Let It Be Known

Introduction

Since Thanksgiving, all I’ve really done is sit on the couch, eat donut sticks, watch TV, and read books. Like, I’m losing my mind. But, between the ankle surgery and a COVID quarantine, I’ve really become quite a couch potato. The person I really feel bad for is my wife. I’m doing nothing, and she’s running around pulling double duty on everything. She cooks, and I consume. She cleans the house, and I read Corrie ten Boom. She takes care of the kids (and me), and I watch Battlebots. And, as I’ve thought about it, I’ve realized that has become the nature of much of modern Christianity. We watch and we read and we consume, but we never do anything. We’ve become couch potato disciples.

Notice what it says the Sanhedrin realized about Peter and John. It says “they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” They saw the courage and boldness of their witness; they say their refusal to stop advancing their message; they saw their power to heal and help others, and “they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Our church’s vision is to make maturing and multiplying disciples to the ends of the earth. Another way for us to say that is to say that our church’s vision is to raise up a generation of men and women that look like Jesus everywhere that we go. But, you see, if you only consume and never invest, if you only watch and never speak, if you only sit and never go, you are unrecognizable as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus said that he was making his disciples into “fishers of men.” So, we should watch and read and learn and gather, but we should do those things with the aim of going in our minds. That’s why we’ve created the discipleship process. That’s how we move you toward being a maturing and multiplying disciple, toward being a person that is recognized as someone who has been with Jesus. But, that process must lead to going. Connecting is so important, but it isn’t enough. Being invested in by a disciplemaker as a disciple is so important. But, until you’re going to make disciples yourself, until you’re going with boldness and courage, you’re unrecognizable as a disciple yourself.

God’s Word

Peter and John have been arrested and brought before the ruling council of Israel - the Sanhedrin

They had healed a paralyzed man who had been paralyzed for more than 40 years. “But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

People knew this man and were astonished by his healing, knowing it must’ve been the power of God.

They crowd around Peter and John, who point them to Jesus, who had been raised from the dead.

The council wants to nip this in the bud; so, they arrest them to try to quiet them and calm down the crowd.

Implications of Jesus Being the Only Way

What got them in trouble was their message.

Their message: “12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Do you believe that? If you really do, there are implications that will reshape your life so that it looks like Peter and John’s.

We cannot be “silent.”

We need to ask: Why was the Sanhedrin so deeply offended and so overtly threatened by Peter and John, a couple of regular joes with no real education or platform?

Emphasis on speaking:

v. 1 The came to them “as they were speaking to the people”

v. 2 They were “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.”

v. 17 “But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”

They were not threatened by their integrity/kindness/hospitality/smiles. They weren’t threatened because Peter and John had resolved to live quiet, honorable lives as good examples in their families and communities.

They were threatened by their message, by what they taught, by what they said (“Jesus is the only way to salvation”). They recognized that the reason that the hope of Jesus recognition was spreading was because these people wouldn’t be quiet about it.

In an aim to not be offensive and controversial and uncomfortable, many of us have adopted a Charlie Chaplin Christianity. (Charlie Chaplin: Silent movies where there was acting but no speaking. Audiences were left to fill in the details on their own.)

We recognize that the offense and discomfort comes from the message, not the lifestyle. (“If you don’t love Jesus and follow Jesus, you will be condemned to hell.”)

So, we aim to live with integrity/kindness/friendliness, and then hopefully they can fill in the rest of the details like a Charlie Chaplin movie.

The problem: Romans 1 - We are spiritually blind so that we cannot see, and we are spiritually dead so that we refuse to see.

Hope will not spread through a silent church.

We cannot give up speaking the gospel.

If Jesus is the only way to salvation, then we must tell them, we must say it.

Romans 10:14 “14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

It’s not live the gospel or speak the gospel; it’s speak the gospel as you live the gospel.

Lived Gospel + Proclaimed Gospel = Kingdom Building (real people, real children, real teenagers being rescued by hope)

A Great Irony: Acts 4:14 “14But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.”

They were the one’s silenced!

Their culture said: “Shut up, and we won’t arrest you.” Our culture says, “Shut up, and we won’t shame you.”

But, Jesus was ultimately silence every enemy, and, one day, even those who shame you, even those who make your life difficult will declare that Jesus as Lord. Let’s declare it now!

We must not “stop.”

“Let it be known”

They are irritated because a man has been miraculously healed, and the resurrected Jesus is getting all of the credit.

They see it as an opportunity to testify to the power and goodness of Jesus.

“Let it be known” is the essence of our mission to make disciples.

Our mission is to let it be known who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what Jesus is doing.

It’s to live proud of Jesus in a world that tries to humiliate you.

It’s to declare: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

It’s to “let it be known” where it is not known.

Imbedded within the exclusivity of the gospel is a responsibility for those who know him to go and “let him be known” with all of their energy and all of their resources.

Romans 10:14–15 “14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

We have to go places that have never known.

Over 41% of the world’s population or 3.23 billion people in the world are less than two percent Christian, many of whom don’t have a single Christian witness among them.

There is more people who don’t know Jesus in China than there are people in North and South America.

We have to go to places where they think they know, but don’t really.

Mormonism in Utah

Prosperity gospel in Swaziland

Catholicism in Ahuatempan

Cultural Christianity in Northeast Alabama

Practical universalism has snuck in among us.

We say, “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father except through him.”

But, practically, in our lives, we live like: “Somehow, it’ll all just work out.”

That’s why our children don’t know.

That’s why our families don’t know.

That’s why our neighbors and friends don’t know.

That’s why missions is just another thing the church does, and not the aim and mission of our lives.

We must not stop, but the good news is that we cannot be stopped.

2nd Great Irony: The Sadducees disavowed the resurrection (especially the resurrection of Jesus), and they were undone by it.

John 18 tells of another time in which Annas and Caiaphas held a big meeting to stop Jesus’ message. And, it was a meeting that led to them getting exactly what they wanted, the crucifixion of Jesus. They thought they had stopped it until Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, and it spread faster than ever.

Here they arrested Peter and John to stop them from spreading the message. The message of the ressurection spread anyway until 15,000-20,000 were saved.

Then, they sought to intimidate and scare the apostles, but Peter spoke boldly. How? By the Holy Spirit who had raised Jesus from the dead.

Every effort to stop the Church is overcome by the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

He will frustrate every enemy.

He will strengthen every messenger.

Have you answer the call to “let it be known?”

We have someone here this morning who has.

Pivot to an interview with Lynn Foster.