DEVOTEDLY DOING THE RIGHT THINGS: KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH
Acts 2:42
INTRODUCTION:
1.) Two weeks ago was Pentecost Sunday.
A.) At that time, I spoke on that grand and glorious event two thousand years ago when the Spirit of God moved in a powerful manner to establish the church or Kingdom of God.
B.) Today I want us to pick up that same passage of Scripture and look at four things the church immediately started doing which led to great success and growth for Christ’s Church, the Kingdom of God.
C.) The early church was: devoted to the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship with each other, the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
I. IT WAS A CHURCH DEVOTED TO THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING.
1.) The Old Covenant was fulfilled in Christ.
A.) When Jesus came into this world His purpose was to fulfill the Old Covenant.
aa.) Matthew 5:17
ab.) Apart from Jesus the Christ, no other person on the face of this planet has ever met and fulfilled the
requirements of the Old Covenant.
ac.) Under the Jewish dispensation, there were many sincere people who tried to obey the Law.
ad.) Yet with the exception of Jesus Christ, 100 percent of the human race has missed the mark.
ae.)The entire human population has not only sinned, but has sinned repeatedly and continually.
aea.) Even the best of mankind are unholy and wicked before the entirely perfect and Holy God who has
created all things including our very lives.
aec.) Jesus, and Jesus alone can stand before the presence of God without even the wickedness of one sinful act.
af.) Because of this, Jesus met and fulfilled the standard of God, and is able to institute the New Covenant.
2.) The Old Covenant was not only fulfilled, but cancelled with the cross.
A.) In those last few moments on the cross, Jesus looked up to heaven and with the authority of God Almighty, Jesus made the declaration “It is finished!”
aa.) Certainly in its immediate context Jesus was finished his mission for God in the suffering of the Cross.
ab.) At that time, Jesus was not merely speaking of his own life.
ac.) Jesus was also declaring that the Old Covenant had come to an end.
aca.) Certainly the Old Covenant is still in existence; it can still be found in our Old Testament Scriptures, even today.
.01) Even today there are those not believing Messiah has come to this earth.
.02) The Old Testament contains around 400 prophecies concerning the Messiah of God.
.002)With the exception of prophecies to be fulfilled at His second coming, Jesus has beyond the shadow of a doubt fulfilled every one of these prophecies.
B.) Those dying words of Jesus stating “It is Finished!” declared the covenant was finished.
ba.) That Old Covenant was nailed to the cross with Jesus.
bb.) Col. 2:13-14
bc.) In The Coming of God’s Kingdom: Matthew by Kay Arthur the author gave some background information from the first Century to the Word Jesus had uttered: “It is finished.”
bca.) According to her, the declaration that Jesus had made was the same one that would be made by a creditor when a person’s debt had been paid in full .
bcb.) When the final payment had been made on the debt, the creditor would write on the bill “It is finished” sign his name to the document, and nail it to the door of that person’s house, or display it in some public area.
bcc.) All who saw that document would know with certainty this person was no longer in the bondage of debt to this other person.
bcd.) The passage we had just read from Colossians described the law, and our debt of sin in the same way because of what Christ had accomplished on the cross.
3.) The New Covenant would be based on the Workings and Teachings of Christ.
A.) That day was a spiritual turning point for the salvation of mankind.
B.) From that day onward the question was no longer how good or how perfect I can be.
ba.) It was no longer can I become good enough to merit God’s forgiveness, while knowing our hearts condemn us as wicked and sinful.
bb.) The cross of Jesus Christ took the focus off of us, so that we could see what had always been the plan
of God for man’s redemption.
bba.) The Old covenant taught us what sin is, so that we could see our own wickedness.
bc.) As cruel as it might seem for God to have done that, the reality is that the law served it’s purpose.
bca.) The law was the schoolmaster to point us to Christ.
.01) Galatians 3:23-25
.001) KJV describes this as School master instead of Guardian.
.002) NAS goes the same idea with our Tutor.
.003) Either way, the law was to show our need for primary purpose was to bring us to Christ.
4.) The Apostles’ teaching was the Teaching of Christ.
A.) I have heard many Christians tell me they place greater importance on the Red letter words in the Bible than those of Paul, or Peter, or one of the other Apostles.
aa.) On one level I admire the enthusiasm of these Christians to honour the Words of Jesus Christ.
ab.) On another level I feel the words that have been printed in red ink in our Bibles may have done us an injustice, by putting these words on a higher plane than the rest of the inspired Word of God.
B.) The Apostles were men who studied and trained under Jesus the Christ for three and a half years.
ba.) When we read the words of the Apostles we are in fact reading the Words of God, and of Jesus Christ.
baa.) Some of those words would have been given to the Apostles while Jesus was here on this earth.
bab.) Some of the Apostles’ teaching had come to them after Jesus had ascended into Heaven,
and were given them by the Holy Spirit of God.
bac.) Regardless if these words were directly spoken to the apostles by Jesus Christ, or given to them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, those words are still the authoritative Word of God for the Church.
bb.) The early Church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ Teaching because of the realization that these were in fact the inspired teachings from Jesus Christ for the Church.
