Click here to download in pdf format.
Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley 3-9-1995 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Recently we have been reading from Acts about Christian
conversion, leading to service and joining the fellowship of the church. We
looked at two miracles and what they teach about Christ. We looked at a good and
religious man who still needed Christ. And we looked at the content of a Gospel
sermon. During our course of reading chapters 9 and 10, we have encountered
several descriptions of what it means to be a Christian, titles which are used,
not only in these chapters, but also throughout the New Testament.
They remind us that conversion,
coming to the Lord, is only the beginning. About the need for that first step of
conversion, Acts leaves us in no doubt. Luke uses the terms “believe” and
“turn”. Many who heard the message believed (Acts 4:4). All those
who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord (Acts 9:35). Many
people believed in the Lord (Acts 9:42). Everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness (Acts 10:43). Turn from these worthless things to
the living God (Acts 14:15). Turn them from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). There must be personal trust,
confidence in Christ, commitment and surrender. We must turn away from the way
we have been living, and place faith and confidence in Christ as Saviour. He
must become Lord of our life.
But this is only the beginning, for we are meant to go on, be transformed into Christ’s image, under new management, life going in a new direction, with a new attitude. The first of the words we are going to look at describe this continuing relationship to God, the second concerns our relationship to the church, and the last one refers to our relationship to the world.
In Joppa there was a disciple
named Tabitha (Acts 9:36). The term disciple is never used in the New
Testament epistles, but it is used 250 times in the Gospels and in Acts. It
means a learner, scholar, pupil, and apprentice. Those who have turned to God,
put their faith in Christ, become learners in God’s school. Jesus captured
these two ideas when He said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew
11:28,29). Come, and then learn. Believe, and then be disciples.
In the days of Jesus, men
literally came to Him, spent time in His presence, in the Synagogue, by the
lakeside, on the hillside – listening to and learning from His teaching. Much
of what He taught them is recorded in the Gospels. Now we can still spend time
in His presence and be taught by Him. But how? The Lord is in heaven, but His
presence and teaching are mediated to us through the Holy Spirit who indwells
us. The textbook He uses is the Bible. We need to spend time day by day with the
Lord. No Christian can learn from the Lord or be a true disciple if he neglects
the Word. Just as we need our daily meals, we need our spiritual meal each day.
Another place we are taught and
fed is in the ministry of the Word in church. And it is important that this
teaching is ordered and systematic. When we receive preaching that methodically
works through the books of the Bible, covering every subject, there will be
growth and maturity. Too many preachers leave the hearers with bits of truth
rather like unrelated pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and people do not know where
they are or what they believe. They are unable to explain or defend their faith.
As we gather each Sunday, it is not be entertained, made to feel good, have a
good time, but primarily to give God the glory due to His name, and secondly to
be fed from the Word. We come to be taught and instructed, not just to fill our
minds with knowledge, but that it might change and transform and equip us for
walking in God’s will and living effectively for Him in the world. The
people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits (Daniel 11:32
AV).
When we are fed on the Word, we
then put into practice what we hear. When we trust the Lord, we act in
obedience. Forsaking sin, we deepen our experience of His grace. Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a
wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24). Christian teaching
is meant to be very practical. If God rules the world, if Christ saves from sin,
if the Holy Spirit can fill and guide, if Christ is coming again, it should make
a tremendous difference to our lives and outlook on the world.
Then the disciple learns to transmit the teaching he has learnt. “Disciples” did not begin with Jesus. The great Hebrew prophets had disciples who believed and passed on the teaching. When people rejected God’s message through Isaiah, Bind up the testimony, and seal up the law among my disciples (Isaiah 8:16). So Isaiah’s teaching was to be preserved and later known in coming days by being handed on to small band of faithful disciples. Though rejected at the time, the ministry and truth about Jesus was transmitted later by the disciples. And in teaching others we become firmer in our own convictions and learn more deeply ourselves. The best way to learn is to teach someone else.
Ananias greeted Saul as Brother
Saul (Acts 9:17). Conversion begins with a personal relationship with the
Lord and is followed by a corporate relationship with His people. God becomes
our Father, so everyone else belonging to Him is our brother and sister.
Everyone in the early church was aware of being in a family. Paul pled to
Philemon to receive Onesimus, the runaway slave, as a brother (Philemon 16).
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to
those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10).
Love is a very practical thing.
Following the Philippian jailer’s conversion, the very first thing he did,
even before his baptism, was to wash the bleeding backs of Paul and Silas. There
are constant exhortations to love, and warning against many things which can
quickly upset the harmony of the fellowship. Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love (Romans 12:10). Let brotherly love continue (Hebrews
13:1). Given to hospitality (Romans 12:13). Be hospitable to one
another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9). Be of the same mind in the Lord (Philippians
4:2).
Anything which spoils the fellowship, and a “couldn’t care less” spirit are ruled out. Beware of cliques forming within a fellowship. Put yourself out in order to get to know others. Carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Forgiving one another as God in Christ also forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
We are witnesses of
everything he did… He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom
God had already chosen. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify
that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead (Acts
10:39,41,42). A witness has seen certain things, knows and experiences them, and
he passes on what he has seen to others. You are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1
Peter 2:9). 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 (Acts 1:8).
There is duty and there is
enabling power. But before we open our mouths, how essential it is that our
lives back up what we say. If our lives are not marked by kindness, honesty,
truthfulness, loyalty, wise use of our tongue, godliness, then there is no use
in opening our mouths. Ideally we ought to live lives which make people envious
and wish they are like us. We need to be above reproach in every way. People
listen to the word of Christians who are genuinely living the life.
So often it is very difficult to think of the right things to say, especially when suddenly confronted by the cults on our doorstep. Advice for this situation is, do not be sidetracked. The cults love to take obscure verses out of context. Try to keep to the basic truths of Scripture – God’s holiness and reaction to sin; Christ as God and Man; all have sinned; Christ’s death and Resurrection secured salvation for sinners; salvation not through human effort but a free gift through faith in Christ. Keep to these basic truths of the Bible. Write out key texts and keep them somewhere accessible. Speak with love and wisdom. It is easy to lose temper with obstinate people who will not listen. Remember that you were once blind and dead to God. Pray. In essence – be clear about who God is, man’s condition, God’s provision, and the way to know Him.
Becoming a Christian means turning to the Lord, leaving
behind the old way of life, placing full trust in the Lord, and surrendering
your life to Him. This is the start of a total change in relationships. In
relation to the Lord, we become His disciples. We come to Him to learn from Him,
to be built up and apply truth to ourselves and pass on to others. In
relationship to the church, we are now brothers and sisters. We do all we can to
deepen that relationship and to keep from marring it. In relationship to the
world, we are witnesses of what we have seen and heard. But we can only be
effective if what is on the label is what is in the jar.
Turn and believe. Then be a disciple of the Lord, a brother to fellow believers, and a witness to the outside world.
