"NEEDS AND WANTS"
Acts 2: 42-47
I) Intro
A) An "I need" illustration from kids childhood (Kids says, "I need" and the parent says, "you need? Or you want?")
II) Text:
RECAP: 3000 accepted Christ. Church jumped from 120 to 3000 in one day!
A) Snapshot
1) Did not reject Jewish religion
a) Recognized that Jesus completed the Old Testament teachings
2) Not well accepted by "Non-Completed Jews"
3) Need for communion / prayer / and teaching of Jesus in private homes
B) Needs identified and met
1) System in place
a) Needs identified
b) Resources provided, accounted, and distributed
C) Needs being met by people
1) 3120 / 12 = 260 (All believers/# of apostles)
2) 3000 / 120 = 25 (Pentecost converts/# of believers)
3) 120 / 12 = 12 (Believers at pentecost/# of apostles)
4) I believe they followed Jesus’ Model of Leadership
a) Crowds came; Jesus invested His life into 12
D) Praising God and enjoying the fellowship
1) Seeing God work in great ways
2) Experiencing God meeting THEIR needs
3) Being filled with Joy from serving others
III) Reality that Life existed outside the church
A) Culture during Early Church
1) Serious price paid because of faith in Christ
B) Role of Early Church
1) Needs were met (Vast and varying)
C) It Didn’t Matter…
1) ...Who met the need
2) ...Qualifications of
a) The need "meeter"
b) The need "receiver"
3) ...How the need was met
a) System in place
b) Importance focused on meeting the need not perpetuating the system
4) Leadership existed to support the ministry. The ministry didn’t exist to support the leadership
IV) Today Life still must be lived outside the church
A) Today’s Culture
1) Serious price is paid because of lifestyle
a) Stress, addictions, broken relationships, etc
B) Role of Church has not changed
V) Small, Home based groups key to what happened in early church
1) Needs were identified and met
2) Where discipleship and instruction took place
3) Fellowship was formed into loving caring relationships
4) Temple limited in its effectiveness
a) Today church same way for different reasons
VI) Small, Home based groups part of our church heritage
1) Success of Early Methodism due to John Wesley’s ability to organize people into small groups
2) Early Free Methodism also utilized small groups
3) Both started as logistical necessities, but realized the benefits and dynamics that only small groups have to offer
VII) Plan for starting small groups at CCFMC
1) Biblical Heritage
2) Methodist heritage
3) Role of the church to meet vast and varying needs as well as discipleship
4) Sunday Morning Church limited in its ability to meet these needs
5) Launching Mid-week, small group ministries
a) Pilot sessions throughout the year
b) First starting week of April 22
c) Several different topics and formats will be offered during each session
d) Sessions run for six weeks
VII) Action Steps
A) Ask God to show you a need in someone else
B) Find a way to selflessly meet that need
C) Be in prayer for the small group ministries
1) Your involvement in them