II. IT WAS A CHURCH DEVOTED TO FELLOWSHIP WITH EACH OTHER.
1.) Many of these new Christians would be alienated from the fellowship they had always had.
A.) While it is true that the early church was initially made up of an entirely Jewish audience, it is also true that the Jewish people as a whole rejected the church.
B.) Up until the destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple in A.D. 70 the Jewish people were guilty of bringing some of the greatest persecution on the Church.
C.) The Jewish religious leaders even excommunicated those who came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
ca.) We can see this even in the account of Jesus giving sight to a man who had been born blind.
caa.) John 9:1,18-22, 34
cb.) Jesus even warned the apostles that the time would come when they would themselves be thrown out
of the synagogue, and not allowed to worship there.
2.) The Church still needed fellowship.
A.) Certainly for many within the Church it must have broken their hearts to think that the temple of God that has always been where they would go to worship God and have spiritual fellowship would no longer be open to them.
aa.) Imagine the challenge to these new Christians to be told they were no longer welcome in the House of
God.
ab.) What was even worse was to be excommunicated because of their new faith in Jesus Christ.
aba.) have been told that some families would even hold a funeral service for their family or loved ones who had come to Christ, and never again speak to them or have fellowship with them.
ac.) Christians were considered Apostate to the faith.
aca.) They were considered by the Jews spiritually unclean, and were excommunicated because
of coming to a saving faith in God’s Messiah.
B.) Once the church had been rejected by friends, family, and loved ones, there was great need for the Church
to become a strong network of fellowship for the Christians.
ba.) That is exactly what they did.
baa.) God’s Word says “ they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship…”
2.) Close fellowship tends to strengthen the body of Christ.
A.) The early church considered it of great importance, and the inspired Apostles encouraged the church to have
fellowship with each other, as well as with Jesus Christ.
aa.) 1 Thess. 5:11
ab.) Hebrews 10:24-25
III. IT WAS A CHURCH DEVOTED TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD.
1.) Those who study the Bible are divided on this text.
A.) Some feel the breaking of bread is referring to a fellowship type of meal, while others feel it is speaking of the
Lord’s Supper.
B.) Was it a fellowship meal?
ba.) Certainly there are those who would see this as a fellowship meal, or what we would more often call
a “Pot-Luck Dinner today.”
C.) Was it the Lord’s Supper?
ca.) The Syriac translation of Scripture translates this as a “Eucharist” meal or “Lord’s Supper” (Adam Clarke)
2.) I would take this to be the Lord’s Supper.
A.) I have a few reasons for feeling this is the partaking of the Lord’s supper rather than a fellowship meal.
aa.) Firstly, if it was merely a fellowship meal it could be included by the word fellowship above this.
ab.) A second reason I feel this way is that the list seems to a listing of the aspects involved in a worship service
of the Church, more than just a fellowship time.
ac.) A third reason is from other portions of Scripture.
aca.) Acts 20:7
acb.) That verse sounds as though the observance of the Lord’s Supper was the principal motivation
of the church joining together for a time of worship.
acc.) While it is true that other things also occurred when the church met together, the Lord’s Supper seems to have been the primary reason for coming together.
3.) The Lord’s Supper reminds us powerfully of the price of our redemption.
A.) The early Church wanted to keep this as the central focus of their worship.
aa.) It is of prime importance to remember the cost of their salvation, and the price that Jesus had paid
for our redemption.
IV. IT WAS A CHURCH DEVOTED TO PRAYER.
1.) Almost everything in the church can be done (at least on some level) without prayer.
A.) As sad as that statement is, it is often true.
aa.) Many times the church has such a small view of God that we look to do the work and ministry of the
church by only our own power.
aaa.) When that happens, there will be no more vision than we can ourselves muster.
ab.) As the body of Christ, we need more than ourselves.
aba.) The body of Christ must be tuned into God, His Word, and the Working of His Holy Spirit.
aba.) The early Church at Jerusalem was consciously aware that the work and vision of the church
is far greater than any or all within it.
abb.) We need to have a vision for the church that is greater than ourselves.
.01) It is only when we can see the church in this light that appreciate and choose to actively seek the Power of
God in every aspect of the Church and our Christian faith.
.02) That active participation with the Holy Spirit of God most powerfully occurs when the heart is humbled, and
the church is on her knees in prayer.
ac.) The early Church was devoted to prayer because they realized the greatness of the Kingdom of God
required the presence, and the working of God Himself.
2.) A powerful and effective Church must be consciously connected to the Power of God.
A.) Sadly there are times that prayer is looked at only when all else has failed.
aa.) God never designed prayer to be used in that manner.
bb.) God’s desire for prayer has always been that we would be powerfully and intimately connected with God.
CONCLUSION:
1.) Every Church wants to be a successful church for the kingdom of God.
2.) May we individually and as a church leave here today intentionally acting to advance the Kingdom of God.
3.) May we make it our goal to:
A.) Devote ourselves to the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
