Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
(NKJV)
This church was powerful because they had discovered they could help their members do 5 things:
1. Fortify their faith. (Discipleship)
“They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine...”
2. Find their talents. (Ministry)
“[They] sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
3. Focus on God. (Worship)
“Continuing daily with one accord in the temple. . . praising God. . .”
4. Face life’s problems. (Fellowship)
“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common. . . and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.”
5. Fulfill their mission. (Evangelism)
“...having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Today, I want to focus in on one particular part of the secret:
This church had discovered that it could help its members:
FIND THEIR TALENTS.
Too many churches are like the one that Kierkagaard wrote about in his book "And I looked around and nobody was laughing" says this, "I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, "If any man will be my disciple, said Jesus, let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow me."
We’re all too familiar with the TV evangelists, and their pull for money so they can continue to preach in Armani suits and wear fat diamond rings. . . disgusting, isn’t it?
But THIS church – ah, this church was DIFFERENT!
What was different about these people?
1. They saw their talents and gifts as God’s blessing.
“They...had all things in common...”
2. They saw their talents and gifts as their stewardship.
“...and sold their possessions and goods...”
3. They saw the needs and hurts as God’s calling.
...and divided them among all, as anyone had need...”
Responded the minister, "Yes, I know. That’s why I am crying."
I don’t EVER want to just get used to the idea that people are hurting, that people are needy. At our church, we’ve got a wonderful heritage of ministering to needs.
One of the early Methodist bases for works of piety and mercy was the Foundery in London . The main room of the building was large enough to seat 1500 people.
At one time, the Foundery had been a place for casting cannon. In 1738, John Wesley purchased it. He organized the Methodist Society there.
In addition to religious services, other ministries occurred on the premises such as a school for children and the dispensing of money from a loan fund for poor people to help prevent them from paying exhorbitant interest to others, and a medical facility to care for the sick who couldn’t pay.
The Methodists were like this early church – they met the needs of the world they live in!
- They fought to end slavery.
- They championed temperance. They worked to improve prison conditions. They built clinics, schools and orphanages. They helped abolish child labor. John Wesley lived so simply and frugally that at the end of his life, he was giving over 98% of his income to the poor. Even past the age of 80, he spent five consecutive days in the middle of winter walking the streets of London, raising money “to clothe them that needed it the most.” After Wesley’s funeral, at his request, the draperies used in the service were taken down, sewn into dresses, and distributed to needy women in London.
Sermoncentral.com Contributed by: Mark Winter
So, perhaps you’re saying “That sounds good, and right now I feel like God wants to use me like that. I believe God wants to use our church like that. But where do I start?”
How many of you are feeling like that right now?
How to find your ministry:
1. Look above you.
What does God want? Seek God’s guidance.
2. Look within you.
How has God gifted you? If you want to know, please write your name on the card that I gave you, and give it to me. I’ll make an appointment with you, and we’ll discover and discuss your gifts.
3. Look around you.
What needs are there?
4. Look beside you.
What resources do you have? Money, time, energy, skills, love, influence, friends?
5. Look behind you.
What experience do you have? Do you have a hurt that makes you able to relate? Has God changed your life?
6. Look ahead of you.
What vision fires you up? What would you love to do more than anything else?
I want everyone right now who wants to simply make a statement to God that you are making yourself and everything you own and everything you are available to God to minister to others, I want you to stand right now. I want to pray for you!
Closing prayer
NOTE: I am indebted for some of these illustrations to sermoncentral.com users. The idea for the “look above/within/beside” came from Dr. John Maxwell, in his book “Developing The Leader Within You”, though it is not reproduced exactly. The outline “Fortify Your faith, etc. . .” is from Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Church.”
How the Church Ought to Be
Meeting needs with God’s love. . .Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
This church was powerful because they had discovered they could help their members do 5 things:
1. Fortify their faith. (Discipleship) “They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine...”
2. Find their talents. (Ministry) “[They] sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
3. Focus on God. (Worship) “Continuing daily with one accord in the temple. . . praising God. . .”
4. Face life’s problems. (Fellowship) “Now all who believed were together. . . and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.”
5. Fulfill their mission. (Evangelism) “...having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Too many churches are not like this early church! What was different about these people?
1. They saw their talents and gifts as God’s ____________.
“They...had all things in common...”
2. They saw their talents and gifts as their ______________.
“...and sold their possessions and goods...”
3. They saw the needs and hurts as God’s ______________.
“...and divided them among all, as anyone had need...”
How to find your ministry:
1. Look _____________ you.
What does God want? Pray for God’s guidance
2. Look ______________ you.
How has God gifted you? What are your spiritual gifts? (EVERY Christian has spiritual gifts, and if you want to discover yours, sign the sign-up sheet, and I’ll make an appointment with you help you.)
3. Look _______________ you.
What needs are there? How are the people you know hurting?
4. Look _____________ you.
What resources do you have? Money, time, energy, skills, love, influence, friends?
5. Look ______________ you.
What experience do you have? Do you have a hurt that makes you able to relate? Has God changed your life?
6. Look ___________ of you.
What vision fires you up? What would you love to do more than anything else? If you knew you could do anything for God, and could not fail, what would you do?
