After the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, an angel suddenly appeared to a group of unsuspecting shepherds to announce the birth of the Messiah. It must have been a marvelous sight! The shepherds were considered the low-lives of the nation, the sort of people that others would have overlooked. But in the redemptive work of God He chose to deliver the grand announcement of Christ's birth to these insignificant shepherds. With the resplendent glory of the Lord filling the night air, the angel did precisely what every Christian witness and every gospel preacher should do. He announced good news.
"And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people [lowly shepherds included!]; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:10-11). The word that Luke uses for good news is the very same word which we see translated elsewhere as gospel. The angel set forth a clear example for all of us. Just as he announced good news, we too are to do the same in our Christian witness. Gospel work is the life-preoccupation of announcing the good news of Jesus Christ to needy sinners.
Are you a participant in gospel work? We have been using this term, gospel work, as a synonym for evangelism, witnessing, and disciple-making. This is not a job that is reserved for a few select members of the Christian community. All of us who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ have been enlisted by the Holy Spirit to carry on gospel work. With this in mind, I want us to once again turn our attention to this significant passage in the book of Acts which shows the gospel finally being taken to the Gentiles. The challenge we face in this text is this: will we carry the good news of the gospel of Christ to our own community and the world about us?
I. The Message in Gospel Work
There are probably more people witnessing and preaching today than at any period in human history. Yet there is comparably little effect accomplished by such activity. It is not due to a lack of energy, resources, and programs. Truck loads of materials can be purchased for distribution, broadcasts can be heard on television and radio during any hour of the day or night, and countless Christian services, concerts, crusades, and plays can be found across the land. With all of this it seems that our country continues to slide at a rapid pace into the abyss of eternal darkness.
What is the problem? Though we can all improve our activity of witness, the biggest problem is not in the quantity of witness but in the quality. The message in gospel work lacks soundness, clarity, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. The text points out that "the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message" (v. 44). The truth of the message applied by the Holy Spirit to the minds and hearts of those listening brought about the conversion of these Gentiles. While we cannot manipulate the Holy Spirit to do anything--God forbid that we even attempt to do such a thing--we can make sure on our part that we at least proclaim a clear message.
What Peter did in the brief span of his proclamation was to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He went straight to the salient points of the gospel. We must learn from the apostle's example. Tragically, in our day there has been a shift away from the gospel and the centrality of the cross which Peter and the apostles proclaimed. So our text reminds us of the imperative of a sound gospel. John Armstrong had this in mind when he wrote,
To preach evangelically is, by definition, to preach the doctrine of the Cross in its full theological sense. This means that preaching on marriage, family, or finance without the word of the Cross at the center is a new form of legalism. It is a modern moralism without Christ and the Cross. It is not, fundamentally, evangelical. [The Coming Evangelical Crisis, 23]
1. The Gospel
Peter and the apostles were gospel-preachers. They understood that sinners needed to hear the truth of the goods news concerning Christ and His saving work. Notice, in thumbnail fashion, how Peter dealt with the goods news.
First, he begins with God. "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality" (v. 34). Cornelius and his friends were God-fearers (v. 2). They already had some understanding of the character, attributes, and being of God. Peter started with this, pointing to God's prerogative with His creation in this verse and how His mercy is extended to all manners of people. A basic understanding of God, His holiness, His righteousness, and His authority over His creation lays the foundation for an unbeliever to begin to grasp the work of the cross. Cornelius worshiped with the Jews, so he obviously had a good understanding of God's Law and how every man has a responsibility to totally obey the Creator. His fear of God was a result of understanding the holy demands of God in His Law and the judgment due to transgressors.
Second, he addresses the enmity between man and God. "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ" (v. 36). The key word here is "peace." Peace does not refer to a good feeling but a restoration of a broken relationship. "Peace seems to be nearly identical with salvation" in this passage [Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 242]. Leon Morris points out that "the content of the eirene [peace] in question must be that the enmity caused by sin has been done away with in Christ" [ibid.]. Since the Fall we have been at enmity with God. Our nature is bent on rebellion against Him. And our practice of sin consistently shows this enmity or 'enemy status' with God. The work of Christ at the cross reconciles us to God, so that our relationship with Him can be described as one of 'peace' rather than one of 'enmity'. Until an unbeliever understands that he is a sinner who is at enmity with God all of your gospel explanations will seem to be mere foolishness and religions ranting.
