The Movement is Cast | New Sermon Series
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What is a Movement?
An act of changing physical location or position or of having this changed.
A change or development.
A group of people working together to advance their shared ideas
The church of our Lord Jesus Christ is a movement.
In the book of Acts, Luke continues the story he began in his Gospel, covering the 30 years after Jesus was taken up into heaven. So the Book of Acts is like Luke’s Volume 2 of his account of Jesus and the early beginnings of the church. In the Book of Acts, Luke tells us of the movement that Jesus established, the church, and how the Holy Spirit moved the early Christians towards expanding the church. During this 30 years period, the church was established, and the gospel of salvation was spread and grows rapidly. Then faces intense persecution, which drives the believers out into the surrounding areas, throughout the Roman world, even to the capital, Rome. Through this dispersion, Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles heard the Good News and believe. And so the movement begins.
In the book of Acts we can learn about the nature and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early church and how we, like these early believers, can turn our world upside down as the same Holy Spirit move us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the primary Mover of the church. The church itself is a movement fueled by the Holy Spirit.
The Movement is cast with:
I. A CONNECTING Prelude
Acts 1:1-3
(1) In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.
Luke’s former book was the Gospel of Luke; that book was also addressed to Theophilus, whose name means “one who loves God.” Theophilus may have been Luke’s patron who helped to finance the book’s writing. More likely, Theophilus was a Roman acquaintance of Luke’s with a strong interest in the new Christian religion. Or some would say that Theophilus may just be code for all Christians who love God.
(2) until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.
Note that the Holy Spirit was the main source and power of Jesus’ earthly ministry and of the apostles’ ministry as we can see here in the book of Acts. This book can also be properly titled “the Acts of the Holy Spirit.”
(3) After His suffering, He presented Himself to them 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.
40 days. This is the time period between Jesus’ Resurrection and ascension. Jesus spent 40 days teaching his disciples, and they were changed drastically. Before the resurrection, they were terrified and confused. Now, they became convinced about the resurrection, learned more about the kingdom of God, discovered their power source—the Holy Spirit, and with zeal and boldness, spread the gospel everywhere.
Spoke about the kingdom of God. Luke tells us that during these 40 days, Jesus continued His teaching about the kingdom of God. Remember that His first coming inaugurated the kingdom of God. When He returned to heaven, God’s kingdom would remain in the hearts of all believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But the kingdom of God will not be fully realized until Jesus Christ returns to judge all people and remove all evil from the world. Before that time, believers are to work to spread God’s kingdom across the world. The book of Acts records how this work was begun. What the early church started, we must continue.
II. A CAPTIVATING PRESENCE
Acts 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.”
Again, the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are connected together. The end of the Gospel of Luke overlaps with the beginning of Acts. So some of the same things are reported.
Luke 24:48-49
(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.” (50) When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. (51) While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (52) Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (53) And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
That is how Volume 1 ends, and in Volume 2 (Acts), Luke somehow started his account on exactly the same event, the Ascension, which essentially begins with the arrival of the Holy Spirit. So here is the essential point that I think Jesus and Luke are teaching us: The presence of the Holy Spirit is essential to the life and ministry of the church.
Jesus emphatically instructs the disciples that they should wait for the Holy Spirit to come. They should not be doing anything substantial until the Holy Spirit arrives.
So as the Holy Spirit is promised in the book of Luke, He now comes in the book of Acts.
Acts 1:5
(5) For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
If Jesus had stayed on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the gospel, because physically He could be in only one place at a time. After Christ was taken up into heaven, He would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit.
“Baptism of the Holy Spirit” here simply is all about His coming upon, and being poured out into the believers in Acts 2 in the event called the Pentecost We’ll talk more about this next Sunday). The Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus in Luke 24:49, was given so that God would be with and within believers after Christ returned to heaven. As Jesus taught in John 14-16, the Holy Spirit’s presence in the believer would comfort us, guide us to know his truth, remind us of Jesus’ words, give us the right words to say, and fill us with power.
Later on at Pentecost (2:1–4), the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believed in Jesus. We receive the Holy Spirit (are baptized with him) the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The baptism of the Holy Spirit must be understood in the light of His total work in Christians.
(1) The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian life. We cannot belong to Christ without His Spirit (Romans 8:9); we cannot be united to Christ without His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17); we cannot be adopted as his children without his Spirit (Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 4:6, 7); we cannot be in the body of Christ except by baptism in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(2) The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a lifelong process of change, making us more like Christ (Galatians 3:3; Philippians 1:6). When we receive Christ by faith, we begin an immediate personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become like Christ.
(3) The Spirit unites the Christian community in Christ (Ephesians 2:19–22). The Holy Spirit can be experienced by all, and He works through all (1 Corinthians 12:11; Ephesians 4:4).
