Covenant Church

When the Holy Spirit fell on Jesus’ followers on the Day of Pentecost…the power of God and the awesome display of His presence flowed out into the streets of Jerusalem. People tried to explain it away…they must be drunk. Others were dumbfounded…we hear them praising God in our language. Everything changed that day b/c Jesus kept His promise — His New Covenant promise — to send the Holy Spirit to fill them and empower them to spread the message of life in Him to all the world

People tried to explain it away…they must be drunk

Others were dumbfounded…we hear them praising God in our language

Everything changed that day b/c Jesus kept His promise — His New Covenant promise — to send the Holy Spirit to fill them and empower them to spread the message of life in Him to all the world

What was the first thing that happened as the dust began to settle? Peter got up and preached the message of Christ to the crowd — many were convicted, repented, and followed Christ that day (thousands).

They began immediately to pursue Jesus in every way they could.

Acts 2:41

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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 the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:41–47 NIV

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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 the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

PRAYER

The Holy Spirit unites and empowers God's covenant people to light up the world with Christ's love and hope!

Why is the day of Pentecost so important?

The Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff)

Pentecost, in the Jewish culture, was the 50th day after Passover — it was called “firstfruits” or “the feast of the harvest”

For us…it was the first fruit of the promise Jesus gave to the Disciples

Why was the Day of Pentecost so important?

Acts 1:8–9 NIV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

When the Holy Spirit fell that day…what were the results?

The Holy Spirit’s presence created a...

A Learning Church

Exposition

verse 42a, They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching...

School is in Session

Come to HSU - Holy Spirit University

A Mind is a terrible thing to waste

Spirit-Certified Teachers & Life-changing Curriculum

The Apostles’ teaching

They taught what Jesus taught them

Life-Changing Curriculum

The Holy Spirit enabled them to teach powerfully

Spirit-Certified Teachers

Important truth to

Application

REMEMBER THIS:

A Learning church is an equipped church

Application

Ephesians 4:11–12 NIV

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

Ephesians

The Holy Spirit leads and empowers the people of God to apply the written Word of God…PRACTICAL & POWERFUL!

The Holy Spirit leads and empowers the people of God to apply the written Word of God

The Holy Spirit’s presence created a...

A Loving Church

Exposition:

…and to fellowship (2:42b)

Fellowship: from the Greek word Koinonia (from koinos, ‘common’)

The new followers of Christ discovered they shared life in common…in a couple main ways

We Share God

Together, in common…koinonia

Breaking of bread — the Lord’s Supper

We Share Ourselves and What We Possess

Together…in common…koinonia

They sold property in order to help the needy in their church family

REMEMBER

A loving church is a sharing church

Love God, Love People, Share Hope

Transitional: The Holy Spirit’s presence created a...

A Worshiping Church

Exposition:

Their fellowship and love was expressed through how they cared for one another but not only that. It was expressed as they worshipped and praised God together.

People tried to explain it away…they must be drunk

They demonstrated a balance that we need to have also. Their worship was both formal and informal

Others were dumbfounded…we hear them praising God in our language

Worship is both formal and informal

Everything changed that day b/c Jesus kept His promise — His New Covenant promise — to send the Holy Spirit to fill them and empower them to spread the message of life in Him to all the world

They met together in the Temple courts and in their homes

Temple Courts...

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes (2:46a)

As followers of Christ and His new covenant of grace, why do you supposed they still met in the Temple Courts?

I don’t think they participated in the sacrifices any longer…Jesus was their final sacrifice

But they were still Jewish…they still worshipped the same God. The Temple conducted prayer services - so they went to pray

And, as they grew in the knowledge of the message of Christ, they probably preached in the outer courts of the Temple

At that point…that was the place they had for formal, reverent worship

In their homes...

Informal, spontaneous meetings

Including the breaking of bread (46) —

Comfortable — family type gatherings — with their new faith in Christ as the central them of their connection

They were a covenant community…a covenant church…united under the banner of the Messiah!

