Shine As Lights in the World

FEBRUARY 23, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 2:40-42 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. I like this verse, it is a good guideline for a Sunday morning sermon, “and with many words” Peter’s sermon was not short, I don’t think he was through by noon With many words he did “testify,” which indicates an earnest repetition of words Because of the importance of his words, he repeated himself, repetition is a good way to learn He wanted them to hear and pay attention to what he was saying, his words were important A strong emphasis upon the importance of what was being said is in, “did he testify” The same original word is found in, 2Ti 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. (“Charging” is the same word translated “did he testify” in Acts 2:40) Paul told Timothy to remind them, to be sure that they always have “these things” in their mind They must be constantly reminded of “these things,” what things? (Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13) That which is found in the previous verses of 2 Timothy 2, instructing us as soldiers of Christ As Christians we must be strong in the Lord, 2Ti 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We must be faithful in our commitment to Christ, we must be a witness for Christ, an example, 2Ti 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Others must learn of the Christian life from us so they can teach others the Christian way of life Christians face a daily battle with Satan and his demonic forces, we must be “good soldiers” 2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The importance of knowing “these things” is identified in the word “charging” (2 Tim 2:14) Same word used to identify Peter’s message, he “did testify,” a strong declaration of the truth He did testify and “exhort,” which is another strong word urging them to take immediate action And he tells them what action to take, “save yourself” is not a call to a works salvation It was a wakeup call, they were in danger, they were in danger because of their generation An “untoward” generation means a perverse, crooked, warped, twisted, and dishonest society They lived among people who were morally and spiritually corrupt (does that sound familiar) To escape is not the answer, the answer is how to live in such corruption, Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Scripture does not teach that Christians are sinless, but that they must be stainless The Christian life must not be stained or spotted by sin, we must be “blameless” Our life should demonstrate the power of God to overcome sin Our daily life should show forth that we have been set apart unto holiness God has set a high standard of living for His children, which is a life that is “harmless” We must be innocent of evil thinking or evil desires, listen to Jesus, Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. We are sent forth into “a crooked and perverse nation,” an ungodly world As Christians we are to stand right in a world that is wrong We are to present the truths of God to a world that is following Satan, sin, and false gods We live in a sin sick society, minds are morally warped, hearts are depraved, wills are wicked God has a purpose for the Christian living in this world, actually-it is an opportunity Page 1 of 4 We are to “shine as lights in the world,” lights are the brightest in the darkest night We are to be like the brightest stars that shine in the darkness of night We must live the life that leads sinners out of the darkness and into the light of salvation The lost must see our witness for Christ and then we will see them believe and be baptized Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. “Then,” as a-result of the message of Peter and the ministry of the Holy Spirit Here we have the evidence of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the promise of Jesus fulfilled, Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (The beginning witness was 3,000 souls saved in Jerusalem) Because of the witness of Peter many lost sinners welcomed the good news of the gospel They received the gospel because they believed it, Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: The 3,000 souls gave testimony of their receiving the gospel of salvation by being baptized They were dipped or immersed in water, which literally means they were submerged in water Which was a strong testimony coming from a Jew, they thought only Gentiles should be baptized Water baptism was a meaningful experience to them, there was another meaningful experience It was not water baptism that added the 3,000 souls to the 120 disciples gathered at Jerusalem It was the Spirit’s baptism that united them to Christ and to one another, 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Water baptism was their testimony that they had been saved and united into the NT Church All 3,000 were obedient to Peter’s command to be baptized, what a baptism service that was They didn’t get out of church at 12:00 noon that day Modern day invitations at the end of a message are often a sad, tear-jerking story Which can result in an emotional moment and an emotional decision, but what is the end-result? Peter spoke the Word of God, he preached Jesus was crucified and arose from the dead Jesus went to the cross because of their sins, He shed His blood for the remission of their sins He lives and He will give them a new spiritual life to live during their earthly life A life that goes beyond the time of our physical life, it is an eternal life with God the Father Jesus ascended to the right hand of God and sent the Holy Spirit as he promised (Acts 2:14-40) Peter preached that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, you must receive Him and repent of your sins And the Holy Spirit fulfilled His new earthly ministry of conviction, Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. Was the decision of the 3,000 a brief emotional experience, or an everlasting salvation? Read on-- Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. The church of today needs to learn from this verse and put it into practice Many books have been written on the subject-of church programs and church growth Seminars are conducted throughout the country covering the techniques of a fast-growing church In the closing verses of Acts 2 we find the most successful church growth plan ever written It begins with those who were just saved and baptized, we are told what they did Their personal testimony went beyond their baptism it continued-on in their daily life “They continued steadfastly,” they put forth an effort, they took time to do it Page 2 of 4 They didn’t allow just any little thing to keep them from their commitment They were not guilty of Sunday morning “Devilitis” which only lasts till Sunday noon They were committed to and had a conviction concerning each of the following: The apostle’s doctrine; fellowship; breaking of bread; and prayers They