"A Team of Witnesses"

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“A Team of Witnesses”

January 1, 2023

Read Acts 1:1-26

Happy new year! We start a sermon series on the book of Acts today. Starting the book of Acts is like walking through a door to a new year, a new time and a new chapter. Things look similar but they are not quite the same. You can look back and reflect a little bit on what has taken place, but there also is the pressing need to look forward.

Yes, we are in 2023. Things look similar, but they are not quite the same. Considering we spent 2022 covering the gospel of John – from Jesus’ birth, through his ministry, through his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal, abandonment, denial, torture, unjust conviction, crucifixion, death, and resurrection – starting the book of Acts in 2023 really is a new year, a new time and a new chapter.

Many of you already know that Acts was written by Luke, the same author as the gospel of that name. In fact, this is his sequel – kind of like a sequel to a really successful first movie. Most times, sequels focus on more of the story of the same character – the Rocky series, the Godfather series, etc. Here, however, this sequel begins with Jesus; but then quickly moves on to the movement of the Holy Spirit growing the church throughout the ancient world. It is the “new year” book of the New Testament; it follows the gospels and relates what happens after the major event of Jesus’ resurrection.

Luke began the first volume, his gospel, with “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you.” We learn elsewhere in Scripture that Luke was a physician and a traveling companion of Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke also was an historian and wrote these two volumes after extensive investigation. He was not an eyewitness to Jesus, but went to the eyewitnesses in order to gain as clear a picture as he could find.

The setup for this second volume is found in the first verses in Acts:

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

In short, Luke was signaling that this second volume was designed to trace the movement and leading of the Holy Spirit in the time after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. But who is this Holy Spirit? Towards the end of last year, as we were covering Jesus’ last night with the disciples, there were numerous references to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Beginning in John 14, the Holy Spirit was described as an Advocate who will be with us forever. Jesus said, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. He said, the Holy Spirit “will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit will testify on Jesus’ behalf, as are we to do.

Jesus said,

And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Now, as this second volume begins, Jesus addressed the disciples in response to their questions about the kingdom. So often I have heard (and read) this passage and kind of scoffed at the disciples for not understanding that the kingdom was more than the political entity of Israel; however, having spent the last year in John, I want to give them a little more credit. Their question about the kingdom being restored to Israel would have been consistent with Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel – and his emphasis on the kingdom of God and its power. What they missed at this point was how radically different – and how personally impactful – would be the “new Israel” that Jesus had ushered in. Jesus’ response seems to indicate that: first, it is not up to them to know all that the Father is doing; but then “you” – them, those guys specifically – will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”  

Can you imagine how disjointed and confused the disciples must have been? Can you imagine if you were a disciple in those days? After the resurrection things must have been fairly chaotic. And then, all of a sudden, there you were, standing in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus Christ and he was preparing you (and you, and you, and you) that you would be his witnesses all around the world.

When he commissioned you, you would be astounded at the scope of what he said: Jerusalem; Judea and Samaria; and to the ends of the earth? Okay…Us? Me? Really?

Jesus picks the team, we do not.

If I had been there, I would have wondered about Jesus’ judgment. This was the same group that had deserted him under pressure just a few short weeks ago. This was the same group that had serious problems with jealousy and competition. Not one of them had shown any management skills, not one of them had any real, recognizable training in theology. Yes, they were his friends – but trusting them with his mission? I don’t think so.

These guys were the definition of Not Ready For Prime Time. Seriously, after Jesus’ ascension, they devoted themselves to prayer – that was good – but then Peter decided (and the others agreed) they needed to replace Judas and get the number to an even twelve again. They decided they needed to get one more “witness.” So, they had a nominating process. Two guys were raised up. Then, they prayed and cast lots. That is how Matthias was introduced as an apostle; and is never heard from again in Scripture. That is not a ringing endorsement of their powers of discernment.

So, I come back to: Jesus picked these guys. They had traveled with Jesus and seen a lot. There were friendly faces, to be sure. But, I do not know if I would have seen the spiritual superstars that I would expect to become the leaders of an organization that would grow and last for more than two thousand years.

