The Movement in Acts

Note from the Author

The Movement in Acts is essentially an extended study guide for the book of Acts. It was designed and written to enlighten, empower, and engage congregations in the work of evangelism through the power of the Holy Spirit.

My intent is to express that God never intended the Movement in the early church to cease. The problem that has emerged within the twenty-first-century church is a failure to comprehend that the church is not just an institution but also a movement. The modern church has abandoned the power given her in the first century.

Each chapter of this book describes how the power of the Holy Spirit used ordinary people to effect God’s plan of salvation victoriously against great opposition.

The supplementary workbook for The Movement in Acts summarizes each chapter of the book with review questions designed to engage church members and other readers in the Bible study process. Some chapters also offer Group Questions intended for group study and individual critical reflection. Each workbook section concludes with an application-oriented action step and a notes page for you to jot down important information, thoughts, and questions as you read.

Whatever your purposes in reading The Movement in Acts, let it inspire you and all the saints to sustain and grow the Spirit-led movement of Christ in the church—and in the world!

—Dr. Oscar T. Moses

INTRODUCTION

Jesus Is Ready

The church of Jesus Christ was intended to be far more than an institution but a movement. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (KJV). Gates are designed to keep some people out and to keep others in. Gates do not move. Gates are defensive. The church of Jesus Christ should be concerned for those who are being kept behind the gates of hell—knowing Satan will do everything to keep them trapped in.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus clearly stated the church was to be offensively on the move prevailing over the gates of hell and rescuing lost souls who are being held hostage by Satan. Though Jesus said the church would be victorious over the gates of hell, it appears as though the gates of hell are overcoming the church.

People are abandoning the church in large numbers. Churches are closing all over the country. If the church is supposed to triumph over the gates, as Jesus said, what seems to be the problem?

The problem is the church has abandoned the power Jesus promised her. Jurgen Moltmann wrote in his book Religion, Revolution and the Future, Many are abandoning Christianity because they can find in it no power of the future.[¹] In today’s culture, most people believe churches have no power to change the hellish conditions of people’s lives. This problem has emerged because the church has failed to understand it is not just an institution but also a movement. Church is more than a clique or a country club; it is a place where people become empowered to carry out the movement that Jesus set in motion more than two thousand years ago.

The church lacks power because she has abandoned the power given to her to become victorious over the gates of hell. Consequently, the church is no longer a movement of the Savior, but a museum for saints where people assemble to stare without departing to serve. The church is often the gathering place for many, Sunday after Sunday, where lives are not changed, people are not saved, and the gates of hell are alive and doing well. Yet, in the book of Acts we see the first church operating much differently. The early church movement reveals a church that operated in the power of the Holy Spirit and made a difference in the lives of people. The question for the modern church is how do we get back to the movement of God?

Context of Acts

The Book of Acts is the second chapter of a continued story that began in the book of Luke, a volume that Luke sent to Theophilus. Luke wrote Acts to give a detailed history of the church. In his gospel, Luke told the story of the life of Jesus upon earth. In Acts, he tells the story of the Christian church and the overwhelming power that launched a movement.

In Acts, the reader will discover that the whole lesson of Acts is, as William Barclay wrote, Jesus is not a ‘just was’ but He still lives and the life of the church goes on through Him.[²] In other words, Christ is the power that propelled the movement of the early church—and He is ready to do so in the church today!

CHAPTER ONE

The Birth of a Movement

Acts 1

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. — Acts 1:7–8 (KJV)

Something new happened at Calvary. A motley band of men who had followed one Jewish rabbi for three years were forever changed. As they witnessed their teacher suffer and die on the cross, resurrect three days later, and then ascend to heaven, they were enabled to do something profound—to impact a dark and hopeless world and reflect the light of the very presence of God. It was the beginning of a movement God never intended would end, a movement that would take a level of commitment beyond their capability.

Power to Witness

The scene in Acts 1:7–8 took place on the Mount of Olives just before Jesus uttered His last words before departing earth. However, the problem at hand was with Jesus’ disciples, whom He was about to leave in charge of His church. These eleven men were concerned about their lack of power and discernment. Because the Jewish people had suffered so much under Roman domination, they wanted to know when Jesus would make Israel an independent nation. They were preoccupied with matters that should not have been a priority. They wanted power, but the wrong kind of power— they wanted political power to dominate their oppressor.

Let’s look at Acts 1:8 closer. Jesus said His followers would receive power from the Holy Ghost. This was not political power or financial power, or even power to dominate their enemies. Rather, the power His disciples would receive would enable them to witness about Him all over the world. This was not a command but a statement of fact. When the Holy Ghost comes upon a person, He provides the ability to talk about Jesus. The phrase shall be, in the phrase Ye shall be witnesses unto me... (Acts 1:8 KJV), is in the indicative mood as opposed to the imperative. This indicates Jesus’ words were not a suggestion but a statement that meant this will be.

