Over the past two weeks, Christians across the world have celebrated the birth of the church. The events of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first followers of Jesus marked the start of the age of the church. Pentecost marked the gift of the Holy Spirit to the first believers, as well as the promise of the Holy Spirit to every new Christian believer.

The age that we live in today is the age of the church, the age that began there in chapter 2 of Acts. We have to confess though, that the age of the church has been rather like the curate’s egg, it’s been good in parts; but some of the history of the church has been a tragedy. The church was founded by Jesus to be his continued presence on earth.

There have been times when the church has fought cruel crusades in God’s name. There have times when there has been civil war and bloodshed within the church. There have been times when Christian leaders have been so self-important and arrogant that the church has become a tragic caricature, it has in no way resembled the body of Christ, Jesus’ presence here on earth.

Even as we have thought recently about the history of our church here at Clarence Road, we have to admit that some of our history has been rather shameful. How can the church be what God calls us to be? The simple answer is by following Jesus. But practically how can we do that? We do have a practical guide for that in the book that we are looking at together here today. That guide is the Acts of the Apostles. It tells us how the church started out, and how from small beginnings with just over 100 believers there in Jerusalem, the influence of Christianity spread across the Roman Empire.


There are two key factors that we find in the story, two crucial elements. Firstly there are the apostles. Luke who wrote the book names it the Acts of the Apostles. The apostles were those twelve men who had been with Jesus. They had been his students. It was to them that he entrusted the message that he had come to bring to mankind. If as a church we are to be what Jesus intended us to be, we need to continually refer back to the apostles. We need to look at their example; we need to study their teaching because it’s the authoritive account of Jesus, the one who is the way, the truth and the life. We do that by looking to the scriptures; they are the apostolic of the life of Jesus. The apostles are witnesses to the truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

The second key element that we find in the book of Acts is the living presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Jesus had not left his followers on their own; he was present through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was their help and guide. The Spirit inspired love in their hearts. The Spirit gave signs to demonstrate God’s love and power.

Two key factors that are vital to our understanding of the church then; firstly the church is founded on the apostles, those twelve men who had been with Jesus. They are the authentic guardians of all that Jesus taught and did. Secondly, the apostles, along with all other believers knew the reality of the Holy Spirit. Christ had promised that when his followers gathered in his name, he would be present with them. That promise was fulfilled in the gift of the Holy Spirit to all believers.

Sadly, often in church history the Holy Spirit has been grieved. Church leaders, who have wanted to exercise their personal control, have been just as deaf to the Spirit as the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day who rejected him. Often the Holy Spirit has been grieved and neglected, but for the church to be what God calls us to be, we need to learn of the reality of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the believer, and a good place to learn that, is from the Acts of the Apostles.

Lets look then at chapter 3 and see what it has to teach us. Peter and John are going up to the temple. We know from Chapter 2 v 46 that the temple was the place where the Christians met together every day. On this occasion they encounter a beggar, a lame man who asks Peter and John for money. Peter hasn’t got any money, but he realises that he has got something he can give.

He tells the man in the name of Jesus, to get up and walk. Peter holds out his hand, the man takes it and up he gets. He had been lame from birth, never walked in his life. He has now become perfectly fit and well. He goes on into the temple with Peter and John. The crowds are amazed. They know this man. They are used to seeing him every day sitting begging at the temple gate. He is not only walking, he is leaping about, joyfully praising God.

But yet there is something familiar about this occurrence. There had been a number of miraculous healings in recent times. A man blind from his birth had been healed after he had been told to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash his eyes. There was the paralysed man at the Pool of Bethesda. He had been like it for 38 years, and he had been miraculously healed. Of course, it had been Jesus. Only just before the Passover, he had come to the temple. There had been a real stir and he had made a lot of important people angry because he had driven the moneychangers and sheep sellers out of the temple, but the blind and lame had come to him, and he had healed them there in the temple.

But Jesus had been crucified. They didn’t expect to see any more miracles, but here is someone else performing miracles. What is going on? Has another great leader been sent by God? An explanation is called for, and Peter takes the opportunity to set things straight. No, it is not another great leader, if anything the reverse. There is nothing special about Peter or John; the reason the man has been healed is because the power of Jesus is at work.

Through the help of the Holy Spirit, the apostles are able to continue to do the things Jesus had done. But the main thrust of their work; the commission that Jesus had given them was primarily one of preaching the good news. The healing was a sign; a sign to alert people to the truth about Jesus.

The big question had been about weather or not Jesus was the Messiah. He had had terrific popular appeal, but the religious authorities refused to recognise him. They had charged him with blasphemy and had him executed, hoping to put a stop to the movement he had started. But ultimately you cannot suppress the truth. There in the temple, Peter puts events in their true light.

Jesus was crucified, but he is alive and his power is at work because God raised him from the dead. It’s all part of God’s plan, Jesus is the one promised in the Old Testament. He is God’s servant. In Isaiah 53, the prophet speaks about a servant who will suffer for others; he will be despised and rejected. Peter shows how perfectly that fits with what has happened to Jesus. It was God’s plan that Jesus should be rejected and crucified. But this is not just an item of information. Something needs to be done. Although the authorities and the people acted in ignorance when they shouted for Jesus to be crucified; now the truth has come out they need to set matters straight.

God had sent his Son to his chosen people, even after they rejected and crucified him, the good news has still got to come first to them, in order that they can receive the salvation Jesus came to bring. What an incredible demonstration of God’s grace and patience and perseverance with his covenant people. That’s why Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and why the Holy Spirit was poured out there. That is why the apostles are going to the temple every day, that’s why the Spirit has empowered the apostles to heal this lame man. But there is a need to acknowledge the terrible injustice that has been done to Jesus, in fact a need to repent.

From what Peter teaches, it is becoming obvious that all of the Old Testament was a preparation for the coming of Jesus. He is not only the servant prophesied in Isaiah, he is also the prophet promised by Moses. There is not only a need to repent, there is a need to listen to everything that Jesus has taught.

Jesus is also the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham, that through his descendants, all peoples on earth will be blessed. God has sent the message first to his chosen people, to the Jewish nation. Peter quotes teaching from all these different parts of the bible to show the people that all the prophets point forward ultimately to Jesus. But what is needed ultimately is faith. It is faith in the one who has power to heal. He also is the one who has power to forgive and save. As a result of the message Peter preaches people respond and put their faith in Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, numbers reached 3,000. As a result of the healing and preaching in chapter 3, the church now numbers 5,000.

God is at work. Notice the humility of the apostles. They make no claims for themselves. They knew that it was only by God’s grace that they had anything to offer. Peter had denied his Lord on the night of Jesus’ arrest. He could lay no claim to virtue; he was just a repentant sinner. But he was bold and courageous because he had the reality of the Holy Spirit for his guide and helper.

I do not think it is ever easy to share the good news of the gospel. There are always problems; there is always a natural resistance. Some people will always get upset, or ridicule or oppose it. But yet when the church obediently endeavours to share the good news she has regarding Jesus, relying on the help of the Holy Spirit, God is at work. He honours our faith. There will be fruit.

As God’s people live out their faith, as they demonstrate with the help of the Holy Spirit what it means to follow Jesus, God will add to his church.
 

Amen.

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