TNLC Sermon Podcast · Trinity New Life Church

What Are You Witnessing To? | Acts 1:1–11

·40 min·3 clips

Bell reveals that humans are created as God's idols, meant to fill the earth with His image and witness.

Clayton, lead pastor of Trinity New Life Church, delivers a sermon examining the Christian calling to be a witness, based on Acts 1:1–11. He explores the difference between human preoccupations and the divine mandate for believers. The passage recounts Jesus’ final instructions to his apostles before his ascension, redirecting their questions about political restoration toward becoming empowered witnesses. The apostles repeatedly ask Jesus if it is time to free Israel and restore their kingdom, focusing on political influence and independence. Jesus responds that such dates and times are the Father’s authority alone and are not for them to know. He instead declares they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, enabling them to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Clayton connects this to Genesis, where humanity, created as God’s image, is commanded to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth—a mandate repeated to Noah after the flood. He argues that after humanity’s repeated failures, the key difference for Christians is looking back at Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, with the Holy Spirit now living within them. A central insight is that people are naturally passionate witnesses about topics like CrossFit, food, or politics, reflecting a created design to share. Clayton stresses that Christians are recreated to be witnesses not to their own power or blessings, but to God’s love, forgiveness, and grace. He recounts a conversation on a flight where a woman, skeptical of Christianity, asked why this faith among many religions; he offered historical and logical arguments but ultimately emphasized his personal, lived testimony over 27 years. The sermon highlights that witnessing relies not on human expertise but on the Holy Spirit’s power, as demonstrated at Pentecost when the Spirit enabled disciples to speak in tongues and 3,000 people were saved. Clayton notes that many Christians obsess over the very things Jesus said are not for them to know, like end-times timing or earthly political power. He contrasts the apostles’ desire for what they could “get” with Jesus’ command for what they should “go and give.” The tone is pastoral, instructional, and conversational, blending scriptural exegesis with personal anecdotes and humor about generational labels and modern fixations. Listeners interested in practical biblical teaching on evangelism, personal testimony, and the role of the Holy Spirit will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a purely academic or theological lecture, or who are uncomfortable with evangelical calls to personal witness, might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A plain sermon on witness, Spirit given power, and Jesus at the center.

The sermon stays close to Acts 1 and keeps the focus on witness: Jesus with the apostles for forty days, the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the charge to speak about him everywhere.

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Why you'd press play

If you want Acts 1 framed around witness, not just history, start here today.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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