The Believers Fellowship
Acts 2:42
Introduction
- God calls us to unity; to fellowship; to be one together in His name
- This morning: He knows and He cares … He desires for us to follow Him
- We must be willing to follow Him because He is the one who can guide us
- If two follow the same thing; they will draw closer
- Read Acts 2:42 / Pray
Point 1 – Devoted to teaching
- We are called to be taught, and to teach one another, in every aspect of life
- Strengthening believers is something we accomplish by meeting together
- However, it is not always the way of the church – and we need to change that
- 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.”
- In Paul’s day, folks were skipping church and finding ways to not meet together
- Teaching strengthens us; brings us under conviction; grows us stronger
-- When the Word of God does not change us, we have to ask ourselves why
- When we see God’s teaching – it is clear … Read: Acts 2:14-24
- God’s word has three causes in each life that we must admit and understand:
-- Repentance: Remorse for past conduct; a turning away from sin
-- Restoration: Return to its original state (conversion)
-- Reconciliation: element of salvation that refers to the results of atonement
- TRANS: Teaching leads to fellowship because we have common bond
Point 2 – Devoted to fellowship
- Light expels the darkness
- 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
- Stumbling around in the dark is no fun at all
- Fellowship is a calling to gather and be unified; to meet together in unity
- It is not a social gathering; not a collection of members – but a calling to service
- Little House analogy … the school bell drew people in; all people … regardless
- Even our website is County Line FOR Christ; “for” is “in favor of, advocate”
- “Faithfulness to Christ does not mean that we hold worship services like they did in 1958; it means that we live out our faith like they did in Acts 2”. – Rev Shane Bishop
- TRANS: Fellowship leads to breaking of bread for our spiritual nourishment
Point 3 – Devoted to breaking bread
- We need the bread that God provides as well as physical nourishment
- John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
- We break open the Word to cause ourselves to come out of a rut
- The disciples were restating this same truth that Jesus gave to them
-- Ref this morning’s message … God knows what we need when we need it
- Matt 6:11, “Give us today our daily bread.”
- Our daily bread is the BIBLE – there is nothing else like it
- It is something that we are called to feast on always
- What if we gathered 7 days a week to preach, teach, and serve the Lord?
- TRANS: All things happen because of the obedience to prayer we show
Point 4 – Devoted to prayer
- Message is called “The Believer’s Fellowship”
- Nothing happens without prayer – EVER
- God doesn’t bless our ministry effects … He calls us to turn to Him and pray
- Maturity level test is very easy to examine: What is your prayer life?
- 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
- APP: IF … THEN Are you praying for the church? Our city? Our nation?
- God calls us to pray, because He desires to fellowship with us
- VBS is coming; this is a 1st class chance to draw people, to be Ambassadors
- This week, it is important to remember that VBS needs your prayers
- Challenge: Would you commit to 30 minutes a day this week to pray for VBS
- Phil 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
- Everything we do needs prayer before God moves
- When we pray, His will becomes evident and takes over even our prayers
- APP: 1 Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- God’s promise to hear if we will turn to Him and pray
- Story of man at the Throne of God peering into a dark hole (prayer focus)
- We need to bring people in, to pray for them, to show them the cross
- The Gospel is light, life, nourishment, and strength – What will you do with it?
- Pray
