As followers of Christ, we have the amazing privilege of spending time with the living God and talking to him in prayer. However, time with God was never meant to remain an experience for isolated individuals. As the body of Christ, the church was meant to be with God together. In this message from David Platt from Acts 2:42–47, we get a glimpse of the many blessings that come from gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ as the church gathers. We were designed to experience God together and to be channels of his grace to one another and to the world around us. We were saved to be with God in community.
For more resources from David Platt and Radical, visit radical.net
As followers of Christ, we have the amazing privilege of spending time with the living God and talking to him in prayer. However, time with God was never meant to remain an experience for isolated individuals. As the body of Christ, the church was meant to be with God together. In this message from David Platt from Acts 2:42–47, we get a glimpse of the many blessings that come from gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ as the church gathers. We were designed to experience God together and to be channels of his grace to one another and to the world around us. We were saved to be with God in community.
For more resources from David Platt and Radical, visit radical.net
You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from Pastor, author and Teacher David Platt. Well, if you have a Bible and I hope you or somebody around you does that you can look on with. Let me invite you to open with me to Acts, chapter 2. Feel free to use tablet contents if you need to. It's in the latter part of the Bible, but Acts chapter 2. And while you're turning there, I want to welcome those of you in other locations around Metro DC, as well as those of you online who are physically unable to be with us today. It's good to be together around God's Word, and especially if you're visiting with us here. My name is David Platt, I'm one of the pastors here and we are really glad that you are here. We are in the final week of a series on being with God and, just to give you a heads up, the plan is to start a new series next week in the book of Nehemiah, which I really believe is going to be encouraging and embalming for you and your life and your relationships and your work. We actually just read through Nehemiah in our Bible reading plan for those of you who follow along with that, and it's such a timely bug, particularly in light of all that we've come through in the world and specifically in our church over recent years, to see this picture of God restoring his people for a new future together. So next week Mike is going to start us in Nehemiah, chapter 1, cast vision for us as a church family together in the days ahead. So don't miss next week and that series. But today we're coming to the end of our 21 days of prayer and fasting and I really want to encourage you, if you haven't already, go to McClainBibleorg slash stories, so McClainBibleorg slash stories and share how you have seen God work through prayer over the last 21 days. Specifically, we want to encourage each other with what we've seen God do and to pray for each other, as we're still waiting for God to do different things. I won't go into all the details now, but a few things happened in my life this last week, even in the last 24 hours of this 21 day journey, that brought just clear answers to some things I had prioritized to pray for during these days. I was having a similar conversation out of the lobby with somebody just sharing about amazing things God has done in their work and providing a job when they were fasting and praying for that. So, obviously, we're not stopping praying and fasting from seeking God together and seeing God work, but it's good to look back at these last few weeks specifically in that way. All that, though, leads to our time together. Today we're going to look, in God's word, at being with God in community. So we being with God, being with God alone, being with God in chaos, being with God in the dark last week, and then being with God in community. My goal today is to show you what happens, not just when a bunch of individual people spend time alone with God in prayer. Yes, we do that. Go in your room, close the door, be with God, nobody else around, receive his reward, participate with him and what he's doing around the world from that room, and then gather together to be with God. That's what we're doing right now, but here's the problem If we're not careful, we will miss the wonder of what this gathering is, and not just this gathering, but how we're called to gather together with God in far and ways far beyond a just this moment on a Sunday morning. So let's start with Acts, chapter two, verse 42 through 47. So this paragraph in God's word gives us, in a sense, the first full picture we have of the church in the Bible. So follow along as I read aloud and it'll be up here on the screen. And they devoted themselves to coming together whenever it was convenient on their very busy calendars. They came not altogether on time, but at different times. They walked into an air conditioned building and found a comfortable seat. They nodded to the other people on their row and some offered a smile, but they hardly looked at each other again. Instead, they fixed their eyes on a stage. They stood