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The Witness of the Church
Acts 1:1-8:
1. The Witnesses Prepared
Matthew's Gospel, like all of the Gospels, anticipate that the message of the Lord Jesus is going to be
proclaimed through witnesses. It ends with the command of the Lord Jesus to His disciples to go into all the earth
and preach the Gospel, the "Good News".
Luke, who also wrote a Gospel, noted that the preaching of repentance and remission, or forgiveness, of
sins was essential to God's plan: just as much as the cross and resurrection, the preaching to follow was foretold in
the Old Testament. This is fitting for the work of the Christ.
To that end, in the book of Acts, Luke records the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome: in this
case, Rome stands for the "uttermost parts of the earth", being the capital of the known world. For this to happen,
Luke points to three factors that prepare and equip the witnesses for this service.
1. Proof
The first thing Luke notes is that there were many infallible proofs of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The
Resurrection is seen in Acts as being the key piece of evidence that all of Jesus' claims are true, and that the work of
the cross is acceptable before God. The promises are assured in Jesus!
2. Power
Any honest assessment of the Gospels demonstrates that the disciples were not quick to understand Jesus'
message! They were often fearful, and in His greatest trial, they forsook Him – Peter even openly denying Him! If
they are to be the witnesses, clearly they need to be equipped.
But Jesus knew this: He had told them that the Spirit would come precisely to help them in their witness,
and to help them understand the truth about Jesus. The difference His coming makes is staggering, as the next
chapter will show.
3. Program
The goal: that the message of the Gospel would spread to the ends of the earth. Although as we noted there
were Old Testament indications preparing for this, it has now become the program of the church! It would start in
Jerusalem, but would spread out through Samaria, formerly their sworn enemies, and even beyond that to the
Gentiles! It would take time before the disciples truly understood this, but the Gospel is for us all! Just as all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God, whoever believes in His Name shall be saved!
Acts 2:4-8, 12-13: 2.
The Witness Begins
In Acts 1, the final preparations are in place for the program of the church to begin: the disciples are
gathered together, and they have made up for the loss of Judas from their number. They have seen the proofs that
Jesus lives, and have received His promise of the Holy Spirit, who will equip them for witness. So according to
Jesus' command, they are waiting, with one accord, to begin.
On that momentous day, the Spirit came! How will the church fair?
1. Supplied:
First, as Jesus had told them in Acts 1:8, they must receive power from the Holy Spirit. This power will help
them to understand the message of Jesus first of all – partly because they did not really grasp what He was saying
when He was with them, and partly because the cross and resurrection had just happened.
But the Spirit would give them power to witness – and in this case, that meant the ability to speak in the
various languages represented at that festival season in Jerusalem – which was a great range of nations! This served
as proof that the witness was designed to go to the ends of the earth!
2. Surprised
One of the most notable features of the Gospels is that the obvious goodness and power of the Lord Jesus
inspired more hatred than acceptance. Before the cross, Jesus had warned His disciples that if the world hated Him, it
would hate them also for His sake! Now they are serving as witnesses, and a mighty miracle is being put on display:
what is the response?
The first response to the Gospel is surprise: they wonder what it means. It is noticed, but it is not readily
understood.
3. Scorn
From "surprise", the crowd begins to turn to scorn! These are many of the same people who had been in that
crowd 50 or so days earlier shouting "Crucify Him!" It is not really surprising that they were not ready to bow down
now!
Jesus had prepared His disciples for this moment. The world is a place that loves darkness, and is not ready
to surrender to Jesus as Lord. To this day, the ways of the Lord are subject to great scorn. Let a Christian who
believes the Bible to be the Word of God stand for public office, and the mockery is intense.
But in this context, Jesus declares He will build His church! The gates of hell will not prevail. Acts will
honestly record the sufferings of God's people: but also the power of the risen Lord Jesus to change lives still! May
we bow and call Him Lord.
Acts 2:33-36:
3. Making Christ Known
Acts 1 recorded the promise of the Lord Jesus that the Spirit would enable them to become witnesses. With
the opening of Acts 2, that momentous event occurs, and the witness begins. But what is the subject of that witness?
1. Revelation Fulfilled
Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost is quite significant for many reasons. For one thing, it is the first
public message by the church following the events of Christ's life, death and resurrection. For another, this bold
witness comes only 50 days after the Passover when Jesus had been killed – and these disciples had been anything
but confident and understanding then!
