When Power Is Needed To Proclaim A New Reformation
An Undeniable Experience with God
When God Shows Up!
When Power Is Needed To Proclaim A New Reformation
Acts 4:1-31
Acts 1:8 (NASB), “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
This is the promise of Jesus, the Christ, to the Church, for a divine encounter of the Holy Spirit for witnessing His death, burial, and resurrection! To proclaim the new reformation of salvation in Christ, we need an undeniable experience with the Holy Spirit!
In the first message, I discussed God’s leading for this series and the differences between Mediterranean culture and American culture—particularly as it relates to dealing with experiences.
In the second message, we began to look at six (6) stories that deal with undeniable experiences with God or six times when God shows up.
The encounter that we explored in the second message was when God showed up in the life of Abraham. He showed up in the life of Abraham when he passed a specific test orchestrated by Jehovah.
In the third message, we explored the encounter that Moses had with Jehovah, through a burning bush. God showed up to call Moses to a mission.
In the fourth message, we explored how God showed up, when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah. God showed up when Elijah was challenging the nation of Israel to make a godly choice.
In the fifth message, we explored the encounter that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had with God. God showed up when they stood against the godless culture of Babylon.
In the sixth message, we explored the empowering of the Holy Spirit for the New Reformation of the Church of Jesus Christ!
Today we move to God showing up at a pivotal point in the history of redemption.
(Notice with me please Acts 4:1-31.
Let’s talk first about:)
I. The Expectation.
Those people who populate the pages of the Bible, treated good and evil as the interaction of beings on three tiers. Tier one dealt with high religion and was based on cosmic gods, angels, demons, and spirits of other worlds who had power over each other in a given order. God was the highest in order and the others had places under God. So, even though there may have been a warfare going on, lower spirits did not have the power to overturn higher spirits.
As Americans we don’t deal much with angels or demons, even though the writer of the letter to the Hebrews writes in
Hebrews 1:13-14, “13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
There are angels who are ministering to us right now, but we just don’t have any expectation about that!
Mark wrote in
Mark 3:14-15, “14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”
We also need to be casting out devils or demons, but we don’t have any expectations about that either!
The second tier of beings dealt with folk religion or low religion and includes local gods, and goddesses, ancestors, ghost, spirits, demons and evil spirits, and dead saints. This begins to deal with the forces of magic and astrology, i.e. astrological forces, charms, amulets, magical rites, the evil eye, etc.
Now even though we don’t have much expectation in that area, African-American people do retain a certain level of superstition! However, our superstition doesn’t deal with evil as much as fate or luck. We check our horoscopes and wishing wells and don’t step on cracks.
The third tier of beings dealt with folk social science and the interaction of human beings, possibly animals and plants. They believed in the evil eye and curses and blessings on animals and plants.
Once again, most Americans don’t have much expectation in that area, even though African-Americans retain a little superstition about people hexing or jinxing them.
In short, we just don’t have the expectation for spirit beings to show up, that first-century circum-Mediterranean people had.
(We have considered the expectation, so let’s consider:)
II. The Environment (Circumstance).
The preaching and teaching of Peter, John, and the disciples, concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, is turning Jerusalem upside down!
If we want an undeniable experience with God; if we want God to show up, we need to be preaching and teaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, i.e. the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.
We need to be preaching this message, until Akron is turned upside down!
(It is in this milieu that a number of things begin to happen:)
1. The religious leaders put the disciples in jail.
It is the church people that put you in jail, when you do something outside of the ordinary. This created a sort of desperation.
Perhaps this is another missing ingredient to God showing up, i.e. we need to be in jail—we need to be desperate!
2. The church was growing rapidly.
So, the blessings of the Spirit was upon the church.
3. They were interrogated by the religious leaders.
When people ask questions, whether positive or hostile, that is an opportunity to preach the Gospel!
4. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached to the rulers and elders.