By the way, I have the same kind of questions about us – you and me together. I know my own life and think of all the reasons why I not be my own first pick to be a witness. Even today I often wonder why I was included in this mix. Yes, I get up here and speak most Sundays these days. At the same time I do not look at my own life and take any pride in the fact that I deserve to be in this group; to the contrary, I can think of lots of reasons why I should not be a part of this group.

Yet this is so typical of God. God does not see things the way we see them, and he is not bound by the limitations binding us. It is not in our strength that God has built the church. God has built the church despite and through our lack of strength, despite and through our lack of integrity, despite and through our lack of faith. The existence of the church today – here, in this place – is a testimony to God’s own power and will. The church exists because God has willed its existence. The church exists because the disciples were witnesses – not entrepreneurs or CEO’s or anything else. They were witnesses. Further, Jesus did not pick the disciples because of any prior merit or success that would have indicated a propensity to be persuasive witnesses. None were noted as great public speakers, none were captains of industry, none were well-respected teachers or theological pundits. They were special because Jesus chose them, not the other way around.

This is a typical pattern for God. His power is demonstrated in our weakness. In the Old Testament, Israel was not chosen because of its righteousness or because of any other quality or feature that made them more attractive than any other people. Israel was special because God chose them, not the other way around. You are special because the Holy Spirit convicted your heart, you received Jesus as Lord and Savior – and not for any other reason.

God acts first. God chooses. Always.

There was a season of time when we were in San Diego that I received mail multiple times indicating that I was the winner of an opportunity – to serve jury duty in mid-January. It actually happened four times in ten years. I know it had nothing to do with the quality of my service because I had (and still have) never actually been empanelled to serve on a jury. It did not have anything to do with my character, other than I was (and am) a licensed driver and registered voter. They had no idea that I previously practiced law, and the vast majority of others who received notices will have had little experience in law. It is not something I sought – I was part of the juror pool because San Diego County acted first, and selected me to make myself available to be a juror.

Jesus acted first, and picked his team and sent them out.  They went out to do what Jesus commanded: be witnesses. They were witnesses to what Jesus had done, they were witnesses to what the Holy Spirit was doing going forward. The disciples did not work people into the kingdom, did not will them into the kingdom, did not guilt them into the kingdom. They were witnesses to God’s actions transforming lives for his glory.

The legal illustration is actually a good example here. Jesus did not retain counsel. He did not hire zealous advocates to represent his interests before the court – at least not in the usual sense. He commissioned witnesses. There is a difference.

You know this to be true: you cannot argue someone into becoming a believer. If God has not moved in their heart, nothing you can say or do will be able to convince them to receive Jesus.

This actually takes a lot of pressure off. It does not relieve us of the responsibility of sharing our testimony or reaching out with God’s love, compassion, justice and righteousness; but it does relieve us of the burden of measuring our success by means of the response of other people. God acts first – if God uses your testimony to bring someone else to salvation, praise God. If God uses your compassionate act to plant a seed that later bears the fruit of a profession of faith, praise God. If you never see the result of your act of sacrificial obedience, you can still praise God because your obedience is your God-given service. The power we see transforming lives is not about us, it is all about the power of the living God displayed for those with eyes to see – we are to be witnesses.

Jesus picked you to be a witness. You do not have to be Jesus again, he was sufficient. You were called to be a witness, to have eyes to see and tongues ready to share the things that you have seen God do in your midst. It does not matter if you have previously been a paragon of virtue or a sinner with terrible vice. Your credibility is not the foundation for Christ’s call to be a witness – the message itself is what matters.

There is the story of the man who was traveling in unfamiliar territory, walking at night. He fell into a deep hole. He tried and tried to get out by himself, but could not. He cried for help. One after another he saw people peer down as he asked them to get hope. They all disappeared. In frustration and dejection, he sat down and put his head on his knees. Suddenly he heard a thud. He looked up and saw another man in the hole with him. “I am here to help.” “How?” asked the man. “You are in here with me.” The man said, “That’s true. But I have been here before and I know the way out.”

Knowing the way – knowing the message – is what is essential. Christ is calling you to salvation and faith. You and I are witnesses to that good news; to the life transformative power of the gospel.

We are a team.

The second thing to note here is that Jesus did not call them to be individual witnesses, out on their own, with no backup or support or encouragement. Jesus called the disciples as a team.

