians 2:19

Wow!  Timothy loved Jesus,  he cared for the welfare of others, he worked hard in the cause of the gospel.

Other qualities for leaders

Throughout the Bible there are guidelines on how we should choose church leaders.

Acts describes how deacons were chosen.

“Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Acts 6:1-7

Paul stresses the qualities to be sought in church elders,

“Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.  (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” 1 Timothy 3:2-7

Churches compromise on these at their peril.  Leaders must be respected, not just by the church, but by outsiders.  They must be good teachers.

Paul left Timothy on the isle of Crete to establish the young churches there.  His great need was for good leaders and Paul again emphasises the qualities needed,

“An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” Titus 1:6-9

A choice is made

The early band Christians had a difficult decision to make; which of the two suitable candidates should they appoint.  They took the decision to the Lord and asked him to overrule.  They used what seems strange to us. They used chance.  In the Old Testament this was a common practice.

“The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:33

This was the last time in Scripture that this seemingly Old Testament method was used.  After Pentecost men and women deliberately chose their leaders carefully according to the prescribed requirements.  Whatever the means used, our decision must be based on trust in God.   Neither of these two candidates had any family links with Jesus.

Whatever the means of deciding, it is important that people are very reticent to attack those who have been appointed.  David was certainly unimpressed by the leadership skills of King Saul who was seeking to kill David, but David knew that the Lord was always in control:

“He said to his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.’” 1 Samuel 24:6

Tradition tells us that Matthias remained a faithful missionary.  One report says he went to Ethiopia and taught the gospel there until martyred there.  Another report was that he went to Damascus before returning to Judea.  Whichever is right it is clear that he remained faithful to his calling and that is what the Lord asks of each of us.

BVP

Acts 2:12-37. Peter’s First Sermon

Spurgeon’s College has been a centre for training future Baptist ministers.  It has had a tradition since Spurgeon’s day that every Friday afternoon one of the students is given a verse to preach on and after a short while is asked to preach to the faculty and the other students.  One student was asked to preach on the story of Zacchaeus.  He was flummoxed as to what to say, but knew he should have three points.  He stood up and delivered a very short talk, his three points being,

“Zacchaeus was of small stature – and sop am I.

Zacchaeus was up a tree – and so am I.

Zacchaeus came down – and so will I.”

Peter’s first sermon was on a different plane – it was brilliant, to the point and had the effect of changing the way many people thought.  Three thousand people made commitments to Christ that day.

Only 50 days before Peter had infamously denied that he even knew Jesus.  Now he was aligning himself with him at great personal risk to himself.  When such a large crowd gathered their would undoubtedly been some of the Sanhedrin and their agents taking notes of what was going on.  It was the Sanhedrin that had arranged fort Jesus to be crucified.

Peter was the sort of person who was always at the front of things.  He was one of the first people to become a disciple of Jesus, he was the first to walk on water, he was the first to pull out a sword when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he was the first disciple to arrive at Jesus’ tomb.  It was his self confidence that enabled him to be such an effective leader in the early church but the downside was a temptation to arrogance.  He was the one who, comparing himself to other disciples said,

“Even if all fall away from on account of you, I never will.” Matthew 26:33

But now since Pentecost that natural leadership skill was channelled into his Lord’s service.  He took on himself the role of being the spokesman for the young Christian church.  This cannot have been easy as it was in Jerusalem that Jesus had been condemned and crucified.  However although peter was the spokesman, it is significant that all the disciples stood  up together as he spoke.  This was a unified church speaking.

A superb sermon

For a first sermon this one was remarkable for several reasons

1.  It was simple.

Peter reacted to what was happening as the young Christians were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began explaining the good news about Jesus to those in Jerusalem but they did so in their own languages.  Even though most of them, being Jews, would have spoken Hebrew and possibly Greek and Latin as well, God chose to give this extraordinary gift of languages to his church, for that is all the Greek word translated ‘tongues’ meant.  Surely it is to indicate that God’s churches are to be local churches and not centralised.  The unifying factor is the common foundational teaching given in the Scriptures.  This is why teaching the Scriptures is the main purpose of all churches.  Whenever men take charge of Churches they are prone to deviate and make worldly concerns and politics the priority.  The Bible insists that pleasing God is the priority for all people.

Peter sim[ply explained the situation and why people were all hearing about Jesus in their own languages.  He then moved on to tell them about Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, God’s chosen king of his people.  Finally he called for his listeners to make a decision about whether they were willing for God’s King to be theirs.

Some preachers appear so erudite – it is abundantly clear who they are glorifying.  A very learned church leader was giving a series of sermons in Oxford.  A less educated man who had attended the sermons was asked whether he had understood the great preacher.  He replied,

“God forbid that I should understand such a great man as that.”

A preachers job should be to help people understand the simple message about who Jesus is and what he wants from all people.

2.  It was Scriptural

Peter bases his explanation of what everyone was witnessing on a passage from the Old Testament prophet, Joel.  He must had learned this by heart.  We can speculate that this was one of the passges that Jesus had explained in his teaching sessions with his disciples.  He then quotes another long passage from Psalm 16 and then another quote from Psalm 110.  His assumption is that the Scriptures are the very words of God (Romans 3:2) and this must always be the basis for a good sermon.  A preacher is simply passing on and explaining what has has already said to us in his word.

