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             At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the church was born. The church devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowshipped, had communion and prayed.  The Lord added daily new members to the church.  The church also did many unbelievable signs.  Today’s passage is an example of one of these signs.  This wasn’t just a sign, but as a result of this miracle Peter preaches, is arrested and the persecution against the church begins.  Even so the church continues forward. 

              By the way, in verse 6 Peter says, “In the name of Jesus stand up and walk.” In 4:10 we are told that he was healed “by the name of Jesus”.  By using “the name of Jesus” it refers to Jesus himself.  However, Christ has ascended into heaven.  Now God has sent “another counselor”, the Holy Spirit.  The church is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when Jesus who is in heaven does work on earth, it is through the work of the Holy Spirit.

              Before when Jesus told the man in Capernaum to “Get up and walk” the man walked.  The same Jesus is through the Holy Spirit doing the miracle. 

              Today let’s look at 3 aspects of this miracle.

I.                It all begins from love (vs. 1-4)

According to verse 1 Peter and John went up to the temple to pray at 3:00 in the afternoon. The Jews prayed 3 times a day: 9:00 A.M., 12:00 noon, and 3:00 P.M.  At 3:00 the animals were sacrificed so almost all devout Jews in Jerusalem went to the temple at that time to pray. Therefore, it would have been very crowded.  Peter and John must have been very busy considering 3,000 people were saved at one time.  Even so they took the time to go to pray and entered the temple at 3:00.

According to Jewish teaching God rewards those who give alms to the poor.  Therefore, the man who was lame picked this time when the temple would be full of people to sit at the gate and beg.

Therefore, the lame man spoke to Peter and John just like he was speaking to everyone else hoping to get some money from them.  However, Peter told him to “Look at us.”  Even though he had said that he had no money.  Peter said this because he wanted the man to realize that they had something that he didn’t have. They had the name of Jesus Christ.  They had the name of Jesus, so they said, “Look at us.”

However, even if they had the name of Jesus Christ, if they had no grace or pity towards the man, they would never say, “Look at us.”  They said this because they felt sorry for this man who had to sit at the temple and beg everyday.

Jesus is the same.  Hebrews 4:15,16

Jesus knows all our weaknesses, pains, and struggles and he showers his grace on us. Therefore, we can receive his grace and come boldly towards the throne of grace.

John was called a person of love.  However, he was not a person of love from the beginning.  He was called “the son of thunder”.  In other words, he was full of anger, always picking a fight, had a short temper, and couldn’t get along with others.  Since he soon fell into a rage, people kept him at a distance. When he believed in Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was changed into a person of love.  He became a person that wanted to do things to help people who were in need.  This miracle was born out of this change.  God’s wonderful works take place when there is love.

II.              Jesus Christ’s name heals (vs.6-8)

By the name of Jesus this man was completely healed so that he could leap around.

James 5:14,15

God still heals in the church when we believe that Jesus Christ’s name heals and pray.        

III.            Jesus’ name has the power to save people (vs.8,9)

The man who was healed had more joy than we could ever imagine.  He had never walked before since he was born so of course he would be joyful to be able to walk. However, the greatness of this miracle wasn’t that he just walked, but that there was a change that occurred within him.  It says that he went in the temple with Peter and John “praising God.” (vs. 8) and in verse 9 we are told that he was walking “praising God.” This was because his spirit was saved. 

Eternal life is the greatest present that we can receive from God. 

John 3:16

Only Jesus can forgive our sins and give us eternal life.  Even if we loose everything, we can be satisfied.  It is only by the name of Jesus Christ that our spirits can be saved.  It is only those who are in the church that can receive this.  Therefore, as ones who have received, it should be our mission to lead others to salvation by the name of Jesus Christ.  We need to always be aware that our true mission in life is to heal and to bring others to salvation.  Money or possessions should mean nothing compared to the work of giving out a hand to help those who are sick or hurting and in the name of Jesus to reaching out to help them stand up.  Here is real salvation.

We don’t need money. However we have the name of Jesus Christ.  By his name we can say “walk”.  Let’s become this kind of church.

              Today let’s look at the first church which was started by the people who believed in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  In Matt. 16:18 Jesus said, “I will build my church upon this rock.”  However, it is Acts that we first see the church is real existence.  This teaches us what kind of church we should be setting as a goal to become.  Each church is in a different situation so each church will be different, but the basic way of thinking should be the same because all churches are built by Christ. Therefore, to know how to build the church we need to look to the original, so see how the first church was.  If we follow it, then we will see the great works of God like we see in the Bible.  Therefore, today let’s look at 3 things that we can learn from the first church.

I.                Repentance and faith (vs. 37,38)

The foundation of the church was repentance and faith.  When the crowds heard Peter’s message, they were cut to the heart and asked what they should do.  When we look at Peter’s message we wouldn’t think that many people would be moved by it. He just said that Jesus was Lord, that what they had seen was the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and that they had crucified Christ. Even so those who heard his message were cut to the heart.  This was because the Holy Spirit worked in their hearts and they felt guilty. Up until now they had not realized how terrible a thing that they had done. Now they realized the depth of their sin. 

John 16:8

By the Holy Spirit, they realized the deepness of their sin and began to seek  salvation from sin.

In order for the cross to become important to a person, he must first have a realization of sin.

