WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:01.040 Good morning. 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:07.599 All the same height, one size fits all. 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:08.640 I don't think so. 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.519 Um well good morning, Proclamation Church. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:12.880 It's good to be back here. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:27.440 Um if you in case you just walked in or maybe you've tuned us out for the last 20 minutes, um, I was here with my family at the beginning of Proclamation with Rick and Jimmy to help uh plant the church here. 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:31.120 So proclamation will always be special to our family. 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:44.399 We were here from the beginning um when you know we sat on nasty couches downstairs uh when Brennan almost drowned out at the Gromlicks in the middle of a church meeting. 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:49.039 Um and that's when our church planning advisor was like, I'm gonna distance myself from you guys. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:50.960 Uh this is crazy. 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:57.520 Uh and when the sound booth wasn't the size of a small church, uh, we were here for that. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:58.799 And it's good to be back. 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:01.359 This is a special place to us. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:17.040 Um I'm I was voted in by about 10 people at Grace Church uh in September of 2023, and then about 25 people from Proclamation uh came with us to help revitalize this little church in our town. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:20.879 And we're currently running around 65 or 70 people. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:27.280 We're seeing a lot of new faces from our community, which has always really been a prayer of ours uh from the beginning. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:34.239 So if you know anyone out in Danville or out that way uh looking for a church, send them our way. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.840 We would love uh to reach the community there with the gospel. 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.959 So all of that to say I'm not the pastor here anymore. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:44.959 I'm not a pastor elder here. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:52.239 Uh so no one here is uh following my lead on anything, and rightfully so. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.319 They should not be following my lead. 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:58.480 Uh you have your own elders and your own pastors leading you. 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:06.480 But if you were trying to follow me, that would create uh some really strange and difficult situations. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:10.719 It would be pretty awkward for everyone because I'm not here. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:26.159 And we're gonna be in Acts chapter 2, uh, we're gonna go through verses 42 through 47 and try to imagine with me the lives of these new Jesus followers without Jesus. 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:35.039 So there's there's around 120 people that have followed Jesus closely before this, before our text this morning. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:40.879 They followed him close enough that they waited in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:50.240 And they are left with this burden to to this mission to tell the world to follow a guy that isn't even here anymore. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:54.240 Uh the Browns left Cleveland in 1996. 00:02:54.639 --> 00:03:00.319 It was hard to follow the Browns in 97 and 98 because they weren't there. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.479 It's hard to follow someone that's not there, but that's what they were tasked with. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:13.520 And yet the Holy Spirit has convicted these followers of Jesus to tell the world to follow someone that isn't here. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:25.360 And not only that, but to follow him so closely and with so much devotion that they're willing to reorient their entire lives around this person's teachings. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:29.120 And it's actually working in the book of Acts. 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:37.599 3,000 people or even more have been cut to the heart, repented of their sins, and turned to Jesus. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.000 The church has been born of people that have been born again. 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.000 But how would this sustain? 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.520 How did the early church keep this up? 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:51.439 Yes, there's excitement. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:55.840 Uh you can read through the book of Acts, you can find that there's a lot of excitement. 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:58.960 Yes, there are miracles being done. 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:07.199 But how does it go from a little movement of some people that got emotionally stirred up into what it is today? 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:16.240 And honestly, I think for me, the answer to that is part of what solidifies my belief that God and his word and his son are actually true. 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:31.120 If this thing wasn't supernaturally charged, if the church never took off in the book of Acts, if the Holy Spirit didn't actually convict people and move them to repent of their sins and follow Jesus, why how are we still doing this today? 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:36.480 Why would we even be here today if this wasn't of the Holy Spirit? 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:43.439 And I think what we'll see in our text today is that these early Christians are captivated. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.319 They're held, they are captivated by Christ. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:52.560 They are enamored with the God that has done all of this in their midst. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:05:06.560 And my goal for us is to say, is not to say, well, let's look at this text and let's read the book of Acts, let's read the Bible in general, and let's copy exactly everything that they're doing. 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:17.279 Or let's feel really bad about our faith because it doesn't look as amazing as these people's faith did back here in the book of Acts. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:36.959 But my goal would be for us to allow this same Christ, the same Jesus that they're following in the book of Acts, the same person to captivate us, to be moved by him so much that we're willing to reorient our lives in a way that he sees fit. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.480 And if it looks like it did here in the book of Acts, fantastic. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:48.560 But whatever it looks like, we would be so held by Jesus that we would joyfully want to follow him. 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:56.399 Because I I think what captivates us will change our heart. 