Third, he addresses the Person of Jesus Christ as being God, "He is Lord of all" (v. 36), while at the same time man. His reference to Jesus' earthly ministry (v. 37), His visible activity among men, and His miraculous works (v. 38) point to Jesus being God Incarnate. God came to man, yes, but He also became a man so that He might be the Redeemer. The unbeliever needs to see this truth and recognize that God came to bring salvation to sinners. This will help him understand that salvation is therefore all of God--all of grace, without any human contribution.
Fourth, he addresses the work of the cross and its affirmation by the resurrection (vv. 39-40). The cross and resurrection are central to our gospel explanations. If they are not then we have not presented the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross shows the infinite nature of our sin and the just punishment of God's wrath for sinners. "Against His Son, God directed the 'full weight of that righteous wrath which [people] deserved'" [S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, 129, quoting C. Cranfield]. It shows us the greatness of God's love and mercy in Christ. But it is not merely an example of God's love. It is a definite act of atonement for sinners. It is God taking judicial action to satisfy His justice and fulfill His righteousness so that sinners might be declared righteous before Him.
Fifth, this redemptive work is applied by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ alone (v. 43-44). The text is quite distinctive in stating, "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins" (v. 43). Both "through His name" and "believes in Him" show the solitary focus of faith. It is not simply 'having faith' that is required for sinners. It is instead a believing faith in Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King.
I commend this brief outline of the gospel to you for your own witnessing. It covers the necessary elements of the gospel which you can build upon as you deliver the good news to sinners.
2. A world-wide message
We must keep in mind the great difficulty the early church faced in carrying the gospel beyond the cultural boundaries of Judaism. They were trained from the earliest age to despise and separate themselves from Gentiles. Now, as recipients of the gospel, they are commanded to go to the Gentiles with the gospel! The vision which Peter had on the housetop showed him, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy" (v. 15). The statement Peter makes in response to hearing from Cornelius firsthand shows that he was stunned by what was transpiring. "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him" (vv. 34-35).
The word "understand" implies that he had finally grasped with his mind this truth of the impartiality of God, a reality which he had never understood. Now he saw that the gospel was for all the nations just as Christ had told him and the other disciples just before His ascension (Matt. 28:19-20).
We need to be reminded of the international scope of the gospel. The Lord has His people in every nation. I've been reading Timothy George's biography of William Carey, the 18th century Baptist who was used of the Lord to begin the modern missionary movement. When Carey was in India he gave himself to translating the Scripture into many languages. After laboring he produced the first New Testament in the Bengali language. Seventeen years after this a group of missionaries made their way to a part of Bengali-speaking India where no missionary had gone before. What they found stunned them. This group of people had cast aside their idols, of which Indians had plenty, and were waiting for someone to come and explain the book they had read which had bought about their repentance. It was a copy of Carey's Bengali New Testament in a wooden box. Without a missionary this group of Indians replicated Cornelius' household some 18 centuries later. They were just waiting for a messenger to deliver the good news.
Every continent needs more gospel witness. Maybe you are one that God desires to raise up to carry the gospel into a foreign land. He has people prepared to receive the good news. Like Cornelius and his friends, they will demonstrate it in their fear of God and their desire to do righteousness even without having heard the saving message. God brings this about as he prepares sinners to receive the saving word.
3. Dependence upon the Holy Spirit
But we must see that no matter how clear we may be in delivering the gospel and no matter how seemingly prepared the hearers may be, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit there will be no saving work taking place. Peter understood something that we must recapture in our own day of manipulative evangelism. Unless the Spirit applies the gospel to the mind and heart no one truly comes to Christ. "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message" (v. 44). Peter did not massage the emotions of Cornelius' household in an attempt to elicit an outward response to his preaching. He simply preached the gospel and depended upon the Holy Spirit.