were committed daily to “The apostles’ doctrine,” which today is found in the Bible A personal application for today is daily Bible reading and daily Bible study Daily they were living their life according to the apostles’ doctrine, according to the Bible As they learned, they lived what they had learned, they were steadfast, they were faithful They had a strong desire to learn what God wanted them to do and how God wanted them to live They wanted to learn the Word of God, live the Word of God, and share the Word of God Their desire was exactly what Peter said the desire of a new Christian should be, 1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: They allowed the Word of God to dwell in them, they allowed God’s Word to teach them, Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. They shared what they had learned with one another through words and deeds The teaching ministry was of utmost importance to the early church, Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. You did not hear them say, “I don’t have time to read the Bible today,” or I’m too tired” The Apostles were commanded by the religious and legal authorities not to teach Jesus’ words, Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. (It is happening in countries throughout the world today, it could happen in America) But the Apostles were committed to their teaching, their answer was, Act 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (What would your answer be?) Referring to what Christ had done through their life and the lives of others in the church Even after being arrested, threatened. and persecuted, their prayer was, Act 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, (“Boldness” to share the gospel with the lost, Ephesians 6:19-20) God answered their prayer, Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Evidence that they had been with Jesus, Acts 4:13) Jerusalem is where the early church had its beginning, they filled Jerusalem with their teaching, Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. (What a challenge, what an opportunity, to fill Limestone County with the Word of God) The early church committed themselves to every opportunity to learn God’s Word The early church was strongly committed to “assembling together,” coming together as Christians Which is identified by the word “fellowship,” which many today do not understand “Fellowship” is one of the most meaningful words in the N.T. for Christians It is one of the most important words for Christians to understand, especially in our day We use it today with different meanings, we use it too often to identify too many different things We often use it with the meaning of “friendship,” but “fellowship” is far more than friendship It is something beyond friendship, much stronger than friendship experienced in a social activity In the Bible it means to have something in common, Christians have something in common Something that we can share with one another, something we must share with others We can share together because we share something together, we have something in common The letter of 1 John is written that we might have “Fellowship” (1 John 1:3,6,7) The word “Fellowship” is found four times in 1 John 1 and one of the key words in the letter Remember what Peter and John said when they were threatened by the officials, Act 4:20 For we cannot Page 3 of 4 but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Now, 1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Biblical fellowship is a Companionship, a Partnership, a Relationship with God the Father We have the “WORD OF LIFE,” we each one as believers in Christ have “ETERNAL LIFE” “Fellowship” describes the purpose of what John declares, why he is telling us what he does If we don’t hear the message of Jesus and receive the life of Jesus, there will be no “fellowship” So, John tells us about Jesus so that we may share in, realize, and enjoy fellowship That we may have firsthand knowledge of and the personal experience of fellowship with God John also wants us to continue to have and continue to experience fellowship with one another Fellowship with one another is possible because we have fellowship with God You can sense the excitement and enjoyment of John when he says, “truly our fellowship” Christians are not to live in isolation, Christians are to live in “fellowship” A life that is to be shared with others. Sunday is a special day for “Fellowship with God” A day for Fellowship with one another, but the purpose of Sunday is losing ground today Christian fellowship is not a top priority in the life of many church members today Very few churchgoers today realize the importance and value of Christian Fellowship No earthly organization, no worldly pleasure, no sports activity, no social gathering Can compare to Christian Fellowship, especially the fellowship the early church experienced Their gathering together for fellowship was not just once or twice a week, Act 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, They came together to fellowship through the ministry of the Word of God, Act 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. They witnessed the results of their commitment toward the Word of God, Act 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. They were committed to the “breaking of bread,” was that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper? Or does it mean sitting down to enjoy meals together? We will discuss the answer in verse 46 The early church was also constant and steadfast in prayer, 1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Nothing was more important to the church family than worship, God’s Word, and prayer For years there has been a movement among many churches concerning their worship services Turning to what is known as a contemporary worship service Where the emphasis is upon a praise music service led by a praise worship team Their success has been witnessed through numbers in their worship service But time will tell of their success in preparing Christians to live in this present world as Christians The Bible plainly presents the importance of Biblical preaching to influence living for Christ And the importance of prayer, Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Col 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; CONCLUSION At Prairie Grove Baptist we teach the Word of God, and we worship together We worship together in a time of singing and praise, and it is a meaningful time We enjoy fellowship together because we love God and we love one another We care about others, and we will minister to and give to the needs of others But we fall short in our commitment to pray, we must go beyond sharing a prayer text What has happened to the old-fashioned prayer meetings, and the prayer altars? We fall short in our evangelistic outreach, sharing the gospel with those who are lost We must pray for the salvation of lost souls by name and share the name of Jesus with them Page 4 of 4