What Peter demonstrates is that what happened to Jesus is exactly what God had promised: the gift of the
Spirit proves it, since that fulfils the promise through the Old Testament prophet Joel. That being the case, what Joel
said is now true – that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2. Redemption Explained
But who is the Lord? The facts of redemption that Peter highlights includes the perfect life of Christ – he
will later write of the "Lamb without blemish" – and the cruel and wicked, but planned, death of Christ; and the
powerful resurrection.
God has borne witness concerning His Son, and made it clear that His claims were absolutely true! This is a
startling message, since these very people had worked for Jesus' death. Yet Peter accuses them of that crime, while
reminding them that through Jesus, God has provided the Saviour.
3. Resurrection Proclaimed
The core of the message is thus the resurrection of Christ. By that, we learn that Jesus is approved by God,
and is now Lord and Christ! The work is finished: what remains is for us to acknowledge that, and confess He is
Lord! It has been made known.
When Jesus spoke of the coming Spirit in John 16, the goal was to take the things of Christ and make them
known, convicting the world. That is exactly what happened here! The question is, do we know this assuredly? Are
we ready to bow and confess that Jesus is Lord?
Acts 2:37-40:
4.
What Shall We Do?
For every one of us, there have been those moments in our lives when we have that sudden, horrible sinking
feeling that we have just made a huge mistake. After wondering if we can cover it over, our next thought is, "what
now?" How can we minimize the damage?
With the coming of the Spirit, Peter and the other apostles give clear and bold witness concerning Jesus.
They point out that the evidence supports Jesus' claims – which means they are guilty of killing the Messiah! God
has raised Him from the dead and made Him Lord – how can they possibly escape now?
But this is exactly what makes the Gospel the "good news" that it is! There is an answer to their question.
1. Conviction
The first thing Peter urges on them is "repent". They are being convicted of sin, coming to realize the horror
of their guilt. The usual human response is to try denial, and if that doesn't work, then blame-shifting and excuse.
When Peter urges them to repent, he is telling them to avoid that pride-filled route, and instead admit what they have
done! This is a combination of honesty and humility: bow before Jesus as Lord, and appeal only to mercy. Like
David in Psalm 51, our only appeal is to His lovingkindness.
2. Conversion
The second thing Peter urges is baptism. To be immersed as a believer is to acknowledge that you have
been raised to new life in Christ. It is to confess that you are worthy to die, and only in union with Christ can you be
made alive. This means that life is turned around: what was once a rebel existence that refused to recognize Christ is
now the existence of a saint – not one who is perfect, but one who belongs to the Lord Jesus!
3. Consolation
To this, Peter adds promises: because God loves to show mercy, those who repent and believe in Jesus will
receive the promises. Rather than being cut off from God's people, as they expected and deserved, Peter was
showing them the way to enjoy all the promised blessings through Christ. God is faithful! He keeps His Word.
No wonder Peter exhorts them – and us – to "save yourselves from this untoward (or corrupt) generation"!
Run now to Christ, and find the promise in Him to be true.
Acts 2:41-47:
5. Receiving The Word
There is much desire expressed for unity and truth in our time, although in practice we are quite divisive
and often deceived! We can begin to despair of ever finding what it is we long for.
It is sad that the church has not led the way as well as it should, but that does not change the fact that the
only source of true unity and absolute truth is through the Word! Of those who asked "what shall we do?" in
response to the disciples' witness, many "received" their answer. What follows is a record of the results.
1. Foundation:
The first thing to note is that they began by "receiving their word" and then "continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine". The Lord Jesus appointed these messengers to record and explain His teachings and His
redemptive acts of the cross and resurrection. To accept their Word is to become a follower of Jesus, and depend
entirely upon Him for salvation.
2. Fellowship:
This meant that they were now bound together with other believers, with ties that overcame their different
backgrounds, cultures and family ties. In practice, we are told of their extreme and generous care of each other, so
that all needs would be supplied. This is to be seen as flowing from the truth that Jesus is Lord.
3. Focus on the Lord
Then we are told that they were a community who loved to worship, to learn, to share: they were of "one
accord" because they had the same Lord Jesus!