My brethren, this is true evangelism! We must proclaim the gospel with clarity, power, and with all the passion flooding our hearts. We must earnestly call upon sinners to repent and believe the goods news of Jesus Christ. But we must never try to take into our hands what only the Holy Spirit can do. The crux of John 3:1-8 is that unless we are born of the Spirit, i.e., born into God's family through the work of the Spirit regenerating and applying the saving work of Christ to us, then we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Paul called this work the "washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" in Titus 3:5, as he describes the saving of sinners. God uses us as His instruments in delivering the saving message, but only the Holy Spirit can do the actual saving or application of the gospel message. Let's depend upon Him as we proclaim the gospel. Let's pray for His work in saving sinners.
II. The Recipients of Gospel Work
We saw in our first study in this text that the Lord is the initiator in gospel work. In the secret places of our hearts and minds He is graciously working to bring sinners to faith in Christ. Notice how this is worked out in Cornelius' life.
1. Preparation
The soil of the heart (Matt. 13) is prepared for receiving the seed of the gospel. There is no doubt that Cornelius was ready to be saved! He anxiously waited to hear the good news. He did not hesitate to respond to the gospel. As a matter of fact, Peter was not even through preaching when the saving work took place! God had worked through many things to prepare this man and his household and friends for the gospel.
What does God use to prepare sinners for the gospel? Obviously, God the Holy Spirit works in situations and circumstances to point sinners to the cross. He may arrange encounters with the gospel as in the case of Peter coming to Cornelius. When you begin to think of the human instruments that God used in your salvation it is amazing how at just the right moment in time they crossed your path and delivered the good news; or how someone came along to demonstrate the gospel in their life so that it arrested your attention.
I've heard Bill Horde tell the story of how one of his co-workers was distinctly different from him. This co-worker began to tell Bill about Jesus Christ. Bill did not go to church and did not have any understanding of spiritual things. But this dear brother never gave up on him. He kept witnessing. Then on an Easter Sunday Bill attended church, heard the gospel preached, and came to faith in Christ. The preparatory work was laid by the faithful walk and witness of his co-worker.
One young man at the University of Mobile that I've gotten to know gave a copy of our The Way to Life booklet to a fellow student. The student did not have any Christian background and was absolutely pagan in his lifestyle. But the Lord used this booklet and other literature to prepare his heart so that my friend had the joy of seeing this young man savingly converted.
Sometimes its a sermon that someone hears that prepares a heart for the gospel. Quite often it is a combination of many sermons, Sunday School lessons, testimonies, and literature that the Spirit uses to prepare a person for the gospel.
2. Illumination
The problem of the human mind is that it is darkened apart from Christ (Eph. 4:18). Much preparation can take place, but until there is illumination or an opening of the eyes to truth, that sinner will not be sensible to the gospel. Cornelius had heard the Old Testament Scriptures read and perhaps had read them himself. But his eyes were not open to the truth of the gospel until the Spirit turned the lights on. Then he truly heard what Peter had to say. It finally made sense to him and he believed.
It is during times of Spiritual Awakening that we see an extraordinary amount of illumination taking place. Entire areas become conscious of spiritual things. Minds are keenly sensitive to spiritual truth. It was in such a time as this that George Whitefield rode up and down the eastern coast in our colonial days preaching to vast crowds who traveled for miles to hear the gospel. There was an attentiveness to the Word which we rarely see in our day. It was due to awakening or illumination taking place by the gracious work of the Spirit.
Brethren, how we need to pray regularly for the Holy Spirit to do this same work in our midst!
3. Regeneration
"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed., because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also" (vv. 44-45). Now, instantaneously, these spiritually dead sinners were suddenly brought to life by the Holy Spirit and they came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! It is important for us to see that they did not just listen and then decide that this 'Christian-thing' sounded good and so they need to get on the bandwagon. That is the way that so many approach the gospel. If they can make it appealing and enticing enough, then sinners will decide to jump on the bandwagon. But you do not see this in our text. While they were sitting and listening, suddenly, without warning, the Holy Spirit fell upon them in saving power. Even the Jewish believers were surprised at what had taken place.
The doctrinal term of this work is regeneration. It precedes our repentance and faith as a work of God which the Holy Spirit does upon our minds and hearts. He brings the spiritually dead sinner to life (thus the term "quickened" or "made alive" in Eph. 2:5) so that he can now believe the gospel. Up to this point he may have had some interest in it and may have even talked about it. But he could not savingly believe apart from the Spirit bringing him to life. The darkened mind and stubborn will is now renewed and made responsive to the gospel (Rom. 8:30; Eph. 1:8-9; II Tim. 1:9).
