Speaker 1: Okay Acts, chapter 2, starting in verse 42.
Speaker 1: , 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.
Speaker 1: They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all people, and the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.
Speaker 1: You may be seated.
Speaker 2: I'm going to hang out here just for a minute.
Speaker 2: There's a voice in my mic.
Speaker 2: Can I just tell you today that everything that could possibly go wrong since service started has gone wrong.
Speaker 2: I couldn't hear my ears, monitors got messed up.
Speaker 2: One song just disappeared from my music.
Speaker 2: Panic mode, right, but how many know that when?
Speaker 2: How many know that that stuff doesn't matter.
Speaker 2: The Lord is worthy to be praised.
Speaker 2: Amen.
Speaker 2: We can still make a joyful noise without a sound system.
Speaker 2: Off pitch, on pitch, we can still make a joyful noise.
Speaker 2: Amen.
Speaker 2: Check one, two.
Speaker 2: Can you hear me All right?
Speaker 2: You know, when things go wrong, it just means something good is about to happen.
Speaker 2: Amen, amen, all righty.
Speaker 2: Things go wrong, it just means something good is about to happen.
Speaker 2: Amen, alrighty.
Speaker 2: So one of the taglines of our denomination, the Assemblies of God, we call ourselves people of the Spirit.
Speaker 2: How many want to be a person of the Spirit?
Speaker 2: How many want the real life community church to be, quote-unquote, a Spirit-filled church?
Speaker 2: Often, when we talk about being Spirit-filled, what we mean is we know every believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but we're generally referring to the gifts of the Spirit.
Speaker 2: You know the charismatic gifts.
Speaker 2: So we still believe.
Speaker 2: We are continuationists, we believe in all of the gifts of the Spirit, that those will carry on until the Lord returns.
Speaker 2: Do you believe that?
Speaker 2: But there's another way in which the Bible talks about being Spirit-filled, and let me give you an example.
Speaker 2: In Ephesians, chapter 5, paul writes these words be, ye, not drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be what Filled with the Spirit.
Speaker 2: And so there's a comparison there, meaning that if you are drunk on wine hopefully that's not you this morning then you are controlled by strong drink.
Speaker 2: Like, if you've ever been drunk and your life passed before coming to Christ, then you know that you will do crazy things.
Speaker 2: You'll say things you didn't want to say.
Speaker 2: You lose all inhibition Like it's crazy, right?
Speaker 2: You might wake up even the next morning, not even remember what you did until people start calling you.
Speaker 2: Well, in the same way, jesus says don't be drunk, or Paul says don't be drunk on wine, don't be controlled by wine or strong drink, but be filled or be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2: But be filled or be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2: If you are filled with anger or rage, you are controlled, generally speaking, by that anger.
Speaker 2: So I want to talk about being a Spirit-filled church.
Speaker 2: In that context We've already dealt with the power and the gifts, so now let's talk about being spirit-filled in this other context, being controlled by the Spirit.
Speaker 2: See, I don't want to be a church that just practices the gifts of the Spirit.
Speaker 2: I want to be a church that walks in holiness and I want to be a church that walks in spiritual discipline.
Speaker 2: Amen.
Speaker 2: In our text today, the Holy Spirit has just been poured out.
Speaker 2: At Pentecost, 3,000 people are saved, and immediately following this we come to verse 42, and we see that these 3,000 became immediately committed to some spiritual disciplines.
Speaker 2: And so today I want you to listen corporately because, remember, we're evaluating our church.
Speaker 2: There are some immutable, unchangeable principles of the early church that those things need to be part of the local church throughout the church age, and that's what we find here today.
Speaker 2: So I want us to look at our church and say does our church possess these signs of being Spirit-filled?
Speaker 2: And then I'd like you to evaluate your own life as well and say am I someone who is filled with the Spirit or controlled by the Spirit?
Speaker 2: Are you with me?
Speaker 2: All right, got a lot of people out today, so you're going to have to be louder than that.
Speaker 2: Are you with me?
Speaker 2: All right, there we go, four signs, if you're taking notes of a spirit-filled church or a spirit-controlled church, however you want to say it.
Speaker 2: Number one, the first sign of a spirit-filled church is devotion that leads to spiritual growth, or you could say, christian maturity.
Speaker 2: Look with me at verse 42.
Speaker 2: And they this would be the 3,000, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship and to the breaking of bread, and to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Speaker 2: The text here assumes that the apostles have started the discipleship process.
Speaker 2: Of the 100, or, excuse me, of the 3,000 that were just saved, how many know that the Bible calls us to make?
Speaker 2: Not converts but what Disciples?