A witness is a person who says, I know this is true. A witness does not say, I think or presume, but I know! In the original Greek, the word for witness is martys, where the English word ‘martyr’ comes from.[³] A ‘martyr’ is someone willing to sacrifice his or her life as a witness to a cause. Therefore, a person is made a witness not only by what he says but also by what he does. Their life should reflect their witness. How believers live their life should be a reflection of the character of Christ—a witness to Him.

Jesus said the disciples would witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8 KJV). Jerusalem was the familiar place where Jesus was killed by the mob. Judea was the resistant place that challenged Jesus’ ministry. Samaria was the rejected place where known religious half-breeds and outcasts lived. The uttermost parts of the earth were the foreign places where people knew nothing about Jesus.

These four places represent places of evangelism in the believer’s life. Jerusalem represents people close to you and close to where you live. You don’t have to be a missionary in Africa to witness for Christ! The best place to be a witness is in your home and in your neighborhood with the people you already know. Rather than flying through the grocery store without making eye contact or talking with anyone, work to build relationships with the checkers and the baggers. Take the time to talk to the older man or woman who lives down the street, who may not be able to attend church. Spend time with your mother-in-law, trusting God for the power to do so. Your life will become a witness to Christ while you go about daily activities.

Judea and Samaria represent cross-cultural boundaries. Judea was a Roman province and Samaria was a place where so-called half-breeds (foreigners who intermarried with Israelites) and those who were cast out of society lived. The Jews and Samaritans had been at odds for hundreds of years. Recall John 4 and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. The first thing the woman said was, Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9 KJV). Jesus was teaching His disciples, and thus Christians today, the importance of setting aside racial differences for the sake of the gospel. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used the power of words and acts of non-violent resistance—such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience—to show that regardless of color or creed, all people are equal members of the human family. His life was a witness to Christ.[⁴]

Finally, Jesus commanded His disciples to go to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8 KJV). This meant to take this gospel to the four corners of the earth, or to different cultures and lands. Hundreds of years before Jesus made this statement in Acts 1:8, the psalmist wrote, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Psalm 2:8 KJV). God always intended for the gospel to go out to the whole world! 

Until He Returns...

After the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven, they remained standing and looking up into the sky. Suddenly, two men appeared dressed in white robes. They said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11 KJV). Within twenty-four hours after Jesus ascended to heaven leaving this promise, the disciples receive three thousand brand new believers in the church. The church movement had begun.

However, it was never supposed to end. Near the end of His life, Jesus’ disciples had asked Him what signs would alert them to His return (Matthew 24:3). Matthew 24:14 says, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (NIV). Jesus’ own words indicate the church movement should have never ceased. His mandate in Matthew 24:24, and throughout the Scriptures, was to carry the gospel message out until the end when He returned.

By 2017, the church movement had slowed down to almost a trickle. The Holy Ghost has sponsored the movement, and the church must realize that it has abandoned the power to evangelize as Jesus promised us in Acts 1:8. Here it is! What use is power if it is not used?

Change Precedes a New Movement

Whenever a movement begins, it is usually because there is a need for change.

One such push for change that resulted in a movement occurred on December 1, 1955. Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. Word spread throughout the African American community and the community had enough. After several phone calls, a group of African American women decided to call for a boycott of the city buses. Black preachers and leaders joined the movement.

Four days later, a rally was held at the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, and the women decided to carry out the boycott. They were inspired by the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had made a case for peace and nonviolence. He declared the movement would not mirror the Ku Klux Klan’s work, but would be guided by higher standards of Christian faith. Love must be the regulating ideal. A movement was birthed out of a need for change!

Similarly, Jesus initiated a new movement, but change was necessary for that movement to be birthed and grow: a change in humanity’s posture toward Him. Rather than people continuing to unsuccessfully achieve a relationship with God through personal effort, Jesus preached salvation through grace by faith in Him. Everyone who believed in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15 KJV).

As a result of this change in people’s hearts, the church movement began.

Birthing a Movement

Fuller Theological Seminary professor Dr. Bobby Clinton has studied movements for many years. He says that a movement is a groundswell of people that are committed.[⁵] This is what happened in the early church. People were committed to the Master’s mandate and they convinced others to join. The critical question is: How does the modern church birth a movement? There are four things the church must commit to that will keep the church movement alive.

A Commitment to Revisit the Scriptures

Sometimes it’s necessary to go backwards to go forward. This is what the Africans call a Sankofa experience—a return to go back and get it.[⁶] The Bible gives instruction on how God intended for the church to grow, and yet for some reason the Scriptures have been cast aside. Human ideas, a business mindset, and a secular, corporate ideology have replaced the Word of God. Churches must return to the Scriptures and the instruction God has left for believers in order for God’s church movement to continue.

A Commitment to Revealing a New Reality

When people realize what they can receive from change is better than what they have, excitement begins to brew. This is true of the gospel, as well. The tragedy and threat to any movement is when those who are supposed to be a part of it can’t see the good in change. For an effective movement there must be hope in what could be, the commitment to press on towards a new mark, and defiant resistance to defeat. For effective church evangelism, churches must commit to fix their eyes on Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set