The Church, pt 1

[14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. [15] For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [16] But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

[17] “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams. . .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

[18] even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

[19] And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

[20] the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

[21] And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

[22] “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—[23] this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [24] God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. . .

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

[26] therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

[27] For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

[28] You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

[29] “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. [33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [34] For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

[35] until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

[36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Acts 2:36–47 ESV

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Door of the Church

(36-41)

Acts 2:21

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

There is an ‘In’ and there is an ‘Out’

There is NO other way into the church.

If you

You are NOT part of the church simply because:

your parent’s came

give money to the church

take communion at church

had an experience at an event

Jesus is the door to the church.

John 10:7-9

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Notice the order of the titles Peter gives to Jesus: Lord and Christ.

Jesus wasn’t Lord because God ‘anointed’ him. He was anointed by God because he is Lord.

Jesus (man) was also Lord (God) and so was the only one able to save us

Jesus as Lord is important on two levels: political implications and personal convictions.

Political Implications:

Jerusalem in 1st Century was under Roman occupation

Stating that ‘Jesus is Lord’ could be seen as a political challenge against Caesar by the very one that many believed was publically executed for being King of the Jews.

You wouldn’t claim Jesus as Lord unless you believed Jesus had risen.

(Otherwise, it is like wearing an “Elvis lives” t-shirt to visit his grave)

“With some degree of irony, then, what the Romans publicized as an emblem of fear and terror (the cross) ultimately became a symbol of true power and supremacy for the Christian believers in the empire.”

(Scot McKnight. Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not: Evaluating Empire in New Testament Studies . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.)

Scot McKnight. Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not: Evaluating Empire in New Testament Studies . InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Greater than the political implications that such a statement makes, claiming ‘Jesus as Lord’ has comes with serious

Personal convictions:

Reasons why Jesus may not be Lord is because many view Jesus as:

Meanie

Weenie

Genie

One of the actual blocks of our building:

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

The Church is a corporate identity but it is made up of individual responses to Jesus as Lord.

ILLUST - If a bricklayer is building a wall and comes across a weak brick will he use it - after all, it is still a brick? No, that brick, under load, will not bring strength to the entire unit.

The church corporately is only as strong as its members individually submit to Jesus as Lord.

Church has a solid foundation so it will never crumble, but its members give it strength even under load.

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart,

‘cut to the heart’

Why? - This Jesus whom YOU crucified

ILLUST - Set in A.D. 180, Gladiator tells the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe), who was about to be given reigning authority in Rome by the aging emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before this could take place, however, the emperor's son, Commodus, killed his father in order to establish himself on the throne. He then ordered the murder of Maximus and his family. Maximus escaped, and the movie follows him as he is sold into slavery, becomes a nameless gladiator, and finally seeks justice against wicked Emperor Commodus.

The turning point comes late in the movie. After Maximus wins a great battle in the Coliseum, Emperor Commodus decides to meet this unknown gladiator face to face. The crowd watches as the emperor in full pomp strides with his soldiers onto the sands of the Coliseum.

The emperor asks the simple question: "What is your name?"

Maximus, streaked with blood and dirt from the battle, takes off his helmet and says: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

The crowd erupts with a deafening roar, while the emperor visibly shakes under the weight of the true identity of a man he thought was a mere slave. The emperor flees the Coliseum, only to face defeat and death later at the hands of Maximus.

the reality is, that statement is just as true for you and I as it was for those shouts of “Crucify Him” actually reached Jesus’ ears.

1 Peter 2:24a

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The emperor asks the simple question: "What is your name?"

and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Response to receiving the truth was repent and baptize.

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Repent

Repentance is more than simply acknowledging the sin or feeling the guilt. It is about turning around and taking a step.

Faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin.

Baptism

Was baptism necessary to be saved? No.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

If baptism were necessary then there would be an external religious work necessary for us to be saved and Scripture is clear that there is work we can do to affect our own salvation.

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Peter was not giving the minimum necessary for salvation, but the full measure of both the inward and outward response to salvation.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Interesting: Parallels of Pentecost and Mt. Sinai

(36-41)

These people were religious. They were churchgoers. They travelled far to worship God.

Yet a deeper understanding of Jesus revealed left them convicted so deeply they ask for a way to respond.

Have you believed and were baptized? Why not?

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Those who received his word. . .

There has never been so great a name that upon the hearing and explanation of it would cause thousands to respond in such a way that they would face the political implications, the personal convictions, and now public spectacle as the name of JESUS.

were baptized. . .

Can you imagine the immensity of that response?

Would have been anywhere from 55,000 to 200,000

Picture the commotion and upheaval it would have caused in the city as 3000 people were baptized in the name of Jesus.

3000/12 = 250 per apostle

15sec/baptism = a little more than an hour

There were a couple of pools in Jerusalem that would have been big enough to support this response

didn’t happen in a quiet place; it was public.

Have you ever been ‘cut to the heart’ and then. . . nothing?

If we truly acted on every conviction the Spirit gives us we would be a much holier people.

Sometimes we let our fears become a greater idol than Jesus the Lord - we don’t say it but we show it

fear of what people may think of us

fear that we will show weakness

fear that what is private will become public

virtually every response to the Spirit’s conviction will have an external effect or we haven’t really responded to the Spirit’s move, we’ve simply acknowledged he’s trying.