We need the corporate, more intentional times of worship together in God’s house

Communion, Worship, Preaching of the Word, Challenge of commitment, etc.

We also need the times of fellowship and celebration in each other’s homes and/or as we gather her for times of food, fellowship and celebration

…in a worshipping church we have worship that is both...

Worship is both joyful and reverent

…and at together with glad and sincere hearts (2:46b)

The NEB translates it as “with unaffected joy”

God sent Jesus to save them and now filled them with His Holy Spirit to empower them — they had much reason for joy

Every worship gathering should be a joyful event because of the wonderful things God has given us through Jesus Christ.

It is right in public worship to be dignified; it is unforgivable to be dull

Balance — both joyful and reverent

…everyone was filled with awe at the many signs and wonders performed by the apostles (2:42)

All the people were filled with awe…those new believers and the community around that witnessed the power of God and the message of Christ

God was obviously moving in the midst of their community…I don’t think anyone could miss it, whether they were followers of Christ or not.

In reverence and awe…they bowed in His presence in humility and wonder

REMEMBER

As we gather in worship, there is room for both reverent worship and exuberant rejoicing…celebration

Everyone that knows Christ should, without question, be involved in worship and celebration

Those that do not yet know Christ should feel His presence when they are among His people.

Transitional: The Holy Spirit’s presence created a...

…praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people (2:47a)

Transitional: The Holy Spirit’s presence created a...

A Contagious Church

Exposition:

The author of Acts (Luke) records clearly that the people were devoted to study, fellowship, and worship.

A New Covenant church is an equipped church

Spirit-filled and empowered

Devoted to growth and maturity in Christ

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer (2:42)

These are interior activities in the life of the church. But we cannot stop at verse 42

An equipped church is a contagious church

And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved (2:47b)

The Jerusalem believers were not so pre-occupied with learning, fellow shipping and worshipping that they neglected witnessing to their community about the wonderful love and power of Christ.

Acts is governed by one dominant, overriding and all-controlling motif. This motif is the expansion of the faith through missionary witness in the power of the Spirit…Restlessly the Spirit drives the church to witness, and continually churches rise out of the witness. The church is a missionary church — Harry Boer

CONCLUSION

The Holy Spirit unites and empowers God's covenant community to light up the world with Christ's love and hope!

What are the defining characteristics of the church?

We are a covenant community under Christ

He made it possible…He kept the covenant to make a way for all mankind to be saved, through one Savior, one Lamb of God slain for our sins, One risen Lord, and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit --- Pentecost

A Spirit-empowered church revolves around relationships

Relationship with the Apostles’ teaching

The early church was devoted to Apostles’ teaching

They were eager to learn and to grow — they were equipped because of the message of Christ as taught by the Apostles

Relationship with each other (fellowship)

This was a non-negotiable priority

Fellowship, mutual care and concern

Helped those in need among them

Loving, caring, sharing

Relationship with God (Worship)

In the Temple

In Homes

During the Lord’s Supper

In prayer

With joy and reverence

Relationship with the world (Outreach)

It was not a self-centered, self-contained, or self-absorbed church — a church that fits that description is not filled or being led by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a missionary spirit — A Spirit-filled church is a missionary church!

CHALLENGE

Do you consider yourself a member of Christ’s church?

How do you know?

John 3:16 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Christ’s church is made of of people that are devoted to

The truth

Study, learn, grow, and act upon it

It is a corporate activity (as well as personal)

One another — showing true love and care

To God — as a people that love worshipping together in His name

To the World — God is not willing that any should perish

Love God, Love People, Share Hope

Who is ready to make a fresh commitment to Christ today?

A fresh commitment to learning, loving, worship, and reaching out to those that need Jesus?

It’s a deadly and dangerous world out there without the hope that can only come from Jesus — the only one that can rescue the lost and hopeless.