and some of them sang. Then they sat and watched and listened to someone speak for a while until they stood to sing one more time, after which they peeled back some strange cellophane to uncover a small snack. As soon as they were finished eating and drinking, they got out of there as fast as possible in order to beat the traffic. Then they waited to do it again the next week or whenever it would work well again with their schedule, and they called it church. To be clear, what I read is not in the Bible, it is not Acts 2.42 through 47. But it is how many people experience church today? And I want to show you what I hope is obvious. It's not what God said churches to be. Now I'm not saying some of the things I just mentioned are bad, like singing and listening, and no, we're not going to turn off the air conditioning but I want to show you in the Bible, in God's Word, what happens when the church gathers to seek Him. I want to show you how needs are met and people are healed. The dead come to life, some are delivered from prison, others are sent out on mission to new frontiers, and these people are loving each other and leading others to Christ with supernatural power. And I want to show you that this was God's design, not just for the church back then. It's God's design for the church now. And I want to call us today, as a church based on the Bible, to refuse to settle for anything less than what we see in the Bible, to not be content with casual church attendance but to be committed to seeking God together and standing in awe of what we see God do when we gather. That is Acts 2.42-47. So let me really read it to you now. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers, and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles, and all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need, and, day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved, and even less. That's the church. Don't you want to be a part of that? Don't you want to experience that? And here's the good news God wants us to experience that if we'll be willing to let go of some of the things in the picture of the church we've created and pursued, of the picture of the church that God has created. So here's what I want to do today. It's gonna be a little different. Instead of just unpacking this passage word by word and phrase by phrase there's what we normally do with a passage I want to show us more of a bird's-eye view of what happens when the church gathers in the book of Acts, and I just want to read different passages in Acts and for us to get a glimpse of what the Bible says happens when God's people gather to seek Him. So turn back to chapter one. We're gonna start in the very beginning. We're gonna fly through this, but if you're taking notes, I want to show you 10 different times we see God's people gathering together before Him. There's far more than 10 in the book of Acts, but gotta cut it off at some point today. So if you're taking notes, we'll have 10 different things to write down under the banner of what happens when God's people gather together. So let's go first. When God's people gather together to seek Him, one we receive supernatural power. This is Acts, chapter one. I love this passage, so watch this. We'll start in verse 8, where Jesus tells His disciples you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you'll be by way to the end of the earth. So Jesus just promised that he was gonna give these disciples super natural power. Power from His Holy Spirit was going to come upon them. Each one of them is gonna have the power of the Holy Spirit of God living in them. Now watch what happens after this. When Jesus had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took Him out of their sight. So let's get the scene here when he says these things, referring to what He'd said all before that, including verse 8, and how the Holy Spirit was gonna come upon them. They were gonna be written as let's think about this From Jerusalem to Judeansomere, the ends of the earth, they're standing on the mountainside Jesus. They're really not over the fact that he's alive, like he's actually alive. He was dead. Now he's alive, standing there looking at them. It's like pretty exciting that gang's back together again. They're rolling. Jesus says alright, guys, here's the plan. We're gonna start back in Jerusalem. Now think about that. What just happened in Jerusalem? They just killed Jesus in Jerusalem. If you're a follower of Jesus, the last place you want to go is Jerusalem. Right now. They hate you there. So Jesus says that's where we're gonna start. That's how we're gonna start. We're gonna go from there into Judea and Samaria Keep in mind Jewish people, which is what all these disciples were. They hated the Samaritans. So we're gonna go where you ate them. And then that's not all. Jesus says we're gonna go to places in the world you don't even know exist, to the end of the earth, places you don't even know how to get to. So put yourself in these disciples shoes. Jesus looks at you. He says okay, we're gonna start in a place where they hate you, we're gonna go to a place where you hate them, and then we're gonna go to a place that you don't even know how to get there. And as soon as he says this, all of a sudden he starts floating up to heaven. Ooh, we're not talking about levitating a few inches off the ground Like he just shot up to the sky where a