3.  It was Christ-centred

After his Biblical introduction Peter moves straight on to tell people about Jesus, relating him to their experiences.  He starts with the person of Jesus and his miracles,

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22

He reminds them of his crucifixion,

“This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Acts 2:23

Peter then reminds them of his resurrection,

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death.” Acts 2:242.

A little later he stresses that the Old Testament prophecies looked forwards to the resurrection of God’s Christ and that they, the apostles were all witnesses to this resurrection of Jesus,

“He (David) spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.  God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to this fact.” Ac ts 2:31-32

Next he tells the crowds about the astounding ascension of Jesus that the apostles had also witnessed,

“Exalted to the right hand of God . . .” Acts 2:33

Peter concludes this part of the talk by emphasising the evidence that what he had just said was true.  He was able to pass on to his people the promised Holy Spirit of God because he is equal to God and therefore is God.

“Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised |Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” Acts 2:33

This section he rounds off by again returning to compare Jesus with the very great King David,

“For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Acts 2:34-35

David always recognised that he was just a pawn in the Lord’s kingdom, but who is this other Lord that David acknowledges who is equal to God?  Peter confirms that this is Jesus.

Peter concludes this section about Jesus with a summary,

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:  God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36

Nothing could be clearer, either in those days or for us today.  God’s message to the world is the message about Jesus.

4.  It challenged to his listeners

The fact that the consciences of those listening were touched must mean that Peter’s delivery was passionate.  It wasn’t just the words he used, it was the urgent meaning that he gave to them that impinged on his hearers.

“When the people heard this they were cut to the heart ansd said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37

Whenever people have heard God speak to them there must be a reaction.  Some, unfortunately, ‘harden their hearts, they don’t want to hear more because they know that there will have to be consequences if this story is true.  Some come up with excuses and arguments for not investigating these claims of Christ.  They would no want to listen to the evidence of the first hand witnesses to Jesus because they know this could mean major changes to their life that they don’t want to make.

Jesus described such people in his parable of the Sower.  The seed, the Word of God, is sown in people’s minds but it is not allowed to have any influence or only has a passing effect-

“As he was scattering the see, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” Mark 4:3-6

As we will see later, three thousand Jews committed themselves to Jesus on that day.  It says much about the soil of their hearts.

This was a great sermon because it was full of Christ, it was full of Scripture and it was full of the Holy Spirit.

Structure

A good sermon must have a structure with headings and it must grip the hearers from the outset.  This is what Peter does.  He begins by answering the questions people had about what they were witnessing, giving evidence that what he is saying is true.

People were puzzled because they had seen the disciples of Jesus boldly telling people, in their own local languages, about Jesus and the news he brought.  Galileans were considered to be the least educated group of Jews.

“Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are no all these who are speaking Galileans?  How is it that each of us hears them speaking in his own language?” Acts 2:7-8

“Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

As happens today, others mocked. They suggested the disciples had been drinking!

Peter responds quickly.  He shows that what the crowd has just experienced, could not be due to alcohol as it was only 9 o’clock in the morning. On a festival day, such as Pentecost, a Jew would not break his fast till after 10am.

The Spirit in the Old Testamnet

Peter tells the crowd about the prophecy in the book of Joel in the Old Testament and shows that what the crowd had witnessed had been foretold by God himself.  How did Peter know this?  It seems most likely that, as Jesus loved to tell his followers how the Old Testament spoke about him he also told them what it says about the work of the Spirit of God.  So much of what happened to Jesus was foretold in the Jewish Scriptures which is itself good evidence that he really is of God.

The Spirit of God was not a new one.  He had been involved in the creation of the world (Genesis 1:1-4, Psalm 104:30).  Throughout the Old Testament, the Spirit of God is connected to God’s words. The Lord said He would put His words in His people’s mouths (Isaiah 59:21). David said the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him,

“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2

The Spirit of God in the Old Testament promoted holiness and opposed evil.

“They rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit.  So he turned and became their enemy . . .” Isaiah 63:10

The Spirit also empowered people to praise God and to achieve goals for him.  Othniel was one of the early Judges:

“The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel” Judges 3:10

Even the disreputable King Saul has his moments in his early life,

“When they came to there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 1 Samuel 10:10

However this effect was only temporary,

“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, a distressing Spirit from the Lord troubled him.” 1 Samuel 16:14

This prophecy in Joel refers to the two comings of God’s Messiah, verses 17-18 being about his first coming and v. 19-21 about his return, which will be cataclysmic.

The astounding feature of this prophecy is that God is going to pour out his Holy Spirit on all his people.

