A PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE
Acts 2:42-47
S: Church
C: Purpose of the Community
Th: A People with Purpose
Pr: WE ARE TO BE A DEVOTED PEOPLE.
?: What? To what are we to be devoted?
KW: Activities
TS: We will find in our study of Acts 2:42, four activities to which, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to be devoted.
Type: Propositional
The ____ activity is…
I. LEARNING
II. PARTNERING
III. REMEMBERING
IV. PRAYING
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• We will share in the supernatural – God works.
• We will share with each other – there is unity.
• We will see God adding to the church – reproduction.
Version: ESV
RMBC 08 January 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Do you have good intentions?
ILL Intention: With All Good Intentions
As the coals from their barbecue burned down, the Congers husband passed out marshmallows and long roasting forks to all their dinner guests. Just then two fire trucks whizzed past, stopping at a house right down the block.
All 12 of them raced down the street, where they found the owners of the blazing house standing by helplessly. The fire victims glared at them with looks of disgust.
Rightly so. For it was at that instant the Congers realized that all 12 of them were still holding their marshmallow forks.
I am sure that most of us intend to live in such a way to not offend others.
We intend to be helpful.
We intend to be encouraging.
But as you can tell with this story, what we intend is not always what happens.
Thus, I want to follow up with this question…
2. Do you have good intentions when it comes to your faith?
It may be that you are a person that likes to make New Year’s Resolutions.
I admit, I rarely make a formal resolution, but I often start the year with new intentions and resolves for the coming year.
And some years I do better than others, but I do them so that I will have direction.
TRANSITION:
It is my hope that you will join me in being intentional in fulfilling our theme for the year 2006: “A People with Purpose.”
You see…
1. The church has been given a mission and purpose.
Our church has been given a mission and purpose.
It is our mission and purpose to expand the kingdom of God here on earth.
God has given the church the responsibility to help more and more people come to recognize Jesus as Savior and Lord.
But I think that some of us have been waiting for the church to fulfill its purpose without having the intention to do so ourselves.
It doesn’t work that way.
Individually, it is our responsibility to discover the mission and purpose of the church, and then do it.
That does make sense, doesn’t it?
We only fulfill the purpose of the church – when the people that make up the church – act.
You see, our church could have one of the greatest preachers in the country…
We could have exciting greeters that make people feel right at home as soon as they enter the doors…
We could have the most modern facility with state of the art technology…
We could be doing all the most recent leadership and organizational techniques…
We could have creative youth ministries and outreaches…
We could have all those things…
…and still fail to fulfill our mission and purpose.
But Scripture does help us in knowing how to fulfill our mission and purpose.
It comes from our theme verse for the year, Acts 2:42.
Simply…
2. WE ARE TO BE A DEVOTED PEOPLE.
How many of you have heard of “devotions” or “devos” (which is more of a youthful campy term)?
When we speak of devotions, we talk of a personal time with the Lord, usually involving the reading of the Bible and prayer.
About ten years ago, I stopped using the term devotions altogether and began referring to this personal time with the Lord as my time of devotion.
Just dropping the “s” brought home for me what it was all about.
“Devotions” was not to be an activity that received a checkmark on my list of things to do every day.
Rather, changing the term ever so slightly helped me to be more intentional, because it described my relationship with Jesus.
This is the very way the early church is described in Acts 2.
There is an intense devotion to the Lord.
As the church got started, believers were continually being deeply attentive and completely committed to the things of God.
Because of this, the church was experiencing tremendous growth.
I want to bring emphasis to this concept, because I believe…
3. The church is always in danger of sliding into casual Christianity.
If you are not intentional, it is a guarantee to drift.
And one never drifts into a greater commitment to the things of the Lord.
Consider this…
If you don’t work at your marriage, you won’t become soul mates.
You will drift apart.
If you don’t actively parent your children and just coast, you are highly unlikely to have kids you will be proud of.
And, if you are not intentionally devoted to the Lord Jesus, you not only hurt your relationship with Him, your testimony hurts all of us.
For believers in the Lord Jesus, there are no holding patterns; there is no compromise.
We are either drawing nearer to God or we are falling away from Him.
And if the church is going to grow, it must be filled with men and women and teens and children that are drop-dead serious for Him.
We need to be sold out and fired up.
So, let’s examine how the early church operated for…
4. We will find in our study of Acts 2:42, four basics to which, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to be devoted.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first basic activity is LEARNING (cf. I Corinthians 2:2).
