Bristol Conference 1973-07 the Lord Jesus Christ — Stan Ford

The Foundation of the Christian Church in Acts

I've got a very special gift for you this morning, Acts chapter 1, Acts chapter 1, wonderful to be able to smile at this, to be able to enjoy such embellishment, it's also wonderful for real art, that the things of which we have been speaking are contained in these opening verses of this very wonderful book that is going to bring before us the foundation of the Christian church.

It's important for us when we realize that each one of us will be leaving this place before long, we will be going back into the sphere of service that God has called us to, the desire of us building something for God.

Let's make sure that what we have built is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and his work. So we're going to look again at these lovely verses,. The former treaties have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandment unto the apostles whom he had chosen.

Christ’s Kingship in the Four Gospels

I wonder if we could turn then please to the closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew. The closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew, after that he, through the Ghost, Holy Ghost, had given commandment unto the apostles he had chosen.

Let's look at those commandments for a moment. Verse 16,. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a land that where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they rushed at him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said unto them, saying, You are given unto me in heaven and earth. Therefore, and he called nations, voicing then in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, preaching then to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

Know I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. It is certainly necessary for me to remind you that in each of the Gospels, Jesus Christ is brought forth in a different way. And of the first things I am sure you would hope, is that in the Gospel of Matthew, Christ is brought forth as the King.

It opens with majestic words, where it even is born, King of the Jews. And it is with majestic words, All power is given unto thee in heaven and earth. You know the Gospel of Mark is the Gospel of Christ as a permanent.

It's the only Gospel that tells us nothing of his ancestry, of his genealogy. But how consistent it is with a permanent. If you employ someone, you don't say, Who was your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddad?

You say, The New World. Christ is introduced in the Gospel of Mark as a permanent. It comes with a ground, Christ's working with the vision cycle, and confirming the Word, with times following. When we come, of course, to the Gospel of Luke, as you know, he is brought forth here as the Savior.

It opens by reminding our hearts that Antioch is born in the city of David, a Savior. And it finishes with a glorious statement that to him is preached the forgiveness of sin. When we come to the Gospel, as none other than God over all, blessed forever.

For all want to know this, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word comes forth before him, by law and by Christ. Whoforefore, we begin to see the tremendous significance of the Word that we have read, as we remind our hearts that this is a Christ who has given commandment to his apostles.

The Gospel’s Call to Preach Salvation

Though, it is interesting to note, when we come to the close of each of the Gospels, currently, each writer emphasizes something different with the same whoforefore. But they emphasize something different concerning the message.

For instance, when we think together of the Gospel of Luke, then Dr. Luke emphasizes the preaching of the Gospel. And this is what he dares to say in the closing chapter of his wonderful book, in the whole title, and to rise the third day, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name.

And so, Dr. Luke emphasizes, when Jesus gives the commandment to the apostles, Dr. Luke emphasizes this, that Christ commanded them to go and preach, and he that did this, the very theme of all preaching, is the whole Christ the Father.

We have been thinking in past days of the wonder of this. We pondered something of this, we saw something of power, that height of surrender of the people. Yet that where many were brought to face the past, but Jesus first makes a claim on their life through his passion.

Before coming from his resurrection, dare I say it again, there's no stone or steel or altar could keep the power within them. A great hero with a mighty triumph for his home. I believe it is important that we shall preach the hope and hope of God, and my hope of the very, to the preaching of he who died for us, let his tears be shared with something more.

The Gospel Is a Message for All People

Dr. Luke emphasizes the preacher, but when we come, of course, to Dr. Luke's heart, I'm afraid I've always dropped the heart, but when we come to Mark, the emphasis here, as he brings forth, the wonder of his message, it's not the preaching, but the people.

For in the words of Mark 16 and 15, going to all the world, the preacher, he emphasizes the people. This message is a message for us as a village. It is not just a message for you and I to rejoice in, but it is a message that we shall share with others, that we shall pass on, that we shall report to conflict, and preach the conflict through everything.

I look around this little country today, and who knows, maybe someone here, a young man, young woman with God, is beginning to place his hands upon me. Maybe at the start of the war, you might feel dead, and fly across the ocean, and go to women of duty, or veterans' sisters, if ever there was a need, it's the day in which we live.

Who don't want just to preach are hardly wanted in many of the lands today, but there are some of you young men and young women here, who have, in school and in college, you have come from such places of dying, with some knowledge.

The Holy Spirit and the Witness of Believers

As I travel from country to country, and extend my joy, and from church to church, with men and women, as I travel from place to place, I shall repeat the letter of that year, since 1961, that's been held by terrorists, and we're lonely, alone, in there today for a while, for the freedom of your brethren and sisters, who say, but I can't preach, I couldn't do that, but I say, you could do what Stephen did, couldn't you?

Iterated in prayers, he's in a prayer meeting, he's in a prayer meeting, and Stephen prays, oh brethren, in the university in Adelaide, for a university, isn't it? And I said, young man, it isn't that, I'm feeling a bit embarrassed now, why that's water, I thought it was ice, I want to say this to your brethren and sisters, that it's compact, compact, and here, in the name of, not next, not in the name of, in the name of, I have no difficulty concerning Trinity, it passes by full comprehension, but I have no difficulty, for all around me, there is abundant evidence, that this is the very fact, my God makes that, which is like under a spell, he makes a man, for what a God, and we think of him, and we realign disciples, we mark them, by baptising them in the day, you know what, isn't it glorious to know, the blessed truth of that, of course again, you're back there, aren't you?

