Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19970727.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part V: A Pattern For Effective, Spirit-Filled Witnessing In The Church Age
(Acts 2:7-41)
  1. Introduction
    1. It is a "given" that God wants the Christian to be a witness; Matthew 28:19-20 commands us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.
    2. The question many believers ask is "How?! I've tried and tried to be such a witness, but have never had any really lasting results! Am I doing this right or not, and how can I tell?!"
    3. Before the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the Apostle Peter was not witnessing, but was in prayer and supplication with the other disciples, Acts 1:12-14. However, after the Spirit's coming, he powerfully witnessed, and 3,000 people a ccepted Christ and were added to the Early Church of 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6), an increase of 600%. We now examine the dynamics of that witness for discovering a pattern for our own effective, Spirit-filled witnessing as follow s:
  2. A Pattern For Effective, Spirit-Filled Witnessing In The Church Age, Acts 2:7-41.
    1. Element One - The empowering for a witness is of God, 1:12-14; 2:1-4.
      1. Before the coming of the empowering Holy Spirit, Peter and the other believers were not equipped to be witnesses, Acts 1:8 implied with the experiential evidence of Acts 1:12-14.
      2. However, when the Spirit came, He equipped them with the gifts and the words to speak, 2:1-4, 11b.
    2. Element Two - However, those who spoke in tongues needed Peter's Apostolic explanation for conversions, 2:12-13, 14, 37-41. Witnessing was a team effort, with those speaking in tongues needing Peter and Peter also needing their functions to create a thirst in viewers that he could address in a sermon!
    3. Element Three - The opportunity for an effective witness is solely of the Lord, Acts 2:5-11; Ex. 23:14-17.
      1. The reason the crowd was about to hear these people minister the Word in various Gentile languages this way was because they were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost, Acts 2:1, 5.
      2. They were there because God had commanded all male Jews to be there in Ex. 23:14-17.
      3. Thus, the opportunity to reach these religious but ignorant Hebrews was of God, cf. also Col. 4:2-3.
    4. Element Four - There must be a spiritual thirst to address for effective witnessing, Acts 2:7-8, 11b-12: Peter could easily witness to these men as they wanted an explanation of the tongues they were witnessing!
    5. Element Five - For an effective witness to take root, one must communicate to the mind some content to elicit faith, Acts 2:12-15, 37: Peter was able to address a logical question with facts to elicit a response.
    6. Element Six- The witnessing party explains the solution to the thirst from Scripture, Acts 2:16-21.
    7. Element Seven - In thus explaining the Scripture, the witnessing party gets to the Gospel, the power of God that God uses to convict the lost and lead them to faith, Acts 2:21, 22-37.
      1. The Gospel is about Christ's death for sin, His burial and resurrection, 1 Cor. 15:1-11.
      2. Peter followed his explanation of the Spirit's demonstration with the Scriptural verification and announcement of Christ's death and resurrection as Messiah in accord with Scripture, Acts 2:21, 22-35.
      3. Note how he convicted them of the sin of crucifying the Messiah, something to elicit a response, v. 36!
    8. Element Eight - When the needy party is ready, lead him to a decision of faith in Christ, Acts 2:37-40.
      1. When these men saw their plight before God, they asked how to get right with God, Acts 2:37.
      2. Peter then led them to a decision of faith, 2:38-39. He kept up the call for a decision, Acts 2:40.
Lesson: To be used of God in witnessing, (1) we must use our spiritual gift in a team effort with the whole church, cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-14. (2) Then God supplies the OPPORTUNITY (3) to address an unbeliever's THIRST, (4) those with witnessing gifts c an use Scripture and the Gospel in the explanation. (5) When the unbeliever sees his need to address sin, he can be led to make a decision.

Application: The reasons many believers TRY witnessing with ineffective or awkward results are either (a) that they try to do what the Spirit alone can do to prepare hearts, or (b) they try to fill the wrong role where God wants someone else on the Church's TEAM to do that job! Let us be content to do God's personal assignment for US, and let the SPIRIT open doors and create a thirst in the lost!