Sermon Tone Analysis

Pre-sermon: Eph.

4:11-13

Intro:

AG:

TS : This passage records the power of God in the early church on full display.

God blessed the apostles with power an boldness (just as they had asked in ch 4. The infant church had God’s power confirming their message:

He was working signs and wonders through the apostles.

He was even healing those in Peter’s shadow

People must have heard of Ananias and Sapphira by their reaction

RS: Through it all, we can see aspects in the life of the early church which we can apply today.

He still answers prayers.

While many of the signs and wonders have ceased, we all know of miracles which God has worked.

We also know that much we take for granted is also His handiwork.

such as people repenting, transformed lives, etc

1.

A Unified Church

Have you noticed how many times God speaks through Luke to remind us of this?

When God repeats Himself, it is important!

Here we see the emphasis was on the condition of Unity.

One of the traits of a healthy church is unity!

But what does that mean?

Brandon Cox, blogger and church planter in Arkansas discussed kinds of unity seen in healthy churches.

Relational Unity

The bond of love of which we often sing

The ability to get along in this body is vital to the health of the church

God brings us together from diverse backgrounds and makes us family

Spiritual Unity

We share the same Spirit and He is leading us as a body

He place us here for a reason:

Doctrinal Unity

i.

We can get along if we agree together about such issues as:

The nature of the church as Christ’s body on earth.

The nature of the Holy Spirit as fully God.

There is always hope for eternity because of Jesus.

Jesus is the risen King and Lord.

There is one and only one way to approach God – by faith.

There is only one meaning of baptism – our identification with Christ.

There is only one God.

He is sovereign.

He is omnipresent.

He is alive forevermore.

Missional Unity

“There is a missional unity that can be enjoyed by the local church when we see ourselves collectively as a community of redeemed sinners sharing the task of loving other broken sinners to healing in a truth-teaching, Christ-centered church family.”

Brandon Cox

We grow:

Larger through evangelism.

Broader through ministry.

Stronger through worship.

Warmer through fellowship.

Deeper through discipleship.

We must cherish and guard the unity of the church!

2. A Respected Church

The first church of Jerusalem was a respected church.

I see 2 things here to suggest that they were respected:

They were feared

people feared the deadly potential of joining the church

Ananias and Sapphira's story was probably well known.

They feared the power of God on display in judgment

The church wasn’t without strings

the message to Repent was meant!

The thought of joining with the church was not taken lightly

it was great power on display

but it obviously was great accountability

the church wasn’t like the Pharisees they were used to seeing

a lot of talk about righteousness, but sin was still present

Sin had led to instant death!

People still fear/hate/resent the message of holiness

The amazing unity could also be intimidating

They were into each other’s business,

The members had to really open up to each other

that puts us in a place of vulnerability!

We can’t hide behind our masks and be this close at the same time.

They were esteemed

They had a good reputation among the people

They were held in high regard at this point in history

A lame beggar had been healed!

They were a unified body

They cared for and met each others needs

The church was a place were people were treated equally regardless of background.

slaves, free, men, women, and people from all walks of life were accepted

This was attractive and respected by the crowds

it opened the door for more to hear the gospel

Our church’s reputation is important

I’m not advocating a PR campaign and compromising things to get good poll numbers in town.

I’m talking about what people’s impression is of us in general

are we sincere

are we caring

are we welcoming

As I first starting meeting people in town I learned a lot about Craft

a. we are well known

b. many have attended here

c.

They speak favorably

I’m sure there may be some who say otherwise, but in general, this church has a good reputation.

We did win the “Best church “ readers choice award!

However, we must guard that!

if we let ourselves become too inwardly focused, if we start bickering and fighting, We will be known for all the wrong reasons

3. A Growing Church

As a healthy church, God blessed them with growth.

He was calling people to repentance and there were being saved and added to the church.

There were multitudes who heard the gospel witness, gladly believed, and joined the church.