Acts 2:40-47

I once served a mission agency that believed the way to change the world was to plant more churches, and then plant more churches that plant more churches. And while I agree that the world is better when we have more churches, let’s take a look at our community and ask, do we need more churches that look and feel like the 95% of churches across America. Churches that exist to build steeples and massive buildings and edifices to stand in honor of their accomplishments? Maybe we need a few churches that actually model their focus and foundation on the 1st century church.

You know this is week two of our series ”The Invitation.” The book of Acts is truly an invitation to today’s church to act, react, worship and serve like the first church that Jesus birthed and will someday return to claim.

You might be shocked to know that the first church that was birthed in the days following Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, and following His 40 days of ministry and teaching and after His ascension back to Heaven…That church didn’t have choir robes, pews, chairs, cool music, stately hymns or denominations. This first church didn’t have the need to be called first baptist, first methodist, first presbyterian or the church of god, church of christ, first assembly of god or a happening greek name that 1st century hipsters would be drawn to.

Maybe we need to return to the original church, it’s calling and purpose. Not the church you remember from up north, or when you were a child, or how your parents sang or if you had Sunday school, or small groups. Before there were Youth Groups, hymn sings, gospel quartets or contemporary christian music, radio, bookstores, schools, clubs and FCA.

Okay, Chuck, we get the idea. The first church was different, better and simpler. But this is 2016, church is like everything else, it’s complicated. Really? I think the Book of Acts is inviting our church to model the first church. We don’t need a contemporary church, or a missional church, or a traditional church. we don’t need a relevant church or a seeker sensitive church. We need to be an ancient church, filled with people that believed, acted and reacted like this first church. So, Chuck, what are those four attributes and activities? And how do we do it? Why does the church exist? Well…The Book of Acts Invites you to be that church!

In a poll conducted two years ago that included more than 500 evangelical churches and more than 20,000 members – 89% said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of me and my family’s needs.” 11% said the purpose of the church is to win the world to Christ. I know, Right?????

I read the story of Charles Conn and the time when he lived in Atlanta. He noticed in the Yellow Pages, in the listing of restaurants, an entry for a place called the Church of God Grill.

The peculiar name aroused his curiosity, and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheerful, ‘Hello! Church of God Grill!” He asked how the restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and the man at the other end said, ‘Well, we had a little church down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Folks liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that’s Church of God Grill.”

Well that would never happen here! Really? What if you replaced chicken dinners with your preference of color, or building or how communion is served, or what we should wear to church, or how we sing, or who should lead…I think you get the picture.

The closing verses of Acts chapter two describe the early church. It is presented as a model. It wasn’t a perfect church, it had hypocrites in it and fought doctrinal error just as churches today. But the church in the book of Acts was a great church because it had focus. And it’s calling us to be that kind of church!

The first church knew that it should be doing something and knew what that something was. It had experienced the life changing power of Jesus and had also caught a vision of how that same power could change the lives of the people they knew. And they were doing something about it. In short, they knew what their business was and they new how business was!

40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Four things happened in the church where the Spirit led, and they are INVITATIONS to Sugar Hill Church to join them.

WHERE GOD’S SPIRIT IS LEADING THERE IS SOUND TEACHING

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching ……”
These new Christians under the direction of the Holy Spirit were hungry for God’s word. God designed the church to be a place where His word is proclaimed and explained. A commitment to God’s Word is foundational to the growth and spiritual health of every church. The backbone of a healthy Christian life is teaching. Peter says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2. Where the Spirit leads, a love for God’s word follows. This is why connecting to a group is such a BIG DEAL! That’s why we offer MAN CHURCH and dozens of groups for women, men, couples, students and children.

To follow the leading of The Holy Spirit is to follow the Holy Scriptures!

