A Story to Tell: The Church, God's Pilot Projext
06/28/09
Acts 4
Pastor Greg Smith
We have “A Story to Tell.” And we have come a long way in telling it.
But how? How does the old Story become My Story? How can I become part of what God is doing now?
Now we come to the next turn in the Story: the coming of the Holy Spirit.
God poured out his Spirit on all the followers of Jesus at Pentecost and ever since, inaugurating a union with Christ that will be fulfilled at the end of time. That union cuts across gender, race, culture, class, and begins the uniting of all things in Christ in the here and now.
God is uniting all things in Christ through the Holy Spirit. What was broken through human rebellion is in the process of being restored. And the church is God's pilot project.
What is the evidence?
A man is healed in a public and powerful way.
Simple leaders speak with power.
The church is unified in prayer under the Lordship of Christ.
The way people treat each other reflects "God’s grace" ... "so powerfully at work in them all."
There are several marks of a Holy Spirit filled church that we see in this story.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Bold, relevant witness that meets peoples’ needs.
When they saw the man who could not walk, they believed that Jesus could make a difference.
Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
This caused a commotion— they had seen the lame man sit at the gate of the Temple for years— and it became an opportunity to tell the crowd that this amazing event had occurred through Jesus’ name.
I don’t pretend to understand or predict the way God works today. Too often when people have claimed a supernatural ministry, the results have been mixed at best. I would never want to put limits on how God works. But maybe I’m more impressed with people who are consistent, caring, loving, then flashy.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Clear articulation of the Story.
Before they were finished speaking to the crowd, Peter and John were arrested. Luke writes in Acts 4:2 that the Jewish leaders “were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” The Jewish leaders questioned Peter and John.
Acts 4:7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 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. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’c
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
The leaders then ordered Peter and John to quit teaching the people about Jesus. Their response is a classic.
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go.
They knew when to compromise, and when not. They thoroughly knew the story. That way they knew what was important. So they knew that not preaching in Jesus' name was unacceptable. There would no longer be Good News to share!
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Unity around God’s shared purpose expressed in prayer.
Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what had happened, especially the part where the leaders had “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” This presented Peter and John and the others with a great challenge. They knew God’s will: Jesus had sent them into the world to make disciples. Acts 1:8.
8 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.
But now they were meeting strong resistance that put them at great personal risk. What would they do? Before anything else, they turned to prayer. Look at verse 24
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
The church was united in the face of opposition and as they went to God. The first word of their prayer describes God as a ruler with power beyond challenge. He is the “Sovereign Lord.” He is the sovereign God of creation. Look at verse 24.
“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
The Sanhedrin might make threats but their authority was subject to a higher power still, and human decrees cannot overthrow the command of God. Before they asked for anything, the believers filled their minds with adoration and praise that focused on God’s sovereignty. They clearly confessed God’s power and authority.
They knew this to be true from their Bibles.
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.’
Centuries before, God had spoken through the psalmist. God has revealed himself through the scriptures. The Bible really is God's book. He constantly uses it to reveal his self and his will to his people.
They knew that God is the sovereign God of history. Look at verse 28.
28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
God oversaw the events that led to the crucifixion. The tragedy and miscarriage of justice that led to Jesus’ death, became the means of salvation for the world. God is the sovereign Lord of history who will accomplish his will.
You can see why they began their prayer this way. Their focus is shifted away from human power to the power of God. Now it’s not the threats of the council that ring in their ears, but the joyous declaration of the Lord’s authority. Now their vision is clarified and they are humbled before God.
The believers were able to put the conflict in proper perspective. They weren't just fighting against human beings and human powers. If that were so, then the response to the Sanhedrin would be swords— the church goes underground as freedom fighters. No: this is a spiritual conflict that requires spiritual armaments.
Look at Ephesians 6 beginning at verse 10.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
From this perspective, the conflict is not about the members of the Sanhedrin that oppose them. It's about the spiritual forces behind their opposition. Don't demonize people who are against you!
Jesus could say from the cross in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The first Christian martyr, Stephen, would say, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Don't demonize people who are against you! But do pray against the spiritual forces that may be opposing you.
Now the church was ready to go into battle. What did they ask for? Boldness. Look at Acts 4, verse 29.
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
They knew that they had been commissioned to be Jesus’ witnesses. And they believed with all their hearts that their message was so crucial that nothing could take its place. Look at Acts 4:12, part of Peter and John's defense before the Jewish authorities.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men and women by which we must be saved.”
This message had to be declared, no matter what threats might be made.
Notice that they didn’t pray for protection but for boldness. They did not ask to be excused from proclaiming the name of Jesus, they asked that God would make them more effective in telling others about Jesus. They were committed to do God’s will even at great personal risk.
They knew that the same leaders had opposed Jesus even to death, yet God's will had been done even in Jesus’ suffering. So they knew that they might suffer doing God’s will as well. Like Paul wrote in Philippians 29,
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.
