The Purpose

The Purpose  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  27:42
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THE PURPOSE We could literally be in Acts for over 1 year if we truly studied it. This was on the agenda before everything happened. Today I wanted to focus on traits that the early church did that we should follow. In the future I will probably do a (what is a biblical church) series, but today, lets read Acts 1 & 2 and we will focus on Acts 2:41-47 Evidence suggest that Acts was written by Luke in the year 60-63 The events recorded in Acts cover a period of about 30 years: beginning with the Lord Jesus' ascension in A.D. 33, and extending to Paul's two-year Roman house arrest that ended about A.D. 62 In Acts, we see how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem (capital of Judaism) to their uttermost (Rome) We also see how Jesus truly was building His church. So, in chapter 1 we basically see that before Christ ascended, He gave a command in Acts 1:8 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We see a promise for the Holy Spirit that would come to indwell us and then see almost like a prophetic command (YOU SHALL BE) …. WITNESSES AFTER HIS ASCENSION AND PROMISE OF RETURN The Apostles in vs 13-14 returned to Jerusalem and the Bible says: 13 When they had entered, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.  14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.  The apostles gave (devoted) "themselves to prayer" (Gr. proseuche) Luke stressed their unity ("all with one mind"), a mark of the early Christians that Luke noted frequently in Acts. The disciples were "one" in their purpose to carry out the will of their Lord. "In almost every chapter in Acts you find a reference to prayer, and the book makes it very clear that something happens when God's people pray."[84] We shall see in a second why it is important, and we currently see that corporate prayers is something that a church family does TOEGTEHR. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the disciples (the number of people together was about a hundred and twenty), and said,  This was the 1st church (not counting the disciples). I believe that the disciples were the first church, but believe what you want. What we see further down is that this CHURCH had a need and TOGETHER they were going to address it. What need? The needed another Apostle How did they go about it? 21 Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us while the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,  22 beginning from the baptism of John until the very day that He was taken up from us, one of these men must become with us a witness of His resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.  24 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, show which of these two You have chosen  25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, to go to his own place.”  26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. So he was numbered with the eleven apostles. They had qualifications set in vs 21 & 22 The church proposed 2 men to fill 1 spot Then they prayed And cast lots And Matthias was their man. But let’s break that down a bit and look at another verse. We no longer cast lost since that was a way of discovering the will of God before the Holy Spirit So now we pray and seek His will. Ultimately should He be the one guiding us? Now this may explain why I do what I do. I was raised non denom, but was saved and trained Baptist Baptist believe in congregational voting and here is why. Scripture encourages a consensus among church members. We are commanded to have one mind. Philippians 1:27-28 says, 27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether or not I come and see you, I may hear of your activities, that you are standing fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.  28 Do not be frightened by your adversaries. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this from God.  Having one mind is the standard for God’s church. In the New Testament, we see this pattern worked out in the church at Jerusalem. In Acts 6:1-7 6 Now in those days, as the disciples were multiplied, there was murmuring among the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were overlooked in the daily distribution.  2 So the twelve called the multitude of disciples together and said, “It is not reasonable for us to leave the word of God and serve tables.  3 Brothers, look among yourselves for seven men who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint over this duty.  4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what was said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, who was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Procorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,  6 whom they presented before the apostles. And when they had prayed, they placed their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples grew rapidly in Jerusalem, and a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith. This passage clearly indicates congregational involvement. It clearly indicates that there was a consensus, since “the statement found approval with the whole congregation.” It also clearly indicates that a choice was made. We see that the congregation suggested some options for “deacons” and the multitude agreed. We aren’t going to clear up certain beliefs here, but in chapter, the Holy Spirit arrived. The promise made by Jesus was fulfilled. The day of Pentecost was amazing because we see that the Jews who needed a sign (they were stubborn) received one. The Galileans and other people all spoke a different language Not the mixed-up gibberish we hear today in some church, but real languages. Foreigners heard them speak in their language  9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,  10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,  11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages the mighty works of God.”  I believe it was Peter who stood up and said: 21 And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’[a] Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with powerful works and wonders and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know.  23 You have taken Him and by lawless hands have crucified and killed Him,  32 God raised up this Jesus, of which we all are witnesses.  36 let all the house of Israel assuredly know that God has made this Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Once he preached to them, what happened? 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. They heard the Gospel, got saved and immediately were baptized. Why? Because baptism is not about how we fell, but rather being obedient. 42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.  43 Fear came to every soul. And many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  44 All who believed were together and had all things in common.  45 They sold their property and goods and distributed them to all, according to their need.  46 And continuing daily with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,  47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So here we go. If we want to be a church that glorifies and honors God, I BELIEVE we need to use this church as an example. A church should not be known for their music, children’s programs, environment or anything like that. Is it bad to have a nice building, great music and amazing children’s programs? No! but that’s not the main things. Acts 2, after Peter’s Jewish audience heard the gospel proclaimed, they responded with repentance and faith, were incorporated into the church through baptism, and they devoted themselves to a common faith and a common life. Notice how the church devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching which is……. JESUS CHRIST! Let’s dissect it a bit. 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. To receive, you must preach Once you receive (saved), you get baptized Once you are baptized, you join the church (Here you see church membership and how you join) But none of this is possible if no one is around to hear it. We must also proclaim Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost Here we not only see worldwide missions We also see a church that reaches their community 42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.  The apostles’ teaching is nothing other than all of Scripture, now interpreted through the lens of Jesus. This is, after all, how Jesus himself viewed all of Scripture (Luke 24:44-49). 44 He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.  46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, and accordingly it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,  47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  48 You are witnesses of these things.  49 And look, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.” For this reason, we should want what we do together as a church to be Word-saturated (all of Scripture) and gospel-centered (interpreted through the lens of Jesus). 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common.  45 They sold their property and goods and distributed them to all, according to their need.  The early church had frequent contact with each other It’s not just a Sunday thing Do we hang out with/call/text/e-mail our church family? Looks here like we should. We see that they sold what they had to help others. This truly demonstrates LOVE Remember, love is an action You don’t love without actually doing something 46 And continuing daily with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,  47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. This progress report summarizes the growth of the church thus far. The believers met with one another daily, enjoying the unity of the Spirit. They congregated in the temple area, probably for discussion and evangelization (cf. 3:11; 5:12). They ate meals and observed the Lord's Supper together in homes. In the ancient Near East, eating together reflected a common commitment to one another and deep fellowship. A meal shared together was both a symbol and a seal of friendship. Public church buildings were unknown until the third century. People trusted Christ daily, and the Lord added these to the church so that it grew steadily Do we see this? The church back then is not what it is today. Honestly, my goal would be to be like this……. I’ve said it all along…. A FAMILY, UNITED FOR ONE PURPOSE TO PROCLAIM JESUS CHRIST
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