NEW SERIES Class Lesson October 16, 2016

Unstoppable Gospel

Nothing stops our God. Nothing stops His gospel.

Don’t write off the church.

Some people already have. They say they like Jesus, but there’s no point to the church. As far as they’re concerned, the church is a failed institution.

I disagree.

The church is far from a lost cause! In reality, the church is unstoppable because the followers of Christ have been given an unstoppable power—the very Spirit of God. Even more, they’ve been given an unstoppable mission and message.

Come with me on a journey through the exciting early days of the church. We’ll discover what made the early church so powerful—so unstoppable. As the Book of Acts opens, we’ll see a room full of huddled, scared disciples who were completely powerless and uncertain of the future. But we’ll also see these same followers become empowered and effective men and women advancing throughout the world, proclaiming the unstoppable gospel that turned the world upside down.

The story of the unstoppable gospel continues today. It is our story as members of the church.

In Christ, we are unstoppable.


6 Lessons in this series:

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

We don’t like to wait. Chalk it up to impatience, or maybe it’s because we live in a world of instant gratification. But we want what we want when we want it.

• Two minutes waiting behind another customer at the fast food drive-thru? Too long.

• Sixty seconds to heat up food in a microwave? Too long.

• Fifteen seconds waiting for a movie to stream to your TV? Way too long!

At the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus told His disciples to wait. He was going to give them—and us—an incredible gift: the presence and power of His Holy Spirit. The disciples couldn’t have fully appreciated what all that meant, but they waited nonetheless.

When the Holy Spirit came, He empowered Jesus’ followers for a mission that was unstoppable. From that single location, their mission spread across the world—and continues today.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Acts 1:4-5

4 While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The life of a Christian is not hard; it’s impossible. Following Jesus means:

• Loving people—even the people who hate you.

• Doing the ethical thing at work even it means putting your career on the line. 

• Forgiving people who don’t deserve to be forgiven. 

The One who called us to this impossible life never sugarcoated how difficult it would be. In fact, Jesus said: “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me”(Luke 9:23). He also made this troubling promise: “You will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33). 

Jesus, the Son of God, never expected us to live this impossible life in our own power. Indeed, Jesus Himself lived His life on earth in union with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is the secret to the power we need to live and follow Jesus today. In other words, living the Christian life is only possible with the power of the Holy Spirit living through us.

In Acts 1:4-5, Jesus reminded His followers they soon would receive the gift He had promised earlier: the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the Spirit would descend on believers to empower them to preach the gospel. From that moment forward, God’s people would be forever changed in how they related with Him.

Apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing of importance in our lives. But once we receive His power at salvation, we can do anything He calls us to do. 

A little boy once heard that if he asked Jesus to be his Savior, God would come live inside his heart. So he asked his parents, “How can God live inside my heart? He’s so big! He made the whole world! If He lived inside my heart, He’d stick out!” 

That little boy was right. If God truly lives in our hearts, He’s going to stick out. His love will stick out. His forgiveness will stick out. His power will stick out.

And the world will know.

Acts 1:6-8

6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

God sent the Holy Spirit to work through us to continue the work of bringing His children home. In verse 8, Jesus laid out God’s agenda succinctly. His mandate in this verse laid the foundation for the rest of the Book of Acts, which is largely about how the early believers carried out this mandate. 

Jesus told His followers to remain in Jerusalem and wait, because they would soon receive the power the Father had promised (see v. 4). When they were filled with the Spirit, they would be His “witnesses” telling what they had experienced with Jesus. They would do this with His power, not their own—the power of His Spirit.

 

The Greek word for “power” is dunamis, from which we get our English words “dynamo,” “dynamite,” and “dynamic.” The Spirit empowers His church to do amazing things. By the power of the Holy Spirit, a tiny handful of believers turned the world upside down as the “gospel earthquake” rumbled from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

“Jerusalem ... Judea and Samaria, and ... the ends of the earth.” Jesus laid out a deliberate plan of expansion that began at home and moved outward geographically to include all people. The same Spirit who descended on believers at Pentecost and turned the world upside down for Jesus is alive today in every person who has placed faith in Christ. He is sending you and me out on a mission.
 

• We can obey Acts 1:8 by hopping on a plane and flying to the ends of the earth.

