They Were a Spirit Filled Church
Acts 2:42-47
We began our study in Acts 1-2 with the idea that God was able to do so much in and through the first church because of their belief. They believed in all that Jesus ever began to and teach, they believed in the resurrection, they believed in the Kingdom of God, they believed in the Scriptures, they believed in prayer, they believed in God’s leadership, they believed in each other, they believed in the Holy Spirit, and last week they believed in Spirit filled preaching. Today’s message is last message of this “They Believed Series” and it is entitled “They Were A Spirit Filled Church”
We have before us today a picture of the model church. You’ve heard me say; “if our church could be any kind of church our church wanted to be what kind of church would our church be?” The answer is found here in Acts 2:42-47.
Let me say first that this was not a perfect church. It dealt with its problems just like any other church. As we read through Acts we see this church had its religious hypocrites as do all churches, it had to deal with doctrinal errors at times just like any church today has too, and it had its share of sinful human beings just like any church today does. Any church will at times encounter trouble and trials within the body, the difference in how those churches go through and deal with those issues is whether or not they are spirit-filled, bible believing churches, Christ honoring churches.
Just because it wasn’t a perfect church doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good church or a model church for us. This church was a Spirit-filled church that had several great qualities that would be found in any Spirit-filled church. It is those qualities that I want to speak to today.
A Spirit-Filled Church:
1. Is a Bible Studying Church. Vs.42a
Acts 2:42; And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching NASB
A Spirit-filled church will always be given to preaching and teaching of the Word of God. I’ve mentioned several times already what it means to be filled with the Spirit. When we look at the times that the words filled with the Spirit are mentioned in the book Acts a strong and bold proclamation of Christ is found. It only makes sense that a church that is Spirit filled will have a great desire to know the truth, the Apostles teaching, God’s Word, concerning everything Jesus ever began to do or teach.
In Peter’s second book he says:
2 Peter 1:12-16; 12 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind {make known again} you of these things,{the things that Jesus ever began to do and teach} even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13 And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up {to fan into flame or to kindle afresh} by way of reminder, {by making known again} 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you may be able to call these things to mind. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. NASB
2 Peter 3:1-2; 3:1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up {fanning into flame or kindling afresh} your sincere mind by way of reminder, {by making known again} 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. NASB
When Peter says reminder or stir up it all has to do with preaching and teaching of the Word. We can never be all that God wants us to be and we can never do all that God wants us to do if we are not Spirit filled and we will never be Spirit filled if we do not devote ourselves to the Apostles teaching {New Testament}.
What holds true for the church should also hold true for the believer. If you are Spirit filled you will want to read, study, and know the Word of God. If you do not have a desire to know the Word, if the Word of God does not interest you and does not mean so much to you then you should ask the question, “am I really saved” and if you are saved you should ask the question, “am I really Spirit filled”.
The Holy Spirit whose chief task is to bear witness of Jesus Christ will inevitably draw the people of God to the Son of God through the Word of God.
The evangelical, Spirit filled, Bible oriented church will always be focused on the preaching and teaching of God’s Word for it knows that it is the only way God’s people will be all they can be for Christ. The Spirit filled Church will offer as many ways as it can for the people of God to study the Word and the Spirit filled Christian will take advantage of every opportunity they can to study and know the Word of God and hide it in their hearts.
The first and greatest mark of a Spirit filled church is its devotion and dedication to God’s Word.
2. Is a Fellowshipping Church. Vs. 42b
“and to fellowhship”
The verse suggests that not only were they continually devoting themselves to the Apostles teaching but they were also continually devoting themselves to fellowship.
The word fellowship can mean a common participation or to have all things in common. It is much more than a social club or organization. It is a body of believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, determined to carry out the plan and purposes of God. It is the Holy Spirit melting and molding the heart of a believer to the hearts of other believers so that together they can accomplish those things that God has called all believers to do.
The believers of this first church were in fellowship because they had shared the same spiritual blessings. They had all heard and believed in Christ, they had all been indwelt and infilled with the Holy Spirit, and they were all devoting themselves to the teaching of God’s Word, they had all experienced joyful worship, and they were all witnesses of all that Christ had ever began to do and teach. They had all these spiritual things in common and because of it they were a great unified body.
Wherever you find a true fellowship of love built on the gospel of Jesus Christ you will find a body of believers unified in purpose. I’ve said it before, “there is nothing more important than truth and unity” and Peter bears it out here, he puts the teaching of God’s Word and the fellowship of the church before everything else. Without these two the church cannot be Spirit-filled.
If you are in fellowship with God you will be in fellowship with God’s people, if you are in fellowship with God’s people you will be in fellowship with God.
Conversely, if you are not in fellowship with God you will not be in fellowship with God’s people and if you are not in fellowship with God’s people you will not be in fellowship with God.
Again, if a person claims to know Christ and is not in fellowship with God’s people they have reason to question their salvation and if they are saved the question is whether or not they are filled with Holy Spirit.
The second mark of a Spirit filled church is that they are in fellowship with each other and together in fellowship with Christ.
