These past three weeks we have focused our messages on discipleship. The first week Pastor Tim so adequately, and literally, unpacked for us the story of Elmo, I mean Thomas, the imperfect disciple and how Jesus accepts us and knows us for who we really are – our good and bad. The 2nd week I talked about the perfect disciple, the one who lays down all selfish ambitions to follow Jesus. The world has yet to see the perfect disciple, but it is a worthy aim and a daily choice. Then last week Pastor Tim shared with us an example of how one woman’s disciple-making attitude translated into her son’s work as a leader of the church, the story of Timothy and Eunice in 2nd Timothy, and how you too can have an impact on your children with a disciple-making mind-set.
This morning, as I conclude our little mini-series on discipleship, I would like to share with you four characteristics of a disciple’s journey: Expand, Embrace, Encounter and Expect.
How many of you are fans of the TV show 24? Although I don’t get to watch it every week, every time I stumble upon the show, I get sucked into the action that surrounds the life of Agent Jack Bauer. One of the things I like about the show is that at the beginning of each episode, it gives you a recap of the previous episode so that if you missed it, you’re not totally lost as to what is going on. Then at the end, it gives you that hook for the next episode, that little bit of preview to intrigue you just enough so that you put it on your schedule to watch the next week.
Well – the beginning of Acts is like the 2nd episode of 24. Acts is actually the Gospel of Luke Book 2. If you look at the beginning of Luke, we see these words:
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of dthe word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you bin consecutive order, cmost excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
And then turning to the beginning of Acts. We see these words:
“The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,”
So these two books were written by the same author, Luke, and addressed or at least dedicated to the same person, Theophilus. Luke was a scholarly doctor of the 1st century, a friend of the apostles and an encourager to Paul while he was in prison. His writing style has been labeled as excellent by literary scholars. This was a bright man who desired to spread the news of the gospel through the eyewitness accounts of Jesus that had been told to him. He finishes his first book to Theophilus with these words:
“44 Jesus said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”
Ok – so we have the hook. The preview into the next episode. Luke has given a little bit of information about Jesus’ final hours with his disciples before he ascended to heaven, but he didn’t give all of it. He explains that Jesus ascended to heaven, but there’s no details, and we want to hear the details. The hook draws us into his next writing, which is what we call today “The Book of Acts” or “The Acts of the Apostles”.
And here are the details of Jesus’ final moments with his disciples. Luke first gives a recap of the last episode in verses 1 and 2, and then begins the new episode in verse 3:
“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized witha water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
EXPAND
Do you remember back to a couple of weeks ago? We were in Matthew 13 and there was all this talk about the Kingdom. Everyone wanted to know about the Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God. And the reason why they wanted to know about this so much was because they believed that the kingdom would be immediately established in their generation and that they would see freedom from the hands of Rome. They believed that Messiah would bring immediate salvation and peace for Israel. And apparently the disciples still believed in the immediate return of the kingdom to Israel, even until the very hour of Jesus’ ascension, or they wouldn’t have asked the question: “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
How did Jesus answer them, it says that
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Now if I was one of the disciples, I would have said: Lord, you must be mistaken. You just proved to hundreds of people that you are worthy to be King. You’ve done the miracles, healed the sick, raised the dead, you yourself have risen from the dead, been hanging out with us for forty days after being raised from the dead, still showing miracles, still amazing us with your teachings, showing yourself to over 500 people. Jesus –You’re King. No one would argue that. You can’t be serious that you’re not going to reign on earth now.
DO you see that? Do you see how confused the disciples must have been? Yet Jesus didn’t give them a chance, did he? Right after he answered the disciples’ question, up he goes – ascended into heaven. <> They were left a little bewildered…. Probably expecting to hear a different answer to their question and not having a chance to ask Him to explain it. But He didn’t need to. He had given them all the instructions that they needed: to wait.
What just happened here? Jesus expanded their vision. He expanded their vision by giving them His vision of the kingdom. At this moment of time, their world was turned upside down, they thought they knew what was going to happen – they had it all planned out and were sure of it. They were in control, or so they thought.
You’ve been there, haven’t you? There are moments in life where our world is rocked, whether it is a new chapter turning due to a life event, such as graduation, or marriage, or parenthood. Or if it is a death of a loved one, or discovery of a health issue which could mean a long road ahead of surgery or therapy, or it could be a sudden lost of a job or income. Whatever it is, good or bad, your world is rocked.
It is at these moments in which our vision is expanded for it is at these crossroads in life in which we are forced to make a decision, to think deeply about certain issues, to think deeply about God and eternity. Whether the circumstances which bring you to the crossroads are good or bad, these are great moments in life, for it brings evaluation and reprioritization, and this almost always results in a bigger view of God and His world and will for His world. This is why, in 2 Cor. 6, Paul boasted in His sufferings and even, as recorded in Romans 5, he rejoiced in them because he knew that each time he suffered, his vision for God’s kingdom was expanded beyond himself, beyond his own vision for things.
