The Spirit's Power to Be Witnesses for Jesus

Title: The Power to be Witnesses for Jesus
Preacher: Dr. Tan Hock Seng
Date:28 May 2023

Introduction
Today is Pentecost Sunday in the Church Calendar. We commemorate God giving us His Holy Spirit on this day.
Overview
God will Give His Spirit to All Believers [1:4-5]
The Spirit will Empower the Believers [1:8a]
Jesus Calls Believers to be His Witnesses [1:8b-11]
A. God will Give [Slide #6]His Spirit to All Believers [1:4-5]
1. God promised to give His Spirit in the New Covenant
2.In the making the New Covenant, God promised His people, the Holy Spirit.
Eze 36:26-27
26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you.
27 I will put my Spirit within you;…
Jer 31: 33 "I will …77 put my law [Torah] within themand write it [Torah] on their hearts and minds.
79 I will be their God and they will be my people.[Jer 31: 33]
In OT times, the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah preached about the New Covenant.
Ezekiel says that God will put His Spirit within His people’s heart.
Then the Holy Spirit will create a new heart in God’s people.
Jeremiah says that God will write His Law [Teachings] on the people’s hearts and minds.
The two prophets’ teachings about the New Covenant are complementary.
First, God gives His Spirit to His people. Then, the Spirit creates a new
heart in them, and after which He will writes the Torah [God’s Law] on the people’s hearts.
During the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that God will give the Holy Spirit to reside in them.
John 14:16-17 [cf. 14:26; 16:13-14]
Then I will ask the Father, and He will give you … the Spirit of truth … He resides with you and will be in you.
You might ask, “The Holy Spirit came; so what?” What difference does it make whether the Spirit came, or not.
The Holy Spirit is the most wonderful Gift for Believers to receive from God. The Spirit has brought us many blessings. Of which, I have selected five very important blessings to share.
1. The Holy Spirit Regenerates Us. “Regeneration” is the experience of Spiritual Birth.
ESV Titus 3:5
He [God] saved us … according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit …
In John chapter 3 Jesus uses the term “Born Again” and “Born of the Spirit” to depict spiritual birth [John 3:3-6]. The Holy Spirit made us born again.
2. The Holy Spirit Unites [Slide #10] Us with Jesus
The Apostle Paul used the analogy of “Baptism” to teach us that the Holy Spirit,
Whom God has already given us, united us with Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12:13 ; Galatians 3:27
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free …
In that union the Holy Spirit incorporated us into Christ’s Body as one community – the Church.
The analogy of Baptism illustrates that we died with Jesus;we were buried with Him; and we were also raised with Him.
Romans 6:3-4
3 Do you not know that all of us … were baptized into his [Christ’s] death?
4 We were buried … with him by baptism … just as Christ was raised … by … the Father,
we too might walk in newness of life. We all have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The Spirit united us with Jesus. We now belong to the community of Believers within the Body of Christ.
Thus, when we say, “We are ‘in Christ’,” it means that we are now united with Christ.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
We all belong to the Body of Christ. Our race may be different; our social status may be different; and we are not biologically related. But we are one in the body of Christ. Our race, status and biological make-up are temporary, but our union with Jesus is eternal.
In John Chapter 15, we read of the imagery about the Vine and the Branches. Jesus used the “Vine and the Branches” imagery to depict our union with Him.
CJB John 15:5
"I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit …
4 The Vine and the Branches illustrates that we are united with Christ, just as the branches are part of the Vine, united with it. The imagery teaches us that our spiritual growth is dependent on our on-going, dynamic relationship with Jesus. Jesus is the Source of our life. He is the source of our fruitfulness. Jesus enables us to bear fruit. Because of our Union with Jesus, we experience the Presence of the Father in Jesus.
John 14:20
20 You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. Jesus’ teaching “You in me; and I in you” expresses our oneness with Jesus in that Union. In being united with Jesus, we are also united with the Father.
3. The Holy Spirit enables believers to access God directly Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can approach the Holy God and will not die in the Presence of His Holiness. Ephesians 2:18
18 so that through him [Jesus Christ] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
The Holy Spirit enables us to commune directly with God. Jesus told His disciples, John 14:23
"If anyone loves Me … My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him [John 14:23].
