ACTS: Telling the Whole World about Jesus

 

Acts 4:15 They escorted Peter and John and the man out of the room so the leaders could talk in private. 16 One asked, "What should we do with these men? The word about what they did is spreading rapidly and there is no denying the miracle of healing.  17 We need to stop this from spreading further. I think we have to forbid them men from using the name, Jesus, in anything they say or do. There seems to be some great power in that name."

 

            I am still amazed that the religious leaders could not see beyond the need to get rid of Jesus from the vocabulary and minds of the people so things “could get back to normal.” What is it that blinds us so we cannot even see the miracles before our eyes? To these leaders they will not even consider the miracle as being something to be happy about. They cannot fathom that God would come to earth without their permission. They would not even look at the Scriptures and the life of Jesus and see even the slightest possibility that He could be the Messiah promised from ages gone by. All they could think about was to eradicate the name of Jesus from the vocabulary of anyone in Jerusalem. 

 

Blinded by pride. Arrogance settles in so comfortably to our lives that we cannot even look at someone else’s viewpoint and work together with them to strive for a better life. 

18 They escorted Peter and John back into the room and demanded they no longer use the name, Jesus, in their speaking or teaching. 19 Peter and John responded by saying, "You have to decide about this as you see fit from your understanding, but we have to obey God’s calling to us. 20 We cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard."

 

 Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter stands up in the presence of those who have the earthly authority to take his life and speaks a bold message. He could have just said, “Jesus” and waited to see their response. Was the name so powerful in their eyes that they would have trembled in fear as it was spoken. But Peter not only continues to use the name, Jesus, but reminds this leadership how they were the ones who crucified Jesus. To add insult to injury he reminds them that God, their God, has raised Jesus from the dead. Peter confesses before these leaders that Jesus, although crucified, is no longer dead, but very much alive.

He quotes Old Testament Scriptures to them. A Scripture that clearly indicts this current group of accusers. The passage Peter quotes points out to this leadership that there would be a stone which the builders rejected, and which God made into the chief cornerstone of the building. They understood Peter’s analogy that they were the builders and they rejected, Jesus, the stone. Clearly Peter was saying God had made Jesus into the key stone in the building upon which all other parts of the building find support.

The controversial interpretation that Peter shares with this leadership has confounded people for centuries since. Salvation comes in no other name than the name of Jesus. God has not given to mankind another name. People want there to be another name. They want those who believe differently than the Christians to be saved as well. Many Christians today would say that whatever name you use as long as you believe in God you will be in heaven. That is not the message of Christianity.

Peter here echoes the teaching of Jesus from the end of the book of Matthew. 

“I command you to go out into all the nations of the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching how to do everything I have taught you. I will be with you as long as there is time left on this earth.” (Matthew 28:19-20 EBV) 

This command sends us all out into the world so we can help people from every nation, every faith structure, and every cultural background, have the opportunity to hear the message of Jesus, the world’s Messiah. This is not so Christians will have something to do but because, without Jesus, the rest of the world will die and spend eternity in separation from God. 

Peter knew the message and the meaning well. Those who listened to him in public heard clearly what he had to say and changed their lives to follow Jesus. The leadership accusing him understood Peter to say they were outside the kingdom of God because they were choosing to reject the chief cornerstone of God’s building. They were not angry because Peter was gaining followers, they were outraged that Peter was telling them they were in opposition to God and what God was doing for the kingdom of Israel and the world. Who was this lowly, uneducated fisherman to tell them what God had done, explaining God was their job?

But to Peter, nothing ranked as more important than to proclaim the truth of Jesus. Preaching the message gained the highest place in his life; more important than life itself, friends, or the law of the land. Peter now followed wherever Jesus led and spoke whatever Jesus placed on his heart, just as Jesus had listened to the Father and responded. Nothing would stand in the way of Jesus being glorified and not even the religious leadership’s stern warnings of death would stop him from speaking the message of good news. 

Would you love to have the ability to have the right words to say at the right time? Would you love to allow the Holy Spirit to use you to bear witness to those who need to hear the message of Jesus Christ? Keep in mind, being used by the Holy Spirit might take you to places where you will be under pressure for your beliefs. The Holy Spirit might lead you to people who need to hear but will also be offended at first or annoyed by your constant focus on Jesus. 

 How many times have you wished you could heal someone through your prayers to Jesus? Do you want the healing to take place for the other person to get well? Might you be desiring others to see you have some power you do not really possess? Would you be willing to pray for someone and then suffer the consequences of persecution because you did something the people around you did not like? The Holy Spirit uses healing in the New Testament to draw a crowd so the healers can share the message of Jesus with those who see. Some believe, and some do not, but the healing attracts the attention so the message can be shared. The glory cannot be ours, but only God’s.