Speaker 2: Could you imagine celebrating the birth of a new baby and then handing that baby a diaper bag, being like child.
Speaker 2: I am so glad you were born.
Speaker 2: This is great, one of the best days of my life.
Speaker 2: We celebrate your birth.
Speaker 2: Here's your diaper bags.
Speaker 2: We've got everything you need in there.
Speaker 2: Good luck, be crazy Child wouldn't survive long.
Speaker 2: Yet that's what we do so often in the church.
Speaker 2: We celebrate the new birth and we're glad you're saved.
Speaker 2: And you know what we say.
Speaker 2: Here's your Bible.
Speaker 2: Good luck, beloved, we are called a disciple.
Speaker 2: So you know, a spirit-filled church will disciple the people who are saved.
Speaker 2: But then there's responsibility on the part of those who come to know the Lord.
Speaker 2: You've heard the expression you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Speaker 2: And I would say to you, our church can be great at discipleship but we can't make you walk in that pattern of discipleship.
Speaker 2: So you've got responsibility as well.
Speaker 2: So there are four, let's say, devotions or disciplines that I see first and just in this verse, verse that the early Christians were committed to.
Speaker 2: Number one, they were devoted to the truth.
Speaker 2: Devoted to the truth, verse 42,.
Speaker 2: It says they continued or they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching what is that?
Speaker 2: Well, the apostles had at the time the old Testament and, like Jesus, they would often correct the religious leaders' understanding, the Jewish people's understanding there in the first century of the, or let's say, misunderstanding of the Old Testament.
Speaker 2: Remember, in the Sermon on the Mount, jesus would often say you've heard it said, and he'd quote the Old Testament.
Speaker 2: But I say to you and so in that Jesus correctly brought correct interpretation to the law.
Speaker 2: So in some part, at least in part, the apostles were teaching the correct interpretation of the Old Testament.
Speaker 2: And then they were teaching the people how to live as Christians under the new covenant.
Speaker 2: And now we have those letters that were written.
Speaker 2: We call it the New Testament.
Speaker 2: And so together, the apostles' teaching is the Word of God, your Bible.
Speaker 2: Now it may sound obvious to you that a Spirit-filled church must be committed to teaching the Bible, but it's not so obvious, is it?
Speaker 2: Many pastors aren't trained in doctrine.
Speaker 2: They've raised up a biblically illiterate people.
Speaker 2: And there's two real problems today in the American church when it comes to Bible teaching.
Speaker 2: One of the problems you could call neglect and the other is amendment.
Speaker 2: So on one hand, you have this problem of neglect, where on a Sunday morning you're going to hear nothing more than a glorified motivational speech With just a little scripture peppered in there so that they could call it a sermon.
Speaker 2: On the other hand, you have amendment.
Speaker 2: There are pastors, churches and whole denominations.
Speaker 2: You know what they're doing.
Speaker 2: There are pastors, churches and whole denominations.
Speaker 2: You know what they're doing.
Speaker 2: They're trying to make the Bible fit the culture better.
Speaker 2: They're trying to reinterpret the Bible.
Speaker 2: As here's what they're doing.
Speaker 2: They're trying to make it more palatable.
Speaker 2: Are you with me?
Speaker 2: I mean entire denominations have done this.
Speaker 2: Well, let's look at this again, because they're trying to make the Bible progressive.
Speaker 2: Beloved God's Word is infallible.
Speaker 2: God's Word is unchanging.
Speaker 2: His truth does not change with culture.
Speaker 2: So we should not let culture determine how we interpret the Bible, but we should raise the Bible as a banner of truth across our culture, amen.
Speaker 2: So can I remind you that not everything that's good for you tastes great.
Speaker 2: Nikki and I, a couple of weeks ago, we ordered McAllister's and I really wanted to order mac and cheese or potato chips as my side.
Speaker 2: But, praise the Lord, by God's grace, I ordered broccoli and I was eating it.
Speaker 2: I said, nicky, I said I really don't like broccoli, like I like almost anything, I just don't like broccoli.
Speaker 2: But I eat it semi-regularly because of the health benefits.
Speaker 2: But I will tell you that not everything that's good for you tastes good.
Speaker 2: Are you with me?
Speaker 2: So it is with the Bible.
Speaker 2: Do you know that?
Speaker 2: I mean you read through the Bible.
Speaker 2: There's some rough parts.
Speaker 2: It's convicting.
Speaker 2: Not all of it tastes good, but can I remind you that every chapter, every verse, every letter, every word is good for you.
Speaker 2: And so we are to devour to love, to savor, to preach the whole counsel of God, amen.