When the people asked Peter what they should do, Peter answered, “Repent and be baptized, 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.”  Here Peter is suggesting 2 things in order to be saved.  First is to repent.  Secondly is to be baptized.  Repent means to turn from the direction you are going and go back the opposite direction.  It doesn’t mean to be just regretful.  It means putting an end to your self centered life and turning around and living a life centered upon Jesus Christ. Doing this is a prerequisite for baptism. To be baptized you must believe that Jesus died for yourself, and you show that faith by being baptized. And just like Jesus rose from the dead, it is a symbol that you are going to live for Christ.

Therefore, repentance and baptism are the center of the Christian faith. There 2 things are actually one set.  The church is built up by the church gathering people who respond to the Gospel message by repenting and being baptized. If this doesn’t happen then it isn’t really a church. 

John 15:16

The church is made up of those who are chosen by Christ and have repented and are baptized. 

II.              The real characteristics of the church. (vs.41.42)

Next look at what those who gathered as a church did.

Those who heard Peter’s message, accepted Christ and were baptized that day were 3,000 people.  According to verse 4 these people did 4 things.

1.                                  They dedicated themselves to the teaching of the apostles.  The teachings of the apostles were the teachings of Christ.  These teachings were later collected and made into the New Testament.  Therefore, it could be said that they devoted themselves to the Bible. We too need to devote ourselves to the Bible

2.                                  Secondly is fellowship.  Fellowship is important in our Christian life.  Fellowship is Konania in Greek.  The word Konania is used in verse 44 and is translated “in common”.  They didn’t see their things as their own, but shared everything with each other.

Romans 12:15

This is real fellowship of a family. 

3.                                  Thirdly is the breaking of bread.  In other words, this is communion. Communion is to remind us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  The faith that we confessed when we were baptized needs to be continued.  Communion helps us to remember that faith.  When we remember that Christ died for our sins and realize the grace of God, then we able to have confidence in the greatness of God’s love.  This gives us life and strength. 

4.                                  Fourth is prayer.  If there was a question as to what the first church did when you were together, the most correct answer would be that they always prayed. “Every day” they met and put their hearts together and prayed.(46)  It is becoming more and more difficult for the church to meet and pray because everyone is so busy.  However, the first church met everyday.  They were able to do so because they loved the Lord because he died for them, and they realized the power of prayer.

III.            God’s blessing (vs. 47)

The first church met together daily and prayed, devoted themselves to the apostle teaching, fellowshipped, and took communion.  This church was blessed by God. Everyday people were saved and new believers added to the church.  In other words, a church that is devoted to the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, and communion has a drawing appeal to outsiders. They didn’t try to bring people into the church, people came into the church. The Lord drew people into the church.  There weren’t big evangelistic meetings.  People were just drawn in by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The Lord will build His church.  It is not something that we need to do.  We need only to be the people that God wants us to be.  We need to be devoted to the Word of God, pray, fellowship and commune with God.  Then God will bring people into the church. This is the kind of church that we want to be. We want to see God working in a mighty way here.            

At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages.  There were some people that thought that they were drunk.  However, Peter stood up and explained that it was still morning and that they were not drunk. He said that it was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel and that the last days had come.  Today’s passage is a continuation of Peter’s explanation of the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit. Especially Peter is talking about the relationship of the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.  In other words, this is the main part of Peter’s sermon.  He tells us who Jesus is and what he did.

              Who Jesus is is very important. It is the center of our faith. Jesus is our Lord.  Peter is giving us 3 reasons as to why Jesus is our Lord.  Today let’s look at these 3 reasons.

I.                Jesus who died on the cross (verses 22,23)

If we look at how Jesus lived His life, then we can tell that he is Lord. We can tell that He is the Messiah by the many miracles and power he showed during his life. Jesus healed many including the deaf, and the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  He also raised people that had died from sickness like the daughter of Jarius and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. He also fed the crowd of over 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  Jesus’ words had authority.  He cast out demons. By looking at Jesus’ life we can see that He is God.

Not only that but Jesus was hung on a cross and died. This was part of the plan of God.  However, no one ever dreamed that through the cross, God’s plan of salvation would be carried out.  However, this was the plan God had from the beginning of time. 

By looking at the Bible we can see who Jesus is.  When we receive Christ, we can see who He really is.

II.              Jesus who rose from the dead. 

God resurrected Jesus from the dead because death could not control him. Jesus is God who has overcome death. There is no human that has been able to stop death.  No matter how much medicine has improved, still all people (100%) die.  In verse 24 Peter says, “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Jesus was given the death sentence and put on the cross.  However, God raised him from the dead and thus not only showed that Jesus was righteous, but also that Jesus was the Messiah, God.  To prove his point, Peter uses Psalm 16:8-11 in verses 25-28. These verses are about Jesus.  If you look at verses 29-31, you can see this clearly.  David prophesized about Jesus about 1,000 B.C. In other words, the person that rises from the dead is the Messiah.  Jesus rose from the dead so Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesized about in the Old Testament, the Savior, God himself.

Peter boldly explains who Jesus is.  However, Peter lived 3 years with Jesus, but he didn’t really know clearly who Jesus was until he was put on the cross, died and rose again.  However, now Peter is different, He is using the Old Testament and explaining boldly and powerfully who Jesus is. Peter was able to become bold because he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13

Through the Holy Spirit, Peter’s eyes were opened.  In verse 25 Peter said, “I saw the Lord always before me.”  We too need to put the Lord in front of us and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then we will be able to believe in Christ’s resurrection and boldly be his witness.

