Criswell
Theological Review 5.1 (1990) 83-92.
Copyright © 1990 by The
EVANGELISTIC PREACHING AND
THE BOOK OF ACTS
JERRY
VINES
Introduction
Acts
tells the story of the birth of the
development from
Progress,”
for it traces the history and growth of the “baby church”
from its inception in
because it is the account of real people taking
seriously the command
of Jesus to win others to Christ. J. B. Phillips
calls it, “The Young
Church in Action.” Here is church dynamics
at its best!
Acts provides many wonderful
opportunities for evangelistic
preaching to the lost, as well as equipping
proclamation to believers.
Indeed,
Acts could be called “the Witness Book.” As one reads through
it, note how many times the word witness occurs.
Acts 1:8 is the key
verse which unlocks the door to the whole book. This
verse is the key
to the structure, subject matter, and practical
purpose of the book. Acts
is intended to make us personal witnesses. Note
the purpose of the
book. Acts 1:1-2 teaches us that the ministry of
Jesus is to be continued:
“all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Consider the
person of the
book. Various titles have been suggested such as the
“Acts of the
Apostles” and the “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Actually, the emphasis
is
upon Jesus. He is the main actor! He is the theme!
Finally, one should
claim the promise of the book. Acts 1:4-5 talks about
the promise of
the Father. This promise (the coming of the Holy
Spirit in power of
Pentecost) is instructive today.
These sermonic studies are designed
to utilize Acts as the basis for
training and motivating people in continuous
lifestyle evangelism.
Through
Acts we can glean principles and guidelines which can be
used today.
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"Ready to
Go!" (Acts 1:1-11)
Sermon Aim
To
lead our people to understand that the Great Commission is for
them today and to show them the spiritual
ingredients and encourage-
ment necessary to carry it
out.
Outline
I. Proofs of the Resurrection (vv
1-3)
II. Presence of the Holy Spirit (vv
4-5)
III. Power for Witness (vv 6-8)
IV. Promise of His Second Coming (vv
9-11)
Introduction
It is thrilling to note that some
form of what we can call the Great
Commission
is found in each of the first five books of the NT (Matt
28:19-20;
Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). It seems the
Holy
Spirit has gone to some length to impress upon Christians the
urgency of winning others to Jesus. This
certainly indicates to us that
personal soul-winning must be the priority item
of every church and
every individual Christian. As one preaches this
text, one will want to
make it clear that: 1) the Great Commission is a
command, not a
suggestion; and 2) it is for every Christian, not
just for the pastors, staff
members, deacons, and Sunday School teachers.
The preaching material should be
gathered around the key verse
of the book, Acts 1:8, emphasizing our mandate
from heaven, our
Lord's
marching orders. One might preach Acts 1:1-11 around a four
fold outline.
I.
Proofs of the Resurrection (vv 1-3)
In v 1, '"former treatise"
is a reference to Luke's Gospel (cf.
Luke
1:1-4). Acts is the second volume written by Luke. Note also the
word, '"began." In the Gospels, we find
what Jesus began. In Acts we
find what Jesus continued. A tremendously touching
truth is indicated.
Jesus
is not dead; he is alive! Here is a truth which can help us
overcome our fears. As we witness we do not go
alone; our living Lord
goes with us.
Jesus himself said in Matt 28:20,
""Lo, I am with you." The presence
of the living Lord transformed the early disciples
from cowardice to
courage, from fear to great boldness. The church
is not a shrine to a
Jerry Vines: EVANGELISTIC PREACHING AND ACTS 85
dead leader; it is the army of the living Lord. As
we seek to win men to
him, he will be real to us. The tomb is empty, the
body could not be
produced, the disciples were transformed; they
even died martyrs'
deaths. The reality of the resurrection is a certainty
in uncertain times
that empowers us to tell the "good news"
of Jesus.
II.
Presence of the Holy Spirit (vv 4-5)
Verses 4 and 5 contain the promise
of the coming of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost. As we know, this promise was
fulfilled in Acts 2. At
salvation, every Christian is in dwelt by the Holy
Spirit (cf. Rom 8:9;
1 Cor 3:16). The Holy Spirit makes
the person of Christ real in our
hearts. God has provided us with his power to carry
out his commission.
III.
Power for Witness (vv 6-8)
We come here to the specific statement
of our responsibility to tell
others about Jesus. In vv 6-7 the disciples asked
Jesus about the
restoration of the
kingdom would be restored, he did indicate that
they were not to
become entangled in matters concerning the future to
the neglect of
their main business. Though he denied them authority
to know all of
the details of the future, he promised them the
ability to work for him
in the here and now.