Speaker 2: So a Spirit-filled church is devoted to the Word and, by the way, that means not only do you hear the Word but you do the Word.
Speaker 2: That's important.
Speaker 2: Number two a spirit-filled church is devoted to Christian community.
Speaker 2: In verse 42, it says they devoted themselves not just to the apostles' teaching but also to the fellowship.
Speaker 2: Now that word fellowship, there is the Greek word koinonia, very popular word in the New Testament, and here's what it means Koinonia means fellowship, community, joint participation and unity.
Speaker 2: It denotes unity we are to be joint participants in the mission of Christ Amen.
Speaker 2: There are three facets, quickly, of koinonia that I see here in the mission of Christ Amen.
Speaker 2: There are three facets, quickly, of koinonia that I see here in the text.
Speaker 2: Number one is corporate worship, verse 46, they said they attended daily in the temple.
Speaker 2: They attended the temple together Daily.
Speaker 2: How are you doing?
Speaker 2: It's hard to get people here on Sundays consistently.
Speaker 2: You know we have about 35% of our church out every single week and I know sometimes you're sick and thank you for not coming in those times and sometimes you travel.
Speaker 2: But I mean it's like I had a little case of the sniffles last night.
Speaker 2: Or it's too cold outside, or it's too rainy or it's warm, and we wanted to enjoy the sunshine and go to the park.
Speaker 2: I found out in the American church there's like a certain temperature.
Speaker 2: It's like four degrees in the middle, somewhere where people actually come to church.
Speaker 2: Degrees like in the middle, somewhere where people actually come to church.
Speaker 2: In the early church they valued corporate worship so much that they met together daily.
Speaker 2: Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 2: Daily Beloved YouTube is not enough.
Speaker 2: I know you can watch sermons at home, but it is not enough.
Speaker 2: So you have this part of koinonia as corporate worship.
Speaker 2: The second facet of koinonia is I know you can watch sermons at home, but it is not enough.
Speaker 2: So you have this part of koinonia as corporate worship.
Speaker 2: The second facet of koinonia is fellowship.
Speaker 2: Verse 46 tells us that they went from house to house.
Speaker 2: In other words, they did life together.
Speaker 2: You know, in the name of our church.
Speaker 2: It's real life.
Speaker 2: What Community church?
Speaker 2: Because we so value community and if there's anything we do well, just to brag on you for a minute and say thank you If you've been here any time.
Speaker 2: You know we do community really well.
Speaker 2: Here we live life together and it is such a pleasure.
Speaker 2: So I won't stay on that real long because we do this?
Speaker 2: I mean, it's amazing.
Speaker 2: The third facet of koinonia is taking care of one another's needs.
Speaker 2: Look at verses 44 and 45, through 45.
Speaker 2: And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need.
Speaker 2: How you doing Verse 46.
Speaker 2: Day by day, attending the temple together, breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.
Speaker 2: Let me go back to 44.
Speaker 2: And all who believed were together.
Speaker 2: They had all things in common.
Speaker 2: Now let me say this is not Bernie Sanders theology Okay, this is not socialism.
Speaker 2: One, this is theology.
Speaker 2: Okay, this is not socialism.
Speaker 2: One, this is voluntary.
Speaker 2: Two, this is not equity.
Speaker 2: This doesn't mean that everybody in the church is given the exact same amount of money.
Speaker 2: We know this because Jesus said you will always have the poor among you.
Speaker 2: But what was happening in the early church is that those who had bless those who had not.
Speaker 2: Imagine if your child you know your adult child, let's say, newly married, you're driving a new SUV, you're getting ready to go on a big vacation, but your child, who works hard on a single income, new baby, can't pay the light bill, the electric bill.
Speaker 2: Are you going to go.
Speaker 2: Well, sorry, no, you're going to say whatever we have to sacrifice, we're going to help you out.
Speaker 2: Think about this in the church, some of us are driving $80,000 vehicles and I'm not listen.
Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with having nice things, don't misunderstand me.
Speaker 2: And then we hear somebody who is really struggling, a single mom who's part of our family can't pay the bills.
Speaker 2: And what do we say?
Speaker 2: We'll pray for you and we go off on our $15,000 vacation.
Speaker 2: In the early church they recognize we're family.
Speaker 2: We're not going to let anybody go hungry.
Speaker 2: We're not going to let anybody pay the bills or not be able to pay their bills.
Speaker 2: And this doesn't devalue work.
Speaker 2: I mean, the Bible says if you don't work, you don't eat.
Speaker 2: What if somebody is willing to work and out of a job, do you get?