3. Is a Worshipping Church. Vs. 42c
“to the breaking of bread and prayer”
Again, the Scripture suggests that they were continually devoting themselves. They were constantly observing the Lord’s Supper and continually giving themselves to prayer. It suggest worship and we know they worshipped. Vs.47 says they praised God so we have in these verses all the elements of worship. There is preaching and teaching, there is the fellowship of believers, there is the Lord’s Supper and prayer, and there is the praise of God.
When we read it in its context we see it was a formal gathering together to worship God. It is true we can worship individually and at anytime we desire, in fact, our Scripture suggests that they gathered in homes and did the same thing there they did as a formal body. There is nothing wrong with individual worship and small group worship and we should practice it but God commands the corporate worship of all believers.
He says “the breaking of bread”. The first century church would gather together for what was called a love feast. They came together as a fellowship of believers and would worship and praise God, study the word and pray. At the end of the formal service they would have the love feast, what we call a covered dish supper. They would share their meal together and then at the end of the meal they would celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
He next speaks of prayer and if we were study the books of Acts as it concerns prayer we would see that the church was always praying. Acts 1:14; 4:31 are good examples of this.
You know my heart when it comes to prayer. Prayer moves the hand of God. In all things we must pray and we should do nothing until we have covered it in prayer. Prayer is fellowship of God and corporate prayer is corporate fellowship with God.
In vs. 47 we see them praising God. The songs they would have sung would have been the Psalms and they may have sung what we would consider hymns and spiritual songs. Any Spirit filled church and Spirit filled Christian will have a great desire to worship God in song and the style will not really matter. All that really matters is the content what is sung and the heart of those that praise God.
Worship today is often thought about in the terms music but when we look at this Spirit filled church we find that music was just a part of worship. The worship of a Spirit filled church will include the preaching of God’s Word, the fellowship of God’s people, a great emphasis on prayer, and psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that glorify God and exalt Christ.
The third mark of a Spirit filled church is their desire to worship God and exalt Christ.
4. Is a Generous Church. Vs.46
“and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.” NASB
Simply put, they took care of each other. As anyone might have need the church rose to the occasion to take care of that need. I would love to put in here the need to tithe and that was probably a part of it. But the emphasis is on taking care of each other as the need arose.
When we study benevolence in the Scriptures it wasn’t so much the church meeting the need of every person in the city. It was the church taking care of those that belonged to the body.
It’s a wonderful picture of the body of Christ loving, caring, serving, and doing for each other. The Spirit filled church will always take care of each other.
We may do more, we may feed the hungry and house the homeless, we may give a drink to the thirsty and seek to assist those without and we should do those things, but here, it is a loving, caring picture of the church taking care of each other.
What we may not understand is that many of the believers in this first church came to Christ and great cost. As they received Christ as Savior they were ostracized from society, they lost their jobs, they were put out of their homes, they were dis-owned by their families, they were mis-treated and persecuted by the religious because of their faith in Christ. It cost many of them greatly because they received Christ as the Savior. If the church had not stepped up and helped them many of them would have had no food, no shelter, and no family. So, those that had were sacrificing for those that had not.
The fourth mark of a spirit filled church is their generosity, love, and care one for another.
4. Is a Witnessing Church. Vs.47
And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. NASB
Now, this is good place to really preach evangelism. But, if we follow the context of this Scripture what we see is that the believers, the body of Christ, the church, day by day was living out the Spirit-filled life and because of it those friends and family who were lost were day by day coming to Christ.
The church gave itself to the teaching of the Apostles and thereby were able to boldly proclaim everything that Jesus ever began to do and teach. They gave themselves to fellowship {unity or the common participation in the things of God}, they gave themselves to worship {singing psalms hymns, and spiritual songs}, they gave themselves to generosity {caring for and loving each other}; and as a result many others kept coming to Christ.
When a church lives out the Spirit filled life it is inevidable that church will see its community and its city come to Jesus.
Acts 4:4; But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. NASB
Acts 6:7; And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. NASB
Acts 8:12; But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. NASB
Acts 11:21; And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.NASB
Acts 11:23-24; 23 Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. NASB
And so it is as we go through the book of Acts. Time and again we see multitudes, households, men and women, and individuals coming to the Lord. Why is that? Why do we see the church growing expendentially throughout the book of Acts?
Certainly it was because the church was engaged in open and bold evangelism but I say it is more than just that. I say it is because the church was constantly filled with the Holy Spirit and because of it they were continually reading and studying the Word of God {discipleship}, they were continually in fellowship {all things in common as it pertained to the things of God}, they were continually worshipping the Lord {singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs}, they were continually begin generous one toward another {loving, caring, and giving}.
It is because of these things that they were continually filled with the Holy Spirit and because of that they were able to effectively evangelize their city and beyond.
No man, no woman, no pastor, no church member; can ever reach their city standing alone even if they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They can make a difference but they can win the multitudes. But when a local church, just one, decides that it is going to be a Spirit-filled church then together that church can reach its city, state, nation, and world; it’s Jerusalem, it’s Samaria and Judea, it’s uttermost parts of the earth.
The Apostles and the first church was able to do all they did for God and Christ because they believed God, they believed all that Jesus ever began to do and teach, they believed in the resurrection, they believed in the kingdom, they believed in worship, they believed in prayer, they believed in each other, and they believed in being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Without faith {belief} it is impossible to please God. With faith {belief} all things are possible.