The filling of the Spirit in Luke’s writings is the Spirit of prophecy, i.e. the empowerment to proclaim the Kingdom, i.e. the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ.
Please take special note of this, because it will become even more important to a point I’m going to make later.
5. Because of the confidence and empowering of Peter and John, the rulers and elders could not respond to their preaching.
When our preaching is empowered by the Holy Spirit, our enemies won’t be able to respond.
6. The rulers and elders counseled together as to what they should do with Peter and John, because a noteworthy miracle had taken place and they could not deny it.
When God is showing up regularly in our assembly, noteworthy miracles will take place that cannot be denied. (The miracle with the team of doctors seeing cancer on an X-ray. Sister Smith being revived, when there are no life signs.)
7. The rulers and elders decided to warn them to speak no longer to any man, in the name of Jesus.
So, they called them in and gave them the warning.
8. Peter and John responded that they couldn’t help but speak about the things that they had seen and heard.
When you’ve had a genuine encounter with Jesus, the Christ, you can’t help but speak about the things that you’ve seen and heard! You have to have seen and heard something to have something to talk about! I’ve seen some awesome miracles and I’ve heard the voice of Jesus!
9. The rulers and elders threatened Peter and John and released them, because they had no basis on which to punish them.
10. When Peter and John were released, they went to their companions and had a praise service.
If we want God to show up, we have to praise God, in spite of our circumstances!
11. In the midst of the praise service, they prayed to God!
Prayer and praise go together!
(This is the environment of God showing up in this story. Are we meeting these conditions?)
1. Are we performing miraculous healings, in the name of Jesus and preaching the resurrection, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in spite of the objections of religious leaders?
2. Are we willing to defy the religious leaders and continue to preach Jesus, in spite of their warnings?
3. Are we willing to praise God, in the face of threats and persecution?
(We have considered the expectation and the environment, so let’s consider:)
III. The Experience.
1. The place where they were gathered was shaken.
There was an earthquake! Earthquakes occur at the presence of Jehovah! This is seen in:
Exodus 19:18 (NASB), “18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently” (bold type added).
Judges 5:4 (NASB), “4 Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water” (bold type added).
Isaiah 64:1 (NASB), “1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence” (bold type added).
Nahum 1:5 (NASB), “5 Mountains quake because of Him And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it” (bold type added).
Ezekiel 37:7 (ASV), “7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake; and the bones came together, bone to its bone” (bold type added).
Habakkuk 3:10 (NASB), “10 The mountains saw You and quaked; The downpour of waters swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice, It lifted high its hands” (bold type added).
Matthew 27:51 (NASB), “51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (bold type added).
Matthew 28:2 (NASB), “2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it” (bold type added).
Acts 16:26 (NASB), “26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened” (bold type added).
Have you ever felt the earthquake of God’s power?
2. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
God showed up and empowered every person present!
Have you ever been a part of a service where everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit? I covet the day!
3. They all began to speak the word of God with boldness, i.e. inspired speech.
Now we can clearly see Luke’s theological perspective of the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is to inspire or empower the speech of Peter, John, and the early Church! The filling of the Holy Spirit tends to produce and be accompanied by inspired speech. That speech does not have to be tongues. It can be in one’s native language!
4. This inspired speech was to proclaim the new reformation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ!
Have you ever spoken the word of God with boldness, because of the power of the Holy Spirit? It’s an experience that I covet for you!
(We have seen the expectation, the environment, and the experience. So, let’s look at:)
IV. The Example (Principle).
(What principle or principles should we learn from the example of Peter, John, and their company?)
1. God will show up when we are performing miracles of healing!
2. God will show up when we are preaching the resurrection of Jesus.
3. God will show up when we face the threats and persecution of religious leaders!
4. God will show up when we praise God, in spite of the threats of religious leaders.
5. God will show up when we need the power to proclaim this new reformation!
(Now is the Day of Salvation. Come to Jesus, now!)
Invitation
Call to Discipleship