So again, Jesus reminds His disciples, before His ascension, that they have to wait for the captivating presence of the Holy Spirit before they do anything else in the ministry. Their waiting lasted for 10 days because, after 10 days, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.
III. A CONFUSING PROPHECY
With Jesus going away soon, the disciples are concerned about what the future holds both for them, and for the work of the Lord. They ask Jesus about the future, and about when they can expect Him to establish the kingdom of God. They want to know if the time has come, or if they must wait.
Acts 1:6-7
(6) Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
During the years of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the disciples continually wondered about his kingdom. When would it come? What would be their role? In the traditional view, the Messiah would be an earthly conqueror who would free Israel from Rome. But the kingdom Jesus spoke about was, first of all, a spiritual kingdom established in the hearts and lives of believers (Luke 17:21). God’s presence and power dwell in believers in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Like other Jews, the disciples resented their Roman rulers. They wanted the Messiah to free Israel from Roman power and then become their king. The disciples somehow hoped that the literal kingdom of the Messiah will commence after Jesus’ resurrection. But Jesus told them plainly…
(7) He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.
The answer the Lord gives them is anything but clear. Jesus tells them, essentially, that such matters are not their business, but belong to the secret, providential workings of the Father. God the Father sets the timetable for all events—worldwide, national, and personal.
Deuteronomy 29:29
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
If you want changes that God isn’t making immediately, don’t become impatient. Instead, trust God’s timetable. Let God’s kingdom first begin within you.
IV. A COMPELLING POWER
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.”
What were the disciples doing while they waited to be clothed with power from on high, while they waited to receive the special power of the Holy Spirit? Two things: Luke 2452-53 tells us they were continually in the temple worshipping God with great joy; and Acts 1:13-14 tells us they met in an upper room and devoted themselves to prayer. So they were praying in their smaller assembly and they were joyfully praising God in the public temple.
Question. Is this what being a Christian is all about? Praising God and Praying to God? Yes or no? If no, what do they lack? Preaching.
Christianity is not just praising God and praying to God. We are commanded to preach God. And that requires a special power from God.
"Special power is essential that it takes power just to become a Christian. But it takes another dimension of power to carry out an expanding witness to Christ.” (John Piper)
This text tells us exactly our mission or purpose as saved people. Not only our purpose but the power to move our purpose.
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.”
Our mission has…
1. A Compelling Message - Jesus
Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus is to be the sole focus of our message. There is only one compelling message of the gospel, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is Him that we must preach and teach.
That has not changed and should not change! We are to tell the world about Him. We are not to talk about us, our lives, our beliefs, our denomination, our church, or our favorite preacher. None of those things have saving power! His message does, Rom. 1:16! We are to tell the world about Jesus.
We are to tell the message of His love, His death, and His resurrection. We are to share the message of the Gospel – 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 10:9-10; 13; John 3:16; Acts 16:31. We are to tell the world that Jesus will save anyone who comes to Him by faith!
We are not sent to try and impress the world with our grasp of theology. Many people know the theories of theology, but they do not know Jesus. Many know all about the glories of Heaven, but they are headed to Hell. Like that blind man in John 9, all I know is, “once I was blind, but now I see,” and Jesus is the reason! That is the message we are to share with the world.
Our only mission is to point people to Jesus. He is the only hope the world has for salvation, John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Acts 16:31.
As someone said, all we are is “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread”. Jesus is the “Bread of Life”, John 6:35. He is the solution to the spiritual hunger of the world. (Ill. I need to share with others what others shared with me, 2 Tim. 2:2!)
2. A Compelling Method - Witnessing
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.”
The word “witness,” Greek word “martus” refers to “those who bear witness to the truth.” It came to be used of those who bore the ultimate witness to the truth; of those who laid down their lives for the truth. Thus, we get the word “martyr” from this word. The issue is not myths and legends, but facts and truth. Jesus is calling His people to tell others the truth about Him.
The word “witness” was used in Bible times like it is used today. It speaks of those who testify in a court of law. A witness in a trial is called upon to tell what they have seen and what they know to be true.
God is calling His people to tell what they know and what they have seen to be true. Do you know anything about Jesus Christ? Has God done anything for you through Jesus Christ? If you can answer yes to those questions that is what you are to tell the world.
Do you know that God loves you? Tell the world!
Do you know that you are saved? Tell the world!
Do you know how God saves sinners? Tell the world!
Do you know who to tell? Tell the world!
That is all the Lord wants you to do, be a faithful witness of Jesus.
3. A Compelling Movement - local to global
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.”
The witness in a court of law is to testify to the judge and the jury. The witness to Jesus Christ is to testify to the whole world! That is a big task, so Jesus breaks it down for us. We are to begin close and move out!
We need to adopt the mindset of John Wesley who said, “The world is my parish!” Wesley knew that anywhere sinners could be found, there was a need for the Gospel and the Gospel witness. Our mission field is anywhere lost people can be found!
