A Promise We Can Count On (Acts 1:1-11)

Where: College Baptist Church

When: April 8, 2001

Why: To show that the promise of the Holy Spirit by a living Christ gives His church the power to be all God expects us to be.

Text: Acts 1:1 - 11

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about church? About going to church, I mean. I have. Have you ever been like me? I remember times of going to church because it was the right thing to do, or it was expected of me, or maybe, just maybe, there was some hope there. But you just weren't satisfied- like having just a sliver of cherry pie, when you wanted the whole pie.

And often, I must admit, my experience of church not met my expectation. (Or maybe it's more accurate to say that it has met my lack of expectation.) The singing was drab. The preacher was dry. And the preaching was either too abstract and heady, or it got too close to home, stepping on my toes. There were too many cliques. The people weren't loving. The people were old and stuck in their ways. (Of course, I was quite young when I thought that- and am less likely to think it now for some reason.)

Have you felt that way too? A lot of people do. Church becomes a very dissatisfying experience for some. A disappointment. They end of switching around, trying out a lot of different congregations, hoping to find something- but usually, somehow, ending up disappointed. If this is what church is all about, what's with the big billing?

Sometimes these symptoms are a result of one's own personal struggle with God. But I have to admit, often they do appear to be symptoms of a less than healthy church. And at different points of history the church has seemed more anemic than others. But perhaps it's a combination of the two- a personal issue or a church issue. It could be a result of our own personal resistance to the joy and freedom God longs to give to the repentant, obedient sinner. And it could be a lack of expectation on the part of the church for Christ to build His church as He promised as we faithfully trust and obey Him.

Now, personal and church issues can be very complex, but I firmly believe that the prescription for a vibrant, growing, healthy church is a divine dosage of knowing God, understanding His expectations, trusting His promises to fulfill those expectations.

Transition

In our quest for a church experience that satisfies, that fulfills, and that has purpose and meaning, it is helpful to turn our attention to the prototype. When it comes to the church, we can gain a great deal of insight from looking at the experiences of those who were, historically speaking, closest to Jesus.

As we look at Acts 1:1-11, we will see that Jesus' prescription for His church was a promise- a promise we can count on. Before Jesus returned to His Father, He gives us a man and a mandate, the means to fulfill the mandate (and that's the promise), and the motivation to fulfill the mandate.

The Man

1. The church has been given a mandate, a commission, a decree, a command.
1. A mandate is actually only as strong as the authority of the one who gives it. I think that's why the book of Acts starts talking about the man, Jesus.
2. Luke begins his history of the early church by establishing the authority of the man who has given the mandate.
3. Acts: 1:1-3. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
2. In becoming who God expects us to be, it is essential that we be utterly convinced of the credibility and credentials of the Man who gives the mandate.
1. Luke sets out to accomplish this by establishing that a large number of eye witnesses empirically experienced the presence of a living Christ. This is important because if he is a living Messiah, then He truly is who He says He was. If He truly is who He says He was, He has the authority to give us a mandate.
2. Oh, but there is no way we can be sure of the credibility of this account, you may object.
1. We could say this, however, of any event that occurs in the past. But we can be convinced, on the basis of formal historical record that something happened. Our confidence in the truth of that record is increased if we know of people who witnessed that event first hand and can talk to them about it.
2. For example, we can be relatively convinced that in 1980 Ronald Reagan visited our church building. We can go to the Hillsdale Daily News archives and read about how the building was absolutely packed. We can go to Mossey Library at the college and get a copy of Winona from the oversize racks on the second floor and learn more. We see pictures that are convincing. We discover the purpose of the visit. We discern that he was a potential presidential candidate. You believe that Ronald Reagan was here because you are convinced that the Hillsdale Daily News and the Winona attempt to be somewhat accurate in what they report.
3. But it is even more convincing, and interesting, if there are eye witnesses whom we can talk to. In our case, we are fortunate that Jim Juroe is a member of our congregation. We have found him trustworthy, though some may find his credibility suspect. Upon talking to him, we discover yes, indeed, Reagan was here. Yes, the place was packed. We hear that, from his memory, there was a lot of excitement in the air. We are even more convinced that this historical event did occur because there are things that Jim tells us that accurately reinforce the written documentation of the event. We learn some details that weren't in the Daily News. Like the guest of honor elaborately expounding his appreciation for the college president and his long time friendship with him- only to have him mispronounce George Rouch's name. But then, that adds credibility to the account since we have heard that Reagan often forgot things or mispronounced people's names.
4. Putting all the evidence together, the historical report, the eye witness, we believe with a very high level of confidence, that Ronald Reagan visited our church building in 1980 and packed out the house as he was preparing for a run for the White House. We believe this is true even though we could never be able to empirically experience it ourselves.
3. This is the same process the historian Luke is going through as he begins his account of the experiences of the early church.
1. First he establishes the credibility and authority of the central figure of the account. Many credible witnesses saw Him alive. He had been dead. They ate with him. Talked with Him. Even touched him, felt Him. Luke has interview these people. He knew them personally.
2. Then Luke records the events- like the Daily News and Winona did for Reagan. His record has been painstaking and accurately preserved (along with the rest of Scripture) with more credibility and accuracy than any other ancient document.
3. If we can believe on the basis of historical record that Ronald Reagan visited our church, we can believe the truth of Luke's history and of God's Word. The uniqueness of Luke's account is that the man is not a mere politician, but one who claimed to be the Son of God. His claims are validated by the accurate historical record of the New Testament writers. His fulfillment of prophesy, including His own, of His death and resurrection are verified by credible witnesses. This man Jesus has full and complete authority to make a mandate for His church, His followers.