1. We are to always be students.
The early church demonstrates this priority by being devoted to the apostles’ teaching.
The apostles taught from the Hebrew Scriptures, probably a Greek version that scholars call the Septuagint.
But they had much more to go on.
They had lived with Jesus, so they shared His sayings and stories about Him.
They taught the importance of His death and resurrection.
And they explained the priority of godly living.
ILL Bible: Present and Accounted For
The Vastines were a Roman Catholic family, and after their son, Christopher, received the sacrament of confir¬mation, his godfather sent him a beautiful, large Bible.
Christopher’s thank-you note, written a couple of days later, was to the point: "Thank you for the Bible. It is very nice. I haven’t finished reading it yet."
We have a recommendation for Christopher. Don’t stop reading!
As people of faith, we should take every opportunity to fill our minds, eyes, and ears with the things of God.
We need to have an eagerness of mind and an openness of heart when it comes to God’s Word.
For the Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit to the Word of God.
And let us understand that…
2. Jesus is always the primary topic.
This is, of course what makes Christians Christian.
We are about Jesus.
And we are doing well when we are Christlike.
And we are not doing well when we are not Christlike.
We talk about Jesus a lot around here because the riches of Jesus are inexhaustible.
We should ever be going forward in learning more about Him.
We look always to penetrate more deeply into the wisdom of God and the grace of God that is demonstrated in Jesus.
Like the early church, we need to be devoted to the apostles’ teaching about Jesus.
For healthy churches are about Jesus.
It is their consuming passion.
II. The second basic activity is PARTNERING (cf. Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
You see…
1. We are eternally connected to each other.
In the early church, they were devoted to the fellowship.
It was a quality of togetherness that gave them a common bond.
They were in this thing together, now and forever.
We need to learn have this same kind of devotion today.
We need to trade in our independence for interdependence.
No one truly makes in the Christian faith on their own.
God has not designed it that way.
Instead, we are connected to each other.
The early church demonstrated this with a generosity of spirit.
They shared in each other’s lives, materially and spiritually.
In the same way, we must share in the same kind of generosity, willingly practicing grace and forgiveness, letting go of hurts, looking out for what is best for the other.
You see…
2. We are to be committed to one another.
In fact, we have a responsibility for one another, to stimulate one another to holiness and faithfulness.
If we fail in this, we fail.
For we are designed to work together, not a part from one another.
ILL Teamwork: Havner
Vance Havner pointed out, “Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them get together they can stop traffic, shut down airports and cites, and take lives.”
You get enough Christians who are devoted to the Word of God and living in Biblical fellowship, there is nothing God cannot do with them in accordance with His will.
Unfortunately, too many churches don’t get to experience God using them, because individual members are too busy picking on each other.
They are critical.
And the church ends up being known as a rumor mill and a place for gossip.
Instead, we are to be a blessing to each other, building each other up in the faith.
This is true partnering.
A healthy church is a church that is devoted to the fellowship.
III. The third basic activity is REMEMBERING (cf. Psalm 77:11-12; I Corinthians11:26).
1. We are to never forget.
We are to never forget what Jesus has done for us.
No matter who we are, and what we have done, we all come to Jesus at the same place.
We share the common ground of the cross.
ILL Grace: CS Lewis and its uniqueness
In What’s So Amazing about Grace?, Philip Yancey recounts this story about C. S. Lewis:
During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith.
They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death.
The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What’s the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions.
Lewis responded, "Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace." After some discussion, the conferees had to agree.
The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.
This is why we practice the Lord’s Table, the breaking of bread, on a regular basis.
It is the mechanism we use to remember what Jesus has done for us.
It is the mechanism we use to help us appreciate that we are all saved by grace.
This means then that…
2. Communion is our opportunity to renew our commitment.
When we gather for our time around the table, it is an appropriate time to reassess the depth of our devotion to Jesus.
When we gather around the table, it is an excellent occasion to confess and repent of our sin, and find that fellowship with the Lord is still wonderfully available.
This is what a healthy and purposeful church does – they are devoted to the breaking of bread.
IV. The fourth basic activity is PRAYING (cf. Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2)
ILL Prayer: farmer
A Christian farmer was spending the day in the city.
In a restaurant for his meal, he sat near a group of young men. After he bowed his head to give thanks for his food, one of the young men thought he would embarrass the old gentleman.
"Hey, farmer, does everyone do that out where you live?"
The old man calmly replied, "No, son, the pigs don’t!"
Well, we are to be devoted to prayer, and not be like the pigs that don’t!
