Important Relationships Within The Church
(Part 1)
Acts 4:32-37
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, September 31st, 2025)
Some of the most important relationships in my life have been cultivated inside the local church. My greatest friends, confidants, mentors, and encouragers are people that I am connected with through the local church.
There is a reason that we are commanded not to neglect gathering together, “as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Assembling with the Lord and His Church is an essential part of living a fruitful, Christ honoring life.
As we examine the closing verses of Acts 4, I would for us to consider some “Important Relationships Within The Church”. Our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ is of supreme importance. This truth is seen in Jesus’ proclamation of what we often refer to as “The Greatest Commandment”. In Matthew 22:38-40, Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment.” The Savior went on to say, “And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Jesus declares that “All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Though these commands are separated into two, they are intertwined; you cannot have one without the other. If you do not love the Lord like you should, you will not love your neighbor in the way that He has commanded. John states in his first epistle that “If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister” (1 John 4:20-21).
- As we examine these two important relationships within the church, let’s look to the text and consider:
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
In verse 32, Luke turns his attention from the bold actions of the Apostles and the glorious worship & prayer of the saints, to the great unity, compassion, and benevolence that was present among those in the early church. This kind of love and visible evidence of a relationship with Jesus was apparent in the lives of those early Christians. Their love for one another was manifested in their giving to one another.
There was an amazing spirit of benevolence in the early Church. The followers of Christ rejected selfishness and exhibited selflessness. If there was a need within the community of believers, the brethren would sell their own houses, lands, and other personal property and gave the proceeds to the Apostles who then distributed the profits accordingly. This was only possible because of their relationship with the Lord.
The only way that we will exhibit similar actions in the church (and in the world for that matter) is if we have a personal relationship with the Lord. This leads us to the fact that:
WE BELONG TO THE LORD
v32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul;
Luke is describing Christians; “those who believed” in the Lord were the ones who made up His Church. For one to truly be in the Church he/she must belong to the Lord. The Church is the Bride of Christ, the only way to be a part of the Bride is to be “in Christ”. Some are members of a local church, but they are not part of the Church. They have joined a local assembly, but they have not surrendered to Christ.
The people who were assembled on this occasion were genuine followers of the Lord Jesus. The Apostles were called by Jesus and surrendered to Him in the early days of His earthly ministry. There were others who began to follow Him shortly thereafter. Many of the people in this number came to faith as a result of that might move of God on the day of Pentecost. Others were converted following Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico. Certainly there were others who were converted between and after these two events. As those new converts returned home and began to share what Jesus had done for them, they had the opportunity to reach their own families and friends with the Gospel.
Our assembly is no different. Some of you have been walking with the Lord for decades; others have come to faith in Christ much more recently. Some were saved in a church setting; perhaps a worship service, VBS, Sunday school or a revival meeting. Some of you were saved in your living room, at work, or in the front seat of a car. Regardless of the location, there was a time when you came under Holy Spirt conviction, you repented and believed in Christ, and you have received salvation and eternal life.
All who have been born again are part of Christ’s church. This is essential, for if you do not belong to the Lord, then nothing that we will consider in the latter part of this message will be possible for you. Truly, our relationship with the Lord is the most important relationship that we will ever have.
- Moving on we will see that:
WE ARE EMPOWERED BY THE LORD
When we have a relationship with the Lord, He empowers us to live, worship and serve Him in a way that brings Him honor and glory.
In v33 Luke says “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” The Apostles were filled with the Spirit and they were bold witnesses concerning the reality of His resurrection. They have just been released from custody and commanded to cease preaching in the name of Jesus. They proclaimed to the authorities that they could not cease preaching the truth and that they would obey God and not man.
This verse shows us that they were true to their word. This was not an easy task, their safety and even their lives were on the line. But they were filled with the Spirit and they were faithful to obey Jesus’ command to be witnesses in Jerusalem. The Apostles did not have a monopoly on the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 makes it clear that the Spirit indwelt ALL of the Believers.
The same is true for us! Those of us who belong to the Lord, have been empowered by the Lord. That is, we have been given His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live for Christ, to properly worship Him, to commune with Him in prayer, to serve Him and to be effective witnesses for Him. Again, this would not be possible if we did not possess a relationship with the Lord.
