Acts 2:42-47 - The Marks of a Disciple - January 29, 2017
Turn with me this morning to Acts 2. We want to continue on in looking at the early church.
Sophie and Shirley, two elderly widows in a Florida adult community, were curious about the latest arrival in their building -- a quiet, nice looking gentleman who kept to himself. Shirley says, "Sophie, you know I’m shy. Why don’t you go over to him at the pool and find out a little about him. He looks so lonely.” Sophie agreed, and later that day at the pool, she walked up to him and said, "Excuse me, sir. I hope I’m not prying, but my friend and I were wondering why you looked so lonely."
"Of course I’m lonely, he says, "I’ve spent the past 20 years in prison.” "You’re kidding! What for?"
"For killing my third wife. I strangled her.” "What happened to your second wife?"
"I shot her.” "And, if I may ask, your first wife?"
"We had a fight and I pushed her off a bridge.” "Oh my," says Sophie. Then turning to her friend on the other side of the pool, she yells, "You’re never going to believe this, Shirley. He’s single.”
The truth is, God created us for relationships. We are created in the image of God, and throughout the bible we see that God is interested in relationships with His people. From coming down and walking with Adam in the Garden of Eden - to traveling with the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years - to all His calls to the nation of Israel through the prophets. We have a God who is relational and who has created us for relationships.
And as we look at the forming of the church - from the ascension of Jesus in Acts 1 to the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, we see from the very beginning that the church - the physical expression of the body of Christ on this earth - has been a relational body. When you become a Christian and place your faith in what Jesus has done for you, you become part of this relationship, part of the family of God, with all your brothers and sisters in Christ. Following Christ is much more than walking an aisle and saying a prayer, it is a lifetime relationship with the God of all creation and with all your fellow followers of Christ.
So here in Acts 2, we saw the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, the celebration of the harvest, and God brings a harvest of 3,000 believers who will become part of the family of God. This chapter is given to us so
1 - we can know we have been given the Holy Spirit - as Christians we don’t have to do something special - there is no “second work of grace” - but we receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. 2nd we see
2 - the Holy Spirit will empower us to be witnesses - we don’t have to rely on our own efforts, wisdom, or strength - but the Holy Spirit is the one who leads and guides us. But the third lesson we learn here in Acts 2 is that
3 - Our witness will be confirmed by our lifestyle. Because we receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit works in our life to change the way we live. As I said, being a disciple of Jesus is not defined by praying a prayer, but by a lifetime of following. Jesus said in John 13:35 - By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When we follow Christ, it can be SEEN in our life! Our witness is not just what we SAY - it’s how we LIVE, it’s who we ARE. Far too often we think about witnessing being a memorized script of what we can SAY to someone. But it does not good to talk to someone if your life doesn’t back it up. Here at the end of the chapter in verses 42-47 we find out how we should live as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Read 2:42-47 - PRAY
Peter has just finished his message that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and in following Him we receive forgiveness of sins. 3,000 people gladly receive his words and follow. And then in the next verse, we see that there is a lifestyle change that takes place. There is a commitment that they make. The first mark of a disciple is
* Commitment - It says here “They devoted themselves. . .” It is very sad that we live in an age where someone can be identified as a fine upstanding Christian without being a true disciple of Jesus Christ. We have far too many people in church who call themselves Christians but don’t want to be disciples. What’s the difference? There is no difference between a true Christian and a disciple, because if the Holy Spirit is at work in you, He will be changing you to be more like Christ. But there are many who “call themselves” Christians but who aren't the least interested in following Christ, being like Christ, being a disciple. To those like that, I remind you of the words of 2 Corinthians 13 - Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7 - Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
You say, Pastor Dean, are you saying we can lose our salvation? Personally I don’t think you can lose your salvation - I just think there are many who have never been saved. They may have walked an aisle and prayed a prayer, but they never had true faith, they never had a changed life, they never turned their life over to Christ’s control.
In the church, we should always look for others to join us, to visit with us, to come to hear more about the claims of Christ. And we shouldn’t expect non-Christians to act like disciples. But if you claim to be a follower of Christ, then we should expect that you will live like a disciple.
For many people, going to church is sort of like going to a Weight Watchers meeting. The leader stands up and tells the total weight loss and everyone is thrilled at what was accomplished. But many there have done NOTHING to be part of that weight loss. In the church, we celebrate what God is doing, but we need to look to be PART of that work. Instead of Standing on the Promises, we have people Sitting on the Premises.
Notice here is the word “devoted” - Luke does not use the word “occasionally” - this word means “attending continually” - it was their regular practice. Anyone can “look like” a Christian now and then. Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn sometimes. We can show up to church and put on a good front and look good to others. But these believers in the early church had a constant living out of their faith. It was a lifestyle for them. They lived out their faith every day.