Making Disciples Among All Nations

I'm going to go back to 8, 9 and 10, make disciples of all nations, I say the Ethiopian Union, will say what's he, if I believe a Cypriot, I say before the chapter is over, he's baptised, isn't he? Mother of God, Cornelius, is made of a Cypriot name, he receives the Holy Ghost, that is we, and before the chapter is over, let's watch that one, who pretended to be Charles, he's not been baptised, but he was,.

Our brethren and sisters, how careful the early church was,.

Who obeyed the statements, the command of the Lord, make disciples of baptising them, you know when one thinks of baptism, one remembers the mandate of it, so it's the command of a king, a commandate, all power has given unto me, go ye, make disciples, baptise them, it is not the command, which comes from the meek and lowly Jesus, it's from the tongue of the conquering risen Christ, you notice not only the mandate of baptism, but of course you notice the manner of baptism, after a man, the passage of passage, when they go down, go, fill up handling units, go, into the water, just as one man put him under, so one man brought him up, oh I'm glad of that, I'm glad that I died with Christ, in hallelujah, I'm glad that he rose from the dead, and he lifted me up, oh brother when you baptise someone, don't leave them there, it's in the strength of another's arm, that you get caught up, hallelujah, it's in the strength of the arm of Christ, that I know something of a risen life, but only on the strength of his arm, if you notice indeed, the manifesto of baptism, and the manner of baptism, it's important to remember the message of baptism, Romans 6, know something, listen madam, you won't like me saying this will you, you won't like me saying this, I'm not really interested in you coming to me, and telling me when you were baptised, I am interested, of course I am, because Christ told me to baptise, but that's not the thing I'm most interested in, you know what I'm interested in, not that you can tell me that I'm touching such a date, you were baptised, the thing I'm interested in, is that you're living a baptised life now, that's the thing, that was the beginning, and you're living a baptised life now, you know I heard a story, a long time ago, I was disgusted, I hope only you preachers tell it, because if you do, I'll be disgusted with you, a long time ago, I have a good brother, you know, who was baptised, and when they came to clean the baptistry out, they found this bat in his house, in the bottom of the baptism, dirty fellow, because you're leaving someone else to carry your net hat, you ought to have been finished with that, before you went under the water, baptised life, we shall see ourselves, identified with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and I know those things are easily, easily talked about, they're not so easily looked at, the spirit of God is there to give us the power, so it is, so it is, but would you notice the, not only, are you to make disciples, and not only are you to mark disciples, I got one minute left, ah but your watch was wrong wasn't it, what time is it?

Three minutes, oh bless you, well let's get on then, listen, not only are we told to make disciples, and mark disciples, but we are told to mould disciples, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and Lord will you all waive, and unto the end of the age, to mould, have them be fashioned, preaching them to us, is it not wonderful, that you and I was given the privilege, Lord say morning, to gather around some emblems, and to hear him say to us, throughout the press, this too in remembrance of me, is it Lord, that we are moulded, that he hath for us, in his blessed word, all that is necessary, should I glad, I gather with a company of Christians, I do gather, I wouldn't gather with any other, because I love others, I don't, but I find the power, having spent a large amount of my time, with some of the so-called greats, to be alone with me, what do you know, I live in this country, I live in this country, I live in this country, I live in this country, for a way down, I live in this country, love with another country, I live in this country, spiritual sacrifices to God, for this Lord's day morning, strays in the facing, I must put to the end of his mood, before the face of a fetish thing, I've never, I can't move, to share with the saints, a little of the word of God, I wrote a lot of pieces, I opened to the 19th of John, and I read as you have read many a time, seven mentions, his promise, his love, his hand, his promise, you know the seven mentions of his, and I thought to share with the saints, a little of the wonder of Christ, on Calvary, and I sat down, and when I sat down, dear brother rose to his feet, you'd never invite him to preach, and no one would in our country either, as broad a Napoleon as a man could be, you know, drop his entries here, and put them on there, and oh dear, dear, dear, he rose and in a dialect, that you would need an interpreter for, he said, I wonder if we could turn together too, he read the epistle to the Ephesians, his will, his purpose, came in my cup, and my tears didn't go down my face, I felt my, I listened to a man, I sent him away, from that little tavern, and I slipped my arm, in the arm of a wife, and I said, Mary, hasn't God been good, to allow us to be with a company of Christians, where that brother could share, what Christ meant to him, with us, and with a company of Christians, with those that know the Savior,.

And share their experience with us, I don't want to be anywhere,.

The Priesthood of Believers and Spiritual Sacrifice

For we all are big priests, we're not all just big priests, but holy, we've got good things to offer in our sacrifice, we've got our friends, to sacrifice a friend, we've got our friends, to communicate and do good, forget not, but with such sacrifice, God is well, this royal priest, that's who this is about, that's royal, all I say, as holy priests, we offer a sacrifice, and God is royal priest, we go out to the world, to represent him, who has called us, out of nature's darkness, into his glory, may he mold us, as holy and royal, we may go forth, may I, could I read it, former preaching, of an age of theophilus, of all that Jesus, began, what to do and preach, until the day, in which he was taken up, after that he, through the holy ghost, had given commandments, unto the apostles, whom he'd chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive, after his passion, by many and terrible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things, pertaining to the kingdom of God, all together of the things, pertaining to the kingdom of God, God's love, we may go forth in faith, in faith, and the power,.