Sbs Class Feb 22 2009 Pastor Acts)

Key Verse: (Acts 1:8) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We are commanded to be tellers of the gospel ! We are to curb our inquisitiveness and be willing to be left in ignorance . The secret things belong to God and the revealed things are our responsibility to tell. Is Acts 1:8 a command or a suggestion (Greek text can go either way), however what does Acts 10:42 reveal? Why was the empowering of the indwelling Holy Spirit pivotal Acts ?

They would need the Holy Spirit to enlighten them Acts 16:13-14  As to their memories  As to their message  As to their movements They needed the Holy Spirit to energize them  To preach with power  To live the life They needed the Holy Spirit to encourage them. They needed the Holy Spirit to establish their focus They needed the Holy Spirit to empower their witness throughout the world

To be witnesses “to the ends of the earth” - “the uttermost part of the earth” M 1 Jerusalem and their own community M 2 Judea and their own culture and country M 3 Samaria – out beyond their own confines and comfort zones. M 4 Global Outreach In the Globalization of the world as God is bringing the world to our doorsteps we can reach M1, M2, M3, M4 all at one time. “And you will be my witnesses” occurs no less than 39X Acts 2:32; 3:15;10:39;22:15

To what do we witness? What is our Message? As Christ TELLERS what do we say? Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh; he died to pay for our sins; he was resurrected; now he is exalted in Heaven; he calls us to believe in him and so receive forgiveness of sins. This is the good news. There is nothing to join, no system to climb – just a person to receive and, in him eternal life. We cannot be water boys in the game of life, for God has called us to roll up our sleeves and pitch in! To be his witness we must have the logos, the Word of God We must have ethos the inner reality of what we proclaim. Lastly we must have pathos, the passion, and zeal to turn the world upside down .

What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit according to John 16:811? The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, and righeousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit works on the minds of the unbeliever to show them truth of God. The Holy Spirit convicts of Judgment, By Jesus death who is defeated? Heb 2:14. A condemned criminal Satan is awaiting his execution. What is the question of the crowd in Acts 2:37? What is the meaning of repent? Change of outlook, world view, of heart. Conduct, and lifestyle

Exegete Acts 2:38-39? Does this teach salvation by repentance and faith? Or does it teach baptismal regeneration. You all repent? (pl) so that your (pl) sins will be forgiven Be baptized (sing) each one of you (sing.) Cf. Acts 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 Let’s just take a moment and look at Pentecost and other passages and see the “sign” gift of tongues as a validating and authenticating of the church. • Key vers I Cor 14:21-22 • Validation of the Jews - Acts2 • Validation of the Samaritans Acts 8 • Validation of the Gentiles in Acts 10 Validation of the baptism of Jesus rather than the baptism of John the Baptist.

Acts 2:42-47 1. When the Spirit reigns believers relate to the word of God (teaching) 2. Where the Spirit reigns, a love for God’s word reigns. 3. When the Spirit reigns believers learn and live out the word. 4. Where the Spirit reigns believers relate to each other (koinonia) 5. Where the Spirit reigns believers engage the Lord in worship. 6. Where the Spirit reigns, believers become tellers of the gospel Where were believers first called Christians? Antioch Acts 11:26. What does God expect to see in the church that will touch the world? Unity! John 17:21

What was the leadership make up of Antioch? Barnabas a Levite from Cyprus – a European Simon called Niger ( A Black brother from Africa and none other than Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross for Jesus. Lucius of Cyrene, a North African Manaan, a Palestinian and a foster brother of Herod. He was brought up by Herod who yielded to the whims of Herodias and had John the Baptist beheaded. Saul who came from Tarsus an Asian. And his passion is stated in Acts 28:30-31

What is your story? Your life before Christ. How you received Jesus Christ What are the changes that have taken place since you received Christ?

“What is the message of the gospel? Here’s what I understand the good news to be: the good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him. In His great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for our sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted God’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life and eternal life with God. “ Mark Devers, Pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC

NOW THAT IS THE CHURCH ALIVE AND WELL! What are the sins of a dying church? Essential church? Reclaiming a generation of dropouts G. Thom S. Rainer and Sam S. Rainer III Doctrine dilution Lose of Evangelistic passion Failure to be Relevant Few Outward focused ministries Conflict over personal choices The Priority of Comfort Biblical Illiteracy