• We can carry out Acts 1:8 by sending the good news out to the ends of the earth over the Internet.

• We can fulfill Acts 1:8 right at home, because the world is literally coming to our cities. Whenever you go to work, school, the store, or anywhere else in your town, you are likely to hear unfamiliar languages being spoken. We can carry the Lord’s message to the ends of the earth in our own neighborhoods even as we also go to the ends of the earth.

We are empowered to be on mission to our city, nation, and world.

Acts1:12-14

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

What do you do when you find yourself waiting on the next thing God has for you? So many of us just try to stay busy. We fill the waiting with activity. Not these disciples. They went to a single upstairs room and prayed. In fact, they “were continually united in prayer” for ten days.

Let me share what I see in the disciples’ ten-day prayer meeting:

• Prayer is primary. For many of us, prayer is often a last resort. “When all else fails, pray.” But prayer was not the last resort for the early church. It was the main agenda.

• Fear can be a great motivator. For all the disciples knew, the same people who crucified their Lord might come for them, as well. It was fear, not piety, that drove the early church to its knees. In times of anxiety and fear, remember this: If you go to your knees in fear, you’ll rise up in faith.

• Prayer unites us. The disciples “were continually united in prayer.” They were single-minded, joined together as one. Why? Because prayer unites us.

Prayer maximizes “Thee” and minimizes “me.” Prayer says, “My agenda is unimportant, Lord, but Your agenda is all-important.” The reason for so much disunity and disharmony in the church is because many Christians contend for their own agendas, not God’s agenda. When we pray and seek God’s will together, He will unify us and keep us focused on our common center: Jesus the Lord.

LIVE IT OUT 

Acts 1:8 is our mandate. It’s mine, and it’s yours. Therefore, consider taking one or more of the following steps toward fulfilling that mandate in the days to come:

• Accept the mission. Recognize that Jesus has commanded you to be His witness wherever you go and wherever He sends you. Verbally commit yourself to His service.

• Embrace the gift. Begin each day by submitting to the Holy Spirit as your only source of strength and guidance. Pray that He would give you wisdom and power to accomplish God’s mission in your life.

• Pray together. Gather an extra time as a group this week. Make prayer the sole focus and action of that gathering. 

God’s mission is unstoppable—and so is the Spirit He’s placed within you. Remember that you have a part to play in that mission. Remember also that it all begins with prayer.


Teacher's Notes:

 

UNSTOPPABLE MISSION



What is the mission given to the church?

• Spread the gospel to the whole world, and make disciples.

Truth be said, it seems that many Christians no longer have the passion like that of the early believers to take on the mission Christ gave to the church.

• Fear of offending or being rejected has become more important than love of God and our neighbor.
• So what do we do? We leave it to others to spread the gospel and make disciples.
• Our lesson says that we need to return to the mission Jesus gave to His followers in Acts 1.

Jewish officials did their best to control and shape the message about the empty tomb and to explain away the possibility of a resurrection. Even though they tried to put a spin on the message, they had no control over the resurrected Jesus Himself. After the resurrection and over a 40-day period, Jesus appeared numerous times to various individuals and groups, to encourage them and teach them things they had not been ready to learn before His crucifixion. At the end of 40 days, Jesus made a final appearance and delivered a major mandate to His disciples before ascending to heaven. Along with the mandate was the promise of the Holy Spirit who would empower them for the work and bind them together as a people of God. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the mission would be unstoppable.


Acts 1:3-8, 12-14



We are going to unravel three important aspects of the mission given to the disciples and to us:

• Promise, Power, and Prayer

I. Promise - Acts 1:3-5 (NIV)

After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."



After His resurrection, how did Jesus spend His time with the apostles?

• showed himself to the disciples
• gave convincing proofs he was alive
• appeared to them
• spoke and taught them about the kingdom of God
• ate with them

What specific commands did Jesus give the apostles?

• don’t leave Jerusalem, and wait for the gift my Father promised

What was the gift that was promised?

• The presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

How do you typically react during a time of waiting? The facts are, most of us are waiting for something most of the time:

• Maybe you are in a job situation that’s really tough to endure and you are waiting and hoping that conditions will change for the better.
• Maybe you are without a job and waiting for news on an application.
• Maybe you are ill (or have a loved one who is) and waiting for your health to improve.
• Or maybe you are waiting for your spouse or child to become interested in spiritual things.

