The MAKING Of CHRISTIAN CAMARADERIE—Acts 2:36-47
Attention:
Veterans Day
There are experiences that only soldiers have in common. And there are experiences that soldiers of particular conflicts have in common.
Stateside(& elsewhere), soldiers have available to them, at least two groups that foster their camaraderie gained while serving together...The American Legion & the Veterans of Foreign Wars(VFW).
The legion.org opening paragraph partially describes their mission as follows:
“The American Legion was chartered & incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness...committed to mentoring youth & sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism & honor, promoting strong national security, & continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers & veterans.”
And in those statements resides an inherent camaraderie.
The vfw.org site states:
Our Mission: “To foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the military & our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans.”
Our Vision: “Ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their earned entitlements, & are recognized for the sacrifices they & their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country.”
Likewise, there are experiences only soldiers in the Lord’s service—God’s people— have in common.
‘Camaraderie’—“A spirit of friendly good-fellowship.”—Merriam-Webster Dictionary. OR--“Mutual trust & friendship among people who spend a lot of time together”—New Oxford American Dictionary.
*For our purposes today, ‘Camaraderie’ is—“Mutual trust, friendship, & good-fellowship among people with a shared experience.”
Today we will apply the camaraderie that is shared among veterans, to The Bond of Christian Experience, by describing:
The MAKING Of CHRISTIAN CAMARADERIE—Acts 2:36-47
Luke records the shared & positive response of receiving Jesus as Savior & Lord.
The Camaraderie/Bond of Christian experience is shared.
*What Camaraderie is shared among Christians?
12 definers of Christian Camaraderie.
1—Christian Camaraderie is built upon a shared...
PERSONAL FAILURE(:36)
Explanation:
:36—““Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord & Christ.””
“Assuredly”—asfalwv—Adverb—1) Safety(so as to prevent escape), assuredly. Strong—Securely(literally or figuratively). Used 3X--Mk. 14:44; Acts 2:36; Acts 16:23.?From—A(as a negative particle)—&—sfallw—To “fail.”
“God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord & Christ.”—
“Crucified” certifies that Jesus was dead!
“Both Lord & Christ” certifies that Jesus lives!
“Both Lord & Christ” also certifies:
1)That Jesus of Nazareth is “Lord”?That is, the living Jesus who was crucified, is the ‘Master’ of all people & all people are answerable to Him!
2)That Jesus of Nazareth is “Christ”?That is, the living Jesus who was crucified, is God’s only & unique ‘Anointed One.’ He is the promised Messiah. He is Shiloh(tranquility/peace/security-bringer).
Jn. 6:27—“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
*These people are at the Feast of Weeks(Pentecost) celebrating the time of wheat harvest. They were instrumental in crucifying their Lord & Christ. And with that rejection of Jesus of Nazareth, also came a rejection of God’s Headship over them thru His Anointed One!
2—Christian Camaraderie is built upon a shared...
AUTHORITY(:37b)
Explanation:(:37b)
:37—“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, “Men & brethren, what shall we do?””
The crowd responded: “To Peter & the rest of the apostles.”—
In :42 it is also stated that the resulting ‘church’ “Continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine.”
Gal. 1:1-12—“Paul, an apostle(not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ & God the Father who raised Him from the dead), & all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you & peace from God the Father & our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father, to whom be glory forever & ever. Amen. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you & want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Eph. 2:19-22—“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
The Church overall is founded upon those apostles to & through whom God spoke.
*Therefore Christian faith is inseparably linked to the word of the true apostles...
And since the apostles’ word is inseparably linked to that of the true prophets...
And since the authority of both the apostles & the prophets is inseparably linked to the living God Himself, His spoken & written word, THEN that ‘Authority’ is what guides all Christian decision-making!
3—Christian Camaraderie is built upon a shared...
HEART’s CONCERN(:37a, c)
Explanation:(:37a, c)
:37—“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, “Men & brethren, what shall we do?””
“They were cut to the heart”
“Men & brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 16:27-30—“And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep & seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword & was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, & fell down trembling before Paul & Silas. And he brought them out & said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?””
An Illustration:
*I distinctly remember sitting before the TV, watching a Bible Study program in Savannah, GA. A statement the preacher made brought me under conviction of personal sin. I was thus “cut to the heart” in regard to my sin against God. Keep in mind that I had already read thru most of the Bible & the preacher had already made my course of action plain enough, so that I did not so much need to ask, “What shall I do?” I immediately knew that I had to put feet to my newfound trust. So I put forth my efforts toward finding a gathering of true Christians thru whom I could share, live out, & grow in my faith.
4—Christian Camaraderie is built upon a shared...
RECONCILIATION With GOD(:38)
Explanation:(:38)
:38—“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, & let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; & you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
These people got serious about re-establishing their relationship with God thru Jesus.
Peter’s audience is told that RECONCILIATION With GOD involves/requires at least four elements:
A.—“Repent”(return to God)—Life-changing return to God whom you have obviously left. When did you leave God?...Way back when, when as a child at an age of personal accountability, you chose to not believe Him, & to go your own way.
•Mat. 7:13-14—“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
•1Thess. 1:9-10—“...you turned to God from idols to serve the living & true God, & to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
RECONCILIATION With GOD also involves/requires:
B.—“Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”—An honest & public/open recognition of Christ & His Church.
•Rom. 6:3-7, 11, 13—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”.....“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”.....“And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
RECONCILIATION With GOD also involves/requires:
C.—“For the remission of sins.”—God ensures a release from the condemnation, a forgiveness of, a “remission”/covering/removal of your sin & sins consequences. That release, forgiveness, & remission is a result of your personal repentance & proper movement toward Christ.
•Jn. 9:39-41—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, & said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”
And RECONCILIATION With GOD also involves/requires:
D.—“Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”—For an individual, the indwelling Holy Spirit(Rom. 8:10-17) brings about God’s guiding presence, as well as the individually personally experienced certainty of heaven for each of God’s people.
Rom. 8:10-17—“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
•Jn. 14:14-18—““If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
•Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
The outward proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence is NOT because you may have a particular ‘sign-gift’!...
The true outward proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence in you, IS your personal love of God, that produces a love of the performance of HIS will, despite inward & outward opposition to it!
Application:
?Is YOUR Christian Camaraderie built upon God’s provision in Christ Jesus?
?Is OUR Christian Camaraderie built upon God’s provision in Christ Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Veterans Day—There are experiences that only soldiers have in common.
American Legion & VFW exist to foster the camaraderie of those veterans.
Likewise, there are experiences only God’s people have in common, & the Church is to foster the camaraderie thereof.
Action:
Christian Camaraderie is built upon a shared...
1. PERSONAL FAILURE(:36)
2. AUTHORITY(:37)
3. HEART’s CONCERN(:37)
4. RECONCILIATION With GOD(:38)
Pt#s 1-4 Presented 11/15/2020am to:
1BCCbelle(Video to YouTube shared to Facebook @ ‘Byron Sherman’ & ’First Baptist Church Carrabelle’)
206 SE Ave A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
