THE CHURCH THAT WAS WALKING WITH CHRIST
Acts 2:43-48
Dorn Ridge June 29, 2014
Audio Link to sermon: http://chirb.it/J1xG6E
INTRODUCTION:
1.) This morning I want to look at another message on the theme of the Church that is pictured in the Book of Acts.
2.) This is the third message in this series, and also the third one from the second chapter of the book of Acts.
3.) Today, I want us to take a look and see the some pictures of the Church when the church is walking with Jesus Christ.
4.) In particular, there are three things I want us to focus on that happens when the church is walking with Jesus Christ.
A.) The power of God is present.
B.) The Love of God is practiced and
C.) The worship of God is perpetual.
I.) THE POWER OF GOD WAS PRESENT.
1.) Everyone was filled with awe.
A.) Acts 2:43
aa.) This verse of Scripture speaks of everyone being filled with awe, which is correct.
ab.) The problem with this word is that today, we have perhaps lost some of the significance of that
word and statement.
aba.) Today, the words: “Awe” and Awesome” have become overused and cheap in their meaning.
abb.) Today almost anything is mislabelled as being awesome when really it is not.
ac.) According to beta Dictionary.com, the word awe means:
aca.) an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand,
sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures.
acb.) Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
ad.) In other words, according to the dictionary meaning of this word the church in Jerusalem saw the power and workings of God within the church.
ada.) They witnessed the moving of the Spirit of God and were humbled with reverent fear.
adb.) There was a conscious awareness of the active moving of the Presence, the power, and the Spirit of God within the Church.
2.) The reason for the awe:
A.) There were many wonders and signs performed by the Apostles.
aa.) Acts 2:43
B.) Notice who was performing these miraculous signs and wonders.
ba.)It not say the entire Church, or even many of the church.
bb.) The only ones empowered with these special manifestations of God were the Apostles.
bc.) It was the Apostles who were doing these miraculous signs and wonders, but it was not something for merely their own benefit.
bca.) The working of the power of God verified them as official representatives of Jesus Christ for the church.
C.) This empowerment of the apostles was not to give them glory, but to bring glory to God and to Jesus Christ.
ca.) We can see evidence of this in a healing in the next chapter.
cb.) Acts 3:2, 7-16
II. THE LOVE OF GOD WAS PRACTICED.
1.) The believers were together.
A.) Acts 2:44
B.) The church was in regular fellowship with each other.
ba.) Often today, the church only sees each other on the Lord’s Day.
bb.) This early church at Jerusalem came to care for and to love each other, and wanted to be in each other’s
company.
bba.) They were intentional in coming together throughout the week.
bc.) They were gathering in each other’s homes for meals, and to share together, and to grow closer to each
other as the body of Christ.
bd.) Several years ago Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song titled “Getting used to the Family Of God”
bda.) The words and chorus of that song go like this:
Going together, enjoying the trip,
Getting used to the fam’ly
I’ll spend eternity with.
Learning to love you,
How easy it is,
Getting used to the fam’ly of God.
Climbing the mountains,
Crossing the plains,
Fording the rivers,
Sharing the pain.
Sometimes the losses
And sometimes the gains,
Getting used to the fam’ly of God.
Reaching our hands
To a brother that’s new,
Learning to say
That I really love you,
Learning to walk
As the Father could do,
Getting used to the fam’ly of God.
be.) Brothers and Sisters, that is what the church in Jerusalem was doing.
bea.) They were getting used to the family of God, and learning to love each other in Christ.
2.) The believers had everything in common.
A.) This is not something like social communism that various governments have tried to force on the people.
B.) This was the prompting of the Holy Spirit of God in the lives of fellow Christians.
ba.) It was a motivation that came simply because of learning to love the body of Christ.
bb.) This was a moving of the Spirit of God to help with the physical needs of the entire body of Christ.
bbc.) It was a generosity that even caused some to sell possessions or property in order to assist others in
the body of Christ.
.01) Acts 2:45
.02) Acts 4:32-37
C.) Perhaps there were also special circumstances which gave need to this outpouring of love and generosity.
ca.) Many of those who were in Jerusalem had come for the Jewish feasts.
caa.) Certainly to make this trip from afar would cost some a fair bit of money.
cab.) Many would have saved and brought enough money for the trip, as well as their return trip
back home.
cb.) This year turned out different though than other years.
cba.) This was the year they had come to recognize the Messiah, and all that meant.
cbb.) On the Day of Pentecost the church of Jesus Christ came into existence.
cbc.) The power and workings of God were accomplishing great things that had been prophesied by the
Old Testament Scriptures.
cbd.) As the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ was brought to man, many of these religious pilgrims did not
go home immediately after the feasts, but stayed to learn of Jesus Christ, and to grow in the Word of God.
.01) Many of these new Christians felt compelled to stay in Jerusalem so they could grow and
mature in Christ, and His Church.
cc.) The result of this was that many of these religious travellers had used up the savings they had for the trip
home, and were given the financial support from the church.
cca.) Certainly, this is a principle found throughout the Word of God for God’s people.
cgb.) Throughout Scripture there is never an equality of wealth, but always it has been in God’s plan for
the love of God to motivate people of God in generosity for the needs of others.
3.) They broke bread in their homes and ate together.
A.) Last week we looked at Acts 2:42.
B.) In that message Scripture also brought up of the breaking of bread.
ba.) You will recall in that message I had said that it seemed to be referring to the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
bb.) Here in this passage just a few verses further down the Scripture is again speaking of the breaking of bread.
bc.) Though the wording here is virtually identical to that in verse 42 I would not say that Luke is making
reference to the partaking of the Lord’s Supper, but rather to times of fellowship eating meals at each other’s
dinner tables.
bca.) One might ask me how I can judge the first instance as the Lord’s Supper, and yet look at this second
instance as having a meal especially when the wording is pretty much the same.