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophecy.” Acts 2:17-18

This was not a completely new idea.  When the Children of Israel were wandering through the wilderness, after fleeing from Egypt, God promised to provide them with food but the people were, to say the least, sceptical about what God had said.  Moses told the seventy elders to come together around the tabernacle.  They were going to experience the presence of God in a new way:

“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him (Moses), and he took the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirt on the seventy elders.  When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.” Numbers 11:25

Two elders, Eldad and Medad, who had not joined the group also started to prophesy in the camp and one young man complained.  Moses replied,

“Are you jealous for my sake?  I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

Exactly what prophecy was is open to question but it always involved extolling God’s virtue and proclaiming God’s word to people.  Years later, when David was delegating tasks to people in preparation for the building of the temple, we read that Asaph, to whom twelve of the Psalms are attributed was a prophet.  Prophecy was controlled and could be given through music:

“The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.” 1 Chronicles 25:2

The next verse in chronicles talks about Jeduthun who:

“. . . who prophesied using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 25:3

The important point is that now all God’s people will become prophets and be responsible for passing on the word of God to others enthusiastically.  Neither age, sex or rank mattered in God’s purposes.  Anyone could have fresh ideas on how to promote God’s message:

“Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17

These dreams and visions are not usually ecstatic but they are universal.  Everyone is now responsible for thinking of ways to promote God’s kingdom.

Jesus

Peter then moves on to teach people about Jesus, which is the main object of the sermon.  Clearly Luke has only given us a synopsis or summary of the sermon – it would have laster more than three minutes.  He describes the life, crucifixion, resuurection and ascension of Jesus in such a way that his listeners feel guilty for the way they have treated God.  He then reassures them that there is forgiveness for those who turn back to God and three thousand respond.  We will look at this in more detail later.

BVP

Acts 2:42-47. The Marks of a Healthy Church

‘In Search of Excellence’ is a book written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.. The book explores the art and science of management used by several 1980s companies.  When first published in 1982, it sold 3 million copies in its first four years, and was the most widely held monograph in the United States from 1989 to 2006.  On characteristic of the successful companies stands out clearly – they all did the basics well.

When churches are analysed in a similar way, those that achieve their goals are also ones that do the basics well.  We must each keep looking at our core values and check that we are doing these well.  It is good to keep checking the vital signs of the body, just as a doctor does.

In our passage today we can see what the apostolic church thought important.  Presumably they were taught this by Jesus himself as, although they had no experience of running a church, got it exactly right.  They emphasised several features of a healthy church,

Devoted members

Learning from God together

Sharing and working together

Sacraments together

Praying together

Caring for each other

Evangelising together

Inspiring leadership

Vibrant churches are active in all these areas.

Devoted members

It was because people were devoted to the Lord Jesus so that they were forgiven their sins and could experience the power of God to live a Christ-centred life, that they committed themselves to God’s church.

“They devoted themselves . . .” Acts 2:42

Learning from God together

One feature of these new Christians was their devotion to Christ.  They had stepped out publicly to demonstrate their allegiance to the Lord Jesus, although this would have very real risks.  They were clear that commitment to Christ meant commitment!  Local churches must foster this same understanding.

I was asked to lead a mid-week mission in a local Roman Catholic church which had many members.  After the first talk a middle -aged Irish lady came up to thank me and added,

“I don’t know why everybody isn’t a |Christian.”

To this I wholeheartedly agreed, but then she added,

“After all, all he wants is one hour a week!”

I felt deflated, had I made nothing clear?  At least, by the sixth week there were one hundred and thirty present for the final evening.

We read that the three thousand ‘devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching’ (Acts 2:42).  This must have involved a big commitment.

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” Acts 2:46

Most of this teaching would have to have been in the Court of the Gentiles, the large colonnaded outer court.  The apostles now spoke with the authority of the risen Jesus.  When Peter began his sermon he said,

“Listen carefully to what I say.” Acts 2:14

When he gets to the meat of the talk he again says,

“Men of Israel, listen to this:  Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which god did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22

Jesus was his authority and it was Jesus who made passing on this message the priority.  What a tragedy it is that some people are now trying to redefine mission as doing anything that God would approve of, such as giving healthcare, digging wells and providing food banks.  Please don’t misunderstand me. These are all good things and should be the product of a church that shares the teaching about Jesus and the forgiveness from out sin that the death of Jesus has made possible.  However mission always has been and must remain the proclamation of the message about Jesus.  It is all very well to have hospitals and wells and food banks but these can never put people right with God.  People must hear the message that Jesus is the incarnation of God and be told that they must follow him if they are to be given eternal salvation.  Peter and John were on trial after healing a paralytic outside the temple in Jerusalem.

“They (the Jewish authorities) were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”

Teaching was clearly the apostles priority.  They then bravely told the Sanhedrin,

“Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

It is eternal salvation that is at stake if we do not share the news about Jesus with them.  Preaching is increasingly being criticised today, whether from the pulpit or simply sharing the gospel with others, yet it is only by using words that the gospel can be understood.  Some have suggested that St Francis of Assisi said, ‘Preach the gospel and use words if necessary.’  It is now known that he never said this, in fact he was an ardent preacher and a great advocate of people being told the Bible’s message.

Preaching is not a man sharing his ideas about something, it is not a salesman recommending his product to people.  Preaching should be the proclamation of God’s message to people and should therefore be given with God’s authority.  Peter did not stand up and appeal to the needs people have.  He didn’t say,

“If you feel lonely, I have a word for you”

“If you feel guilty, I have a word for you’

‘If you are anxious I have the answer for you”

No, his message is that God has entered his world as Jesus the Christ and because he is God all people must bow before him and beg for his forgiveness of their sin.  All other benefits are secondary.  Everyone must listen to Jesus because of who he is.  The gospel doesn’t start with us and our needs, it starts with the historical truth about Jesus, his death and resurrection.