Speaker 2: What's happening here Within the context of koinonia, it means we really listen and pay attention to one another's needs and we meet those needs, as God has blessed us.
Speaker 2: It's real quiet right now, one of the primary ways that we know that someone's faith is genuine.
Speaker 2: You know what it is.
Speaker 2: It's their love for the local church.
Speaker 2: Jesus said that to his disciples.
Speaker 2: Here's how they will know that you're truly my disciples, that you speak in tongues.
Speaker 2: Is that what he said?
Speaker 2: That you go to church every week.
Speaker 2: Is that what he said?
Speaker 2: No, that could be part of it, though you can memorize that you have memorized so much scripture.
Speaker 2: Is that what he said?
Speaker 2: That's how you'll know what he say.
Speaker 2: Your love one for another, the greatest evidence of your salvation, is your love for the global body of Christ and the local church.
Speaker 2: Hb Charles, great preacher, said it like this.
Speaker 2: He said spiritual counterfeits are exposed by their abandonment of the church.
Speaker 2: Just sit with that for a moment.
Speaker 2: You're here, so you're okay, all right.
Speaker 2: So they were devoted to fellowship.
Speaker 2: Number three they were devoted to the Lord's supper.
Speaker 2: It says the breaking of bread.
Speaker 2: And the breaking of bread in the New Testament can talk about sharing a meal together, or it can talk about the Lord's supper, communion, and here scholars almost all agree.
Speaker 2: In verse 42, they're talking about communion.
Speaker 2: When they talk about breaking bread, I think in verse 46, it's likely that that's actually sharing meals together.
Speaker 2: Let me just say it like this Spirit-filled Christians take communion very seriously.
Speaker 2: Are you with me?
Speaker 2: Why do we take communion every week in this church?
Speaker 2: Let me just quickly give you some reasons.
Speaker 2: Number one, christ fellowships with us at his table.
Speaker 2: When Ron led us in communion today, christ not bodily but let's say pneumatically sat at the table with us.
Speaker 2: In the ancient world, eating together was like a big thing.
Speaker 2: Like if you ate with somebody you were saying to the world I value this person, I receive this person, I accept this person.
Speaker 2: That's why the Pharisees were so appalled that Jesus would eat with gluttons and drunkards and sinners.
Speaker 2: But you know what communion reminds us of?
Speaker 2: That Jesus invites people like us to his table because he died for our sin.
Speaker 2: Come to me all you who are burdened and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.
Speaker 2: Come to my table.
Speaker 2: It's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2: First, corinthians, 10, 16, and 17,.
Speaker 2: Paul writes the cup of blessing that we bless.
Speaker 2: Is it not a?
Speaker 2: Now pay attention to this word participation in the blood of Christ, the bread that we break.
Speaker 2: Is it not a?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 2: Participation in the body of Christ?
Speaker 2: You know what that word is in the Greek, it's koinonia, the same word for fellowship in verse 42.
Speaker 2: When we come to the Lord's table, the Lord participates with us.
Speaker 2: Do the bread and the wine or the juice literally turn to the body and blood of Christ?
Speaker 2: No, but there is a mysterious way in which Christ dines with us at the table.
Speaker 2: I don't understand it, but I know it's a blessing.
Speaker 2: Second reason we take communion weekly is because it bolsters unity, or it should Think about the etymology of the word communion.
Speaker 2: You have the prefix com and you have the word union.
Speaker 2: The prefix com means with or together, and then you have union, which is simply unity, the action or fact of being joined together around the common interest.
Speaker 2: You know what communion does every week.
Speaker 2: It should do when we take it.
Speaker 2: How many of we all I mean?
Speaker 2: Look around just for a second.
Speaker 2: You got people that look different, that act different, that have different preferences, that come from different backgrounds and different cultures.
Speaker 2: We even have part of our church people who grew up in different countries several people and so when we come together for communion, we're reminded that, though we're different in many ways, what we love most and what we're pursuing most we have in common.
Speaker 2: So every week, when we take communion together, we're reminded that we're supposed to be one body, and that's messy sometimes, but that's what communion does it brings us together.
Speaker 2: Weekly communion helps us also remember Jesus.
Speaker 2: Jesus said when you do this, remember me and you know what I like about remembering Jesus like this every week.
Speaker 2: It makes us forget about ourselves.
Speaker 2: It reminds us he's worthy of it all, for from Him are all things and to Him are all things.
Speaker 2: He deserves the glory Church isn't about you, it's not about me, it's about Him.
Speaker 2: Your life, if you're a Christian, is about Him.