4. Function
Their time was taken up with worship and witness. They praised the Lord regularly, often found in prayer,
where they would express their dependence on Him for everything, and their desire to do His will; and then others
heard of them, and heard their message, many of whom also believed.
The question for us that flows from this: are we trying to make our own way to the Father? Or are we
willing, rather, to submit to the "apostles' doctrine", preserved for us in the Bible? This tells of Jesus, the only One
who can save.
May the Lord draw us to Himself, and lead us to the delights of understanding, fellowship, worship and
witness.
Acts 3:1-6:
6. The Name of Jesus is Effective
In the first two chapters of Acts, the church has its foundation following the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus. It is important to realize that although Jesus has been taken from us, He is the One who is Lord and Christ,
ruling especially over His church, but also all things for the sake of His church.
The next two chapters of Acts are designed to show the Name of Jesus, that we might believe on Him; and
the first lesson is that His Name is effective and powerful.
1. His Name Makes Whole
While some understand these miracles to mean that we should always expect such healings, that is not the
point the Bible makes. Rather, they are designed to show us who Jesus is. The fact that a miracle not unlike what He
had done on earth is done here teaches us that Jesus is still the One who is at work and to whom we must answer.
Jesus does bear the penalty of sin; those who believe on Him have the hope of being made whole – although
clearly the final sense of this refers to glory. It will be through Jesus that salvation and wholeness comes.
2. Faith in His Name is Called For: 3:16
The lesson that Peter draws from this event, first of all, is that faith in Jesus' Name was the means by which
the power of Jesus' Name came.
Faith in the Name of Jesus does not mean convincing ourselves absolutely that He will do something for me
that I want; it means understanding who He is. The "Name of Jesus" describes His status and position as Lord. It
means that He is the Saviour, the One to whom we come in order to be made right with God.
What we are to learn is that believing in Jesus to save us from sin is powerful and effective. We are told that
He is "able to save to the uttermost" because He always lives to pray for His people. He is "able to keep you from
falling", in spite of the trials and afflictions along the way. Paul will later preach that He is able to forgive sin, and to
justify those who believe in Him, in a way the Law of Moses never could.
Do you believe in His Name? Are you trying instead to save yourself? Or have you abandoned all hopes of
establishing your own righteousness, and simply depending on Jesus? Faith in His Name will make you whole for
eternity!
Acts 3:13-15, 19-20, 26 :
7. The Name of Jesus is Exalted
In the book of Acts, the church is called to bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, because of
what that resurrection implies. Acts 3-4 records the incident of Peter and John healing a lame man, in order to bring
out the truth that the Living Jesus is to be the one in whom we believe. Last time, we underlined the truth that the
Name of Jesus is Effective. Now, as Peter explains this event, we see that the Name of Jesus is Exalted.
1. God glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead
It has been said that history is written by the victors. Often, their defeated foes are painted as more evil than
they perhaps were – or at least, they are painted in a better light. When Jesus was crucified, those who opposed him
could gloat that He was an imposter. But God raised Him from the dead, demonstrating that He truly is the Son of
God, the Saviour of all who believe!
2. God sent His Son Jesus to turn us from our sin
Another theme that comes out of the death and resurrection of Jesus, as presented in Acts, is that all that
happened fulfilled the promises of God in the Old Testament. In other words, God sent Jesus to do this! Nothing
happened but what God intended, for the purpose that the sins of His people might be forgiven!
Thus God makes all blessings hang on Christ. It is as we believe in Him that the promised times of
refreshing begin, and as He comes again that they are consummated.
3. Jesus is glorified every time a sinner repents
Peter's explanation of the glory of Christ, then, is that we are called to confess that He is Lord. That is
exactly what we have not done, and by nature refuse to do! There is no way to please the Father but by honouring the
Son – and therefore, Peter reminds them that judgment is also promised to those who refuse to hear the Lord's
chosen prophet, now identified as Jesus.
So if his application of the effectiveness of Jesus' name was to believe, his application that His Name is
exalted is that we would repent and turn from our sins! Give glory to Jesus' Name by seeking Him, and by resting on
His finished work of atonement through the blood shed on the cross! God will not refuse you if you come to Him by
Jesus alone.
