Evangelistic Power
Prior to his ascension back to the right hand of the
Father, our Lord issued a command for his followers to “go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark
16:15). In conjunction with this timeless mandate, he promised a
reception of Holy Ghost power for command execution unto the
uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Thus the subsequent
expansion of the church of the living God, against which the gates
of hell would fail to prevail, was to be fueled by evangelistic
power!
The NT book of Acts provides for the believer an
historical record of that power as it emanated from Jerusalem to
Rome and beyond. We find evangelistic power in operation on a grand
scale where thousands at a time found salvation in the Lord Jesus.
In addition, the inspired narrative records a number of one-on-one
encounters with the same evangelistic power in operation. The gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ is both universal and personal!
Acts 16 is dedicated to the portrayal of events
leading up to and including a night spent in the Philippian prison.
It teaches us three vital truths regarding kingdom endeavor as it
pertains to evangelistic power. (1) Obedience to a revealed truth
can result in trouble. (2) Visions carried out to victory may come
at significant cost. (3) All of us as believers are expendable in
the divine mission of winning the lost and discipling the saved.
Just ask Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25-34). In that text—one that
portrays a most unique demonstration of evangelistic power—we find
three of its fundamental ingredients.
First is the intervention of God. It is a given that
nothing of real kingdom value ever gets done apart from God being
present on the scene. We’re speaking of a presence that is both
meaningful and manifested. Our evidence of such a presence is the
“great earthquake” (16:26). Hear the Psalmist: “Tremble, thou earth,
at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob”
(114:7). And tremble it did! Paul and company got caught up in
praise, and the Lord showed up in power! Psalm 16:11 affirms the
union of God’s presence and fullness of joy!
It is worth noting that Luke’s narrative provides a
set of before and after photos. Before the intervention, we see the
evangelists bound and the sinner sleeping. After God intervenes, the
evangelists are loosed and the sinner is wide awake. The jailor was
dead in sins when the sun went down, but alive in Christ by dawn!
Which of the two pictures would you say best represents your church
and the sinners that surround it? We hear a lot these days about
family members-friends conducting interventions for someone who
suffers from a destructive habit, such as drug-alcohol abuse, in an
effort to turn the debilitating tide. The modern-day church, bound
by its apathy and superficiality, is likewise in desperate need of
an intervention that only her God can perform!
Second is the inquiry of the jailor. The intervention
awoke him to a life-and-death situation. Supposing that the
prisoners had fled through open prison doors, he drew his sword to
commit suicide (16:27). We have no way of knowing exactly what he
was thinking, but two possibilities come to mind. (1) I am not going
to suffer a public humiliation for losing the prisoners, or (2)
Those who find my body will conclude I was overcome and killed by
the prisoners in the line of duty. In either case, it’s clear that
the action he contemplated was driven by a need to protect his
ego-reputation. Self always dies hard…especially in a Roman soldier
with big-time credentials.
Paul cried out with a loud voice: “Do thyself no
harm: for we are all here” (16:28). The jailor was immediately sett
free to consider a far more weighty issue. This military veteran,
who just a few moments earlier was deathly afraid of being on the
wrong side of Rome, is now obsessed with being on the right side of
God!
Jesus taught the Jews that seeking honor from men
rather than that which comes from God only was an obstacle to the
exercise of saving faith (John 5:44). For the jailor, that obstacle
was removed as evidenced in the inquiry: “Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? (16:30). In other words: “I need what you guys have! How do I
get it?” When sinners find themselves asking this of saints, you
know that God is on the scene, and evangelistic power is in full
operation! As far as the jailor picking up on the concept of
salvation, it is likely that Paul and Silas were singing the Psalms,
which contain at least 110 references to God saving the believer and
or providing salvation.
Third is the instruction of the apostle. It was
succinct yet complete: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house” (16:31). No dissertation, no
intellectual-theological complexity. They instructed him to look
outside of himself to the One who alone could save from sin. What
was good for him was applicable to his house. It is an empirical
truth that the best way to win an entire family to Jesus is to win
the man first!
The jailor embraced the truth as he “rejoiced,
believing in God with all his house” (16:34). The verb “rejoiced” is
a simple aorist, and includes the idea of leaping. “Believing” is
perfect tense. Expanded translation: “Having believed on Jesus with
fixed resolve, he leaped for joy.” Such is the effect of saving
faith in those who set their affection upon and believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Faith is indeed the victory that overcomes the world!
In summary, the sixteenth
chapter of Acts records the salvation of three very different
sinners. We find Lydia, a devout business woman, whose heart the
Lord opened; the demon-possessed damsel who was delivered from the
clutches of Satan; and a military veteran who came to esteem a
relationship with God as more valuable than his standing with Rome!
Such is the nature of evangelistic power. It affirms that no sinner,
without regard for his or her level of sophistication, sinfulness or
stature, is beyond the transforming grace of the Lord Jesus!
Top |
