This series is about evangelism – sharing the love of God and how to be right with His for eternity. God has left this crucial aspect of the kingdom in our hands. Not that he leaves us alone within the process but that he uses our time and conversations to connect people to God and others. It is a big task and one that we too often feel that we are unqualified for. Who would say that they have concerns about sharing the good news with others? Who would say that they have not brought up a conversation in fear of saying the wrong thing and pushing people away, or not knowing what really to say at all?

Last week we started the series by looking at Acts 2:14-39, 3:12-16 to see how the Holy Spirit communicated the gospel through Peter to groups who wanted to hear how to be right with God for eternity. When people want to hear the gospel we should be able to share it with them. This is a part of responsibility. If you know how you were saved, then you know how to show others. Lead them through the words of Amazing Grace if that is what you know.

When communicating the Gospel to those who are interested it is helpful to remember that it was foretold, it has evidence, there is bad and good news, then we give them the specifics of repentance and baptism and call them to action. Once they turn from their old life and make the connection to God by receiving the forgiveness of sins found in accepting God’s grace, we also become united to each other in the purposes of fellowship, ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and worship.

It is nice to have people asking questions and to connect to people who have been searching for God. It is good to show them what they have been missing and help them make a connection to Christ and His people. But not everyone wants to hear about Jesus. Not everyone likes the "good news" and they definitely do not want to hear the bad news. In fact, they oppose the message and the messenger.

Have you had, and do you have, people like that in your life?

What do you usually do with them?

1. Avoid the topic since you know how things will go.
2. Weed them out of your life through avoidance.
3. Argue with them so that they know that they are wrong.
4. Love them and hope they come around.
5. Defend the good news and honor their choice.

Did people oppose Peter and Jesus? How did the Holy Spirit have Peter speak to those who opposed him and the message that he was carrying? Let’s look at three accounts in Acts to find out how to deal with those who oppose.

The verses and their contexts:

Acts 4:8-12 page 1696 – In 4:1-7 Peter and John have just healed a cripple at the Beautiful Gate and gave the glory to Jesus, in whose name the man was healed. The priests, captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees become "greatly disturbed" (vs 2) and have them arrested (vs 3). The next day they bring them out for questioning that is intended to get them arrested for good or killed.

Acts 5:29-32 page 1699 – Here the work of the Spirit is growing among the believers and the high priest and all of his associates who were members of the Sadducees (vs 17) were jealous so they arrested the apostles but an angel of the Lord let them out (19) and told them to keep teaching about the new life; so they did. They are then brought in for questioning about why they have filled Jerusalem with their teaching which is determined to make them guilty of this man’s blood (vs 28). They did not like the bad news that Jesus was the Messiah and they killed him.

Acts 10:34-48 page 1710 – In this one the people who oppose the validity of the message are the givers of the message. That is, they did not think that the people that they were speaking with had a chance of being right with God; they were not Jews so how could and why would, God save them? Have you had people in your life in which you withheld the gospel because of what you thought about them? This passage takes supernatural intervention in the form of a vision (vs 9-23) even before the gospel message is presented by Peter to Cornelius and his family.

So, how do they do it? How does the Spirit convey the good news to those who oppose the message or the messenger? And do you think that the Spirit would help you when you have opportunity to share in the same way?

Reading the Texts: Acts 4:8-12 page 1696

" `the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. '

Does the pattern of not shying away but calling people to consider the evidence hold true in Acts 10:34-48 page 1710? Here, remember, the ones that are opposing the validity of the message are the ones giving it!!