cloud took him out of their sight. He's gone Like, what are you doing? If you're one of these disciples, it's exactly what the Bible says. They did Verse 10,. They were gazing into heaven as he went. Then watch this. These two men show up. Behold, two men stood by them in white robes. Again, put yourself in these disciples shoes. You're dumbfounded, looking up into the sky, because Jesus just disappeared into a cloud. All of a sudden, you look behind beside you and you see two dudes in white robes that have come out of nowhere. Why, what do you do then? Jump out, Just say, hi, how'd these two dudes get here? Well, I'll tell you how. Jesus gave this plan to his disciples, took a flight up to the right hand of the father, sat down, got comfortable, looked down and saw the disciples looking dumbfounded into the clouds and he said to two angels go down there and tell them to do what I told them to do. You say you're making that up. No, I'm not. Look at verse 11. These men say men of Galilee, why do you stand looking in heaven? What kind of question is that? Well, I just saw Jesus shoot up there like a rocket and a cloud took him. So just got curious to see where he went and if he's coming back. And, by the way, since we're asking questions, who in the world are you and where in the world did you come from? And the men say oh yeah, he's coming back. This Jesus, who was taken up from you in heaven, he's going to come in the same way as you saw him going to heaven. And you know what they did after that. They did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They went into Jerusalem. They gathered together in an upper room and look what they did. Acts, chapter 1, verse 14,. All these, with one accord, devoted themselves to prayer together with women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Notice the language there. It doesn't say with that plan on the table, all these, with one accord, devoted themselves to strategizing. They devoted themselves to whiteboarding how they were to put this plan into action. Now there's about 120 of them we find out the next verse. And they were devoting themselves to prayer, to seeking God, and they did that day after day until Acts, chapter 2, verse 1, says when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, they gathered together in community, seeking God. Then watch what happens. We've studied this passage before, but just imagine it. It's the first time you've ever read this. Imagine if this were to happen in the room you're sitting right now, verse 2,. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. It filled the entire house where they were sitting. The language there is like hurricane, force winds, but it's just the sound. So it's that actual 100 mile an hour winds. It's the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Imagine that happening right now in this room or other locations. Just imagine 100 mile an hour, winds like hurricane, sound like a hurricane's coming, but you don't feel any wind. And then, at this moment, divided tongues as a fire appeared to them. Like. What does that mean? What does that look like? Just picture my. What does the fire tongue look like? Fire tongue appear to them and rested on each one of them. So just look at the person next to you right now and picture up fire tongue resting on them. What do you do with that? Like Woody, what do you do? Look, it seems they were all, all of them filled with the Holy Spirit. Just said it. What's gonna happen? You're gonna see, power in the Holy Spirit is gonna come upon you and you'll be a what you'll be a witness. So what do they do when the Holy Spirit comes upon them? They begin to speak. They begin to witness in other tongues. That word means languages. They start speaking in other languages. As the Spirit gave them utterance, they all start witnessing to Jesus in different languages. Can you imagine that? Imagine coming into this room and Holy Spirit coming down, fire tongues everywhere and all of a sudden, we're all speaking the gospel in languages we didn't know when we came in this room. That's, that's a good Sunday if this to happen. Now, here's the deal. This is obviously a unique event, the first time the Holy Spirit came upon his people. There was never another event like Pentecost. But that's kind of the point, because now, for every single Christian, in the moment you place your faith in Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life, at that moment you're not just forgiven of your sin, you are filled with the same Holy Spirit who did all of this in Acts, chapter 2. And that same Holy Spirit who did that in Acts, chapter 2 is in every single follower of Jesus in this room, in the rooms where you're gathered. The Holy Spirit of God is among us. Same Holy Spirit, same supernatural power in us, among us. Do we believe that that changes your perspective? When you gather together in a room like this and not just in a room like this, but in a home where gather together with brothers and sisters in Christ, you get down on your knees together and you pray. The Holy Spirit of God is in your midst. When God's people gather together, we receive supernatural power. I totally got a pick of the pace. We're never gonna make it through 10. So that's one, two, two. We experience, when God's people gather together, supernatural unity. Did you notice the language back in Acts, chapter 1 of verse 14? All these, with