It was A.W.Tozer who observed that “if God had taken the Holy Spirit out of the Early Church 95% of their activities would have stopped and everybody would have noticed the difference. But if God took the Holy Spirit out of the Church today 95% of our activities would go on as usual and nobody would notice the difference!”
The Holy Spirit was not only responsible for the birth of the church on the Day of Pentecost, but for every part of the ongoing life of the Early Church. It has been said that the Book of the Acts of the Apostles should really be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. It is not so much the story of things the first Christians did but much more the story of the amazing things God did among them. The story of so many elements of the birth and the growth and the life of the Early Church can be summed up in three short words. “God did that!” The Holy Spirit did something interesting. The people around asked, “What happened?” And the first Christians replied simply, “God did that!”
Remember the amazing events on the Day of Pentecost itself.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
All the disciples were praising God in languages they had never learned. Everybody round about wanted to know what was going on. So Peter explained it to the crowds.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘ “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
What was the explanation for all the disciples praising God in languages they had never learned?? GOD DID THAT! With the result that 3000 people were baptized that day. God did that!
But that was only the beginning.
Acts 2 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. … And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
People around saw the changed lives, the signs and wonders. They realised “God did that!” and so they got saved too!
On to Acts 3 and Peter and John brought God’s healing to the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.
Acts 3 6 Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognised him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
God did that!
Acts 3 Peter gave the explanation: 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
GOD DID THAT!
And it wasn’t just miracles and healings. God was doing other things, changing lives, giving people the courage to preach about Jesus. Faced with persecution for preaching that Jesus was risen from the dead, the early church held a great big prayer meeting
Acts 4 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
How come the first disciples were so brave about preaching the gospel? What gives persecuted Christians everywhere the courage to be witnesses for Jesus. GOD DID THAT.
In Acts 5, God gave to the apostle Peter supernatural gifts of knowledge and wisdom to know that Ananias and Sapphira were lying about the amount of money they had raised from selling a field? God did that! And this is what happened next in the Early Church.
Acts 5 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought those who were ill into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were ill and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Signs and wonders, miracles of healing and deliverance. GOD DID THAT!
There’s a lovely phrase which sums up what we are saying. Soul Survivor used it as the name for their summer camps and there are books with the same title. “Naturally supernatural.” The first Christians were naturally supernatural. The Holy Spirit was at work among them in supernatural ways and all they had to do was point to what was happening and say, “God did that!”
As we look forward into 2022, we can be excited about what God might do among us in the year ahead. What will the Holy Spirit work among us so that we will be able to say, “God did that?”
On the internet I came across the blog of a gentleman who identifies himself as the “Tall Skinny Kiwi”. He wrote a piece which fits exactly into what I am wanting us to think about.
“The Western church over the last hundred and fifty years has conformed to the prevailing culture, Modernism, and its proclamation of the Gospel has become too focussed on the mind, seeing reason and knowledge as pre-eminent over experience and relationship. We too easily view education and teaching as our access point to salvation, and focus on programmes and new models of ministry in our futile attempt to try and manufacture spirituality. We have ended up boiling our faith down to a series of logical and linear arguments that we hope will be convincing to the few that are interested enough to listen.”
Tall Skinny Kiwi then quotes from a book by Neil Cole called Church 3.0
“There was a time when many churches condemned people for seeking a spiritual experience. Imbedded in modernism, Christianity had become mostly about a rational belief system where personal feelings were not to be trusted. A search for experience was seen as abandonment of the stability of truth in favour of pacifying ones’s own feelings. This is unfortunate because it has left many churches lacking any real encounter with the spiritual life that Jesus died to give them. Although we don’t base our faith on experience alone, God questions a faith that lacks experience”.
What these two writers are saying is that the Christian life should be much more than an intellectual exercise. Our encounters with God should spill over beyond our minds into our everyday experience. Or in other words, all of our lives should have at least some events and some experiences where the only explanation we can give will be “God did that!”
He longs to do much more than Our faith has yet allowed,
To thrill us and surprise us With His sovereign power.
Where darkness has been darkest The brightest light will shine,
His invitation comes to us, It’s yours and it is mine.
Come on in and taste the new wine, The wine of the kingdom,
A.W.Tozer put it this way. “The presence is more important than the programme! Whether it was worship or evangelism or fellowship the Early Church never relied on any programme but always gathered together in the greater glory of the Presence of God.” Writing 50 years ago, Tozer gave a prophetic warning of what we sadly see too often in many of the so-called “successful” churches today, “In these days all too often the glory is the centre of attraction.” There is a danger we must make sure we avoid. Tozer continued, “If we make Christ the supreme and constant object of devotion the programme will take its place as a gentle aid!”
If we are seeking the presence of God, he can work among even us by his Holy Spirit. In the Early Church God was not working miracles only through the apostles, but through ordinary Christians.
Acts 8 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
I have my own experiences of miracles of healings and deliverance I could share. Julie who had dabbled in the occult and was a drug dealer when we were first introduced to her, but who through prayer in the name of Jesus Christ was set free from the control of demons, was baptized and became a radiant Christian. And others who I have seen delivered from demons as we prayed with them. God did that! And there are also experiences of miraculous healing I could share. Geoff Pike sent home from hospital with liver cancer given 48 hours to live, miraculously healed. God did that! I have other stories but the one which is most personal to me is of my own experience of healing of a sporting injury to my back. Miraculous healing. God did that!
Miracles, healing, deliverance. And then time and again in Acts we read of things which were not so much what God did, but what God said. God fulfilling the promise he made through the prophet Joel, which Peter quoted on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2 17 ‘ “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Prophecy, dreams and visions. God speaking to people even today. In the past have shared some of my experiences of God speaking directly to me. And in the last 30 years I have had a number of dreams which I believe have come directly from God and which have made a significant impact on many people I have shared them with. God did that!
Miracles. Healing. Deliverance. Dreams and visions and prophesies. We haven’t time to talk about angels or earthquakes leading people out of prison. Remember Eutychus. The young man who fell asleep during one of Paul’s sermons and fell out of a third-storey window to his death. But through Paul God raised him back to life again! GOD DID THAT!
These things may sound incredible and amazing to us. But surely we will all have at least one story to tell of what God has done in our lives. Paul never tired of telling His story. How he was persecuting the church until that time when he encountered the living Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. GOD DID THAT! A complete turnaround. What could have turned Saul the persecutor of the church into Paul the apostle to the gentiles? Nothing less than an appearance by the Risen Christ Himself. GOD DID THAT. The transforming power of God which saves from the guttermost to the uttermost. We may have a spectacular story of how we became Christians. We may have come to faith gradually. Probably only around one third of all Christians have a dramatic conversion experience. All of us have our own stories to tell and we have put them in our little books “The Difference Jesus Makes” and “More of the Difference Jesus Makes”. If you haven’t had copies of our books do please say, or get in touch and we will be very happy to send them to you. So many stories all with the same messages – GOD DID THAT!
That is what the early church was like in the book of Acts. And I’ve shared just a few of my own experiences. If we really want God to work among us, there are a few things we need to do.
• We must make sure that prayer is indeed at the heart of everything we do.
• We must be prepared to go out on a limb for God, “Attempting great things for
God and expecting great things from God” (William Carey)
• We must each press on to know God better – praying to see Jesus more clearly, and love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly every day.
As we God into 2022 God is going to thrill us and surprise us with the wonderful things he is going to do among us.
Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Holy Spirit, we welcome You.
Please accomplish in me today Some new work of loving grace, I pray;
Unreservedly have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You.
Ephesians 3 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

What do Baptist Christians really believe about baptism?
Are we always saved at the exact moment we are baptised?
Do we have to be baptised to be saved??
What is the difference between “believer’s baptism” and “baptism by immersion”?
All these questions are answered in this video.

These are the notes for the video.

“Repent and be baptised”

Baptism – the external sign of an inward reality

Acts 2 38 Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, 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.

God’s side – Forgiveness of sins,
Gift of new birth to eternal life
Gift of the Holy Spirit

Human side – Repentance
Saving faith
Becoming part of the church

Visible Sign – Believer’s baptism

Does new birth happen at the moment of baptism?
“Baptismal regeneration”?

Romans 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Colossians 2:11 Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

BUT – Example of Jesus – unique in history
– Example of Apostles – unique in history
– Samaritans in Acts 8 – unique in history

Example of apostle Paul
Acts 9 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptised, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Example of the first Gentile believers –
they received the Spirit before they were baptised.
ACTS 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ 48 So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

So new birth may come at baptism, but not always

Is baptism essential for salvation?
Does a person have to be baptized in order to be saved?

Acts 2 38 Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, 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.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Mark 16 16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

BUT – general witness of the New Testament –
faith and repentance always expected, baptism is not.

Romans 10:9 if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Paul’s practice
1 Corinthians 1:14 I thank God that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptised in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptised the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptised anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
If Paul had believed baptism was essential to salvation he would have baptized everybody he could.

Early church practice vs practice after 1st century.

Baptism is like communion, a “means of grace”.

It is believer’s baptism – not “baptism by immersion”

Baptist Union Declaration of Principle
Article 2 – “That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who ‘died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day’.”