III.            Jesus who ascended into heaven and who is sitting on the right hand of God. (vs. 33-35)

This is the summary of Peter’s message and the most important part.  In other words he is explaining what is happening now at Pentecost. He is saying that Christ who ascended to heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God has poured out the Holy Spirit which the Father had promised.  It was prophesized that the Holy Spirit would be poured out.  Jesus promised this too. (John 14-16) Also in Acts 1:4 the disciples were told to wait for the outpouring of the Spirit.  However, in order for the Holy Spirit to be given, first, Jesus had to ascend into heaven, sit at the right hand of God, receive the Holy Spirit, and pour the Holy Spirit out. If Jesus had failed at any of these points along the line, the Holy Spirit would not have been given. In other words, Jesus is God, the Messiah that had been prophesized about through out the Old Testament.

Therefore, Peter says in verses 34 and 35, “For David did not ascend to heaven.” David was not the Messiah.  When David said, “My Lord”, he was referring to Jesus.  Therefore, Jesus’ ascension was one proof that showed that Jesus was the Messiah.

Jesus is Lord, the Christ, God, the Savior.  The important thing is how we are going to respond to him. The people realized that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah and asked what they should do.  Peter gives his answer in verse 38.  To repent means to leave your life of self centerness and to live a new life with Christ as the center. After we repent we are to be baptized.  Baptism is a sign of dieing to self and rising to a new life in Christ.

Have you repented and been baptized?  If so, has your faith become just a custom and are you the center of your life or is Christ? Can you say like David, “I saw the Lord always before me.”?  Let’s always put him before us and make him the Lord of our lives. Then we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s live our lives with the Holy Spirit.

             Today’s passage begins in verse 14 with “Then”.  “Then” refers to Pentecost, one of the main 3 Jewish festivals, when the disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke in many different languages. Those who heard them were surprised and some said that they had had too much wine. Therefore, Peter represented the 12 disciples and explained to the crowds what had happened.  This explanation is from verse14 to verse 36.  First, verses 14 to 21 are an explanation to those who were making fun of them.  Then verses 22 to 35 is the reason to why all these things happened.  Finally verse 36 is a summary of all that has been said. Today let’s look at 3 aspects of this summary.

I.                These people are not drunk.  (vs. 14,15)

To become a person that calls upon the Lord, we need to have go out of our way to help non Christians understand the Christian faith. The disciples explained clearly why they were speaking in other languages. They also explained that it was 9:00 in the morning which was a time of prayer.  Therefore, when the listeners heard the explanation they realized that they were wrong and that the disciples were not drunk.

There are many people around us that have doubts and questions about the Christian faith.  We need to clearly and in a way that they can understand, explain to them the answers to their questions.  Then they too will realize that they had been wrong, and that Christ is the Lord of all.

II.          In the last days   (vs.16-21)

              After Peter explains that the disciples were not drunk, he goes on to explain what happened. He explains that what happened was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. Joel was a prophet in Jerusalem about 800 B.C. According to Joel this was to happen in the last days. In the last day, the Holy Spirit was to come upon all peoples. The last days refer to the time between the time that Jesus came and his second coming.   The fact that the disciples were talking in tongues shows that the Holy Spirit come upon them and that a new era had begun.

              Next let’s look at what it means that the young men will see dreams.  This reminds us of Joseph. Here “see dreams” does not necessarily refer to experiences like Joseph had.  All that we need to know is found in the Bible.  What is important is verse 18, “prophesy”.  Prophesy means to speak the word of God.  When we accept the Word of God as the Word of God and speak it then we have dreams or visions.

Proverbs 29:18

When we have vision then we can overcome any problems that we run into.  We receive those visions through prophesy, through the Word of God. They are received through being filled with the Spirit.

The Lord gave me a vision to plant ７ churches before 2025.  That will be fulfilled because it was given through reading the Word of God and thinking about what God was saying to us. 

In the last days we need to live by the Word of God and be given a burning spirit through the Word of God.  

III.         “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (vs.19-21)

Verse 19 and 20 tell us that in the last days that there will be a huge change in the heavens and on earth. The sun will become dark.  The moon will be like blood.  However, Joel didn’t just prophesy about these things.  He also said that in the midst of all of this there will be a way to be saved.  That is in verse 21, by calling on the name of the Lord.  Even though the earth and heavens change, those who believe in and follow Christ will be saved.  They will have grace in the midst of judgment. This is real hope.

We are living in the last days.  We are living in a generation that we don’t know what is going to happen next.  However, no matter how dark this generation is, there is hope.  Let’s be thankful for God’s grace, and call on Him, and trust in the Lord as we live each day with Him.

             The disciples did as Jesus said and prayed and waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised would come and make it possible for them to fulfill the commission of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  In today’s passage the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples.  The coming of the Holy Spirit opened the door to the ministry of evangelism.  If the Holy Spirit didn’t come, then the Gospel would have not spread throughout the world.  This is how important the coming of the Holy Spirit was.

              Dr. Moody, a 19^th century American evangelist says that when he reflects on his ministry, his ministry was all by the powerful strength of the Holy Spirit. Even the same message and evangelizing the same way, before being filled with the Holy Spirit and after being filled was entirely different.  Before there were some people that were interested, but afterwards there were crowds.  The only difference was that the Holy Spirit had come upon Moody. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive strength. Moody received that strength.