Most of us will never go to “the uttermost part of the earth”, but we can serve in our Jerusalem. We can witness to our families, our friends, our co-workers, total strangers, to anyone we meet, anywhere we go.
We are to always be “on mission” for Jesus, telling a lost and dying world that Jesus saves. If we get the opportunity to go to our Judea, our Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth, we should make good use of those open doors.
Everyone we meet is either a believer, or they are in need of the Gospel! Let’s tell them about our Savior! Let’s share the glorious news that Jesus saves and will save all who will come to Him by faith, Rev. 22:17.
What is really sad is that most believers will not talk to anyone who is outside their comfort zone. They will visit friends, family, and acquaintances, but they won’t go to someone who is lost. They are afraid to share the Gospel outside their own realm of safety. As a result, most church members are not involved in any kind of evangelism. They have the mindset, “My four and no more” when there is a whole world that must be reached with the Gospel of grace, and it is our job to take it to them!
If we really believe that people are going to Hell without Jesus, and if we really believe that the Gospel is for all men, then why aren’t we doing more to get the Gospel to them? Why aren’t we out there telling a lost world that Jesus saves? Could it be that we really don’t believe everything we claim to believe? Could it be that we are saved and satisfied? Could it be that we have forgotten to keep the main thing the main thing?
4. A Compelling Mover - the Holy Spirit
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.”
If our message is to have any power; if our methods are to be successful; and if our movement is ever to be what it ought to be; we are going to need the power to move us into action. Jesus tells us in this verse that our main mover is the “Holy Spirit,” the primary mover of the church.
The people in the upper room were promised that the Spirit of God was coming, and that when He came, He would fill them with God’s power, Luke 24:49. When that power came on the day of Pentecost, those terrified disciples, who had been hiding from the Jews in fear, became bold preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Acts 2:1-21. When they preached the Gospel, 3,000 souls were saved, Acts 2:41.
What made the difference? It wasn’t their eloquence. It wasn’t their oratory. It wasn’t their delivery. What made the difference was the power of God on their lives!
Where did that power come from? From the Holy Spirit!
That same power is available to us today! If we are going have the power of God on our witness, our words and our works, we are going to have get our lives in the kind of shape the Lord can bless and use. We are going to have to get like the early church, Acts 2:42-47. When we do, we will see the Lord pour out His power on our witness to the world. Until we do, we will spin our wheels and accomplish nothing for His glory.
We desperately need God’s power on our lives and on our church. We will never enjoy His unction and power until our hearts are right with one another and with Him.
If you have a problem with a brother or sister in Christ, and you have not dealt with that issue biblically, that is a hindrance to the power of God being manifested in your life. If you have some secret sin buried in your life, it is a hindrance to the power of God being manifested in you. We need to stop looking at others and deal with our own hearts. When we do, and when we get where He would have us to be, we can and will enjoy His power on our witness.
IV. A Comforting PROMISE
The minds of the disciples are filled with many thoughts. They have been given an assignment that far exceeds their abilities. They face a future that is unknown and probably a little more than frightening to them. To top it all off, they have just watched as their Savior, their Lord, the One they have left everything behind to follow, disappeared into a cloud of glory. They are terrified and filled with many questions about today and about all the tomorrow that lies ahead.
They are so captivated by the sight of Jesus going up into Heaven that they are oblivious to the two strangers who appear on the mountain with them. These men, who turn out to be angels, speak words of comfort to the confused disciples.
Acts 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.”
The implication is clear. We have to witness, witness, witness, and work, work, work for His kingdom, knowing that as we witness for Him and work for Him, there is coming a day when He will return.
Brethren, we have the same comfort as we witness for Jesus today. While the future unfolds around us with all its uncertainties and questions and while our lives are occupied with serving Him, we have the blessed confidence that Jesus is coming again to claim His people. One day Jesus will come for you, and He will take you home to live with Him forever in Heaven. That is why Paul referred to the Lord’s coming is, “…blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”.
No matter what today holds, or what tomorrow brings your way, rest in the knowledge that Jesus is coming. If you know Him as your Savior that day will be a day of wonder, blessing, and glory.
Conclusion
How important is being a witness to you? What are you willing to change in your life so that you can be a more effective witness for Jesus? What are you willing to deal with so that the power of God may rest upon you? What price are you willing to pay for the touch of God in your life? How long has it been since you told someone else about Jesus?
Let me just remind you that every one of us will give an account of our witness to Jesus someday (Rom. 14:12). People around us are dying without knowing how they can be saved.
Church, we have been distracted from our mission. I think we all share some responsibility in that. This is the hour to recapture the movement of the Holy Spirit. This is the moment when the main thing needs to become the main thing once again. It’s time to deal with our personal issues and it’s time to deal with our sins so that the power of God might rest on us and that God might be pleased to save souls in this place. It’s time to Act now. Let the movement begin.