And notice it says they devoted themselves. This was a choice they made for themselves. They didn’t do it out of a sense of obligation or necessity. They weren’t forced to live this way. This was a choice they made for themselves. I often remind us when we take an offering that God wants us to give - not because we HAVE TO, but because we WANT to, because we are hilarious when it comes to giving back to God. In the same way, when it comes to living as a disciple, the lifestyle comes NOT from the church setting down all kinds of rules and regulations - there are some churches that are very legalistic - they tell their members men can’t have long hair, women can’t wear pants - you can’t wear sandals because it shows your toes - you can’t go to a movie or play cards - and all those legalistic rules NEVER make a person a disciple of Jesus - it just causes bitterness and resentment - but rather the lifestyle of a disciple starts in our HEARTS - God gives us the “want to” - Philippians 2:13 says, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Those infinitives in the verse often keep us from understanding what it says, so here’s that verse in the NLT - For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. So God gives Christians the desire to be a disciple, and God gives us the power to make the changes to BE like Christ.
The first mark of a disciple is Commitment. Today, I’m going to alliterate using all C’s. So second,
* Content - A Christian is one who follow the content of scripture. It says in verse 42, they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Why a devotion to the apostles’ teaching - why not just read the NT? It hadn’t been written yet. Why not just read the OT? They would have missed much of the transition to the NEW way of relating. Instead of all the OT rules and regulations, believers now had the Holy Spirit to guide them into all the truth. So during this transition period they listened intently to the commands and teaching of the apostles. God had specially placed the apostles in a leadership role to declare two things: WHO Jesus is, and WHAT Jesus taught. So when it says they followed the apostles’ teaching, it means they accepted the truth of Jesus being the promised Messiah, but they also followed all the teachings of Jesus as being passed down by the apostles, those who were with Jesus day in and day out for the last three years. Remember the Great Commission - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. The apostles did that very thing - they daily taught the disciples what had been passed on to them, so they in turn could pass it on to others. The apostles were the guardians of this material, which was originally passed down orally and eventually put into written form in our Gospels. For several years, there is NO NT to use to tell about Jesus the Messiah - only the testimony of the apostles! Think about this: What type of impact would Christianity have if we had no bible, only the faithful witness of Christians? Do we know the bible well enough to share its teaching with others?
For us today - we are not in the age of transition - what does this mean? We don’t have the apostles to listen to, instead we read and study the Bible to learn how we are to live - and then we put it into practice in our lives. James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! It is far too easy for someone to think they are doing OK because they “heard a sermon” - our commitment is to more than just hearing the truth, we need to follow it, obey it, put it into practice in our life. We need this commitment to OBEY the teaching of scripture.
When Thomas Jefferson read something he didn’t like, he took out his pocketknife and cut it out of his bible. Most of us wouldn’t be so bold, but let’s ask ourselves, are we really willing to follow what we see the bible teaches? Did you ever say “I know I ought to . . . but . . .” A commitment to be a disciple is a commitment to obey the content of what the scripture teaches us. The third mark of a disciple:
* Community - it says they were committed to the “fellowship” - they are committed to one another. This word for “fellowship” is the Greek word “koinonia” - you may have heard it before. The simple way to think about it is “two fellows in the same ship.” But that doesn’t go far enough. There are two in close proximity in a fistfight, but that is NOT fellowship! The way I like to define fellowship is being as committed to one another as we are to Christ. Now I know that may be exaggerating the closeness, but this is not about FEELING, but ACTION. You may not FEEL close to a brother or sister, but you can still choose to BE THERE for them. You can live in a way that shows them that you are committed to them. Scripture has a lot to say about how we are to relate to one another. Just like a body - when you stub your toe, your mouth responds - so in the body of Christ when one of us has a need, we should all be concerned. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
In 1 Corinthians 1:9 Paul uses this term fellowship to describe our relationship with Christ: God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. So this fellowship is a partnership, a working together. And in the same way that we have this fellowship with Christ, we share this fellowship with one another in the body of Christ. That’s why Paul goes on in the next verse to say, I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. When we live in fellowship, we won’t have conflict and contention and disharmony. We may not always AGREE, but we won’t be disagreeable. We will work through our differences in the power of the Spirit of God and maintain our unity and oneness.
So a disciple has commitment to content and community, next we see their focus on
* Communion - it says they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread - there are two thoughts here: some think this is referring to eating together; others think it refers to communion. I think it is BOTH. It appears that the early church would share a meal together and transition into communion. Some people criticize Bethel and say “You eat more than any church I know of” - but the reality is Jesus is constantly sharing meals as part of his ministry. The early church shared their meals together. And as they did so, the early church remembered the body and blood of Jesus given for our salvation. So this is probably a communal meal followed by the Lord’s Supper. The first church potlucks!
In Acts 20:7 it says On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. Why was the church gathered together? They’d gathered to break bread. They had come together as a church to take of the Lord’s Supper.
Paul just happened to be there and he taught as well, but the MAIN reason they’d gotten together was for communion. We never want communion to be something we “tack on” to the end of a service or something done simply out of ritual. But EVERY time we take communion together, we remember afresh and anew what a wonderful salvation we have been given.
