To the Ends of the Earth, Part 2
The Birth of the Church
Acts 1:12 – 2:12
Dismiss children for nursery (under 4) and children’s church (ages 4-7)
No Wednesday night for adults this week – couple weeks off
Introduction
- Welcome to Seasons Church & 2024 sermon series, “To the Ends of the Earth”
-- Might ask, “Why Acts?” Keep this in mind throughout this series:
-- We’ve already unpacked the beginning of all history (Creation/Fall/Promise)
-- And looked ahead, anticipated the coming & victory of Jesus (Revelation)
- However … in order to get to Revelation – we have to focus on the NOW
-- The “NOW” is found in Acts – it is the things we must be doing as the Church
-- It is the example of what the Church should follow in order to reach the world
- Last week we saw the ascension of Jesus into Heaven and His final command
-- Ties to His promise: He will come back again, but in the meantime … GO!
-- APP: We are still in the time of following His command to make disciples
- Today, we are priv. to see the birth of the Church & how leaders are chosen
-- We also see the fulfillment of God’s promise: the arrival of the Holy Spirit
-- Truly, this is the “why” we meet & share … I encourage you to dial in
- Read Acts 1:12 – 2:12 / Pray
Point 1 – The Election of Church Leaders
- Not only do we see the establishment of the first Church … but …
-- We get specific insight into how it should select its leaders
-- REM: Original disciples were called by Jesus (ref: Luke 6:12-13)
- APP: This would be the decision of ALL those who were gathered together
-- The first believers: Approx. 120 and the 11 disciples knew they had to carry on
-- REAL: All churches have this same charge … we saw it here at Seasons
-- The Church MUST continue, and it cannot be about anyone else but Jesus
- TEACH: Acts 1 gives us 7 necessities of how leaders should be chosen:
1. They need to be ones who willingly obey Jesus (v12); He said, “go & wait” (v4)
-- Believers should live in the will of God – leaders are no exception to this
-- No such thing as “do as I say” … a godly leader goes the way & shows the way
2. The church needs to be committed to surrounding its leaders (v13)
-- There is a commitment that flows back and forth in church operation
-- EX: Leaders lead and live righteously; followers follow and hold accountable
-- This allows both to hold one another up, to ensure that Christ is honored
3. Leaders should be ministry minded – willing to reach, help, and govern (v16)
-- The church must have and follow spiritual leaders who are appointed by God
4. Church leaders should be willing to move forward in agreement (v21)
-- GR: homothumadon; the same spirit or the same mind
-- Disciples were gathered for one purpose – obeying Jesus’ command to wait
-- However, they were also gathered together because that is what Jesus did!
5. Church leaders are required to pray “steadfastly”
-- GR: proskarterountes; strong – gives weight to being faithful / obedient
-- There is a requirement, a need, for leaders to be willing to seek the Lord
-- This is why we see (v24) them seek God in the decision of what’s next
6. A church leader must actually … lead! (v25)
-- Peter failed in the most miserable way; he denied knowing His Lord
-- He could have easily chosen to stay defeated … but instead repented
-- He went back to Jesus and was restored (great example of repentance effects)
7. The church should be mindful of what a leader says (v26)
-- The 120 listened to Peter: no one can lead without others willing to follow
-- This is a great example – cannot lead if no one is following (common purpose)
- Bottom line: The church had an empty office now and it needed to be filled
-- Why? Because Jesus sent them two-by-two … only had 11 … so …
Point 2 – How are church leaders selected?
- Know this: collectively understood they could not go about this rashly
-- They agreed and decided that the office should be filled specifically
-- In order to bring someone into leadership, it does take a community to do so
• Leaders must be fellow associates
• Leaders must know Jesus personally
• Leaders must be appointed through prayer
• Leaders must be appointed by the congregation they will serve
- BIG: This isn’t about the 11 disciples picking a new best friend …
-- This is about an office in the church to be filled by a god-fearing man
-- It would have to be someone that would be willing to uphold God’s standards
-- As well as one who would be committed to faithfulness to Jesus over popularity
- The process of casting lots is not clearly outlined in the Bible
-- However, what we do know, is it was a method (OT) for making “big” decisions
-- Saw this in Leviticus 16:8, “He (Aaron, as the priest entering the sanctuary) is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.”
- Logically, it would appear this was some of a ballot casting process (v23-26)
-- By casting lots, there was great trust put in the person b/c it was up to God
-- Thought: God would be the decider: placing His choice on hearts in prayer
-- APP: How someone voted would be after prayer and with intent of obedience
-- TODAY: The Church acts in the same way: Discuss (nominate), pray, and vote
-- TR: Shortly after this was decided (prob few days), something amazing occurs!