The mandate

What is this mandate? And how will we be able to fulfill it?

1. Luke offers us a key phrase in 1:8 that reveals to us the mandate that Jesus makes to His church. In the context of answering His disciples' questions about establishing the Kingdom of God, Jesus says, you will be my witnesses . . . You will be my "testifiers." You will test testify to the truth about me throughout the earth.
2. Luke's record corresponds with the Matthew's record: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (28:18-20).
3. I believe that often disappointment with church comes from the fact that something is lacking in relation to the mandate. We have lost sight of the mandate. The thrill of being a "testifier to the truth" does not preoccupy His church. Yes, we live to the praise of the glory of God. But His glory is demonstrated through the fulfillment of the mandate.

The means

1. The great thing is that He didn't leave us with a job description that we couldn't fulfill. He never asks us to do anything without also providing the means to do it.
2. In fact, Luke records that Jesus gave very explicit instructions about what to do. He made a promise- a promise we can count on. We can count on it on the basis of the credibility of the one who made it.
1. He gives a command. 1:4, 5. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
2. He gives a promise. 1:6-8. ⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷ He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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."
3. It is profoundly reassuring and incredibly exciting that Jesus not only has given us a job to do but the means to do it. In the process we become who and what He wants us to become to the praise of His glory.
1. Just think of it. The work and role of the Holy Spirit is so important in our personal lives, and consequently, the life of the church, that Jesus even said that it would be better for Him to go away- so that we could actually have Him in us through the Spirit! (John 14:15-18).
2. We need to learn more of this. We need to surrender to Him, yield to Him, be filled with Him, experience Him in the fullest possible way in our daily lives and in the church. We need to expect that His promise is true, one we can count on. He gives us a gift, the gift of power, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
3. How will His Spirit work in CBC? How will we see His power demonstrated? How will we change? How will we fulfill the mandate of the Man with all authority through the means He provides? To whom will we be His witnesses?

The motivation

1. He also gives us a gift of motivation.
2. 1:9-11. ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
3. What wonderful motivation! What if it were today? I pray that He would be pleased with His church. I pray that His mandate would be fulfilled. I pray that we would have joyfully enjoyed the whole cherry pie and not just the smallest sliver.
4. What a wonderful thought that by His power working in us through His promised Holy Spirit we at CBC would hear one day, "Well done, my faithful servants!"

Conclusion

How does this all work? In the coming weeks, after Easter, we will continue to explore the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the experience and eye glasses of the early church. It will be a thrilling journey of discovery. We've so far noted that the church is one that is a "house of prayer" and one which is given a mandate and the means to fulfill it. We will learn that God's expectations can become our expectations.

We can be confident that anemia can change to robust health. The prescription for a vibrant, growing, healthy church is a divine dosage of knowing God, understanding His expectations, trusting His promises to fulfill those expectations.

How will this happen? I think it will be found in those operative phrases I just mentioned: knowing God, understanding His expectations, trusting His promises.

Bob Livingston and I were thinking about this together. I discovered helpful insight as we reflected on what it was like to be a band director on a quest to move musicians from anemic music to full, vibrant, incredibly beautiful music.

• The band director needs credibility. He or she needs to know music and needs to know how to bring others together to make good music.
• The band needs to believe in the band director. The band needs to want to respond to the director.
• If the band director gives a mandate- This is the way I want you to play- and the band does not respond- Pfffft! It is anemic. Even dissonant. Something no one would want to be a part of.
• If the band trusts the director, responds to the director, focuses on the director, there is beautiful music. Crescendo! Forte, forte! . . . Pianisimo!
• Communication, response, more communication, more response. Beauty. Power.
• And those of us who have been to one of Bob's concerts have found great pleasure in witnessing how a great band leader can take ordinary musicians and create sounds of incredible harmony, unity and beauty.

Jesus Christ is our director. We will trust Him. Respond to Him. Do it His way. Keep our focus riveted to Him. And, oh the harmony, beauty . . . and power that will be ours.