Emphasizes the importance of learning, love, worship, and witness in building a church that reflects the unity and purpose of the early Christian community.
Good morning, church family. Isn't it wonderful to be gathered together in the house of the Lord, to seek His face and to learn from His word? We are indeed a blessed people, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are gathered here, not by chance, but by divine appointment.
Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 42-47. Let's read it together:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
What a beautiful picture of the early church! A community of believers, united in spirit and purpose, devoted to learning, loving, worshipping, and witnessing. Isn't this what we aspire to be? Isn't this the kind of church that we want to build, here and now, in our time and place?
James H. Aughey once said, "The church is not a select circle of the immaculate, but a home where the outcast may come in. It is not a palace with gate attendants and challenging sentinels along the entrance-ways holding off at arm's-length the stranger, but rather a hospital where the broken-hearted may be healed, and where all the weary and troubled may find rest and take counsel together." We are not here because we are perfect, but because we are loved by a perfect God. We are not here because we have it all together, but because we have a Savior who holds us together.
Our main points today are: Learning as the Lifeline of the Church, Love as the Lifeblood of the Church, and Worship and Witness as the Legs of the Church. These are the pillars that uphold us, the principles that guide us, the practices that define us.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege of being Your people. We thank You for Your word, which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We ask that You would open our hearts and minds today, that we might understand Your truth and live it out in our lives. We pray that our church would be a place of learning, love, worship, and witness, a beacon of hope in a broken world. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
So, dear friends, let us now turn our attention to the word of God, and consider what it means for us today.
In the early church, we see a community that was committed to learning. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. This was not a casual interest, but a deep commitment. They understood that the teachings of the apostles were not just good advice, but life-giving truth. They were not just learning for the sake of knowledge, but for the sake of transformation.
The apostles were teaching the words and works of Jesus: They were sharing the gospel, the good news of God's love and salvation. This was not just a history lesson, but a heart lesson. They were not just teaching facts, but faith. They were not just teaching doctrine, but discipleship. They were not just teaching about God, but leading people to God.
This commitment to learning was communal: They were learning together, growing together, changing together. This was not just a personal pursuit, but a shared journey. They were not just students, but a school of disciples. They were not just learners, but a learning community. This learning was not just intellectual, but practical. They were not just learning to know, but learning to do. They were not just learning to believe, but learning to behave. They were not just learning to understand, but learning to obey. They were not just learning to hear, but learning to heed.
The early church: Learning was not just a part of life, but the lifeline of life. It was not just a means to an end, but the means to the means. It was not just a way to live, but the way to life. It was not just a path to follow, but the path to the Father.
Our church today: We need to have the same commitment to learning. We need to devote ourselves to the teaching of the word of God. We need to learn together, grow together, change together. We need to learn to do, not just to know. We need to learn to give, not just to receive. We need to learn to love, not just to be loved.
As we continue to reflect on the life of the early church, we find that their commitment to learning was closely intertwined with their commitment to love ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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