Acts 4:8-12:
8. The Name of Jesus is Exclusive
The once-fearful apostles took up their position as witnesses of Jesus, after being convinced that God had
raised Him from the dead, and after being equipped with the Holy Spirit for the task.
The resurrection shows that the Name of Jesus is effective. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a lame man in the
name of Jesus, as an object lesson of Jesus' power: He is able to save. So we learn the name of Jesus is effective. In
explaining this, Peter proceeds to show us that by raising Jesus from the dead, God showed that Jesus' name is
exalted. This leads to the necessary conclusion that all God's plans for salvation are fulfilled in Jesus – and therefore
His name is exclusive: the only Name whereby we must be saved.
1. There is no other name
God's message to us begins with a negative: the death and resurrection of Jesus – and indeed, the very
Person of Jesus – is unique. None other was God come in the flesh: any other Saviour would be just a man like us.
Only Jesus conquered sin and death and hell, taking on all the most dreadful foes.
It is common that we react against such exclusivity: after all, most religions underline similar morals to aim
for, and more than Christianity underlines that there is but one God. Remember, however, that God is not under any
obligation to provide any way! The fact that there is at least one Name to save is good news, and far more than
sinners like us deserve!
2. We must be saved
Peter also underlines the necessity of salvation. Many in his audience were satisfied with their birth into
Judaism, and thought that they were essentially right before God, even if not perfect. But the Lord Jesus was quite
clear that we must be perfect as our Father is perfect – and by calling all who heard him to repent, made it clear that
we are not! We cannot trust our birth; nor our religion, nor our efforts to do our best: we fall short of the glory of
God.
3. God has made it known!
But this is not left to conjecture. Peter underlines that this is now known because of the resurrection of Jesus
from the dead. This is God's chosen cornerstone, and the wise man will listen to Him and believe in His Name!
Acts 4:18-21:
9. Boldness for Jesus' Sake
Acts 3 and 4 describe an incident – the healing of a lame man at the Temple – that brought the witness of
the apostles into the public spotlight. Luke uses this to show the kind of witness that they offered, and reveals that
although the opposition was strong, it could not ultimately be effective, because Jesus is Lord!
1. Praise
First, we discover that the miracle had people bringing glory to God. The evidence of change that takes
place when the Gospel comes is unmistakable!
But there is also the praise of the disciples themselves! They are going forward with their witness, come
what may, because they know that the Lord is "god who made heaven and earth". Our courage and strength comes
from knowing God in Christ.
2. Prayer
Second, Luke shows us that the disciples called on the Lord. They understood that they depended fully on
the Lord – they had no other tools than the Word and Prayer through the Spirit! On the one hand, the church was
entirely vulnerable and exposed, but on the other hand, God is our Rock of Refuge. Jesus had promised that the gates
of hell would not prevail.
3. Purpose
The third lesson in this text is that the purpose of God stands. This meant that the disciples would obey God
rather than men because He is Lord. It does not support rebellion, for we are to obey our leaders, but not when they
contradict God! Jesus is Lord. Not only that, they remembered that all that was done against Jesus taking Him to
Calvary was in the will and purpose of God, for their salvation. They want this same God to help now.
4. Proclamation
Their request – and God's answer – was for the bold proclamation of Christ. The disciples did not ask to
escape suffering, but to be courageous in preaching Christ. By His Spirit, God enables them to carry on! May the
Lord help us to hear the Word, spoken at such cost, with such courage!
Acts 4:32-35:
10. A Life of Witness
The bold witness of the apostles carries on; the attempts to silence them after the healing of the lame man
failed, because the disciples were convinced that Jesus is Lord. He is the one who works all things after the counsel
of His own will.
But this text shows us that witness is not all talk! It is that, but it is a life that goes with it.
1. Unity
Living in Jerusalem as a Christian in those early days would have carried a great cost. It is quite possible
that some of the believers at least were ostracized, perhaps losing jobs and family and friends. This might explain the
need to share their possessions.
The point, however, is not the form that unity took, but its existence: they were united by their faith in the
Lord Jesus, and this caused them to do all they could to His glory.
Beware of those who would suggest that the best way to unity is to ignore the teaching or doctrine of the
Bible. It is only as we are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus' cross that we can be reconciled to each
other.
But the love and care that believers ought to show to each other is a powerful witness. Jesus once said, By
this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.
