Via Church

Those that are in Christ, the Church, are a sent people. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a part of the Church of Jesus, which is universal. The sent nature of the church is evidenced at the very heart of the church–its birth by Jesus’ commission and in its thrust into the world by the Holy Spirit’s power. We are missionaries sent to proclaim the truth of the Gospel and to display the power of the Gospel to transform lives through making disciples.

Those that are in Christ, the Church, are a sent people – sent to participate in the Holy Trinity’s work of salvation and proclamation of truth into the world that God loves. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a part of the Church of Jesus, which is universal. The sent nature of the church is evidenced at the very heart of the church–its birth by Jesus’ commission and in its thrust into the world by the Holy Spirit’s power. We are missionaries sent to proclaim the truth of the Gospel and to display the power of the Gospel to transform lives through making disciples.

After His ascension, Christ poured out His Holy Spirit on what is now called, the day of Pentecost. Pentecost is the Greek word for 50th. It marked the annual Jewish festival scheduled 50 days after the Passover. It was called both Feast of Weeks and Feast of Harvest. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. This outpouring of the Spirit coming upon these early disciples did something God had never done before in history. This revelation of God’s love empowered them to be witnesses.

When devotion takes root. When gladness, joy, becomes a disposition we are known for. When generosity becomes a lifestyle choice. We see this powerful reflection of the glory of God to the world around us. This is what God wants to do in the heart of His people. This is a beautiful picture of what God's people can be like.

Our text today is the story of Peter and John’s encounter with a crippled beggar outside the temple that they were entering. These two individuals had a marvelous sense of partnership with God. In these passages we see that God has sent His church (you and me) to bless others. Here are some ways to bless others...

A three-word summary of our text could be: Joseph felt betrayed. Most of us know, to some degree or another, the deep devastation that the feelings of betrayal bring. Like our experience, Joseph’s betrayal hurts deeply because it involved a close relationship, it came at a crucial time, and it involved their greatest treasure. How we chose to respond at the moment of betrayal and the days to follow are everything. Will we focus on resentment, bitterness, and revenge? Those things will bear fruit that will bring destruction and more pain. Or, will we find the love that Christ offers us? Receiving God’s love through Christ will cause us to see the power of God’s work in our lives.

This weekend, the Christian calendar tells us that we begin the first of the four weekends of Advent. Advent, formed from the Latin word means “coming” or “arrival”, is about the coming of Christ. Advent is the traditional celebration of the first advent of Jesus and the anxious awaiting of His second. The season is a time for remembering and rejoicing, watching and waiting, and a time to reflect upon the promises of God and to anticipate the fulfillment of those promises with patience, prayer and preparedness.

We are sent to give God glory. Glory simply means, “dignity, honor, praise, and worship”. To glorify God is to rehearse over and over God’s characteristics such as His faithfulness, mercy, love, power, holiness, and grace. We rehearse them in our minds and tell others about them. We witness to the realities of Jesus, both in word and deed; this brings great glory to our God. Our text contains the last words of Luke’s writing. It ends abruptly leaving us with the implication that the proclamation of the gospel in the first century began a story that will continue until Christ comes again. Paul has suffered much and had great success since his conversion recorded in Acts 9. He has traveled thousands of miles in the ancient world proclaiming Jesus to Gentiles and Jews. Paul sets a great example for us in glorifying God.

Our text today took place in Athens, Greece on Mars Hill right next to the Acropolis. Some of us who have traveled to Albania have sat and read these words on the rock hill looking down on the ruins of the marketplace that contained the altars created to false gods. This sermon by Paul is a classic example of contextualization of the gospel to match the understanding of the hearers. The book of Acts ushered in the Mission Period of the redemptive story. We are still living in this mission period today.

So far in Acts, we have seen that the sending of all Christ followers is done with the power of the Holy Spirit and results in great witness for Christ. However, we are quickly and repeatedly shown that it is not all smooth sailing. To live a life for Christ is to live a life smack dab on target with His mission - to seek and save that which was lost. To live a life dedicated to this mission will mean that you sometimes willingly and unwillingly go to harsh places and suffer.

The healing of the lame beggar was the beginning of a whole new reality for the early church. It set things into motion that give unprecedented witness of the resurrected Christ. Though the leaders were not pleased, many people believed their message. A healing like this was required to be investigated by Jewish law. The members of the Sanhedrin did not expect anything significant from Peter and John. They expressed their surprise that they were ordinary laymen without schooling. This new powerful witness of Jesus was evident and still marks Christ followers today who understand that they are sent to be witnesses. Let’s look at the specifics of this powerful witness of the Gospel by Peter and John.