But does baptism need to be by immersion?

Didache –
1st Century summary of Christian teaching permitted affusion
Chapter 7. “And concerning baptism, baptise this way: Having first said all these things, baptise into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptise into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.”

Some early Baptist Christians were baptized by affusion.
Immersion is usual, affusion is still valid.
Faith and repentance are important – the amount of water is not.

Acts 2 38 Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, 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.

Last autumn in our morning services we looked in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, or as it should really be called, the Book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Because time and again we read of things the Holy Spirit did where all the apostles could do was point and say “God did this!”

There were all the miracles, signs and wonders.
Acts 2: 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. …. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 5:12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. …. .15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

Signs and wonders, miracles of healing and deliverance. And the apostles proclaimed, “GOD DID THIS!” And people got saved and “were added to their number daily.”

And then there were all the times God spoke through His Holy Spirit especially in the spiritual gift of prophecy. In fact when Jesus spoke about the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church He didn’t talk about signs and wonders of healing and deliverance at all. It was the prophet Joel who the Apostle Peter quotes who looked ahead to the gift of the Spirit who inspires prophecy being poured out on all believers.
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says,I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

But the gift of the Spirit Jesus promised to His disciples was not just the Spirit of Signs and Wonders or just the Spirit of Prophecy. Supremely the work of the Spirit was to help the disciples be witnesses for Jesus. The Spirit who would help them preach the gospel with boldness.

Luke 24: 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Promise of the Father, “The power from on high” is the power to be witnesses and the power to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’s name to all nations. So it is in Acts 1.
Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.,,,,,, 8 But 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.”

And we see that promise fulfilled time and again throughout Acts. The first Christians witness to the resurrection of Jesus. The gospel is preached. The Word of God spreads and grows. 25 times in the Book of Acts we find the word preach or preaching, as well as so many occasions where the gospel is preached but the word isn’t used. Right at the beginning in Acts 2 we read Peter preaching
16 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
And Peter went on, 38 … “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” …. 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Power to preach the gospel. Power to be witnesses for Jesus. Power for Peter and John to preach in front of the Sanhedrin explaining how the crippled man had been healed. Power for the first martyr Stephen to explain his faith and preach the gospel even as he was being stoned to death! Power for another of the first Deacons, the evangelist Philip to preach the gospel in Samaria.

Time and again we find the same power to preach later on in Acts with Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys. But it was not only the famous church leaders who were witnesses for Jesus. The whole of the Early Church preached to anybody and everybody they could.
Acts 5:42 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 Christ.

When great persecution arose in Jerusalem following the death of Stephen and Christians took refuge around the whole Roman Empire we read,
Ac 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
The Early Church grew by countless nameless ordinary men and women gossiping the gospel wherever they could, in the marketplaces as well as the synagogues. And so we read throughout Acts how the Word of God prospered through the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
Ac 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Ac 6:7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Ac 12:24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread
Ac 19:20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

If we look at Acts these things leap out of the pages at us. The Holy Spirit brought signs and wonders and dreams and visions and prophecies. God did that! And the Holy Spirit gave power to be witnesses for Jesus.

But what secret did the Early Church have? How did the first Christians come to experience God so powerfully? That answer leaps out of the pages of Acts just as obviously. It is so simple and it will come as no surprise to anybody. The Early Church lived in the overwhelming people of the Holy Spirit because of PRAYER. Just that. Prayer!

In Acts 1 the disciples were all waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus had promised them “power from on high” – but none of them really knew how that promise would be fulfilled. They only knew that they would know when the power actually arrived. And it hadn’t arrived yet. So we read this about the first disciples.

Ac 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Constantly in prayer. Waiting for power from on high they “joined together constantly in prayer.” Pentecostals have called that “tarrying prayer”. Praying and praying and keeping on praying that God would send the Holy Spirit in power.

And then after the Spirit came, the disciples continued in prayer. There are 33 mentions of prayer in the book of Acts. More than one a chapter. If we add in praise and worship as well we get more than two verses a chapter. The early church prayed. They were constantly in prayer!

Ac 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The devoted themselves to prayer. That’s why the miracles came and the conversions came. They were devoted to prayer. So when opposition came, naturally they prayed.

Acts 4:23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ,,, 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

They prayed when they appointed the first deacons.
Ac 6:6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
They prayed that new Christians would receive the same empowering of the Holy Spirit as they had. And they prayed that God would empower his servants for service, like Barnabas and Saul as they were sent out on mission from the church at Antioch.
Ac 13:3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
They in turn prayed for others who would lead the newly planted churches.

Prayer brought miraculous escapes from prison.
Ac 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
The angel led Peter out of prison and
Ac 12:12 he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
When Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi, what else would they be doing but praying?
Ac 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
And God sent an earthquake so Paul and Silas were released and, just as important, the jailer and his family were also gloriously saved!

God answered prayers with miracles of healing and deliverance and even bringing disciples back from the dead!
Ac 9:40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning towards the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
God did this! And God did this in answer to prayer!

Cornelius and Peter were both separately praying when they saw their visions from God which were so important in bringing Gentile Christians into the initially Jewish Church.
We read about Cornelius that
Ac 10:2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
An angel appeared to Cornelius
Ac 10:4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
So in response to the vision Cornelius sent for the apostle Peter. At the same time Peter was also praying, and he tells his side of the story like this.
Ac 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.
Two men. Two related visions. God did this! And God did this because they were praying!

One final incident from Acts which I think has particular significance. In Acts 6 there was a dispute over the distribution of food to widows in the church. The Apostles were dragged in and settled the matter by saying this.
6:2 “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.
The Apostles’ top priority was prayer and the ministry of the word. I gain great support and encouragement from meeting with other Baptist ministers from time to time. I remember one gathering when a group of us were talking about the role of the minister and how nowadays the models of leadership in churches often come more from business practices than from the Bible. Some people expect ministers be leaders and visionaries and project managers and personnel managers more than pastors or teachers.

We were all humbled and challenged by one of our fellow ministers who said that he aims to spend two or three hours in prayer each day. He won’t answer the phone or emails or begin studying anything until he has first spent that time with God. I wish I had the courage and the faith to be like that minister. We apostles said, We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.And surely that is what every minister ought to do!

So in the Book of Acts we find the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders, healing and deliverance. Dreams and Visions and Prophetic Messages. So many occasions where all the Early Church had to do was simply say “God did this!”

And we see the Holy Spirit as the gift promised from the Father, the gift of Power from on High, power to be witnesses for Jesus. And to make the completely obvious point – we cannot expect to see the signs and the wonders the Holy Spirit brings if we are not being obedient to the command to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. We will not experience the dynamo and the dynamite of the Christian life if we quench the Holy Spirit in his primary role of empowering us to be witnesses for Jesus.

And equally obviously , we will not experience any of these blessings if we neglect that which was at the heart of the life of the Early Church – prayer. They joined together constantly in prayer. So should we! They devoted themselves to prayer. So should we!

Former BMS Missionary Eric Westwood said this in his address as the President of the Baptist Union:
“We must write prayer again into the lifestyle of our churches; meaningful prayer, urgent prayer, repentant prayer, constant prayer, Spirit-led prayer, even sacrificial prayer!”

When he was General Secretary of the Baptist Union, David Coffey said this,
“Many churches need to recover this lost principle. Not prayer as a token gesture, some spiritual national anthem where we profess loyalty to the King and then proceed to the real purpose of our gathering. But urgent and dynamic prayer that seeks God in such a manner that everyone becomes aware that, unless God intervenes, we are doomed!”

The first Christians were “constantly in prayer.” And we need to pray just as much!

Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Here was an important man, the Ethiopian chancellor of the Exchequer. This man was not a Christian. Nor was he a Jew – because Jewish Law said that a eunuch was not allowed to become a Jew. But this Ethiopian was a God-fearing man. He had been to Jerusalem to worship. He was searching for God. And he may well have heard stories about Jesus. He may have heard about Jesus’s teaching and His miracles. He may have heard about Jesus’s crucifixion, and maybe even about Jesus’s resurrection. The Ethiopian was serious enough in his search for God to be reading his Bible, what we know as the Old Testament, in the chariot on the way home. And he was asking questions. He wanted answers.

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

This Ethiopian Official was desperate to get to know God. He was so keen to understand what the Bible meant that he invited a complete stranger Philip to join him in his chariot and explain the Bible to him!

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND? Philip asked. HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND unless somebody guides me?