Jesus had said: “The servant is not above his master.” Peter and John and the rest of the believers put the threats aside not because the leaders couldn’t harm them. They could! They were the same leaders who had so recently and engineered Jesus horrifying and gruesome crucifixion. No. The disciples put aside whatever fear they might have because of the depth of their commitment to do God’s will even at great personal risk.
What kind of "personal risk" do you face in sharing your faith? What opposition do you face? It's always risky to be vulnerable and reveal what is important to you, especially something as personal as your faith in Jesus. There is always the risk that your message might be rejected. That can feel like failure.
Next, they asked for the kind of assistance that only God can give! Spiritual power! Look at verse 30.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
They were asking that God authenticate, that God validate, that God certify the message. Their own persuasive power could only go so far. The Holy Spirit is the one who must turn hearts to God.
The Holy Spirit gives the conviction, the certainty about the truth of the gospel. And the Holy Spirit gives the joy. In Acts, the church asked for a particular way that God would do this: miraculous signs and wonders and healings. And God may still act through these means. But more often God acts to bring certainty of the truth through his word, and through the lives of believers.
How was their prayer answered? Look at Acts 4:31.
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.”
The shaking helped make them unshakable in the face of threats. They went away convinced that God had heard their prayer.
I’ve never experienced a building shaking— at least not by the Holy Spirit! But I have gone away from prayer with new confidence and deep assurance. Look at the rest of verse 31.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...
I wonder what it was like? Was there a special feeling that came over them when “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”? Luke doesn’t answer that question. The important thing was the effect the filling of the Holy Spirit had on the church.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be especially empowered by the Spirit to go beyond their own innate human abilities to carry out our God-given mission. They had prayed to do what they knew to be God’s will. Now they were empowered to do God’s will.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: They practiced practical, shared community.
Here is one more way that the filling of the Holy Spirit changed the church.
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
This is not just an odd experiment in "failed communism." This is essential to the Story we have to tell.
• Where there was brokenness, there is now unity.
• Where there was once self-centered hoarding, there is now sharing.
The sentence that begins in the middle of verse 33 is so important:
And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them.
Experiencing God’s generous grace leads to living in generous grace for others.
There are several marks of a Holy Spirit filled church that we see in this story.
Pastor Greg Smith
We have “A Story to Tell.” And we have come a long way in telling it.
- God created, and it was very good.
- At the pinnacle of creation human beings made in God’s image.
- But from the beginning human beings have rebelled and turned away from God.
- The results have been disastrous.
- God did not give up. He worked through one people to bring creation back to himself. But even that never succeeded.
- So God sent his Son.
- Where Israel was unfaithful Jesus was faithful to the very end.
- He really was God-in-the-flesh, the Image of God restored
- He went to death to take the just judgment on our sin
- And finally he rose again— he is really alive!— in triumph over sin and death.
- And the promise is that we can and will be transformed to be like Jesus.
But how? How does the old Story become My Story? How can I become part of what God is doing now?
Now we come to the next turn in the Story: the coming of the Holy Spirit.
God poured out his Spirit on all the followers of Jesus at Pentecost and ever since, inaugurating a union with Christ that will be fulfilled at the end of time. That union cuts across gender, race, culture, class, and begins the uniting of all things in Christ in the here and now.
God is uniting all things in Christ through the Holy Spirit. What was broken through human rebellion is in the process of being restored. And the church is God's pilot project.
What is the evidence?
A man is healed in a public and powerful way.
Simple leaders speak with power.
The church is unified in prayer under the Lordship of Christ.
The way people treat each other reflects "God’s grace" ... "so powerfully at work in them all."
There are several marks of a Holy Spirit filled church that we see in this story.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Bold, relevant witness that meets peoples’ needs.
When they saw the man who could not walk, they believed that Jesus could make a difference.
Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
This caused a commotion— they had seen the lame man sit at the gate of the Temple for years— and it became an opportunity to tell the crowd that this amazing event had occurred through Jesus’ name.
I don’t pretend to understand or predict the way God works today. Too often when people have claimed a supernatural ministry, the results have been mixed at best. I would never want to put limits on how God works. But maybe I’m more impressed with people who are consistent, caring, loving, then flashy.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Clear articulation of the Story.
Before they were finished speaking to the crowd, Peter and John were arrested. Luke writes in Acts 4:2 that the Jewish leaders “were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” The Jewish leaders questioned Peter and John.
Acts 4:7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 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. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’c
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
The leaders then ordered Peter and John to quit teaching the people about Jesus. Their response is a classic.
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go.
They knew when to compromise, and when not. They thoroughly knew the story. That way they knew what was important. So they knew that not preaching in Jesus' name was unacceptable. There would no longer be Good News to share!
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: Unity around God’s shared purpose expressed in prayer.
Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what had happened, especially the part where the leaders had “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” This presented Peter and John and the others with a great challenge. They knew God’s will: Jesus had sent them into the world to make disciples. Acts 1:8.
8 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.