The key word in v 8 is
"witnesses." A witness is someone who has
seen something and can say something about it. A
witness tells what he
knows to be true. Indeed, he is one who 1) sees, 2)
speaks, and possibly
even 3) suffers for what he has seen and spoken.
The conclusion of Acts 1:8 indicates
the places where witnessing is
to occur. They are to begin where they are, "
them. "Unto the uttermost part of the
earth" means, to the end of the
earth. Being a Christian never makes one's world
smaller; it makes it
larger.
IV.
Promise of His Second Coming (vv 9-11)
Verses 9-11 record the moving
account of the ascension of Christ
back to heaven and the promise that one day he would
return. Note
that they returned to
mountain as "stargazers." The fact that
Jesus is coming again should be
a powerful motivation to be soul-winners.
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Conclusion
The Great Commission is not optional.
It is to be carried out by
churches and Christians until he returns. It is
for every person who
knows Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. To be a
witness for Jesus
is to be a way of life for us today, just as it
was for the 1st century
Christians.
"Witnessing on the Way"
(Acts 3:1-10)
Sermon Aim
To
prepare our church for the unexpected witness and to lead them to
develop a personalized witness which can
prayerfully be used.
Outline
1. The Cripple (vv 1-3)
II. The
Christians (vv 4- 7a)
III. The
Christ (vv 7b-l0)
Introduction
There are several objectives to be
discussed in this wonderful text.
First,
we want to show the variety of opportunities for witness as we go
about the living of daily life. Second, God will use
our particular
personality, unique gifts, and own approach in
winning others to Christ.
I
Pet 3:15 says, "Be ready always to give an answer to everyone
who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you
with meekness and
fear ." We must also "be
ready."
I.
The Cripple (vv 2-3)
As we study the condition of this
cripple, we learn several things
about him. He had a congenital birth defect (v 2) for
over 40 years
(4:22).
His physical condition is illustrative of the spiritual condition of
those outside Christ. We live in a world crippled by
sin (Rom 3:23;
5:12).
All around us are the cripples-moral, emotional, and spiritual.
II.
The Christians (vv 4-7a)
We now turn our attention to Peter
and John. Observe how quick
they were to catch the opportunity God gave them.
The beggar was
begging alms from them.
We are told that the cripple was
"expecting to receive something
of them" (v 5). But Peter said, "silver
and gold have I none; but such as
Jerry
Vines: EVANGELISTIC PREACIDNG AND ACTS
87
I
have give I thee. . ." (v
6). Peter dealt with what the man really
needed. His real need was healing which only Jesus
Christ could give.
III.
The Christ (vv 7b-10)
The remaining verses of the text
focus attention upon what Jesus
Christ
did for the man. His cure was instantaneous (v 7). The verb
phrase, "received strength," in v 7 is
picturesque, indicating the man's
heel and ankle were put back together again. The
change in the man
was remarkable. Note the sequence. First, he stood;
next, he walked;
then, he leaped. Isa 35:6
predicted, "Then shall the lame leap as a
hart. . . ." The man quickly headed into the
temple, where he had
always been forbidden to worship.
Conclusion
As Peter and John were going along
the way, the Lord placed a
needy man before them. They had the solution to his
deepest need.
Though
the opportunity was unexpected, they used it to
effectively
give a witness for Jesus. The Lord used their
efforts to bring the man to
Christ.
"Scattering the Seed" (Acts 8:1-25)
Sermon Aim
To
help people understand that wherever they are they have an oppor-
tunity to witness, and to help
them understand the process of cultivative
witnessing so they might be a part of that process.
Outline
I. An
Explanation (vv 1-4)
II. An
Illustration (vv 5-25)
Introduction
Pentecost started a fire burning. In
Acts 1:8 Jesus gave the disciples
the assignment to carry the fire from
and to the ends of the earth. This geographical
outline of Acts begins to
unfold. In chaps. 1-7 we see
the gospel carried to
8-12
it is carried to Judaea and
gospel going to the ends of the earth.
We will study our text around two
main topics. First, there is an
explanation of the reasons for the
"scattering" which the early disciples
experienced. Second, the witnessing of Philip in the
city of
beautiful illustration of how the cultivative witnessing process works.
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I.
An Explanation (vv 1-4)
The chapter begins with an account
of the outburst of persecution
against the
persecution was precipitated by the martyrdom of
Stephen (Acts 6- 7).
