April 15 sermon Proclaim the Word
Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 118: 14-29
"An incredible new technology enables the transmission of text on a worldwide basis. It rapidly reduces production and distribution costs and for the first time allows large numbers of people to access text and pictures in their own homes." Can anyone guess what this is referring too?? It refers to the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1450. It transformed education, communication, and evangelism. It has shaped the world as we know it.
The computer revolution and the internet are now changing Christian evangelism in ways we can only imagine. Around the world today, over 1 billion people use the internet. 70% of North America has internet access. What a wonderful tool to use to evangelize the world. What a tool that can be manipulated and used for the wrong purposes.
A recent polled said 30% of teenage girls were sexually harassed on the internet. 90% would not tell their parents for fear of being banned from the internet. 1% of the over 8 billion pages are triple X. What about the rest? Most are corporate websites. There are millions of Christian websites (including church websites). That’s a great thing. Then there are many personal websites.
The company MySpace lets you create a personal website you can call your “virtual home away from home.” My best friend has one. He lists his favorite music and movies as well as links to friend’s websites. I was on there the other day and doing some surfing around MySpace. Unfortunately, I found more than one site where the owner said they were Christian but the pictures on there were not what I would consider Christian material.
April 29th is Internet Evangelism Day. It’s a day that Christian websites are using to recognize the potential of the internet and just how wonderful a tool it is. Although the MySpace pages I saw would not be appropriate for any true Christian to be associated with, those involved in the Internet Evangelism Day are seeking ways to reach more people with all the tools available to them.
So I am wondering, how do YOU proclaim your faith in Jesus Christ? In our scripture from Acts, Peter and some other apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have been filling Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.”
The apostles had miraculously gotten out of jail and were back in the temple preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. The apostles had spread a doctrine different than the one being taught in the temple. This was against Jewish law.
The apostles have therefore disturbed the public peace the high priests worked so hard to establish. Here is where those who are so high and mighty, the religious authority, who will do an evil thing (that is to crucify an innocent man), yet cannot bear to hear of it afterwards, nor have the truth presented back to them. Back in Matthew 27 before Jesus was crucified, the high priest yelled out “this man’s blood will be on us and our children”, but now they don’t want to hear of it.
But Peter stands up and gives one of the shortest and one of the best sermons in scripture. “We must obey God, not man. You crucified Jesus. God raised up Jesus for repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We saw this and so did the Holy Spirit.” In the face of persecution and in the face of being beaten and killed, the apostles still preached. That is what you and I must do. In the face of persecution… even when those who are against you try to silence you, you must continue to preach.
Here is what Jesus said to those first listeners (and now says to you) in the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can the saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” That is if you stop growing in Christ, if you stop praying, if you stop seeking new Christian knowledge, your effectiveness will disappear. Then he goes on.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
I heard a story the other day from a man recalling his Boy Scout days. The Scout leader took the boys to an inner room without windows, sat everyone down, and turned the lights off. He said it was pitch black and although it was only a minute in the dark, it felt like an eternity. Then the Scout Master struck a match and lit a single candle in the middle of the room. The boys could then make out all the faces of their friends and could see who was who.
The same is true for Christians and Christianity. You are the light. The world is in darkness, and there are many who will hurl the grenades of insults, lies, insinuations, and manipulations from the darkness outside trying to put your light out. God desires your Christian light to be put on a hill for all to see and for the light to penetrate more of the darkness in other’s hearts.
Unfortunately, to penetrate that darkness, you will have to get closer to those who are lost. Then those grenades will fall upon you faster and harder than ever before. You could stay under the bushel of contentment and tolerance. Your light will start to fade and soon you will be indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness. But that’s not what Christ desires. He says to “let your light shine before others.” Thinking back to the Boy Scout story, we could say, “You are God’s candle.”
So Peter said “We were witnesses to the things that happened to Jesus and when he came back, we saw him.” Why would Jesus show up again to a motley crew of fishermen and other lowly people? Why would he reveal himself to the two travelers on the road to Emmaus? Do you remember that story?
After Jesus was resurrected, he walked along with two men on their way to Emmaus. When they got there, he broke bread and revealed himself to them. Why the fishermen? Why the Emmaus guys? Jesus appeared to them because they were not afraid to share Christ. These apostles justified themselves before the Sanhedrin. “We have done nothing wrong.” Although the Religious Right had told the apostles what to do, they said they must only follow God. Instead of making excuses, they continued to shout out the truth.
How is your light shining? How are you proclaiming Jesus Christ. St. Francis said to “proclaim Jesus Christ and use words if necessary.” When we moved here to Sardis, a friend of ours needed a place to stay for a few weeks. She lived with us. In Nashville during the winter months our church took in homeless men to stay for the night and get out of the cold. Our church bought Christmas for a family in Midlothian.
A friend I used to work with saw a girl with an astrology sign necklace. Knowing full well what she was going to say, he told her “that’s a nice necklace.” She said “Oh thanks, this is my astrology sign. I follow the stars and moon.” To which he said “My God, created the stars and moon and everything in the universe.” That’s one way to get an opening.
What happens at the end of our scripture? The high priests have the apostles beaten. They have no foundation on which to attack the apostles so they beat them and let them go to fight another day. And what do the apostles do? They rejoice in the suffering. Jesus said (and they took it to heart) to “rejoice when you are beaten and battered for my name.” And then vs. 42…every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
What day must you proclaim Jesus? Only on the days ending in Y. How should you proclaim Jesus? With words and actions and deeds. As the Psalmist sings “Do you hear the shouts and the triumph song in the camp of the saved? The hand of God has turned the tide. The hand of God is raised in victory. I lived and now I am telling the world what God did. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
As Christians, we are victorious. As Christians we must share our faith…whether by word, action, deed, or internet. The tools are there for you to use. The fields are ripe. Spirituality is at an all time high. The workers are few. Go and make disciples. Don’t sit on the sideline. It’s 4th and long and the game is on the line. Faith is action, based upon belief, sustained by confidence in God’s Word and his promise to perform it.
Jesus said “I’ll build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” We are not on the defensive, we are on the offensive. I pray your faith leads you to that action. And now it’s time to go.
Psalm 118:14-29
The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Acts 5:27-41
When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” They were convinced by him, and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
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