| The Church: Her Moment in Time |
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The Church: Her Moment in Time
Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-8
I try not
to watch too much TV, but when I do watch it, I love to watch either
sports of any kind and courtroom or crime dramas (CSI, Law and Order,
etc.). I find these shows to be extremely interesting, gripping and
entertaining. It seems that each show always comes to one common point
upon which the plot turns: the testimony of a witness. This witness’
testimony either solidifies the prosecutions case or cements the
defense’s argument. For the most part, in these TV dramas anyway, the
case rests on this witness’ testimony and his or her credibility, which
is determined by the witness’ derived power as a result of his
relationship to a certain authority (i.e. policeman and the law,
psychiatrist and psychiatry, eyewitness and reality of event).
As I think about this legal concept, I can’t help but to think about our
(the church’s) call to be witnesses for Christ. The comparison is
remarkable. A witness can be defined as one who is called upon to:
- attest to the actual happenings of an event
- attest to the authenticity of something: a document, event, statement, etc.
- testify by providing evidence proving his pre-supposed position.
Can’t these three characteristics be applied to the Christian and his call? Aren’t we called to attest to the authenticity of Christ, attest to the work of Christ in our lives, and testify to his life, death and resurrection by providing evidence in our own lives of his transforming grace and power? And, isn’t all of this done on the bases of Christ’s authority which he has received from the Father (Matthew 28:18). There is one difference between the witness on the stand and the church however. Our call does not come at a specific time and place, per se. It is a constant and continual call on our lives, meaning that we are to be witnesses for Christ at all times. In other words, our moment in time is RIGHT NOW! When Christ brought us to faith through regeneration, he called us to the witness stand, a stand from which we have not been told to step down.
I. The Disciples as Witnesses
a. Attest to the actual happenings of an event
i. They were personally present and personally experienced the life and ministry of Christ. They were eye-witnesses to Jesus.
b. Attest to the authenticity of an event
i. They walked with Jesus. They heard Jesus’ teachings. They saw his miracles. They lived and experienced those things which they later reported as truth.
c. Testify by providing evidence of their pre-disposed position
i. Their lives were changed. They acted upon their call to be “fishers of men.” Everything they did was a result of their experience with Jesus.
d. Their Authority
i. Acts 1:4-8 – the authority is that which comes from the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
II. The Church (Us) as Witnesses
a. Attest to the actual happenings of an event
i. We have an actual faith experience. Each of us has a story which cannot be disputed. It is our story and our experience. We know Jesus and have been, in a certain sense, eye-witnesses to his grace.
b. Attest to the authenticity of an event or transformation
i. He has worked within our lives. We know it is authentic as we measure our personal experiences with Scripture, the Word of God. When our experiences are congruent with Scripture, the Measure of Truth, then authenticity is undeniable.
c. Testify by providing evidence of our pre-disposed position
i. We show the transformation of grace, the fruit of the Spirit, in our lives as we mature as Christians as well as proclaim the truth of the gospel to the world.
d. The Authority
i. Acts 1:4-8 – Our authority is the same as that of the disciples – the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Christ is the authority!
ii. This is all done on the authority of God through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. We have the power to testify because of what He does in us.
a. It is on his authority, not ours that we are Christians.
III. The Moment in Time
a. From then to Now
i. Acts 1:4-8 – The disciples were told by Jesus that they were to be his witness when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them. And that is exactly what they were.
a. The whole story of Acts, especially the first 12 chapters, is an account of what took place as a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s baptism, which they received in that small upper room in Jerusalem.
b. The Church has been involved in the ministry of witnessing to the glory of the Lord throughout her history, from the Garden until now, with especial emphasis on Christ since the New Testament.
c. Why?
a. The Work of the Holy Spirit – John tells us that we too have been gifted with the indwelling and the seal of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) since our regeneration in Christ.
i. John 14—16 – Our Lord Jesus Christ comforts his disciples by instructing them in the truth of the Holy Spirit’s, the one whom he will send, presence in their lives.
1. 14:17 – ‘You know him, for he dwells in you and will be in you.”[1]
2. 14:16 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
3. 15:26-27 – But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
4. 16:13-15 – “When the Holy Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all that truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it unto you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it unto you.”
ii. 1 John 2:27 – John exhorts his readers to remain true to the Gospel because:
1. “…the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything – and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you – abide in him.”
ii. Into the Future
a. Matthew 28:18-20 – “…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
a. To the End of the Age – The age of which Jesus is speaking hasn’t yet come. The end will be ushered in when he returns. It has not ended as of yet.
i. You know what that means: The call to discipleship and outreach has not ended. Christ has not returned. We are, therefore, called to be his witnesses just the same.
OUR MOMENT IN TIME IS NOW! WE ARE CALLED TO BE HIS WITNESSES NOW! THE
CHURCH IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE!
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV), (Crossway, a division of Good News Publications: Wheaton, 2002).