one accord, were devoted themselves to prayer, with one accord at there to gather as a family, like a supernatural, other worldly family, with supernatural, otherworldly unity, kind of unity that politics cannot create, that preferences cannot create, that ethnicity cannot create, a kind of unity that only the spirit of Jesus can create. We can just imagine even the kind of unity they felt when they saw tongues of fire, not on certain ones of them, but on each one of them, not select ones. Each of them all together had the Holy Spirit. Imagine that exhilaration, that moment, like we're a part of something supernatural, together in such a way that then Acts 2, 44 we read it said all who believe were together had all things in common, like, yes, there is a unity that's found when God's people come together and they're all on their faces together before God, nobody above the other, no one better than the other and certainly no one going after one another just to group us sinners saved by the grace of God before all. We got in such a way that you see your brother or sister in Christ and you honor them and you cherish them, you love them, you build them up, you treasure them. Why? Well, for so many reasons, but one of them is because you honor and you love and you cherish and you treasure the Holy Spirit in there. I just look. It doesn't change the way you look at, speak to, speak about, interact with someone else when you realize the Holy Spirit of God's in that person. There's that so loves and honoring. It's unique. Obviously we love and honor anyone, all of them. More so who's wearing them, the body of Jesus Christ at the spirit of Jesus, it's super natural. You're experienced together, unlike any other group. You could gather within this world and then watch what happens. The Spirit of God is on them and they're speaking the wonders of God in different languages. Number three when people, god's people, gather together, people repent of sin, come to Christ and become a part of that church. These Spirit-filled Christians are all speaking the gospel Peter, who was a. Last time we saw Peter, he was afraid to even say he knew Jesus. He's denying Jesus. Now he stands up in front of all crowded people and he's proclaiming Jesus. What's the difference, holy Spirit in Peter. So Peter says that this crowd repent and be baptized to every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But this promise is for you and your children. All here fall off, everyone in the Lord, our God, calls to himself and then watch what happens. Verse 41 says those who received his word were baptized and they were out of that day. About 3,000 souls, 3,000. 120 to 3,000 in a day. For those doing the math, that's 2,500% growth. Let's just picture it if it happened today. We'll just use round numbers for simplicity. Imagine there were that is, just 5,000 people were gathering at NBC today. That would mean by the end of today, 125,000 people would be lining up to be baptized A good Sunday. Or if it's 10,000 people who gathered in BC today, that would mean by the end of today, 250,000 people would be lining up to be baptized. What happens when the church gathers to seek God together? The Lord adds to their number, day by day, those who are being saved. Don't you long for that? Then number four, when God's people gathered together in the book of Acts, people are healed of disease. Acts, chapter three, verse one, right after this paragraph we've read, says Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, and a man, lame from birth, was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that's called the beautiful gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. And as the story continues, peter looks at this guy says in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk. And the guy does. Actually doesn't just rise up and walk, he rises up and leaps and praises God. And everybody's amazed. Now, obviously, the Bible does not say that every single person with disease or disability is healed when we pray for them, but mark it down. When we gather, we pray to the God who is able to heal any person of anything, and the God who is able to sustain every person and everything who looks to him and actually leads to number five. When God's people gather to seek him, people are strengthened amidst suffering. And before I show you this in Acts, I want to connect the dots here with last week. So last week we talked about being with God in the dark. This week we're talking about being with God in community. And last week one of the things we talked about was when we're in the dark and when the healing doesn't come like we want or the circumstances are not working out like we want, we're life is crashing down. We need to be with God in community. We're just praying in between our gatherings today with a sweet sister in Christ who, in the interview that Tyson's know her story, was about to give birth to her second child when her husband, our brother in Christ, died suddenly two months ago. And today just so happened to be her first Sunday back and it's praying with her and she's sharing how grateful she is for church family around her. There are so many things that people in each of the rooms where we're gathered right now are carrying. There is so much need whenever we gather together Just think about the number of people in this room, but even just I mean I'm. Whenever our church group