When the crowd heard what Peter had to say about Jesus, who he is, what he did and where he is now they felt convicted of their sin.  The gospel is that because of Jesus the penalty for our sin has been paid for us by a substitute.  The delete key can be pressed on the file that shows our thoughts and actions.  There is a new life for those who turn away from their sin, accept the rule of Jesus and are willing to let the world know of their new allegiance.  This is the message we have to share, not how to be better dads or some other social benefit.

John Calvin, the great reformation leader said about preaching,

“God deigns to consecrate the mouths and tongues of men to his service, making his own voice heard in them.  Whenever God is pleased to bless their labour, he makes their doctrine efficacious by the power of the Spirit and the voice, which is itself mortal, is made an instrument to communicate eternal life.”

God can use any kind of voice to communicate this message.  It is not dependant on the personality of an extrovert preacher, or his gifts, it is the power inherent in the word of God.  When a preacher says, ‘Listen!’, ask yourself, ‘\Are they telling me about Jesus?”

Richard Baxter was an Anglican minister in Kidderminster who understood that his job was to share God’s message and he was passionate about this, with amazing results.  He said to a group of fellow Anglican clergy,

“It is no small matter to stand up in the face of the congregation and to deliver a message of salvation or condemnation from the living God in the name of the Redeemer.  It is no easy matter to speak so plain that the ignorant may understand us and so seriously that the deadest heart may feel us and so convincingly that those who contradict us may be silenced.”

A preacher or person who understands the authority of the message who has great power.  Peter focussed on the death and resurrection of Jesus to deal with our sin and leaves people with the idea that something must be done if they are to avoid falling into the hands of an angry God.  Instead of fleeing from him they must kneel before him and ask for his forgiveness, knowing that he is a God of grace and love.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .” Acts 2:42

How this needs to be stressed today.  The authority behind God’s church is the authority of God’s word.  When Martin Luther was on trial at the Diet of Worms this was his defence, saying,

“Here I stand, I can do no other.”

Whenever a church or denomination shifts from the authority of God’s word it will eventually lose authority and people will drift away.  No matter how strong the threats made by the clergy or church establishments, these will be seen to be the threats of men.  However entertaining a church is, if obedience to what God says is not central, then people will discover that the world entertains better.  Community is very important but, if that is the focus, many men in particular will find the community of the sports club or social centre to be more to their taste.

Sharing and working together

This Biblical concept is very important.  People need to know they belong.  The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, which is based on the word koinos, meaning ‘common’.  This is the basis of our word ‘community’.  People care for each other and share what God has given them.

A shop or company may have the title ‘J. Smith and partner’.  The word partner has this same meaning as koinonia.   So it is with the church, all Christians are in business together, with a common goal, to honour the God who has saved them and empowered them to live in obedience to him.  Every Christian must see themselves as partners with others to glorify God by what they do and say.

It is this community with a common goal that makes the church attractive.  Our fellowship with other Christians reflects the fellowship we have with God himself.  Paul wrote that this fellowship is the result of being taught God’s word,

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3

When a person becomes a Christian they become a member of this fellowship.  They is no such thing as a solitary Christian.  John wrote,

“Whoever loves God must love his brother.” 1 John 4:21

A family enjoys and makes a priority of doing things together, even when the activities are not to each individual’s liking.  So it is with a church, we make it a priority to spend time with other members.  We are now the family of God.

This means that we must have a concern for others in God’s church who are less skilled or privileged to ourselves.  In the young church at Corinth, the privileged had a terndancy to stick together and look after themselves.  God’s word says that such thinking is wrong,

“ . . . there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:25-26

It is inevitable that in a church, as in any family, frictions will develop.  Friction has been defined as:

“Heat generated by one or more bodies rubbing up against each other whilst moving in different directions.”

Feuds are everywhere within churches as people fall out with others.  The reason is that we are still sinners.  We know the good we ought to do, but don’t do it, and the bad we don’t want to so, that we do.  Christians are rough uncut diamonds.  Someone has described the problem of building a church like trying to build a box with bent bananas!  Just as a skeletal joint needs synovial fluid to keep it lubricated, so churches need the offices of many peacemakers to keep the body of the church moving without too much creaking.  Isn’t this why Jesus said,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Sin may no longer reign but it definitely does remain.  Most people leave churches because of these frictions.  Those who are church hoppers need to discover why they are so prone to leave a body of Christians – is it the doctrine or is there a problem with people?

How should a church treat those who are disruptive, either in their doctrines or behaviour.  Paul was clear that it is a poor church that is weak and does not act against such individuals:

“ . . . so that by following them (God’s instructions) you may fight the good fight, holding onto faith and a good conscience.  Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” 1 Timothy 1:18-20

Any person who seriously rejects the teaching and practice of the apostles as revealed in Scripture is a danger to others in the church community and therefore wise leaders will ensure they have no place there until they change.  Yet how the Father welcomed home the prodigal son when he repented of his independent ways. Firm action is needed in families with wayward children – they will have to leave the company of the family and go to their rooms or onto the naughty step, until they learn to behave.  So churches must not tolerate disruption.  The difficulty is that churches rightly want to be thought of as nice, tolerant places so they tend to tolerate friction and division.  Charles Colson, became a Christian shortly before going to prison for being President Nixon’s hatchet man in the Watergate scandal.  He has advised against such weakness,

“No-one should expect to join a church which, after all, involves a free decision, and then refuse to accept its authority.  For failing to attend a few meetings one can be thrown out of the Rotary club, for failing to maintain a particular dress code one can be dismissed from most private clubs, for failing to perform the right community service one can be thrown out of the junior league (an American ladies social support organisation), but when the church imposes discipline, denying the benefits of membership to those who flaunt its standards, it is charged with everything short of fascism.  But shouldn’t the church have the same right to set its standards as the Rotary Club?  People who don’t like it should go elsewhere.  We weaken the church when we fail to maintain its discipline.”

