Acts 1:1-11: The Church's Mission (YTH Version)

Recapping Study Over the Last Year

Begin by briefly summarizing the last couple of weeks and where we are now.

Acts 1:1–3 CSB

1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Gather into groups of two or three and fill out the Luke Scavenger Hunt Sheet

Go over answers together

Turning to the text we will read about Jesus’ ascension to heaven and also the mission He leaves with His followers.

Acts 1:4–11 CSB

4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” - Wait for Holy Spirit. Did not say why, how long, but God had a special plan in place. Promised in Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. - After Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures about His death and resurrection the disciples were wondering if Jesus would establish His kingdom, also other Scriptures look forward to a day when God would rule physically over the whole world. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - God has another plan. Jesus points the disciples to that plan. 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

Jesus leaves His disciples with the command to wait for the Holy Spirit and the charge to go into the whole world in His name proclaiming the gospel.

Here’s the bottom line, God is not done working.

Jesus is alive! He rose from the dead! He has made salvation available to all! But this is not the end. God has more planned.

Romans 10:13–14 CSB

13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher?

Jesus made a way to salvation, the ONLY way, but everyone is not automatically saved. (Did you know this?) Each person has to personally believe in Jesus, surrender to Him, place faith in Him.

But how can people do this if they never hear about Jesus!

The plan Jesus began to reveal to the disciples in this passage and what we know now is the Church’s mission to reach the lost with the gospel!

We could talk about a lot more with this text but I wanted to keep today light. Here are three brief points I would like to emphasize from our reading:

God has poured out His Holy Spirit

Through the Spirit we are all called to share the Good News about Jesus

The Good News is for everyone!

God has poured out His Holy Spirit!

Look again at Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We don’t talk much about the Holy Spirit in Church, at least not as much as we do the Father and Jesus.

The disciples would know who Jesus is talking about because He is mentioned a lot in the Old Testament and God’s prophecies to them as a nation!

QUESTION: Did Israel do a good job following God? Yes or no. No! They made a covenant with God, promising to follow Him and they failed every step of the way! They broke God’s law, did not worship Him, and also failed in being a “light to the nations” pointing others to God as God intended.

God did not give up on His people. Not only did people need to be forgiven but they needed a new heart. God promised that one day He would send His Holy Spirit and His Spirit would empower His people to follow Him.

God mentions this promise in Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. It is a major biblical theme.

Jesus is announcing that the fulfillment of this promise would come quickly! In our day the Spirit already has come and is received by all who call on the name of Jesus and are saved.

Jesus is ALSO introducing another dimension to following God by the Spirit’s power here,

Another major way the Spirit will empower us to follow God is to share the Gospel with others!

Through the Spirit we are all called to share the Good News about Jesus!

Look again at verse 8. It says, having received the power of the Spirit we will become His “witnesses.”

QUESTION: What does it mean to witness something?

Court testimony trustworthy.

It is your truthful message and experience.

Imagine you are in the disciple’s shoes. Jesus is commissioning you to spread the news about Him all across the world. That means leaving this town, possibly giving up your plans and what you may have thought was important, and devoting yourself to God’s will--this is a big task! You would need courage to go into different states or countries and talk to people about Jesus.

Heck I need courage to share Jesus with my friends and neighbors! It is scary!

This may all sound scary or like too much to bare, however this is why God gives us His Holy Spirit. You do not need to know all of the answers, or have a masters degree in theology, or be a pastor. The Gospel is simple and God will empower YOU to share it if you surrender to Him.

God delights to use ordinary people to do His work, the Bible is full of ordinary men and women God used to do great things.

This mission and charge is for each and every one of us. In God’s wisdom and perfect timing, God will bring people into your life who only you can minister to. Who only you have a close enough relationship with. Who only you have the ability to speak significantly into their life. The question is, will you look for these moments, are you willing to share the simple message of Jesus with others and when these moments come will you obey?

The Good News is for everyone!

As we talk about the need to share the Gospel is is important to end on this note: the Gospel is for everyone! Everyone needs Jesus. Everyone needs forgiveness. We should want everyone to be restored and live forever in Heaven with us and God.

There are people I do not like. There will be people you will not like.

The very fact that Jesus is sending His disciples out to the ends of the earth shows that the gospel is for everyone.

Christians do not always model this well. The media certainly capitalizes on showing the few examples of Christians being hypercritical and exclusive.

The Church’s doors are open to men and women, white and black, American, Jewish, Chinese, Mexican, Russian, Iranian, etc. It is for the rich and poor. It is for the young and old. It is for democrats and republicans. It is for those who struggle with homosexual desires, those who have aborted babies, those who have embezzled money, those who have beaten their wives, those who are addicted to drugs, those who are trapped by porn, so on and so forth. The Gospel is for everyone. It is the one message that can unify the world!

This is why Christians are always at the heart of human relief efforts. Whenever a hurricane hits, churches and Christian organizations are on the front lines. When war comes to a nation, missionaries travel to support, people pray, and displaced children and families are welcomed into shelters.

Christians started the Red Cross. Christians pioneered the education system. Christians pioneered the care of orphans and children through foster care. The list goes on and on.

Christians do this because it is the power of the gospel, the gospel is for everyone. The Church is not a closed club.

I am reminded of the salvation story of Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeffrey Dahmer murdered, dismembered, and possibly cannibalized 17 men and boys. He was a serial killer. He eventually was imprisoned. Roy Ratcliff a pastor and prison minister led Dahmer to faith over a long while of meeting together and talking. Dahmer was baptized. This was a long and hard road because Dahmer supposedly struggled with the guilt he had and if he could be forgiven. He often said he deserved to die for what he did. After supposedly converting, Dahmer was murdered by another inmate. Some who grew up knowing Dahmer’s story have related him to Hitler, being the worst kind of evil often saying that if Dahmer’s in heaven they do not want to go there. But isn’t he a sinner in need of grace? Is heaven only for those who don’t sin that bad in life? That sounds like works based salvation, not the grace of Jesus.

But what about Paul the apostle? He was involved in the killing of Christians? Yet God forgave Him. Paul later wrote this about God’s grace to Him, the chief of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15 “15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Sharing Jesus with people we do not like or with people we think don’t deserve is all the more reason God sent His Spirit to empower us.

He will empower us to love others like Jesus

And here’s something interesting. Often the roughest people, the people you would not think would respond to the gospel are those who do. You never know what is going on in someone’s heart.

We are still waiting for the day Jesus returns to fully establish His kingdom here on earth. Some may get discouraged that Jesus has not come back yet after 2000 years, however I am reminded of 2 Peter 3:9

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Only God knows when He will come back and bring the end, restoration, and new beginning. But one thing is for certain, in the meantime He desires to see the lost saved, through YOU and ME.

All this year we talked about Jesus’ work, His life, His ministry, His teaching, His love for sinners. NOW we end on our time together on this note:

God loves you, He came down to suffer and die for you so that by believing in Him you can be forgiven and live with Him. When you believe in Him He also sends you His Holy Spirit and dwells in you. He is always with you. And He empowers you to live for Him. He desires to use you. He made you unique and He wants to use you in your uniqueness.

This is why Paul writes

Ephesians 2:8–10 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Will we follow God and do the things He is calling us to do? Are we willing to follow Jesus by sharing Jesus with others? I hope so.

To end our time together I would like to pray for you.