holiday

The Power of the Church!!!

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." [Act 1: 3-11]
There are three points to discuss:

1. The subject of witnessing

2. The sphere of witnessing

3. The secret of witnessing

Introduction:

Today, we shall begin study of the book of Acts, which will be covered during our Sunday School sessions this quarter. We shall focus not only on the birth of the church, but the powerful acts of the Holy Spirit during the formation and development of the church. The church is God’s institution for the dissemination of Bible doctrine, the Word of God, the gospel to those seeking to meet God and the vital sustenance of life to those whom are believers in the Lord Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ, Himself, is the Head of the Church, not the Bishop, not the Presiding Elder, nor the Pastor, but Christ is the Head of the church. Pastors have been appointed to provide leadership for the various local churches of the world. They stand before their congregations to interpret the Word of God as the Holy Spirit aids, leads, guides, and directs them.

Paul says, "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love [Ephesians 4:11-16]." Our Lord in our text had just completed forty days expounding upon the intricacies of the Gospel with the disciples following his resurrection. As he prepares to leave them in bodily form for the final time he issues to them the great commission.

Matthew writes, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age [Matthew 28:18-20]." Luke’s record of this final admonition from the Lord to his disciples is syntactically somewhat different, but I believe it highlights the major power and source of the church’s life. Luke writes, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth [Acts 1: 8]." Therefore, our purpose for today is to consider the great commission to the disciples of our Lord and to focus on the witnesses of the Christian faith in contrast to disciples of the Christian faith. It is my prayer that our analysis of Acts chapter one will enlighten you concerning the power potential of the Christian witness and will motivate you to continue to witness of all the Lord’s goodness to you. We shall accomplish our goal by discussing the subject of witnessing, the sphere of witnessing, and the secret of witnessing.

I. The Subject of Witnessing

What does it mean to be a witness? The Greek term used by Luke in the Act of the Apostles is the term martus martus mar’-toos, which has been used in the Koine Greek in legal sense, a historical sense, and in an ethical sense. From the legal standpoint, this term is synonymous with one who testifies in a court case. Historically the term identifies one who is a spectator of anything, an object, a situation or any event. Ethically the term identifies faithful believers who have proven the strength and genuineness of his or her faith by willingly and courageously undergoing a violent death. The major connotation attached to this term concerns the ability to corroborate an account or specific events in the affairs of humankind. Jesus told the disciples, "…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth [Acts 1: 8]." Notice the disciples’ second charge in the formation of the church was to be a witness. The first charge was to wait at Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit had come upon them. You must testify of His grace to you. The first mission of the church is to tell of the Lord’s grace and His willingness to offer Himself as a sacrifice for humanity. The church’s recitation of the story, the testimony of Christ’s goodness, will draw persons to the Body of Christ universal.

The subject of the disciples’ witness is one and the same as the subject of the disciples’ faith. The Lord Jesus Christ had shared His all with these eleven men over the past three and one half years. He shared His miraculous healing power with them. He shared His agony with them in the garden. He shared His sufferings with them. He shared His mission with them. Mostly He shared His presence with them. Consequently, He was to be the subject of their witness. The two disciples on their way to their home at Emmaus shared with the stranger who joined their journey the story concerning the things that had taken place in Palestine prior to the Passover celebration. They began their Christian witness by sharing the story of their Master. They were troubled and didn’t understand it all, but their new found friend began to open before their very eyes the intricacies of the scripture and connected all that had occurred concerning their Master to the ancient Hebrew texts. Finally, their eyes were opened and they could see that their Master had not left them alone. Jesus Christ is the subject of Christian witness. Christ crucified. Christ died. Christ buried. Three days later Christ raised back to life. This is that testimony of what the Apostles witnessed His salvation work on behalf of the whole of humankind.

The witness concerning the resurrection of our Lord is especially important. Our Lord stayed with His disciples for forty more days of fellowship including the issuance of further divine instruction concerning the church. The Lord explained to them the importance of love. Our Lord expressed to them the Father’s grace plan and that the Father accepted His offering of Himself as the full payment for the penalty for all of the sins of human history. Moreover, the sins of the believer and the unbeliever alike were imputed to the Son during a moment of time from the sixth to the ninth hours on the cross. The subject of their witness involved good news, not just good news, The Good News of salvation for humankind. They need not feel the guilt or sting of sin, as a result of the Son’s sacrifice. All Christian witness begins with Jesus loved us so much that He died that we might enter eternal life.