              The Holy Spirit is what we need to desire.  Today let’s look at 3 aspects of the Holy Spirit’s coming.

I.                When the Holy Spirit comes upon you  (vs. 1)

First let’s look at when the Holy Spirit comes.  The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.  Pentecost is 7 weeks after the Passover.  Why was the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost?

1.           There were a lot of people in Jerusalem at that time.  There weren’t just a lot of people, but the people were very God-fearing people.  In the Jewish faith there were 3 big, important festivals: the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. At Pentecost all the males must come to worship in Jerusalem.  Next to the Passover, which was the time that Christ was put on the cross, this was the time when the most people came to Jerusalem. Of course, they came to worship so these people revered God, and there were a lot of very God-fearing people there.  It was at this time that the Holy Spirit came.

2.           “They were together in one place.” (vs.1)  “one place” according to 1:13 was the “upper room”.  We don’t know if this was the “temple” of Luke 53:24 or not.  However, the important thing is why they were together in “one place”.  It is clear.  In 1:14 we were told that “they all joined together constantly in prayer.”              They met in “one place” to pray. In such a place and at such a time, the Holy Spirit came upon them.  The Holy Spirit comes upon people who are waiting for and desiring Him. 

Luke 11:9-13

“Ask and you will receive.”  When we like the disciples, desire God, meet in “one place” and, pray in one heart, God will send his promised Spirit upon us.  For us this is worship, isn’t it.  Why are we meeting here every Sunday?  It is so that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  When we follow God’s word, put our hearts together and meet in the temple, and seek God, God will send his Holy Spirit upon us.

ＩＩ．    The meaning of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. (vs.2-4)

              Let’s think about what the Holy Spirit coming upon us means.  Many people have written about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but there aren’t many who really understand correctly the meaning.  It is important for understand this that we understand the Bible correctly. 

              According to this passage, when the Holy Spirit came, there were 2 signs. One was there was “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven.” (2)  The other was something that looked like “tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” (3)  What does that mean?  This was a sign that the Holy Spirit had come upon them.  They were not in themselves the Holy Spirit.  One of the signs was a sound and the other something that they could see.  Therefore, these signs showed that the Holy Spirit had come upon them. 

              Next look at what happened when the Holy Spirit came upon them. This is recorded in verse 4.  They were “filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”   This has two meanings.

1.               Freedom from the confusion that was a result of the tower of Babel. The tower of Babel is in Genesis 11. Until then everyone spoke the same language.  The people began to build a tower to reach heaven “and make a name for “ themselves.  However, this did not make God happy and He confused their languages and they had to quit building the tower and were scattered throughout the world.  Ever since then this confusion has continued.  Man has tried many times to get rid of this confusion, but has never succeeded. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were able to speak in other languages and the hearers were able to hear the Gospel in their own languages. The confusion of the tower of Babel caused can be eliminated and understanding and unity can be brought by the Holy Spirit. The only thing that can bring unity to society is the Holy Spirit.  In Ephesians 2:18 it tells us that the Holy Spirit makes Jews and Gentiles one.  The fact that the disciples spoke in other languages at Pentecost shows that unity had begun.

2.               The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Witness. According to verse 5, Jerusalem was full of “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” If there were people “from every nation under heaven” then that would mean that there were people speaking many different languages.  However, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit they spoke in many languages so all the people there could understand. In other words, the Holy Spirit caused them to speak in other languages in order to confirm again the commission of the church. The church was commissioned to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) How is the church going to be able to fulfill the commission?  By being filled with the Spirit.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given strength. Then just like the disciples started to speak in other languages, we will able to share the Gospel in a way that every nation and tribe can understand.  This is not just an ability to speak another language, but also in life and culture we will be able to share Gospel in a way that match the culture that we are sharing the Gospel with.

What does it mean to be filled be filled with the Spirit?  In 1:5 it says, “In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Is being filled with the Spirit the same as being baptized with the Spirit?  The answer is Yes and No.  It is yes because here they received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to certain people at certain times in the Old Testament.  However, here the Holy Spirit was given to all peoples.  This means that at this time a new age of the Holy Spirit is beginning. All who ask can receive the Holy Spirit.

Romans 10:9

If we believe that Jesus died for us and rose again and accept Him into our hearts, then we will be saved.  The Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of that salvation.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit has been given to all Christians.  Through the Holy Spirit we have assurance of faith.  This was made possible at Pentecost.

However, I said “no” because the baptism of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit is different.  Being baptized with the Spirit is a one time event while being filled with the Holy Spirit happens again and again. 

I Cor. 12:13

Here when Paul says, “baptized by one Spirit into one body” this refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  However, even though we have been baptized by the Spirit doesn’t necessarily mean that we are filled with the Spirit. 

Ephesians 4:30

We can grieve the Holy Spirit

I Thess. 5:19

The Spirit’s fire can be put out.  Of course this does not mean that the Holy Spirit is completely erased out of lives.  It means that there is a limit on the work of the Holy Spirit.  When is the Holy Spirit grieved?  When is the Spirit’s fire put out? 

Ephesians 4:29－31

When we fall into such a condition, then we grieve the Holy Spirit, the Spirit’s fire is put out.

Therefore, we need to walk in the Spirit. Then we won’t allow our carnal desires to control us.  If we are living by our desires, then we need to repent and return to Christ.