gathers together, they're inevitably people walking through hard things, and part of God's good design for his church is to seek him together in the middle of those things. It's exactly what we see here in Acts, chapter four. Now, for them, it was persecution they were facing and they'd been arrested. And then, when they were released watch this when they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priest of the elders had said to them, and when they heard it so they share what's going on they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and they said I love the sovereign Lord. Together they fixed their eyes You're the one who's in control. You're the one we trust. You're the one we worship, even when things are falling apart, you're the sovereign Lord. I hope that that is what is happening even in this gathering today that those who are carrying all kinds of burdens that come together, we're seeing to God in His greatness and we're encouraging one another in His Word, but not just sitting next to each other on a row, like sharing life with others, in such a way that we're able to share those burdens and pray with each other. This prayer is so beautiful and I wish we had time to stay at all. But look at where it leads. Verse 31,. When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together, that place was shaken. They were all filled with Holy Spirit and they continued to speak the Word of God with boldness. They walked away strengthened, so. And it's not that things were now suddenly easy for them in Acts, chapter five. It's actually the opposite Things were even harder, but they were helping each other through gathering together. So mark it down. It will look different in each of our lives, but suffering will come in this world to everyone of our lives, and none of us not one of us can faithfully make it through all this fallen world brings us on our own. Every single one of us needs the strength that comes from being with God in community, seeking God together in the middle of the hard and the dark, amen. So if you're walking through grief alone in any way, through suffering alone in any way, I exhort you today, based on the Word of God, to find community in Christ. Get connected to community in Christ here in this church family or, if not, here, somewhere where you can pray together, share your burdens, grieve together with hope. Let's be a church that gathers around one another to strengthen one another in its suffering. And that actually relates to the next one. So again, each one of these we can just camp out on, but I want you to see the big picture. So we're gonna jump to Acts chapter 12 for this one. I wanna show you that when God's people gather together, people are delivered from prison and I realize we're jumping over so much like, specifically when it comes to individuals in prayer. Stevens prayer as he's being stoned in Acts chapter seven. Philip being transferred by the Holy Spirit to an Ethiopians. Unix chariot in Acts chapter eight. Jesus appearing to Saul and Ananias in Acts chapter nine, and then Peter and Cornelius in Acts, chapter 10, founding of the church in Antioch and chapter 11, but then Acts, chapter 12, peter is now in prison. So see the connection with Acts chapter four. Verse five says Peter was kept in prison but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. So the church is gathering together to pray for Peter in prison and watch what happens. When Herod was about to bring him out to kill him, on that very night, peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and centuries before the door. Regarding the prison, I loved this. Peter was sleeping. He's not devising jail breaks like he's peaceful in the middle of prison before he's about to die. He's able to sleep Until behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying get up quickly. And the chains fell off his hands. I love just to see the story unfold. This angel shows up, stands next to him, shining light, ah, and what does Peter do? I feel like, ah, so he's sleeping. So the angel strikes Peter on the side to wake him up. And the angel said to him dress yourself on your sandals. He did so. He said to him wrap your cloak around you and follow me. So we don't want Peter going clothes less into the streets. So he went out and followed him. He did not know what was being done but by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city and opened for them of its own accord. They went out and went along one street and immediately the angel left him when Peter came to himself. I love that. This is why we love Peter. He is so slow. He has been woken up by an angel. He's been told to put on his clothes. He's been led outside through numerous guards, gates have been opened for him. Now he's walking on the street in freedom. And then Peter came to himself and he said Now I am sure the Lord has said his angel in rescue me from the head of her and from all the Jewish people were expecting, and then it gets better. So he goes to the church where the church is gathered together. When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John his other name was Mark where many were gathered together praying for Peter and when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a serving girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter's voice and her joy, she did not open the gate, but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. I