II. The Sphere of Witnessing

The poet Shakespeare says that life is tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing or life is a stage with each of us as characters awaiting our opportunity to strut upon it. The disciples knew that life held a higher meaning a greater significance and that our use of the short span of time allotted each of us by God has eternal consequence attached to it. Therefore, when they gathered together for the final time and Jesus with them they asked the Lord, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth [Acts 1: 6-9].’" The sphere of Christian witness began in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago and the Word spread to Judea to Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The original language states eschatos eschatos es’-khat-os ge ge ghay, which literally means to the last of the earth. The disciples were concerned with that day when the Lord would setup his kingdom on earth and rule as the Righteous One. Eschatos ge also condones time, as well and it refers to that time at the end of the ages when God, Himself will ultimately, come and separate the good from the evil. The Greek culture, which engulfed the Roman Empire, heavily influenced its citizens and they could actually relate to this concept, especially those who were leaning toward Christianity. These persons referred to that time, which the disciples were referring to as pleroma pleroma play’-ro-mah. Pleroma refers to the New Testament, the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ. Therefore, the sphere of Christian witness extends from the great commission to the ascension to Pentecost until our Lord returns riding upon the clouds. Christian witness spreads around the globe to every village and hamlet to every town and city and is shared with all that will listen.

The sphere of Christian witness not only concern time, place, and community; it also demands that all able bodied believers lift up the goodness and the grace of the Lord. The power of the church from the human side is in its witness. The source of the church’s power is the Holy Spirit, but God in His grand designed has limited the potential of the church to its witness. Matthew’s gospel records that the disciples are to be about making disciples, and the first thing that a disciple is taught is how to witness concerning the effects of His grace in his or her life. However, Beloved, it is so sad that so many church members lift up negative things about their church to non-believers. The power and potential of your church is inextricably linked to the witness of your church. If you have only bad and negative things to say about your church, you must expect bad and negative things to occur at your church. Believers must learn to talk up what the Lord is doing for them and the body of Christ. I might just add, like my grandmother used to say, "If you can’t say anything good about your church, then don’t say anything at all." We are so quick today to down one another and put any and everybody’s business into the streets. God is not a fool because God knows if you are talking to anyone except that person about his or her problem, then you don’t love the person and you are not acting in that person’s best interest. The sphere of the church’s witness extends to the hedges and highways of life. Disciples must spread the word of the good news to the rich, the poor, and to all races and nationalities.

III. The Secret of Witnessing

The secret of witnessing can be found in the source of the witness. Our Lord instructed the disciples to wait at Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit had descended upon them. Today is Transfiguration Sunday, which commemorates the transfiguration of Christ and his conference with Moses and Elijah weeks prior to His crucifixion. The disciples wanted to build three tabernacles on that day and the voice of God came from the clouds saying, "This is my Beloved Son, hear Him." The Lord was declaring that the secret of the strength and power of the church would not be found in fine, tall, and illustrious building or unique architecture, but in the Word of Christ. Jesus healed thousands upon thousands and the disciples healed their hundreds, but the source of the power of the church would not be found in the ability to lay hands on people and heal them or in the ability to anoint with oil. Our Lord had suffered, died, been buried, and resurrected back to life, but still the Risen Lord instructed the disciples to wait at Jerusalem. The power of the church would not be found in great and miraculous acts of men. The Lord instructed the disciples to wait at Jerusalem. The power of the church is not found in finances or raising money or paying tithes. Now hear me well, most 21^st century churches have voted to support their institutions through the process of tithing. That is good, and there is nothing wrong with that; however, preachers better stop lying to people by taking Malachi out of its context. Malachi was saying that if people resume presenting their tithes to the storehouse of God then they would be blessed. God blesses persons because of who God is and not on the basis of what people do. God blesses on the basis of God’s own integrity. God blesses just because God wants to bless humankind.