Speaker 2: It takes us to the gospel every week communion does, which is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2: And finally, one of the reasons we take communion every week is because it offers us weekly opportunity for introspection, because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 that we should search our hearts before taking communion.
Speaker 2: And it's just an opportunity to say God, is there any sin in my heart?
Speaker 2: As Ron said earlier, pastor, ron, lord, is there sins of commission or sins of omission in my life?
Speaker 2: It's a great time to repent.
Speaker 2: It's a great time to be reconciled with somebody.
Speaker 2: Jesus said if you're at the altar, leave your gift.
Speaker 2: If you have aught with your brother, leave your gift.
Speaker 2: Go, be reconciled and come back.
Speaker 2: It's a great time to search our hearts.
Speaker 2: Now, the pushback that I've received from some people and I've heard through the grapevine usually people don't come directly to me with this why do we do it every week.
Speaker 2: It's going to become so ritualistic.
Speaker 2: Look at me If you get tired of hearing about the blood and the body of Christ given for you, if you ever become mundane to the hearing of the gospel beloved, that's not on me.
Speaker 2: If you took communion every day, you should never get tired of it.
Speaker 2: It ought to move your heart every week.
Speaker 2: It ought to pierce your heart every week you ought to cry out thank you, jesus.
Speaker 2: So a spirit-filled church takes communion very seriously.
Speaker 2: The only reason you should not participate in communion is if there's sin in your life that you have not repented of and we will not judge.
Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, I'll respect you for that.
Speaker 2: The better option is to repent of it and then celebrate what Christ has done for you, amen.
Speaker 2: But I know some of us grew up and it's just like, ah, it's just a symbol, it doesn't matter, and we just take it flippantly.
Speaker 2: No, a spirit-filled church receives the Lord's Supper very seriously and reverently.
Speaker 2: The fourth discipline here is it says they were devoted verse 42, to prayer, and I talked about this a couple of weeks ago, so I'll just spend a few seconds here.
Speaker 2: Honestly, jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.
Speaker 2: Pentecost was the 50th day.
Speaker 2: There were 10 days in between Jesus' ascension and Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out and the church was birthed.
Speaker 2: The question is, what did the disciples do in the meantime?
Speaker 2: Well, let's just go out and chill, and, you know, hang out and go bowling Nothing wrong with those things.
Speaker 2: But you know what they did.
Speaker 2: They had a 10-day prayer meeting and I would just submit to you, if Acts chapter 1, the prayer meeting, would not have happened, perhaps Acts chapter 2 would not have happened.
Speaker 2: Oh, chapter two would not have happened.
Speaker 2: Oh, I know that God's sovereign, but do you know that he uses very ordinary means to bring about his will?
Speaker 2: And one of those means is prayer.
Speaker 2: And I'm grateful I'll say this again, I'm grateful for those of you who come to our Wednesday night prayer meeting and I want to challenge those of you who don't.
Speaker 2: If you're able, man, come and pray with us.
Speaker 2: It's powerful, all right.
Speaker 2: So, number one, the first sign of a Spirit-filled church, is a devotion to these spiritual disciplines which, by the way, is ultimately a devotion to Christ.
Speaker 2: It's about loving Christ, treasuring Him above all things, which leads me to my next point.
Speaker 2: Treasuring him above all things, which leads me to my next point.
Speaker 2: The second sign of a spirit-filled church is awe.
Speaker 2: A-w-e that leads to generosity.
Speaker 2: Look again at 43 through 45.
Speaker 2: 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 possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need.
Speaker 2: So that word all can mean fear.
Speaker 2: It can really.
Speaker 2: It comes down to reverence and I fear we've lost that.
Speaker 2: In the american church Like I'm not extremely high church, but you know me, I've harped on this for about a year we don't take what we're doing today seriously enough.
Speaker 2: You know I won't get into that, but we need to be more reverent.
Speaker 2: We don't need to just roll out of bed and come in here last minute without ever preparing our hearts, not engage in the music, not sing, not pray, not participate.
Speaker 2: We're here to meet with the King folks.
Speaker 2: We ought to treat this time as such.
Speaker 2: We're here to meet with the king folks.
Speaker 2: We ought to treat this time as such.
Speaker 2: The spiritual disciplines mentioned in verse 42 led to all.
Speaker 2: Can you put verse 43 on the screen?
Speaker 2: Oh, here it is.
Speaker 2: You read my mind.
Speaker 2: Good job Baruch, and all came upon every soul.
Speaker 2: And what's the next word?
Speaker 2: And Notice?
Speaker 2: It's not because it doesn't say all came upon every soul, because many signs and wonders were done.