Point 3 – What is the Day of Pentecost?
- The Day of Pentecost was one of the most important events of the church
-- APP: Pentecost was to be celebrated fifty days after the Passover
-- RE: Night of Jesus’ arrest, then death/resurrection, + 40 days, then we are here
• What is it? It was the arrival of the Holy Spirit – a gift from God!!
• It was the birth of the Church – the start of a new way of operating
• It was the personal presence of Christ given to each believer
• It was the presence and power of God imparted to follow His will
• Equipping for the work, giftings to carry out the ministry
• It was the God-given ability (think courage) to go and witness
-- BIG: This was God’s faithfulness – it was His promises fulfilled to us
- Pentecost also called the “Day of First Fruits” - Numbers 28:26, “At the Festival of Harvest, when you present the first of your new grain to the Lord, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day.”
- Others may have known it as the “Feast of the Weeks - Exodus 34:22, “You must celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season.”
- In NT, Pentecost was a glorious day of celebration, praise for God’s blessings
-- But … it was not just a NT opportunity to celebrate – the OT also outlines this
-- Consider, there were 3 historical events that caused such great festivity:
1. They would come to celebrate the deliverance of people from Egypt
-- This was a day to remember their being freed from slavery (Deuteronomy 16)
2. It was to remember the day of the giving of the Law (Mt Sinai, Exodus 19-20)
-- It was a moment to remember that they were called to live apart from the world
-- APP: To focus on being God’s people and serving Him to the fullest
3. They would gather to thank God for the first fruits that were harvested
-- This would be the meal to open the harvest season
- Why? Because all these things He had done for them!
-- And now, on the day of this remembrance … what does He give them?
- The Holy Spirit signifies two specific things:
1. It was the birth of the church, the establishment of the “new” people of God
-- 2 Cor 1:21-22, “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”
2. It was the completion of a “new covenant”; the total fulfillment of the Law
-- John 14:26, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative - that is, the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
- v2 tells us that the Spirit came suddenly into their presence
-- Accompanied by a mighty sound – it was a supernatural sound of God’s power
-- REM: Consider the sound Isaiah & John heard when seeing God’s throne room
-- Much like a rushing wind, God’s presence invaded their space all at once
- There was an appearance of cloven tongues -- GR: diamerizomenai; dividing
-- These were not literal flames, but in description looked like fire (lightning?)
-- His presence would have settled on each of the disciples all at once
- Caution: They were not receiving “tongues of fire” – but a singular gifting
-- GR: glossa; the tongue, a language, a nation (distinguished by their speech)
-- The word use is specific: One ability rested upon each of them – to speak!
-- And with that, they were filled with the Holy Spirit – and filled to capacity!
- APP: Here is great hope for us: We do not receive the Spirit in pieces
-- You don’t get more later – it is not like a gas pump at a convenient store
-- EX: When a baby is born, the whole baby is born … not given in pieces
-- Don’t miss this: The gifting is complete, given all at once; “suddenly”!
- TEACH: Greatest limitation of the Spirit is the refusal to do what we MUST!
-- Likewise, refusing it is the unforgiveable sin: it is saying NO to God’s gift
-- Know this: They rcvd the SAME command that the church still has today!
-- To receive and then go … not to use it to suit our wants or needs!
- The church should seek to be filled … seek to desire it … seek to want it
-- Not because of what YOU can get from it, but because of what He does!
-- APP: He changes you; He provokes you; He drives you to do the will of God!
- How sinful and neglectful is a church who denies this gifting of God
-- I dare say, those are not a church – but a social club devoted to “a program”
- In receiving it those gathered began to speak in other tongues (languages)
-- Be very clear: they didn’t start rambling with gibberish and nonsense
-- There was no falling on the ground, shaking, or foaming at the mouth!!
-- Result was undeniable: Re-read v7-11; all heard the gospel in their language!
BIG IDEA
- Result of the Spirit’s arrival is a turning point: Witnessing for Christ had begun!
-- What the crowd “heard” (result) was the “wonderful things God has done” (v11)
- I wonder, what if we took that posture, how different would the Church be?
-- SEE: 100 ideas for comm. outreach: come highlight; not afraid to try & fail!
-- What if we were willing to just proclaim the simple truth that we know?
-- Here is the truth: I was a sinner, Jesus rescued me, and now I am here
-- How many could we see come to Christ if we did what we should?
- Pray