Great wisdom is needed here as discipline can be used to drive the unconvinced away!

Sacraments together

“. . . to the breaking of bread . . .” Acts 2:42

Many families and institutions insist that at certain times the family must come together to celebrate their unity and purpose.  This is what Jesus asked of his church.  Just as the Jews had an annual Passover meal to remember their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so christians eat together to remember how Jesus delivered us from sin.  Such meals are meant to be a wonderful celebratory meal.

Some churches have unfortunately used the communion as a political weapon and insist that unless people attend and receive the mass, which they teach is a repeat of the sacrifice of Christ that the church offers them, they cannot be forgiven.  This gives the church great power as people are afraid not to comply.  The difficulty is that such churches can then become the authority that gives people salvation instead of emphasising that salvation comes only from the relationship with Christ as my Lord and Saviour.  In such churches it is all to easy for people to feel safe because they have attended mass and fulfilled the obligations the church makes but have not understood that salvation is only to be found in a personal submission to Christ.  This way of thinking is encouraged by the Roman Catholic doctrine of ‘transubstantiation’ where it is taught that after the words of blessing by the priest the bread and wine literally turn into the body and blood of Christ.  The priest will then elevate the host and people will worship these elements.  The sacraments can then be reserved for people to worship later.  Only by feeding on these elements can people be saved. The Roman Catholic church refers to John chapter 6 to justify this doctrine where Jesus said,

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever.  This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.” John 6:51

However John 6 is very clear that what God wants all people to find eternal life and to do this we need to to acknowledge the rule of Jesus in our lives,

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. . . . The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:27-29

Jesus is clear that when he talks about feeding on the bread of life, he means to enter into a personal relationship with him and nothing less.

“I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.  But as I have told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” John 6:35-36

“. . . whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.” John 6:47

It is highly significant that John is the one gospel writer to omit the communion service in his account of the last supper, instead he emphasises the teaching Jesus gave his disciples.  That neither Jesus or John intended people to understand that feeding on Christ referred to the communion service is clear because this ritual completely from his account.  What a tragedy it is for people to be taught that because they have accepted the creeds and rituals of a church, baptism and conformation, and are taking communion regularly that they are safe for eternity.  Without a personal commitment to Christ there is no salvation, that is what belief means.  It is much more than a cerebral assent, it involves a complete change in direction, a continual repentance, living with Christ for ever after.  The Bible teaches,

“He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:9

Jesus used sacraments to remind us of the fundamentals of the faith.  Baptism enacts that we are associating ourselves with Jesus Christ who died and rose again.  As we go under the water our sins are symbolically washed away.  It is not the act of baptism that removes our sin, it is faith in Jesus Christ.  We rise from the water to live a new life with Jesus as our Lord.  Without that intention to obey and live for Christ the rituals achieve nothing.

Receiving communion has been ordered by the Lord Jesus when he ‘Christianised’ the Passover feast.  That occurred once a year but how often churches have communion services is not a doctrine of Scripture.  What is important is that communion should be a time of rededication to the Lord Jesus whose crucifixion was the ultimate sacrifice that, once for all time, did away with the need for any more sacrifices to try to please or propitiate God.  This is another reason why the doctrine of the mass undermines the teaching of Scripture.  Jesus is not literally present in transubstantiated bread and wine,  we cannot worship these elements.  We use the sacraments to remember together our Lord Jesus.  Luke makes it clear that the sacraments are meant to remind us of the Lord Jesus; at the first communion service in the upper room Jesus said,

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

It is not receiving the communion, given by a specially ordained priest, that saves us, it is a gift given to those who have an obeying faith in the Lord Jesus.

However, involvement with other local Christians in remembering who the Lord Jesus is and what he has won for us by going to the cross, and corporately expressing our longing to work together for him is an essential aspect of being a Christian.

It is significant that the same phrase, ‘the breaking of bread’ is repeated four verses later where the social element is emphasised:

“They brake bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.” Acts 2:46-47

Prayer

Jesus recognised the importance of discussing all the decisions he made with his Father in heaven.  He spent a night in prayer before finally selecting his twelve disciples. The great victorian preacher C.H.Spurgeon called the corporate prayer meeting the ‘powerhouse of the church’.  The disciples clearly taught these new Christians how they should involve the Lord in all they are doing.  Much prayer is a quick arrow prayer, ‘Lord, do you want me to do this’, ‘How can I talk with this person about you?’  Other prayer is more systematic, praying for those people and activities that you long for God to influence or help.  More is achieved by prayer than we can ever know before eternity.  Where Christians are not praying, little happens.