Because the Holy Spirit is our access, we can talk to God anywhere we are. We don’t have to subscribe to any roaming service. We can talk to God any time. We will not hear any recorded message, “All our lines are busy at the moment, please call again later.”
Let us remember that “God is Trinity”. Because He is one God in three persons. we should not think, “I have the Father and the Son, but I don’t have the Holy Spirit. So, I must seek the Holy Spirit.” No, you don’t have to do that. God has already given you the Holy Spirit as His children. The Holy Spirit is dwelling within you. If we don’t have the Holy Spirit, we don’t have the Father and the Son also.
5 Secondly, we should not trichotomize God into three different “Heads of Department” [H.O.D.] . For example, When we pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, when mustn’t think that only the Spirit is strengthening us. When the Holy Spirit strengthens us, Jesus is also strengthening us. God the Father is
also strengthening us. In other words, all the three Persons in the Godhead are strengthening us, and not just the Holy Spirit alone. Thus, we don’t have to say a prayer to the Holy Spirit; and say a prayer to Jesus; and then say a prayer to the Father. When we pray to one Person, we pray to all the Three.
4. The Holy Spirit Transforms Us into Christ-likeness NET 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Our transformation to be like Jesus is also termed as the “New Creation” experience. NET 2 Corinthians 5:17
So then, if anyone is in [united with] Christ, he is a new creation; God is working in you every moment; so be patient with yourself, and with one another.
A fifth blessing that the Holy Spirit brought us is taught in today’s sermon text Acts 1 – the Power to be Witnesses for Jesus.
B. The Spirit Empowers Believers to be Jesus’ Witnesses [1:8a]
Acts 2:41 [We read that]
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Ten days later, after Jesus had ascended to Heaven, the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. Just as Jesus had promised, the disciples were empowered by the Spirit. Peter became the fisher of men that Jesus had envisioned to be. He bore witness to Jesus, and three thousand men became believers.
Q: What is this Power [Slide #20] to be Witnesses?
A: Miracles? The “Power to do miracles” is the first answer that comes into many Christians’ minds.
We get a strong impression from reading Acts that miracles happened “everyday” and “everywhere”.
6
Is the Power from the Holy Spirit primarily the “Power to do Miracles” ?
Let us walk through the book of Acts to see how often miracles were encountered then.
1. Take note that the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts covers a span of 33 years. Time-Frame of the Events in Acts
a. Acts 1- 8: ( 2 years, AD 30-31)
b. Acts 9-12 (11 years, AD 32-42)
c. Acts 13-28 (20 years, AD 43-62)
Actually, miracle did not happen as frequent as we had thought or expected. [See chart]
In the first year of the Holy Spirit’s coming, Acts chapters 1-5 recorded 6 miraculous events.
However, in the next 12 years (Chapters 8-13), only 6 miracle events were recorded. So, you see, at first there were 6 miracles in one year, and then there were just 6 miracles within 12 years. The miracles became less frequent.
Then in the next 20 years (Chapters 14-28), only 5 miracles were recorded.
So, when we pay attention to the time-span in Acts, we see that Miracles did not occur as frequent as we had first thought.
The “Power” to witness is much more than “doing miracles”.
Acts 4:33 It is the Power to testify for Jesus.
With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.
Acts 19:20 It is the Power for the seed of God’s word to take root and grow in hearers’ hearts
In this way the word of the Lord continued to grow in power and to prevail.
We need this power today.
Peter and John had no formal religious education, but they were very powerful in witnessing for Jesus because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit [Acts 4:13].
The book of Acts shows us the disciples’ witnessing for Jesus in the Spirit’s Power.
7
1. The Power to Witness Courageously Despites Persecutions [3:1-8:4]
a. The arrest of the 2 apostles (5:12-42).
b. The arrest of Stephen and his martyrdom (6:8-7:60)
c. The driving out of the believers from Jerusalem (8:1-4)
Acts 5:40-42
40 … they [council] … had them [the apostles] beaten. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus … So they left …rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for [Jesus].