We need to be like the disciples.  When they were baptized with the Spirit, they we also filled with the Spirit.  Then they boldly shared the Gospel.

II.              What happens when the Holy Spirit comes (vs.5-13)

Finally let’s look at what happened when the Holy Spirit came upon them. When the people that were in Jerusalem heard the Gospel being preached in their own language, they were very shocked.

Vs. 6 “in bewilderment”

    7 “Utterly amazed”

   12 “Amazed and perplexed”

These words show how shocked the people were and that they could not understand what was happening.  However, this amazement prepared their hearts to receive the message of Peter. This was a very important thing.

No matter how much we try to get others to believe in Christ, there are many who are never led into the faith.  Every one has their own philosophy of life and they think it is the best so they can’t accept other things.  To do so they need a special experience.  The fact that these people were shocked was therefore a very important experience.  This is the first step in evangelism.

Vs11.  The disciples didn’t just speak in other languages, they shared the Gospel of Christ. We too when we are filled with the Holy Spirit will cause people to be amazed, have power to share the Gospel, and will do amazing things.

It is the Holy Spirit that causes amazement.  The Holy Spirit gives power and we are able to share the Gospel boldly.

Therefore, we need to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will be able to take the Gospel boldly to the world.  This is the promise of Pentecost. Therefore, let’s seek the filling of the Holy Spirit and receive God’s promise of power, and let’s spread the Gospel.

From the time that Jesus ascended into heaven until the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost 10 days later, the thing that church had to do was pray.  However, they had one other important thing to do.  They needed to decide on an apostle to replace Judah

In Luke 6:12 Jesus chose 12 disciples to be apostles. In Greek “apostle” means someone who is sent out.

Ephesians 2:20

These 12 apostles were chosen to build the new Israel, the body of Christ, the church up.  Therefore, the twelve were chosen because they were needed for this work. It was so important that Jesus prayed all night before choosing the 12. Among the 12 who were chosen was Judas who betrayed Jesus.  He was probably chosen to be used in God’s plan of Jesus dieing on the cross for our sins.  However, since Judas was no longer there, they needed to choose a new apostle. Today let’s look at how the new apostle was chosen.   

I.                The reason for the replacement of the apostle (15-20)

Verse 15 starts with “In those days”.  These same words can be seen in Acts 6:1 and 11:27.  They mark the divisions of the book.  In this case, “In those days” refers to the 10 days between Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Passover.   During this time, the church had something very important to do, making a replacement of the apostle. The reason for doing so is found in verse 16.

Here Peter is saying that Judah didn’t just betray Jesus by chance.  David had prophesized that he would.  Judah’s betrayal fulfilled the prophecy.  Verse 20 is a prophecy from Psalms that was fulfilled.  Others that were fulfilled were Psalms 69:25, Psalms 109:8.

Luke 24:44

Psalms 109:8

Therefore the main reason that the disciples decided to replace the apostle was because the Bible said they would.  They read the Bible and from the Bible learned what they must do.

This is an important thing for us too.  We need to decide what we are going to do by not our own thoughts, but what the Bible is saying. 

II.              The Qualifications for being an apostle (vs. 21, 22)

1,           Someone who lived with Jesus while he was on this earth.

2,           Someone who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. This is because they were to witness to Jesus’ resurrection.

If we look at the apostles that Jesus chose we can see that they weren’t special people, but normal everyday people. However they all held one thing in common. According to 4:13 they had all been with Jesus… 

By a wide meaning we are all apostles.  We are all sent out.  The important that we are with Christ  If we are walking with Christ, then we have nothing to fear.

III.            How the apostle was replaced  (vs. 24)

1.               by Prayer  They always prayed not only everyday, but whenever they had to make decisions.  They prayed because they knew that God knows everything and always leads them in the perfect way.  Therefore, they were really a prayerful church.  Psalm 46:10  We need to be quiet before God and seek his will.

2.               by lot Matthias was chosen. According to verse 23 it looks like Joseph was more popular because he had many names attacked to him.  For example, Barsabbas which means “child of the Sabbath”,  Also he was called Justus which means a person that has a strong sense of  righteousness.  However, he was not chosen, but Matthias was. He was chosen only because of the Lord’s will.  Therefore, the most important thing is how our heart is before God.  As a church we need to pray and make decisions according to what God’s will is. 

                Finally the first worship service in Nasu is taking place.  Today is the first service so it should be a special celebration. Today’s title is “Becoming a witness for Christ”.  In Acts 1 we can see the preparation that was done in order for the church to be born.  In chapter 2 is Pentecost: by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church is born.  In chapter 1 we can see the preparation that was done.

              No matter what we do preparation is important.  If we are going to do something big, preparation is even more important.  We have been preparing for a year for the start of the Nasu church which is happening today.  Every month we held a Nasu preparation prayer meeting and prayed.  Also we talked about where we were going to meet, how we were going to start the church, and how we were going to do things.  After it was decided that we were going to start in June then we started doing the preparations so we could.  TBC helped us and made the flyers and put on the Gospel Concert yesterday.  We are really thankful.  That must have required an enormous amount of preparation.  Therefore 2,000 years ago, in 30A.D., when the first church was born, especially at the historical moment when the fire of the Gospel ministry towards the world began there must have been a lot of preparation.  It is said, “Planning is 80%”.  For this huge work, how did God prepare?  The biggest preparation was preparing the people who would be preaching the Gospel.  So that they could become a witness for Christ, God filled them with the Holy Spirit, and gave them the power of the Holy Spirit.

