Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The book of Acts is said to be the centerpiece of the entire Bible.
All of the other books in scripture either anticipate the book of acts, looking forward to that mighty move of God,
- Or they use its record as a measuring stick for what the church should be.
The Old Testament builds a foundation for the church that emerged in the Book of Acts
- The epistles rest upon the accomplishments that were made in the Book of Acts.
- The letters written to the churches, which were established by the apostles, were intended to encourage them to continue in the same faith and practices that they were familiar with
- (the faith that was delivered to them by the apostles)
- The principles of the Book of Acts
? Understanding this, that everything that comes before it looks forward to it, and that everything that comes after it is built upon it
- It can easily be said that the Book of Acts is the most important book in the entire Bible.
- All previous writings are poured into it, and all later writings draw from it.
- It is the centerpiece of the bible, a picture of God’s kingdom on this planet, as he intended to establish it.
? We would have literally no concept of the first Church, or the method of the gospel’s progression, or the history of evangelization without the book of Acts.
The book of Acts, as a record of the first Church, should provide for us an expected norm
It is a statement of what the church was intended to be!
The principles that we stand upon, as an apostolic church are founded upon the book of Acts.
The book of Acts presents to us an image of the kind of church that we are supposed to be.
Its testimonies are not intended to represent an unreachable pinnacle, they are to represent the church as it should be.
The book of Acts represents the doctrine of the church as it should be, a message of power, a message that has the power to overcome sin and this world.
The doctrine of the book of Acts is our doctrine.
The baptismal formula of the book of Acts is our baptismal formula.
The message of that First Century Church is our message.
The message of deliverance and infilling of the Holy Ghost that we preach today comes straight out of the pages of the book of Acts.
The book of Acts represents the church that God imbued with his spirit, a church that was no stranger to the demonstration of the power of God.
I believe that it is time for us to become a Book of Acts Church in every way possible.
I believe that the principles that were employed by the first century church will still work in the 21st century.
I believe that God wants us to see a 21st century move of God that rivals what occurred on the 28 chapters of the book of Acts.
Some would say it can’t happen in this day and age.
Some would say that it is impossible, some would say that it wasn’t mean to be.
But my friend, my bible still says that the latter rain will be greater than the former.
I firmly believe that God has a greater things in store for the 21st century church that what is recorded in the book of Acts.
The question tonight is not, can we have a book of acts church in the 21st century.
The question is, why did we ever settle for anything less than a Book of Acts church?
It’s time we called the devil on his bluff and let him know that we know that he is a liar and the father of it.
The truth isn’t in him.
And a Spirit filled people in the 21st century has the same apostolic anointing that the church of the first century had.
This is our time.
This is our hour.
We have the message.
We have the truth.
We have the power of the Holy Ghost.
We are apostolic in our message, we are apostolic in our worship, we are apostolic in our doctrine, it is high time that were apostolic in or faith.
It’s high time we expected God give us the power and demonstration of His spirit.
I don’t have time tonight to do justice to the topic that I want to introduce to you.
I have spent much time in study and prayer over the last several months on this single subject.
What does it mean to be a Modern Day “Book of Acts” Church?
How do those first century principles find their way into 21st century applications?
We live in a completely different world, with a completely different political and spiritual atmosphere.
But I firmly believe that the same principles that caused the first century church to become a powerful force that turned their world upside down for the gospel of Jesus Christ are timeless.
I believe that if the same principles are employed today, that the church of this hour can and will see an unprecedented move of God.
Unfortunately there isn’t time, in any single service to spend an appropriate amount of time on the principles that I believe were responsible for the success of the first century church.
What I plan to do tonight is just give you a brief overview of some things that we need to apply to our lives.
I believe this is the foundation of what it means to be a Modern Day “Book of Acts” Church.
Empowered Church
They were an empowered church!
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
The Holy Ghost filled church of the first century was a church that allowed the power of the Holy ghost to work in them.
They were a church that wasn’t just “saved” by the Holy Ghost.
It was more than just the final step in the plan of salvation.
They were “empowered” by the Holy Ghost.
They were a people that let the Holy Ghost work in their lives.
They were a people that expected the Holy Ghost to work.
They had been empowered, they had been made more than over comers, they believed that in the power that resided within them they had everything they needed!
Ephesians 3:20 isn’t just an anomaly of scripture it’s evidence of a first century principle that needs to find a 21st century application in our lives.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”
