Intro: I’m a huge baseball fan. It doesn’t matter who’s playing on TV, I can pretty much watch the game. Now I do enjoy watching the Braves more than anyone but one of the best World Series games I’ve ever seen was between the Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks. I don’t know how many of y’all remember but it had some huge momentum swings. Arizona had dominating pitching that shut down the Yankees. But the Yankees came thru at the end of a couple of games hitting some walk off homers.
-The series went to a 7th game. It was Curt Schilling against Roger Clemens. Both men pitched excellent games. Near the end of the game though, the Yankees broke thru w/a go ahead run. When their closer, Mariano Rivera, came out it looked like the Yankees were going to claim their 3rd World Series in a row.
-But as he was trying to close the game out, there were a couple of key hits. Mark Grace got a hit. The next key hit came w/the bases loaded and Luis Gonzales at the plate. Rivera was looking for his 3rd out when Gonzales hit a bloop single just over the head of the short stop driving in Jay Bell for the winning run.
-That little hit by Gonzales will be the defining hit of his career. Even though he was known as a power hitter, he’ll be remembered for coming thru w/a bloop single. That one moment will define his career b/c it made him a champion.
-You know, all of us are defined by something. Many of us are defined by our names and whom we’re related to. Others of us are defined by our work ethic or by our attitude. Some are even known for the clothes they wear. But all of us have a distinguishing mark. Some of you might even wish you didn’t have a distinguishing mark.
-You might wish you were anonymous. But the fact of the matter is it’s important to have a distinguishing mark so that people can recognize who you are. Well, followers of Jesus have been called to have a distinguishing mark as well. It’s not to draw attention to ourselves but to Christ. You might think, “Why’s that so important?”
-Let me try and explain it to you this way. If you were traveling to Hobgood, NC what’s one thing you’d like to have? Directions! Not only do you want to have directions but you want PRECISE directions! Why? So you can get there. Now those who are followers of Jesus are to have distinguishing marks so that people who don’t follow Jesus can look at our lives and find out how to get to Jesus.
Sermon Idea: The Xians in our passage of Scripture were an interesting group. They came together and were identified by those around them b/c of the community they created. Their community stood out b/c the lives of the people in that community were noticeably different.
-The motivating factor of starting VillageChurch over 7 years ago was so that a new community of people who follow Christ would create a venue for people who didn’t know Jesus to come find out who He is. Now if we’re going to be a biblical community, a community that’s different, then we have to take seriously the command Jesus gave us to make disciples.
TEXT: ACTS 2: 44-47
Bckgrd: Jews from all over the ancient world were gathered together in Jerusalem for a festival known as Pentecost. It was a festive occasion but during that time something very unusual happened. Christ’s followers began to preach and the HS allowed everyone to understand what was being preached in their own language.
-The result was that many people became followers of Jesus and it ended up revolutionizing their lives and their communities back home. After receiving the good news the people they lived near to find out @ it. They wanted to people to be transformed like they had!
-So they began a very simple process of discipling. I think another way we can define this is to teach others @ Christ, to help people grow in their relationship w/Jesus. So how do we do that? How does VillageChurch achieve the goal of discipling? I want to point out to you 3 basic steps we want to follow at VillageChurch. The 1st step involved in discipling is:
DIV. 1: PEOPLE SHARING (vv. 44-45)
Exp: Jewish people had gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world in order to celebrate the Passover and other holidays. They’d come from Africa, Arabia, Media, and Rome to name a few. But in the midst of their visit something very exciting took place. 3,000 people became followers of Christ.
A. No doubt this threw a lot of the travelers’ plans out the window. They’d come as Jews but now many of them had become Xians. Our verses go on to tell us that they stayed in Jerusalem and began to study in order to learn more @ the Xian faith.
1. These verses are thrilling to read b/c it shows me that the Xian faith is an exciting faith. It was so exciting people were willing to stay behind to learn more @ the faith. It’s not a boring faith. If it’s boring to you then it means something’s not right. People were so excited @ their newfound faith that they gathered together as one and basically formed their own little village.
a. When they were shunned by the outside world they made sure they took care of each other’s needs and they did this by sharing what they had to survive. They shared their finances w/those who were struggling; they shared their food w/those who were hungry. Now don’t think these verses are preaching communism. What they’re showing us is the character of Xianity. Xians are to be a generous people.
b. When a new community of Christ is formed, like VillageChurch, one of its characteristics should be its generosity. What happens when we’re generous people? V. 43 says people will be filled w/awe. It’s interesting to note that v. 43 tells us that not only were Xians filled w/awe but so were non-Xians.
