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.