Then,
persecution burst upon the church like a storm. As a result of this
persecution we are told, "They were all
scattered abroad" (v 1). The
words indicate they were dispersed like seed planted
in a field. The
same picture is used of Jews who were scattered
throughout the Roman
Empire, primarily for the purpose of trade (John
7:35).
Verse 4 tells
us what the scattered disciples did. They
"went everywhere preaching
the word." Everywhere they went they were
scattering the seed of the
gospel.
II.
An Illustration (vv 5-25)
Actually, the rest of Acts 8
illustrates the process of cultivative
witnessing. We will focus on the record of the
witnessing of deacon
Philip in the City of
Philip was one of the original seven
deacons (Acts 6). He was not
an apostle, but he was a faithful witness for
Jesus. As a result of Philip's
witnessing and preaching, many people in
Verse
12 says they were baptized. This indicates that their salvation
experiences were real. Total evangelism is not
completed until the new
convert is baptized and actively serving Christ
in the fellowship of a
local church.
"Catching Chariots"
(Acts 8:26-40)
Sermon Aim
To
help your church understand the need for sensitivity to the prompt-
ings of the Holy Spirit when
sharing the gospel.
Outline
II. A Prompt Soul-winner (vv 26-31)
III. A
Powerful Scripture (vv 32-35)
IV. A
Personal Salvation (vv 36-40)
Introduction
In this passage, we have a full
presentation of the gospel. Philip's
witness to the Ethiopian eunuch is one of the
best places in the Bible to
see the gospel's powerful capability when one
obediently follows the
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EVANGELISTIC PREACHING AND ACTS 89
leading of the Holy Spirit. Philip was willing
to follow the promptings
of the Holy Spirit, catch the opportunity the
Spirit placed before him,
use the Word of God effectively, and bring the
eunuch to personal faith
in Jesus Christ.
In v 27 we find a picture of the man
we commonly refer to as the
Ethiopian eunuch. We are told that he was
"a eunuch of great author-
ity." In Oriental
courts, eunuchs often held important offices. It is also
obvious that the eunuch was a religious man. Verse
27 also says that
he "had come to
was known as a God-fearer, one who had become a
convert to the
Jewish faith.
These verses also teach that the
eunuch had been spiritually pre-
pared for a witness. As he rode along, he read from
the scroll of Isaiah.
Here
is a man high in political life, yet he is reading from God's Word.
Unknown
to Philip, God was preparing this man for his faithful witness.
II.
A Prompt Soul-Winner (vv 26-31)
We observe several characteristics
of the soul-winner in Philip. He
was obedient. Remember that he was in the midst of
a great revival in
upon to do a difficult thing--leave the multitudes,
and travel 100 miles
south to a desert place. He was not even told why he
must go.
III.
A Powerful Scripture (vv 32-35)
The eunuch was reading from Isaiah
53. It has been pointed out
that Isaiah is a "miniature" Bible, and
may be divided into two sections
of 39 and 27 books respectfully. The center
chapter of the latter section
in Isaiah is chap. 53. The central verses of that
chapter are exactly the
verses where the eunuch was reading.
The eunuch inquired about the
identity of the one Isaiah refers to
as "a sheep led to the slaughter" (v
32). Verse 35 says, "Then Philip
opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and
preached unto
him Jesus."
IV.
A Personal Salvation (vv 36-40)
From these verses it is obvious that
the Word has done its work;
God's
Spirit has opened the heart of the eunuch. The eunuch answered,
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"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God" (v 37).
At that
faith took hold of the Word. He was ready to be
baptized.
Conclusion
Several principles can be observed
from this text. First, we
be willing to follow the promptings of the Holy
Spirit when he places
before us opportunities to witness. Second, the
indispensable tool in
our witnessing is the Word of God. Through the Word
we share Jesus
with others. Third, when the Word is sown in a human
heart, things
happen.
"All Things To
All People" (Acts 16:9-40)
Sermon Aim
To
help our people understand the variety of witnessing opportunities
and how to approach them.
Outline
II. A
Captured Sinner (vv 16-18)
III. A
Calloused Sinner (vv 19-40)
Introduction
Acts 16 is one of the most pivotal
chapters in Acts. The chapter is
a classic presentation of God's guidance in the
life of a believer. It
records for us the beginning of Paul's second
missionary journey. As
Paul
sought to find God's direction for his missionary endeavor, the
Holy
Spirit led by closing several doors (cf. 16:6-7). Then came the
vision, "come over into
was clear.