              Today I would like to share 3 things about this.  The first thing is to wait.  Before they were sent out to evangelize, they had to wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised.  Secondly, I would like to share the reason why they had to wait before they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Power is necessary to be a witness for Christ and to carry on the work.  “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive strength.” (Acts 1:8) The third thing is to pray. We are filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer. When we put our hearts together and become one and pray, then the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then we receive power and can fulfill our call to be a witness to Christ.

I.                Wait for the promise of the father. (vs.1,2)

In verse 1 Theophilus is addressed. The name Theophilus means “one loved by God” or “God’s friend”.  Like the name, Theophilus was a Roman official who was very interested in and was seeking Christ.  It is to Theophilus that the book of Acts is written. Who wrote Acts?  Here it says in verse 1, “In the first book… I dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” Come to think about it, there is someone who wrote to Theophilus before: Luke.  If we look at Luke 1:1-4 you will see that Luke says that many people have written about what Jesus did and taught. However, they were written for the Jews.  For a Gentile like Theophilus he needed to have things explained more orderly. Therefore, Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke.  To write the Gospel for just one person was a lot of work.  The reward for his work was that Theophilus became a Christian.  There is one other book that is addressed and dedicated to Theophilus.  That is Acts.  In other words Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke.  Why did Luke write Acts, a continuation of Luke?  I think there are 2 reasons.

One reason is here, “In the first book, … I dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” (vs. 1)  Well, what happened after that?  Luke wanted to tell what happened after that.  In other words, Jesus work didn’t end there. Even now it is continuing.  In the first book Luke wrote Jesus’ began to teach and do.  Luke wanted us to know that there is a continuation. This is what he wanted to tell us.

The second reason is I think Luke wanted to write again was that the basis for the spread of the Gospel was what Jesus had begun to teach and do.  In other words, that was Jesus’ cross and resurrection and ascension into heaven which Christ had already done. This became the foundation upon which evangelism spread. This can be seen in verse 3. “He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” This refers to the cross and the resurrection. Here at the beginning of this book Luke is saying this because if it had not been for this there would be no beginning, there would be nothing.  This means that the important thing that we need to do to prepare is to know what God has already done.  We need only to share that with others.

Then does that mean that we don’t have to do anything?  No, it doesn’t.  There are always 2 sides.  For example, we will understand if we think of our salvation. Our salvation is completely by the grace of God.  It has nothing to do with works.  We are saved only by Jesus whom God sent into this world to die on the cross in exchange for our sins.  However by that in itself we can’t be saved.  We have to put our faith in God’s grace.  In other words by accepting it, it becomes ours. The Gospel that has been given us for evangelism is the same.  God’s work has already been accomplished through Jesus Christ. However, we need to respond to this work. Verses 4 and 5 tell us how we should respond.

“He enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The evening before Jesus was put on the cross, he told the disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:6, 7

This “another Counselor” is “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak.”  This is the Holy Spirit who came to replace Jesus who went to heaven and who is always with us.  Before what Luke had written about is only the beginning of what Jesus did and taught.  The works that were started will be continued by people who are filled with Holy Spirit that was given by the another Counselor. That is why Jesus had to return to heaven. They needed to rest until the Holy Spirit came upon them.

When we look at the entire Bible, we can see that the Holy Spirit was there.  For example, in John 20:22 the resurrected Jesus breathed upon the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  Also if we look at the Old Testament, we can see many passages that refer to the Holy Spirit being upon someone. For example, in Judges 3:10, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. (Othniel)  In Judges 6:34, “the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon,” Therefore, until now there were times when the Holy Spirit came upon people. Even so, Jesus says here to “wait for the gift my father promised.” Acts 1:4  because the coming of the Holy Spirit was different than the Spirit being given to a specific person for a specific case as a one time thing.  In other words, the Holy Spirit will be given to all people that wait upon the Lord.  Not only that it is not a one time thing, but the Holy Spirit will remain upon the person forever and it is the Spirit of the power of God which does His works forever. The fold of people that meets is the church. The teachings and works that God began in Jesus being completed by the gathering of people filled with the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, the church.

Acts is the record of this.  Therefore, some people that this is the Acts of the Holy Spirit not of the apostles.  Therefore, it should be called “The story of the Holy Spirit”. Morgan Campbell, a famous commentator said that it should be entitled, “The book of how the living Christ used his body, the church, through the Holy Spirit to continue the work and teaching”.  I think the title is a little long. I think “The acts of the Holy Spirit” is perfect for the contents.

Regardless of the title, if God’s work is completed by people that have received the Holy Spirit, and are filled by the Holy Spirit, then what is needed by the people that are taking on that responsibility?  They need to wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit.  We must do like Jesus commanded, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.” (Acts 1:4)  To wait means to be still until the time comes.  It seems like fun, but it is difficult.  People like me who athletic, are not good at waiting.  It’s much easier to be running around. For example, if I’ve made an appointment with someone and he doesn’t come by the time we decided upon, I become very nervous.  Waiting seems easy, but it is more difficult than we think.  The disciples were probably the same.  After meeting the risen Lord, they probably couldn’t just sit still.  They probably wanted to tell everyone as soon as possible.   However, Jesus said to control the desire to get started and to wait for the birth of the church that will continue His work. They aren’t to move. This is because a person that has not received the Holy Spirit has no power and will not continue long.