.01) My answer to that is the context of the passage.
.001) In the first instance the context seemed to be pointing to principles the church used
to grow and become more like Christ.
.0011) The Second passage of scripture seems to be more the description of the informal fellowship that was taking place in each other’s homes outside of the context of worship as they learned to love each other
in Christ.
4.) With glad and sincere hearts.
A.) I want you to notice the wording here.
B.) Many of these Christians had opened up their homes to visitors from afar.
ba.) They were feeding these visitors, and welcoming them in their homes.
bb.) The Scripture does not specifically state it, but I would suggest they were also billeting these families in their
homes, providing bed and lodging for them.
bc.) From the tone and words of Scripture it does not sound as though this was something done begrudgingly or
hoping these visitors would soon pack their bags and head back home.
bd.) Instead God’s Word sounds as though the church was thrilled and excited to welcome these people into
their homes, and together share in their new found faith in Jesus Christ.
III. THE WORSHIP OF GOD WAS PERPETUAL.
1.) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
A.) Last week, I had stated of the importance of the fellowship within the Church especially since they would
have been excommunicated from the temple of God and from the Synagogues.
aa.) While that statement is true, and is something that did happen within the church, initially they were still
allowed to meet in some of the porches of the temple for their worship.
aaa.) As the Church continued to grow, the opposition from the Jewish community became more hateful and
strong against the Church of Jesus Christ.
aab.) The more the church proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, and that the Jewish people were guilty of putting
to death the Christ or Messiah, the more the Christians were opposed by the Jews, until they were no
longer welcome at all.
ab.) But at this point, they were still meeting in the temple of God for worship.
B.) The Church was meeting together daily.
ba.) Acts 2:46
bb.) Today if we can drag to the church building for a few hours on Sunday morning for a worship service and
possibly a study of the Scriptures we think we are doing well.
bc.) But these were new Christians; They were Christians starving for an understanding of the Word of God.
bd.) They were Christians who could not get enough of their new found faith.
bda.) Many of the Old Testament Scriptures had been a mystery to them.
bdb.) Now through means of the inspiration of God the apostles were opening their minds to the Scriptures,
and they were coming to understand more fully that Jesus is the Christ, and that He had to die, be buried, and
raised again to life on the third day.
be.) Today it is not a common thing to have such enthusiasm and excitement for the Word of God as we see
here.
bea.) In fact in my years in the ministry I only recall one instance where I have personally witnessed
such a hunger and thirsting for the Word of God, and fellowship with the church.
bea.) I witnessed something of this in 1985 while serving in an interim ministry with the Baptist Churches
back home on Deer Island.
.01) Monday nights men from the two congregations as well as a few other men from the community would come together for a time of fellowship and Bible Study.
.02) This was a very informal time of getting together around a table.
.021) The twenty or so men in that room would get up at times and walk around or grab
a sandwich or cup of coffee.
.022) But in that room there was something I have never experienced before or since, and
that was an extreme hunger and thirst for the Word of God.
.023) Some of these men were knowledgeable of the Scriptures; others were completely ignorant of even the most basic teachings of the Word of God.
.024) I would try to have a Bible Study of an hour or a bit more, but it never happened.
.025) The shortest study we had ever had was about 90 minutes and some of the
longest studies 4-5 hours in length.
.026) There were even a couple of times that our session did not get done until after midnight.
.027) I would try to shorten the studies, but each time I would try to shorten the length,
the men would flood the room with question after question, after question on the Word
of God.
.028) It was a time when more powerfully than any other time in my ministry I could
really feel the working of God in the hearts of the men in that room.
.0281) I believe that was something like the enthusiasm that was present here in
the early Church in Jerusalem.
2.) Praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.
A.) Acts 2:47a.
B.) This was a church that never stopped praising God, or worshipping Him.
C.) Initially, the church enjoyed the favour of the people.
ca.) It would not be long before that would change.
cb.) By the fourth chapter of the book of Acts opposition begins to rise.
cc.) Scripture states that at that time, the temple guard, and the priests, and the Sadducees began to oppose the
church of Jesus Christ.
cd.) The more the church proclaimed the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the greater was
the persecution it had to endure.
ce.) In fact, I would state that it was not just that Church.
cea.) Anytime the church is active in proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and
the true teachings of the inspired Word of God you can be sure the forces of hell will attack
the Church of Jesus Christ.
ceb.) Yet Jesus himself has prophesied that the forces of Satan will never be equal to the Church
of Jesus Christ.
.01) Matt. 16: 18 “…I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
.02) When the Church is true to Jesus Christ and the Word of God, the forces of hell
will most definitely attack it.
.002) But Col. 2:14 tells us that when Jesus went to the cross he “disarmed the powers and authorities and made a spectacle of them.”
.0021) Prise God that the forces of Satan and of hell do not have the power to conquer the church of Jesus Christ!
3.) And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
A.) What great and powerful words to close this message on.
B.) What an encouragement to see the working of God, and that daily more were added to the Kingdom of God,
the Church, as many as were being saved.
CONCLUSION:
1.) When the church was first formed in Jerusalem, it was a church that had learned to walk with Jesus Christ.
2.) May we today be a church that is so in tune with Jesus Christ that:
A.) The power of God is present.
B.) The Love of God is practiced and
C.) The worship of God is perpetual.
3.) May we be a church that is truly a church of Jesus Christ!