- As we move further we will see that:
WE LOVE THE LORD
The word “love” is not mentioned in this passage, but the love that the members of the early church possessed motivated them to serve Him and to minister to one another. Everything we see in this chapter was motivated by love.
The Pharisees and Sadducees did not do what they did because of their love for the Lord; their actions were all based on legalism. They felt if they observed the Law and carried out all of the traditions, regulations, observances, and ceremonies that were handed down by their fathers then they would be able to earn God’s favor. This is an absolute impossibility, yet many people in our day and age have a similar mindset
Many think that they can work their way to God; they believe that if they do the right things and avoid the wrong things then they will be accepted by the Lord. Jesus makes it clear in the Sermon on the Mount that living this way will end with devastating consequences. (Matthew 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’)
Those who truly have a relationship with the Lord will love Him and their love for Him will be seen in their love for others. Jesus said in John 13:34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Genuine love was exemplified in the lives of those Christians in the early church. They were unified, selfless, compassionate, benevolent, and encouraging; this all began with the love that they possessed for the Lord and it was manifested in their love for one another. Those who have a relationship with the Lord will worship Him, serve Him, tell others about Him, and abide in Him. None of these things are possible without a genuine love for the Lord. There are those who attempt these things without love, and they are just as guilty of legalism as the religious people in Jerusalem who thought that they could get to God while rejecting His son. The actions and attitudes that we see in these people was motivated by love, not legalism.
- As we continue to examine our relationship with the Lord we will see that:
WE WORSHIP THE LORD
In verses 23-31 we see just one of many worship gatherings that is recorded in the Book of Acts. This specific time of worship is encouraging because the persecution of the Church was just beginning and in spite of great opposition the people of the Lord worshipped the Lord.
It is God’s desire and demand that His people worship Him. The Saints in the early church show us that He is worthy of worship. Their faithfulness to worship Him reminds us that He is worthy of our worship in the good times and in the bad. Those who have a relationship with Him will worship Him!
- Moving on we will see that because we have a relationship with the Lord:
WE SERVE THE LORD
The persecution did not cease after the Apostles were released; in fact it was only beginning, and it continues today. The entirety of the Book of Acts shows us how God’s people served Him faithfully and passionately. No opposition or persecution from outside the church or from within was enough to cause the Apostles (and others) to cease serving the Lord. They were a people who lived their lives for Him.
The same should be said of us; our priority in life is to worship and serve the Lord. Whatever your calling, look to the example of those first Christians and continue to serve your Master. A major part of our service to the Lord is telling others about Him. This leads us to the next thing I would like to consider about our relationship with the Lord and that is the fact that:
WE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THE LORD
v33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
The Apostles had been commissioned with the task of sharing the Gospel throughout the world beginning in Jerusalem. They were obedient to Christ’s command. They did not evangelize merely out of fear or even obedience; it was their passion to tell others about the Resurrected Savior.
When we have a relationship with the Lord, it is indeed our responsibility to be His ambassadors in the world. But it is more than a responsibility; it is a joyous privilege to share the greatest news that the world has ever heard with people who are bound for Hell. If we have a relationship with the Lord, we will tell others about Him.
- There are many more attributes concerning our relationship with the Lord that we could consider, but I would like to close with the fact that:
WE ABIDE IN THE LORD
The Apostles and the other Christians in the early church faced many hardships. In the end, many of them gave their lives for the cause of Christ, yet they were willing to do so. Their steadfastness shows us the importance of consistency in the Christian life.
No matter what we face, we must be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. But there is more to abiding with the Lord than just pressing on in spite of opposition or persecution. To abide in the Lord speaks of remaining with Him and having an intimate relationship with Him. It is only when we abide in Christ that we can be productive for Him.
Speaking to His followers, Jesus said in John 15:4-6: “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
We have a personal relationship with the Lord; and He expects us to bear much fruit for Him. For this to happen, we must continually abide in Christ. I hope that you have this relationship that I speak of. If not, that can change today. If you will repent and believe in Jesus you will be born again and enter into a personal and eternal relationship with God. This is the most important relationship you will ever possess.
Those who have been born again belong to the Lord, they love Him, worship Him, serve Him, tell others about Him, and abide in Him. These things are essential to having a right relationship and they lead to a right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord willing we will look deeper into our relationship with our fellow saints next week.
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