Powerful, Public Witness
Acts, Witness in Jerusalem • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsChrist worked in a powerful and public way in the beginning of the church, firmly establishing His authority and power and bringing multitudes into the family of God. Still, there would be many who reject and oppose Him.
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Powerful Public Witness
Powerful Public Witness
v.12,14-16
Powerful Witness - Magnificent Demonstration of the Presence and Power of the Risen Christ
Miracles of healing and deliverance sick - asthma, COPD, emphysema, cancer, degenerative disc disease, migraines, parkinsons, disfigured limbs, severe infection, diseases and illnesses of every sort were healed!
afflicted with unclean spirits - demonic controlling influence - delivered! Powerful Witness
Demonstrative reversal of the curse of sin! The degrading destructive affects of sin were conquered and reversed before the eyes of all! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is the Son of God! Hear Him and Believe!
Not everyone was healing people, but certainly the Twelve Apostles were
Why all these miracles and wonders? Why not today?
God was authenticating His church and the message of Christ, and in a way that was unmistakeable. The healing miracles of the Apostles gave them credibility and
Note: Noone refuted the miracles, or the impact they had. Any opposition came from jealousy and obstinate anger, and not questions of trickery or manipulation.
The identity and message of the church has been established. The ministry of the Apostles is complete. Maybe God will choose to work miracles, to establish authority for the church in specific places for specific purposes but for whatever reason it does not seem to be the norm.
BTW - that follows perfectly the historical pattern we see in the scriptures, and if it were common-place, it would no longer be so impactful - that is why they are miracles!
Further, I wonder if, in our current day we would simply discount them anyway, calling it trickery or persist in our own refusal to believe. Ex. Jesus ministering in his home town (Mark 6:4), or Pharoes magicians (Exodus 7:10-12).
Apostles were giving powerful witness
Public Witness - Church was on full display before all
Solomon’s portico - they were where "they” gathered in and around Solomon’s portico (v.12)
large covered colonnade just outside of the temple - (Reminds of the Tree in India, Africa) = Space, Shade
where Peter preached after the healing of the lame man
apparently a regular gathering place for the church and the crowd in the earliest days
Note: They were making it a point to meet together!
There was no “keeping their heads down” after their brush up with the leaders
Very public, very powerful working of the Spirit of God through these apostles authenticating their message of the source being the risen Christ and Lord, Jesus of Nazareth
They were working out their mission to proclaim Him to their people
There is a real importance to gathering together. This was the practice of the church from the earliest days.
Being together, worshiping together and learning together in the Spirit of Christ brings unity. (“One Accord”)
A husband and wife that aren’t spending time together, thinking of one another, communicating together will drift apart
So it is that a church who does not fellowship, worship, engage the teaching of the Word of God and pray together risks drifting apart
Neglecting it, or refusing it is unhealthy
disclaimer - many are staying away for reasons of COVID-19, work issues, health issues
Never begin to think that you don’t need the church! “You can worship without her!” NO! That has never been God’s design.
There will be many who give into the temptation to simply stop gathering with the body of Christ - to their soul’s hurt.
“Church should be our excuse to miss everything else”
Church’s witness is to be a public witness. There are times when it get’s forced underground. However, we should do all we can to gather and to invite others to gather with us.
Powerful, and Public Witness
Palpable Divergence
Palpable Divergence
v.13
There was a Divergence: a drawing apart - while multitudes were coming together in Christ, others “dare not join them/associate with them”
Who are “the rest” and “them” ?
M. Henry - other believing ministers, who kept their distance out of reverence and recognition of the superiority and authority of the Apostles
(them = Apostles, the rest = other ministers)
M. Lloyd Jones - spectators, those who pretended to belong, were drawn by the crowd and the drama but who quickly distanced themselves when the thought and reality of judgement came (i.e. incident of Ananias and Sapphira)
(them = church and Apostles, the rest = false professors, those unbelievers that were there superficially)
I think it is unbelievers, and likely those unbelieving groups mentioned in Luke-Acts
v.11 - fear came on the church and all [others] who heard of it
v.12 - the apostles work signs and wonders among the people
Note: the people often distinguished from chief priests, scribes, rulers in Luke’s writings - Lk 20:1,19, Lk 22:2, Acts 4:1,17
v.12 - they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Portico (the church, and those being added to the church from the people)
v. 13 - but none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem
none of the unbelieving people, chief priests, scribes or rulers dared to associate with the church/apostles, however the majority held the church/apostles in high esteem.
v.14 - believers in the Lord were constantly added to the church’s number
Because the majority held the church and especially the apostles in such high regard, the chief priests, rulers and Sadducees feared to go against the crowds publicly (Acts 4:21, 5:26)
Why does it matter so much? Because it shows that apart from the Spirit of God drawing you, people have, or will come up with any conceivable reason to refuse to join with Christ.
Lloyd Jones calls it “The Irrationality of Unbelief”
Why did they reject the claims of the Gospel? Why did they refuse to hear even though God was giving powerful, public witness that what they said was true?
Pharisees, Sadducees and Chief Priests
He cannot be Messiah, therefore He isn’t (and we’ll ignore all the evidence before us) - He is, and was proving it right before their very eyes!
We have everything right, and are the standard of religious orthodoxy (rightness). He disagrees with us, therefore He cannot be from God (even though God attests otherwise).
They were not right, but were blinded by hearts filled with sinful, religious pride and arrogance and were rejecting their only offer of pardon from a Holy, yet mercifully patient God.
They could not let go of their pre-suppositions and their own self-righteousness so that they might believe in Jesus, receive the true Messiah/Christ and be saved.
It is the same today!
Ex. Modern atheists, materialists and those who use their idea of “science” as an excuse, refusing the recorded testimony
Miracles are impossible, therefore works that claim the miraculous are fabrications and cannot be trusted. - what if they are possible with the Creator!
Ex. Humanists who use their ideas of morality and justice to discount the goodness and methods of the God of the Bible
A Good God would never __________. The God of the Bible has/does, therefore I reject 1) that He is good, and 2) that He exists. - What if God, in His wisdom and sovereign knowledge of this world has morally justifyable reasons to do and/or permit what He does.
There is a palpable divergence - the difference is visible, easy to see. The seperation is real.
People we know and love are going the other way, walking and running from Jesus - refusing to accept the evidence and the testimony before them (testimony born of unmistakeable power - no other reasonable explaination!).
What about you friend? Are you daring not to associate with those Christians? What is it that is keeping you away?
Politics? - Politicians, or political groups don’t speak for Jesus or His church.
Preference? - music style, children’s programs, size of the building, atmosphere, preaching style, number or age of the congregation? - The church is about Jesus, and us conforming to His image to the glory of God, not about conforming Him to our preferences.
Some sin? Don’t lose your soul for a temporary thrill. Answer the call, move to Christ!
What pre-conceived idea is keeping you from embracing Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
Stop running, and turn. As the Spirit of God is drawing you, open your eyes and you heart to the message of Him who came and live the God-honoring life that you and I failed to, and died the death that was due to us.