And in so doing…
1. We are to express complete dependence.
God does not intend us to meet life on our own strength.
This is why we must be devoted to prayer.
We come to Him in prayer to worship.
We come to Him in prayer for guidance.
We come to Him in prayer for preservation.
We come to Him in prayer to intercede for others.
We come to Him in prayer, because in every way, we are a dependent people.
Also…
2. We are to demonstrate confidence in His faithfulness.
When we are devoted to prayer, we recognize that He is Lord, and He is the God that faithfully works in our midst.
I believe churches make an error in their thinking that they are okay when there is a great amount of activity.
They believe that they will be blessed in their many services and programs.
Even more, if they engage in the latest leadership techniques and organizational skills, and make use of the most recent technology, that God will work mightily in their midst.
But you know, the early church had none of those, because they are all pitiful substitutes for prayer.
And it is time we recognize that.
If we are to be a healthy church, we must be a people devoted to prayer.
APPLICATION:
So…
1. What happens when we are devoted?
Let’s note how our author, Luke, describes it…
(43) And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. (44) And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (45) And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (46) And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, (47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
We are not covering every detail of this passage, but I do want us to note that…
2. God works.
When these believers were fully devoted to the Lord and His matters, they comprised together an awe-inspiring church.
They were filled with awe because there was a supernatural character to what is going on.
Miracles were happening.
Indications of God’s power are occurring.
God was working.
I am sure that many of these people that were devoted to learning, partnering, remembering, and praying were surprised by the events that were taking place.
So often, the journey that we are on is uncertain.
But we need never fear during these times.
For though our journey is uncertain, God is not.
The path set before us is His to lead, and ours to follow.
God is still very much at work today.
We see God working when we are attentive.
But I believe with my whole heart that if, as a church, we became more devoted to the Lord we would see Him even more at work.
More and more, we would sense a supernatural character to this place.
And when we are more devoted to the Lord, we would end up being more devoted to each other.
For note, in the early church…
3. There is unity.
People were really caring for one another.
There was a commonality occurring.
No one was left in need.
There was a unity in spirit that was tremendously attractive.
In the same way, we need to be united in the midst of our various feelings, our varied interests, and our inevitable conflict.
We are not a perfect people, but when we are devoted to the things of the Lord, we care about the relationships we have with each other.
When a church is successful in caring for each other, it is effective.
For people draw people.
So, if you are a Grumpy Gus, don’t expect people to come.
If all you do is keep a report card for every service and ministry, don’t expect that to be an attractive trait for people to be around, because it will be just a matter of time before you will be grading them (and they don’t want it).
But if it is on your heart to be an encouragement to every person that comes through the doorway, understand that is attractive and effective.
For that is what was happening in the early church.
And God blessed it by giving them the fruit of fulfillment.
For the church is designed to make a difference.
4. The church reproduces.
When it is unified, joyful, and Spirit-filled, it is a powerful testimony of the truth of the gospel.
When the people of the church are devoted, the Lord keeps displaying His favor by adding people in to its community.
Let me share with you that this is my desire for this place called Randall, and I hope you share in that desire.
We are to be a people with purpose.
It is a purpose that makes a difference in people.
It is a purpose that sees more people joyously a part of God’s kingdom.
Tonight, I want to share with you some of the progress of NCD, a review of our purpose and vision, and also give you opportunity to share what is on your mind.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be devoted to the apostles’ teaching…be an intentional student of God’s Word so that the church may fulfill its purpose to increase the kingdom.
Be devoted to the fellowship…be an intentional partner with those God has gathered as this community so that the church may fulfill its purpose to increase the kingdom.
Be devoted to the breaking of bread…be an intentional person that always remembers that we are about Jesus so that the church may fulfill its purpose to increase the kingdom
Be devoted to prayer…be intentionally dependent on God, for He uses humble people that refuse to run ahead of Him so that the church may fulfill its purpose to increase the kingdom.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
RESOURCES:
Books:
Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. Revised ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977.
Bruce, F. F. Commentary on the Book of the Acts The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Acts 1-12 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
Stott, John R. W. The Spirit, the Church, and the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
SermonCentral:
Bill, Brian. “Determined by Devotion”
Chambers, Scott. “Wow, I’m a Part of the Church…Now What?”
Laughlin, Terry. “Spiritual Health Checks”
Shepherd, Steve. “They Devoted Themselves”
Tow, Richard. “Life-Styles of the Revived and Fervent in Spirit”