Caring for each other

The love for others in this young church was very practical:

“Selling their possessions and good, they gave to everyone as he had need.” Acts 2:46

How attractive such a loving community is.  In their society there were no social services. National health service, police service, fire brigade or income support schemes.  The church immediately set to work to care for their members and some sold off their possessions to meet this need.  It is this love for God’s people that others around see.  Jesus stressed the importance of this practical love for his people:

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

The church needs to care for its members.  In Acts 6 we read that although the church leaders recognised that their priority had to be ‘the ministry of the word’ (Acts 6:2), nevertheless they appointed seven who would concern themselves with the dasily distribution of food.  It is striking however that two of them at least (Stephen and Philip) could not stop sharing the gospel with people.

Evangelising together

The book of Acts is concerned about the growth of the church as the message about Jesus is spread by ordinary men and women assisted by the teaching of church leaders.  It has rightly been described as the Acts of the Holy Spirit, it is he who drives the church to witness with the founding of many new churches.  God’s church is a church of mission.  What a disaster it is when Christians are not talking about Jesus, it is as if he doesn’t mean much to them.

John Stott, the great Bible expositor said,

“No self centred, self contained church absorbed in its own parochial affairs can claim to be filled with the Spirit!  The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit so a spirit-filled church is a missionary church.”

I have been very critical of certain Roman Catholic doctrines but the final words of the Tridentine mass have much truth, if only people could understand Latin!  Its final words are:

“Ette missa est!”  which literally means ‘Be sent out’

In other words,  ‘Go out now into the world to live for and speak for the Lord Jesus’.  How many churches need to hear this message again.  We meet together to be encouraged to go out into God’s world to live for him evangelistically.

The early church grew very rapidly as the message about Jesus was told:

Acts 1:15 – 120 people were praying

Acts 2:42 – 3,120 people learning

Acts 4:4 – ‘Many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about 5,000’

Acts 5:14 – ‘More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.’

The emphasis is that it is God who does the work of regeneration, it is he who makes us want to be forgiven our sin and to become Christ’s representatives.  We share the message about Jesus, we sow the seed, but only God can make it grow.

Someone once said to me,

“I know you are trying hard to save me, but you haven’t done it yet.”

I replied,

“No, I never will either.  I have never saved anyone!  The only way to be saved is to ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you and change your heart.”

If we saved people, can you imaging what the converts would be like!

Our job is to keep sowing the seed of the message about Jesus.  Why do Christians do this?  Paul explains this in his second letter to the Corinthians:

a.  Judgment  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.”  2 Corinthians 5:10-11

b.  Love for Christ  “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all . . . He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14

c.  Commissioned  “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through hrist and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

“He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19

d.  Ambassadors  Just as our sovereign appoints ambassadors to represent her, so the Lord Jesus has appointed us to be his representatives on his earth:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Our message should always be the same as that of Jesus, Peter and Paul and this was,

“We implore you, on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

The church’s mission has never changed.  It is is tell as many people as possible how they can be forgiven their sin, that separates them from God, and be empowered to become righteous like our Lord.  Paul could write:

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible.” 1 Corinthians 9:19

How we need to see our world a God sees it, as people dying without a knowledge of the Saviour.

“When he (Jesus) saw the crowds he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

Jesus went on to tell his disciples what they can do about this:

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 7:37-38

The disciples themselves became the answer to their prayers.

What we need today is people with a vision of what God can do through them  What a joy it was to hear of a Christian who has been talking to a friend and has been asked if they could join us in studying the Bible.

Inspiring Leaders

Peter and Paul were such men.  People boldly stood up and proclaimed the gospel in front of thousands of people.  They both had their problems but they were clear about their mission and were not only inspiring themselves by their zeal, energy and ideas but inspired others.  No organisation or church will prosper without such leadership.  Churches must never underestimate the effect their leaders have on a church. Indecisive weak leadership results in indecisive weak churches.

Howard Schultz was the man behind Starbucks.  This organisation has had an incredible growth and this was largely attributed to him.  His vision was that people should refer to coffee as Starbucks.  He foresaw the day when people would walk the streets of Chicago carrying his cups with his symbol on them.  He tried hard to get people to invest $4 million to start his company.  One physician recognised his leadership potential and invested $100 thousand.  When the company went public on Wall Street those shares were worth $10 million!  When Howard Schultz went to see some bankers about investing in his ideas and he told them:

“Starbucks was attempting to accomplish something more ambitious than just grow a successful public enterprise, we had a mission to educate consumers everywhere about fine coffee.  We had a vision to create an atmosphere in our stores that drew people and gave them a sense of wonder and romance in the midst of their harried lives.  We had an idealistic dream that our company could be far more than the paradyme defined by corporate America in the past.  We had a vision.  We had a dream.”

Didn’t Jesus have such a mission, and didn’t he inspire his people to work hard to achieve this?

The church still needs inspiring teachers like Jesus, Peter and Paul who set an example to others in the church.  The level of commitment and purpose in a church as in any organisation seldom exceeds that of the leaders.  What a reminder this is to all of us who are teaching in churches, home-groups, schools or Sunday schools!

