As we’ve said in this series already, there is no church on earth that has achieved perfection, but any church can head in the right direction. So we are looking at the characteristics of the early church in Acts chapter two, a church that was definitely headed in the right direction, to learn about being the kind of church we should all want to be part of.
So far, we’ve said the kind of church we should want to be part of is:
1. A church with an accord among the members;
2. A church with an allegiance to the Word of God;
3. A church that appropriates the Holy Spirit’s power; and
4. A church that adores the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, today, we’re going to consider two other characteristics of a church that is headed in the right direction. (READ TEXT)
The kind of church we should want to be part of is . . .
5. A church that actively witnesses for Christ - v. 32
Peter said, “we are all witnesses.” But some want to simply give the work of evangelism to their pastor. They argue that . . .
1. The Great Commission was only given to the apostles and therefore doesn’t apply to us today.
While it’s true Jesus addressed the Apostles when giving the Great Commission, He also addressed other believers there with the Apostles.
“The Great Commission does not record Jesus saying to the apostles, ‘. . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, except for this commandment to make disciples. Keep their grubby hands off that one, since it belongs only to you, my dear apostles.’” - D.A. Carson
Obeying the Great Commission is a privilege given to every believer for all ages. After all, what did Jesus promise those to whom He gave the Great Commission? “I am with you always.”
2. Since only some people have the “gift of evangelism,” not everyone is obligated to witness.
Some claim that since only some people have the “gift of evangelism,” not everyone is obligated to witness. But evangelism is not listed as a spiritual gift anywhere in the Bible. It is listed as an office of the church in Ephesians 4:11.
But even if it is a spiritual gift, that doesn’t excuse us from obeying the command of Scripture to “be active in sharing your faith, (Philemon 6); any more than not having the gift of service excuses us from serving; or not having the gift of giving excuses us from giving; or not having the gift of encouragement excuses us from having a positive attitude. No, as Peter said, “we are all witnesses.” Why?
1. Because the command to witness is given to all believers.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . .” - Acts 1:8a (NIV)
“We can no more restrict the command to witness than we can restrict the promise of the Spirit.” - John Stott
Does every believer receive the Holy Spirit when he receives Christ?
“And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.” - Ephesians 1:13b (NLT)
Just as we received the Holy Spirit when we believed in Christ, we received the assignment to be a witness for Christ.
2. Because of the example of in the early believers.
“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” - Acts 5:42 (NIV)
The early believers witnessed A) Persistently, B) Publicly, C) Privately, and D) Passionately.
3. Because of the stewardship the Gospel imposes on us.
“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” - Luke 12:48b (NLT)
“Is it a sin to not share the Gospel? Let’s say you were walking down a street and heard someone screaming. You ran to them to see that they were standing in front of a house that was on fire. You were told there were people in that home. So, you just turned around and walked away. Would that be wrong? Or perhaps you are a brilliant scientist who discovered a cure for cancer. You yourself had cancer and were desperate for a way to get rid of this dreaded disease. You developed a pill that if taken one time would eradicate all the cancer in a person’s body. So, you swallowed the pill and were cured, yet you never told anyone else about it.
Would that be wrong? Of course, both of these things are very wrong–in some ways even criminal. I think you can see where I am going with this. Here we are as Christians, who know how a person can have their sins forgiven and find the hope of Heaven, and we don’t share that with others? That’s even worse than not helping the people in the burning house or the ones who have cancer. Not sharing our message has eternal ramifications.
There are sins of commission and the sins of omission. A sin of commission is knowing what is wrong and doing it anyway. It’s crossing a line that God has drawn. It’s disobeying His commandments. In contrast, the sin of omission is knowing what is right and not doing it. So, back to my original question: is it a sin to not share the gospel? I believe it is. " - Greg Laurie
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” - James 4:17 (NIV)
4. Because we’re called to do the “work of ministry.”
In Ephesians 4, Paul notes different offices in the church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). He says part of the reason God “gifts” the church with such leaders is so they’ll “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (v. 12). The “work of the ministry” includes the work of evangelism.
“You are a Christian because somebody cared. Now it’s your turn.” - Warren Wiersbe
6. A church that makes an unapologetic appeal to the lost - v. 40
Notice the passion of Peter as he pled with people to come to Christ. He didn’t hold anything back. He used every word he could think of to communicate the Gospel to the crowd and implore them to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. He warned them of the consequences if they did not. He pled with the, completely unconcerned about how he might be viewed by them. He was unapologetically unashamed.
We need preachers today who will preach that hell is hot, heaven is sweet, sin is black, judgment is sure, and Jesus saves.” - Adrian Rogers
Peter was such a preacher, and the early church was such a church!
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ.” - Romans 1:16 (NLT)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.” - 2 Timothy 1:7-8a (NLT)
Why might I be ashamed of the Gospel? Because I’m . . .
More concerned about pleasing people than pleasing God.
“We are to evangelize, not because it is easy, not because we may be successful, but because Christ has called us. He is our Lord. We have no other choice, but to obey him.” - Leighton Ford
B. More concerned about my reputation than Christ’s glory.
“If a church truly loves God and the fame of His name, it is jealous for more and more people to know and praise Him.” - Jonathan Leeman
C. More focused on my inability than the Spirit’s ability.
Successful witnessing is sharing Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.” - 2 Timothy 1:7-8a (NLT)
“There is not a better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit.” - D.L. Moody
D. More focused on pleasing myself than sharing Christ’s passion.
“If we are to grab the next generation with the gospel, we must grab them with passion. And to grab them with passion, we must be gripped with it ourselves. The world needs to see Christians burning, not with self-righteous fury at the sliding morals in our country, but with passion for God.” - Kevin DeYoung
E. More focused what I might lose than the eternal loss of others.
“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled with the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” - Charles Spurgeon
Conclusion:
“Every local church that preaches the true Gospel is a part of the most dynamic movement the world will ever know. By the power of God working in the hearts of men, the lowly are great, the weak are mighty, and the mustard seed of faith topples a mountain (Matt. 17:20). The local church is not the B-team – it is ground zero for God’s kingdom work. Join it, serve it, love it, and
experience the satisfaction that comes with involvement in the Gospel cause that transcends all others.” - Owen Strachan