2. Why? B/c they noticed there was something different taking place in their lives. They noticed them having a love and respect for one another so much that they wanted to take care of each other.
a. That’s unusual. It’s a part of our natural instinct to be selfish; not to ever share. Children learn how to put themselves first before they can even talk! Our natural desire is to take care of #1.
ILLUS: 2 friends went camping in the woods. When they woke up the next morning they put on a pot of coffee taking in all of the beautiful scenery. The men were having the time of their lives. But while one of the men was drinking his coffee he spotted out of the corner of his eye a huge grizzly heading right towards them.
-Quickly he put down his coffee and began to put on his tennis shoes. His good friend looked at him worriedly and said, “What are you going to do? Do you think you can outrun a grizzly bear?” The man looked at him as he began to run away and said, “No, and I don’t need to. All I need to do is outrun you!”
b. Now that’s a picture of a man who’s interested only in himself. And that’s probably the kind of response most people would expect. But you see, when Xians have a sharing spirit it causes the world to take notice. When a new community of believers like our shows people their love and concern and their willingness to serve, it opens their hearts and minds to the teachings of Jesus b/c their seeing faith put into ACTION!
B. The people who are around us should see us sharing ourselves w/one another. They should be able to look at us and take note of how well we take care of one another.
1. How can we do this? For one, we can share our burdens w/each other. Gal. 6: 2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” We want to do this so we can lift one another up in prayer during difficult days. We all need support.
a. We can also encourage one another. When a Xian brother is down, when he may have lost a job, when his marriage may be suffering we can give him encouraging words to lift up his spirit. In the midst of worries Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 4: 18, “Encourage one another w/these words.”
b. But we can also be a sharing people by helping out those who are in need. Something that defines a real village, a real community is a spirit of sharing. Now I’ll admit it’s real easy to be selfish.
2. But there’s a much greater reward in giving than receiving. For example, isn’t it important to you that people like the X-mas gift you give them? I think we all want the person we buy a gift for to enjoy it.
a. What do we do when that person’s opening the gift we gave them? We’re watching their face to see if they really like it! If they like it there’s a sense of satisfaction. Acts 20: 35, “Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Reit: The 1st step involved in discipling is people sharing. The 2nd step involved in discipling is:
DIV. 2: PEOPLE FELLOWSHIPPING (v. 46)
Exp: It’s pretty easy to see this verse points out the everyday lives of believers. It gives us an example of what their lives were like not just at church but also what their lives were like away from the church.
A. The believers in Jesus found it important to continue to meet together for worship in the Temple. Our verse says they met everyday. Now before you get scared and go running out of here, this verse isn’t teaching us to be good Xians we have to go to church everyday.
1. The Xians were just meeting in the Temple for the customary hours of prayer @ 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. But I do believe this verse is pointing out to us the importance of gathering together for worship. Heb. 10: 25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
a. There are several reasons we should fellowship together. For one, we should meet together on a regular basis to lift one another’s spirits up during difficult times. When we come together we should be reminded as we share spiritually w/one another how God wants us to live and what kinds of promises He’s given us for tomorrow.
b. We also come together simply to have a good time. You know, there are some people who think they do just fine w/o belonging to a group. And it’s true you can survive w/o being a part of a Village. But there’s a difference between surviving and thriving.
2. One thing that’s been observed @ groups is there is more courage when people meet together. How successful is a riot going to be if only one person’s involved in it? Not very! But when people see other people joining in the fracas they feel free to get involved as well.
a. You see there’s strength in #s for both good and evil causes. It’s so important we meet together so we can gather courage from God’s Word to live l9ives of integrity and love when it’s easier not to.
b. The Xians were recognizable b/c they really enjoyed each other. They weren’t enemies w/one another. As a matter of fact we’re told they spent time together in one another’s homes. Think @ that. You’ve really got to like someone before you’ll invite them over to hang out w/you and eat!
B. Our verse says they gathered together w/glad and sincere hearts. The word “glad” means “joyous.” A community of Christ isn’t to be a group of boring people. We’re to be people that are marked by joy in our lives! When the world looks at VillageChurch they shouldn’t think we look like people who’ve been sucking on lemons.
1. They should be able to see we have something that gives joy in our living. The word “sincere” means “a pure heart.” In other words, the world could look at this new Xian village in our text and see they were a satisfied and grateful people.
a. You know what? Nothing gets peoples attention more than seeing people love one another. When we come together in love and fellowship, people will take notice.
