Message 7 - The Church - The Church In Action

Acts 2:42-47

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Wanted to pick up right where we left off last week. So if you want to get in your Bibles, your devices to Acts chapter 2, we are going to finish up that chapter this week. We've been looking for the last few weeks at a message, the first message, in fact, of the new church, of the church age, as Peter got came out. And with all the people that had gathered from Jerusalem because they heard the commotion from the Holy Spirit coming on that, those 120 believers, and they came together to find out what was going on, and which gave Peter an opportunity to to this whole crowd preach this message. And people were there, remember, because it was one of the three feasts that the Jews would work special celebrations. And if they could, if they were financially able, if they were healthy, they would come, they'd come back to Jerusalem for this celebration. This particular celebration was celebrating the beginning of the harvest, and which is very appropriate because remember, Jesus, before going back to be with the Fathers, gathered his disciples at one point and said to them, the harvest is ripe. What he was saying is, people's hearts are ready. They just need someone to tell them. They need harvesters. And so that's the church's responsibility to be the individuals who point people to Jesus Christ. And it's our, we're the church. That's our responsibility. So Peter's up here, he's standing in front of these people, he's preaching this message. And he's begun, he started off by taking them back to one of their prophets 400 years prior to this moment. Prophet Joel had uh prophesied uh that there would come a moment when the Holy Spirit would come upon God's people in a very special way. And this is the moment that has just taken place on the day of Pentecost. And and then Peter from that point went, kind of started connecting the dots, and and he talked to them about why, who Jesus was, and how God the Father had proven to them that Jesus, in fact, was the Messiah. He was the one that they were waiting for, he was the Savior of the world, and he proved it by the allowing, having Jesus do miracles and signs and wonders, and so he began to connect those dots for them and so that they would understand uh what was going on. Uh and then Peter finished that message in this way, he says, or what we've read so far, he says there in verse uh 36, actually not 27, 36, chapter 2, 36. He says, Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. And now in the third part of this message, uh he points to uh even further back to their first, not their first king, their most famous king, King David. Uh King Saul was the first king. Uh we spent uh uh a few months last, a few a while back, uh looking at the life of David, actually looking at the interaction between King Saul and King David, and and uh uh just some interesting things there. But he points back to King David, their first king, and King David, well he's a king, but he was also a prophet. And uh, as a prophet, King David told them that someday the a king would be on the throne, whose reign would last forever, uh, and that he would be come out of the family of David. And and Peter's saying, this is we're this is the Jesus who uh uh that who David King David was pointing to is Jesus our Savior. So all this whole message has been helping them identify and identifying for them who Jesus Christ is. In fact, it's interesting, uh you may think it's frustrating. If you read down through this message, it only lasts about four minutes. And so you look at me and saying, Well, why do you preach three messages on his four minutes? Uh, because that's what I do, you know. Uh, but uh it's it he lasts about four minutes, and as he draws the message to a close, it suddenly dawns on these people what they had done. And so then we read in verse 37 when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers, what shall we do? Can you imagine if it just dawned on you that those few weeks prior, as you stood in that crowd when you'd come back for another one of those festivals, and you looked, and here was Jesus, uh, and this man named Barabbas and Pilate, and Pilate said to you, who were part of that crowd, and a lot of these people were, you have a choice here. You have Jesus who I find innocent. There's nothing that he has done that I can see that would deserve death at all. Or you have Barabbas, who's been a uh uh has caused you all kinds of problems with his fights against the Roman tyranny, and and uh so you you have a we we have a custom. You can leave, we can let one go. Who do you want me to let go, Barabbas or Jesus? And and if you're a part of that crowd that says, no, let Barabbas go. Crucify Jesus, crucify Jesus. All this weight of this decision and what they have done has just come upon them, and and they, I believe, in with some panic, realize we're we're in trouble, we need help. What can we do? Uh and Peter's response then is in verse 38. Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, well, I want to pause here for a moment because something has happened, and and I've warned kind of about this. Uh this the book of Acts is uh the history, the beginnings of the church, the church age, which we are in now. Uh I put a diagram up last week, I think, which is a pretty accurate diagram of the church age. And we're in that period of time, uh, which I believe ends with the church being removed from the scene, from earth, uh, which means us as Christians, if we're still alive at that point. And then because of that, then the influence of Satan becomes even more dramatic because this the church is not there to hold that back. Uh fits in a lot with what we talked about in the uh adult class a little a little while ago. Uh but some have grabbed this verse and said, Oh, there's a pattern here. Uh this is the pattern of how a person is to be saved. We need to grab on to this pattern. And uh I I think that's a mistake. Uh and and I do kind of spend a few minutes, not a lot of time, but just walking us through. So here's the pattern they say that we see in this verse, and and uh, and some have grabbed on to this and say, This is the pattern we need to follow for salvation. First of all, uh you got to repent, and then you gotta be baptized, and then based on those two things, you're you're saved uh in the name of Jesus Christ. Uh well, uh uh walk through a couple things. Number one, the repent. Repent means, and you probably know this, maybe you don't, repent means to change your mind or change your direction. Uh and uh it's the only place, it's in this spot here, where we are given that as a part of this experience for these people, would that's gonna eventually lead them to salvation, which a lot of them come to know the Lord. Later in the book of Acts, we have another situation happen. Uh remember Peter and uh Paul and Silas are in jail, in a Roman jail, and uh you know they're singing during the night, and and uh in the middle of the night, uh earthquake comes, which shakes open all the all the prison doors and and uh shakes the the shackles off of the people, and the and the Roman jailer comes running in because for him to lose a prisoner would mean he would sacrifice his life, he'd be killed for failing. So he runs in panicky, and and uh Peter, Paul says to him, It's okay, we're all here. None of us have tried to escape. And at that recognition, the the jailer, the Roman jailer realizes a bigger deal. And he and he looks at, he got drops to his knees before Paul and Silas. He says, What do I need to be saved? And you remember the answer wasn't, well, you need to repent and you need to be baptized so you can be saved. No, the answer was uh believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that becomes the message all through the New Testament, from after this point and on into the epistles, it's always believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So what's going on here? Why with this group is he saying, okay, first of all, you've got to change your thinking. Uh and uh and another way that this repent has been said is uh that when a person for a person to come to life, they have to uh actually change their life. They gotta they gotta turn around from their sinful life. Well, I don't personally, I I don't think most of us do that at that point. God, we recognize we're a sinner, but God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, begins to help us take move and get these things out of our life. In fact, in the beginning, most believers, and myself included, we don't even realize all the things that are that we do that are offensive to God. And uh and then as we study his word, as we get to know him better, more and more things he identifies in our life. And sometimes there are things that for anybody else really are not a bad thing, but in God will identify for you or for me, okay, they can do it, but I don't want you to do that, as am I for whatever reason. Uh so why with this group does he say you have to repent? Well, because they have to change their mind about who Jesus is. Just weeks ago, they were shouting to crucify him. They didn't believe he was the Son of God. In fact, some of them, uh under the influence of the of the Pharisees, actually claimed that he was working hand in hand with Satan. So for them to ever have the potential of uh coming to know Jesus Christ and their Savior, they gotta they gotta change what they're thinking about. They gotta become to understand he is the son of God, he is the Messiah we've been waiting for. Does that happen to some people today? Sure. I'm sure there are people who uh have scoffed and said, oh, Jesus is just fictitious, he's not real real, he certainly isn't the son of God, he's a phony, he's a fraud, he's, you know, I've heard all those things. You probably have too. Well, I'd say that individual, if they're gonna come to know Jesus and become one of his followers, they're gonna have to change their thinking about who he was. They're gonna have to repent. But for most people, uh it's not that way. It's just a matter of them acknowledging the fact that, yeah, I am a sinner, a sinner who needs a savior. And I Jesus is offering to be that savior. He's offering to apply his death on the cross to my sins. And so it that's why when you get into the other epistles and even remember John 3.16, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever believes on