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was that their own vision be expanded, in Ephesians 1 it reads, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirita of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,”
Is your vision expanded? You know it is when you are given the ability to see outside of your own expectations for the Kingdom and you are given God-sized expectations. You know your vision is expanded when your life reflects choices made based not upon something your heart desires, but upon something which God desires.
EMBRACE
And here is what God is desiring of you. To EMBRACE. To Embrace His call on your life. And what is His call? Acts 1:8 states it – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
You’ve probably heard this verse interpreted as this: Do evangelism in your hometown, in your county or state, in your country and then also throughout the world. This is all fine, and certainly there is nothing inherently wrong with this interpretation, but I think it is missing a major point. I don’t think we should be focusing on a geographical strategy.
You see, Jesus was prophetically stating a fact. He knew that through persecution and the eventual destruction of Jerusalem that the believers in Jerusalem would not be able to stay there. He told them what he prophetically knew to be true – that they would be forced to witness outside of Jerusalem and their own surroundings. It wasn’t that He was commanding them to go outside of Jerusalem, He was stating a fact: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea” and so forth. And we know that history tells us this is true, as the church is expanded to include not only Jewish believers in Jerusalem, but Gentile believers in Ephesus, Rome, Spain and so on.
So if a geographical strategy for evangelism is not the point, then what is it? In Acts 1:8, Jesus is saying to his disciples, “I’m going to empower you through the Holy Spirit to witness not just in Jerusalem, but over the whole earth”. The main point here is about the calling on the disciples to become Christ’s witnesses.
In the original language, Witness, in the Greek martus (martoos), basically refers to one who “bears in mind” or “one who has knowledge of something by recollection, and who can thus tell about it”. The 11 disciples were to be Christ’s knowledge bearers to the world. They were to tell everyone about the wonderful things they saw Jesus doing while he was here on earth and about what He can still do in our lives while He reigns in heaven.
It is interesting to note that the same word used to describe witness in the Greek – martus - is the same word used to describe martyr elsewhere in scripture. I believe that this implies that there is a much more to simply sharing what Jesus has done for us. That in fact, witnessing could possibly be, no probably, be equal to that of Jesus’ words to those who wanted to become his disciples, “You must carry your own cross”. The only conclusion we can draw from this then is to say that the ultimate form of witnessing is to die for Him. And the disciples did just that – every one of the 11 disciples except for John were martyred for their faith. John, of course, was imprisoned during which he wrote his gospel, letters and Revelation. Their ultimate witness was in their death and it is their witness to which created the sweeping fire of the church across the world.
History will prove that it is when the church has endured great persecution that that is when the church has seen tremendous growth. It was true in the first century and it is true today. Listen to this story of a faithful disciple in China.
Pastor Li De Xian (Shee-an) was arrested 13 times in six months for "illegal preaching" to his congregation of 100. During his first arrest he was drug outside, brutally beaten, repeatedly kicked in the stomach and groin before his congregation. Upon arrival at the police station, he was beaten with a heavy club by the superintendent, then dragged into an isolation cell where he was thrown onto a concrete floor and kicked until he vomited blood. His head was then smashed against his knees as his oppressors took turns beating him on the front and back of his neck and he was finally beaten in the face with his Bible and left bleeding on the floor.
After recuperating for only a few weeks, he went back to his congregation to continue his preaching ministry, only to be arrested again and again. This happened in 1995. In 1998 it was reported that his church had grown to 500.
The last I have read about Pastor Li was from 2005 in which it was reported he was still preaching and still being arrested. During one prison term in 2000, he was forced to assemble 4000 Christmas lights per day and if he didn’t make quota by the end of his 17-hour work day, he would be whipped. After two weeks he was released with grave warnings not to preach again. With his family under constant surveillance by the authorities, he says, "I will preach [the gospel] until I die." "Christ was the first to suffer." "We just follow Him. There are many thorns, but we are just injured a little on our feet. This suffering is very little."
Pastor Li embraced the call to witness. The disciples who heard Jesus’ final words to them embraced His call to witness.
Have you embraced your call as a witness to tell people all about what Jesus has done for you?
ENCOUNTER
Not only do the disciples embrace their calling as a witness, but they have an encounter awaiting them like nothing before: Pentecost. Acts 2 records this amazing event in which the Holy Spirit filled the believers who were probably gathered in the temple, and empowered them to publicly embrace the call to witness.
Jesus promises a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit which will empower us to embrace His calling on our lives. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”. Now we know that this didn’t just apply to his 11 disciples, but to all believers. In John 14:16, 17, Jesus explains that, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.” And then Romans 8 states that “if you are a believer, you have the Spirit, if you don’t have the Spirit, you’re not a believer.” So those who belong to Christ, all who belong to Christ, have the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 is telling us that we are to expect an encounter with the Spirit which will radically transform us as we embrace His calling on our lives to be His witnesses.