ILLUS: Boarding the USS Dorchester in 1943 during WWII were 903 soldiers and 4 chaplains. The ship was headed to the North Atlantic to fight against German U-boats. Unfortunately, a U-boat torpedo slammed into the American ship. A sailor saw the extent of the damage and began to yell, “She’s going down!”
-The sailors quickly scrambled for their lifeboats and jackets. A young sailor crept up to one of the chaplains and said, “I’ve lost my life jacket.” The chaplain looked the sailor in the eye and said, “Take mine.” Before the ship sank, all 4 chaplains gave away their life jackets.
-The chaplains then linked arm in arm and prayed as the ship went down taking them w/it. The story stirred the sailors and got the attention of Congress as the 4 chaplains were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.
b. A village that’s been touched by Christ will be filled w/people of love and sacrifice. And when we demonstrate those things in our lives, people will take notice. At VillageChurch we want to teach and model loving others and sacrificing our time, talents, finances and more to get the attention of our community around us. That’s what Jesus meant when He said in Luke 9: 23-24, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.”
Reit: The 1st step involved in discipling is people sharing. The 2nd step involved is people fellowshipping. And the final step involved in discipling is:
DIV. 3: PEOPLE MULTIPLYING (v. 47)
Exp: A community of believers that’s known for their sharing and fellowshipping are going to be multiplying. People aren’t drawn to something that’s unloving and mean spirited. They’re drawn to something that has life!
ILLUS: Emily’s cousin, Jimmy, was getting married in Carmel, California. So we made our way to the wedding and they set up a golf tournament for all the guests. I was real excited @ playing golf out there b/c we were going to play Monterrey Country Club, which is right next to Pebble Beach.
-After playing 9 holes of golf I started getting a little hungry and thirsty. So I went into the clubhouse to get something to eat and drink. I placed my order of a Snickers bar and a Coke. I then pulled out my $ and asked, “How much will that be?” The lady behind the counter looked at me rather snootily and said, “We don’t take $. We only take membership cards.”
-I said, “Well, I’m not a member.” She said, “You can’t purchase anything unless you’re a member.” Needless to say, I didn’t get anything to eat. Just being honest, that kind of attitude isn’t real attractive. People are attracted to attitudes that are positive and friendly.
A. We can see that’s what happened in our text. The people who made up the community of believers that followed Christ were great people to be around. They were a sharing people; they were a fellowshipping people; and this led others to want to know what made them this way.
1. V. 47 says, “they were enjoying the favor of all the people.” In light of this lesson, we must ask the question, “What do people see when they look at the community of VillageChurch?” We must also ask, “When people become a part of VillageChurch can other people tell?
a. When people see those who make up the community of VillageChurch at work; when they see us at the grocery store; when they see us driving down the street, are they drawn to us b/c of the we carry ourselves and the way we act?
b. You see, a community that’s built for Christ is going to be attractive. It’s not going to be a boring, self-centered, stagnate community. It’s going to be active and alive. It’s going to be multiplying b/c people want to be a part of what’s going on in this community.
2. The Xians we’ve looked at today in the book of Acts weren’t content to meet once a week for church as usual. They met daily w/one another, they cared for their community, they told people @ how Jesus could change their lives, and they increased in # daily.
a. Their faith was a day to day reality, not a once a week routine. And that’s what VillageChurch wants to instill in you. And the venue where that’s hammered into us time and time again is thru our small groups ministry.
b. Take your bulletin and look at the back of it. Check out where the small groups meet. Then fill out the section on the right said that says you’re interested in more information @ small groups. Then place that in the offering basket at the end of the service.
Conclusion: There are several things that define VillageChurch, that show the genetic makeup of this church. We are a church that desire to see people discipled, taught to be more like Jesus. Well, how do we do this? Just like the people in Acts did it. The 1st step is to be a sharing people. The 2nd step is to be a fellowshipping people. And the final step is to be a multiplying people.
-If VillageChurch is going to be an effective church, this is the process we need to go thru to disciple people. For those of you who are believers, let me ask you a question. Do you give evidence of these things in your life? If not, you should.
-Maybe you’d like to have these things be a part of your life but you don’t know how to do it. First, it starts w/you having a relationship w/Jesus. If you’d like to do that, pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. I want to be a part of your community, b/c your community will last forever. Please save me w/the same power that enabled Jesus to rise from the grave.”
-If you prayed that prayer, fill out the section on the right inside portion of your bulletin. Then tear it out and place it in the offering basket so we can get you information in the mail on how to grow in your walk w/Jesus.
