The church of Acts is our example of a New Testament Church, so if we want to know the strategy for Kingdom growth, we should consider the book of Acts as a guide to direct us concerning the New Testament strategy.
I want to go to the end of the book of Acts 28:30-31 Sha'ul remained two whole years in a place he rented for himself; and he continued receiving all who came to see him, openly and without hindrance proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The first observation we need to draw from the last verse in Acts is that it did not end, it is a proclamation without hindrance and a continuous work in the Lord, that started with the command from the Lord Jesus in Acts 1:8 the mentioned command is clarified in terms of the meaning of the promise and purpose thereof. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
The promise of God is the power of the Holy Spirit working through us, reminding us of the Word in Zech 4:6 Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies. The mentioned being the essence, the strategy of the New Testament church. Jesus demonstrated the mentioned to Peter just before He called Peter to follow Him, with the promise that Jesus will make him a fisher of men. We need to be reminded that we have not been called based our ability, just as Peter new that the fish he caught was solely based on the supernatural ability of the Lord, he only had to be obedient based on what Jesus said
The Lord showed us His power and ability to do the impossible even to the extend of transforming the heart of man. But unlike Peter, who immediately recognized Jesus, as he humbled himself in His presence saying "Get away from me, sir, because I'm a sinner!" Luke 5:8 we tend to become proud and judgmental of the Holy Spirit gifts we received with the purpose of being a witness of Jesus Christ, leading to the rebuke of Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you left your first love. The mentioned love is based on a relationship with the Lord, as John reminds us in 1John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. If therefore the Kingdom of God first reached out in love, the strategy for the Kingdom manifestation on earth, must be through love.
God is love, so the reason we received the Spirit of God through His Son Jesus Christ, is first of all that we can witness of God's love as in John 3:16. We did not receive God’s Holy Spirit so that we can boast about the gifts we received, no Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 12:31 after he referred to the various gifts ... Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you… and continued with the precious gift of love. God is love, so if we receive a part of God, we receive His love.
Jesus said, in John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Lets consider again the promise of God in Acts 1:8, we will receive power to become witnesses unto Jesus Christ. The power is not to demonstrate power but love, one to another as we become a witness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The New Testament strategy is perfected in love, for God who knows all things, sent His Son in love. Without that act of love, we would not have known about a New Covenant, a Covenant sealed by the Blood of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.
We cannot be a witness of the Kingdom of God without God’s Love. The Hebrew word for love is Ahavah, it also refers to covenant loyalty, as Jesus said, if you love Me you will obey Me. We cannot be a witness of Love if we do not walk in obedience to God’s perfect Word.
The disciples understood that obedience is only possible based on a personal relationship with the Father and His Son. For them the focus of the gospel was to draw people into a relationship with the One and Only living God and His Son Jesus Christ as in 1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
The mentioned relationship is also the reason that Jesus referred to His Father’s House as a houses of prayer. In creation we read that the Spirit of God hover over the deep as in Genesis 1:2-3 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. For me the mentioned verse speak of as sequential order, that is reflected in the pray that Jesus taught us “As in Heaven so on earth.”. First God’s Spirit prepared the surface, so when God spoke let there be light it was light, the light that disperse the darkness. The work of every believer is to trust in God and in His Son Jesus Christ to do what ever we ask, in evangelism we tend to forget that it is not us that can transform a rejecting heart of stone to a receiving heart of flesh, only God can do it. That is the reason Jesus said in Matthew 9:38 “Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to gather in his harvest." There is those who believe that the mentioned refer to missionaries, but Jesus was speaking to the very once He has called to be sent out, no I believe the workers refer to the ministering angels as in Hebrew 1:14 “Aren't they all merely spirits who serve, sent out to help those whom God will deliver? The reference to will deliver is an indication that preparation is taking place so that when the Word is spoken it will be received and light will enter the heart and the darkness depart.
The parable of the sower share some light as mentioned in Luke 8:15 But what fell in rich soil—these are the ones who, when they hear the message, hold onto it with a good, receptive heart; and by persevering, they bring forth a harvest. Likewise when John and Peter arrived at the beautiful gate, God already prepared the circumstance through which the disciple will bring glory to Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, they were guided to the cripple man, saying silver and gold we do not have, but what we have we give unto you. The miraculous healing was a testimony witnessing about Jesus and 3000 souls were added to the assembly.
What we need to consider is what took place before the miraculous healing, Act 2:42-43 They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers. Everyone was filled with awe, and many miracles and signs took place through the emissaries.
If we turn our assemblies into a houses of prayer, where believers gather in love without hindrance, in fellowship, breaking of bread and pray, as we abide in the teaching of the Lord and in submission to the Word, we will become witnesses of Jesus demonstrating our trust in Him. God will use us to show Himself mightily just as He did with Paul and Silas. They witnessed when they worshipped the living God in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ not considering their circumstances, and God showed Himself mightily. Their action witnessed as they trusted in Jesus, and God used it to prepare the heart of the prison keeper to receive His perfect Word.
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