21 The leaders could not decide what to do next. They knew the people saw this miracle as the working of God, but they wanted this teaching to stop. All they could do was threatened Peter and John some more and let them go. 22 The healed man was over 40 years old and people had seen him at the gate begging for years.

 

 The leadership saw a threat to their power, their faith, and their future. They felt a need to stop the spread of this teaching and the miraculous works of these uneducated men. But even when put to the challenge, these common folks from the country spoke with such authority and power that even the leadership could not deny the impact of what these men spoke. 

There are two common ways people attempt to respond to the success of others. They either try to squelch it or copy it. Here the leadership attempts to hinder the spread of this teaching by threatening the primary teachers. 

 

Up against a power greater than their own authority, the leadership was at a loss for what to do. They told Peter and John to no longer use the name of Jesus. Both of these disciples stood their ground, willing to take whatever judgment came their way. Much the same as the apostle Paul later said to the church in Corinth, 

“When I preach the good news to people, I am not able to boast at all because I have to preach, I am compelled by the Holy Spirit. If I do not preach this message, I feel completely distraught.” (I Corinthian 9:16 EBV) 

 

 To the dismay of the leaders, the disciples would not stop talking about Jesus and proclaiming to others the power which they found in their life because of knowing Jesus. The people loved the message. The leadership seemed determined to have the people love them, so they let Peter and John go free. But their freedom was short lived.

What about today? Are there places in the world where we can be arrested for talking about Jesus? Or closer to home, can we think of a few places where we know our favorable talk about Jesus will not be accepted? I remember the question floating around in the 60s and 70s, “If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?” The evidence the leadership had on Peter and John conflicted with their pride and they chose to set them free as a gesture of good will for the people.

23 Peter and John could not wait. They went straight to the people of the church to report all that had happened to them and what the religious leaders had to say. 24 The people responded by raising their voices and bringing prayers before God, "Almighty LORD, we bless You, our Creator and the Creator of all things in heaven, and earth, and sea. 25 “Your Holy Spirit has spoken by our father David: 'The nations seem disturbed, agitated, and individuals lay out schemes each day, why? 26 ‘The kings gather together, and even the leaders of small gangs unite against Yahweh and against the Messiah.' 27 “Herod and Pilate conspired together with all the peoples against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom you have anointed. 28 “They thought they were doing evil, but they could only do what you gave them permission to do. You decided this beforehand. 29 “Yahweh give us the confidence to speak Your word with great boldness in the midst of their threats to us. 30 “We seek Your hand to lead us with miracles and wonders performed in the name of Jesus, our Lord." 31 Then, when they had stopped praying, the room was shaken and once again the Holy Spirit came upon them, filling them with boldness to proclaim the good news. 

 A time of rejoicing and praise. Peter and John gathered with their friends to worship God for what He had done. Just like today, the church gathers every week so that people who follow Jesus can get together and worship God for what He has done, in history and in their own lives during the past week. 

 Did you catch the meaning of the interpretation of the quote from David? God takes the rulers of the world and gathers them together against Him to accomplish His purposes. Is it possible for God to be in control of a nation for destruction? Could it ever be God’s will for a nation to experience a growing evil? Or does God’s will always have to look to the Christian Church as richness, increase, blessing, and wonderful joy? God works things together to bring about whatever He has predestined to occur. Sometimes that looks like something we might not like. To the disciples it looked like the death of Jesus, and the criticism of them speaking in the name of Jesus. What can you think of in your life where your first reaction to the experience was “bad news” and you later began to see it as God at work?

The disciples gathered and spent time in telling the story and worshipping God. Now they asked God for some things. Today when the church experiences difficult times, persecution, struggle, the prayer request at the end of these times often centers around thanks for God getting them out of a difficult time and the hope for more pleasant times to come. Peter and John ask for more potential persecution.

First, give us more opportunities to talk about Jesus. Second, use us to heal more people. Third, let Your Holy Spirit do signs and wonders through us so that others will see and believe in Jesus. They did not ask for peace, for change in the society so that there would be less persecution, or for wealth. They prayed for more opportunities to talk about Jesus with people in their neighborhoods and workplaces. 

 This boldness to speak about Jesus got the disciples into trouble in the first place. If they continue to speak out boldly in the temple and in the streets, the leadership will probably be increasingly upset with them. They can expect to be in prison again if they continue to speak out in the name of Jesus. Yet, they pray for more opportunities.

 

32 The followers of Jesus were united in their focus. What they owned belonged to everyone in the group and they freely shared it. 33 They were able to see the apostles speak about the Lord Jesus and His resurrection and there was an outpouring of grace upon them all. 34 No one was needy in their midst. Some even sold their houses and lands, bringing the money from these transactions 35 to the apostles so that things could be distributed in an orderly fashion. 