However, there are times when we ignore the Holy Spirit. According to Ephesians 1, at the moment of accepting Christ as our Savior, we are sealed with the Spirit and He will never leave us. However, we have the freedom to choose whether or not to follow the Spirit and to be yielded to the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 commands that we be filled with the Spirit. If you’re not filled with the Spirit, you are filled with the world. If you are filled with the world, you are not filled with the Spirit. It is a choice – a daily choice, and sometimes more frequent than that, in which we need to lay down those selfish desires and take on the desires which are Spirit driven. It is then in this filling of the Spirit in which we will have an encounter with the Spirit.
You know, many Christians are a little gun shy about talking about the Holy Spirit. I would go as far to say that many Christians don’t want to talk about the Holy Spirit because they know they are not living Spirit empowered lives. Oswald Sanders, Christian Author and Leader, once said that, and I paraphrase, “Too many Christians live their lives as if they’re stuck between Easter and Pentecost.” Meaning that there are plenty of believers who believe in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but many never yield themselves to encounter the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence to obediently follow God’s call to become a witness.
I don’t know why it is. Perhaps it seems too superstitious for us Westerners to handle. Perhaps we’re afraid of truly yielding ourselves because we like control and we know that we wouldn’t be in control if we lived Spirit-led lives. Whatever the reason, I believe that the direct result of Christians not living Spirit-empowered lives is a church that is apathetic toward the calling of the Great Commission. We sang it – Hear the call of the Kingdom, To reach out to the lost, With the Father’s compassion, In the wonder of the cross. And the chorus: King of Heaven we will answer the call, We will follow bringing hope to the world, Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim, Salvation in Jesus’ name.
If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Your Savior, have you allowed God to expand your vision for the kingdom, have you embraced your calling as a witness and have you had an encounter with the Holy Spirit by yielding to His leading in your life?
After Jesus expands their vision for the Kingdom, the disciples EMBRACE the role of witness as they encounter the Holy Spirit’s power on the Day of Pentecost. In Acts 2, we see a new side of Peter. No longer is he the fearful man who had denied His Lord just 2 months prior, but he is a strong witness for Christ as he boldly preaches to the crowds. Peter had an encounter with the Spirit, which naturally led to embracing the call to witness.
EXPECT
The last mark of a disciple which I would like to share with you today is that of expectation. The disciple of Christ not only allows their vision to be expanded, not only embraces their role as a witness, not only seeks an encounter with the Holy Spirit, but they also expect Jesus to do what He promises to do: To provide and to return.
In Acts 1:10 we read:
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The disciples didn’t just stay put. They weren’t sad that their teacher had left them. They didn’t cry out to God – Oh what am I supposed to do now?! Luke, in his gospel says that they “worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy”! Why? Because they believed! They believed what the angels said about Jesus – that he would one day return and they believed what Jesus told them – that He would baptize them in the Holy Spirit.
They had peace in their hearts because of the hope they had in their Savior. So much peace was in their hearts that they went back to Jerusalem, freely worshiped God in the temple, and devoted themselves to prayer. Hey – they had to wait. What else are you going to do? Worship and pray, right?
When you are in that waiting period, expecting God to do something great in your immediate context, are you praying? Or are you fretting? Are you worshiping, or are you worrying? You see, the last thing Jesus did before he physically left our realm was a blessing – a blessing which was in the form of the giving of the Holy Spirit. Naturally, when God blesses, our response should be what? Worship and thanksgiving. The disciples immediately worshiped Him and, according to Acts 1:14, they devoted themselves to prayer. They sought after God with expectation!
With what expectation may we seek after God? I’ll tell you a few: We can expect God to be with us when two or more are gathered, according to Matthew 18. We can expect God to listen to our prayers, according to Psalm 18. We can expect God to give us wisdom, according to James 1. We can expect God to deliver on all of His promises, according to Heb 10:23, We can expect God to defeat Satan, according to Revelation 20 and We can expect Christ to come again, according to John 10, Acts 1 and Revelation 21.
As we wait expectantly for God to work in His timing, are you devoting yourself to prayer? Because apparently, if we are to follow the model of the disciples, we should be praying and praising. It is this action which precedes the action of embracing and encountering. For it wasn’t until the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came, that the disciples embraced their call to witness and had their encounter with the expected Holy Spirit.
Allow God to expand your vision. Then get ready for the encounter with the Holy Spirit who will help you embrace His calling on you to be a witness. And expect great things which can only happen when we are filled with the Spirit, pursuing His Kingdom work, and looking forward to the day when Christ will come again and reign supremely on earth.
