This study was first taught on June 17, 2018

Topic: The Birth of the Church (7): The Response to the Message of Jesus Christ

(use the audio to study)

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Background
In our last meeting, we looked at Simon Peter’s spontaneous sermon and noted that although, to Simon Peter and many of us, it was unprepared, yet it was eons in the making, for it was a message prepared from the foundation of the world and delivered by the Holy Spirit through Simon Peter, who himself had been prepared for this role over three and a half years. Thus, we said that it was the voice of Peter, but the message of the Holy Spirit; and this is basically, what the message delivered by the Church ought to be—the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, delivered by the Holy Spirit through men who have been prepared by the Holy Spirit through sanctification!

When we look at the substance of the message, we noted the following:
1. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always answers the questions in the hearts of men. This was the case when Peter answered the question of the gathered multitude, “What does this mean?”
2. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always seeks to take the hearer from where they are to where they ought to be. In most cases, where the people are is far from God, and so they must be brought to the place of repentance from sin and reconciliation with God, through the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always glorifies Christ. The message will always glorify the Lord, His ministry, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and imminent return.
4. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always affirms the work of Christ for mankind with conviction. The Holy Spirit is the witness-in-Chief, and we the witnesses by proxy, and as we yield to His work in us, we are able to testify by the word of God about the Lord Jesus Christ, with conviction in the hearts of men as to their sinfulness and wretchedness before God.
5. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always presents the two aspects of the Lord. These are His Lordship and His salvation. We must also note that He is Lord, before He is Christ!

The goal of the Holy Spirit is to reveal to men what the Lord Jesus Christ did for them, and thus bring them to the salvation of God through Jesus Christ; by using men who have made themselves available to Him to be sanctified and made ready for the Master’s use! Prayerfully, we shall be such ambassadors for Christ!

Scripture Text(s)
Acts 2:37-41
The message of the Lord Jesus Christ delivered by the Holy Spirit through Simon Peter, was so powerful, it elicited a question, which gave rise to further explanation, after which, there were actions taken by the listeners. We can add to the list of the substance of the message of the Lord Jesus Christ which we studied last week by saying that:
6. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ always gives rise to a reaction and eventually an action.
Let us note that the message of Jesus Christ, is essentially, both a message about Jesus Christ, and by Jesus Christ; only that it is delivered by men, in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Three events immediately proceeded from the delivery of the message of the Lord preached by Peter—the people’s reaction; Peter’s response to their reaction; and, the people’s action.
Acts 2:37; 7:54-58; 2:38-40; 7:59-60; Luke 23:34; Acts 2:41; Luke 15:17-24; Acts 10:47-48; 9:17-18; 10:15; Romans 14:1; Colossians 4:4; Ephesians 6:19.

Conclusion
Whenever the message of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached there is always going to be a REACTION which can be positive or negative. It is positive when the listener is convinced that he is a sinner who needs a Saviour; and it is negative otherwise. Where the reaction is positive, you as the deliverer of the message of Christ must point them to the cross as the way forward—this is not the time to sugar-coat things! But where it is negative, pray for them, even when the reaction is brutal and may even lead to our death! And following the reaction of the people, remember that not all will accept Christ. Those who accept Christ, receive into the body by leading them to Christ through repentance and baptism. Those who reject Christ deserve our prayers and intercession continually (2 Corinthians 5:11, 14).

Remember the figure of the two loaves (Leviticus 23:17)? With the baptism of the approximately 3,000 souls, the birth of the Church was completer! But the Church must continue to live and grow (Matthew 16:18—“I will build My Church …”)!

LET US PRAY!

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