Attitude of the New Testament ChurchActs 4:1-31
Charles Atlas had ads in comic books. I could always relate to guy getting sand kicked in his face, if only I'd buy the Charles Atlas course, maybe then I'd have courage. In Acts 4 we find that the early church had a courageous attitude. But it didn't come from taking the Charles Atlas course.
THEY STOOD ON JESUS' NAME
The book of Acts refers to the word "Name" 36 times, 34 of those times it refers to something being done in the Name of Jesus. Six of those times are in our text. In Acts 3 we know that Peter healed a crippled beggar outside the temple. And here in Acts 4 the religious authorities are questioning Peter and John concerning the healing that took place. In vs. 7 they asked Peter and John "By what power or what name did you do this?"
In Acts 4:10 Peter boldly replies, "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 4:12 (NIV) "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
The name of Jesus is the name upon which we must stand. The courage of Peter and John told their world that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Prince Charles is the heir to the throne of England. Charles full name
is: Charles Philip Arthur George of the House of Windsor.
His titles are:
His Royal Highness;
the Prince of Wales;
Knight of the Garter;
Knight, order of the Thistle;
Earl of Chester;
Duke of Cornwall;
Duke of Rothesay;
Earl of Carrick and Baron Refrew;
Lord of the Isles & Great Steward of Scotland;
Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen;
Great Master of the Royal Bath.
This list doesn't include his military ranks in the various branches of the armed services. Now, this is an impressive list of titles.
There is another person whose titles cause those of Prince Charles to pale into insignificance. An exhaustive list could not be compiled, but He has been called: Christ; Savior; Prophet of Nazareth; High Priest; Prince of Peace; King of Kings; Lord of Lords; Son of David; Son of Man; Son of God; Lion of the tribe of Judah; Lamb of God; Rabbi; The Word; Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God.
When we go out into our world we do so in the name of Jesus. We live holy lives in the Name of Jesus. We stand up for moral values and the family. We do all these things and more because we are standing on the name of Jesus Christ.
THEY PREACHED THE RESURRECTION
Rumor: Someone asked Joseph of Arimathaea, "That was a great tomb. Why did you give it to someone else to be buried in" "Oh," said Joseph, "He only needed it for the weekend." The story is probably not true. The point of it is: Jesus Christ could not be held by the power of death.
He possessed the power of resurrection. Within 50 days of the death of Jesus Christ and the apparent collapse of His cause, the city of Jerusalem rang with the clarion calls of men who, with all boldness, declared that God had raised Him from the dead and that they were His witnesses. Cowards turned into courageous witnesses.
Rude, unlettered fisherman from Galilee became heralds of the King. All
who heard them acknowledged that something had happened which transformed
their lives.
When questioned the Apostles had no hesitancy in making a reply. Their boldness
was attributed to the risen Christ.
verse 2 "the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead."
In v.10 Peter again boldly proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. The preaching in the book of Acts was the based on the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity is based on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. Paul said in Phil. 4:10 "I want to know Christ & the power of His resurrection..."
We share Paul's desire as one of our greatest goals so that we can courageously declare to our community. We want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. We have courage because we know we preach the greatest message that the world has ever heard. That message is called the "gospel"; "good news"; "eternal life"; "immortality"; "resurrection".
Do you understand that when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior you were not only freed from the bondage of sin? You were made a new creature by the power of the resurrection of Christ! 2 Cor. 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."
As the body of Christ, it is our responsibility to share this new life that we have discovered with those who are still dead in their trespasses & sins. We will gain courage to accomplish that task when we base our message on the resurrection.
THEY WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Two places in our text it talks about being "filled" with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 8 tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. As a result he was able to speak boldly about Jesus Christ. Verse 31 tells us that a group of Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit after prayer. The result was that they "spoke the word of God boldly".
There is a connection between being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking about Jesus Christ with boldness. The Holy Spirit has been promised to every Christian. Unfortunately not every believer has really opened himself to the control of the Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is not to get more of Him in our lives. We need to let Him have more of us. It is within our power to allow ourselves to be taken over by the Holy Spirit. In Eph. 5:18 Paul instructs us the believers in Ephesus, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
These are people were already Christians. Yet Paul says, "be filled with the Spirit." Just as the drinker submits to the power of his drink, the Christian submits to the power of God in his life. We surrender to the Holy Spirit.
You will be filled with the Spirit to the extent you allow God to have control over your life. God leaves the decision up to you! How filled w/the Spirit do you want to be?
The more I allow God into my life & the more I take of myself out of my life. The more filled with the Holy Spirit my life becomes, the more courageous I become in my witness for Christ.
What are we attempting to accomplish without the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to step beyond our comfort zones? Are we willing to attempt things for God that we know can't be accomplished by relying on our own abilities. I believe that we will experience this filling of the Spirit when we attempt to do things for God that cannot possibly be done without His help and guidance.
We attempt the impossible for God, knowing all the while that all things are possible as we rely on God. When we see God doing the impossible, we will have the courage that comes from the power of the Holy Spirit.
THEY RELIED ON THE POWER OF PRAYER
We realize everyday that we live in an impersonal world. Pre-recorded messages abound: telephone answering machines (Voice mail), time & temperature service. E-mail
Now the recordings have begun to call us. I receive telephone calls from computers trying to sell me something over the phone. Some are getting tired of the impersonal elements of life. This is not as new as it might seem. God has been putting up With mechanically recited prayers for ages. Listening to our prayers that are cluttered with mindless repetition.
God has given us the gift of prayer as a means of personal communication with Him. When we pray to God we are not talking to a heavenly answering machine. We have a direct line to Almighty God.
Take advantage of the gift of prayer that God gives us. What did Jesus say in Matt. 21:22? "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Illustration: A logging foreman sold a farmer a chainsaw guaranteed to cut down 50 trees in a single day. A week later, a very unhappy farmer came to report that the power saw must be faulty--it averaged only 3 trees a day. The foreman grabbed the saw, pulled the cord, & the saw promptly went, "bzzzzz" The farmer demanded, "What's that noise?"
Some of us are like that farmer in our prayer lives. We go through all the right motions but we forget to turn the power on. The power of prayer, is simply the act of believing. The early church not only asked for boldness, they believed that God would give it to them.
Can we do the same? It takes courage to be a Christian. It takes courage to stand up for Christ. It takes courage to be the kind of person God has called you to be.
The courage that each of us needs is available if we'll: Be filled w/the Spirit, Stand on Jesus' name, Preach the Resurrection , Rely on the Power of Prayer.
I hope you're ready to start today!