You Shall Receive Power!

Questions for reflection:

1. Do we have power from on high?

2. Are we an effective witness for Jesus Christ?

3. Do we truly know what it means to be a witness for Christ?

4. How often and in what manner am I an influence in the social spheres of my community?

I. YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER

o If there is one thing the church needs more of today than anything else, it is the POWER OF GOD!!

o Enough with the programs, methodology, entertainments and let’s connect with the POWER of God!

o We have been given AUTHORITY (Exousia) / through Jesus Christ but we require POWER to do the work!

o Example - Light Bulb is connected to the electricity and will light up the room ONLY when you turn the power switch on....

o Greek word for power is DYNAMIS! The word “dynamite” comes from here! Dynamite does one thing: BLOWS THINGS UP!!

o DYNAMIS is strength, ability, power to do a job

o Power gives MORAL POWER, and EXCELLANCE of Soul!

o Power to INFLUENCE and power to perform miracles,

o Power is given for DIVINE PURPOSE not for selfish gain! (Simon the Sorcerer Acts 8).

o (John 14:16) - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.

o (John 14:17) that the Holy Spirit would be with them (collectively) and in them (individually.)

o Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would empower them to do kingdom work.

Charles Spurgeon – Without the Spirit of God – we can do nothing! We are as ships without the wind, Branches without sap, and like Coals without fire!! We are useless!

Power comes from the Holy Spirit. (He is a person!! Not a thing, not an it, or a force. He is a Person!)

- He is the one who raised Jesus from the dead and he dwells in us! He gives us gifts so we may edify and serve one another and empowers us to reach the lost with the Gospel.

- He is our Helper, our Comforter (Parakletos)

o The Holy Spirit took the place of Christ in the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

o Holy Spirit doesn’t make life better and easier...He Makes it possible!

- The Purpose of Power: To be a “witness” for Christ.

- Being a witness includes our words and our walk. It involves not only the things we say, but how we live our life.

I. YOU SHALL BE WITNESSES (Christ’s Legacy: The Call To Witness)

Witness - Those who are His example have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death!

- In Greek Witness is - (Martous) – Martyr

To be a true genuine witness for Jesus Christ comes with its share of glory but also opposition, retaliation, and even death!

- Once the disciples were endued with power....it was not for them to sit pretty in their synagogues and recite the Torah....rather it was to go out into Jerusalem and be a powerful spokesman/spokeswoman for the Kingdom of God....WITNESS JESUS CHRIST!!

- A witness is a person who has seen or can give firsthand evidence of some event!

- The apostles were selected and chosen of God and ordained to be witnesses of the resurrection! And they went forth testifying loudly and boldly of the atonement and resurrection!

- The role of witness is simply to share all that one has seen, heard, and experienced! God is the one who does the changing in the hearts!

- All who know God are to Proclaim Him! This is not just for the talented chosen few....Evangelism is every believers responsibility.

(Romans 10:14-15) - How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

(1 Peter 2:9) – But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

The Martyrdom of James

From Acts 12:2 we know that Herod beheaded the apostle James, brother of John, but do you know the rest of this story?

James was the first apostle to suffer death after the martyrdom of Stephen. Although Herod was the authority that took his head, James’s fate started when an individual brought charges against him before the tribunal. When the case was over and James had been condemned to death, the man who had instigated the trial was deeply moved by the behavior and continence of the apostle. James was so filled with the Spirit of God that on the way to the place of execution the one who had initiated the charges against him made a confession of faith in Christ. When he asked James to forgive him, the apostle said, “Peace be to thee, brother.” James then kissed him and both men were beheaded for their faith in 36 A.D. A Spirit-filled life may lead to physical death.

- Being a witness involves both our words and actions!

- It is out of who we are in Christ and whose we are as children of God that we go onto to share and act in a way that is pleasing to God.

- We share our personal testimony! Share a Gospel Track. We can share a scripture passage with a friend. We can be available to pray for others and even in our conversations we can always seek for Segway to speak about the Word of God!

So we are given POWER for purpose.....That purpose is to WITNESS....and finally WHERE this is to be done, Jesus leaves us a Geographical Map!

I. IN JERUSALEM, JUDEA, SAMARIA, AND THE END OF THE EARTH

Jerusalem – Where Jesus was executed.

· Represents our immediate sphere of influence – family and close friends

Judea – Where Jesus’s ministry was rejected

· Represents our acquaintances outside our comfort zones

Samaria – Where the disciples fell out of place and looked down at people.

· Represents those who are culturally and socially different than us.

To The End of The Earth – Apostle Paul began this movement “Gentiles”

· is geographical and ethnic in scope, inclusive of all people and locales.

(1 Peter 3:15, AMP) - But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.

As D. L. Moody walked down a Chicago Street one day, he walked up to a man and asked him if he were a Christian. The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed, “You mind your own business!”

“This is my business,” replied Moody.

“Well, then, you must be Moody,” the man responded.

(Ephesians 2:10) says we are, “Created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” There are works that God has planned for you to accomplish today—witnessing, giving, encouraging, loving—and it is vitally important that you are busy doing God’s work while there is still time.

Conclusion

THE APOSTLES IN ACTION.....