What do you find so hard about waiting on the Lord?

• Not sure of His timing
• Sometimes doubts come into our minds
• Not sure of how God will answer, provide, solve the problem
• Our perspective is limited … we live in the here and now, God sees the big picture
• As a part of fallen humanity, we are so prone to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes. Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.”

What’s one thing you’ve learned during a time of waiting?

• God is trustworthy
• God loves us and works in our lives to nurture us and give us spiritual growth
• Trusting the Lord is part of obedience
• God knows more about the situation than we do … what timing is best, how best to meet the need or resolve the problem
• One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture.
• When we refuse to wait, there are spiritual consequences—loss of fellowship with the Lord, loss of spiritual strength and wisdom, loss of our witness, loss of eternal rewards, and being out of the Lord’s will.

Why is the Holy Spirit such a special gift?

• The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We cannot belong to Christ without His Spirit (Romans 8:9); we cannot be united to Christ without His Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17); we cannot be adopted as His children without His Spirit (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:6-7); we cannot be in the body of Christ except by baptism in the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).
• The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a lifelong process of change as we become more like Christ (Gal. 3:3; Phil. 1:6). When we receive Christ by faith, we begin an immediate personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become like Christ.
• The Spirit unites the Christian community in Christ (Ephesians 2:19-22). The Holy Spirit can be experienced by all, and He works through all (1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:4).

What role does the Holy Spirit play in our mission to spread the gospel?

• If Jesus had stayed on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the gospel, because physically He could be in only one place at a time. After Christ was taken up into heaven, He would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with and within His followers after Christ returned to heaven. The Spirit would comfort them, guide them to know His truth, remind them of Jesus’ words, give them the right words to say, and fill them with power (see John 14-16).

Jesus said, John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

How are these two baptisms different?


John’s Baptism: water baptism, a physical act, outward symbol of repentance and salvation, demonstrated death to old way of life, resurrection to a new way of life



Baptism of the Holy Spirit: a Spiritual baptism, happens at salvation, the believer is given the presence of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within his/her life, a transforming experience that brings new life, this Presence empowers believers to serve God



Point: God’s promises are worth the wait because of Who God is and what He is able to do.

 




II. Power - Acts 1:6-8 (NIV)

So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But 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."



What did the disciples misunderstand?

• Still looking for a political or military messiah, still thinking about nationalism, not yet understanding that the “kingdom of God” was a spiritual kingdom, not realizing that the rule of God was to be in our hearts and minds. Jesus was about to return to heaven. Jesus’ disciples still expected Him to establish an earthly kingdom. He had told them repeatedly He had not come for that purpose, but evidently they still did not get it.

Why do our preconceptions sometimes limit what God might want us to do?

• We have tunnel vision, we are focused in too much on a single issue, God has plans and desires that extend beyond that single issue, we are too self-centered … “I want what I want, when I want it, and exactly how I want it”.
• God wants to do big things and our thinking is too small, God knows what is best for us, we sometimes want (and pray for) things that might ultimately be bad for us.
• God sets the timetable for all events – worldwide, national, and personal. If you want changes that God isn’t making immediately, don’t become impatient. Instead, trust God’s timetable.

How did Jesus answer the apostles’ question?

• Not for you to know times or dates, God the Father sets these, He is the authority.
• Basically He was saying you’re asking the wrong question.

What does it mean to be a witness for Christ?

• The disciples were to be witnesses to what Christ had done. A witness does not have to be an expert in a particular field. He simply tells what happened. “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria...” — In other words, no single part of the world is outside our responsibility.

How does verse 8 of the passage apply to us today?

• God promises us the same power, the same relationship - we also are to be witnesses.
• Our witness starts in our own neighborhood, our own city, our state, our nation.
• We are to be actively involved in the spread of the Gospel “to the ends of the earth”, we are to give of our finances, participate in mission trips.

How can we be more in tune with God’s plans and God’s timing?

• Daily reading and meditating on what God says … read your Bible. Prayer - talk to God … daily communication with Him. Apply what God says to us … in personal and group Bible Study, in sermons. Get involvement in outreach ministry, in worship. Wait and listen for God’s instructions. Waiting is sometimes part of God’s plan. We need God’s timing and power to be truly effective.