BVP

Bold Christians Acts 4:23-31

It is striking that wherever there are dictatorial regimes that the population find oppressive, the church tends to grow. The message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is thrilling for those under pressure. Peter acknowledged,

“You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

It is this affirmation that is the foundation of the church.

“ . . . on this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18

Proclamation of the lordship of Jesus is much more important than social activities, that rightly the churches does become involved with.

In his first book Luke emphasises who Jesus is, that he is a person who is also God. He begins to demonstrate his kingly power by what he taught, by his miracles and especially by his resurrection. ‘Jesus is Lord’ is his message. This theme continues in his second book which is all about the ongoing word of the Spirit of Jesus at work, primarily through the Christians. His power is demonstrated by the rapid growth of the early church amongst, at first, Jewish people.

After Peter’s first sermon at Pentecost many responded to the appeal to change the direction they were living their lives, to repent, and to go public in their commitment to Christ, to be baptised.

“Those who accepted the message were baptised and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41

Those new Christians met together in the temple courts to be taught what Jesus had been saying by his apostles. These Christians were open about their love of the Lord Jesus and they behaved well so their effect on society was not surprising,

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47

After healing a man crippled from birth who had been begging by the gate Beautiful in the temple, Peter explained to the resulting crowds that it was Jesus who had healed the man they could see prancing around with joy. He explained the gospel that ‘Jesus Christ is the risen Lord’. Peter and John were arrested and tried before the same Sanhedrin that just a few weeks before had passed Jesus on to the Romans to be crucified.

“But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” Acts 4:4

The new believers continued to meet together in the temple court and, although people were apprehensive about joining the church their impact was astounding,

“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:14

The church grew through teaching. The apostles were insistent, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord - therefore we must all repent.” t the end of Peter’s pentecostal sermon came the plea,

“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. . . . Repent and be baptised . . .” Acts 2:36,38

It is astounding to hear how, whenever the message, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is preached and lived out the church grows. Peter Cameron Scott was one of the first missionaries to go to Kenya. He landed at Mombasa with fifteen fellow missionaries. Within a year only one was left, the others had either died or left. My wife’s grandfather was went there as a missionary in 1920. They stated boldly that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. Today there are around 50 million Christians in the country, which is about half the population. It is a similar story in Nigeria, The early missionaries had a tough time fighting malaria, other illnesses and local opposition. Now there are over 20 million Christians in that country.

Unfortunately in Europe the picture is not as strong because the message of churches as a whole has been weaker, withsome glorious exceptions. Where is the urgent message, that people must repent because Jesus Christ is king, being preached passionately? Many church leaders seem to feel more comfortable talking about political or social issues than Jesus.

Jesus has promised that he will build his church wherever the gospel about him being Lord of all is preached. When Peter acknowledged to Jesus,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

Jesus then went on to tell him,

“ . . . on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18

Jesus will build his church wherever the gospel is proclaimed and the essential message must be ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

The phrase ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is repeated 13 times in the New Testament, it was obviously a catchphrase of the apostles.

Boldness of the early Christians

The boldness of Peter and John is remarkable. After a man crippled from birth had been miraculously healed and Peter had explained that this had happened through the power of the risen Lord Jesus, both Peter and John were arrested and put on trial before the same Sanhedrin that had arranged for Jesus to be crucified. It would be expected that they would be cowed into submission but the very opposite happened, they were emboldened. Peter spoke out,

“If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” Acts 4:9-10

To speak out like that in such an oppressive situation takes guts! Peter went on to quote an Old Testament prophecy that his judges would have recognised as being about the Messiah,

“He is ‘the stone you builders rejected which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to me by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11

The capstone of an arch is the final stone that holds everything tightly together. The effect of this bold reply was impressed their judges,

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Being with Jesus does fill people with courage to pass on the message that ‘Jesus is Lord’ confidently and boldly. Peter and John were eventually released and commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. No christian could ever agree to that. They replied,

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather that God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

The High Priests and the Sanhedrin didn’t know how to punish them because all the people were praising god for what had happened so after threatening them again they released them. Peter and John then went back to the church and reported all that had happened and then they prayed together. Part of their prayer included a reaction to the threats given by the Sanhedrin,

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4:29

The effect of this attitude and prayer was obvious,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

This phrasing is very significant. They had previously been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. He had come to dwell permanently in them. But here they experienced an effect of the Spirit and were filled with a longing to please him.

This boldness to speak about Jesus and share what he taught is one of the proofs that a person really has the Holy Spirit within them – Christians love Jesus, they love his people, they love his word, they love his righteousness and love to share him.

This spiritual boldness comes from both the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God and a real work of the Holy Spirit.

Convictions about the Word of God

Early in their prayer the church was reminded of what god had taught in the Scriptures. Psalm 2 is quoted from,

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.” Acts 4:25-26

They realised that this was precisely what the Sanhedrin had done, the ‘rulers gathered together against the Lord.” the prayer continued,

“Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against you holy servant Jesus whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Acts 4:27-28

They knew that the Scriptures were given to encourage the Christians by demonstrating that God knew how people would react to Jesus. God is indeed omniscient and omnipotent.

Psalm 2 is a remarkable psalm as it powerfully describes how people even today respond to God and his Son.

