Can I Get A Witness
Notes
Transcript
Handout
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.” 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, 11 and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
Equipped To Be A Witnessed Vs 4-5
Equipped To Be A Witnessed Vs 4-5
Promised to receive
Guaranteed
16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; 17 the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
7 But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time.
Positioned to receive
Geographically available (Location/relocation)
Go to Jerusalem
Prepared to receive
Get Ready
Watchfulness
Willingness to receive the gift (Salvation/Holy Spirit:Paraclete)
Willingness to submit to Christ promise
Expecting Something Different Vs 6-7
Expecting Something Different Vs 6-7
When will the kingdom come?
They missed the most pertinent question regarding the Holy Spirits arrival and why they need it.
They didn’t understand that Jesus told them that he was leaving.
They didn’t take serious the words of Jesus and was searching for their own agenda.
Though witnessing Jesus reject Israel after Israel rejected him as the Messiah in Matthew 23:37-39
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
This means that there would not be an established Kingdom that the disciples so desired.
They had no clue of the dispensation of the church-age taking the role of global priest.
They counted on Jesus being with them and considered it as their victory for the faithful few (Disciples/believers)
What to do since the kingdom isn’t coming?
Embrace the coming promise
Embark on the work before us
Expect our efforts to be challenged but hopeful
Expecting Power To Be Witnesses Vs 8
Expecting Power To Be Witnesses Vs 8
The power is only for those who are in Christ
The power is only for those to do the assignment by Christ
The power is an open demonstration of God on display
The power is a mobilizing agent from God.
You can’t sit still its mandated you move
You can’t remain isolated because the ministry is too great.
The power has to be spread in a four-fold manner geographically
Jerusalem: Home (Most familiar)
Judea (Familiar)
Samaria (Uncomfortable territory)
Utter-most or Remotest parts (Unknown Territory)
The power is an enabling agent that gives us the tools to carry-out our assignment as a witness
God’s love on display (Message shared)
God’s plan to teach all nations (Method used) Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
God’s plan to establish a united priestly group of both Jew/Gentile called the church. (Movement) Paul writes (Mission of inclusion and not the secular interpretation of inclusion that is tolerant to sin)
New American Standard Bible (Chapter 2)
11 Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household
New American Standard Bible (Chapter 3)
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things;
The power is fueled with God’s will to reconcile men to himself
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Expected To Go And Not Wait For Christ Return Vs 9-11
Expected To Go And Not Wait For Christ Return Vs 9-11
To date the church struggles with the mobilization of ministry
The church struggles with having a fruitful ministry because of its reliance on others or wanting God to do it all
This can cause creature comfort ministry
This can cause seedless ministry (Unable to reproduce fruit of its kind)
This can cause a perversion of the original intent of the fruitfulness (Example of Cotton Candy flavored grapes)
This can cause a marketing driven church over a spirit led church based on the mindset of competitive church model
Country Club Churches
Rock Concert environment
Celebrity Pastors with colorful titles Chief Apostle, Grand Bishop, Chief Elder, etc…
17 For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
This can also create a man dependent church and abandonment of Christ (Avoid such patterns and behaviors)