Presently Paul and his party came to
Although
Paul's ministry in
ner, his work in
woman of culture, an abused slave girl, and a
hardened jailor. This tells
us that the gospel is for male and female, bond,
and free (cf. Gal 3:28).
The heart of
The
Scripture indicates that she was a distinguished lady, a "seller of
purple." Her native town, Thyatira, was famous
for its purple dyed
garments. She obviously had religious
inclinations since she was
Jerry Vines: EVANGELISTIC
PREACHING AND ACTS 91
ered with a group of women
for a prayer meeting.
might call a cultured sinner. None of the things
which distinguished her
satisfied her.
The phrase, "whose heart the
Lord opened," is a beautiful state-
ment of what the Lord can do
in a person's life. This places emphasis
on the divine side of conversion. Only God can
open the heart.
But now observe the human side.
Verse 14 also says, "She attended
unto the things which were spoken of Paul." She
responded to what
God
was doing in her heart. To open was God's part; to respond was
Verse 15 records the beautiful
sequel to
opened the Word; God opened
This
open heart of one woman in the city of
head for God.
She used her house as a place where
the gospel could be con-
tinued. She said, "Come
into my house" (v 15). She dedicated her home
to the work of the gospel.
II.
A Captured Sinner (vv 16-18)
Everywhere Paul went there was
either a revival or a riot. The
conversion of the slave girl was the event which
resulted in Paul's
imprisonment. The slave girl and
slave girl was on the bottom of the social scale.
Furthermore, the slave
girl was also possessed with a spirit of divination.
Paul grew weary of the girl's
hindrance to his ministry. In v 18, he
healed her in the name of Jesus. Christ calmed the
storm raging in her
soul, making her a new person. This is admittedly a
dramatic conver-
sion experience.
III.
A Calloused Sinner (vv 19-40)
These verses examine Paul's
experience in the Philippian jail. He
was stripped of his clothing and slashed across his
bared back until the
blood flowed. But through it all God was at work,
making arrange-
ments for Paul to come into
contact with another kind of sinner.
The jailer was a hardened man.
Perhaps his job had made him
tough, dealing with the rougher element of society.
He was charged
with the responsibility of keeping Paul and his
companions in prison
(v 23), guarding them with his life.
The jailer showed them no mercy, no
bandage for their wounds,
no food for their stomachs. He threw them into the
"inner prison"
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REVIEW
(v 24), a place with little ventilation, plenty of darkness,
oppressive
heat, and an intolerable stench. Then he placed
their feet "in the
stocks" (v 24).
What a picture v 25 paints. At
midnight there was praying and
singing heard down in the prison. Paul and Silas
were praying and
praising the Lord. "The prisoners heard
them" (v 25), and never had
such singing been heard in that prison before.
We learn from v 26 that there was a
great earthquake, the doors of
the prison were opened, and the prisoners' chains
fell off. Certainly
there was one calloused sinner who was shaken that
night.
The jailer awakened to find himself
in a real crisis (v 27). Thinking
he had lost his prisoners, he was ready to commit
suicide. Paul shouted
to him, "Do yourself no harm; for we are all
here" (v 28). The jailer
rushed in and asked the most important question anyone
can ever ask,
"Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?" (v 30). Paul had the
right answer,
"Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your
house" (v 31).
Conclusion
As we look back over the contents of
this message, keep in mind
the title of the sermon, "All Things to All
People." We have studied
three different kinds of witnessing experiences. One
was the quiet
conversion of
of opportunity for the gospel where it might not
otherwise have gone.
Others
will come in contact with those who are on the bottom of the
social scale who also need Jesus. Still others will be
with people in crisis
experiences. Some people are not responsive to a
presentation of the
gospel until a crisis comes.
Conclusion
The Book of Acts is a fertile field
for the expository preacher. It is
without question the most exciting book of the
NT from the perspec-
tive of evangelistic
expansion. In these sermon studies, we have focused
on those texts which are particularly powerful in
demonstrating to our
people 1) the power of the gospel and 2) presentations
of the gospel.
We
have seen that the message is always the same, but that the methods
of presentation vary according to circumstances,
personalities, and
most importantly, the leading of the Holy Spirit. It
is my prayer that as
you teach and preach from this marvelous second
volume from the pen
of Luke, that God will use you to challenge anew
your people in the
greatest opportunity of life, sharing the gospel
of Jesus Christ with a
lost and needy soul.
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