00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:20.560 If you've ever met someone, I don't know if you've ever met someone that's been totally taken by themselves, someone that brings every conversation back to them, or someone that never ask a question, someone that can't get past themselves, that they think everyone is thinking about them, that everyone wants to hear of their experiences. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:27.680 And right now, if you're thinking, I've never met anyone like that, I have some potentially surprising news. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:29.360 It could be you. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:35.759 But really, someone that arranges their entire life around themselves. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:43.120 We have some people that live uh somewhat close to us that are like they're obsessed with their property. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:47.839 They think all of the neighbors are after their property. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:54.000 And this has led them to set up their lives in a way where they feel like they have to protect it at all cost. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:07:00.240 So they put up signs and they put up cameras and they put up stakes, they make constant laps around the property. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:07.839 And we live like in the middle of the country, and they're thinking somebody is has tampered with some stuff around here. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:15.439 And they're even so convinced that they'll confront neighbors and accuse them of messing with stuff on their property. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:24.480 They are held by their property, by themselves, so much that they think everyone else is after whatever they have. 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:28.480 And in the meantime, no one is even really thinking about them. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:30.319 But that doesn't stop them. 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:32.000 They're held by it. 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:47.199 Now, picture if we have that same kind of devotion and love and obsession with Jesus, where we were willing to confront and tell others, not caring how he appeared, because we were so convinced that this was a worthy cause. 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:52.240 And that's what we see in our text, in Acts 2, 42 through 47. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.600 They're so captivated, they don't care. 00:07:55.839 --> 00:08:00.959 And it's the fact that they cherish Jesus that pulls their hearts to action. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:04.639 And then those actions shape their lives. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:21.199 And yet, if this morning, if we say, the call for you is to change your behavior, and if we uh if the call to behavior change supersedes the call to heart change, then you'll end up with legalism. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:39.440 And if I stand up here and I say, change your behavior, and you do, but you don't have a supernatural encounter with the Holy Spirit, then you walk away feeling like those behaviors are the standard by which you will encounter God and stand before Him righteous. 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:42.320 What you win them with is what you win them to. 00:08:42.879 --> 00:09:02.720 So if we are not held by Christ, and instead we're held by miracles or life change or giving and receiving gifts, or we're held by speaking in tongues or fellowship or fill in the blank, whatever it is, that will fade away, and then we will fade too. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:09.279 But if we are held by the unfading glory of Christ, we will sustain. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:13.679 There will be seasons of ups and downs, but he will hold us fast. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:21.840 So my prayer uh is that you will cherish Jesus and your life will be changed by that, by him. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.679 And that's what we see in the from the early church here in the text this morning. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.840 Uh, I'm gonna read a verse and then I'm gonna talk a little and I'll read a little and then talk a little. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.799 Uh we'll start in verse 42. 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:42.000 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:48.399 There are four things here that it says that the first church devoted themselves to. 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:51.759 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:57.120 This would have been everything from the Old Testament up through the life of Jesus. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.679 That's what's being taught at this point. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.879 They devoted themselves to fellowship, they hung out. 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:10.399 They devoted themselves to eating together, probably as they hung out. 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:14.000 And they devoted themselves to prayer. 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:18.399 This this is a description of the early church as a whole. 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:31.600 When you uh when you help in starting a church or you lead a church, there's always a lot of discussion and a lot of questions about uh what the church is supposed to do. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:34.159 What is it supposed to look like? 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:42.320 And in my experience, a lot of those discussions are centered around this, the gathering on Sunday. 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:43.600 What is that gonna look like? 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:45.039 What does the music look like? 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.039 Like what's it what's the music like here? 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:50.080 What are your service times? 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:52.799 What kind of preaching do you guys do? 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.399 How many people go there? 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:56.480 Uh what do you have to offer kids? 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:57.759 What do you have to offer teens? 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.799 What do you have to offer married people, single people, seniors? 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:02.480 What's the coffee situation? 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:04.080 Do you have a meal together? 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.759 What's communion like? 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:08.000 What's membership look like here? 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.000 What version of the Bible do you use? 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:18.960 All of these questions you think through and you're expected to have an answer for when leading a body of believers. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:29.519 And yet, what we get a glimpse of here in the text is that these, this is what the believers, their week looked like. 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:36.960 Not just the gathering, because the gathering, what we're doing here, is just a piece of the Christian life. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:38.720 It should be just a piece. 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:45.440 But it cannot be the only piece of our life that looks distinctively Christian. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:53.039 Did they, in the text, in the in Acts, did they develop structure over time? 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:54.080 Yes. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:58.320 Were there things they organized as a gathered church? 00:11:58.559 --> 00:11:59.200 Yes. 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:01.679 Were there formalities? 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:02.879 Maybe, yeah. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:07.120 I'm sure they developed a level of formality within the church. 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:18.399 But what really shaped their lives was their weeks, the days in between their gatherings, what their weeks looked like, not just what Sunday morning looked like. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:36.080 And I guess what I'm getting at here is all of the formalities that came out of the early church, all of the structure that developed, came out of a necessity and clarity for what God was already doing in their midst. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:41.679 And we don't want to get that backwards as churches. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:53.679 We don't want to be a church, and forgive me, because I have preached this to my church, so I'm saying this as if I'm talking to my own church, but we don't want churches that get this backwards. 00:12:53.759 --> 00:13:10.080 We don't want a church that spends all of its thought power on dotting every I and crossing every T that has an answer for every scenario that pops up, but is full of people that aren't captivated by Christ. 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:27.279 And I know for me, for sure, and I'm pretty sure with Rick and Jimmy, we didn't become pastors so that we could lead a membership meeting or control the money that uh that people give or dedicate our weeks to a one-hour gathering. 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:36.480 We don't exist as a church so that people have a nice, cozy, non-threatening place to feel good about yourselves on a Sunday morning. 00:13:36.799 --> 00:14:00.159 If we are not devoted to the Bible, to the apostles' teachings, if we aren't using our days and weeks to spend time helping each other, being with each other, if we aren't a praying church body, if we don't even know each other outside of this room, who cares what the structure is like here? 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.679 It doesn't matter. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:04.159 We can't get this backwards. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:12.080 The essential things that are actually in the Bible have to inform the practical things that we do. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:28.879 And when that happens, when we are actually held, I believe that God provides the structure and the answers and all of the good, the good questions that arise, all of the challenges that come along the way, God provides answers for those things. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:40.480 But when we lead with the practical, when we get more worried about the system than we do the worship, we've lost what it even means to be a church in the first place. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.639 And that's what the first group of believers did here. 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:47.360 They got what was necessary right. 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:55.039 They gathered to listen to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayers. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:56.960 They got the essentials right. 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:05.519 Then the rest of it fell into place with lots of grace and lots of love, and them doing the necessary things. 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:12.960 Those things that they were devoted to showed that they were actually captivated by Christ. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:18.480 And we see that to be true as it's explicitly stated in the next verses. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:28.320 We said at the beginning that what you cherish will pull your heart, and what pulls your heart will compel you to action, and those actions will begin to shape your lives. 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:30.720 And that's what we see in verse 43. 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:38.559 It says, And all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:42.799 All came upon every soul. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:48.799 That has to be the closest thing to heaven described in the Bible. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:52.399 I understand that the apostles are doing miracles. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:55.919 So I'm sure that added to the awe. 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:59.039 At this point, it says that many signs were being done. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:03.919 So more than what's recorded here in the book of Acts, there's more going on than that. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:11.279 And I know that you could argue that they're at an unfair advantage because they're getting to see all of these explicit miracles. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:29.279 And I'm sure that if I came in here today and I healed someone from an obvious long-standing ailment, and then I shared the gospel in a foreign language to an exchange student, and then uh 3,000 people came and were saved, next week this place would probably be packed. 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:34.000 I would be gone, but the place would be packed because they would be like, what is happening? 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:40.879 But man, what it must have been like to see all come upon every soul. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.039 Everyone taken by what God was doing. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.919 That sounds like glory to me. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:50.960 They weren't, they weren't being cynical or divisive. 00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:56.799 There were they were new enough at this that they hadn't gotten into any disagreements yet. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:58.480 They didn't have all the answers. 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.360 They didn't even know what the questions were. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.480 That's probably the biggest miracle in the book of Acts. 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:10.960 That over 3,100 Christians were in awe together over what God was doing. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:19.039 It even says that many signs and wonders, that many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:26.000 So that means that there were thousands of believers that were not doing signs and miracles. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.240 And no one was fighting about that. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.839 No one was jealous yet. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.680 No one was like, well, wait a second. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:33.279 He's he's doing that. 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:34.480 I want to be able to do that. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:35.440 Let me in there. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:37.200 Everyone is just amazed. 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:40.319 That's part of what heaven will be like, I believe. