Only the Beginning
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Introduction: Acts is the second part of the two-volume work written by Luke with the Gospel of Luke being the first part. In the first part Luke writes in order that his readers would understand that the gospel is for all and that Jesus is the promised one of God as prophesied in the Old Testament and as evidenced through God’s saving work in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. When Luke continues in the book of Acts his emphasis is on the fact that as Jesus began his gospel work during His earthly incarnation He also continues it after His ascension by empowering His followers through the Holy Spirit.
That is Luke’s purpose. Now what is our purpose? As you read through the gospels you see evidence after evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who is the Savior of the world. You see Him change water into wine, command nature itself, command the kingdom of darkness, multiply food, heal the sick and disabled, speak with authority, live with confident conviction, and even raise the dead. You then see as the books of the gospels conclude this same Jesus, who lived with such power, lower himself to the degree of a servant and GIVE His life as a ransom for many. Just as sadness is about to engulf your heart as you see Jesus GIVE up the ghost you heart explodes with joy because you find that He can’t be contained by even the most powerful and formidable enemy we know of - death. The implication for you is enormous - because, in Christ, death is dead you no longer need face the great enemy of the fall. Because of Christ, you need no longer face death. Instead, all physical death is for the Christian is a doorway which separates us from this physical fallen world and brings us into a full and complete, everlasting life in fellowship with the Father. As you are reading your Bible you get to which concludes in this way:
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
Then Luke comes back on the scene with the book of Acts and says, “Guess what?! Jesus isn’t even done yet!” Luke then begins to unfold the truth that Jesus began the work of the gospel during His life on this earth and He chooses to continue it by empowering His followers with His Spirit in order to be witnesses.
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Luke then allows the Acts of the Apostles to testify time and time again that the work of the gospel of Christ is not over and it is the job of the Christian to continue in the growth of the church. Everything he teaches in the book of Acts is based on his thesis statement in .
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Power
The Power
The power we have to be witnesses comes from the Holy Spirit. Luke put it this way in his first book:
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Example: Peter and John before the religious leaders
Lame man is healed in
Acts 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
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Peter and John received power from the Holy Spirit to do what they would have never done before - courageously risk their own lives for Christ. Where there was once doubt and insecurity, now there is boldness and power. All insecurities are washed away and Peter and John aren’t even able to contain themselves under the weight of how awesome Christ is and how blown away they are by His good news.
Notice how Peter and John do not rejoice in the healing. They rejoice in Christ. Miracles, experiences, or feelings won’t satisfy. Only Jesus will satisfy
Example: Golden calf incident, Lazarus and the rich man, the rich young ruler
So, in the books of Acts we see power, and the power is not the miracles. The power is to treasure Christ so much that you can’t help but overflow with gospel talk.
The Purpose
The Purpose
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
No one who doesn’t have the Holy Spirit can live a life that displays Jesus’ lordship over their life. Being an effective witness has less to do with what you can say with your mouth than it does with how you live your life.
Being an effective witness is being continually convinced that Jesus is better
The tendency of our hearts is always to pull us in directions that do not make any sense.
The Plan
The Plan
Jerusalem
These Christian Jews were already experts at the culture of Jerusalem and it was their job to make disciples their.
Samaria
Samaritans were despised by the Jews and it was the job of these Jewish Christians to reconcile prejudices for the sake of the gospel.
The end of the earth
When this command/prophecy was given we were the ends of the earth. It is now our job to continue taking it with us wherever we go and wherever God asks us to go.
We must always be ready and willing to risk everything because Jesus is the treasure of our lives, and, when you think about it, if Jesus is your treasure you never really are risking anything because He is everything and He can never be taken away or lost. When Jesus is your treasure He is your treasure forever and the very power of God which raised Him from the dead keeps you and preserves an inheritance for you which is undefiled and never fades away.
Conclusion: So, let’s get back to our purpose. What is our purpose in studying Acts? Our purpose is that we would see the working of the Holy Spirit in the early church who produced power in order to fulfill their purpose of being witnesses and to to see the plan of Jesus unfold in the ancient world. Then our purpose is to realize the following truth: just as Jesus began the work and the apostles continued the work we need to remain faithful in the work.