32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

The good news about Jesus. The Ethiopian was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah 53 verse 7 which says this.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Philip will have explained that Isaiah was not talking about himself, but was looking forward to what would happen to the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who had been oppressed and afflicted, Jesus who had been arrested and falsely convicted in a travesty of a trial. Jesus who had been mocked with a crown of thorns on his head and flogged to within an inch of His life. Jesus who had been nailed to a cross like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, Jesus who had been called the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Philip will then have pointed the Ethiopian to the preceding verses in Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53:5-6
5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Philip will have explained to the Ethiopian how when God made the world, it was perfect. But then human beings rebelled against their Creator and disobeyed His laws so now we all face judgement of the holy and Righteous God.
But then Philip will have explained from Isaiah 53 how Jesus the Son of God came and took the place of sinful human beings. How Jesus on the cross took upon himself the punishment for sin we all should pay. How Jesus dying for us offers us forgiveness and gives us new life.
5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

So knowing Jesus changes us from God’s enemies into God’s friends, and even more than that, into God’s beloved children. So we can come back to God again.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood—
Sealed my pardon with His blood: Hallelujah, what a Savior!
MY LORD, WHAT LOVE IS THIS That pays so dearly?
That I, the guilty one, May go free!
Amazing love, O what sacrifice, The Son of God given for me.
My debt He pays, and my death He dies, That I might live, that I might live.

That is the good news about Jesus which Philip explained to the Ethiopian Official from the Book of Isaiah. The good news of forgiveness and eternal life which God offers to everybody who puts their trust in Jesus Christ. And Philip must have said much more because next we read this.

36 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptised?”

Then the verse that comes next in the story doesn’t appear in our translation of the Bible. That is because it isn’t found in the earliest versions of the manuscripts. But very early on the Early Church added two more sentences to the Book of Acts. The Ethiopian asked, “Why shouldn’t I be baptised,” and Acts 8:37 tells us, “Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Luke only records the decision to be baptized. Baptism implied a number of other things. But saying `baptism’ was enough. Philip had obviously explained what we have to do to receive God’s wonderful free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve God’s love. All we can do is simply to put our trust in Jesus and accept what God offers us. And then the way that all those first Christians showed that they did believe in Jesus was to be baptised. Which is why the Ethiopian had asked, “Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” He did believe in Jesus. He declared his faith. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And the New Testament way of demonstrating that faith was in the act of believer’s baptism. That is the pattern throughout the Book of Acts.

We saw it before the summer when we looked earlier in Acts chapter 8 at the story of how Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria. Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women

Whenever people were saved in Acts, whenever people believed the good news about Jesus, they showed their faith by being baptised. This happened after the very first sermon Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. He preached the gospel and then made this appeal.

In Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptised, 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.”

When a person is saved, when a person becomes a Christian we can see that event from the human point of view. The person repents and believes the good news. At the same time we can see what happens from God’s side. God forgives our sins and gives the gift of eternal life and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And always the outward sign of these inward realities will be baptism.

So it was on the day of Pentecost thousands of people responded to Peter’s preaching.
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
This is the pattern everywhere in the New Testament. Baptism was not an optional extra for Christians in the Early Church. Baptism was an essential expression of faith at the start of the Christian life for every Christian.

38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

In the Bible and the Early Church baptism marks the beginning of discipleship. In Acts 8 the baptism of the Ethiopian was relatively private action. Just Philip, the Ethiopian Official and his entourage, because a person as important as that would not have been travelling alone. Baptism is a sign between each individual believer and God. Even though God who searches all our hearts knew that man’s faith and repentance were genuine, the outward sign of baptism was still required. And on both occasions when Jesus commanded his disciples to go and preach the gospel He also commanded believer’s baptism.

Matthew 28:19 … go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Mark 16:16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.

We read in Act 8, They went down into the water . . . they came up out of the water:
Clearly, Philip immersed the Ethiopian in water. This was not sprinkling, but immersion. And in just the same way Shilpi will be baptized today. .

And also the Ethiopian’s baptism was baptism as a believer. The Ethiopian believed the good news about Jesus as Philip had explained it to him. He believed that Jesus really was the Son of God, God born as a human being. He believed that Jesus had died on the cross in his place so that he could be forgiven, as Isaiah 53 explains. He believed that Jesus has risen from the dead – that Jesus was alive again! He believed, so he wanted to be baptized to make his faith in Jesus public.

Baptism usually comes near the beginning of the Christian life. It marks a new birth, not just turning over a new leaf but starting a new life. Sometimes people get baptized immediately when they become a Christian. For a variety of reasons, other people wait a while before they are baptized. I had been a Christian for almost ten years before I was baptized as a believer. Shilpi has been a Christian for many years, but she is getting baptized today to demonstrate to everybody that she loves Jesus and she is going to follow him.

“Baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality” Baptism is like a wedding ring; they both symbolize things that have happened. A wedding ring symbolizes a marriage which has taken place. Baptism symbolizes salvation which has been received. Wearing a wedding ring does not make a person married any more than being baptized makes anybody saved. But still today most women and many men choose to wear a wedding ring to show to the world that they are married. And Christians show they want to follow Jesus by doing what He said and being baptised as believers.

“Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptised?”

I am sure there are some people here today who are at the place the Ethiopian Official was at the beginning of the story. He was looking for God but he needed somebody to explain the good news about Jesus to him. If anybody wants to know more about what it means to follow Jesus and become a Christian, please do just ask.

Other people may believe in Jesus but have never got round to telling anybody that they are His followers. They like to keep their discipleship a secret. The reality is that you can’t be a secret disciple of Jesus. Either the secret will kill the discipleship or the discipleship will kill the secret. The Ethiopian Official had believed the good news about Jesus. He had accepted God’s free gift of eternal life and he wanted everybody to know that he was a Christian. So he asked, “Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” There may be some Christians here who have not made their faith public. They may not have been baptised as believers. If that is you, again, please just ask.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

This is the Good News about Jesus!

This week the terrorism threat level for the United Kingdom was raised to severe, the highest level since 2011. This is in response to the activity of militant extremists in Iraq and Syria who have massacred thousands and driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes this year. It is very important we do not forget that hundreds of the men, women and children who have been murdered were Iraqi Christians, killed simply for being Christians. They were not the first Christians to die for their faith, and they will not be the last. This week we look at the story of the very first Christian martyr, one of the first Deacons in the Early Church, Stephen.
Acts 6 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
History tells us the sad truth that Christians have always been the targets of opposition and persecution and even murder. When God is at work and people are being saved, the devil always hits back. People turn against Christians and since there are no sensible reasons to oppose them they will invent false evidence to stir up trouble against them.
By the time Luke wrote the Book of Acts between 70 and 80 AD the Roman Emperor Nero had already massacred thousands of Christians and imprisoned many more a decade earlier. After the great fire of Rome in 64 AD Nero had blamed the Christians. Some were forced to become gladiators, others thrown to the lions. Some were crucified and others were set on fire to be torches in Nero’s garden. With the memories of such horrific ordeals fresh in their minds, Christians needed encouragement to stand firm in their faith. The account of the martyrdom of Stephen is one of the longest stories in Acts precisely because the first Christians needed to be prepared for the very real prospects of persecution in the years ahead.
There would soon be other martyrs. We read in Acts 12 how King Herod had James the brother of John put to death. All the apostles apart from John died for Christ. Peter was reputedly crucified upside-down. We read about Paul’s sufferings throughout 2 Corinthians. And many other Christians followed these first martyrs to death during the first three centuries of the church when they refused to bow down to different Roman Emperors. My favourite writer in that period was called Tertullian and around 200 AD he wrote this. “If the Tiber rises too high or the Nile too low the cry is always the same: “The Christians to the Lion!” What? All of them, to a single lion?”
Countless thousands of Christians were martyred in those centuries. But still they stood firm for Christ, and this faithfulness in the face of persecution became one of the most powerful factors contributing to the growth of the early church. Their deaths were their witness – and in fact the word martyr actually means witness – those who witness for Christ even up to death. So Tertullian also wrote these memorable words. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
As Baptist Christians we neglect the history of the church and particularly the martyrs. We don’t celebrate saints’ days and our buildings don’t contain the tombs of martyrs. But we should not forget that it was not only in the Early Church that Christians gave up their lives for Christ. In the sixteenth century many of the first Protestants were executed for their faith. In the seventeenth century in England our Baptist ancestors were persecuted by the state church. In the 1680s hundreds of Baptists were hanged and thousands were imprisoned or deported, just for being Baptists! And the twentieth century saw its share of martyrs too.
I have met Christians in Bulgaria whose relatives and friends had been murdered or imprisoned for being Christians. I have met other Christians in Uganda with relatives or friends who had been murdered or imprisoned during the tyranny of Idi Amin. And we must not forget that even as I speak in Iraq and Syria and Nigeria and many other places around the world there are Christians who are losing their freedom and even their lives because they have the courage to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. Throughout history and even today the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church!
The sad truth is that ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve there have always been people who have rejected God and opposed His people. If you read through Acts chapter 7 you will find that Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin is remarkable because he does not once mention Jesus. Luke still includes that speech in full because it goes through the whole history of the nation of Israel to illustrate two simple points. The first is that people have always rejected God. Stephen talks about the way the Egyptians enslaved Abraham’s descendants for 400 years after Joseph was rejected by his brothers. He talks about how Moses was rejected by his fellow Israelites God used Moses to set His chosen people free but even as Moses was receiving the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai the people rebelled and made for themselves a Golden Calf to worship. The second point is that despite all the times people have continued to reject Him, God in His love has always continued to offer salvation to His people through Abraham and Joseph and Moses and David and Solomon. Only at the end does Stephen begin to speak to the Sanhedrin about Jesus and this is what he has to say.
51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.”