love Rhoda. Put yourself in Peter's shoes. You've now realized it's come to you. I'm an escaped prisoner in the street so I need to go to the house where my friends are Before anybody sees me. You're looking everywhere over your shoulder as you run into that house. You finally get there. You start knocking frantically. Looking behind you, rhoda comes the door. Who is it? She asks. It's Peter. He says let me in quick. And she is so excited she leaves him standing at the door and goes in and tells everybody Peter's out of prison. And listen to what they say. They said to her. You are out of your mind. Imagine that conversation. Peter's out of prison, be quiet, rhoda. We're praying for Peter in prison. He's out of prison, quiet. You're out of your mind. We're praying, just be quiet. But she kept insisting it was so. They kept saying it's his angel. Meanwhile the escaped prisoner still outside continued knocking and when they opened they saw him and were amazed. Maybe Rhoda was right. Motioning to them with his hand to be solid, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said tell these things to James and the brothers. And they departed. He departed and went to another place. I'm a great story. So what happens when the people of God gather together to seek God? Supernatural jailbreak is what happens. And then, okay, so that's number five, six, I don't know, six. Six people delivered from prison. Then Acts, chapter 13 tells us about one of the most important moments in human history as a result of the moment. I'm about to read to you in Acts, chapter 13. Over the next 200 years, the entire Roman world would be reached with the gospel, new churches planted all over the place. The next 2000 years, that gospel churches we planted in most every country in the world. Acts 13, too, says this about the church in Antioch. They were worshiping the Lord and fasting. They're seeking God together. The Holy Spirit speaks and says set apart from your barn and business hall for the work to which I've called them. Then, after fasting and praying together, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So when we see God gather before him together, people are set apart by God for mission to new frontiers, for the spread of the gospel to new places where the gospel hasn't gone and the world is changed. It's how the gospel spreads to the world through the people of God gathering together for prayer and God speaking. It's time for you to go, you to go, you to go. I'm not just sitting in a building. And what if success in the church is not determined by how many people are sitting in seats in a building? How many people are leaving those seats to take on the world with the gospel? That's what happens when God's people gather together, set apart for mission to new frontiers, and then that leads to disciples being made, churches being multiplied in new places, new cities, in Acts 13 and 14. And at the end of that, acts 14, 23 says, as these churches are planted and elders are appointed, when they appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, so that gathered together and committed them, these elders, these leaders, to the Lord and whom they had believed. I love this picture. When God's people gather together, leaders are committed to God, leaders are committed to the Lord and prayed and fasted for that's number eight and number nine. I'll show you two more. When God's people gather together to seek Him, we maintain hope amidst hardship. So Acts chapter 16 is a unique gathering. Paul and Silas are not together in an air conditioned building but in a prison cell, unjustly put there. And what are they doing? They're not complaining. What does? Acts 16, 25 says? About midnight saw Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. They're seeking God together. The prisoners were listening to them and suddenly there was a great earthquake so the foundations of the prison were shaken. First gospel choir. We see in the Bible Paul and Silas, and they brought down the house, quite literally. Do you know the rest of the story? The jailer and his household are saved. I think it's really good to gather together when there are things going on in our lives for which we might have reason and some minds to complain and to encourage one another through prayer and singing, with the hope we have in God. This leads to the last picture I want to show you. It's in Acts chapter 20, starting in verse 36. The last half of Acts, chapter 20, chronicles a moment that Paul had with the leaders of the church in Ephesus before he left them, never to see them again in the world and we read this, starting in verse 36, when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all, and there was much weeping on that part of all. They embraced Paul and kissed him, being full of sorrow, for most of all because the word he had spoken they would not see his face again. And here's why I want to finish with this picture, because when God's people gather together, we express an experience, a depth of love and affection for one another that can only be created by the Spirit of God. In our midst we express and experience the kind of supernatural love God has designed us to experience. These are not just people in Acts 20 who sat next to each other in a service. They saw the living God together. Yes, once a week in the gathering of the church, and other times throughout the week.