2. Unction
The combination of a powerful witness to the resurrection of Christ, and great grace upon the people who
claim to believe, is effective!
First, do not use this as an excuse! Some unbelievers look at the lack of unity in the church, and decide not
to believe. This is a tragic error. The truth in Jesus stands because God raised Him from the dead. Listen to the
witness of Scripture to the risen Lord Jesus Christ!
But second, understand the importance, if you are a Christian, of living a life worthy of the Gospel. The call
of the apostles was to repent, and to bring forth fruit worthy of that repentance! May the Lord help us to know and
follow the Lord Jesus.
Acts 5:1-5 :
11. The Progress of the Church
In writing the book of Acts, Luke has shown that there has been faithful and consistent witness. The unity of
the church, and the reputation of the witnesses, has been used of God to add many to the church and to gain favour
for it.
But there are many things that can interrupt this, and the writer now gives a few examples of things that
could have threatened the life and witness of the church. In doing so, we learn about the Gospel and the importance
of trusting the Lord.
1. Pretense:
The account of the gift and death of Ananias and Sapphira is shocking to us – just as it was to the church at
the time! But early on, it is important to see that the Church of Christ must be different! It is one thing to start well,
but we must keep faithful.
This text is designed to shock us. We often belittle our sin – think of the expression, "a little white lie": hard
to make the word "lie" seem any better. We can even justify it as a good thing! Ananias and Sapphira wanted to
share the reputation of Barnabas, who gave much to the poor in the church – but they did not want to give everything
they pretended to give!
But Peter cuts through the pretense: they lied to God the Holy Spirit – and would pay the ultimate price,
because they treated God's holy things with contempt!
2. Purity:
It was vital that the church know that the Lord is holy, and that His people are to be pure. Right at the
beginning, the Lord purges out the sin, as it were, so that we might know that "God is not mocked: what a man sows,
he also reaps". We are stunningly reminded that the "wages of sin is death".
The people of the city learned the lesson: great fear fell on all the church, of course, but also on all those
who heard of these things!
3. Progress
But all this served the purpose: the church was held in respect and honour, and because of that the message
had free course. Many powerful works and miracles were performed, so that all would know the Lord was doing this.
Many believers were thus drawn to the Lord!
Do not treat the Lord's things – and especially the Gospel – with contempt! Rather believe in the name of
the Lord, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Acts 5:17-20, 29-31:
12. Persistent Witness
Already in the life of Christ, the battle lines between faith and unbelief had been drawn – resulting on the
one hand in the crucifixion, and on the other hand, in God raising Jesus from the dead. As Peter had demonstrated in
Acts 2, God had undone their verdict of "worthy to die" with His verdict that Jesus is "Lord and Christ".
But in spite of the resurrection, which they did not really dispute, many still refused to submit to Jesus.
There were many forms of opposition: some from outside, like the reaction to the healing of the blind man, and some
were from inside, like the lies of Ananias and Sapphira earlier in Acts 5.
Nonetheless, through the Lord's work and command, the witness goes ahead, along with the suffering. The
Lord builds His work in spite of, and in the face of, the opposition! Why must the witness keep going forward?
1. Because the Gospel contains "the words of this life"
The underlying assumption of the Gospel's good news is humanity's "bad news": that all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death. In response to this, the Gospel tells us we are
justified through faith in Jesus' blood, and that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Therefore, since we all are dead in trespasses and sins outside of Christ, the "words of this life" must be preached.
Later in the chapter, they remark that God raised up Jesus to give repentance and forgiveness to Israel. They
are not dissidents: they are working for their good!
2. Because Jesus is Lord
The rightful government of a country resists when another country tries to impose its will. This has been
illustrated again and again in history, even in recent history, as some expected a conquered nation to be grateful to
the conquerors.
In the same way, when the arresting council commands the disciples not to witness, they respond that they
must obey God first! It is the command of the Lord Jesus that the Gospel be preached in all the earth.
3. Because they are witnesses!
Recently, some crimes committed in Toronto have not been prosecuted, because witnesses will not speak
up. Although we understand their fear, and might well do the same, it is still right that witnesses to important
information come forward.
What is more important than forgiveness of sins before God? What matters more than eternal life? God has
given us witness – do not despise it, but believe!