 The persecution did not deter the group of new disciples. It seemed to energize them. Being of one heart and one soul appears to have been a wonderful time. Their souls were focused on their faith in Jesus Christ and on carrying out the mission God had laid before them. And they were in this together. Their hearts were united to serve Jesus by spreading the message of His resurrection to the whole world. There was a camaraderie and support in that fellowship.

They were not quibbling about methods or words or programs. They were talking with others about Jesus. They were seeking ways to the support one another. And they spent time in worship of God so they could have the strength to go back out tomorrow to share their new-found faith with more people.

Everyone in their group had what they needed to live on. If someone lacked, others chipped in to help out. Some people even sold their possessions and gave the money to the apostles so the goods could be distributed where they were needed most. Of course, they had a strong feeling of urgency because they believed that Jesus would return in a very short period of time; like months. Their material wealth did not matter so much as the building up of the other disciples so that they would all be strong when Jesus returned.

But even today, there are people who regularly give up what they have in order to support the church and the opportunities that come available to share the good news with the community and the world. And today, in many ways, the sharing is not much different, finding ways to meet the needs of a person so that person has the ability to focus on the things of faith. If a person is starving, the message of Jesus is going to sound like a disconnect until they have eaten something. In the same way, ministries of meeting the needs of those around us, helps open the doors for us to then share with them the message of Jesus and the need for their salvation.

As was true in the first century, so is the goal of the church today, to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to the world. And that world begins in our Jerusalem, and then our Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the world. For those of us at Bonny Doon Church, that translates to Bonny Doon, then Santa Cruz County, then California, and beyond. 

 

 36 A disciple whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning Son of Encouragement, (his real name was Joseph, and his Jewish heritage was the tribe of Levi, a Levite, and he came from the Island of Cyprus), 37 sold some property he owned and brought the money to the apostles to help the growing church.

 

There is a type of Joy that comes to Christians when we experience persecution for our faith. A subtle confidence and strength that God is at work within us helping them to do the right thing. Joy comes as well in sacrifice when as a Christian we choose Jesus over life, over jobs, and over friends. And even more Joy comes when a Christian learns what it means to share what we have with others in need. Whether the sharing is money, things, time, or assistance for the love of Jesus, the heart is lifted and encouraged.  

Luke introduces the readers of the Book of Acts to Barnabas, who will plat a key role in the remainder of the story of this book, as a friend of the apostle Paul and a fellow missionary to the regions of his homeland, Cyprus, and the areas of southern Turkey. Barnabas sees the need in the church in Jerusalem and sells some property so the money can be used by the apostles as they determine what is needed most. 

Barnabas knows that Jesus is a significant part of his life and he wants to share what he has with the church. He has seen the persecution of the apostles as they continued to share the good news. He sees the joy in the church as they join forces with the disciples and rally around this single goal of telling others about Jesus and learning to live by His new guidelines, the guidelines of the Spirit of love. He is overwhelmed by the need and freely shares what he has with the church. 

What he does not know, what none of us know, is what will God ask of us next. Ours is not to know but to be willing to follow. Jesus called His disciples from their fishing nets and their tax table and said, “Come with Me.” And they were compelled to leave it all behind to walk with Jesus, in His few years of ministry, through the tragedy of His death, and into the unknown of the future of being witnesses of Him. 

And that is our calling still today. I love the way Jesus has forgiven my sins, and I love the new life I have in Him. But His calling is not so that I can just sit back and enjoy the blessings He pours out upon me. No, He has called me, He calls us, to find ways to bear witness to the things we have seen and heard, to what we know Jesus has done for us. Like Jesus’ parable of the sower, the seed we sow might land on good soil and produce fruit. It might also land beside the road and not grow very little. We are not in control of the growing. We can help it along from time to time, but as Paul said in his frustration to the church in Corinth who wanted to divide the church based upon which teacher was the better one, 

“I have had the joy of planting the seed among you, Apollos has watered that seed by his teachings, but the growth in your faith has come from God alone. Those who plant and those who water deserve little recognition, all of the glory goes to God because He grows faith within us who believe.” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7 EBV)

The journey each of us in on as followers of Jesus, is a journey to give the glory to God, not ourselves or our teachers. Our stories are quite different from one another as anyone can see if they read the book, Faith on the Mountain, Spiritual Stories from the Bonny Doon Church. But the goal of all who call themselves followers of Jesus is still the same as the goal of the first century followers; to tell the world about our experiences with Jesus, our Lord. 

May you be blessed with boldness as you witness, confidence as you believe, and joy even in the midst of persecution. God is with you.

Pastor Edd 

P.S. You can listen to the sermon on YouTube as well.