Jesus the Righteous One was only the last of the many prophets who had been rejected and betrayed and murdered over fifteen centuries! Stephen’s speech was simply illustrating from Jewish history the sad truth that God’s people in every generation can expect to face opposition and even death for God’s sake.

I am sure that Stephen knew how the Sanhedrin would react to his words – but he was brave enough to speak out all the same. What happened next was inevitable!

54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Even as he was being murdered, Stephen saw a vision of the Risen Jesus Christ waiting to welcome him into heaven. So Stephen’s death is recorded to give inspiration to Christians in every generation who would be called to follow his in martyrdom.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

And here is the challenge for every Christian. Would we also be prepared to die for Christ? Jesus gave up His life for us. Would we be willing to give up our lives for Him?
God may not call us to be martyrs. But the death of Stephen is also recorded to encourage all of us as we face our own immortality. Death – the ultimate statistic – one out of one die. Some Christians have lost sight of our Christian hope and the happy certainty of heaven. Some Christians are trapped in the worldly view of death as the last enemy, the destroyer and the end of all hope. They have forgotten the victory of Christ’s resurrection life which He shares with all who believe in Him. Before Easter in our evening services we thought about what the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians/

Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

For me to live Christ. to die is gain. To die is gain. The great evangelist Moody once said, “One day they’ll tell you Moody is dead. But don’t you believe it! On that day. I’ll be more alive than I’ve ever been!”
Death is not a loss, but a gain. It is an enormous loss for those family and friends who are left behind. But when a Christian believer dies, for them it is a gain. We gain a perfect life, a life freed from the limitations and imperfections of our mortality. A life without death or mourning or crying or pain. (Revelation 21) We gain life in all its fullness, eternal life, an incredible life and a glorious future.
If for me to live is money, then to die is a loss. If for me to live is pleasure, then to die is a loss. If for me to live is self, then to die is a loss. If for me to live is ambition, then to die is a loss. If for me to live is sin, then to die is a loss. If for me to live is worldliness, then to die is a loss. But if for me to live is Christ, then to die is gain.
Truly this is a WIN-WIN situation!!! There’s no way to lose! Living this life in communion with Jesus Christ is wonderful, but to die and go to be with Christ and see Him face to face will be even more glorious! Either way, we win! “To die is gain.” Eternal life in an eternal home in glory.
Jesus promised, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)
See how Stephen’s final words of testimony are proof for us that we can confidently trust this promise Jesus made. 56 “Look,” Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
The apostle Paul wanted to exalt Christ by life, or by death. “I desire to depart and be with Christ,” says Paul, “which is better by far.” “To depart and be with Christ.” We usually focus on what we are leaving behind, but Paul is thinking about where He is going and what he is going to and Who he is going to be with. Paul longed to depart and be with Christ – but do we? Woody Allen said, “I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” We need to face our fear of death.

“To be with Christ, which is better by far.” This is our Christian hope. The “happy certainty” of heaven. Sometimes we use the word “hope” in a vague wishy-washy kind of way. In contrast, in the Bible the word “hope” is always definite and certain! So we do better to translate the word “hope” as “happy certainty.” Death is simply the doorway through which we must pass to enter into the immediate presence of the Lord we love and Who loves us. For Christians, death is not a hopeless end but an endless hope. Jim Packer wrote that death is not an end but a beginning, not an exit but an entrance. “Death is a door to more, not less, a plus not a minus, an increase not a decrease, a filling not an emptying.” Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian. It is putting out the lamp because the bright new glorious dawn has come. Death is not a journey to an unknown land but a voyage home, to our Father’s house and to our forever family. When we die, we are simply called home! To use a wonderful Salvation Army phrase, we are “promoted to glory.”
We might rightly say, “They’ve gone to a better place.” Heaven is a place of rest, a place of reward, a place of rejoicing, a place of resurrection, a place of reunion with our loved ones and especially in the presence of Christ Himself. A place of resurrection! A place with no more sickness, no more pain, no more crying, no more dying, no more mourning. “With Christ, which is better by far!” That is the heart of the Christian hope – the certainty that spending eternity with Jesus in glory will be so much better than even the best of life here on earth. A better life. A better home. A better place. To die is gain. To be with Christ, which is better by far. THIS is our Christian hope!
On holiday I saw a T-shirt with a wonderfully inspiring slogan! “IAF.” Underneath it spelled out the words. IAF. “I AM FOREVER.” Turns out that is the name of a rock band from Somerset but I think it is definitely a slogan any Christian could boldly proclaim. “I AM FOREVER.” Whatever the world may throw at me. However hard it gets to follow Christ, however much it costs. I AM FOREVER. The story of the death of Stephen reminds us that we may face opposition, persecution, even death for the sake of Jesus Christ. But in it all, each of us can say, as Stephen believed, “I AM FOREVER!”
55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts chapter 8 is one of the most important passages in the New Testament. Since the appearance of Pentecostal churches a hundred years ago it has also been one of the most controversial chapters. I hope you will bear with me as we try to unwrap this difficult passage this morning.
Pentecostal Christians believe that God’s gift of the Holy Spirit usually comes after a person becomes a Christian. They traditionally use the phrase “Baptism in the Spirit” to describe the occasion when a person who is already a Christian receives the Holy Spirit who then enables them to exercise spiritual gifts and especially to speak in tongues. This Pentecostal idea of the gift of the Holy Spirit as a “second blessing” subsequent to salvation came into mainstream Christianity fifty years ago in the charismatic movement. And for both Pentecostals and charismatics the passage which best exemplifies this pattern of conversion and then afterwards receiving the Holy Spirit is the experience of the Samaritan Christians in Acts 8.
After all the excitements of dramatic growth in Acts 1-6, the first Christians were facing all kinds of problems. Next week we will look back at Acts 7 and see Stephen martyred for his faith. That event was only the beginning of their problems
Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
While they were still in mourning for Stephen the new Christians had to flee for their lives. They must have wondered how they could continue in their faith separated from the leadership and teaching of the apostles and the support of their fellow-Christians. Persecuted and imprisoned, or scattered even beyond Judea. But God brought great blessing out of that disaster.
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