him will have eternal life. Belief, faith in in uh who Jesus is, in who Jesus is and what he's done on the cross is what's required. So what I'm saying is don't grab onto this and say, oh, here's the pattern. No, repent is uh not belief, is what it says. And uh yes, do some people have repent because of uh their wrong thinking about Jesus? Certainly that's the case. Then then they'll say, the second part of this is he says, well, you've got to be baptized to be saved. And there are churches that are grabbed on and say that the only way that you're you get saved through baptism. Well, if you understand, you look at the verse, you you the the context of the verse, the the focus of the verse is Jesus Christ. And he's and he wraps this around what they have done with regard to Jesus Christ. And and again, all through the rest of Scripture, uh baptism isn't it's not stated that way. Baptism, as we're and we've been talking about it, because we have a baptism coming up, is a person acknowledging publicly, I am a follower of Christ. I have accepted him as my savior. In fact, I just I want to uh I don't want to believe this, but just to point to something. If you go over to uh uh 1 Corinthians, uh, we spent a few weeks ago, we we spent some time in. You don't have to turn, so I'm gonna put it on the board in a moment, or we're gonna put it on the side in a moment. But in 1 Corinthians, remember that's a the Corinthian church was a church that was really divided, arguing, fighting with each other about all kinds of things, the gifts, tongues, all these kinds of things. One of the things they fought about, in fact, as Paul opens the letter, which I'm gonna point to in a moment, he starts off with one of the battle that they're fighting over who it is that uh brought them to Christ, which which leader they came to Christ under. And and Paul says, This is this is ridiculous, that what you guys are all fighting over. And so then if you as uh we get to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul makes this statement, which is important, I think, in this discussion regarding baptism. So so I want to point it out, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and and here's what it reads. And Paul, like I said, he's talking about, he says, Is Christ divided? What's going on with you? Why why are you guys arguing over this? He said, When was Paul crucified for you? Obviously not. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I'm thankful. Now pay attention to this. I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. Uh I think Christmas is a good name for fries, or actually, about a week ago I saw Rusty Baker and he looked Christmas. He had just got too much sun and he was all red, so uh it could have been his name. Christmas, I've only I've only baptized these two people. Well, can you imagine Paul bragging about that if that was salvation? I I'm not I've only no. In fact, he goes on and gives it even more clarity. So so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. For and here get this. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. There's a distinction. Baptism, as I've said, if you if you are a follower of Christ, if you've accepted his sacrifice on the cross for the payment of your sins, you've been adopted into God's family, you have eternal life, and and he has asked us as followers to be willing to be public about that relationship. And one of the ways he has set up uh is for us to be baptized with our with people around us, stating that I'm a follower of Christ, and uh that's what baptism is about. Paul would never brag about, can you imagine him saying, I'm so glad that I haven't saved any of you, that I haven't had a part of your salvation? No, he was all about their salvation. He just recognized that uh there was a distinction between baptism and the gospel. And uh baptism is important, but even if you haven't been baptized, if you've accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, if he is your Savior, you are God's child and you are going to heaven. So I just felt it's important just to uh maybe you've run into that before, but just to uh kind of walk through that and uh make that distinction, and you can check it out yourself some more if you you want to. But uh anyway, so back to Acts chapter 2. Uh, and I've shared this before. Uh uh in our our ministry back east uh in Maryland for for the time that we did, we did, we were there, I'm sorry. God did some amazing things, kind of like some things that He's done here at True North, uh, over especially over the first decade or so. Uh our kids were a part of so much of that. When Mary Lou and our and our young children first arrived there, uh there were 25 or 30 of us. We were meeting in the back in the back of a room of a post office. Smelled like kerosene because it had a kerosene smell the the a couple of months earlier. Uh, and that's how it all started. Uh, and then uh uh wouldn't be too long until the Lord would give us free chart, we didn't pay a penny, uh, 30 acres of property. And even how that happened was an amazing. We had we had we were still in that post office and then in that back room, and uh we the it was a Sunday uh where uh it was a significant Sunday because uh the elders