Speaker 2: It says and so it's not just signs and wonders, though they could cause all, but it's verse 42 that caused the all.
Speaker 2: As these 3,000 are devoting themselves to Christ and they're praying and they're worshiping together and they're reading God's Word and celebrating God's Word and they're taking communion together, their affections are raised for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2: The question is why would a church full of you know, maybe formerly selfish people and individualistic people sell their possessions and lay them at the feet of the apostles?
Speaker 2: There's one reason it's because of their all for Jesus.
Speaker 2: Remember that old song Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus, turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Speaker 2: Sing it if you know it.
Speaker 2: Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will go strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
Speaker 2: These people were so enamored with Jesus.
Speaker 2: Three thousand of them repented and were baptized.
Speaker 2: They were so enamored by Jesus that the things of earth grew strangely dim.
Speaker 2: So they just bring their extra stuff and say apostles here, we don't need it.
Speaker 2: Other people need it more than us.
Speaker 2: Jesus is enough.
Speaker 2: He is sufficient.
Speaker 2: So I'm going to just pastor you for a second.
Speaker 2: If you're visiting, I apologize here.
Speaker 2: You can tune out for a second.
Speaker 2: I've been here 10 years.
Speaker 2: You guys know me, you know my heart, I think, going on 11 years, goodness gracious, time flies.
Speaker 2: Guys, you are awesome in many, many ways and I love you more than I could ever express, but generally speaking not all of you, but generally speaking, you stink at giving.
Speaker 2: I heard Matt Chandler tell his church this, so I can tell you this.
Speaker 2: Maybe it's good a lot of people aren't here today.
Speaker 2: No, I hope they watch it online.
Speaker 2: It's awful.
Speaker 2: If it weren't for about eight families in this church, the doors would shut because these eight families are hyper generous.
Speaker 2: Now, I'm not thinking of any of you in particular, because I don't purposefully.
Speaker 2: I don't make a habit of seeing each week well, so-and-so gave you know.
Speaker 2: So if I ever don't call you during the week or ignore you, don't think oh, he knows how little I gave last week in the offering.
Speaker 2: It's not that.
Speaker 2: Do you know that if people gave in our church at least a tenth of their income, that means one dollar out of every ten.
Speaker 2: I don't care if it's gross or net.
Speaker 2: This building would be paid off.
Speaker 2: We'd be able To do so much more in this community.
Speaker 2: So here's what I just want to challenge you with Between you and God.
Speaker 2: I want you to look at your giving statement and your W22 and say is this pleasing to the Lord?
Speaker 2: Do you know?
Speaker 2: The average Christian in America today I've said it before, but it's worth repeating gives less than the Christians did in the Great Depression.
Speaker 2: Well, pastor, I just can't afford it.
Speaker 2: Listen, I know some of you have come to me and you have said pastor, I just want you to know, we're on a single income right now.
Speaker 2: I really can't give, and I have so much respect for you for doing that.
Speaker 2: I had somebody just a couple weeks ago said I feel really bad, I can't give, I want to give extra of my time.
Speaker 2: Now, generally, we don't get to choose.
Speaker 2: Well, I give time.
Speaker 2: This person gives treasure, but I love the heart of this person that they said we really want to give and so I just want to dedicate more, and the implication was when we're able to give more than we will financially, it's awesome.
Speaker 2: But many of the people that say, well, I just wish we could give.
Speaker 2: We're just not in the spot.
Speaker 2: You know what they're doing.
Speaker 2: They're carrying in Starbucks every day.
Speaker 2: They're going out to eat.
Speaker 2: Every Sunday after church they're stopping by the gas station getting food they don't need to eat anyways.
Speaker 2: That stuff adds up, folks, and I'm just going to say it's God's money, not yours.
Speaker 2: So you just look at your W-2, look at your giving statement and say is the Lord pleased with this?
Speaker 2: And I just want to challenge you I know we're not under the old covenant, I get that the tithe law.
Speaker 2: The tithe, by the way, in Malachi was 23%.
Speaker 2: Notice, it says tithes plural.
Speaker 2: There was two 10% offerings and then a 10% every three years came out to about 23%.
Speaker 2: But even before the law we have the principle of tithing and I would challenge you with this as well Give to God first, because what we do is we give God our leftovers.
Speaker 2: Malachi talks about this.
Speaker 2: You give him the lame and blind sacrifice he says that you wouldn't even give your governor.
Speaker 2: So I just want to challenge you with that.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 2: I don't harp on giving generally.
Speaker 2: You know this.
Speaker 2: I don't even take offering, hardly ever.
Speaker 2: One of our other pastors does it and they're nice, Most of them.