Look at how they responded to Jesus’ commissioning: they obeyed his order to stay in Jerusalem, and they spent their time gathered together. There were about one hundred twenty of them. They stuck together.

What did they do?

They prayed. Constantly. Together. They were devoted to praying together. That is the first thing that Luke mentions in his description of the team.  Although we talk about prayer quite a bit, team prayer is something that most people are uncomfortable doing. In fact, team prayer seems remarkably like not doing something. It seems like there are lots of people doing nothing while someone else speaks, or there is silence, or it is just plain uncomfortable because there are so many other things that we could be doing.

“Be still and know that I am God!” There is no substitute to waiting upon the LORD. Prayer together was not the last thing at the end of a long list of other things – it was the priority.

It is important that we spend time being still before God. For a long time, I thought if I sent up “bullet” prayers – quick little one-liners – while I was doing something else, it would count as being “constantly in prayer.” The problem is that there is no time to listen when I was too busy to actually be still. Sure, I was issuing forth petitions and praise, but there was no quiet in my soul. Likewise for groups. Many times, silence is considered to be a failure: as if our words and constant chatter make up the prayer. Not so: silence and stillness are every bit as important.

Thus, the first thing the team of witnesses did was devote themselves to prayer.

The second thing they did was to talk with each other.

They told each other of the marvelous deeds of God. They talked about the miracles, the teaching, the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They talked about the meaning of those events and how God’s actions had transformed their lives.

It is no different today. We need to tell one another about the miracles, the teachings, the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We need to talk about the meaning of those events and how God’s actions continue to transform our lives.

New Year’s Day reminds me of Allyson Roach. A number of years ago on New Year’s Day, we attended her wedding. I’ve mentioned her previously, but her story bears repeating. In October 2003, Allyson was severely burned in the wildfires in North County. Her sister Ashleigh was killed. On the day of the fire, I rode with her parents to the USD Burn Center where Allyson had been taken by a Life-line helicopter. Her prognosis was not good. In fact, one of the doctors pulled me aside and told me that the church should prepare for two memorial services: Allyson would not survive. I went with her parents into the room and began to pray – praying out loud that God would make his glory manifest in Allyson’s body, that God would strengthen her, encourage her, and make her a living testimony of His sovereignty over all of creation. In short, it was a very Presbyterian prayer, focusing on God’s sovereignty and power. Internally I was praying that my words were not just empty phrases being uttered up before God. “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”

A little more than five years later, I was blessed to read Scripture at the wedding of this remarkable young woman. Her healing was not instant, like some of the miracles we read in Scripture, but healed she has been. Even her scars bear testimony to God’s grace. On that New Year’s Day, she was radiant, joyful, and full of life. I tell you this story because she is a living example of the chief end of mankind: glorifying God for his sovereign power revealed in grace, enjoying God forever in the blessing of the love he has given. I tell you this story because we need to talk with each other. We need to tell the story.

Part of telling the story is what we do today. The victory of life over death – victory won in Jesus Christ – is why we come to the table. It is a celebration of the sovereignty of God.

Communion

This meal is a tangible representation of the ongoing, eternal victory Jesus won for us. Even as the elements nourish our bodies, so also are our souls encouraged and strengthened by the truth it reveals. We join together to celebrate what God has done for me and for us – together.

Conclusion:

So, as we prepare to come to the table to rejoice in God’s grace, mercy, and salvation, remember:

1. Jesus picked you to be a part of his team;
2. We are a team together, each belonging to each other because of what God has done;
3. We need to be intentionally coming together for prayer before God; without God, we can accomplish nothing; and,
4. We need to talk with each other. We need to tell one another about the miracles, the teaching, the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We need to talk about the meaning of those events and how God’s actions have transformed our lives.

This is what Jesus meant when he said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 Amen.

Questions:

1. What do you see as you look forward into 2023? How are you preparing to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit? Who do you understand the Holy Spirit to be?
2. Have you ever held back from sharing your testimony because you felt unworthy, not qualified, or hypocritical? How does Jesus’ commissioning of the disciples address your feelings?
3. What are the most inspirational testimonies you have heard from others? What experiences have you had that might encourage others? Make a list of times you remember God meeting you in a moment and touching your life in a significant way.