and myself, we were going to be standing before that small group of people, and we were basically going to be openly confessing to those to that small group of people that we felt like we had done something ungodly. And the background story was there was a couple in our church, in fact, the the wife uh was our piano player, and uh they they had gotten a divorce, and our handling of of that situation, especially the wife, was was not good. Uh we we wouldn't let her play the piano, we did a lot of things, and and then and she had really done nothing wrong. It was the husband. Husband had had multiple affairs on her, and and as we're sitting here talking through this as a leadership, it dawned on us. I think at least we brought this to our tension, it's like what have we done? Why why we treated this woman? And so we we went to her personally and asked for her forgiveness, and then we felt like we needed to stand before this small congregation as elders and publicly acknowledge we had done wrong. And that Sunday, as I stood up with my the the elders, I looked out and we had a visitor. And I'm thinking, ah, gee shit, of all Sundays to have a visitor. You know, and I might uh but it was really interesting. The visitor that Sunday, that man, was so impressed by what those men did that he came back. And he kept coming back and became a part of that church family. And he's the man then God would use to buy 30 acres of property. Actually, he bought 120 acres, which he gave 30 of it to, just gave it to the church. Beautiful wooded property. It was unmained. And God did so many of those amazing kinds of things over the the next service. The church grew. Uh, pretty soon we were having two services. We are averaging around 350 people. We were talking about uh starting a third service because we we were still and all these things were going out, and it was about that period period of time that uh uh someone somehow this church growth group movement uh got wind of this church, this little church that God was doing some amazing things through. Uh and they contacted me and they said, Hey, we got this uh conference coming up in Washington, D.C. We'd like you to come and and teach a session on church growth. Would you do that? I said, Oh yeah, sure. And so I I be I began to put my notes together and I make the overheads, this is back in overheads day, and uh, and and it comes to the day to go there, and I get in my car about it's about a 45-minute drive into DC, and I'm driving into DC, and all of a sudden, and I probably throw the survey for, as close to an audible voice from God as I have ever had, I had, all of a sudden, this voice says to me, What are you doing? And I'm thinking, What do you mean, what am I doing? You're gonna go and tell them how to grow a church? What did you do to grow a church? And it dawned on me, I hadn't done any, I had no strategy. The only thing I could say was that the leaders of that church had done well was in listening to God, and each step of the way, even like the property, as something needed to happen, God would kind of show us what this is what needs to happen next. And we tried to be faithful and follow God, and then we did, and he would bless it. We didn't, there's no strategy. It's like it's this church conference, and I get my session, and I had to stand up and say that. I'm supposed to come here and tell you how to grow a church. All I can tell you is listen to God. Listen to God. I had no strategy. We did no fantastic, we had these no great plan of here, do this, this, and this. We just tried to be listening to God. And I share that story with you because, you know, I I am if you uh read my email or or the uh both this morning, uh kind of, I get these things every week. I get these uh advertisements uh for uh you you know pay for you can buy this plan and you will you will grow your church by 50% in the coming year. And on that, of course, your finances are gonna be, you know, and and usually if you dig into them at all, you're gonna find out that it's it's some kind of a flashy advertisement or uh you know, uh rebranding yourself. That's you know, this this this thing. And and honestly, you if you really think it through, what you're what they're really advertising is uh How you can steal steal sheep from other churches, you know, because uh God, I believe, in these next several verses that we're gonna look at as we bring chapter two to a close, he's laid out his strategy for how to grow a church. So listen and follow along as I read now verses uh 42 to 47 of Acts chapter 2. They devoted themselves to the apostles. Now, this is the 3,000 people that had just come to Christ that day as Peter finishes his message. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts, they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Uh again, before I dig into the verses a little more, it's interesting. This is the passage uh that a lot of people point to and say, Well, the Bible uh teaches communism or socialism. Uh Lee and I were having breakfast yes yesterday morning, and and both of us were just, you know, uh shaking our heads of we never thought our country would have that kind of a discussion going on like it is now that looking at socialism or as a as if it's a good thing. But but there are people, and even some of the the uh uh pe individuals that are running for office and that are pushing this uh socialism, this idea, and they're saying, well, that's what the Bible teaches. Go to Acts chapter 2. This is a passage they'll point to. Uh well, this is not either one of those. Uh if you know anything about both of those, uh they they they confiscate the property of the people, and then with the promise that we're gonna share it fairly divide it, that is never what happens. The people in power uh get the majority, and the people that uh have lost and are supposed to be shared with usually end up impoverished. That's the reality. That's not what's happening here. These people have property. And and as they see needs, it's not confiscated from them. They love each other and and they're selling things to take care of each other. It's it's not at all what uh you're you what if you the history and the history of both of those movements, uh, communism and socialism has been a disaster. Uh has, and uh but that's not what is going on. These people have property, but they're caring for each other, and if they have to sell something to help a brother or sister in Eve, they're doing it. That's what's taking place. But what I see here, and like I said earlier, is here's the strategy for church growth. Here's God's strategy. Uh so let me walk down through this, back up to verse 42. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. Priority one for this group of believers, brand new Christians who are coming together, priority one. They spent time studying the Word of God. That's what the Apostles' teaching is. Uh there the Bible, the Bible, the New Testament is being developed over this period of time. Uh tells us later on that as it's the apostles, as God, again, like he did with Jesus, he's verifying that they are spokespeople for God by allowing them to do wonders and miracles and signs, so people know and listen to them when they but they're putting Paul writes his letters and and it becomes our uh scripture. Peter writes and he becomes our scripture. James, the brother Jesus, writes, and but they, as a priority in their church, they they are devoted, and you that's a strong word. Uh they're not it didn't say what they get together and read the Bible. No, they they would have devoted themselves to looking and studying and and living out and hearing from the apostles' teaching, in other words, God's word. Uh we make no apologies here at True North Church, that we spend a significant amount of time doing exactly that in the Word of God, together reading. I don't know if this list is done in in uh by priority, uh uh or but if it is, then that's where we start. Uh that's uh where we spend a significant amount of time is studying the word of God. And it's because we get to know God through through his word, and and we get to know what uh he wants in our lives so he can bless us. So this is so important, and that's why we hold it in value, and this is priority one for that early church, priority two, and to fellowship. Uh secondly, and I think this is actually saying two things, but but basically they are devoted, they're devoted to coming together, fellowshipping around the Word of God, as he's already said. Uh so they that so uh there's another place where uh the writer Hebrews says, you know, don't forsake those opportunities to come together. These are important. Make sure, you know, that uh we hold them as one of those things that we hold in high value. Make sure we're sending that message to our children. You know, there's a lot of things that we could do, but but uh we want our kids to know the coming together with our fellow believers, that's that's a priority for us. Uh, and it was for them. Uh so that, but I think the other aspect of is it makes clear they're devoted to each other. They care about each other. Uh they saw each other as as family. When I I and I've said this before, when I when I call you family, that's not a light thing. I don't just say that. I I feel that way. This is family. And uh so, and it was for them. They they watched out for each other, they cared for each other, they treated each other like family, they felt like they were family, and then I mean a healthy family, not a dysfunctional one like the church in Corinth, but uh uh and then he goes on, he says, uh, and and to the breaking of bread. That's communion. I think that was part of it, but it wasn't all of it. I I think, and you see in here, they just ate a lot of meals together. Uh it's interesting that when we all gather in heaven together after the uh tribulation period and the millennial kingdom, and we have that, one of the first things we're doing is we're gonna get together for a meal. Uh, you know, this the fact that we enjoy meals, that's not a bad thing. Uh with our processed foods, it's not a good thing nowadays, but it's, you know, but but it's uh they spend a lot of time fellowshipping around the table, eating together. We we uh having a couple of sun, we get together and have that pot luck. Uh those are great times to fellowship and do more than just you know coming here and and just and checking out afterwards. Uh it was important to them. But I think it also