Sermon Central
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Early Church And Modern Believers
Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 9, 2009 (message contributor)
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1. Never Forget What's Important
Contributed on Feb 9, 2009
Peter’s sermon from Acts 3 gives us the essentials of what evangelism needs to be about.
At the dramatic conclusion of the musical, Camelot, the tragic figure of King Arthur calls a boy named Tom out of the bushes. Arthur dubs the boy a “Knight of the Round Table,” but orders him not to fight in the battle. He is to “grow up and grow strong” in order to tell of the ideals and ...read more
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2. The Name We Claim
Contributed on Feb 10, 2009
Early believers were able to face opposition and tribulation because they focused upon their identity, following Jesus. What is our identity?
Sometimes, we get suckered in by the idea that identity and relationship are not important. We buy into Shakespeare’s rhetorical question and answer from Act II, Scene II of Romeo and Juliet: What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. ...read more
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3. The Gold Standard
Contributed on Feb 10, 2009
God doesn’t merely want to meet our expectations, God wants to raise our standards.
The Gold Standard I want to apologize if what I’m about to share is repetitious. I think my opening illustration was shared with me by our friend and Chairman of Deacons, Robert Johnson, a few months ago, but I’m not positive. Anyway, in 1900, a company called the Detroit Automobile Company ...read more
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4. Praying Together
Contributed on Feb 15, 2009
This event in the life of the early church gives us guidance in how to pray with power.
As I’ve probably shared with you once before, I was tremendously challenged by a conversational exchange in a short-lived situation comedy. It was a comedy where the late Danny Thomas played a doctor. There was a scene in “The Practice” where a nurse overhears Thomas’ character praying. When she ...read more
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5. Not About The Money
Contributed on Feb 16, 2009
The deaths of two early church members may seem to "about the money," but that isn’t the whole story. See modern church problems in a new light.
There is a bit of folk wisdom that goes something like this: “Whenever you hear someone say that ‘It’s not about the money,” it usually is.” But this morning, I want to share from a passage that is almost always focused on the money and probably should not be. I don’t believe the Holy Spirit ...read more
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6. The Shadow Of His Style
Contributed on Feb 17, 2009
Believers need to learn to expect the unexpected and inexplicable from God, but we won’t experience such until we are sold on God’s one agenda and striving with one accord.
The shadow of your smile When you are gone Will color all my dreams And light the dawn… The year was 1965. The movie was The Sandpiper. The stars were Elizabeth Taylor as the seductress and the late Richard Burton as the Episcopal priest she seduced. The sentiment in the song is that our ...read more
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7. To Serve Man?
Contributed on Feb 20, 2009
What is it about active, vital believers that is so threatening to popular culture?
One of my favorite television episodes of “The Twilight Zone” television series was a humorous episode where the entire plot revolved around a misunderstanding with an alien species and culminated in the discovery of a book. The title of that book was “To Serve Man” and the misunderstanding was ...read more
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8. Too Much On The Plate
Contributed on Feb 22, 2009
God’s people aren’t immune from grumbling and murmuring, but those who wish to lead effectively will pray for divine solutions in handling dissension.
In a small, struggling situation like those of many churches, it is tempting to look upon the “growing pains” of the early church with some degree of envy. They were adding to the church daily. They were filling up Jerusalem to overflowing with excitement about Jesus’ resurrection and the presence ...read more
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9. How To Get Yourself Killed
Contributed on Feb 22, 2009
Stephen’s martyrdom calls to minds questions about our own faithfulness and witness.
In the magazine business, there is an inexorable law that says that you will sell more copies of an issue if you convince people that they can do more things or do multiple things more effectively. That’s why you always see lots of cover lines like: “100 Ways to Make Your Green Thumb Glow” or “50 ...read more