The value of the church of Jesus Christ
In chemistry, He turned water to wine. In biology, He was born without the normal conception. In physics, He disproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven. In economics, He disproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5,000 men with two fishes and five loaves of bread. In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind, without administering a single dose of drugs. In history, He is the beginning and the end. In government, He said that He shall be called wonderful counselor, prince of peace. In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through him. Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him master; He had no degree, yet they called Him teacher; He had no medicines, yet they called Him healer. He had no armies, yet rulers feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. I feel honored to serve such a leader who loves us! Join us and let’s celebrate Him for He is worthy.
Acts 2:37-47
The question I pose before you today is what did the early church value that brought the blessings of God and what do we need to do to be like them?
1. They eagerly live in expectation of the word of God to bring life. JN 5:39 "You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Rom 10:9-10 For if you confess, with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. PS 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. They were grounded in the Christian faith. Acts 2:42 “They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer.” They were eager to receive the Word of God Acts 8:4, 8 “the believers went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus. So there was great joy in that city.”
2. When sins were brought before them, they repented with a godly sorrow. Luke 1:76-77
"And you, my little son will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. 13:3-5 “you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God. And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish." It is pretty clear here that sin is not to be taken lightly but must be dealt with. I believe we would all agree that there will be no sin in heaven and that means we must get rid of it here in this life. There will not be a second chance after we die to repent. These disciples knew what sin would do to their witness and fellowship and did not want it to destroy the blessing of God. Adam and Eve had fellowship with God until sin then they wanted to hide.
We have already given one verse in Rom 10:10 I would also add 1 JN 1:9. How is your fellowship with God? How is your fellowship with other believers? Only true repentance brings us the fellowship that is right. If you have sin in your life, you will have trouble coming to church and in seeing others who know Jesus because sin divides.
3. They gave themselves to be baptized after they were saved. This was sign that they had changed lives. My wife and I were baptized at the same time when we were I college. We did not know each other yet. God knew that it would happen and later as I reflect back to that experience God was putting us together before we would become co-workers together as a married couple. Acts 16:30-33 He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household." Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. Gal 3:26 So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. 1 Cor 12:13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 19: 4-5Paul said, "John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. It is pretty clear wit these and other scriptures that could be given that we need to follow our repentance in baptism. Have you been baptized since you believed? This a beautiful sign to others that you have had a life change.
4. They gave themselves to being dependent on prayer. Acts 12:5 “But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.” Eph 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” We are dependant on prayer if we are to go in the power of Jesus for I have already told you that Jesus was without sin and yet He spent much time in prayer.
5. They continued in the things of the Lord. John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They took time to observe the Lord’s Supper: Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord’s Supper.” LK 22:19 “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." Ac. 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” We have already mentioned baptism. I like the fact they were liberal in their giving. I know one cannot out give God. Acts 2:44, 45 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 4:34 “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” 2 Cor. 8:2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, Acts 10: 2 “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” They abounded in love to others. Jn 13:34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
6. The Lord was pleased and added to the church daily. Acts 2: 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 4:4But many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
6:7So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. 5:14 And more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. Acts 11:24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And large numbers of people were brought to the Lord.”
The value of the church is that people are brought into the kingdom of heaven
Stuck in a Ditch
A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to read a map, he accidentally drove off the road and into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help. “Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the haggardly mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and Warwick made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” And the mule pulled the car from the ditch with very little effort. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule and asked, “Why did you call out all of those other names before you called Warwick?” The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.” Are we all pulling for the Lord?
