The Proclaiming Church

Introduction

The Book of Acts shows us how God worked in the life of the early church to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. As we study the Book of Acts, it focuses our attention on God and what He is doing in our world. Luke reminds us of the roots of our faith and what we are to do. We are to be the church. We have seen the promise of the church, the power source of the church and what we should practice as a church. Today, we are going to look at what it means to be a proclaiming church and what we should be proclaiming.

Acts 4 shows the aftermath of what happened when a man who was crippled all of his life was miraculously healed in the temple courts. Peter and John are seized and put in jail because they are teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. The Bible tells us that many believed and the number of men grew to 5000. Peter and John the next day are brought before the rulers, elders and teachers of the law and were asked, “By what power or what name did you do this?”

Acts 4:8–12 NIV84

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 cripple and are 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 He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

What a proclamation! We as the church should learn much from Peter and John’s bold response to the accusation before them. First and foremost, we as a church should proclaim sound doctrine.

The Church Proclaiming Sound Doctrine

Sound Doctrine Defined

Sound doctrine can be defined as the teaching that rightly explains what God has revealed to us in His word. Sound doctrine is essential to the church and the Christian life because it is a central means by which we grow to maturity in Christ. We learn what sound doctrine is by studying the Word of God. The Word of God is beneficial to us because it takes the first hand experiences and the eye witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Peter and John are showing us in Acts 3 their first hand encounter with Jesus and how the prophesied Messiah did indeed die on a cross, was buried and on the third day resurrected to conquer death and sin forever!

Sound Doctrine Delivered

Peter boldly delivers this sound doctrine of Jesus as the capstone or cornerstone by which all other sound doctrine is built. He uses the Word of God to describe the Word of God.

Psalm 118:19–24 (NIV84)

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord

through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected

has become the capstone;

23 the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We have much reason today to proclaim this sound doctrine. Peter and John demonstrate this here in the most precise and clear way.

Sound Doctrine Demonstrated

The sound doctrine is demonstrated with this incredible statement:

Acts 4:12 NIV84

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Where is salvation found? It is found in Jesus Christ. If we say salvation is found in any other way, we are not using sound doctrine.

The Church Proclaiming Salvation

We as a church should be ready to proclaim this salvation.

In the Name of Jesus

Again, we proclaim, just like scripture, that salvation is found in the Name of Jesus.

John 14:6 NIV84

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In the Power of Jesus

The Sadducees asked, “By what power or name did you do this?” They boldly declared it was in the power of Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:5 NIV84

5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

They boldly proclaimed the name and power in the person of Jesus.

In the Person of Jesus

Acts 10:43 NIV84

43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

2 John 7 NIV84

7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Peter and John went to great lengths so proclaim these truths.

The Church Proclaiming the Supremacy of God’s Word

We are fortunate these witnesses of the resurrection could proclaim what we have today recorded in God’s Word. We must be a church that will proclaim the supremacy of God’s Word.

Built on the Premises of God

Genesis 1:1 gives us the premise of God and His word. “In the beginning, God…”

The whole Bible is built on the fact that before the beginning He was. The Bible then builds from Genesis to Revelation on the supremacy of His Word and the truth of His plan for redemption.

Peter and John were eyewitnesses, but even so, they still built their premises of God from God’s Word. We have shown already that Peter quoted from Psalm 118 that Jesus was the capstone or cornerstone. Isaiah 28:16

Isaiah 28:16 (NIV84)

16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

Zechariah 10:4 (NIV84)

4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,

from him the tent peg,

from him the battle bow,

from him every ruler.

The Word of God, by the way, confirms to us that Jesus came from Judah.

Built on the Promises of God

The premises of God reveal the promises of God. Psalm 27:1

Psalm 27:1 (NIV84)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

God has provided our salvation. Peter and John are declaring this to the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. The Torah which these rulers, elders and teachers studied all pointed the fact salvation has come and is built on the person of God.

Built on the Person of God

The Person of God is Jesus. It would have been easy to say that God did it. In fact, it would have been religiously and politically correct for Peter and John to say it was God that healed the crippled man. But by him being healed in the Name of Jesus, it shows that the person of God was the one that healed that crippled man! The supremacy of God’s Word shows that it was because of the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus by which this man was healed. This made the whole complexion of the council change. The issue was moved from the healing of a crippled man to the authority of Jesus of Nazareth!

This made the the rulers, elders and teachers furious!

Acts 4:18 NIV84

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

When Jesus gets ahold of you and me, we cannot help but to proclaim the sovereignty of God.

The Church Proclaiming the Sovereignty of God

Notice the stirring it caused.

The Stirring

Acts 4:19–20 NIV84

19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

What has God stirred up in your life? How has He healed you and how have you shared what He has done? Acts 4:21

Acts 4:21 NIV84

21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

We see a beautiful response from Peter and John.

Acts 4:23 NIV84

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

I love what happened next:

Acts 4:24–30 (NIV84)

24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 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 take their stand

and the rulers gather together

against the Lord

and against his Anointed One.’

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

The Shaking

After they prayed this incredible prayer, notice what happened next.

Acts 4:31 NIV84

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The effect of their prayer was physically evident. It shook as if an earthquake too place. What would happen if we prayed in such a way? “We can’t pray that way here because these rocks would fall and our church would collapse.” Listen, if God put these stones here to glorify His name, he would definitely use them after they had been shook up to glorify His name! Oh that we would have such a movement of God that some things would be shook up!

The Sharing

What an outpouring of the grace of God they experienced by being the proclaiming church! There are many other things we could highlight in this chapter. God’s grace was not only given in the preaching and testifying they experienced, but it freed the members from greed and material need.

Acts 4:32 NIV84

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

I am convinced that our sweet church would provide for me or anyone else here absolutely anything that was needed. I am so grateful for this church! Scripture gives us a pattern to follow to be the proclaiming church we are called to be.

Acts 4:33 NIV84

33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

God has called us to be evangelistic, edifying and effective in testifying the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We are called to be a proclaiming church. This means proclaiming sound doctrine, salvation, the supremacy of God’s Word, and the sovereignty of God. Individually, we must ask, am I helping or hurting us in being the proclaiming church we are called to be! Let’s strive to be obedient, to serve, and to share what God has done for us!