42 And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good new …
2. The Power to Bridge [Slide #27] Cultural Barriers [8:5-40]
The thousands of people whom Peter preached to at Pentecost were all Jews. The Diaspora Jews outside Palestine had to return to Jerusalem to celebrate three feast every year: the feast of the Tabernacle, the Passover, and the Pentecost.So, the 3,000 converts at Jerusalem who were baptized were Jews or
Proselytes; the Gentiles were not included.
In Acts 8, the Holy Spirit led Philip to bring the Gospel to Samaria for the first time. We read of:
a. Philip preached Christ in Samaria (8:5-25)
b. Philip shared the Gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch (8:26-40)
Acts 8:5
Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them.
Through Philip’s ministry in Samaria, the cultural barrier between the Jews and the Samaritans was bridged. That was just the beginning.
3. The Power to be Delivered from Organized Opposition [9:1-31]
a. Saul ferociously persecuted the believers (9:1-2)
b. Saul encountered Jesus and became a committed believer (9:3-31)
Saul persecuted the church, but he encountered Jesus and became a believer. Then we read in Acts 9:31,
8 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord (9:31)
4. The Power to Extend Jesus’ Healing [9:32-43].
a. Peter healed an 8-year bedridden man, Aeneas, at Lydda (32-35)
b. Peter raised a dead woman, Dorcas, at Joppa (36-42).
Acts 9:34
Peter said to Aeneas, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.
Peter demonstrated Jesus’ power extended through him in his Gospel-preaching.
5. The Power for Witnesses to Overcome Racial Barriers [10:1-11:30]
Jesus’ disciples were Jewish, they had misunderstood Jesus’ commission to “go into the world” as “going to the world where the Jews are”. They did not see the need to witness to the Gentiles. As the Gentiles were regarded as unclean people, they have to become a Jew first before becoming Christian.
Thus, God gave Peter a vision about a carpet filled with unclean food, to teach him that the Gentiles had been made clean.
a. God prepared Peter to preach to Cornelius through a vision (10:1-23)
b. Peter preached to Cornelius in Caesarea (10:24-48)
However, the Jewish believers only started to witness to the Gentiles 11 years after Jesus had given the Great Commission.
c. God used persecution to drive the believers out of Jerusalem and to start preaching to the Gentiles outside
Palestine (11:19-27)
Acts 11:19-21
19 …t hose who had been scattered because of the persecution …went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews.
20 But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who … began to speak to the Greeks … the good news …
21 …and a great number … turned to the Lord.
6. The Power to Triumph [Slide #31] Political Persecution [12:1-24]
King Herod Agrippa I executed James (12:1-2),
Peter was imprisoned under maximum security (12:4).
God intervened and freed Peter (12:3-19).
God struck King Herod dead (12:20-23)
9
Acts 12:24 But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.
15 Years Later, AD 48
7. The Power to Cross [Slide #32] Geographical Boundaries [13:1-20:12]
For 11 years, the disciples stayed within Jerusalem, instead of going out into the rest of the world to be witnesses for Jesus
Q: Why did they continually stay in Jerusalem instead of going out into the world?
The Jewish believers thought that Jesus was coming back very soon, and He would return to Jerusalem. So, they don’t want to miss Jesus’ second coming in Jerusalem; and they continued staying there. God had to use persecution to drive the believers out. Only then they started bringing the Gospel to the rest of the world.
In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit directed the Church at Antioch to send out their first mission team, Paul and Barnabas; and year later, the second team, Paul with Silas Specify agents: Paul & Barnabas; Paul & Silas
a. Paul’s first missionary journey [13-15:35]
Barnabas & Paul preached the Gospel in Cyprus and in the region of Galatia (Acts 13).
49 So the word of the Lord was spreading through the entire region (Acts 13:49).
b. Paul’s second missionary journey [15:36-18:22]
Then Paul & Silas preached the Gospel farther during the second missionary journey. They planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus.
c. Paul’s third missionary journey [8:23-21:26]
During Paul’s third missionary. the Gospel was preached even farther. The mission team re-visited the churches.