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:49.359 Different people just kind of popping off doing their thing, with no one else jealous about what the other person is or is not doing. 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:58.880 That's what drove them to devote themselves to teaching, to spend time together, to eat together, to pray together. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:00.720 They were in awe. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:06.880 They were enthralled by the splendor and wonder of God and what he was doing in their midst. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:10.160 And that drove their hearts to take action. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:11.599 And so they did. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.960 And then those actions began to shape their lives. 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:21.039 And we see from verse 44, uh 44 on what their lives actually looked like. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:25.039 Their weeks, not just their gathered time together, but their weeks. 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:31.839 Verse 44 says, and all who believed were together and had all things in common. 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:39.680 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. 00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:48.799 So in their midst in the church here, there were people that were in poverty, and then there were people that were enjoying great wealth. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:53.599 This moved the people with wealth to do something about it. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:58.400 To not just look at their brothers and sisters in need and say, Yeah, I'll be praying for you, buddy. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:06.880 But to give to it, to sell possessions and to give to those in their midst that had physical needs. 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.039 This is not communism. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:11.119 This is not government run. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:16.480 This is not the Bible making a case that personal property is a bad thing. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:20.880 In fact, the next verse there says that they met in each other's homes. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:23.680 So they definitely still had personal property. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:28.000 So we're not trying to say, hey, let's all live in a commune together. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:30.480 And the Bible isn't promoting that. 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:35.039 Nor is this policed by the apostles. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.519 It's not like at this point someone is keeping tabs on everything. 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:42.960 This is voluntary generosity from the early church. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:52.559 This is people being so overwhelmed by what God is doing that their cup is running over into and onto their other brothers and sisters. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:56.000 They're filled with gratitude for what God has done for them. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:01.200 So when someone bumps into them with a need, what comes out of them is gratitude. 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:03.920 And so they help with whatever they have. 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:16.559 And then verse 46 says, And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:28.400 So it attending the temple, uh, it probably looked not a lot like what we're doing here, but it probably looked like a meeting in the temple courtyard to discuss all of the stuff that was happening. 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:37.599 No one had a house or a building big enough to accommodate, you know, the 3,100 and growing uh community of people that were coming to Jesus. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:43.440 So they would meet in the temple courtyard, probably then break off into smaller groups. 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:48.319 Again, generosity was marking these new Christians. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.240 They were using their homes to meet in with these smaller groups. 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:57.920 If you host a community group, you know opening up your home is a sacrifice. 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:08.240 You're probably not getting out of there without a hole in the drywall or a glass being busted and somebody being cut and it being your fault for no reason. 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:10.799 That's part of the generosity. 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:19.759 They didn't know all of what to do or when to do it, but they knew how to do it. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:23.920 They received their food with glad and generous hearts. 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:28.400 You know who receives food with glad and generous hearts? 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:30.799 Glad and generous people. 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:41.279 Uh for Thanksgiving last year, we had uh some of the guys that were staying at Lazarus Life Ministries over to have Thanksgiving dinner with our family. 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:49.839 Um, if you don't, you most of you probably know that Lazarus is a house for men in addiction to come and heal and be shown hope in Jesus. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:57.599 And so we had uh my family, my parents, my two sisters, and my brother with their families. 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.599 And then we had the five, we had five of the last. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:09.920 Guys, and one of the leaders with his wife and another leader in our midst with uh our Thanksgiving dinner. 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:14.960 And one of the guys came up to me during dinner and was like, Man, this is great. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:17.440 You guys always get together like this? 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:21.440 And I was like, like, what do you I don't know what do you mean? 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.240 Like what? 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:28.160 Like, we get together for meals and we hang out and we do cookouts and stuff, and it's pretty boring. 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:30.000 Uh, what do you mean like this? 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:31.519 This isn't anything. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:35.519 And he was like, we could never do this with my family. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:45.599 Uh, some of my family are not speaking, and some are strung out on drugs, and um, if if we ever actually did get together, there was for sure gonna be a fight. 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:50.480 And here I am just having just an ordinary Thanksgiving dinner with my family. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:56.720 I'm a little underwhelmed with the company, I'm a little unimpressed with my sister's dish that she brought. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:05.519 Uh, I'm a little bored with the same routine, but the guy that received it with a glad and generous heart was blown away. 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.079 Maybe it's not so much about the accessories. 