1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

This psalm emphasises that God the Father is distinct from his son yet they share the same lordship. God repeated these words loud at both Jesus’ baptism and his transfiguration. The psalm starts with an analysis of what will happen – an open rebellion against God and his rule. Yet God just laughs and scoffs at this. His power and rule is in no way diminished by their rebellion. He responds by saying that he will install his king in their place. This chosen one or Messiah or Christ will rule on behalf of his Father. His kingdom will extend throughout the nations. This is why God insists that people must come to their senses and bend their knee figuratively before God and his Son.

It is laughable for a six year old child to take on and hope to win against their Head Teacher, but it is even more laughable for us to try to take on God. The consequences of this rebellion will be disastrous. The roof that such actions are stupid can be seen in the resurrection of Jesus. The evidence that that really happened is extraordinarily strong. The disciples were clealry convinced to have acted so boldly. Subsequent generations of christians can testify that the power of god has changed them into becoming more like the Lord Jesus.

Experiences of the Holy Spirit

We have already seen that it was the personal experience of the holy Spirit that also motivated the Christians to witness boldly for Christ. Undoubtedly the supernatural miracle performed by Peter and John did help to heighten people’s awareness about Jesus.

There are some who try to replicate this today but their miracles are not the same and too often are associated with theatrical showmanship! It is significant that in the next chapter were are told who performed these miracles. It was not the ordinary Christians.

“Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together . . .” Acts 2:43

“The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” Acts 5:12

The writer to the Hebrews says that even by that time miracles were a thing of the past,

“God also testified to it by signs and wonders and various miracles . .” Hebrews 2:4

Paul denigrated the role of miracles, saying,

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:22

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, which was deeply troubled by false ‘super-apostles’ and false teaching, and he urges them only to follow true apostolic teaching.

“I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not the least inferior to the ‘super-apostles’, even though I am nothing. The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonders and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.” 2 Corinthians 12:11-12

The use of the past tense and the wording of these sentences make it clear that miracles were no longer occurring. The true apostles had been ratified.

When I first became a christian I understood that I must have been given the holy spirit because I had asked Jesus to come into my life. His presence is far more than a doctrine. His presence gives us a real experience. If we do not have the experience of the Holy Spirit growing in our lives we should query whether we are real Christians. Paul wrote,

“You however are controlled, not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

How do we know we have the Holy Spirit living in us. These will be some of the growing experiences we will have:

1. We will increasingly love the Lord Jesus and be thrilled that he died for our sin and chose us to be one of his people.

2. We will increasingly love God’s word, the Bible. We will want to read it and know it more.

3. We will increasingly love God’s people and want to meet up with them to both encourage them and be encouraged.

4. We will increasingly love behaving in Godly ways and increasingly hate the sin that so easily crowds in on us and our society.

5. We will want to find ways to share the gospel about Jesus with others by inviting them to come and learn what you have discovered. Our boldness will increase.

6. We will want to share all that goes on in our lives with our heavenly Father, we will pray.

7. We will have our eyes focussed on going to live in heaven with our Lord. Death will lose its sting.

With time, these should all be part of a Christian’s experience.

Further reassurances

God calls people to himself from all different backgrounds and gives all of us his Spirit. Consequently:

a. We don’t need to be exceptional people for God to use us. Peter and John were clearly ordinary uneducated men, but the members of the Sanhedrin noted that they had been changed through being with Jesus.

b. It is not a special gift to be able to talk to people about the Lord Jesus. This passage teaches us,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31

Undoubtedly they wanted to learn how to get around to talking about Jesus when they met people and because of this longing they developed techniques for steering the conversation round to him. All Christians have a duty to learn how to do this. There is an unfortunate phrase that has been wrongly attributed to St Francis,

“Preach the gospel and use words if necessary!”

There is no evidence he ever said anything like this and he never would have done so as he was an ardent preacher who knew that people could only learn about Jesus and what he taught if words are used. Obviously the impact of our words will be much greater if people can see our lives have been changed by the news we are sharing. God communicates with us through his Word and we also communicate with others with words.

c. Prayer is vital. We can share the gospel with others but only a work of God will produce a lifelong change. They knew their role was to persuade as many people as possible about their need for Jesus and the forgiveness he alone can offer but God needs to do his work.

Paul clarifies this apparent tension between God’s role and our role in his second letter to the Corinthian church.

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

That is our role, to let as many know as possible that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. But then he goes on to explain that it is God himself who then applies this message and makes this message shine in people’s hearts. It is God who enables us to grasp the significance of Jesus and so change the direction of our lives.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

The Lord has given us, his people, the responsibility to pass on the message that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. It is a grave misunderstanding to think that we can leave the winning of people up to him and just pray that he will change people’s lives when we have not been sowing any seed!

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

So in our prayers, let us focus on those we have talked with that week about the Lord Jesus, given Christian literature to, invited to church or to our Bible study group. Let us pray how we may follow them up effectively and ask that God will step into their lives and give them his Spirit. Let us not be so preoccupied about temporal problems, such as about Aunt Maud’s bad knee, that we forget people’s eternal needs,. This is the primary work that Christ has chosen his people for.

What a joy it has been in the last day to hear from two people who have been involved in the present Christianity Explored group. Both have been talking to others about what they have learnt and one is bringing a friend to hear the news for himself.

BVP

February 2022