The gospel was preached with boldness and with signs and wonders. So salvation through Jesus Christ spread beyond Israel and even to Samaria.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
People heard Philip’s preaching and believed his message of the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. And so they were baptised as believers as a sign of their repentance and faith. Those people did everything that God required of them to become Christians. But something was not quite right. Something very strange was happening.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
The new Christians in Samaria had believed in Jesus. They had been baptised. But the Holy Spirit had not come down on any of them. So the leaders of the Early Church, the apostles Peter and John themselves went to Samaria to find out what was going on. And it was only when Peter and John prayed for them that these new Christians received the Holy Spirit.
You can see why Pentecostals and Charismatics think this is the perfect example of what they think will be the normal pattern for everyone. It seems obvious that the Samaritans became Christians with Philip’s preaching and they only received the Holy Spirit on a later occasion when the apostles laid hands on them. But that idea of conversion and then subsequent reception of the Spirit does not fit in with what Luke tells us in the rest of Acts about God’s promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
Remember back in Acts 2 how the Holy Spirit came down on all the believers on the Day of Pentecost and then the apostle Peter preached to the crowds. In literature of that time the first major speech of a central character would embody the central message of the whole book which tells us that Luke thought Peter’s sermon was particularly important. Peter explains that the events of Pentecost were God’s fulfilment of the promises in the book of Joel that one day the Holy Spirit who had inspired the Old Testament prophets would be given to all believers.
Acts 2 17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
This was the gift of the Holy Spirit Jesus also promised to his disciples, the power from on High, power to be witnesses for Jesus. And at the climax of his sermon, Peter says this.
Acts 2 38 “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. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Here is God’s promise for every Christian. As we believe in Jesus and repent, God will forgive us our sins and give us His gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift of the Holy Spirit is not just for some Christians. It’s not just for Pentecostal Christians, but for every Christian at the moment that we are saved. We haven’t time to think this morning about how being baptised as a believer fits in to this pattern. But for this morning just keep in mind the pattern which Peter teaches in Acts 2. Repentance, forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit all go together as the package of what Luke and all the New Testament writers understand by salvation.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is power from on High, God empowering Christians for mission, power to be witnesses for Jesus and bold and effective preaching. The work of the Holy Spirit includes bringing holiness, healing and deliverance and the Spirit also brings spiritual gifts, inspiring prophecy and prophetic gifts of revelation, guidance and wisdom. The Holy Spirit is the channel through which God communicates directly with Christians now Jesus has ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is nothing less than the presence and the power of the Father and of the Risen Jesus in the life of the church and of every Christian. It is a mistake to separate all these experiences of the Holy Spirit from the experience of salvation. In both his Gospel and in the Book of Acts, Luke definitely sees the gift of the Holy Spirit as absolutely necessary for every believer’s experience of salvation. And other passages such as Galatians 3, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2 and most of John’s Gospel teach us that it is the gift of the Holy Spirit who brings us eternal life from the moment of conversion.
Pentecostals base their theology of receiving the Holy Spirit as some kind of “second blessing” subsequent to salvation on their interpretations of accounts such as Acts 8 where they think that happened. But there is an important principle of Biblical interpretation applies here. It is acceptable to read narratives of what happened on a particular occasion as examples of a theology. But it is always safer to base doctrines on explicit teaching, such as Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. The pattern is very clear. The gift of the Holy Spirit comes with the events of repentance and forgiveness of sins at the moment of conversion. Understood correctly, that is the pattern we find everywhere in the book of Acts. Everywhere. Except Acts 8!
In Acts 8 the Samaritans received the gospel and were baptised. But they only received the Spirit later when the apostles laid hands on them. So what on earth was going on in Acts 8?
The first thing to say is that what happened in Acts 8 was clearly very unusual. The church in Jerusalem obviously thought so. The fact that these Samaritans had repented and been baptised but that God had NOT immediately at that point given them the Holy Spirit was such a serious things than none other than the leaders of the Early Church Peter and John had raced down to find out what was going on and to sort things out. The events in Acts 8 are definitely NOT a pattern for the normal Christian life. Acts 8 is clearly telling us about something which is very much an exception rather than the rule.
So if we read Acts 8 as a dramatic departure from the pattern of conversion which Peter teaches us in Acts 2, what was going on? Why might it be that on this specific occasion, God would choose not to give the Holy Spirit to those new Christians immediately but wait until the apostles arrived from Jerusalem and laid hands on them?
I believe the key to understanding that question is to see that this incredibly significant occasion was unique in history. For the first time a group of people became Christians without having been Jews first. Worse than that, these new Christians belonged to the race who had been Israel’s enemies and rivals for centuries – they were Samaritans. Stop and think for a moment about all the problems this could create in the Early Church. Would the Christians in Jerusalem even accept the possibility that Samaritans could become Christians? Equally would the new Samaritan Christians accept the authority and wisdom of the apostles and of the Jerusalem church and of the Jewish Bible? Or would Philip’s preaching in Samaria lead to an enormous spilt in the Early Church with Samaritan Christians completely separated from Jewish Christians?
This was a pivotal moment in the history of the church. The first Christians who had not first been Jews. And I believe that is the reason behind this unique event why God chose to break from the pattern of conversion we find everywhere else in Scripture and separate the human acts of repentance and faith from the divine act of giving the Holy Spirit. In order to ensure the unity of the spreading Early Church, God withheld the gift of the Spirit until the apostles came and laid hands on the Samaritan. That established the authority of the apostles and showed the new Christians in Samaria that they needed the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. At the same time it showed the apostles and the Jerusalem church that it was indeed possible for Samaritans to be saved! The unity of the Church was preserved.
After 40 years of study and two degrees specialising in interpreting the New Testament, that’s my best guess on the correct interpretation of Acts 8. And I think it has three important things to say to us today.
The first thing is that the unity of the church is very important to God. Keeping Jewish Christians and Samaritan Christians united was sufficiently important that God departed from the pattern of conversion we find everywhere else in the New Testament! And the unity of the church today is just as important. In particular Acts 8 has caused more division than almost any other. Only 60 years ago Pentecostal Christians were regarded as heretics by all the mainstream denominations. There are still fierce battles with Pentecostals and Charismatics on one side and Reformed and what are termed Non-charismatic Evangelicals on the other side. But God does not want us to argue about the meaning of passages like Acts 8. God wants us all to experience all the blessings of salvation which are the blessings which the Holy Spirit brings to every believer.
The second lesson from Acts 8 is that as Christians every one of us needs to experience absolutely everything that God gives us in the Holy Spirit. When the Samaritans gave their lives to Christ it was a matter of extreme concern that they had not received the Holy Spirit. There was something very obvious in the lives of those new Christians in Samaria that they had not received the Holy Spirit. Perhaps they were just trying to follow Jesus in their own human strength. Perhaps they were missing the heart of love or the overflowing joy which are the work of the Holy Spirit. The truth is that it just is not possible to live the Christian life or experience life in all its fullness without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Here is the challenge which Pentecostals and Charismatics have brought to the rest of the church over the last century. Although some have challenged their theology, nobody can deny the visible evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and their churches. Acts 8 tells me that God wants the power of the Holy Spirit which Pentecostals and Charismatics have enjoyed to be the experience of every Christian. Although I disagree with Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones over his interpretation of Acts 8, I completely agree with what he wrote about “Quenching the Spirit.”
Somebody may ask, ‘Surely we got it all automatically when we believed?’ “Got it all? Well, if you have ‘got it all’, I simply ask in the Name of God, why are you as you are? If you have ‘got it all’, why are you so unlike the Apostles, why are you so unlike the New Testament Christians?” “Got it all? Got it all at your conversion? Well, where is it I ask you?”
Although every Christian has already received the Holy Spirit, tragically some live as though they had not. It was Moody who said, “I have been filled with the Spirit. But I leak.” We saw in Acts 4 that Christians who had received the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost were filled with the Spirit again. And in Ephesians 6:18 Paul encourages us, “Keep on being filled with the Spirit. God wants us all to keep on being filled with the Spirit.
The third thing Acts 8 teaches me is that God wants to save everybody, even the people we might think can’t be saved. Jews believed their historic enemies the Samaritans were beyond the pale. That fact was at the heart of Jesus’s parable of the inconceivable “Good Samaritan”.
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
God wants to save everybody. He wants them to repent and believe and be forgiven and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Even Samaritans. And even the black sheep in our families. Even those neighbours everybody else avoids. Even the strangers who would never dream of setting foot in church.
When the Early Church was scattered by persecution God used ordinary Christians to take the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ to all kinds of unexpected places. Ordinary Christians empowered by the Holy Spirit. In this town in our generation God wants us to preach the gospel with power. God wants to work signs and wonders in the name of Jesus bringing healing and deliverance, even through ordinary Christians like us! But for this, WE need the power of the Holy Spirit, power from on High, power to be witnesses for Jesus. Even if it leads to persecution, we need the Holy Spirit to fall on every one of US so that everybody can see the difference Jesus makes. That way there will be great joy even in THIS city!