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:18.880 Maybe the decor isn't gonna make uh Thanksgiving any different than it did last year, but the heart will. 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:22.400 Maybe it's like that for the church too. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:26.559 The gathering here isn't going to be all that impressive. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:29.200 There's buckets hanging there. 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:34.880 The meals are mostly average, I'm sure. 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:37.279 The coffee, I had a cup. 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:38.799 It was okay. 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:39.839 It's neat. 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:42.480 I mean, there's basketball hoops and there's neat. 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.400 But let's be honest, the preaching is pretty average. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:24:02.480 But if you could get a hold of this glad and generous hearts thing, if we could give as we saw need, and then receive with glad and generous hearts, I think the next part of verse 47 would be true too. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:13.440 It says in verse 47 that praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:21.119 From their glad and generous hearts came praise to God and favor with mankind. 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:27.599 I think often we feel like we have to offend people in order to be walking with God. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:31.920 So we do our best to not be in favor with the world. 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:39.039 If people are offended and annoyed because your answer to everything comes back to Jesus, that's good. 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:40.079 That's a good thing. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:45.119 If they are offended because you're a jerk about it, that's not Christianity. 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:50.319 Don't hide behind the Bible with a billy club swinging it at people. 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:55.119 Our glad and generous hearts should produce joy. 00:24:56.160 --> 00:25:03.519 People like to be around joyful, rooted, generous, hard to offend people. 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:15.440 We often are so bent on having this world our way and saying everyone is so easily offended that it ends up being us that are so easily offended. 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:19.920 Don't give the world extra material to hate you. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:23.839 We should live a life that is blameless. 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:35.759 That if people don't like us, they would have to say, I can't stand that person, but I cannot put my finger on what it is because they are actually very favorable. 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:38.079 That is not compromise. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:39.839 That is Christianity. 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:47.519 And in the early church, they devoted themselves to each other in a way that was attractive to the outside world. 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:55.440 That is not me saying we need to water down the message and tell everyone that they're doing really good and there's no such thing as sin. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:56.960 I'm not saying that. 00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:02.799 If you've ever heard me preach, you know that I'm not saying that everyone is okay and it's all good. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:04.079 You're not okay. 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:05.839 We are not all good. 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:13.279 Peter literally just preached a message and told everybody that they killed Jesus and they repented and were baptized. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:15.359 There is no watering down the message. 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:17.119 That's not what we're doing. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:24.720 But now those same people are living life together in a way that confounds the world. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:27.440 They found favor with people. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:36.799 They were so struck by what God was doing that they didn't have any thought of staring down at themselves, wondering, why is everybody against me? 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:42.640 They lived their lives in a way that brought about praise to God and favor with all people. 00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:45.519 I want in on some of that. 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:50.240 The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:52.640 I would like to get close to that. 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:54.480 That sounds incredible. 00:26:54.720 --> 00:27:04.559 They were attractive to the world for the right reasons, not because they allowed sin to infiltrate their lives, but because of how well they treated each other. 00:27:04.799 --> 00:27:10.880 And I wonder what if they were writing this five verses about proclamation church? 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:12.880 What would it read like? 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:19.200 Not that it has to sound exactly like this, but would it sound Christian at all? 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:23.039 Let's say they wrote this about us here. 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:29.200 And they said, and at Proclamation Church, they devoted themselves to what? 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:32.319 What would it be if they were being honest? 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:36.880 They devoted themselves to convenience, to autonomy? 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:49.519 They devoted themselves to going to work and grabbing fast food, and they devoted themselves to having things their way, and boredom and apathy came upon every soul. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:58.960 And all the people that professed belief in Jesus gathered on Sunday and tossed an extra 50 in the giving box and headed for the car. 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:16.319 And day by day they spent their time isolated from the group and their own personal space, they received everything they wanted with cynical and skeptical hearts, complaining to God and pitting themselves against everyone. 00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:22.000 And they never saw anyone added to their number because who and the world would want to. 00:28:26.640 --> 00:28:32.640 And I'm not saying that we should copy exactly and try to do exactly what they're doing here. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:38.160 But this was written to tell us about what God did. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:42.400 I'm certainly not saying this to guilt you into action. 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:45.279 I don't even know if that sounds like proclamation church. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:48.319 I know it could describe my church at times. 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:59.279 And I'm just wondering if this church would be known as a group of people that, like these people in the book of Acts, are captivated by Christ. 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:01.039 Are you held by him? 