What is the power source for carrying out the mission?

• The Holy Spirit would empower them for this task. He delivers us from fear. He gives us the words to say. He draws people to Jesus through our witness.
• The power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God. The Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, has appeared throughout Scripture as a Being through and by whom great works of power are made manifest. His power was first seen in the act of creation, for it was by His power the world came into being (Genesis 1:1–2; Job 26:13). The Holy Spirit also empowered men in the Old Testament to bring about God’s will: “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13; see also Exodus 31:2–5; Numbers 27:18). Although the Spirit did not permanently indwell God’s people in the Old Testament, He worked through them and gave them power to achieve things they would not have been able to accomplish on their own. All of Samson’s feats of strength are directly attributed to the Spirit coming upon him (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14).
• Jesus promised the Spirit as a permanent guide, teacher, seal of salvation, and comforter for believers (John 14:16-18). He also promised that the Holy Spirit’s power would help His followers to spread the message of the gospel around the world. The salvation of souls is a supernatural work only made possible by the Holy Spirit’s power at work in the world.
• The power of God is vital for the challenges that we face when we spread the gospel of Jesus. And, certainly this power that Jesus speaks about is not a one-time phenomenon. In fact, the Bible talks about how the disciples repeatedly sought God from time to time for refreshing. Acts 2:4 That they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” And after receiving this power, they came back to God for a refreshing against the new threats that they were facing. Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.”

How do we access the power of the Holy Spirit?

• The power for effective witness comes from the promised, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Our preconceptions can prevent us from seeing the larger things God is doing in this world and limit our view of the vastness of His kingdom. Our faithfulness in fulfilling the commission is not dependent on how much we know but how much we trust and obey. Discipleship includes being a witness to the gospel wherever we are and wherever the Lord leads us.

Point: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are of very little importance when it’s compared to what lies within us.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes


The disciples became convinced about the resurrection, learned about the kingdom of God, and learned about their power source – the Holy Spirit.

• By reading the Bible, we too can sit with the resurrected Christ in His school of discipleship.
• By believing in Him, we can receive His power through the Holy Spirit to be new people.
• By joining with other Christians in Christ’s church, we can take part in doing His work on earth.

III. Prayer - Acts 1:12-14 (NIV)

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.



What is key to the success of our mission?

• Prayer - Notice that prayer was the first thing they did.

Why do we consider prayer as the last thing we do?

• We are a “can do” culture, we believe we can figure it out on our own.
• There’s a doctor who will solve this problem. Let the government fund this or solve it.
• There are experts for this. That’s what a lawyer is for.

What do you suppose they were praying about?

• Asking for guidance, claiming the promises Jesus had given them.
• Asking God when.

How is praying with others for a common mission different from your personal prayers?

• We agree together in prayer.
• We can claim the promise of God … Consider Matthew 18:19 (NIV) "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”
• We unite for the purpose of seeking God, sharing our burdens.
• We know that our prayers are not just “wishes” but are the consensus of the group.
• Our faith is encouraged … we become more convinced in our unity that we can trust God.

What common mission can our class pray for together?

• Community outreach, physical, financial, spiritual needs of people around us at work, in neighborhood, in church.
• Our nation, the election, our leaders – church leadership, community, state, and national government leaders.
• Foreign and local missionary activity.

Point: The main mission of missions is prayer.

Any great awakening, any great spiritual movement, any opening to the Gospel always begins with prayer. Missions is all about discernment of God’s will and there is no way to find it but in daily intercession and waiting upon God for guidance.





Conclusion: If you’ve seen any of those Star Wars movies, you know they talk a great deal about “the Force”. Some people equate the Holy Spirit with some type of impersonal force, but He is much more than that. He is the third Person of the Trinity.


Why is it so important for us to maintain that distinction?


If we think of the Holy Spirit merely as a power or influence, our thought will be, ‘How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?’ but if we think of Him as a divine Person, our thought will be, ‘How can the Holy Spirit get more of me?’ The former conception leads to self-exaltation; the latter conception to self-humiliation, self-emptying, and self-renunciation.



If you want to be an effective witness for Christ, let the Holy Spirit get more of you!



The Holy Spirit empowers us to spread the gospel.




Hope to see you on Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan