Acts 2:29-41

^{29 “}Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand ³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ ³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Cordless Drill

I fixed the drawer of our kitchen cabinet using a Cordless Drill, one day. I removed each screw for me to assess how I could put everything in order. After I’ve figured out how to fix it, the Cordless Drill ran out of battery. I plugged it into an electrical outlet.

I tried to use another screw driver manually to continue what I was doing. After driving one screw, my hand cramped and I felt worn-out and tired. I waited for the Drill to be recharged and used it to finish what I was doing. Using a recharged Cordless Drill made my work effortless, no sweat!

That experience made me understandd more clearly that witnessing becomes more effortless and desirable when we are plugged-in to the source of power, the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus instructed clearly to wait upon the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Witnessing for Christ is an immediate result when we receive power from the Holy Spirit. Take Note: Christ did not command us to go and witness just on our own human effort. Christ gave order to wait until we receive the power of the Holy Spirit first and foremost. The Holy Spirit Himself will direct us to the person whom He prepared to accept Christ.

Let’s continue learning from the disciples experience after they received power to witness. Peter spontaneously spoke about Christ before a crowd who were making fun of them. Peter talked about their personal experiences and validated it with the Scripture. Then, he confidently told the crowd about man’s destiny citing on David’s death.

1. Man’s Destiny

2⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

Peter was not trying to scare the crowd but reminded them that even the greatest king of Israel, King David died and was buried. The Jewish people knew that King David was a prophet and where he was buried. God promised David that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. David has been given a revelation of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Peter used God’s revelation to David to draw attention on what happened to Christ Jesus. Peter explained that after Jesus ascended to heaven, He poured out the Holy Spirit. What the crowd saw and heard was actually the work of the Spirit, Peter explained to them. Peter highlighted the death and burial of David to help the crowd think of their own destiny. It’s more dramatic to use the death of well-known person as an example.

Funeral Services

Funeral Services are favourable occasions to share the gospel. Gospel presentation is a no-nonsense message to speak about. Those who would attend the Funeral Service are captured audience. We do not need to be an impressive preacher at a Funeral Service. If the Holy Spirit is at work, one can easily transition or connect the occasion to remind the listeners of their own impending death.

Be prayerful and ask God to keep on filling you with the Holy Spirit. Funeral Service or not, it is God who gives opportunities for witnessing to the person empowered by the Spirit. So, while waiting for opportunities for witnessing, keep practicing or be trained in evangelism.
In Ecclesiastes 10:10 it says…
¹⁰ If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.

Sharpening an ax is similar to earning all necessary skills for more efficient performance. If you have much experience, you can be employed faster than those who have no experience. Opportunities for witnessing are frequently experienced by those whom God empowered. Evangelism training will also help us to observe or spot the opportunity that God prepared.

The destiny of man to die once and then the judgment of God are vital points in witnessing. God has designed it also for Christ to reign forever and believer will enter heaven one day.

2. God’s Design

³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand ³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ ³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

God has designed it before the beginning of time for Christ Jesus is Lord and Messiah. King David was privileged to see that revelation and Peter informed the crowd about it. It was not a surprise that the crowd listened to Peter attentively, even after mocking them.

When one is empowered by the Spirit to witness, God will open the ears of listeners, too. When Christ commanded us to Go and make disciples, He Himself has already prepared those whom we are to witness to or the potential disciples.
³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

When the crowd responded positively, Peter challenged them to repent and be baptized.

In sharing the gospel, give the listener an opportunity to respond. Whatever their response may be, challenge your listeners to make a commitment. When the Holy Spirit leads you to challenge them to be baptized, do so. Do not forget to invite them to the church, too.

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter’s gospel presentation seems like shorter compared to our training in evangelism. But v.40 says that there are many other words of warning and pleading the disciples made. We also do not have any idea how long or what Peter and the disciples explained everything before 3,000 were baptized. The point here is not about how long or how short Peter shared the gospel. It is more about how the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples resulted to sharing the gospel.

The disciples waited upon the Holy Spirit to come. When the Holy Spirit empowered them, the result is enormous witnessing harvest.
Wait upon the Lord, don’t try to impress your listener or very confident of what you can do. Evangelism trainings and experiences are helpful but when the God is at work, you will eventually praise God for the result.

Video Sermon

When I applied as your pastor, the Pastoral Search Committee required me to send my video sermon but I failed to submit it at the required deadline. I was very busy in my studies and I have no files for my video sermon.

Surprisingly, TMEC Pastoral Search Committee asked me to send a video sermon. So, I prayed for an opportunity to preach for me to record my sermon because I did not have any regular preaching assignment at that time. We just arrive from China that year and I have not decided yet if I will pastor a local church but to continue on my graduate studies.

Eventually, I was invited to preach in one local church that I have not attended before. I planned to impress TMEC Pastoral Search Committee, so I preach on my favorite narrative sermon. The video malfunctioned and my sermon was not recorded.

I prayed and ask God to help me understand why He allowed the video to be destroyed. Amazingly, the same church called me to preach again because they have foreign missionaries who were visiting the church. That time, I was gaining ground into understanding that God does not need me to impress TMEC Pastoral Search Committee. God filled my heart with confidence that if ever we come to Canada, it is not because of my sermon, experience, or credentials, but because it is what He has designed for me.

When we go witnessing, sometimes, we have the tendency to worry about what to say or do. We also worry of: “What if the audience will not listen, what if there are disturbances, what if we forget what to say, what if… Ah!… There are many ‘what ifs’.’” If God designed it that a person believes in Christ, it is not because we have evangelism training, not because we are good in telling the gospel, not because we look very impressive, fluent, or good-looking… a believer accepts Christ because the Holy Spirit convicted the person to believe in Him.

Evangelism training and opportunities in witnessing are privileges to experience the excitement of fellowshipping or working with God. That privilege is like being one of the entourage or retinue of a wonderful person. To be empowered by the Holy Spirit is a privilege of working with our great God.

Have you received the power of the Holy Spirit lately?

Ask and keep asking for it until you are actually sharing the gospel.

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