Speaker 2: I was getting ready to say except one, but beat me to it, you're quick.
Speaker 2: But beat me to it, you're quick.
Speaker 2: So why don't I harp on giving more if giving is so bad here?
Speaker 2: Let me tell you my philosophy.
Speaker 2: You're not supposed to give under compulsion.
Speaker 2: I'm not taking an offering at the end of service today.
Speaker 2: I'm not trying to guilt trip you.
Speaker 2: You know what I focus on.
Speaker 2: I focus on preaching Jesus, because here's what I believe If you guys hearing me preach Jesus every week will ever just get a glimpse of his glory and beauty and infinite worth, you will give, and it won't be under compulsion, because the things of this earth will grow strangely dim.
Speaker 2: You okay.
Speaker 2: Everything good for you doesn't taste good, all right.
Speaker 2: Third sign of a Spirit-filled church and I'm going to move quickly is thanksgiving that leads to praise.
Speaker 2: Look at verse 46.
Speaker 2: Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.
Speaker 2: Verse 47, doing what?
Speaker 2: Praising God and having favor with all people.
Speaker 2: We ought to be a church of exuberant praise.
Speaker 2: Well, pastor, what if people get fanatical?
Speaker 2: To quote HB Charles again, someone asked him that.
Speaker 2: He said I'd rather tame a fanatic than raise the corpse.
Speaker 2: Come on, we ought to be a people of praise.
Speaker 2: But let me say this Remember a Spirit-filled church, a sign of a Spirit-filled church is thanksgiving.
Speaker 2: That leads to praise In the charismatic church.
Speaker 2: Since I've been in, you know I led music for at least 15 years in charismatic churches and I would hear people say all the time I still hear this today Pastor, you got to sing at least 30 minutes.
Speaker 2: Well, why?
Speaker 2: Well, because you got to work people up.
Speaker 2: You know what.
Speaker 2: They come in and they're tired and it takes them a few songs to get into it.
Speaker 2: Okay, and that's not untrue.
Speaker 2: But you know why that is Okay and that's not untrue.
Speaker 2: But you know why that is Because we're not living seven days a week as worshipers.
Speaker 2: If I have to sing, you happy.
Speaker 2: You haven't done your job during the week.
Speaker 2: The first note played, the first song sung.
Speaker 2: Praise ought to come from your mouth, and let me show it to you here.
Speaker 2: You know what Music isn't even mentioned, though music is important here.
Speaker 2: That could be part of the praising God here, but it's not explicit.
Speaker 2: Day by day, attending the temple together verse 46, breaking bread in their homes.
Speaker 2: They received their food with glad and generous hearts praising God.
Speaker 2: Let me just paint you this picture.
Speaker 2: A meal is set before them.
Speaker 2: Nobody's singing them happy.
Speaker 2: A meal is set before them.
Speaker 2: Glory to God, hallelujah God, you are the provider.
Speaker 2: Glory to God.
Speaker 2: Hallelujah God, you are the provider.
Speaker 2: You are the one who is the giver of every good gift.
Speaker 2: We praise you, we honor you.
Speaker 2: Now some of you are cooking Dina, you're cooking might make me go into praise like that.
Speaker 2: And my wife, I should say that she's in here.
Speaker 2: Listen, do you get the point?
Speaker 2: And my wife, I should say that she's in here.
Speaker 2: Listen, do you get the point?
Speaker 2: Here we ought to be so again enamored with Jesus, so grateful that we just pray.
Speaker 2: It's Thanksgiving that leads to prayer.
Speaker 2: If you are a negative, nancy, negative all the time, always think listen, there's times we need to address what's wrong.
Speaker 2: But if I was consumed with what was wrong, I couldn't even walk in the room.
Speaker 2: Today, when I walk in this church, I don't look for what's wrong, because the Bible says in Philippians that we are to find whatever's good and praiseworthy and true and noble and we are to do what, meditate on those things.
Speaker 2: So when I come in here, there's lots of flaws.
Speaker 2: But you know what I do, I practice thanksgiving.
Speaker 2: How many times, elders, do I well, all of you do I say how much I love this church.
Speaker 2: How many times do I talk about the good of our people?
Speaker 2: And when you are thankful, praise will just come out of your mouth.
Speaker 2: And we could sing one song or no songs in a service and you would praise the Lord, all right.
Speaker 2: Finally, final sign of a Spirit-filled church is evangelism that leads to repentance.
Speaker 2: Verse 47, I love this, the second part.
Speaker 2: And the Lord who?
Speaker 2: And the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.