WHERE GOD’S SPIRIT LEADS, THERE ARE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship… This kind of fellowship/relationship didn’t exist before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This the first use of the Greek word koinonia in the New Testament. Every time this word is used it denotes some kind of sharing – either sharing something with someone or sharing in something someone else is experiencing. The foundation of Christian relationship or fellowship is giving. Giving of ourselves, our finances and our hearts.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

That fact that they “had all things in common” does not, as some imagine, indicate communal living. The first Christian fellowship was not a commune, nor does the passage offer support for such a notion.

Here’s the big picture understanding of this passage…

1 – This is not some form of primitive communism or Bernie Sanders socialism. It’s plainly evident from the imperfect tense of both verbs translated “selling and sharing which indicates that the selling and the giving were occasional, in response to particular needs, not once and for all.

2 – The first church didn’t sell everything as some have tried to say. Some still had houses as verse 46 indicates. The point is, the relationships/fellowship of the early church rested on a mutual generosity and sharing. Fellowship cost something in the early church. The truth is, we will have meaningful relationships/fellowship only when we make it a practice to reach out to others and give something of ourselves.

A kid’s Sunday Group Leader asked her eager 10 year olds if they would give $1,000,000 to missions. Yes, they all screamed! ‘Would you give $1,000?’ Again they shouted, ‘YES!’ ‘How about $100?’ ‘Oh, YES we would.’ They all agreed!! ‘Would you give just a dollar to the missionaries?’ she asked. The boys exclaimed ‘YES’ just as before except for Bobby. ‘Bobby,’ the leader said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, ‘why didn’t you say ‘YES’ this time?’ ‘Well,’ he stammered, ‘I HAVE a dollar.” 

3 – What was really happening, was  that personal property was sold “as anyone might have need.” It wasn’t mandated, forced, coerced, of demanded. It was a heart that wanted to sacrifice and give as needed! That’s why backpacks and schools and community matter. It’s why we ask you to give and serve and go.

In Acts 5:4 we can see that such selling was purely voluntary. Where the Spirit of God leads, God’s people not only relate to the God’s Word – they relate to each another in fellowship and sharing. What do our relationships and sacrificial giving say about us? About you? 

WHERE GOD’S SPIRIT LEADS, THERE IS POWERFUL WORSHIP 

“46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

You are invited to powerful worship!

When the Spirit of God leads, the hearts of God’s people move up toward him and their relationship with him intensifies. Two words help us to understand worship, they are PREPARATION and PARTICIPATION. “If worship does not change us, it has not been worship. To stand before the Divine is to change. Worship begins with holy expectancy; it ends in holy obedience.” 

The challenge for most of us is that: “We Americans tend to worship our work, work at our play and play at our worship.”

In verse 47 they are described with “glad and sincere hearts.” We have something to be excited about. OurSavior loves us, God has forgiven us, the  Lord provides for us, and a Savior who empowers us.

We should come to worship with an excitement like we were invited to the party of the decade, not the reluctance of going to root canal.

The only way I know not to be excited about joining in worship is either not to know Jesus or to have drifted away from Jesus. And before you leave here today you can make sure that neither of those situations is yours. If you don’t know Him, you can come to know Him today. If you have drifted away from Him, you can return to Him today.

WHERE GOD’S SPIRIT LEADS THERE IS SINCERE EVANGELISM  

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

When the Spirit of God leads, God’s people relate to the world as they should. The church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is devoted to teaching, fellowship, and worship and evangelism naturally happen.

God was at work through the people in order to bring people to Himself. These Christians were sharing with others and bringing people to faith in Jesus.

Maybe we don’t see more of God because we are not doing what they were doing – we are not really sharing Jesus with anyone.

I heard of a preacher who once began a sermon by saying, “The sad fact is that there are many people who are going to hell and most of you don’t give a damn. And what is even sadder is that you are far more concerned that I said damn than you are that these people are going to hell!” It is true.

For a true Follower of Jesus to not participate in the worship, ministry and life of a local church is inexcusable. In fact, those who choose to isolate themselves are disobedient to the direct command of Scripture.