ILLUST - what if we held a baptism service in a fountain at the University Park Mall? Right in the midst of the world’s daily life. Would you take the dip? If not is Jesus really Lord?

To be fully devoted to Jesus means we fully respond to his call.

Fully Devoted (made of those given to Jesus)

ongoing

there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Added to what?

The Church

Eternal life!

notice ‘souls’ used

Echos of Sinai:

The Israelites left Egypt on Passover and 40 days later arrived at Sinai. Then Moses went up on a mountain to see God (Mt. Sinai). Ten days later Moses came down with the Torah and the Israelites broke the covenant and 3000 people died as a result.

Jesus died on Passover and 40 days later went up on a mountain to see God (Mt. Of Olives). Ten days after Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came down and 3000 people were saved!

Fifty days after sacrificing Passover Lamb, the Israelites received a covenant from God

50 days after sacrificing Jesus, Our Passover Lamb, believers received a new covenant from God.

habitual

One reason to split this passage into two messages is because we cannot expect to carry out the Marks of the church and have the Effect of the church if we are not fully devoted to fully responding to the Lord of the Church.

Respond now.

Church belongs to JESUS

One person is a Christian, Christians make the church

Commit (find someone to ask and hold you accountable) to respond when convicted.

you can’t be the church by yourself

On April 9, 1945, just a few weeks before Adolf Hitler’s suicide in Berlin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian, was hanged with five others at the Nazi extermination camp of Flossenbürg. He was 39 years old. The only account of Bonhoeffer’s death was by the prison doctor, who recalled:

A decade later, a camp doctor who witnessed Bonhoeffer's hanging described the scene: "The prisoners … were taken from their cells, and the verdicts of court martial read out to them. Through the half-open door in one room of the huts, I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, before taking off his prison garb, kneeling on the floor praying fervently to his God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued in a few seconds. In the almost 50 years that I have worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing….

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Marks of the Church

(42)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Fully Devoted (made of those given to Jesus)

“Devoted” = persist obstinately in

A Greek-English Lexicon προσκαρφόω

attach with nails

persist obstinately in

ongoing

habitual

Church belongs to JESUS

One person is a Christian, Christians make the church

you can’t be the church by yourself

Apostles Teaching

Jesus-Centered Teaching

Each Other

Fellowship

God’s Presence

Breaking of bread

Prayer

Test of church (if they are fully devoted):

biblical

unity

Spirit-filled

uncommon community

prayerful

missional

The Effects of the Church

(43-48)

Marked by “And”

Uncommon spiritual reality

Uncommon love in community

Uncommon generosity

Uncommon evangelistic effectiveness

The process by which we’ve laid out to accomplish the mission of Granger Missionary Church is taken from these effects of the church:

Worship

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Gospel-Centered Worship

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

Gospel-Centered Community

45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Gospel-Centered Service

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Gospel-Centered Multiplication

Conclusion

Church as movement by JD Greear

Ephesians 2:19-21

The church at its inception was, essentially, a movement... a movement built around conviction that Jesus had died as the only Savior for sinners and that he had risen from the dead proving he was who he said he was; that he was the rightful Lord of the earth and all people everywhere were now commanded to repent and invited to come home to him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

In the Greek NT, the word translated “church” is “ekklesia.” The word in Greek, it means literally, “an assembly,” or “a gathering” of people around an idea. In fact, if you break the word ek-klessia down, it comes from “ek” means “out of” and “kaleo” means “called out.” So think of an ekklesia as an assembly of people called out around an idea.

But over the years, a terrible thing happened. People began to think of church as a place that you went to for religious services. • Our English word “church” comes not from the Greek ekklesia

but from the German word kirche, which meant “a sacred place where you gather for religious purposes.”

That shift in thinking changed the fundamental way people related to the church. Throughout the Dark and Middle Ages people went to church; it was place you attended or an event you sat through, rather than as a movement you were part of.

• And so the church became an institution that essentially provided services for people and was controlled by powerful people who used it to serve their own interests.

But then something awesome happened. God raised up a group of people called the Reformers. One of the main ones for the English-speaking world was William Tyndale. • Tyndale came to the conviction that Christianity was

essentially a movement, and that if people were going to be devoted to the movement they had to understand the message, and so his life’s work was to produce the first translation of the Bible into common English.

• And every time he came to this word ekklesia he translated it “congregation” instead of church, because he was trying to emphasize that the church was not a place you went to, but a movement you belonged to.

• Well, that infuriated church leaders because it undercut their authority. Eventually Tyndale was tried as a heretic, hanged and burned at the stake.

• During his trial, right before he died, he said, “If God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the Scriptures than you do.”

o As he was being burned his last recorded words were, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.” If you’ve got a copy of the King James Bible, you can see that God answered that prayer.

But this is what the church is. An assembly built around a movement. (And I’m indebted to Andy Stanley for talked about some of that in a message I heard him preach recently.)1

The danger of the church in every age is to cease being a movement and become instead a ministry that provides service to people, or, even worse, a place people simply attend. • Movements move. And if you’re part of the movement, you’re

The Church, pt 1

Introduction

The Door of the Church

​

The Marks of the Church

Apostles Teaching

Jesus-Centered Teaching

Each Other

God’s Presence

Prayer

The Effects of the Church

Uncommon spiritual reality

Uncommon love in community

Uncommon generosity

Uncommon evangelistic effectiveness

Conclusion