The Price of Pentecost, pt. 2 Acts 1:12-14
The early church had none of the things we seem to think are so essential for success today like: Buildings…money…staff…internet and programs.
So why were they so successful?
The reason is that they had the ONE thing many churches today do not have:
They had the power of God in their ministry.
Pastor Jerry Shirley said; “The glory days, (of the church) are in the past, because the glory of God is departed (not His presence, but His power [glory])” ( ) added
I want EBC to be a place that’s more than just another church. I want us to be a place where people get the help they need, where lives are truly touched and people are eternally changed!
We’ve been talking about paying the price to be the kind of church God wants us to be and I cannot say it enough; Great churches don’t happen by accident.
Churches that become great do so because the members were willing to pay the price.
Acts 1 shows us 4 principles which will lead to the soul-saving…community-changing power that we find in Acts 2:
We talked about obedience last time, and today I want to share with you, the second price of Pentecost which is:
2. The price of Unity or as verse 14 puts it: being in one accord…
One thing we have learned is that God doesn’t bless fussing and fighting.
Now I would be crazy if I didn’t believe that there will always be some Christians who seem to thrive on problems… Those who try to pull their church down...who live to be disagreeable or live for power struggles. But we MUST be about protecting the unity of the church, even if it means they cannot stay.
This issue is not something new…It’s been going on for centuries and every church will deal with it at some point.
We know that we can’t get everyone on board and we shouldn’t expect to, but if every church could get all their leaders on board, in unity, with the ability to recognize when there are problems or that the glory of God is departing and we react immediately to the situation, there’s just no limit to what God can do…
When WE, EBC, get to that place, I believe God will allow us to move from Ch. 1 to Ch. 2!
I want to show you just how important unity is. Look how many times the word is used in the book of Acts.
1: 14—one accord...2:1—one accord...2:46—one accord...4:24—one accord...5:12—one accord
Unity among these early believers came ONLY because they had the same goals… the same vision… the same purpose and the same mind.
They sensed that they were on the threshold of something great…it was about to happen, and it would change their world forever…and so they agreed there was no time for arguing… no time for petty squabbles… no time for hurt feelings.
There was no time for power struggles.
Each member was living and working for something bigger than themselves!
That’s the kind of church God blesses.
Some may think it was easier for the first church than for us…wrong!
They were just like us, and I could show you scriptures which prove these same people did not always get along.
I imagine that during this 10 day prayer meeting there was probably a good bit of apologizing being done!
I wonder if Martha went to Mary and apologized for being critical of Mary’s worship while she was working in the kitchen. Maybe Mary admits she never helped out as much as she should have at home. Maybe they hug and make up and are now in one accord (unity)
Maybe James and John approached the other disciples and apologized for sending their mother to try to get special treatment from Jesus. Maybe they realized it was arrogant, prideful, and egotistical and they asked for forgiveness, got it, and the disciples were, once again in unity!
Maybe Thomas stood up to confess his unbelief, and apologized for calling the disciples liars and the wall that had separated them came tumbling down and the disciples reached yet another level of unity!
God loves to bless churches like that… churches where members are quick to forgive, where they allow for human weakness and frailty. God blesses churches that put the best for the church ahead of their own personal feelings… churches filled with peacemakers instead of troublemakers.
Prov. 6 gives us God’s hate list. Yes I know that is a word we teach our children not to use BUT the Bible tells us there are 6 things that God hates BUT the 7th is absolutely detestable or disgusting to God. A proud look…a lying tongue...hands that shed innocent blood…a heart that devises wicked imaginations...feet swift in running to mischief…a false witness speaking lies… and #7 he that sows discord among the brethren. Or the one who stirs up conflict among the church.
In plain English, if you run around trying to get junk started, trying to get people to turn against others in the church family… then you are sowing discord or stirring up conflict among the brethren. AND THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING EVER TO GOD AND HE HATES THAT SIN. God still loves you but He HATES your sin…
I want to share 3 thoughts on unity that are very important to understanding the price of Pentecost
We could even call these 3 ways to becoming a peacemaker…not a troublemaker!
1. Have a proper attitude toward yourself
Troublemakers or discord-sowers all have 1 thing in common…
They are totally selfish!
They look at things in terms of “me”…how does this affect me? What will this mean to me? Is this fair to me? Why didn’t anyone call me?!
