‘“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. ‘ Acts 2:36-41
This week a guest speaker wraps up the sermon series, Loudmouth. Pastor Connor Guerzini, from Newburgh, Indiana, brought us to the conclusion of this excellent sermon series. Here are the links from the previous posts from this series:
‘On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ‘ Acts 1:4-8
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Isreal?”
Despite everything they had seen up to this point, they were still looking for the immediate restoration of the kingdom. I can understand this; when I do something that doesn’t line up and I finally “get it,” I generally look for things to be restored now.
At 48 years old, God brought me to a point in my life where I finally felt that “I got it.” The problem for me was that 48 years of thoughts, attitudes, and actions had to be worked out.
I had opinions about everything, especially how I thought others should or shouldn’t do things. I was a blowhard about my political views. I was a hypocrite. I was constantly advising people about how to do things that I was not doing myself.
But after God brought me to my knees, I became reticent. I wasn’t relatively as quick to give my opinions on how things should or shouldn’t be. Acting this was not natural for me, and I knew that this was Jesus working in my heart.
The work was only beginning for me. In retrospect, I am thrilled that the Lord has set up this way. I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.
I realized that it is these experiences that the Lord will use for me to reach others that have gone down that same path.
‘After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” ‘ Acts 1:9-11
When we accept Jesus into our hearts, that is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning. My old Pastor, Kevin Whitacre from Lifepoint Church in Chicopee, MA, would say that “Jesus accepts us exactly as we are, BUT He loves us too much to keep us there.”
“Men of Galilee,” they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” The disciples were reminded of this by two angels who were there when Jesus ascended into heaven. In other words, the angels told the disciples to get moving; there was work to do.
As there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation, once we do, it becomes all about the work that Jesus gives us to do.
‘Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ Matthew 28:16-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
As a disciple of Jesus, we are included in the “you” of that commission.
‘When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” ‘ Acts 2:1-12
Major Point #1 – Everyone who followed Jesus became a loudmouth for Jesus
Here we find the disciples, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them. And we have people from all over the place that have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Pentecost. And by the Holy Spirits’ power, they hear the disciples speaking in their language.
‘Whoever has ears, let them hear. ‘ Matthew 11:15
There are people out there who are waiting to hear about our experience. And this is why we need to find our voice, our testimony. Our story will connect with someone that the Lord has chosen.
Major Point #2 – When you are a loudmouth for Jesus, people will make assumptions
‘Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” ‘ Acts 2:13
When we speak boldly about our faith, we will experience various responses, especially from those around us.
Before I opened my mouth, I made sure that my walk matched my talk. I had a habit of expressing my opinions about things while not living them myself. I was a hypocrite.
If we are ever going to influence those around us, our lives need to be changed by God’s hands. Without that, our story is empty.
I don’t know where I heard this, but whenever I had a chance to talk in a group setting, it would include, “A life changed by the Hand of God will change lives.”
If you don’t feel that your life is changed after accepting Jesus, it is time to get on your knees and ask God to change your heart. And stay at it until it happens.
‘ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ‘ Matthew 7:7-8
God always keeps His promises.
I had an unusual situation. After God changed my heart, I went back to work at a place I worked before this change occurred. Many people there knew me before the difference, and some of them were nervous about me coming back.
A friend of mine who I hired before I left was still there. He is also a brother in Christ, and he was thrilled that I was coming back because he knew my heart had changed.
After a while, the nervous people about my return were shocked by the difference. They would go to my friend and say, “Wow, John is different now.” And he would use that as an opportunity to witness the change that Jesus will make in someone’s life.
This experience blessed me, and I was glad to have a different relationship with these special people in my life.
Major Point #3 – The Holy Spirit gives loudmouths a purpose.
‘Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ‘ Acts 2:14-15
Here’s the picture, we have Peter, who made an epic failure when he denied Jesus three times, and he is the one who stands up to talk. Could you imagine the other disciples who have seen Peter put his foot in his mouth more often than is recorded in scripture when they see Peter stand up?
They probably looked at each other, thinking to themselves, “Oh boy, what is he going to say now?”
Peter launches into one of the best sermons ever preached about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The response?
Major Point #4 – God wants to make you a loudmouth that helps others follow Jesus
‘When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. ‘ Acts 2:37-41
Does your life reflect a difference from your relationship with Jesus? Again, if not, bring this to the Lord in prayer, and don’t stop praying until the change takes place. When we witness to those around us, our prayer is that we want them to say, “What shall we do?”
Here are three ways to help:
Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
When our life is in line with the Will of God, our life will produce fruit of the Spirit. Here is the verse we use to measure this:
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ‘ Galatians 5:22-23
Be intentional in the areas you live, work and play.
Our most significant influence will be those we associate with most frequently. Our family, friends, co-workers, and social connections will be this group.
This group of people will be the most challenging to influence. These are the people that know us, “warts and all.”
The one thing that will increase this influence will be the degree to that we allow our lives to be changed by the Spirit of the Lord. Make no mistake about this; He will make the changes others will see when we submit our hearts.
Pray for Divine appointments.
When we schedule our weeks, it is essential that we put Jesus first on our list of people to meet with. And this should be every day—best in the morning before we start our day in the world.
‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ‘ Mark 1:35
It is also vital that we schedule opportunities to witness to others. And also spontaneous opportunities to witness to others.
‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. ‘ Colossians 4:2-6
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. I thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
I pray that You will continue to work in the hearts of Your elect. I pray that we live our lives submitted to Your Will in a manner that will hasten Your return.
I pray for the courage to proclaim my hope in Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for the Pastors who faithfully preach Your Word week after week.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
