Go, Stand, and Speak, pt. 1
Acts 5:12-20
The early church is having a huge impact on Jerusalem/1,000s saved, healed, lives changed!/church is unified/magnified/multiplied [magnification in public eye happens when He is lifted up!...affects our public reputation!]
The gospel is spreading like wildfire/church growing by leaps and bounds/everyone is happy about it…well, almost everyone.
The religious leaders aren’t happy about it. They opposed Jesus, and were parties to His death, and resented His resurrection! Now they are losing their power over the people. They are jealous, envious, indignant!
v. 17 “indignation”
v. 28 “you have filled Jerusalem w/ your doctrine”
Not meant as a compliment, but as a complaint…but the Holy Spirit takes and turns it into a great compliment.
[these same ones said of Jesus: He’s a friend of sinners!]
Best compliment we could receive is for people to say, “that church believes…” whatever! Take a stand, let the truth be known, get salt out of shaker!
On front page of paper on Easter was a story about changed lives from “The Passion”. One member of a church in town, unmentioned, but one which, despite what the Bible says, advertises that “you can leave your wallet at home!”, gave public testimony about her church in saying: “I finally got it…all these years of going to church…but this movie helped me understand what Jesus is all about!”
[not a compliment to that church!]
How can we fill Decatur w/ God’s Word? Look at v. 19
vv. 19-20 Simple, 3 point outline! And it’s the obvious way of fulfilling the great commission!
“Go” deals with the consistency of our witness
“Stand” deals with the courage of our witness
“Speak” deals with the communication of our witness
Today let’s just deal w/ that little word “Go”.
v. 32a A witness has first-hand knowledge of something important, and is called to the stand. But before they can take the stand/their stand, they have to get up and go.
We call it the great commission: “Go”
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
What are the first 2 letters of the gospel? GO!
Psalm 126:6
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Nothing happens until we go!
Jesus said it, Jesus did it!
Mark 1:38
And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Mark 5:19 [Jesus cast demon out of man…]
Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Matthew 13:3
And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Let’s went! Many used to be in the habit of witnessing, but your get up and go…got up and went!
Luke 10:1-3
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. [2] Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. [3] Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
We can’t know who will accept the Lord and who will reject Him!
John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit…
Who are the chosen?
Luke 10:10-11
But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, [11] Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you…
[Because whosoever will may come/God is not willing…]
Some get off track about predestination…it’s tough to understand until you understand the word “foreknowledge”
Moody: God save the elect, then elect some more!
Who are the elect? All who elect to be saved!
Who are the chosen? All who choose Him!
Luke 14:23
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luke 15:4
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Romans 15:25
But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
Galatians 2:9
… we should go unto the heathen…
Acts 28:26
Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear…
Acts 8:29
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
In most cases the word translated go is in what’s called the present, progressive tense…means literally: “as you are going”
Ill.—you are sitting in your workplace, look over at co-worker and say, steve, I’ve never asked you, do you go to church anywhere? This great singing family is coming and I want to invite you…you’ll really love it!
That’s a first step in being a witness!
Last week Ms. Judy invited a co-worker to Easter…they came!
Paul V. did that w/ a co-worker 2 yrs. Ago and whole family of 5 got saved right here!
• Grocery store/drive-thru window: hand 5 Facts tract w/ your money! That’s a first step in being a witness!
• Kimberly at hairdresser [Kari]…now the kids are asking about salvation in kid’s ministries!
• Pumping gas, talking about the high prices of gas or about the weather w/ person on other side of pump: say, nice talking to you, let me invite you come be my guest at GBC this Sunday!
That’s a first step in being a witness!
Why did God leave us here instead of whisking us away at salvation? In order to take as many with us as possible!
• Picking up kids at school, talking to other parents
• Ms. Phyllis invited daycare parent to film, she got saved!
• Working in yard and neighbor is out
• Gary Yoder brought neighbor to church, continues to work on him…plus car salesman he made a deal with!
• Sending a greeting card to a relative, include some verses of salvation for them to read!
“As you are going!”
• Maybe you are traveling, maybe you’re far away and your church could never benefit, but you aren’t just representing your church, but the Lord!
The Hawkins, this week, going to Aaron Freeman’s funeral, witnessed to deaf couple there and they got saved! Aaron himself is in heaven today because Rollie led him to the Lord!
Dick Jones invites a friend to a special day here, tho’ they had been away from the Lord a long time. Ms. Beckie had led him to the Lord in the school here many years ago, and God hadn’t forgotten Brad B., who said no, but then decided to come, and in God’s awesome way not only did Brad get right w/ God, but all 3 kids got saved, then his mom, her sister, her husband, his daughter and g’kids come and get saved…all from one invite to which the answer was no, and when Brad came, Dick wasn’t here!
We have families that have reached out to their own families, like the Barnes’, the Dunn’s, and a salesman who no only sells life and other insurance, but takes interest in where his clients would go if they were in a major accident!
Some of you are daily striving to be a living witness “as you are going” thru life, so that unsaved spouse, parent, child, will see your steadfast faithfulness and know you got the real thing and want it for themselves!
We have teens inviting friends and unsaved parents…if you keep this up, and if everyone would get involved consistently, you’ve got a revival on your hands! We’ll become the talk of the town!
• So maybe you’re leaving a tip at a restaurant, who knows what God will do because you leave a tract “as you were going!”
Grab some of these 5 facts tracts/Northam Revival flyers on the welcome center!
We’re all here today because somebody cared enough to share what they had with us!
Satan doesn’t like this discussion, no…he wants us to get lost in the muddy waters of ritual, tradition, social events like most churches…w/ nothing but feel good messages w/ nothing controversial, no mention of sin, conviction…no challenges to rise to a higher level, no loving accountability!
Satan wants us to come to church with a consumer mentality, [rather than contributor] which is really selfishness:
“Preacher, I’m sad, make me happy”/down, lift me up/discouraged, encourage me/weak, strengthen me…
…I hope I can…but not just for the sake of you feeling better. I hope I can help you mostly so you can leave here and effectively do what God has called you to do!...Be a witness!
Ill.—lady took 1st aid course, few weeks later went back to teacher excited, told teacher about being on scene of an accident as car slammed into oak tree head on! She was the only one there for several minutes.
She described the grisly scene of blood and limbs out of joint, very gruesome…the teacher asked, did you remember your first aid? Yes I did! Did you use it? Sure did, I remembered what you said, if I put my head between my knees, I wouldn’t faint, and you were right!
Unfortunately, that’s the same selfish attitude of most churches: “Pastor, help me so I won’t faint as I go thru this old world!”
We live in a world that is bruised, bleeding, battered, and on it’s way to hell, and all we can think about it how WE feel!
God will fix our attitude when we stop sitting still and go to work!
It’s hard enough to get many to come, or come regularly, much less go!
Go fish!
Matthew 4:19
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Acts 26:16
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness …of these things which thou hast seen…
Next time we’ll talk about taking our stand, and how better to speak…but it all begins as we go…and you already are going, the key is to do these things “as you are going”.
Some here don’t need to go until they come! Come to the Lord if you need to be saved, come back to the Lord, come back to God’s house tonite, wed…then go!