We need to notice something here and you have watch this real close or you might just miss it. Our Lord, following His resurrection, spent forty days eating with the disciples, preaching to them, teaching them, and instructing the disciples. On the fortieth day, there were assembled with the Lord on Mount Olivet and the Lord instructed them to wait at Jerusalem on the promise of the Father, and I quote, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth [Acts 1:8]." The Lord told them to wait on the Holy Spirit’s baptism and then they would receive power, but did they go to Jerusalem and wait; well, yes and no, they elected an Apostle to replace Judas prior to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord is showing that the power of the church is not in human leadership ability or ingenuity. The Lord didn’t say go to Jerusalem and elect someone to replace Judas. This is not a knock against Matthias, but it was a knock against the disciples’ administration skills. The Lord selected each of them, Himself; as would the next Apostle to the Church be selected by the Lord, Himself. That Apostle would be the Apostle Paul. Finally, the secret to the witness of the church would not be entrenched in the administration skills of its Pastors, but in the Holy Spirit directed witness of the Body of Christ.

I am so glad that the Lord looks beyond our faults and sees our needs. The Lord didn’t rescind the Father’s promise because of the hard headedness of the disciples, but faithful is the Lord. Look at what happens when they stop trying to do grandiose things, when they stop arguing over who will set at His right or left side in heaven, and when they just wait on the Lord. Luke says, "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place." Can you imagine what would happen if we would just get together today? Can you imagine what would happen if the church would just get together? If the church would concern itself with just being together, no big I’s, and no little you’s. If people would just stop trying to run the church and humble themselves to the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. So, when the day of Pentecost had fully come and everybody was together, praying, singing, and waiting on the Lord. Luke says, "And suddenly from heaven came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting [Acts 2:2]." The Greek word for sitting is kathemai kathemai kath-ay-mahmee, which indicates that the Spirit was absorbed into their bodies. Furthermore, they began to speak in foreign dialects, which astonished the crowd that gathered as a result of the sound of the Spirit’s descending upon the disciples. Luke records, "And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power. All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean [Acts 2: 8-12]?" Finally, someone accused them of being drunk, but Peter stood up being filled with the Holy Spirit and testified concerning Jesus and after he finished preaching three thousand people joined the church. The power of the church is found in the church’s witness.

Conclusion:

Our purpose for today was to consider the great commission to the disciples given by our Lord and to focus on the witnesses of the Christian faith in contrast to disciples of the Christian faith. It is my prayer that our analysis of Acts chapter one and two has enlightened you concerning the power potential of the Christian witness and will motivate you to continue to witness of all the Lord’s goodness to you. The subject of Christian witness is the fact that Jesus Christ decided in eternity past to give Himself to pay the penalty for all of the sins of human history. The sphere of Christian witness consists of the whole geographical expanse of the earth and will last throughout all eternity. Billions of years from now we shall be able to tell our story of how the Lord looked beyond our faults and saw our needs. The secret of Christian witness is not a secret at all to the believer. The believer knows that his witness is made possible by the infusion of inner strength that can only be given by the Holy Spirit.

Our church will never be any greater than its witness. The author of Hebrews writes these words, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God [Hebrews 12:1-2]." The power of any church is in its witness so let us be ever mindful of the great cloud of witnesses that surround Parker Chapel Church. Don’t you know that up in heaven right now some of our forefathers and our mothers are speaking on our behalf? They are assembled around this great racetrack of life and they are cheering us on. They don’t want us to give up and quite. They want us to keep running on. They want us to lay aside every weight and sin that so easily hinder each of us. Our fore-parents are in heaven and they want each of us to make it. Therefore, our fore-parents want us to lay down whatever it is that keeps us from coming together on one accord as brother and sister. Oh, don’t you know, your folks and my folks are gathered around heaven’s pearly gates this morning and they are looking down on Parker Chapel Church. Mrs. Seets is there this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Armour are there this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are there this morning. Mr. Miller is there this morning and he’s looking down on Parker Chapel today. You know my friend Lynn is up there and looking at us this morning wants us to get it together. Mr. Barnett is looking at us this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Kendall are looking down on us this morning. Mrs. Lipscomb and Mrs. Hankins are looking down on us this morning and they want us to forget all of this foolishness that keeps us separated. Mr. and Mrs. Blakemore are looking down at us this morning they don’t want us to give up and to forget they want us to run on to see what the end is going to be. Reverend Crawley and Reverend Parker are looking down are us this morning, and as we run this race they are cheering us on! My friend Ernest Hamilton is looking down on us today and Ernest wants us to run on to see what the ends going to be.

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