What took a small, scared group of believers and filled them with so much confidence that they eventually became the dominant religion in the Roman empire?
We are looking at the aftermath of Peter’s sermon.
On that day 3,000 believed. The church went from 120 to 3120.
A few days latter another 2,000 joined. Why?
There was spiritual power that attended the message. They were "cut to the heart" by the gospel. They then repent, experience freedom from the power of sin, and live radically obedient lives.
But there is more. We will see this week that they are changed in the way they think about others.
This belief produces changes.
These characteristics mean the Spirit has really come, that conversion has taken place.
I’ve been reading Iain Murray’s book called Heroes which is about men and women God used to bring revival to their lands and how it came out. They were all attacking nominalism (those who claimed to be Christians but showed no signs.) They preached and taught the Word.
1. Problem of Nominalism
2. Affects of being cut to the heart
3. We praise what we find beautiful
I. Problem--nominalism in the church
No passion.
We have passion for our music, our sports, movies, maybe our jobs. But not really for God; not for His Word, or telling others about Him, or worship, or fellowship.
We are distracted by entertainment. We can scream our heads off at a game... We can be overcome with the beauty of Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, but not with God.
Can you say something like this?:
"God is manifested and shines forth in full glory, in beams of love; there the fountain overflows in streams and rivers of love and delight, enough for all to drink at, and to swim in, yea, so as to overflow the world as it were with a deluge of love." Jonathan Edwards
Why not? What is missing? Have we been cut to the heart?
When the early disciples understood the Gospel, radical change took place. We saw this last week. This week we see more of it.
Let’s look at more affects and ask ourselves whether we have experienced these.
II. Affects of being "cut to the heart."
A. Learning community
They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ doctrine.
Modern people don’t like doctrine and dogma. But the Apostles devoted themselves to it.
Some say, "Doctrine divides and Jesus unites." But who is Jesus? Once you try to describe Jesus, you need doctrine.
John 3:16 is full of doctrine.
Some say we are beyond doctrine. But you can’t get beyond it. To say you can’t be dogmatic is to be dogmatic.
"You must not convert people" is a dogmatic statement. You are trying to persuade me that your version is better than mine.
"You don’t need doctrine, you just need to be a good person" is the doctrine of justification by works.
We need to be devoted to the Apostles’ teaching--those taught and trained by Jesus. The Apostles bear the truth about Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:19-20) "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,"
Always go back to the Apostles’ teaching.
Jude: "This is the faith once delivered to the saints"
Signs of new life is that they are committed to doctrine. You could not keep them away. They were devoted to it.
All true revivals see an intense interest in the preached word, in learning theology, and studying doctrine.
Jonathan Edwards: "We see it common in enthusiasts, that they depreciate this written rule and set up the light (read: experience) within or some other rule above it."
Wesley’s and Whitfield’s "bands." He gave two hour sermons, and they followed Whitefield around from place to place. They were hungry for the Word; they could not get enough.
It was not the sensational doctrines that people were after, they were hungry for sermons on the holiness of God, sin, salvation, justification, and sanctification: the great glorious doctrines of grace found in Scripture.
B. Loving Church
Who are these people that came together?
They had great awe; a sense of God’s presence. People were in Jerusalem from all over the world.
(2:8-11) "And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians--we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."
Radically different people of race and culture were coming together.
But we as Americans are divided.
The Big Sort
Christianity, unlike other religions, is more inclusive than any others. This is what caused it to grow in the early days. Only Christianity can do this; it breaks down barriers.
Do you have people that the Gospel has brought you into contact with that you are totally different from? Look who came together.
Fellowship=koinonia, "koinos" means "common." We share in common fellowship with God. We share together our lives.
Koinonia is the word Paul used for the collection he was organizing among the Greek churches, and Koinonikos is the Greek word for generous.
They sold possessions when there was a need. Does this mean communism? No, because Jesus and his apostles did not forbid private property. Martha and Mary were wealthy. In Jerusalem, the sharing of property and possessions was voluntary.
(V. 46) "they broke bread in their homes."
So they still had homes.
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 was not greed or materialism, but deceit; it was not that the kept part of the money from their sale, but they lied about it.
"Didn’t it belong to you before you sold it? And after you sold it, wasn’t the money at your disposal?" (Acts 5:4)
But this does not mean we are not supposed to take care of the poor and needy; especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
C. Liturgical-- It was a worshipping church
"they devoted themselves....to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (v. 42) suggests reference to lord’s supper and prayer meetings.
A. It was both formal and informal, for it took place in the temple courts and in their homes. (V. 46) These were weekly worship and community groups.
B. both joyful and reverent
(V. 46) "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts."
They were filled with joy. Worship should be joyful.
But also reverent:
(v. 43) "And awe came upon every soul,"
Worship should also be dignified.
D. Evangelistic church
We have looked at the study, fellowship and worship, the interior life of the early church. But what about the external life?
Without verse 47b, we have a lopsided view of the church:
"and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
They took witness seriously.
--They had passion for lost souls.
--They met daily in the temple for public witness.
--Peter’s boldness was in proclaiming the Word of salvation against the authorities.
--They were constantly praising God in public, demonstrating great generosity. For this they enjoyed great popular goodwill.
--The numbers coming to Christ were constantly increasing.
Two causes of revival: the preaching and teaching of the word; and evangelism in word and deed.
(V.44) Deed Ministry--they held things in common & became generous people .
(V. 47) Word ministry
Daily God was adding to their number. They were telling others about Jesus. Their new lives were so attractive that people wanted to join them.
Note: Salvation and church membership go together.
Added daily--evangelism is not a once a year event--it is every day. Worship was daily and so was witness.
Praise and proclamation go together as a natural outflow of hearts that have been cut.
III. We praise what we find Beautiful
Do you find the gospel beautiful? Do you find the new life in community beautiful?
We have no trouble saying the people in Orange County are beautiful, or the cars, the homes, the geography. We praise these.
But do we find Jesus and what he has done beautiful?
(v. 46) This is what they were doing when they were learning, loving, worshiping God and in evangelistic community.
Praising God is the engine.
Beautiful objects demand praise. Our joy is not completed without praise. We complete our joy when we praise the object worthy of praise. If you don’t understand this, you don’t understand why Christians get together for praise.
We have to do this; it completes our joy. We have to point to it. The more beautiful the object, the more we have to praise it. That is why we want others to hear music we have discovered.
We can’t contain our excitement for the gospel. That is what I am doing now: sharing this excitement.
We are getting the joy when we love, learn, evangelize, care, do deeds of mercy, etc.
How do we work on fellowship? How do we become more devoted to one another? We praise the broken Lord.
How do we feel joy, with bitterness toward others? Praise God’s suffering on our behalf. It pushes the bitterness out. The more we praise Him, the more we are changed.
Become worshippers.
Are you indifferent toward others? Passive, uncaring? The answer is praise.
Being cut to the heart is not only something that comes upon us, but it is something we choose to do every day.
They devoted themselves.... They made the choice.
Do you want this kind of passion and praise?
[Example of Michelle and me getting away.]
Life is too short not to be in love with my wife.
Life is too short not to be in love with God.
Can you say with Paul in Ephesians 3:16-19:
"that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
"Jesus, Jesus, all-sufficient,
Beyond telling is Thy worth;
In Thy Name lie greater treasures
Than the richest found on earth.
Such abundance
Is my portion with my God.
"In Thy gracious face there’s beauty
Far surpassing every thing
Found in all the earth’s great wonders
Mortal eye hath ever seen.
Rose of Sharon
Thou Thyself art heaven’s delight."
-William Williams
