READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l The apostle Luke authored the Acts of the Apostles. He was a bold witness who, openly, truthfully and persistently, testified to others of the risen Jesus, through the life of the church. Have we also been bold witnesses for Jesus?
A bold witness for Jesus
(1) Being a disciple of Jesus automatically means that we are to boldly witness for Jesus to others. The word witness appears 39 times in Acts. As a witness, we are to testify of our first-hand experience about Jesus, who He is in our lives and of the kingdom of God, where God’s rules are honoured and obeyed. We testify that Jesus suffered, died, rose from the dead and is alive forever. (v3) He has ascended into heaven and one day will return. (v11) We witness both individually and as a church. “The church is a divine organism…through which Jesus’ life and power must operate. Jesus died for the lost world, and we (His disciples) must live to bring that world to Jesus!” (Wiersbe) While anticipating the return of Christ, we must do the work of witnessing to others. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will be better able to talk to others about Him.
(2) We need the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to truly be bold witnesses for Jesus. (v8) The utter importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples is underlined by the fact that the Holy Spirit is mentioned four times in Acts 1. Witnessing for Jesus cannot be done just by human effort or ingenuity. The Gospel is “a message of spiritual regeneration – one of reconciliation.” (Wiersbe) We need the power of the Holy Spirit, to be witnesses, as we should be. In Acts, the spread of the Gospel began from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. As disciples today, our “Jerusalem” could be our family and circle of friends. “Judea and Samaria” might cover our neighbours, colleagues and people in the community, while the “ends of the earth” may include foreigners living and working in Singapore and people in other nations, who have not heard the Gospel.
We must be concerned about the eternal destiny of all who have not yet come to believe in Jesus because there will be a day of judgment. We must witness to all those we can reach. “We are found, to find another. We are told, to tell another. We are won, to win another. We are saved, to save another”.
(3) We must have a relationship with Jesus that is real and living. (v21-22) We can witness truthfully only from having an ongoing personal relationship of faith and obedience to Jesus as the risen Lord and savior. A big danger facing Christians is basing our relationship with Jesus on what happened many years ago. If our relationship with Jesus is not current and living, we will be tempted to stop witnessing and cease caring about the eternal destiny of others. It is sad when that happens.
The very purpose of the church is the saving of lives for Jesus! When we miss opportunities to boldly witness, we lose sight of this imperative. Who do we need to find, tell, win and save for Jesus? Every day is a day that someone can come to salvation; “for now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2) May we, as disciples of Jesus, having a real and living relationship with Him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, be bold witnesses for Jesus.
The apostle Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus with boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:31) Will the same be said of us?
(Sermon notes by Denis Koh)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you through the preaching of God’s word?
- How would you summarise the message of this section or story?
- What are the implications for us through this message?
- What are the personal implications (for you)?
- What are the communal implications (for our gospel community)?
- What are the missional implications (for those we want to reach for Christ)?