The unbeliever probably does not realize quite what is happening to him. He only knows that the gospel finally makes sense to him and he finds himself fleeing to Christ in repentance and faith. He does not understand that in his mind and heart this gracious God has done what is necessary to bring his spiritual senses to life and to turn his stubborn heart to faith in Christ. Like Cornelius, he does not understand regeneration, he just experiences it. As he grows in faith he discovers what God was doing in the secret places of his heart and he is brought to great humility and worship before the Lord.
III. The Church in Gospel Work
The gospel is forever linked with the Church. This is because the Church or the body of Christ is the messenger of the gospel and the common family of which all the redeemed are a part. We see the three-fold command of the Great Commission followed in this text.
1. Evangelism/Disciple-making
Peter represented the church. His ministry was the ministry of the church. He did not have "Peter Ministries, Inc." which had no connection to the church. Everywhere he went as a messenger of the gospel he also went as an extension of his own congregation in Jerusalem. This is true of each of us who go with the gospel. We are extensions of the ministry of this church, so when you carry the gospel in the workplace or the school you are doing so as a ministry of this body of believers.
Our challenge as a church is to be "disciple-makers." We are not called to convert people; that is the job of the Holy Spirit. We are to so teach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ that sinners are brought into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, as new disciples of Jesus Christ. Building statistics to impress others is not the job of the church. Making disciples is. That's why the translation of Matthew 28:19 in the NASB is so important in distinguishing what we are doing. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...." We are calling sinners into a 100%-or-nothing relationship to Christ. We are not inviting people to making decisions, but we are calling upon them to die to themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23) as those whom He has saved by His own death and resurrection.
2. Baptism
The natural and normal response of those who have been born of God is to follow Christ in baptism. When Peter and his brethren witnessed the same saving work in these Gentile believers that they had experienced, he called for them to baptize these new believers. "Surely no one can refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" They were now part of the body of Christ. These Gentile believers were to be identified with their Jewish Christian friends as part of the same body of Christ, saved by the same Lord and Christ, and indwelled by the same Spirit.
Baptism is for believers so that they might publicly declare their faith in Christ and union with the body of Christ known as the Church. The significance of it is seen in baptism being a visible portrayal of the believer's union with Christ in the death, burial, and resurrection. If you have come to faith in Christ, then as your public declaration of faith, you need to be baptized.
We never see baptism as an option in the New Testament. There is no saving power in baptism. And baptism is not for the unbeliever but for the believer. It is to be the practice and experience of every true believer. Perhaps some of you have been delaying your need for baptism for some reason. Can you honestly look at the New Testament and see where you can excuse yourself from believer's baptism? I exhort you to follow this command of Christ and participate in this special ordinance of the church as a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
3. Teaching
The last line of this chapter offers a good insight on the last part of the Great Commission. "Then they asked him to stay on for a few days." What do you think Peter did in that brief period of time? He taught them the Word of God! As true believers they were hungry for the truth of God and Peter was glad to deliver it. Just as that first group of believers after Pentecost, "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostle's teaching [doctrine]" (Acts 2:42).
This is where we are to continually fulfill the latter part of the Great Commission. We must keep on teaching the whole counsel of God to those who have been made whole by the blood of Christ. It is a slow task, but a vital one. It is one which is not popular today because of the demands of the Word of God. Yet it is a task from which we do not shrink.
There's another thing we see in this. Every believer is hungry. He wants to be spiritually fed. When a person has no desire for the Word of God, when there is no spiritual appetite, then he needs to re-check his Christianity. It is deficient!
Conclusion
Are you involved in gospel work? Really, as believers, we have no choice but to be involved in gospel work or else we will be walking in disobedience. This does not mean all of us will be in pulpits, but it does mean that all of us will seek to be witnesses for Christ and declare His gospel to the world.
Let's study and dig deeply into the message in gospel work so that we might declare it with clarity, depending upon the Holy Spirit to bring forth true conversions. And let's realize that our job is never finished until we stand before the Lord with all those whom we have influenced with the gospel and they stand complete in Him.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.
Copyright 2008, South Woods Baptist Church, All Rights Reserved