For example, think of Peter.  At the last supper he said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mark 14:31) However immediately after he said that he denies Jesus.  When he heard the rooster crow, he went out and wept strongly.  For him it was something completely far from his heart and he couldn’t believe himself.  However, man’s effort and fighting spirit is like this.  Through this experience he realized that human effort has limitations. Therefore, the Lord told him in order that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again and in order to fulfill the great commission to stay in Jerusalem and “wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” (Acts. 1:4)

II.              When the Holy Spirit comes upon you  (vs.8)

The second point is the reason.  Why did they have to wait for the Holy Spirit? This is because as I said, the completion of the work of evangelism was not by human effort, but by the Holy Spirit.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (vs. 8)

This will be done by the work of the Holy Spirit so they were to wait for the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised. So in verse 6 the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom, to Israel?” What does this mean?  They weren’t able to grasp what Jesus was saying to them. They thought that Jesus was going to rebuild God’s kingdom on earth.  At that time they were under the rule of the Romans. They thought the Messiah would break them free from that rule. They thought the Messiah would build a new kingdom with the Messiah being the center of it. Jesus didn’t argue with them telling them that they were wrong, but instead pointed them in the direction that they should be moving.  That is “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (vs.8)

Here Jesus tells the disciples, “you will be my witnesses.”  What is a witness? A witness is a person who gives witnesses to a fact. There is no other fact that has such persuasive power as this.  For example, later in Acts 4 Peter and John are being questioned by the Sanhedrin because they healed a man that had been crippled from birth at the temple gate called Beautiful. Peter boldly speaks to the people and Sanhedrin saying, “”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.” (4:10) Peter and John were not educated men, but ordinary men. Why were they able to be so powerful?  It is because they saw first hand the cross and resurrection. However, they didn’t jut see or experience it. They were witnesses who were filled with the Holy Spirit. “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”(vs.8) The word here used for “power” is the Greek word “dynamis” and became the root for the word dynamite. It has the ability to demolish everything around it into powder.  Before Jesus’ disciples after Jesus was put on the cross were living in fear of when they were going to be arrested by the authorities. But here in chapter 4 they are not like that at all.  They are really bold.  Why?  Because the Holy Spirit had come upon them.  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit had come upon them so they had received power.  These uneducated, ordinary men were changed into instruments of God.

Reinhard Bonnke, the founder of Christ for all Nations, was a missionary to Africa.  However, as a youth, he was always trembling in nervousness. He was the baby in a family of 5 children.  He always got bad report cards.  When he was 10 years old he came to know Jesus.  When he was 11, the Holy Spirit suddenly told him that someday he would be telling the Gospel in Africa.  When he told his father who was an evangelist, what do you think his father said?  His father said, “No, that’s Martin.  Martin is smart and gets good grades so he is my successor”.  However, Martin has never become a Christian.  God chose the not so good Bonnke. He couldn’t do anything as a youth, but when God called him, he came forward on his own. Then he was told, “You are my witness”.  Even if he had no worth, when God poured his Spirit upon him, he became valuable, a respectable vessel to be used by God.

After he graduated from seminary he was sent out to the Kingdom of Lesotho in Africa, a small country with a population of 1,000,000 people.  He preached, and preached, and preached there, but no one was saved.  When he was very discouraged because he thought that even if he evangelized for 5,000 years, he would not be able to spread the Gospel in Africa because no one would believe his message, he had a dream. There was the African continent and all the land was being washed by the blood of Christ. And he heard a voice say, “Africa is being saved.” It was a wonderful dream, but when he thought about reality, it seemed impossible.  However, God who is faithful, showed him the same dream 3 times.  Then he left that country, and started having crusades.

He had never preached in a stadium before, but he rented a huge stadium.  He was really worried about how it would go.  However, only about 100 people came.  However, the Holy Spirit came upon the first 100 people who came.  People who couldn’t walk, walked.  People who couldn’t see, began to see.  As a result from the next day on the stadium was always full.  For the first time in his life he experienced thousands, of people wanting to be saved running forward, crying. Again, he saw God at the same time pour out his Spirit on thousands, ten thousands of people. 

By the way, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us what kind of power is given us?  We are given the power to be witnesses.  According to I. Cor. 12:3, “no one can say that ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”  Also Jesus said in John 14:6, that the Holy Spirit “will bring glory to me.” A witness by the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Lord only.  Therefore, even though people have been given spiritual gifts (for example, some people have the power to work miracles, other people prophesize, other people can distinguish spirits, others speak in tongues, others interpret the tongues) that does not show that person’s power.  They are given the gifts to bring God glory、and so that person witnessing for Jesus can fulfill his commission.  The Holy Spirit will fulfill the commission.  The source of strength for evangelism is the Holy Spirit.  What we must do is accept the power of the Holy Spirit.  When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power, and we will be able to be Christ’s witness in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.

III.            Concentrate on prayer

How do we wait for the Holy Spirit?  It is by prayer. Lastly, I would like to speak about that.  Let’s look at verses 12-14.

After Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”(vs.8) and then while they were watching he was taken up into a cloud and they couldn’t see him any more.  Then two men dressed in white stood beside them and said, “Men of Galilee…why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (vs.11) This was a huge encouragement to them as they are sent out to do world evangelism because spiritual warfare and troubles are to be expected in evangelism. Just when they are about to go out into ministry and warfare, the promise that Jesus would come again was certainly hope, and a source of power in doing the work of the ministry.   

