PREACHING THE WORD
INTRO TO SPEAKER: Fourteen years as youth pastor in BC, teaching @ PLBC and chaplain at Regent, started RMC, then call to pastor the church in Beausejour.
BACKGROUND TO ACTS:
• Acts is a HISTORY but it is also a BLUEPRINT (for the church today).
THE GROWTH OF THE EARLY CHURCH IN ACTS:
The story of Acts is also an amazing story about the supernatural growth of the church.
Jesus made a powerful promise in Matt. 16:18, “I will build my church!”
2:41 - Those who believed were baptized and added to the church – about three thousand in all
2:47 - And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved
4:4 - But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers totaled about five thousand men
5:14 - And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women
THE BIG IDEA: Jesus wants to build His church, and add to the church daily those who are being saved. One of the keys to seeing the church grow is preaching the Word.
KEY TEXT: Acts 6:1-7
“1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
• This story is about one of the first threats to the growth of the church, and how the early church dealt with it. See the framework for this story:
o v.1 - “the number of the disciples were multiplying…”
o v.7 - “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly…”
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
• Some people must have been suggesting that the apostles should take on this work.
• If you don’t know what your focus is – like Doug talked about this morning – there are many people who will gladly tell you what they think you should be doing!
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
• What was the leaders’ response to this crisis? Delegation and Devotion.
• Delegation – they recognized that caring for widows and the poor was very important
• Devotion – they also realized that their first responsibility was to the Word & prayer.
• Lesson for leaders: We MUST be devoted to prayer & the Word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7).
• What was the fruit of the way the apostles responded to this crisis?
o The Word of God spread (because they devoted themselves to this important ministry and would not allow themselves to be distracted from it).
o The number of the disciples multiplied greatly
o And – great miracle – many of the priests were obedient to the faith! (Why is this miraculous? Remember – the priests were the ones attacking the church and threw the apostles in prison in Acts 4:1-3).
JESUS WANTS HIS CHURCH TO GROW:
• Some say, “We don’t care about numbers. We’re content with us four and no more.”
• It doesn’t matter where your church is at now, the Lord wants our churches to grow.
• If Jesus wants to build His church, and add daily those being saved, why wouldn’t we?
• I’m all about the numbers! If we believe Hebrews 13:8 – then I want to see more people saved, healed, filled with the Spirit, and prepared for our soon coming king!
• Spiritual growth is important too – we want to grow people, and the church.
APPLICATION #1: WE ARE TO EQUIP OUR PEOPLE TO MINISTER:
• How does this story speak to our lives in our churches today in the 21st century?
“Jesus is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-12).
• Our job as the pastor is not to do all of the work of the ministry.
• Our job is to equip the church to do God’s work!
• The pastor’s job is more like a coach – helping people find their place in ministry.
“Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph. 4:16).
• Every member of the church has a job to do – and when we all do our part:
o We help the other members of the church grow spiritually.
o We help the church to become healthy, and GROWING, and full of love.
o If something is living and healthy, it will grow and bear fruit.
APPLICATION #2: OUR JOB IS TO PREACH THE WORD:
PREACHING THE WORD = OVER 30 TIMES IN ACTS: Here are only five examples…
4:31 they spoke the word of God with boldness
6:4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word
6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly…
13:49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region
19:20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed
COMMENTARY ON THE CHURCH TODAY:
• Too many churches today are moving away from preaching the Word.
• QUOTE: “How little of Scripture there is in modern sermons compared with the sermons of those masters of theology, the Puritan divines! Almost every sentence of theirs seems to cast side lights upon a text of Scripture; not only the one they are preaching about, but many others as well are set in a new light as the discourse proceeds. I would to God that we ministers kept more closely to the great book.” (Charles Spurgeon, How to Read the Bible). Note – this was written over 100 years ago!
• Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” (Romans 1:16). Too many preachers today are watering down the truth in an effort to be ‘politically correct’ and draw huge crowds!
• It’s the Word of God that has the power to change and transform people’s lives.
BIBLE EXAMPLE:
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:1-8).
• Who was this man, Philip? He wasn’t an apostle or a pastor – he was a waiter!
• Here is the second example (like Stephen) of a regular guy in the church being used in a supernatural way by the Lord. He preached Jesus, and did many signs and wonders.
• As He preached the Word (not man’s ideas), what happened? Lives were transformed:
o Those demon possessed were delivered, those who were sick were healed.
o And – there was GREAT JOY in that city.
• Where does joy come from? It is a fruit of the preaching of God’s Word!
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (v. 12).
• What was Philip preaching? Not the latest spiritual fads to go through the church:
1. The Kingdom of God is at hand! (signs and wonders)
2. The powerful, life-transforming name of Jesus!
• Some people wonder what it means that our church is a Foursquare church. It means that we preach Jesus: Saviour, Healer, Baptised in the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King!
CHALLENGE: God wants us to be faithful to preach the Word:
“1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