There is a question which folk who are new to our church will sometimes ask. Why is it that Baptist Churches are led by a Minister and this group of people called Deacons? Church of England Churches and Roman Catholic Churches have their Bishops and Priests and Vicars. Methodists and United Reformed Churches and Pentecostal Churches are all run in different ways by groups of people with a variety of titles. Why do Baptist Churches have Ministers and Deacons? This morning will go some way to answering that question.
Things were going wonderfully well for the first Christians. We read in Acts 4 that the Early Church had grown to include at least 5000 men. That actually means at least 5000 families! And we read in Acts 5 of more and more people becoming Christians so by the time of Acts 6 those first Christians in Jerusalem probably numbered at least 20,000 men women and children. That is one big church, as big as any church today but without the benefits of mass communication or phones or even microphones and speakers or any kind of PA system!
The Early church was led by The Twelve. They were the Eleven Apostles led by Peter James and John who Jesus had chosen to be with him and learn from him, to pass on his teaching and continue his mission. Above all they were the people who had been eyewitnesses to Jesus’s resurrection. Then in Acts 1 we read how the Early Church had chosen Matthias to be a Twelfth apostle to replace Judas who had betrayed Jesus. Those Twelve apostles were the leaders of the church. We read a few weeks ago how the first Christians looked after each other.
Acts 4 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
So rich Christians were selling their possessions to care for the poor. And here in Acts 6 we read about the first food bank! Every day the first Christians were distributing food to the poor widows. But even in the midst of this wonderful generosity a problem developed.
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
This was probably still in the first year since the birth of the church when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost. The Apostles were still leading the church in a very hands-on kind of way. People were still giving money directly to the apostles for them then to distribute it to the poor.
Last week at Haven Café we were delighted to welcome two separate couples who came in clutching their vouchers for a free drink. They all seemed very happy to be with us and expressed their intention to return. As one couple was going out of the door reading our literature I heard the wife expressing great surprise, “The waiter was the Vicar!”
Perhaps there was occasionally a similar expression of surprise from some of the widows in the Early Church. “You know who served me my dinner today? It was the apostle John!”
But here was the problem. Sorting out practical problems such as who would receive what food parcels was getting in the way of what the Apostles had been commissioned by Jesus to do. It was NOT that the Apostles considered that task beneath them. It was THEIR feet that Jesus had washed in the Upper Room. They all knew that the greatest in the Kingdom of God was the servant of all. But they also knew that Jesus had called them to teach and preach and lead the church in a way that only they could possibly do. Other people could sort out the distribution of food. So the Apostles initiated the earliest example we see of organisation or structure in the Early Church.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait (diakoneo) on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Prayer and the ministry of the word – those would be the focus of the Apostles’ energies. Others would “wait on tables.” The word there is to serve, in Greek, diakoneo, from which we get the English word, to be Deacons. Those who served God and the people in the practicalities of the daily food distribution. In essence, Seven people who were given the job of organising and running the Early Church.
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
So here we have “the Seven.” The Twelve apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word, and seven people were set apart by the Apostles and by the whole church to serve and organise the church – the first Deacons.
Filling out the story, as the Early Church in Jerusalem grew we find later in Acts another kind of church leader emerging, called Elders. Jewish congregations were led by Elders and the first Christians followed the same pattern. In Jerusalem the Christian Elders worked alongside the Twelve and although they were not themselves apostles it seems that a group of Elders shared the work of the apostles. In Acts 15 we read that the church in Jerusalem at that time was led by a Council made up of Apostles and Elders. All the Christians everywhere looked to that Council in Jerusalem for guidance and leadership because it included those of the Twelve Apostles who had not as yet been martyred. It seems that the Elders like the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the Word of God, preaching and teaching, while Deacons continued to be responsible for the practical details of the common life of the church.
The Early Church grew and spread. Some years later the apostle Paul took the gospel all around the Roman on his missionary journeys. And wherever he planted churches, Paul would appoint Elders to lead and take care of the church when he moved on.
Acts 14 21 They preached the good news in that city (Derbe) and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
We read in Paul’s letter to Titus that this pattern of Elders leading the church had become the pattern for churches everywhere.
Titus 1 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
Paul then gives instructions on the qualifications for becoming an Elder.
6 An elder (presbuteros) must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer (episkopos) is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Paul uses two words here. One is Elder, and the English word we get from that is “Presbyter”. The other word is “overseer” and that is often translated “Bishop.” It seems to me that here and in other places that Elder and Overseer refer to the same person because it is the job of the Elder to oversee the life of the church. In particular the Elders were continuing the Apostles’ focus on the Word of God and in teaching the truths of the faith.
1 Timothy 5 17 The elders (presbuteroi) who direct (proistemi) the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”
Set apart for prayer and the ministry of the word. Teaching and preaching. That role continues in the church today in the position of the Minister. In 1 Timothy 3 Paul spells out the requirements for anybody who might consider becoming an Elder or Overseer and these would very much apply to anybody offering to become a Minister today.
1 Timothy 3 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, (episcope) he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
Notice that Paul is much more concerned about character than he is about gifts or skills or abilities of Elders or Ministers. And then in the same passage Paul goes on to talk about the requirements for being a Deacon.
1 Timothy 3 8 Deacons (diakonos), likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. … 12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
So it seems clear that by the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy towards the end of his life churches everywhere were being led by two groups of people. There were the successors to the Twelve Apostles, the Elders or Overseers, who carried on the work of preaching and teaching, focussed on prayer and the ministry of the word and setting the direction for each church. And there were the equivalent of the Seven, the Deacons, serving the church by taking responsibility for all the practical matters. And in Baptist Churches today we still call those who take responsibility for the church premises and finances and activities with that New Testament name of Deacons.
Although their responsibilities were different, the requirements for becoming a Deacon were no less demanding and no less spiritual than the requirements for Elders. Remember the choosing of the Seven.
3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
These first Deacons were men who were known to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom. It was no less spiritual to be a Deacon than it was to be an apostle. Deacons organising the distribution of food parcels needed to be just as full of the Spirit and of wisdom as the apostles did devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Because here is the thing. The root word for what both these groups of people were doing was the same. The word for ministry and the word for servant are the same word. “Serving at tables” is the same word as “the ministry of the word” – serving the Word.
We find that same word “Service” in an important passage in Ephesians and there it is applied to all Christians.
Ephesians 4 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. … 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
This passage talks about “works of service.” Other translations use the phrase “works of ministry.” Here we have exactly the same word as we found in Acts 6. For some it is serving at tables. For some it is “serving the word.” Works of service, works of ministry. Anything any Christian does serving God in the church and in the world. Paul explains that it is not the case that God has put apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers into His Church to do all those works of Christian service or “works of ministry.” God provides church leaders such as pastor-teachers, who we would call ministers, to prepare all God’s people so that we all can do works of service and works of ministry. That is how the church is built up, as EVERY Christian plays their part and does the work God calls them to do.
So in Baptist Churches we have ministers – serving the word. We also have Deacons – serving at Tables. But we don’t leave all the work of the church to the Minister and the Deacons. Every Christian has a part to play in outreach and evangelism and pastoral care and prayer and discipleship.
And whatever any Christian is doing for God, whatever job any of us might have in the church, we are all simply servants. Serving at tables or serving the word – we all need to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we are all simply servants, servants of God, servants of Christ, Servants of the Church.
So let us learn How to serve, And in our lives Enthrone Him;
Each other’s needs To prefer, For it is Christ We’re serving.
This is our God, The Servant King, He calls us now To follow Him,
To bring our lives As a daily offering Of worship to The Servant King.

How much does being a Christian cost? I don’t mean just money! I mean time, effort, energy, possessions, relationships. How much does following Jesus demand? Or to put it another way – how much would we really lose if Jesus was NOT the Christ, the Saviour, the Son of God?

Being a Christian in the early Church cost everything. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, those first Christians would have lost everything to gain nothing at all. This is very clear from the whole of the book of Acts and especially passages like Acts 5.

God was doing amazing things in Jerusalem through the Early Church.
Acts 5 12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

God was working all kinds of miracles and more and more people were believing in Jesus and becoming Christians. So the Chief Priest and the ruling Council in Jerusalem tried to stop the apostles from preaching.
Acts 5:18-20 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

As a result the apostles were brought back before the Sanhedrin again:-
28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!

The apostles were only released by the intervention of a godly Jew called Gamaliel. Then we read:
40 They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Arrested, imprisoned, forbidden to preach, flogged. But the apostles would not be silenced!

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 Christ. (Acts 5:42)

Acts 5:42 confronts us very powerfully with the challenge of discipleship.

Day after day …. we read … they never stopped!

Being a Christian takes over the whole of life. It’s not just an optional extra, a pastime, a hobby. Christianity is all or nothing. As they say, the entrance fee to heaven is free, Jesus has already paid it by his death on the cross for our sins. But the annual subscription is everything, everything we own, everything we have, everything we are.
When Jesus came to Galilee preaching the Good News, his message was simple. The Kingdom of God is at hand. “Repent and believe.” Change direction, turn your lives round. And then he said, “Follow me!”
Later Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Discipleship is an ongoing commitment to Jesus Christ, all or nothing, day after day, the never stopped, unceasingly! You can have a part time job. You could even be a part time policeman or a part-time nurse. But you can’t be a part-time Christian. That idea is a silly as the idea of being a part time husband or a part time parent or a part time human being! The challenge of discipleship is all day, everyday, they never stopped!

It’s at all times – and in all places. In the Temple courts and from house to house.
In the temple courts

Despite opposition from the Jewish Leaders the Sanhedrin, despite the floggings and imprisonment, the apostles still went to the Jewish Temple to worship and to preach. For the first Christians, following Jesus Christ was a corporate activity – it was something each individual would not do alone but always as part of the community of faith.

Nowadays it’s sad but true that far too many Christians value individualism higher than community. That’s all a part of our Western self-centredness of course, our consumer culture which demands freedom of choice and satisfaction guaranteed or else we take our custom elsewhere. So even in church we value our religious freedom to believe and worship as we choose higher than we value God’s New Society, the Church. So nowadays we find people who claim to believe in Christ but don’t take any part in His Church. Who claim to be joined to Christ but not joined to His Body on earth. Now that’s not New Testament Christianity. Because in the New Testament commitment to Christ implies commitment to his Church – with no exceptions!

It is completely inconsistent to accept all the blessings which God gives his children in Christ but then distance oneself from God’s people, his forever family, the Church. So the first Christians were there with their spiritual family in the Temple day after day. Committed to its worship. Nobody was asking whether it was their kind of music or how long the sermon was going to be. They were there to worship God at every opportunity. Taking every occasion to learn and grow in their faith. And that’s part of what it means to be a Christian. Each individual’s faith was lived out in corporate church life and worship.

But it wasn’t just “in the temple.” It was also
From house to house

The faith of those early Christians wasn’t just expressed when they met together in great congregations. It was also expressed in small groups and in homes.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. … 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

Every day! There’s one kind of creature you wont find anywhere in the Bible – a “Sunday Christian”. No disciple of Christ can fit all their worship and learning and prayer and fellowship and service into just a couple of hours once a week. These first Christians were in and out of each others houses talking about Jesus, praising, praying, witnessing, growing, seven days a week. And so it should be for us too!!
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is why our midweek prayer gathering, “Draw near to God” is so valuable. This is where Home Groups are so important. Bible Study, fellowship and prayer. Learning and growing together, caring, sharing and bearing each others burdens. That is living the Christian life “from house to house”!! Which is most important? Job, family, school, hobbies, television, or being a disciple of Jesus Christ?

But this phrase “from house to house” also reminds us of course that we have to live out our faith in daily life. In our homes and families. With our neighbours. In our workplace or in our school. Wherever we are. Do they know I am a Christian? Have I shared the difference Christ makes with all my friends so they can know the Saviour too??