But now they were meeting strong resistance that put them at great personal risk. What would they do? Before anything else, they turned to prayer. Look at verse 24
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
The church was united in the face of opposition and as they went to God. The first word of their prayer describes God as a ruler with power beyond challenge. He is the “Sovereign Lord.” He is the sovereign God of creation. Look at verse 24.
“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
The Sanhedrin might make threats but their authority was subject to a higher power still, and human decrees cannot overthrow the command of God. Before they asked for anything, the believers filled their minds with adoration and praise that focused on God’s sovereignty. They clearly confessed God’s power and authority.
They knew this to be true from their Bibles.
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.’
Centuries before, God had spoken through the psalmist. God has revealed himself through the scriptures. The Bible really is God's book. He constantly uses it to reveal his self and his will to his people.
They knew that God is the sovereign God of history. Look at verse 28.
28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
God oversaw the events that led to the crucifixion. The tragedy and miscarriage of justice that led to Jesus’ death, became the means of salvation for the world. God is the sovereign Lord of history who will accomplish his will.
You can see why they began their prayer this way. Their focus is shifted away from human power to the power of God. Now it’s not the threats of the council that ring in their ears, but the joyous declaration of the Lord’s authority. Now their vision is clarified and they are humbled before God.
The believers were able to put the conflict in proper perspective. They weren't just fighting against human beings and human powers. If that were so, then the response to the Sanhedrin would be swords— the church goes underground as freedom fighters. No: this is a spiritual conflict that requires spiritual armaments.
Look at Ephesians 6 beginning at verse 10.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
From this perspective, the conflict is not about the members of the Sanhedrin that oppose them. It's about the spiritual forces behind their opposition. Don't demonize people who are against you!
Jesus could say from the cross in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The first Christian martyr, Stephen, would say, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Don't demonize people who are against you! But do pray against the spiritual forces that may be opposing you.
Now the church was ready to go into battle. What did they ask for? Boldness. Look at Acts 4, verse 29.
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
They knew that they had been commissioned to be Jesus’ witnesses. And they believed with all their hearts that their message was so crucial that nothing could take its place. Look at Acts 4:12, part of Peter and John's defense before the Jewish authorities.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men and women by which we must be saved.”
This message had to be declared, no matter what threats might be made.
Notice that they didn’t pray for protection but for boldness. They did not ask to be excused from proclaiming the name of Jesus, they asked that God would make them more effective in telling others about Jesus. They were committed to do God’s will even at great personal risk.
They knew that the same leaders had opposed Jesus even to death, yet God's will had been done even in Jesus’ suffering. So they knew that they might suffer doing God’s will as well. Like Paul wrote in Philippians 29,
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.
Jesus had said: “The servant is not above his master.” Peter and John and the rest of the believers put the threats aside not because the leaders couldn’t harm them. They could! They were the same leaders who had so recently and engineered Jesus horrifying and gruesome crucifixion. No. The disciples put aside whatever fear they might have because of the depth of their commitment to do God’s will even at great personal risk.
What kind of "personal risk" do you face in sharing your faith? What opposition do you face? It's always risky to be vulnerable and reveal what is important to you, especially something as personal as your faith in Jesus. There is always the risk that your message might be rejected. That can feel like failure.
Next, they asked for the kind of assistance that only God can give! Spiritual power! Look at verse 30.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
They were asking that God authenticate, that God validate, that God certify the message. Their own persuasive power could only go so far. The Holy Spirit is the one who must turn hearts to God.
The Holy Spirit gives the conviction, the certainty about the truth of the gospel. And the Holy Spirit gives the joy. In Acts, the church asked for a particular way that God would do this: miraculous signs and wonders and healings. And God may still act through these means. But more often God acts to bring certainty of the truth through his word, and through the lives of believers.
How was their prayer answered? Look at Acts 4:31.
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.”
The shaking helped make them unshakable in the face of threats. They went away convinced that God had heard their prayer.
I’ve never experienced a building shaking— at least not by the Holy Spirit! But I have gone away from prayer with new confidence and deep assurance. Look at the rest of verse 31.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit...
I wonder what it was like? Was there a special feeling that came over them when “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”? Luke doesn’t answer that question. The important thing was the effect the filling of the Holy Spirit had on the church.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be especially empowered by the Spirit to go beyond their own innate human abilities to carry out our God-given mission. They had prayed to do what they knew to be God’s will. Now they were empowered to do God’s will.
A mark of a Holy Spirit filled church: They practiced practical, shared community.
Here is one more way that the filling of the Holy Spirit changed the church.
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
This is not just an odd experiment in "failed communism." This is essential to the Story we have to tell.
• Where there was brokenness, there is now unity.
• Where there was once self-centered hoarding, there is now sharing.
The sentence that begins in the middle of verse 33 is so important:
And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them.
Experiencing God’s generous grace leads to living in generous grace for others.
There are several marks of a Holy Spirit filled church that we see in this story.
- Bold, relevant witness that meets peoples’ needs.
- Clear articulation of the Story.
- Unity around God’s shared purpose expressed in prayer.
- Practical, shared community.