BaptistWay Bible Series for March 4: Stay focused on Jesus

Posted: 2/21/07

BaptistWay Bible Series for March 4

Stay focused on Jesus

• Acts 1:1-14

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

The local church may be defined as a community of believers assembled to worship God, to study his word, and who leave to do ministry and evangelism in their world of influence.

The book of Acts is the unique holy history of the dramatic growth of the first-century church through evangelism, missions and benevolence. The church’s success was and is inspired by the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ and empowered through the Holy Spirit.

The church had a specific purpose long before Rick Warren wrote The Purpose-Driven Church. However, centuries of church history highlight the thorny fact of the abundance of neglect of the church’s primary biblical purpose—going, discipling, teaching and baptizing while enabled by the constant presence of the one-and-only God through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20, also Matthew 1:19 and Acts 1:8).

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In America today, the church lacks the effectiveness described in Acts and is recognized not for its life-giving salvation, its compassionate benevolence, its virtuous integrity nor its missional plan.

What it does not do may form the substance of a more accurate accounting of what the church has become. Fighting off the image of political infighting, moral failure and frustrating boredom, the church very often is considered hypocritical, weak and irrelevant, an unchanging institution out of touch with a changing world. Isolated in buildings with stain-glassed windows that filter out the truth of God’s purpose, the church seems to use the Bible like the drunk uses a lamppost, more for support than illumination. Comfortable on the inside and in love with itself, the church is institutionalized and ignored.

Most people speak of going to church, not being the church, having services rather than being a servant, sitting in on a performance by the pastor rather than participating in the presence of the Master. The church often is considered irrelevant to life, irresponsible in attitudes, inept in its mission and out of touch with its community.

The Great Commission is, “Y’all come,” and the Great Commandment is, “Love the Lord God with a little of your heart, soul, mind and strength,” and the Great Calling is, “I will make you to become pew sitters.”

Sunday school is more about fellowship than discipleship, prayer meeting is more about physical healings than spiritual victories, class meetings are more about entertainment than evangelism, choir is more about perfection than proclamation, committee meetings more about turf-protection than faith-projection and sermons are more about performance than persuasion. In spite, God still is using his church to get a few things accomplished for his glory.

Perhaps my evaluation does confront the issues and I am, at least, half correct. Regardless, I can issue a cry for changes in the church that will bear fruit for Christ, the church’s head and heart, and challenge the maintenance of the comfortable, convenient and consumptive status quo. Take a look at your church or home cell group and evaluate it for the purpose of becoming the best Christian and best church you can be. Ask, “What kind of church would my church be, if every church member were just like me?”

According to Milfred Minatrea, the missional church is “a reproducing community of authentic disciples, being equipped as missionaries sent by God, to live and proclaim his kingdom in their world,” while perceiving “mission as the essence of its existence” and making “transformational impact.” (Shaped by God’s Heart, p. x, also, p. 12).

The definition is exciting and sets forth a correctional ideal. I trust that the Christian communities will not do the usual, that is, the leadership will enjoy the study of the finer points of the missional church but prefer to manage the status quo while expecting other congregations to implement the concept and make the changes. Change is good, as long as someone else does it.

There is a huge need to move a congregation from just going to church to being authentic personal witnesses on mission for Christ. A new label on the bottle doesn’t change the product inside. I welcome the contemporary missional church movement and the attempt to recover the biblical focus and force of the resurrected Christ and his church in the book of Acts.

The author focuses on Jesus (Acts 1:1-5)

Luke, the author of Acts, addresses the recipient, Theophilus (“lover of God” or “loved by God”; also see Luke 1:1-4). Luke had investigated the events and stories of those who observed the life, death and resurrection of Christ and determined to give an orderly, accurate, historical record to assure the certainty and truth of the teachings of Christ. Luke’s Gospel records that which “Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:1-2), while Acts begins with the ascension.

During his last days on earth, Jesus gave “instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles” (v. 2), provided “many convincing proofs” of the resurrection (v. 3) and left them with the promise of empowerment (v. 4).

Acts continues the story of what Jesus did through the apostles and the Holy Spirit in the spread of the Christian faith from the ascension at Jerusalem all the way to Rome—Jerusalem, 1:1-6:7; Judea, Galilee and Samaria, 6:8-9:31; Antioch, 9:32-12:25; Asia Minor, 13:1-16:5; Europe, 16:6-19:20; and Rome 19:21-28:31. Luke leaves no doubt about the mission to “the ends of the earth” being the work of the resurrected Christ.

The fulfillment of the mission of Christ was a process in motion, but the essential under-pinning for success is the same—instruction, certainty (faith) and empowerment. Luke tells us Christ is the person, cause, force, motivation, strategist, planner and commander of the spiritual revolution that turned the world upside down.

The apostles focus on Jesus (1:6-14)

Some refer this writing of Luke as the Acts of the Apostles. Only two apostles, Peter and Paul, become prominent leaders of the Acts account. There were others who, unnamed and behind the scenes, were critical to the success of the mission of Christ (see Acts 1:2, “the apostles he had chosen …”; 1:13-15, the 11 apostles, the women, Mary, the brothers of Jesus and a crowd of about 120). Obediently, they go into a prayer meeting that would continue “together in one place” (2:1) until the miracle of Pentecost.

Instructions on the strategy of Jesus (1:6-8)

Explaining the kingdom (reign) of God is one of the major tasks of Jesus during the 40 days on earth between the resurrection and ascension. Evidently, the apostles had not discerned the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Israel, or separated the national earthly kingdom from the spiritual eternal kingdom.

The apostles were far too focused on a messianic kingdom of this earth. They asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” Thoughts of temporal glory for Israel dominated their mindset rather than anticipating what had been promised, a supernatural kingdom empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is a defining moment in the human comprehension of spiritual truth. It is the right question at the right time. The answer was crucial for them and is critical for the missional church.

Are the temporal trappings of the church to be restored to their old glory—the edifices, programs, denominations, worship styles, governance—or does the church focus on the spiritual kingdom of the Holy Spirit that changes people’s lives.

Do we change the world through the politics of government and war, the patriotism of people or the polity of democratic legislation? Not that any of the aforesaid are bad, but are they best? What shall be the focus of our strategy? To follow Jesus, the apostles had to focus on his strategy clearly stated as “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.”

Politics or the legal system can never be a substitute for the spiritual work of God’s people. The evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit is in our witness and witnessing.

Infusion of the strategy of Jesus (1:9-14)

Having heard the “two men dressed in white” relating Jesus would come again (v. 11), the apostles left the Mount of Olives and returned to Jerusalem to the upper room and began to pray as they waited for empowerment, for the baptism “with the Holy Spirit.” When things of the heart are right and when God’s will merges with those in prayer, power will come to implement the strategy of the ages, the only strategy that will work in a spiritual kingdom.

The apostles focused their attention and anticipation on the Christ who promised them power from on high. Soon, the good would be infused with the best, and the world would forever be changed. The missional church seeks to turn the spiritual fire within into an inferno to confront the principalities and powers of this evil world.

Discussion questions

• To what extent is my church truly focused on Jesus? To what extent am I?