Only when the Holy Spirit leads can there be Sound Teaching, Sharing Meaningful Relationships, Powerful Worship and Sincere Evangelism!

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Jesus dominated the four Gospel accounts, but the Spirit of God dominates the book of Acts. Luke’s second book (Acts) begins with Jesus’ reminder of his pre-Resurrection promise to send his followers the Holy Spirit. This is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:4-5)

In John’s gospel, Jesus spoke extensively about the coming promised Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples: I will not leave you orphaned. (John 14:18a)

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. (John 14:26) When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. (15:26) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… (John 16:13a).

In Acts, Jesus again reminds his followers that the promised Holy Spirit is coming:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

So, get the picture…It had been a difficult time for the apostles. One day they had followed Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem as He rode on a donkey. The crowds had been ecstatic. Lining the streets they cast palm branches before the Lord shouting “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” This was it, or though the disciples had thought. Jesus would rise to the position of political and military prominence they had envisioned when they first began to follow Him. And they, the faithful disciples, would be the cabinet, they would be His key advisors.

But then it all came crashing down around their heads. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? One week Jesus is being proclaimed as the Messiah, the next week the very same people are shouting, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” How could it be? Their Teacher and Leader, the one who had fed the five thousand with just a handful of food, the one who had raised Lazarus from the dead, the one who had given sight to the blind and made the lame walk, the one who commanded the sea to be still, and it obeyed, was now being taken off by these pagan Romans to be crucified, like a common criminal?

As they stood around the outskirts of the crowds that surrounded the cross, it was their darkest moment. No doubt they walked away in silence, confused, ashamed, frightened, with shattered hopes.

In the days following the crucifixion,  Several of those who followed Jesus claimed that they had seen Him alive. Some thought the Jews had stolen His body, others knew they had seen Him, they were certain. At first they couldn’t believe it, could it be true, or was it just a cruel hoax?

Gathered together in an upper room, they locked the doors, fearful that they would suffer the same fate that befell Jesus. And then He appeared, the doors were locked, no one could get in, but there He was, in the flesh, resurrected from the dead. They touched His hands, they heard His voice, they saw His face. Jesus was alive, He had conquered death.

For forty days after His suffering on the cross, Jesus went about teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God. And then, perhaps on a hillside, Jesus gathered His disciples together and he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but that they should wait for the Promise of the Father, who was the Holy Spirit. And they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?”

They were still looking for a restoration of a political, geographical and military kingdom. But Jesus told them it was not for them to know the times or the seasons, when He would return and when He would restore the Kingdom was not their business but the Father’s. Their business was to be about the job of witnessing. They would receive Power after the Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be witnesses for Jesus, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the very ends of the Earth.

This was the last thing Jesus said before He ascended into heaven. His disciples would be endued with power from the Holy Spirit and they would be witnesses.

One of the things we do, as a church, as the body of Christ, as His followers, as Christians, is we are witnesses unto Him, we testify about who He is, what He has done and what He will do for those who place their trust in Him.

Every Christian who has come to know the forgiveness of sins, who has experienced the grace of God, who has the Holy Spirit living inside of them, should be, can be and is commanded by Christ to be a witness.

The word witness is a translation of the Greek word MARTUS from which we get our English word martyr – one who witnesses with his or her life.

This is what it means to be a witness, to simply tell with our lips and with our lives what Jesus has done for you and what He will do for anyone who will put their trust in Him. But many Christians never share; they never tell anyone else about Jesus, many of them cannot.

Only about half 53% of Christians feel a sense of responsibility to tell others about their faith. In other words, nearly half of the folks that claim to be Followers of Jesus don’t think that it is their personal responsibility to share their faith with those who do not know Jesus. And only 3% of those folks have attempted to share their faith verbally in the past 12 months.

What does the scripture have to say? What did Jesus have to say about our responsibility to be a witness?

In Acts 1:4-8, our specific verse will be verse 8.