The apostles weren’t silent! They devoted the time and gave up their lives
teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ

Teaching means explaining our faith – helping people to explore and to understand and to believe. Proclaiming means preaching, announcing the good news, broadcasting it so that everybody can hear it. Boldly declaring what we believe. And we need both. It does seem to me that most Christians in England have become much less brave about proclaiming the good news than they used to be. Perhaps so many people have told us that the message is foolish we have begun to believe it is. “Perhaps it is the pressure of the false god of Political Correctness”, in a world where they tell us that the only thing you can be certain of is that you aren’t allowed to be certain about anything any more. Perhaps Christians have lost confidence in the power of the gospel to change lives, the transforming power of Jesus Christ which can save “from the guttermost to the uttermost.” Remember the words of the apostle Paul,
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

We have a responsibility to tell people the truth which will set them free. A few years ago we went to visit some churches and orphanages we support in Bulgaria. We went to the young people’s Bible Study and they were studying this passage in Acts 5. Somebody asked the question, “If we were preaching the gospel outside the Orthodox Cathedral and the police told us to stop preaching, would we stop? Or would we carry on preaching even if we got arrested?” It was an important question – some members of that church including their Minister our friend Evgeniy HAD BEEN arrested for preaching the gospel in public. Would we be prepared to take that kind of risk?

We have “the Good News that Jesus is the Christ” to share!

Sociologists tell us that we live in a “post-modern age”. That just means that this generation has elevated the individual above God. We have become a society trapped in sins of selfishness and greed, what Richard Foster describes very well as the hyphenated sins of the human spirit, self sufficiency, self-pity, self-absorption, self-deception, self-exaltation, self-indulgence. And there is only one antidote to the self-centredness which is dragging the world ever lower today. The only challenge to the relativism of postmodern thinking is the good news of Jesus Christ. Whether they want to hear or not, whether they listen and believe or not, the only hope for our lost neighbours lies in the historical facts of the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the message the world needs to hear! The gospel is God’s rebuke to the selfishness of our consumer culture. This is the truth which will set people free! We cannot be silent!! Whatever the cost! Remember the example of the apostles. And the examples of persecuted and martyred believers and missionaries around the world even today:-
But Let us be clear about what the Christian gospel is. The gospel is not an offer. The gospel is not an invitation. The gospel is not a debate. The true gospel is simply an announcement that Christ has come, and that Christ is Lord of all. And that announcement is so earth-shattering that it demands a response from every one of us who hears it. JESUS IS THE CHRIST! What are you going to do about it?
Some Christians play down this radical nature of the gospel announcement. We seek to share the good news of Christ at Christmas in a very gentle way. As if we are saying – take another look at Christmas and you’ll find a free gift inside, the gift of the Baby in the Manger. But the message of Christmas is not an offer or an invitation which people can choose to accept if they would like to. The message of Christmas is the announcement of a historical fact. Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem was indeed the Son of God, Immanuel, God with us. Whether you like it or not, whether you choose to accept it or not, God was in Christ! Jesus Christ is God! Fact.

In the same way, the message of Easter is not an invitation to believe that the cross of Christ was in some way special and different from the deaths of other Martyrs. The message of Good Friday is the announcement that on the Cross Christ died for our sins and that saving death is the only way of escape any of us have from the righteous judgment of the Holy God. Fact! And the good news of Easter day is not a gentle invitation to discover for ourselves that Jesus is alive again. It is the proclamation of the historical fact that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and is exalted King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Fact! God raised Him from the dead and that is all the proof that anybody will get because that is all the proof that anybody needs that Judgment Day is coming. So what are we going to do about in?
PAUL in Athens: Acts 17 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

The gospel is an ANNOUNCEMENT – a proclamation of the good news that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

The supreme task of the church in every generation is to preach the gospel. To proclaim and announce to the world that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all! Whether people respond or not to the gospel is all God’s work. That is the work of God the Holy Spirit. OUR job is to tell people!! We are not responsible for how people respond to the gospel. We ARE responsible for making sure that we have told them!! To make sure that the seed is sown! The old saying is true – you can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Our job is not to make people drink from the waters of life. That is the Holy Spirit’s job. But our job is to MAKE SURE that EVERYBODY knows where to find those living waters – to proclaim the Good News that Jesus is the Christ!

And we must deliver that message urgently! Our responsibility is to make the most important announcement anybody will ever hear with all the diligence and urgency we can! Because people who we don’t tell will be lost without Christ for eternity!
they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news

They never stopped!! The problem with too many Christians today is that they never START teaching and proclaiming Jesus. The first Christians never stopped. If they had stopped, there wouldn’t have been any more Christians and we wouldn’t be here today! They never stopped. Have we even properly started?

I am always moved by the story of the messenger sent by the King to the prison with a message for the Governor. But it was a hot day and the messenger stopped at a taverna along the way for a tequila. But he was thirsty so he had another tequila. And another. And another. So it was dusk as the messenger arrived at the prison as yet another prisoner was executed. And the messenger delivered his message – it was a letter of pardon, for the prisoner who had just died.
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 Christ. (Acts 5:42)

The Bible encourages Christians to pray in very many places. But in the New Testament we don’t actually have many examples of the prayers Christians used. Here is one of them!
What the disciples didn’t pray for
They didn’t pray that the opposition would stop. If we are truly following Jesus sometimes life will get hard. Sometimes people will react against the difference Jesus makes in our lives. Sometimes our words of testimony will cause people to turn against us. There have been times in my life when standing up for Jesus has got me into trouble and I am sure that will be your experience as well. But the first Christians didn’t complain when that happened to them. Peter and John had been thrown into jail. The ruling council of Jerusalem the Sanhedrin had threatened them. When they continues to preach very soon the apostles would be flogged and soon after Stephen would be martyred. But they don’t pray to be delivered from opposition and persecution. They prayed for boldness to be able to preach better. We use the phrase “asking for trouble.” The apostles’ prayers were certainly “asking for trouble”!
The believers’ prayer
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
They prayed to the Sovereign Lord – they recognised that God was Lord of all. Caesar was not Lord. The Sanhedrin certainly weren’t in charge. Jesus was King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Almighty God was Sovereign on the throne of heaven and earth.
They prayed to the Creator God – who made heaven and earth and sea. God who spoke into the darkness and there was light. God who created every living creature from nothing and God who continues to sustain every living creature.
They prayed to the God who shapes the future
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
The apostles recognized that the Sovereign and Almighty Creator God was in control of history. Even when they were experiencing persecution, they recognized that nothing could possibly happen without God knowing about it in advance and nothing could possibly happen to them unless God permitted it. When we pray, let us never forget who we are praying to. The Sovereign Lord who holds us safe in the palm of His hand. God who is in complete control of everything He has create, even if we cannot recognize that at the time.

Prayer to be able to speak with great boldness

29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Remember that during the last week of His early ministry in Jerusalem, Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would give them words to speak on occasions when they were called to preach the gospel and to testify about Him.
Mark 13 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Luke’s version of that saying in Luke 21:15 Jesus says, 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
So in Acts 4 the disciples are simply claiming those promises of words and wisdom and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Just before his Ascension Jesus had made this promise to His followers.
Acts 1 8 But 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.”
In Acts 4 the believers were simply claiming that promise of power to be His witnesses for Jesus, power from on High from the Holy Spirit.
Prayer for more signs and wonders – even though it was the miraculous healing of the lame man which had got them into trouble in the first place.

What happened
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Speaking with boldness in preaching the gospel. And speaking with boldness testifying to what they themselves had witnessed of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and of the miracles which were happening in Jesus’s name.
Acts 4 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
And we will read in later chapters how not only that powerful preaching but also those signs and wonders continued as the Early Church spread and grew. But will you notice something very significant in the way that prayer was answered. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
They were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit. Not just Peter and John. Not just the apostles. But ALL of the believers received the power to speak the word of God with boldness. Now some of those present would have been among the 3000 new Christians who had been saved on the day of Pentecost. Some would have been among the 2000 who had been saved since as a consequence of the healing of the lame man. But Peter and John and the rest of the eleven apostles were also there. Many others who had been present when the Holy Spirit fell on the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost were there. And we read ALL these people were filled with the Holy Spirit.
So we conclude that at least some of those who were filled with the Spirit on this occasion had already been filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Back in Acts 2 we read this.
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Here in Acts 4 we read this. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Exactly the same words – they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. In one case they all began to exercise the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues to praise God and in the other they all began to speak the word of God with boldness, and that may well have included praising God in tongues as well. But on both occasions we read that everybody there was filled with the Holy Spirit. Why does this matter? Because traditional conservative Evangelical theology will tell you that a believer receives the Holy Spirit the moment they become a Christian and are born again. Often that once and for all arrival of the Holy Spirit will be undramatic and even unseen. On the other hand traditional Pentecostal theology will tell you that a believer needs to receive the Holy Spirit at a separate time, often a long time after their conversion. Pentecostals give different labels to this once and for all subsequent experience including “baptism in the Spirit” or “the Second Blessing” and some give the impression that receiving the Holy Spirit in this way lifts the believer to a new level of Christian experience. All through 1970s and 1980s different corners of the church argued bitterly over which understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit was correct, although actually what they mostly disagreed about was the language people were using to describe their experiences of the Holy Spirit. In their own ways Evangelicals and Pentecostals are both right and both wrong. Because what we clearly see here in Acts 4 is a group of believers being filled with the Spirit, EVEN THOUGH at least some of them has been filled with the Spirit in Acts 2. It is clearly possible for believers to be filled with the Spirit on more than one occasion!
Evangelicals are correct to say that God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer at the moment they are born again. Pentecostals are correct to say that Christians can be filled with the Spirit on an occasion subsequent to their conversion. Because Acts 4 makes clear that Christians can be filled with the Spirit not just once, but twice, and three times, and indeed probably a hundred times!
Pentecostals and charismatics will sometimes ask the question, “Have you been filled with the Spirit?” The more helpful question is this. “Are you filled with the Spirit right now?” Somebody asked the great evangelist Moody, “Have you been filled with the Spirit?” He replied, “I have been filled with the Spirit, but I leak.”
In Ephesians 5:18 Paul writes, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Actually sometimes Greek is a more precise language than English and what Paul says does not mean, “Be filled with the Spirit once.” The command is present and continuous. “Keep on being filled with the Spirit.” In other words, don’t live on past experiences. Don’t think to yourself, “Because I was filled with the Spirit back in 1983 J am doing fine thank you very much.” What matters is, are you filled with the Spirit today? “Keep on being filled with the Spirit.”
This account encourages us to pray the same prayer as those first disciples prayed. To pray for boldness to be able to preach the gospel and to be witnesses for Jesus. It encourages us to pray, expecting God to fill us with the Holy Spirit in the same way as those first Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with power from on High. And it doesn’t matter if we would say that God has filled us with His Holy Spirit before or not. It doesn’t matter whether we would call ourselves Evangelicals or Pentecostals or Charismatics. All that matters is that we want to be bold for Christ. We want God’s power to be witnesses for Jesus. If that is what we truly desire, then God WILL fill us with His Holy Spirit. Jesus has made this promise in Luke 11:13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