Speaker 2: Now this text, this verse, assumes the gospel's been preached.
Speaker 2: Isn't that what happened in Acts, chapter 2?
Speaker 2: Peter, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, peter preached the gospel.
Speaker 2: And then it's.
Speaker 2: What did it say?
Speaker 2: Many were cut to the heart.
Speaker 2: Who does that?
Speaker 2: God, the Holy Spirit?
Speaker 2: And then they asked Peter, what do we do about this?
Speaker 2: Like we're moved and listen when you share Jesus with somebody, make sure to tell them what to do about it.
Speaker 2: What did he say?
Speaker 2: Acts 2.38, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2: So do you see here the Christian or the preacher?
Speaker 2: All of us really have a job.
Speaker 2: The sinner has a job and God has a job.
Speaker 2: We have to preach the gospel.
Speaker 2: The Lord awakens the heart and the lost person responds in faith.
Speaker 2: You see how this works together.
Speaker 2: And here's what I love.
Speaker 2: In verses 42 through 47, we find all of these spiritual disciplines.
Speaker 2: We find the Bible being loved and cherished and lived out.
Speaker 2: We find prayer and communion and fellowship inished and lived out.
Speaker 2: We find prayer and communion and fellowship in all of the Lord and signs and wonders, and I mean we can go in this generosity and when that was the focus the Lord added to the church daily.
Speaker 2: Isn't that beautiful?
Speaker 2: And I would just say this if we just get our eyes on those things that are so important, would the Lord not do that for us?
Speaker 2: It's worth considering.
Speaker 2: In closing, I want to quote David Platt.
Speaker 2: I just found this yesterday.
Speaker 2: It's pretty great.
Speaker 2: So, david Platt, he rewrote Acts 2, 42 through 47, as if Luke were writing about the current state of the American church.
Speaker 2: You ready, this is great.
Speaker 2: And they devoted themselves to coming together whenever it was convenient on their busy calendars.
Speaker 2: They came not all together, but at different times.
Speaker 2: They walked into the air-conditioned building, grabbed a cup of coffee and comfortably sat down.
Speaker 2: They nodded to the other people on the row and some offered a smile, but they hardly looked at each other again.
Speaker 2: Instead, they fixed their eyes on the stage.
Speaker 2: Then they sat and watched and listened to someone speak a while, until they stood to sing.
Speaker 2: Some of them sang, after which they peeled back some strange cellophane to uncover a small snack.
Speaker 2: I'll give you a second.
Speaker 2: As soon as they were finished eating and drinking, they got out of there as fast as possible in order to beat the traffic.
Speaker 2: Then they waited to do it again next week or whenever it would work again with their schedule, and they called it church.
Speaker 2: Just sit with that for a moment.
Speaker 2: I'd like you to evaluate your own life today.
Speaker 2: It's how we'll close.
Speaker 2: Are these four signs part of your life?
Speaker 2: Are you devoted to Christ, like not just Sunday, but are you devoted to the Word of God, fellowship with other believers, prayer?
Speaker 2: Do you take communion seriously?
Speaker 2: Are you in awe of Christ, so much so that the things of this world go strangely dim?
Speaker 2: Or are you always thinking about money, trying to keep up with the Joneses, selfish, stingy?
Speaker 2: Do you practice thanksgiving that leads to praise?
Speaker 2: I encourage you to do that man?
Speaker 2: Keep a blessing journal or thanksgiving journal?
Speaker 2: Do you practice gratitude?
Speaker 2: Do you come to church ready to worship?
Speaker 2: Finally, the area of evangelism.
Speaker 2: Are you burdened for the lost?
Speaker 2: Do you share the gospel with lost loved ones?
Speaker 2: Maybe you say, well, I don't know how to do that.
Speaker 2: Well, we've got great news, pastor Ron and Kay, once a month, right Before church on Sundays, once a month, they'll teach you how to reach the lost with the gospel.
Speaker 2: Well, it's awkward.
Speaker 2: It's going to be more awkward when they're cast into the lake of fire.
Speaker 2: Dang man, I'm brimstone today.
Speaker 2: I don't know what's wrong with me.
Speaker 2: It's this weather.
Speaker 2: Just blame the weather.
Speaker 2: It has not been a good day.
Speaker 2: The next time it's not going to have been a good day.
Speaker 2: Gentlemen, one of you can preach, but the Spirit-filled church is not marked first by signs and wonders.
Speaker 2: It's marked first by devotion to spiritual disciplines and all of Christ, radical generosity and a heart for the lost.
Speaker 2: So may real life be a Spirit-filled church and may the Lord add to our numbers daily even those who are being saved.