Greetings! It is so good to have you here. Today’s study is quite exciting, because we will see how the disciples ministry was so effective in reaching the masses. It is even more wonderful for us because we will see that the Lord desires and provides for us to be as effective. We need to choose to receive His promise and move in the same power and authority He has given us. Lord, give revelation to your children. Eric

Last week, I shared those things the Scripture revealed that we as followers of Christ need to publicly proclaim, in fulfilling the Great Commission, given to us by Jesus, when He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,” (Mark 16:15)

I also stated that the gospel expresses a message of God’s good news of our salvation and redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Different people respond to various ways the message is given. We read in 1 Peter 3:1 and 2 , “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” These verses reveal that some husbands can be won by the respectful pure conduct of their wives. This Scripture could also apply to other family members, neighbors, or co-workers as well. As we live our lives reflecting the presence and love of Jesus in us, we present a testimony.

We see another example of this in Acts 4 when the rulers, elders, and scribes questioned Peter and John concerning the healing of a crippled man. Peter and John had been sharing the gospel by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:8a, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” Peter spoke the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gave His disciples a physical demonstration of the fact that He came to serve and not be served, when He washed their feel. Matthew 20:26-28, “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." When you see someone in need, if possible, serve and meet that need. In this way, you are giving a physical demonstration of the presence and love of God that is in you.

In John 13:35 Jesus told the disciples that all people would know that they were His disciples by their love for one another. Does the love of Jesus shine through you?

Sharing the Word of God is a very effective way of proclaiming the gospel. Let’s look at Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Hearing the Word causes faith to rise up within you and others.

No matter what way the Lord uses us to share the Good News, God’s Word must be the foundation and source of truth in what we share!

We see in Acts 8:4 that when the disciples were scattered, they “went about preaching the Word.”

Continuing in Acts 8, we have an example of how the disciples shared the gospel as we look at Philip when he went into the city of Samaria. Acts 8:5-8, “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.” Note that in verse 5, we see Philip, “proclaimed to them the Christ.” We also must take note of how God used Philip when he was sharing the good news of salvation. Verse 6 states, “and the crowds, with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. You may be wondering about the signs and how all of that happened. This is exciting news!

To know how the signs happened, we will look back at Mark 16 where Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission. Mark 16:15-20, “And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” Let’s read verses 19 and 20 again! “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” The Lord worked with them and confirmed the message. They were sent with the Word and filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in them.

We have to remember what Jesus said as He commissioned the disciples to go. John 20:21 and 22 reads, “Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” They were sent in the same manner that the Father had sent Jesus!

How did Jesus present His message? Look at Matthew 15:30 and 31, “And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.” Then Jesus speaking to Philip said in John 14:11, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” Did you get it? He basically told them, believe the words I speak and if you won’t, believe because of the signs you are seeing! The Lord will work through us in the same fashion!

When we look through the gospels, we see the reactions of the crowds when they came together to hear Jesus, along with the anticipation of signs and manifested miracles. The words used in the Scriptures to express their reactions were words such as, “astonished, marveled, and amazed.”

In John 10:36 through 38, we see that the miracles along with His spoken words, gave testimony to Who Jesus was. Verse 36, “do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."

Numerous times, Jesus spoke to the disciples concerning the sending of the Helper or Holy Spirit, which would happen, after Jesus returned to the Father.

We need to read what Jesus told the disciples about what would happen when the Holy Spirit would come upon them. Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." The word ‘power’ dynamis in the Greek means: the power of Christ invisibly present and operative in the Christian Church. According to the New Spirit Filled Life Bible in the Introduction to Acts - ‘The Holy Spirit at Work!’ “The power of the Spirit in Jesus’ life authorized Him to preach the Kingdom of God and to demonstrate Kingdom power by healing the sick, casting out demons, and setting the captives free. The same Spirit power in Acts 1 gave the same authority to the disciples”

Yes, we see that manifestation of the out pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early church in Acts 2: 1-4, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Even in modern times, when men choose to believe God’s Word and in faith act upon it, millions are being lead to Christ through the preaching of the message with signs and wonders following. We see men like Reinhard Bonnke and his successor, Daniel Kolenda. These men, as well as, T.L. Osborn, Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, and many others have preached to crowds of hundreds of thousands, and lead them to Christ.

Paul said of his ministry, “by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God - so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:19) and in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, “because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”

The original disciples and those ministering, during the time Jesus was on the planet, were not the only ones that Jesus had in mind when He said, “go and proclaim the gospel.” John 17:20 and 21 make this clear when He spoke these words, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” He was addressing all who would believe. Acts 2:38 and 39 make it very clear. The promise of God is as much for those living today as it was for those living during Jesus’ time. Acts 2:38 and 39, “And Peter said to them, "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 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

Are you effective in sharing the gospel?

Do you want to be effective in sharing the gospel?

Do you share the Word?

Do you serve others?

Do you show the love of Christ?

Do you operate in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Luke 11:13 reveals how to receive the Holy Spirit, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Ask!

All Scriptures are taken from the English Standard Version.