SEEK TO SAVE

Biblical Text: Acts 6:7

“And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

It’s a new year. And we’re still here. We Believers who remain in this earthly domain have been given another chance to get this thing we call Salvation RIGHT! I believe that we should make a commitment to try to do better, especially when it comes to witnessing for Christ. With the evidence of our past efforts to spread the gospel behind us, we have been given another opportunity to hit the RESTART button and assess how we might improve our outreach to the lost.

SEEK TO SAVE

Our scripture text this morning comes from the Book of Acts, the story of the formation of Christ’s church. We think it’s tough now to spread the good news about Jesus, but here, in America, nothing could be further from the truth. We are not arrested and thrown in jail for sharing the Gospel, as in some other countries. We certainly don’t have to face the challenges the disciples endured.

Allow me to give us a short history lesson. In the days of the early church, the disciples faced multiple challenges. Satan was unusually busy stirring up persecutions from without, and temptations from within. Peter and his fellow disciples faced great persecution in Jerusalem, the seat of the Christian movement; that is, until a Pharisee named Gamaliel stepped in and warned their detractors. Reminding the Jewish hierarchy of two past situations; the first, a man named Theudas who pretended to be a prophet and led his followers to their death at the hand of the Romans; and the second, a man named Judas of Galilee who also amassed a large following, but also perished; Gamaliel warned the Jewish Priests who were persecuting the early church, saying, “Refrain from these men [the disciples of Jesus Christ], and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought [be overthrown]: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it…” (Acts 5:38-39).

Once the Jews left Peter and the disciples alone, they were able to make gains in the formation of a solid church foundation. They appointed seven deacons to help with the daily work of the church (Acts 6:3-6), to distribute donations needed to care for widows and orphans, and to spread the good news of the Gospel. This appointment of the seven had a great impact on the growth of the Church. Our text says that “the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

But…that was then. This is now. So how are WE doing with the growth of the Church? It only took a pandemic like COVID to scatter us. And even with a reliable vaccine to combat the virus, many are still using COVID as an excuse to stay home, even though God says we should “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25).

So, let’s take a look at the Church…tell your neighbor, “That’s Us!”…How is the Church doing? Let’s break it down the way Luke did in our text.

First, how effective is our spread of the Word of God?

Luke says, “The Word of God increased.” It increased because faithful men of God passed the truth of the word forward.

We might as well start at the beginning. You can’t spread what you don’t know. To spread the Good News, you first have to study the Word with those who can teach you the truth of the Word.

Remember the Eunuch who met Philip in Jerusalem? He was trying to study the words of Esaias (Greek for Isaiah) the Prophet, but he could not unravel the mystery of the coming Messiah. God placed Philip in the way, at the right time, to guide him to the truth that the Messiah…Christ Jesus…had come. The Eunuch accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized by Philip, right then and there, as a new believer. And the proof of his conversion is right there in the text. It says that he went on his way REJOICING (Acts 8:39).

That’s what we need to do. We need to do a little more rejoicing over our salvation. Joy is contagious. It spreads like an infection. And the joy of the Lord is no exception. It’s time to spread some JOY. Get rid of that frown and put on a happy face. You have plenty to have joy about.

You’ve been forgiven and redeemed. You’ve been saved through the grace and mercy of God.

You’ve been given what the complicated philosophies of man could never give you…the promise of Eternal Life with Christ.

So go ahead and rejoice!...because… “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4).

Is there anybody here excited enough to rejoice over your salvation? Then let your joy be known!

How effective is our spread of the Word of God?

Second, how is our growth in numbers of disciples of Jesus Christ?

Luke says, “the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.” When the Good News is spread, the result is magnification. The spread of the Gospel produces an INCREASE in disciples.

When Peter, the Rock, and his fellow disciples began to overtake Jerusalem with the Gospel message, Luke writes that the number of disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly. But wait! There were also many in Jerusalem who condemned their preaching and sought to kill them for it. Not everybody got saved. The winning aspect of Christianity is not always visible. Even the Old Testament prophets had their detractors. Believers in Christ are seed planters, “For we are laborers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9). We won’t always be around to see it “blossom”.

Why do many reject Christ? We could write a book on that! The Gospel would be an easy swallow if it was just about peace and prosperity. But it’s also about sacrifice and suffering. We have our share of the Cross to bear. There’s a fight to be fought and a victory to be gained.

There’s a faith to be kept and a devil to be defeated.

There’s a storm to be faced and a stand to be taken! Don’t quit on Christ!

How is our growth in numbers of disciples of Jesus Christ?

Finally, how is our impact on other religions?

Luke writes that “a great company of the [Jewish] priests were obedient to the faith.”

These early disciples were able to break through the barriers of the most conservative of religionists…the Jewish priests. Their ability to win over the priests was a remarkable triumph of Christ and His gospel. Their evidence and presentation of the facts concerning Christ’s resurrection were too strong to resist. These same priests had been waiting a long time for the promised Messiah. And even though their Mosaic boots were dug into the Old Testament covenant, the early disciples were able, with the help of the Holy Ghost, to infiltrate many of their hearts with the truth that the Messiah had come.

I’m sure you have met your share of unbelievers who have dug their heels into atheism, or cults, or astrology, or the Koran, or any one of the many religions that deny the Deity or even the existence of Jesus Christ. And it’s not easy to witness to them and then to watch them “kick against the prick” (Acts 9:5) and put up a self-destructive struggle against the unyielding force of the Gospel. But seed-planting is our duty as disciples, and we cannot stop just because of futile resistance.

Sometimes I think we believe that witnessing to people of other faiths is off-limits. We think… “They have their faith and I have mine.” If the disciples in Jerusalem had felt that way, Christianity would never have taken root. Jesus said, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23). That sounds to me like Jesus meant ALL OF THEM! We should never be selective in who we desire to lead to Jesus Christ.

The Lord so loved the church that He purchased it, not with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood (Acts 20:28).

The Lord has great love for His Church…shouldn’t we?

The Lord has been faithful to the Church…shouldn’t we?

The Lord cares for the Church…shouldn’t we?

The Lord is committed to the Church…shouldn’t we?

He saved us FROM the world so that we might be a light TO the world.

We have to REPRESENT! No matter what battle we have to fight; No matter what mountain we have to speak to; No matter what trouble we may encounter; No matter what burden we have to bear; No matter what crisis we have to confront; The Lord gives us the assurance and satisfaction of knowing that He is always with us, and He will never forsake us. Dare we forsake Him? And dare we live a life that does not reflect Him?

God never intended for us to remain silent or selective. The LORD desires “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). We’ve got to spread the Joy! We’ve got to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12); For the trumpet of the Lord will sound sooner than we think. Our opportunity to spread the Gospel to the lost will be over. Our chance to witness to the worldly will come to an end. Dare we waste another minute?

“Let us not be weary in welldoing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

There’s a lost soul to be saved.

There’s an enemy to be won.

There’s a friend to be helped.

There’s a sinner to be saved. Seek to save!