was one of the ways that there were some needy families. And and you notice they're meeting on a daily basis. Uh and so I think it was a way of caring for each other. You got some families that are, you know, they're just they were barely making their struggling. But they had to make sure everybody had a good meal. In fact, it becomes a problem. Remember back in the Corinth church again. He Paul writes something, he said, What are you guys doing? You know, you're getting together, you're having this meal, and the some of your well-to-do, so you're separating yourself and you're just lavishing yourself with gorging yourself with food, and then you got hungry, needy people, and they're sitting over there watching you eat. What do you mean? What are you doing? So it had gotten away from this intent, but uh for them it was a priority to come together and share communion, remembering what Jesus had done for them on the cross, uh, but eating together, fellowshipping together. And then he says, and to prayer. Prayer was a priority in that church. You know, we we we have prayer in in this service, we have prayer in our Bible studies, and and uh a couple of years ago, this body came together. It's a priority to the church. My church uh in Maryland during that period of time when they were there was so much growth and God was doing so many just amazing things. What people didn't realize was on Sunday mornings uh while I was preaching, there were three or four people that had committed themselves and they were sitting back in a room in the back of the church in one of the one of the uh classrooms, and they were praying for God to use my message. I look at that and I think that's a major reason that God did so much during that time is because of the commitment to prayer. This church, this early church, was committed to pray. And so we look at verse 43, we find out that uh such so much amazing, so many things were happening that people were in awe. Ah, you know, we we think in awe and we think, well, you know, they're kind of blown away with it. Ah actually means to be scary, excited. You ever been scary, excited about, you know, maybe uh you're a roller coaster fanatic, and you know, that moment when you you know click, click, click, click, click, click, click, and you, and it's like it's kind of scary, exciting. Uh, I have a granddaughter who's gonna get married in a few weeks. And Mary Lou talked to uh our oldest daughter, it's her daughter that's gonna get married, and and uh she's uh she's in that scary, excited moment. She's excited, but it's dawning on her. Wow, things are about to change in my life. That's the these people, what God was doing through this church at this moment was scary, exciting. Uh and and it was he was doing it because of their priorities. Uh so so you you want a church, you want to grow a church? There's not there's not a new strategy. We don't need to rebrand ourselves or or advertise better or bigger signs, you know. No. We need to be, and I think we are, but we all need always need to do a check. We need to be the church we just read about, a church committed to studying the word of God together, committed to being in fellowship, watching out for each other, uh, to meals and sharing and communion, reminding ourselves of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us and when to pray. And do that, and then God will cause the growth, the kind of growth that a church should have and should want. Let's pray together. Lord, I'm I'm grateful for how you know it's interesting. Uh there's a lot in scripture that we kind of wonder, we try to understand. Uh it's it's kind of over our head because it's from the word of God and we do the best we can. And then I think there are those things that are are really important. Uh, and not that script uh it isn't all important, important it all is, but there are things that that are in scripture that you want to make sure we don't miss, we don't misunderstand. Like salvation. Uh you're very, very that's very simple and very clear. This is another one of those places where you are talking about the church, the brand new church, and you're and you're laying out for us if a church is gonna grow, if it's gonna be successful, it's gonna be used by you uh to make a difference in the world around it, uh here's what the priorities need to be. And I'm just really grateful that you laid it out so clear. Lord, help us to always be that church and so that we can touch the dark world and make a difference. And so people hopefully like that first church, where everyone, everyone, not just the believers in the church, but the people outside the church looked upon this church and were amazed at what you were doing. Uh thanks for the opportunity to serve you in that way and this time in your word together. I pray these things in your son's name. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 35:19

Well, we're gonna sing one last chorus together, and as we know there's prayer and prayer, and Tom and Roxanne, as usual, will be up here at the front, and I know that they would just love to pray with you, pray for you, pray over you, whatever you need this morning. So they'll be up here at the front as we close. Let's sing this last chorus together.