8. The Power to Endure [Slide #33] Hardships and Perils [21:27-28:31]
a. Paul was arrested at Jerusalem (21:27-23:22)
b. Paul was transferred to Caesarea (23:23-26:32)
c. Paul sailed to Rome (27-28:10)
d. Paul arrived at Rome and continued preaching the Gospel (28:11-30)
10
In the next 14 years Paul preached the Gospel as a prisoner, bound in chain. He stood in trial before Felix, Fetus, and King Herod Agrippa II. On his way to Rome Paul survived shipwrecked.
Yet, he kept on preaching the Gospel, as a prisoner.
Acts 28: 31
Boldly and without hindrance Paul preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ
From a walk-thru’ of the disciples’ witnessing in Acts, we understand that the Power of the Holy Spirit is more than the capacity to do miracles. The Spirit empowers the witnesses to triumph oppositions and persecutions, and to cross racial, cultural and geographical barriers.
C. Jesus Calls Believers to be His Witnesses [1:8b]
Q: What are the disciples to witness?
The disciples did three things:
1. They testified to Jesus’ death and resurrection.
2. They shared their conversion testimonies.
3. They preached and taught the Gospel.
In Luke Chapter 24 Jesus tells the disciples that they are witnesses of His death and resurrection. They are to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name.
“It is written that the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” [Luke 24:46-48]
[for Display only] Peter: Acts 2:38-40/ Paul: Acts 13:40-41
Gospel Peter (Acts 2) Paul (Acts 13)
1. Jesus fulfilled the OT teachings
vv. 16–21, 25–31, 34–36 vv. 16–23, 32–39 Christ fulfilled God’s promises in the OT 2. Jesus’ Being and works
fulfilled God’s will v. 22 vv. 23–26 3. Jesus died v. 23 vv. 27–29
4. God raised Jesus from the dead Christ’s Death, vv. 24, 32 vv. 30–31, 34–37 Resurrection & Exaltation 5. God exalted Jesus in power & authority vv. 33, 36 v. 34
6. Through Jesus is the forgiveness of sins v. 38 vv. 38–39 Christ Offers Forgiveness 7. Therefore... [Turn to
God; Believe in Jesus] vv. 38–40 vv. 40–41 In their witnessing [Slide #37], the disciples followed Jesus’ instruction.
11 When speaking to the Jewish people, they explained the O.T. how Jesus fulfilled God’s Salvation Plan.
Then they urged the hearers to turn to God for forgiveness. Both the Apostles Peter and Paul testified in their Gospel-preaching that: Jesus fulfilled God’s promises of restoration. Jesus has resurrected. He was died but God raised Him Jesus has Ascended to Heaven as King. Jesus brings God’s forgiveness to all who believe in Him. The disciples also witnessed by sharing their conversion testimonies.
Towards people who had no knowledge of the OT, the Apostle Paul would share his conversion story. He shared his testimony with a Roman Commanding Officer [Acts 21:37-22:16] and with King Agrippa [Acts 26:1-13].
The disciples witnessed by preaching and teaching the Gospel.
Q: What is the Gospel?
The term “Gospel” generally means “good news” . It refers to any news that is good.
Broadly speaking, the entire Bible message is the Gospel- the Good news. However, in a narrow sense, the Gospel is about Jesus. The Gospel that Paul preached centered on the message of the Cross – What Jesus has done to save us?
John 3:16 declares that Jesus is the Son sent by God;
Romans 5 explains that Jesus died to save us and to reconcile us to God.
The Apostle Paul taught the Gospel in the letters he wrote to the churches.
His Gospel message of Jesus can be summarized as:
1 Corinthians 15:3-6
3 … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time …
The non believers need to know about Jesus’ death that brings God’s forgiveness; they need to know about Jesus’ resurrection that gives Hope in dying; and they must know that Jesus is alive today.
What about us?
Q: What are we to do as witnesses for Jesus?
