One of the important messages in the book of Ephesians is the Gospel. For the next three weeks, we will push pause on our study of Ephesians, and zero in on this one essential message. To prepare for the series--which will be taught by Dr. Lon Allison, Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College--we encourage you to read Acts chapters 1-4. We will stand in awe of the historical moment when God established the Church. We will see how He used ordinary people like you and me to grow the church from a few hundred believers, to a few thousand believers, to the millions that we see today. We will see the power of the Holy Spirit in those first Christians and be encouraged to have God renew that same power in us as we seek to be filled by Him in order to give extraordinary witness of Him.

Today we are reading Acts 1:4-9 as we prepare for the sermon Dr. Lon Allison will bring on Sunday, January 16.

⁴On 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. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit."

⁶Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷ He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But 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."

⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

At the time Jesus spoke these words He was in His resurrected body. He had been appearing to people for 40 days. Now He was ready to ascend to heaven and He gives His disciples instructions on what to do next.

Take a moment and circle all the imperative phrases (phrases that make a command or request) you see in the verses above.

Jesus knows us so well. He knows we need to hear things more than one time. This was the second time He gave these directions. The first time was right after he rose from the dead. He met his disciples in Galilee and gave them their marching orders. He said, "All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).

The disciples did not need to wonder what the Lord wanted them to do. Because of Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:4-9 we do not need to wonder either. "Should I share the Lord with this person?" The answer is "Yes". "Have I been empowered to share with people?" The answer is "yes."

Lord,

Thank You for being with me. Thank You for telling me clearly what you want me to do. Thank You for giving me supernatural power to do what You have asked.

Amen

Today we are reading Acts 2:1-12.

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Jews from every nation came to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, one of four feasts celebrated annually. On this occasion one hundred and twenty believers gathered together. All of a sudden Christ's promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. The commotion attracted a large group of people. The believers spilled out of the house into the crowd. When the Jews heard the disciples speaking in their native tongues, they asked, "What does this mean?"

"What does this mean?" What a wonderful question. The Jews were asking about that particular incident, but this is also a bigger question. It is asked by every human heart. "What does this mean? Why am I here? What is this life all about? What is the big picture?"

The Apostle Peter sees an opportunity and he is prepared with a response. At the spur of the moment, he is ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that will touch the hearts of his Jewish audience.

Are you?

Are you prepared to answer the often unvoiced question of the human heart by sharing the redeeming message of Christ. If the answer is "no," are you willing to become ready?

Lord,

I want to love those You love. I want to see people come to You. I confess that I shy away from conversations about You because I am not secure in how to share the Gospel with others. I tell You today that I am willing to learn. I ask You to work in my life during this message series, so that I will be obedient and faithful to your command.

Amen

The teachings of Christianity and the Bible are vast. But there is a bottom line, a core teaching--a big idea that holds all biblical thought together. Four times in the book of Acts Peter presents the  Gospel. He has the salvation message on the tip of his tongue. At a moment's notice he is able to share it with others. Look at these verses from Acts 2:22-24, and 36-40:

²²"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

³⁶"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." ³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." ⁴⁰With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

Peter was addressing a Jewish audience. It was important that he remind them of the Old Testament prophecies that foretold of the coming Messiah. He needed to connect the person of Jesus to the redeemer they longed for.

Our audience is not the same as Peter's, but Peter is a still a role model for us. He thought about his listeners. He thought about what they knew and didn't know. He put himself in their shoes and expressed the Gospel in a way that would have meaning for their lives. He did this while being careful to accurately state the important elements of the Gospel.

As we share the Gospel we want to be like Peter--consider our audience, and share the core truths

• Christ lived a perfect life;
• He performed miracles proving He was God;
• He died an atoning death on the cross for our sins;
• He rose from the dead showing He had victory over death;
• He now reigns in heaven, where he has prepared a place for us, when we respond to him by faith.
   

Lord,

Thank you for making the Gospel both simple and complex. I can ponder it, learn about it, stand in awe of it all my life. I can also remember it, and communicate it, in a brief and understandable way. Help me to be like Peter and have the Gospel on the tip of my tongue.

Amen

Today we are reading from Acts 4:1-4 as we prepare for the message Dr. Lon Allison will bring on Sunday, January 16.

¹The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ²They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a crippled man on their way to the temple. Acts 4 tells us that a crowd gathered. Once again, seeing an opportunity to share Christ, Peter preaches the Gospel. This upset the religious leaders and Peter and John were put in jail. Fortunately, prior to their imprisonment the Word of God went out, the Gospel of Christ was spoken. As a result people were saved.

One of the first things a baby learns is the rule of cause and effect. When a baby sits in her high chair and drops her bottle the mom picks it up and places it back on her tray. The baby repeats the action. She begins to see that her action causes a reaction in her parent. The baby has learned a valuable lesson--she can effect change.

We see early in the book of Acts that Peter knew the rule of cause and effect. As he shared the  Gospel people came to Jesus. After Peter's first recorded sermon three thousand were added to the church (Acts 2:41). After his second sermon the number grew to five thousand (Acts 4:4), and that is only counting the men!

The Gospel is like that. It is miraculous. As we share the Gospel people will come to know Jesus. The more we share, the more fruit we see. The more fruit we see, the more confident we become in the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives.

Lord,

Help me to trust the supernatural nature of the Gospel message. Give me confidence in the law of cause and effect: When I share you with others, people will come to know You.

Amen

As we prepare for the message Dr. Lon Allison will bring on Sunday, January 16, today we are reading from Acts 4:13-20.

¹³When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, "Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! ²⁰As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Peter and John were told to not speak, or teach, in the name of Jesus. They had two responses to that request. First, they proclaimed that their allegiance was to God. (The Lord had given them a command. That command overruled any earthly directive.) Second, they explained that they could not stop talking because the things they experienced were so amazing.

How about for you? Is your allegiance to people or to God? Are you so excited about what God has done, and is doing in your life, that you can't stop sharing?

Lord,

I confess I forget too easily how You have changed my life. Help me to remember the wonder of Your grace so that I can't help but tell others.