The next mark of disciples is
Corporate Communication - represented simply by the word prayer. But this does not mean that each believer had a prayer time, but rather that they came together and prayed together corporately, as a group. They joined together in praying for one another’s needs. They joined together in praying in exalting Christ and giving Him praise. Prayer was an important part of their lives, yes as individuals, but also corporately as a body. Look back in 1:14 where it says, They all joined together constantly in prayer. Over in 4:24, Peter and John share with the disciples how they are threatened by the Jewish rulers, and the response of the church is prayer. It says When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. And then in 4:31 it says, After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
There is power in believers joining together in prayer. When you have a need, don’t just pray about it, enlist other brothers and sisters to join with you in praying together. When one of us has a concern, the rest of us need to pray as though WE were in that situation. Hebrews 13:3 - Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow-prisoners, and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering. So we pray for one another’s needs as if it were OUR need - because it truly IS! Disciples of Jesus pray. Do you? Next we see there is
* Confirmation - verse 43 - Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. God confirms the work He is doing by empowering the apostles to do great miracles. Why does God do this? Remember this is a transitional period from Judaism to Grace. To show that God is the one leading these disciples, God gives the apostles authentication by these miracles. Hebrews 2 declares, This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles. Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 12 - The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance.
So during this transitional period, God authenticates His messengers. But notice that ALL the people are not doing the miracles. The miraculous signs are done by the apostles and everyone is filled with awe. Some people like to claim that we can all do miracles. But God’s miraculous signs were given in a limited basis for a specific purpose.
The next mark of a disciple that we see is
* Common Concern - verse 44 - All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. This is not communism or socialism. Communism says no one should own private property, but here we see the people still retain personal possessions like homes and property. Socialism says we need to take part from those who have more and give it to those who have less. But here we see the giving is voluntary, it is not forced. A better analogy is that the church views itself as a family, and healthy families care about each other and take care of their own. When I was young, if I needed the car, I would ask my dad and he would let me borrow it. Why would he do that? Because I was part of the family and he loved me.
Why do we share what we have? Because we are a family and we care about one another. One of the problems we face is the idea of the “lone ranger” Christian. The idea I’m fine by myself and I don’t need anyone else. The truth is that we DO need others to be involved in our lives. Yes, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness - but part of what God has given us is our spiritual family. You can’t live out all the many “one another” commands of scripture by yourself. We need each other.
In October 1993, the NY Times told the story of Adele Gaboury from Worcester, Mass: It can never be said that Adele Gaboury’s neighbors were less than responsible. When her front lawn grew hip-high, they had a local boy mow it down. When her pipes froze and burst, they had the water turned off. When the mail spilled out the front door, they called the police. The only thing they didn’t do was check to see if she was alive. She wasn’t.
Police climbed her crumbling brick stoop, broke in the side door of her little blue house, and found what they believe to be the seventy-three-year-old woman’s skeletal remains sunk in a five-foot-high pile of trash where they had apparently lain, perhaps for as long as four years.
Eileen Dugan, seventy, once a close friend of Gaboury’s, whose house sits less than twenty feet from the dead woman’s home said, “It’s not really a very friendly neighborhood; I’m as much to blame as anyone. She was alone and needed someone to talk to, but I was working two jobs and I was sick of her coming over at all hours. Eventually I stopped answering the door.”
Nobody was out there for Adele Gaboury. Who are you “there” for? Who is “there” for you? As followers of Jesus, we need to have a common concern for one another. The next mark of a disciple is
* Continuing Celebration - verse 46 tells us, Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. The believers continued to use the temple for their place of corporate worship, but they also met in various homes. They had both cell and celebration - they met together as a large group to celebrate, but they met as small groups to live out the one another commands. It is wonderful to meet together as a congregation, but we also need small groups where we can share deeply, learn by asking questions, and serve through the various gifts God has given us. I am thankful for the many ministries of our church and for those who take part in each ministry. Everyone doesn’t need to serve in every area; we meet to celebrate God corporately, but we meet to serve and study in smaller groups.
And then notice the last mark of a disciple mentioned here
* Converts - verse 47 - And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. As these Christians worked hard at living out their faith by following faithfully, it made an impact on those around them. They saw others changed because of their living like Jesus. As you look at your life, realize that others are watching you. Are they drawn to want to follow Jesus because of what they see in your life? That is our goal - not just to follow, but to multiply, to influence others to become followers as well. God wants us to reproduce ourself in the lives of others.
Acts 2 is a chapter that reminds us that as believers we HAVE the Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit will give us the supernatural power to be a witness - and that witness will be believed when we live out our faith in relationship to one another. Today, let’s pray that God will help us to view ourselves, NOT just as Christians, but as DISCIPLES, followers, those who seek to live like Jesus in every way. And as a result of that lifestyle, we desire to see others follow Jesus as well. Let’s pray.
