Plenary Session 3 - J.D. Crowley
January 5, 2010 – 12:19 pmJ.D. Crowley, church planter in Cambodia, preached a message on Acts 1:8 that evidenced decades of missions experience, was delivered in an almost grandfatherly tone, and was saturated with personal confidence and joy in the living power of the Holy Spirit. He challenged the frequent fears that often infect us as we consider the scope of the task before us.
Hijacking a Biblical Text
Sometimes a popular understanding of a Biblical text hijacks the meaning of the passage. A well-known example may be 1 Cor. 2:9 which talks not about the unseen joys of heaven but all that believers have had their eyes opened to in the Gospel. The hijacked verse I want to talk about today is Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
For a long time, our understanding of Acts 1:8 has been controlled by one application: “What is your Jerusalem? What is your Samaria? What is your ‘uttermost part of the world?’” It’s as if every church is Jerusalem, and is supposed to work out its own Acts 1:8 pattern. It’s not that this application is wrong. But this concept can hijack the actual meaning of Acts 1:8. The reality that Jesus is talking about is a one-time, unrepeatable event in history. Not that it doesn’t have any application to us. But the main thing in Acts 1:8 is a one-time spread of the Gospel that took place in the early church (the history recorded in the book of Acts). I want you to enjoy the meaning of this text, as I’ve enjoyed it.
The Emphasis on the Holy Spirit
Don’t miss the Trinitarianism and Christocentrism of this text. Don’t miss it’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Notice that the emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit that began Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matthew 3:11-12) also conclude it (Acts 1:4-5). Jesus says, I’m going to give you the Holy Spirit and the whole world.
This is not a command, but a simple statement of what will happen in the future. This glorious thing is going to happen in the power of the Holy Spirit, a power that dwarfs the displays of power in the Old Testament (see 2 Corinthians 3-4).
One of the most theologically rich conversation Jesus had while on earth was with a Samaritan woman. What was it about? The “water” of the Holy Spirit. In the conversation Jesus said, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (John 4:21). In other words, something major is going to happen that transforms our worship of the Father. He was talking about the Holy Spirit.
What Predictions Has God Already Fulfilled?
The Holy Spirit is the only way that Acts 1:8 is going to happen. Acts 1:8 did happen. The only reason we paid to come to this conference is because the Holy Spirit did it. If He didn’t we should go home! What predictions in Acts 1:8 have been fulfilled? Jesus predicts (1) that the disciples would receive the Holy Spirit’s glorious power, (2) that they would powerfully evangelize Jerusalem, (3) that they would see the Spirit’s sword cut through racism as they evangelized Samaria, and (4) that they would take the Gospel to the remotest part of the earth.
Is this last prediction finished? In a sense, yes. In another sense, no. But we are certain that it will be finished! In Detroit, we must not think of ourselves as “Jerusalem.” We are seated today in “the remotest parts of the earth.” What was Detroit 2000 years ago? What’s my point? Jesus is God. God is fulfilling and will fulfill every one of His promises. The world will be evangelized. The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the seas. You have a God and Savior that is absolutely trustworthy. And when He says, “I will be with you anywhere you go in the world as you preach the Gospel, I will be with you,” you can trust Him. Amen. Praise the Lord. It’s great to know that even though our part in the mission may be very small, God will bring His promises to pass.