In the first years after Jesus rose from the dead the Early Church grew at an amazing rate. 3000 new believers on the day of Pentecost. Day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. And Acts 4 points us to three reasons for this remarkable growth. The secret of evangelism in the Early Church. And we begin by noticing the gospel they proclaimed.
Acts 412 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation is found in no-one else
The disciples didn’t think of that idea by themselves. That is what Jesus Himself said.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus is the only truth. Jesus is the only source of life. Jesus is the one and only Son of God. Jesus is the only one who died on a cross for the sins of the world because Jesus is the only sinless lamb of God who ever could die on a cross to bring us back to God. And Jesus is the only one who spent three days in the tomb and then was raised from the dead, never more to die. Jesus is the only one who has been exalted to the right hand of God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. No-one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Salvation is found in no-one else. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

John 3:16 tells us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
God doesn’t want anyone to be lost! God sent Jesus to save the world and they are saved by believing in him. But anyone who doesn’t believe is trapped in condemnation forever. Salvation is found in no-one else.
Jesus said, Mark 16 15 …. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe:
Those who do not put their faith in Jesus are lost without him. Salvation is found in no-one else.
The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way.
Hebrews 2 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

What the letter to the Hebrews is saying there is that the signs and wonders worked through the apostles, and the spiritual gifts such as prophecy and discernment and words of knowledge and wisdom and speaking in tongues experienced by so many of the first Christians, were all evidence of the salvation which comes through Jesus. How shall anyone escape if they ignore such a great salvation? Salvation is found in no-one else! There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
This is the gospel Jesus entrusts to His church to proclaim. There is a way people can be saved from their sin. There is a way they can be changed from God’s enemies into His friends, more than that, His beloved children. There is a way human beings can enter into life in all its fullness and live eternally. And that way is Jesus. The only way is Jesus. Salvation is found in no-one else.
So that was the message the first Christians proclaimed. But what form did their witness take? Throughout Acts we see a simple pattern. God the Holy did something interesting. The people around asked “how did that happen?” And the Christians would answer, God did it. That is how Peter came to preach on the Day of Pentecost. And that is how Peter and John came to be defending their faith here in front of the Sanhedrin. God had healed a man who had been crippled since his birth, so he went walking and leaping and praising God in the Temple. Everybody asked, “How did this happen?” And Peter and John simply explained that it was God at work! But note what it was that made a particular impact on the Sanhedrin.

These men had been with Jesus
13 When 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.
They had been with Jesus. Peter and John had been Jesus’s disciples from the very beginning. For three years they had watched him and listened to him. They had seen Jesus work all his miracles of healing and deliverance and they had heard all his sermons. Even more precious, they had been among the twelve apostles Jesus had chosen to be with Him and to receive teaching he never shared with the crowds. And along with James, Peter and John had formed the “inner circle” of those apostles. They had witnessed miracles even the other apostles had not seen. Peter and John had been there at the top of the mountain and seen Jesus in all his glory at the Transfiguration. These men had certainly been with Jesus – and it showed!
Here were unschooled ordinary men preaching to the ruling Council of Jerusalem the Sanhedrin. Expounding the Old Testament to the High Priest himself! Their understanding and their courage were evidence that they had spent time with Jesus. And in fact, in ways the Sanhedrin would never understand and which Peter and John were just discovering, Jesus was still with them. Jesus had been among them, and now Jesus was even closer to them. Jesus was inside them, in the Person of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had foretold this day when He had promised his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would come to give them the words to say
Mark 13 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
In many places Jesus had promised this gift of the Holy Spirit, power from on High, power to be witnesses for Jesus.
John 15 26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Indeed the Holy Spirit has a vital role in bringing a person to faith in Jesus Christ.
John 16 5 Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

So the Holy Spirit comes to all believers revealing Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit living in us is God’s witness to the world. The witness of the difference it makes in the lives of people who have been with Jesus. And each and every Christian has been given this same Holy Spirit, power from on High, power to be witnesses for Jesus.
Do you want your friends to be saved? Do you want your neighbours to be saved? Do you want your work colleagues or the people down the street to come to know Jesus? Salvation is found in no-one else. Jesus is their only hope! The Sanhedrin took note that these men had been with Jesus. And that will be our witness to the world. The difference it makes when we have been with Jesus. The difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives when we have spent time with God in prayer. When we read our Bibles and let God’s word transform our lives. When we spend time in worship and fellowship. We are only ordinary Christians. But Peter and John were ordinary men.
The gospel they proclaimed and why they proclaimed it. Finally let’s see what motivated those apostles in their evangelism.

We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!
Acts 4 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
The apostles had been with Jesus. They had witnessed all the marvellous things Jesus said and did. They had watched him die on the cross for the sins of the world. They had found the tomb empty and the graveclothes folded in the place where Jesus’s body had been laid. And most important of all, they had met with Jesus after He had risen from the dead. They were witnesses to the resurrection. They couldn’t hold in their excitement! They just had to tell everybody what had happened!
Some Christians get nervous when we talk about “witnessing” for Jesus. Some people make “witnessing” sound like something difficult or painful. Society wants us to think that there is something indecent or even immoral about telling other people about Jesus. In this multicultural multifaith society there is tremendous pressure to stay silent about Jesus. People tell you the only thing we can be certain of is that we aren’t allowed to be certain about anything any more. So people tell us we aren’t allowed to talk about salvation. And the one thing we absolutely aren’t say is that Jesus is the only way to God. But the Bible says the opposite. Jesus Himself said He is the only way. Salvation is found in no-one else. There really is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. That is the life-saving message we have been given to proclaim. We have good news. We dare not keep it to ourselves!

The apostles were witnesses to what they had seen and heard. But they weren’t preaching about Jesus just because He had commanded them to do so. They were simply telling everybody what they themselves had seen. The apostles were before the Sanhedrin because God had healed a man who had been lame since his birth. This was what Peter had preached which we heard about last week in Acts 3
15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
The apostles’ testimony was that the lame man was healed by faith in the name of Jesus. And this in turn was proof of everything else they preached about Jesus and his resurrection. So nobody had to order the apostles to tell other people about Jesus. “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!”
And exactly the same should be true of us. We shouldn’t need anybody to command us to tell other people about Jesus. We should be so excited that we can’t help speaking about what we have seen and heard of God’s love and God’s power in our own lives, in our own experience!

There is song we sometimes sing.
I GET SO EXCITED, LORD, Every time I realise I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.
Jesus, Lord, You’ve done it all, You’ve paid the price: I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.
Hallelujah, Lord, My heart just fills with praise;
My feet start dancing, my hands rise up, And my lips they bless Your name.
I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.
Living in Your presence, Lord, Is life itself: I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.
With the past behind, grace for today And a hope to come, I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.

We have so much to get excited about! Jesus has given us the most wonderful salvation. Our sins are forgiven. We have life in all its fullness, eternal life which not even death can take away. God has made us his beloved children. And God even lives inside us by the Holy Spirit! We should be so excited!
This is how the Early Church grew. Ordinary men and women filled with the extraordinary power of God the Holy Spirit, sharing the life-saving truth they had experienced themselves. Salvation is found in no-one else. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. People should be able to see the difference Jesus makes – to see that we have been with Jesus.
We should be like those first Christians, who just couldn’t help speaking about what they had seen and heard!