This is the mandate that explains all of the activities throughout the book of acts. It is the theme of the book of acts, it was the theme of the early church, that they were to go and be witnesses. “You shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you.”

So, what happened then, and what does it mean today? Well, there was and there is  the Promise of power.

God had been with them in the flesh. Jesus had walked beside them and they had beheld His glory. But He was ascending into heaven and He promised to leave them a power, that would not just be with them, but would be within them.

The Holy Spirit was very active in the Old Testament. Time and time again, we read the the Spirit of God fell on Old Testament heroes…But NOW, the Holy Spirit would fall on these leaders of the first church and The Spirit would RESIDE IN THEM! This is divine power; this is the power of God living within us.

We have the Promise of Power! And That Power is a PERSONAL POWER!

It comes in the Person of the Holy Spirit This power is not something we learn, it is not something we earn, it is not something you sort of grow into as you go to church, it is, in fact, not something but rather someone. This power comes when we have the person of the Holy Spirit, God Himself, living inside of us.

It comes personally to every follower of Jesus! It is not a question of how much of the Holy Spirit we get but how much of us He gets.

This power is the result of a life surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hey Chuck, I’d like to have some of that power!

How can I get in this power? Look with me in Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together;

Did you see that? They PRAYED! When was the last time you described your prayer life as POWERFUL? Prayer emboldens your faith and your obedience!

God directed His Spirit upon and within praying people. That power was promised and that power was personal, God’s power is prayerful!

The power promised in person is eternal – there’s no recharging needed. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.. This power is eternal

This power never fails, it never weakens, if we grow weak it is because we are trying to operate in our own strength rather than in His strength.

The power they received is the power personally promised to us. Eternal power that will make you:

Bold – Acts 4:13 “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus.”

Passionate – Acts 5:40- 42 “After they called in the apostles and had them flogged, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the name. Every day in the temple complex, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Messiah is Jesus.”

Effective – Acts 6:7 “So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.”

Is your life being lived in the power of the Holy Spirit?` Then claim His power, get BOLD, PASSIONATE & EFFECTIVE. Live in that power and leave the results to God. Because, there is a purpose to the power –

The major reason the Holy Spirit was given to Followers of Jesus is so that we might join God in the expansion of His Kingdom. While the Holy Spirit does many other things in the life of the believer, He is in the world to convict of sin and to enable us to share the good news with sinners. This is the Power Jesus Promised us.

Then how am I missing out on THE POWER?

You can Have a Cold Heart in your love for Jesus – you cannot say you love Jesus and then be content to allow people for whom He died to miss Heaven. You cannot say you love Him and then disobey Him. Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Here he commands us to be His witnesses. In Matthew 28, in the great commission He commands us to make disciples. When you truly love someone, the things that are dear to them, become dear to you. 2.

The Spirit of God didn’t come here simply to make us comfortable. He came here to empower us, to enable us, to encourage us, and to edify us (or build us up).

God has given us this power for a purpose – so we can be witnesses.

Put That Power in Play!

The Gospel is not something we come to church to hear; it something we go from church to live!

On December 17, 1912 Bill Borden boarded ship for China via Egypt. His missionary career would be among history’s briefest – and most effective.

Borden was born into an upper-class family on Chicago’s Gold Coast, heir to a fortune in real estate and milk production. At Yale University, Bill became well known as a star athlete, good-looking, worth $50 million, and committed to Jesus.

Following graduation, he announced he was giving his immense inheritance to the cause of world missions. He joined the China Inland Mission, planning to evangelize Muslims in China. But first came language study in Egypt.

A month after arriving in Egypt, Borden contracted spinal meningitis. He was dead in two weeks, but he left a final message on paper stuffed under his pillow: “No Reserve! No Retreat! No Regrets!”

What about you today?

Are you sharing your faith in this life?

Do you have a faith to share?

Are you willing to be obedient to Jesus Christ?

How did this power start: Prayer

How did this power stay: Obedience

How did this power look: Lives changed

How about you?

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