Jealousy is one major reason most pastors don’t develop personal relationships with church members. “If I can run so-and-so off, maybe the preacher will like me more.”
Jesus said, the one who loves his OWN life WILL lose it…in other words, if you always think of yourself, you may think you’re advancing and getting the upper hand, but you’ll always end up getting the short end of the stick…the Lord will make sure of it!
Yet we also must understand that there’s always a place for legitimate criticism or complaints…
A person is not a troublemaker just because they criticize or have a complaint.
•The difference between a troublemaker and a peacemaker is not that one criticizes and another does not, but rather HOW it is done and to whom it is done!
For example, if you have a problem with the way things are done, you go to your deacon or come to me and IF you make your criticism in the right spirit, you’re doing the right thing, because we have the power to do something about it!
If you have a problem with the adult Sunday school class, you go to the lead teacher, Tommy Pate. Men’s Ministry…Jim Flowers, Ladies Circle Karen Smith…
I think you get the idea…
Yet many choose to use the phone to discuss such things with those who are not even a part of the problem or have the power to solve it… Sometimes they do it sitting right in the pew before/after church!
But criticism is our friend when done right, to the right person…
Prov.—iron sharpens iron…faithful are the wounds of a friend
And in 20 years of ministry I’ve learned a lot from criticism/ complaints and very little from compliments!
So, there’s nothing wrong with criticism done in the right spirit to the RIGHT person…to do less is to sow discord among the brethren and God hates that and He refuses to bless those who are involved and those who allow it!
SO if someone brings you some juicy news or wants to complain about something or someone in the church, PLEASE just kindly point them in the right direction, Point them to the source!
2. Have the proper attitude toward others
The peacemaker looks at people objectively, in light of the Bible; they see people thru the eyes of Jesus. They exercise grace and are willing to allow for human weakness and human failure!
The peacemaker understands that even the best of people are just that, people!
Even some of God’s best people, the Bible tells us, blew it at one time or another!
But God is gracious and forgiving.
I wonder if there might even be some here today that need to get on their knees and thank God that He’s not as hard on you as you are on others in the family of God!
Here’s how many think:
When I do something or say something wrong it’s simply carelessness…
…when they do or say the VERY SAME THING it’s a wicked sin!
Ruth Graham was to be interviewed on TV so she cleaned the house thoroughly before they came. But when the TV lights were set up and turned on Ruth saw dust she’d never seen before!
Some feel qualified to spend their energies correcting those around them, but need to shine the lights of heaven on themselves first! If you allow the light of Jesus to shine in your life, I imagine that you will see sin that you’ve never seen before.
Proper attitude toward self is the first step…having a proper attitude towards others is step #2…Finally we must:
3. Have a proper attitude toward the world
We must all have ONE concern which outweighs anything else we do and that is reaching the lost!
Once we’re all consumed with that, it’s easy to overlook the little things in each other’s lives.
Phil. 1:27 …stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel
As long as we all keep our eyes on the goal, we’ll head in the same direction in one accord, in unity!
**One day all the tools in the shed had a meeting. Brother Hammer stood up to lead, but nobody liked him…he always knocked others in the head!
Brother Saw was always cutting others down.
Brother Screwdriver went round and round, talking in circles.
Brother Ruler never thought anyone measured up.
Brother Sandpaper always rubbed others the wrong way. SO
They parted company, went to opposite ends of the shed and each avoided the other tools. But then one day the carpenter from Nazareth came in, picked up the ruler and measured a piece of wood. He used the saw to cut the wood, the hammer He used to nail things into place. He then used the sandpaper to create a beautiful finish.
You see, with all these tools the carpenter had built a beautiful pulpit from which to preach the gospel!
At the end of the day the tools got together and realized all they could accomplish if they stopped focusing on themselves and focused on each other.
If they simply placed themselves in the hands of the Master much could be accomplished!
The disciples decided to walk in complete obedience, and unity, and they turned their world upside down… If we turn Florence upside down, it will be, for the first time in a long time, right side up! And we WILL experience the things we find in Acts 2 if we’re willing to pay the price of chapter 1!
Pray for unity of your deacons, your leadership, and your classes. Pray that our people will have no cliques, but all will be in one accord and let’s move from chapter 1 to chapter 2!