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:04.000 Which brings us to this. 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:05.599 So what do we do? 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:08.640 This is what everyone wants to know. 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:11.759 So what do we do with this? 00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:16.480 And it would be easy for me to say, well, let's do what the early church did. 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:18.799 Let's devote ourselves to teaching of God's word. 00:29:19.039 --> 00:29:22.720 Let's meet every day and just pound each other with teaching. 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:28.000 I would actually commend you for devoting yourselves to the teaching of God's word. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:30.799 You're gathered here right now, and there's teaching. 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:31.599 You're here. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:33.200 That's worth something. 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:40.240 You're not, I don't think, that you're begging Rick and Jimmy to teach on non-biblical topics. 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:44.000 You're sitting under and listening to the preaching and teaching of God's word. 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:47.359 Most of you have made that a regular part of your life. 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:50.000 It would be easy for me to say, okay, what do we do? 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:51.920 Well, we should give generously. 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:54.400 And there are some generous people here. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:55.519 I know that. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:59.039 Not just with finances, but with time and effort. 00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:01.279 I know and I commend you for that. 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:03.359 I see Christ's likeness in that. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:10.160 It's easy to draw some parallels from the text and say, let's do what they're doing. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:13.759 But are we captivated by Christ? 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:23.359 Because a list of things for you to do with no love in your heart for Jesus is just religious activity. 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:24.880 It's useless. 00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:31.119 It's the same thing that the children of Israel were doing in the Old Testament when God said, shut up. 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:33.359 Your singing makes me sick. 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:36.400 This is this isn't even from the heart. 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:46.559 Maybe, like at our church, there are many here that lack a devotion to Christ that would be evident during the week. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:50.319 Sure, you can sit here and look like you're present. 00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:56.720 And yes, the the gathering is full and it's tidy in here. 00:30:57.039 --> 00:31:07.920 But when we leave here, there wouldn't be a lot of people saying, man, those people at Proclamation Church are held by Jesus in a way that's so attractive and it's bringing praise to God. 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:11.599 I don't know if that's the case, but I know that that's convicting to me. 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:14.160 Are we cherishing Christ? 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:26.480 I want us to because I believe that what we cherish will pull our hearts, and what pulls our hearts will dictate our actions, and our actions form our lives. 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:31.440 And that's when I should do this turns into I want to do this. 00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:35.200 How much money do I have to give turns into, man? 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:39.039 I just I want to help, I want to help my brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:45.759 How much do I have to read today turns into a hunger for God's word because that's where we see him. 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:48.720 How long do I have to be with these people? 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.880 Do we have to stay for the meal today? 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:57.440 It turns into a desire to be around them because your commonality in Christ is stronger than your differences. 00:31:58.079 --> 00:31:59.759 I'm horrible at praying. 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:06.480 Turns into, I have to take this to him because you understand he's the one that holds you. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:14.960 All of this happens not by just following a checklist, but when we are captivated by Christ. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:19.519 Stop being so taken by yourself. 00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:21.680 You're not that good. 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:24.559 You're not that fun to hang out with. 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:26.400 You're not that good looking. 00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:28.079 Is that my wife? 00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:39.279 Stop being enamored with yourself, so in tune with your preferences that you can't even walk into a room without thinking, what's being done wrong here? 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:41.519 Turn to him. 00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:44.400 Set your face on him. 00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:48.960 Give your heart to him and trust him with the rest of your life. 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:54.160 Devote yourself to him and his word and watch the spirit move. 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:56.720 I don't know what that looks like for you. 00:32:56.880 --> 00:32:57.440 I don't. 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:04.880 So if you're expecting me to say, do this, this, this, and this, and your life's gonna blow up spiritually, I can't do that. 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:07.039 I don't know what that looks like for you. 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:14.400 But I pray that as a people, we are so held by Christ that we will joyfully follow him. 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:38.480 And then, just in closing, I have to always add, if you're here and you haven't found Jesus worthy of following, I pray this morning that your pursuit of self-exaltation, your pursuit of dream chasing, and all of this world has to offer, I my prayer is that that falls flat on its face. 00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:42.960 And you realize that Jesus is the only pursuit. 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:47.920 He's the only person that can really hold you for eternity. 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:52.720 All of the frivolous stuff that you're chasing to fill you will not fill you. 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:55.279 He is the only one that can hold you for eternity. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:58.880 He is the only one worthy of your full devotion. 00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:00.799 Would you turn to him today? 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:01.599 Let's pray.