So they left the Mt. Olive and returned to Jerusalem and “they went upstairs to the room where they were staying.” We don’t know where that upper room was, but in the original words there is a definite article used with it so it was probably the same place that Jesus ate the Last Supper at and it is thought that they often met there. More interesting is who was there. The 11 disciples besides Judah, the women that had followed Jesus Galilee, and Jesus’ mother, Mary were there.  Also notice that Jesus’ brothers were also there.  While Jesus was alive they didn’t believe in Him. Even though they were his real brothers, they didn’t believe. They thought of him only as a brother.  However, now the brothers too believe in Jesus and are here with everyone else.  One of his brothers, James, later in a letter, didn’t call himself Jesus’ brother, but called himself “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1)  They must have realized their sin.  Luke wrote this here because he wanted to share the fact that even Jesus’ brothers were changed into believing in Jesus.  

By the way, why was everyone meeting in the upper room?  According to verse 14, “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”  They were meeting for prayer.  They weren’t having a conference about what they were going to do.  They were meeting for prayer.  They were putting their hearts together and concentrating on prayer.

First of all this was the prayer of faith.  According to verse 11, they were Galileans. However, verse 12 tells us that they went back to Jerusalem, not Galilee. Normally if you say that you’re going home, it would mean your hometown, in other words Galilee. However, they didn’t return to Galilee, but to Jerusalem.  Why? Because Jesus said, “do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.”(4) They followed that command. The realized that Galilee was not the place that they were to return to, but Jerusalem.

They waited there for the promise of the father as they were told to do.  They knew what it meant to wait. There’s a saying to just sleep and wait.  However, they didn’t just sleep and wait. They prayed and waited expectantly.  Their prayer was a prayer of belief that God was going to give the Holy Spirit.

Also their prayer was a prayer made in unity of hearts.  In verse 14 it says that they were “joined together” in prayer.  Joined together means having the same thoughts, and the same feelings. These words are used 11 times in the New Testament.  Except for Romans 15:6, they are all used in Acts,  This shows how much the early church was joined together in prayer. And after such prayer, the church always grows.

   Also their prayer was earnest.  Here the word “constantly” is used. A literal translation would be to pray fervently or to be busy praying.  How wonderful it is to be busy praying.  Now is a busy generation.  Both Pastors and lay men are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.  They’re too busy to pray.  However, if you think about it, no matter how busy we are and how much we run around, you can’t necessarily say that there is a lot of fruit being born. What is really needed is to pray fervently, to concentrate on prayer. Why were they able to pray constantly?  It is because they believed that prayer was the key to opening doors. However, a lot of strong endurance is needed.  People who say “soon” and continue for 4 or 5 days, and when nothing happens gives up.  If we pray for a week and there’s no change, then we have a tendency to stop praying.  However they prayed fervently, concentrated on prayer. And 10 days after they started praying, they were able to see the reality of the promise.  When they were meeting together, all at once, a violent wind came and the Holy Spirit came upon them.  

When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will receive power, and become witnesses and fulfill the great commission.  How do we wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit?  Through prayer.  Join together in prayer.  Pray constantly. When we pray in faith, God will answer.  This is what the church should really be like.  The church isn’t something that does everything, that everyone thinks they should do.  The church doesn’t move according to the general consensus of everyone.  Instead, by prayer, the church determines what the will of God is and does it.  In order for the church to know how it should move, what is necessary, what it must do, it must pray.  A church that doesn’t pray, although it may have the name of a church, it is not a church, but just a circle. The church was meant to be God’s.  In order to do God’s will, it needs to join together in prayer.  Then God will fill us with the Holy Spirit, and give us the power to fulfill our commission.

This is what God is expecting of the Nasu Hope Church that is starting. There is not so many things that we can do. We can’t do anything big. However, we can pray.

Feb. 26,18922 Loeb Strauss was born.  As a youth he changed his name to Levi Strauss and moved to San Francisco, California and ran a spinning company

One day, a gold digger came and showed him the pants he was wearing saying, “Look at these.”  He said that he had bought them at his store 6 months earlier.  Now they were full of holes and there was hardly anyplace left on the pants that didn’t have holes.  “Let me see.” Looking at the pants, they were filled with holes.  He asked, “Why did they get like this?”  The gold digger answered, “We sit all day with our knees on the ground.”  Therefore, Levi said that he would make them from stronger material.  Therefore, he cut canvas used for making tents and made a pair of pants on the spot. This was the beginning of Levi Jeans. Shortly later, throughout Calif. the gold diggers were wearing Levi Jeans.

Today Christians like the gold diggers, need to wear heavy jeans. We need to pray with our knees to the ground until our knees wear out because the work of God’s kingdom is really the work of being on our knees.

In Hermann Heuvers’ book “The Autumn of life” there is a poem entitled, “The greatest work”.  In the poem he tells us what the greatest work is on earth.  That is prayer.  When you are old, and you’ve reached the last stage of your life and you think that you can’t do anything, God has left you the best job to do.  That’s pray.  Pray for those you love, you can seek the Lord’s grace through prayer. This is the greatest work in our lives. God will answer that prayer and do wonderful things. 

Let’s receive this as God’s Word and let’s join together, put our hearts together and pray for the church that begins today in Nasu. And let’s be filled with the Holy Spirit and fulfill the great commission.