12 Although we cannot be first-hand eye-witnesses for Jesus [Slide #45], like the Disciples could, we can reflect the Living Christ in our lives. We can
1. Pray for people who are hearing the Gospel;
2. Share about what God is doing in our lives;
3. Learn to Present the Gospel in witnessing
1. Pray for people who are hearing the Gospel
Paul told the Corinthian Christians, NIV 1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Paul said that the Gospel message can be perceived as foolishness to the nonbelievers
Let us reflect on our pre-conversion state – we were once among those who were perishing before we became Christians, How then did we believe in Jesus, if the Gospel also sounded foolish to us?
Paul explained that we believe because the Gospel is the Power of God.
People had prayed for us. The Holy Spirit was at work in our hearts and minds, when the Gospel was explained to us, that’s why we could understand the Gospel and believed.
This is why we need to pray for the Gospel-Presenter and also for the hearers of the Gospel.
You can participate in witnessing by praying for people in your cell groups who are leading Xinfu Xiaozhu.
You can pray for the group-leader and their non Christian friends each time when they meet.
2. Share about what God is doing in your life
There are many ways to be witnesses for Jesus. Giving testimony is one way.
One church published a book containing testimonies from their church members.
The title of the book is “Real Life Miracles”. Miracles are not all about signs and wonders. Miracles are God’s working – God is at work in you. The Apostle Paul teaches us that God is at work in our lives.
NLT Philippians 2:13
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
There are personal eight testimonies in the book :
The stories are about: God’s Transformation of Lives:
1. Mending our shattered marriage
2. I’m not okay, God. Have you left me?
3. Once suicidal, now living to save youths
God’s Deliverance from Crises:
1. God cleared my $100,000 debt
2. Painful job loss during pandemic turns into amazing gain
God’s Restoration of Health:
1. From 4,000 Pain/killers to complete back restoration [Medicine cannot help]
2. 5-day old Caleb escapes death [Medical Intervention].
3. Double blessings after 11-year wait [With & Beyond Medical Intervention].
From the stories we see that Miracles are God’s Working within or/and without Natural Laws
You might be saying, “God’s working in my life is not so dramatic. My story sounds like mere coincidence, than divine intervention.”
Even if that were true, do keep a record of those seemingly coincidences. When you share the many coincidences in your life, you also testify that God also specializes in coincidences. Albert Einstein said, “Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
I encourage you to begin writing your stories to witness for Jesus. Share about what God is doing [Slide #51] in your life. Testify that Jesus is alive and living in you.
1 Peter 3:15b
15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have …
3. Learn to Present the Gospel in witnessing
You may feel very uncomfortable about presenting the Gospel.
You might think, “I’m not eloquent”;
“I don’t know much about the Bible”; “How then could I share the Gospel?”
Listen to what Paul told the Corinthian church,
NIV 1 Corinthians 2:3-5
3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
14
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
The Power of God is available to us today to be witnesses for Jesus.
Many members in our church are witnessing through the Xinfu Xiaozhu. The presenter uses Discussion to present the Gospel in 8 weekly sessions. The topics are designed and pre-planned.
All you need is to lead in discussion by following the lesson plan. Training on “How to Use the Xinfu Xiaozhu materials” is available. I encourage you to consider learning to present the Gospel this way.
Conclusion:
As we conclude, let us reflect “What if God had not given us His Spirit?” If God
Had Not Given Us His Spirit, then …
1. We would not be “born again”
2. We would not be united with Christ
3. We would not be able to talk to God directly
4. We will remain the same old self [no changed life]
5. We will be powerless when we talk about Jesus.
BUT God had already given us His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit now lives within us and is present among us.
The Holy Spirit has brought us many blessings from God.
1. The Spirit has regenerated us
2. The Spirit has united us with Jesus
3. The Spirit enable us to access God directly
4. The Spirit is transforming us to be like Jesus
5. The Spirit will empower us to be witnesses for Jesus.
Let us cherish these wonderful blessings from God.
Don’t take those blessings for granted.
Now let us say the prayer of blessing to God that the Apostle Paul prayed. [Let us read this verse together, as a prayer]
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
Amen!

Bilingual Service Video Link: https://youtu.be/aw9CENx2u3M