A CHRIST-CENTRED MINISTRY

Introduction

It is easy to think that the Apostles’ ministry was based on signs and wonders, displaying God’s power for the building of the Church. However, the book of Acts reveal that the Word of God is the means by which the Spirit works to save and sanctify. In this article I will show the power of the ministry of the Word and how Christ is central to it and the means for evangelism, apologetics, discipleship, and the true worship of God.

The Ministry of the Word in Evangelism and Apologetics.

Evangelism

After his resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples the ‘Great Commission’ and promised his apostles that the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon them, and they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The way the apostles became witnesses of Christ was to preach the Word of God, and the miracles confirmed the truth of the word. On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were speaking in different languages, it caused confusion and mockery from the people. Peter’s response was grounded in Scripture, and the focus of his sermon was of the person of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished in his death and resurrection. The power of the Word through the Holy Spirit is found in the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Peter’s preaching at Pentecost revealed the centrality of Christ for the salvation of people.

“I believe that those sermons which are fullest of Christ are the most likely to be blessed to the conversion of the hearers. Let your sermons be full of Christ, from beginning to end crammed full of the gospel. As for myself, brethren, I cannot preach anything else but Christ and His cross” Charles Spurgeon.

The key to Spurgeon’s fruitful preaching ministry was the centrality of Christ, which he got from the Scriptures. It is the Church's responsibility to deliver a message focused on Christ, as this is how God regenerates a stony heart. This recurring theme appears in the book of Acts, where Scripture explains that salvation comes solely from hearing the Gospel, as stated in Romans 10:14. We can see in chapter ten of Acts that the devotion and alms giving of Cornelius was not adequate for his salvation, instead it was the means of grace of a Christo-centric Word and the Spirit’s work that brought conversion on Cornelius and his entire household (Acts 10:1-48). The ministry of the Word was so powerful that it led to persecution of the church, resulting in many believers being scattered. As people who had been scattered spread the word, many others heard the message and were saved (Acts 11:19-21). Philip was among them, and he adapted his evangelistic approach to suit the specific circumstances he encountered. For instance, he publicly proclaimed God’s Word to the Samaritans, and he privately explained the Scriptures to the Ethiopian eunuch, and although he ministered differently, his message did not change, because he preached the gospel. Sadly, one of the errors of the modern church today, is the ‘Self-Help’ or ‘Purpose Driven’ message to entice people to become Christians. The reality of such messages produces false believers and those who are believers are misled into dangerous errors of the faith. Scripture warned against preaching another gospel, because the consequence is judgement (Galatians 1:6-9).

 

 Apologetics

In the Book of Acts, apologetics was applied both to believers and to those who did not believe. First to the Jews and then the Gentiles. Stephen’s defence against the centrality of the law was Christ centred. He argued from the Scriptures that the Temple, and the law were expressions to the reality of the person of Christ (Acts 7:1-53). Similarly, Paul always argues from the Scriptures to persuade the Jews about Jesus being the Messiah (Acts 17:3). The Bereans studied Paul's teachings from the Old Testament and, after examining the Scriptures, many accepted Jesus (Acts 17:10-12). Also, Paul uses his defence speech of his persecution as an opportunity to persuade a Gentile king about the truth and power of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:1-28). And the book of Acts closes with Paul’s tireless labour of persuading the Jews in Rome about Jesus being the Messiah.

 

The Ministry of the Word in Discipleship and Worship

Discipleship

Jesus commissioned his Church to make disciples and part of that is the continual nourishment of the Word, which is for our sanctification (Acts 2:42-48). After Peter’s sermon, the newly converted believers submitted to the sound doctrine of the Apostles, showing the fundamental truth of a Spirit-filled church under Christ. The primacy of the Word is the foundation for spiritual life and growth. The word is Christ, and as Jesus tells us in his High Priestly prayer that knowledge of him is eternal life (John 17:3). Understanding the truth grants vision through the Holy Spirit, allowing one to perceive the glory of God. Sound doctrine is crucial to discipleship because truth affects every area of our lives, because erroneous teaching makes a person ungodly and vulnerable to the devil. For this reason, it is important that the church teach the historic apostolic doctrine of the church for faithful discipleship of God’s people. This enriches the believer’s life, walk with God, and brings joy and blessings from God.

 

Worship

The believers receiving the sound teaching from the Apostles had fellowship with God. And the fellowship from God flowed amongst them and they also prayed and worshipped by sharing the Lord’s Supper. The Word is the lamp and light that guides and therefore bring forth fruit of love and true worship of God (Psalm 119:105).

However, if sound doctrine is treated with indifference and replaced with spiritual experiences, then many will be tossed by strange teachings, and they will also be engaging in a false worship of God.

John Lithell, a pastor at a church in Sweden, authored an article titled “Liberalism and Emotionalism,” where he shares an account of events from his friend's church.

“That is how my friend described the teenagers in his church’s youth group. As he described them, these youths would outstretch their arms during corporate worship and sing at the top of their lungs about their longing for God. At the same time, they would reject large portions of the Bible and indulge in sinful sexual relationships—never even noticing the intellectual discrepancy” John Lithell

The young people were victims of poor theology which left them open to believing anything. Therefore, unbiblical teaching leads to the false worship of God which is currently happening in many contemporary churches. However, what we find in Acts is the pattern for a Spirit-filled church. For instance, as the church began to grow and the apostles preaching was confirmed by miracles, persecution intensified. In response to this, the church did not retire to liberalism or spiritualism, however, they persevered in fellowship with each other through prayer to God. And their strength against opposition was grounded in doctrine, because they knew the God of Scripture and trusted in his promises. Their prayer was that they would be empowered to speak the word of God with boldness and God answered their prayers by filing them with his Spirit to speak his word with boldness (Acts 4:23-31).

Conclusion

Without a Christ-centred ministry the Church cannot bear fruit. As Jesus said that the Scriptures testified about him and on the Emmaus Road, he taught the disciples that the Scripture were all about him. For this reason, it is essential for the church to heed the trustworthy prophetic message, which finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. The gospel is the message that has the answer to all the contemporary problems of the Church in the teachings of salvation, apologetics, discipleship, and true worship.