Sermon # 4 - The Power Of The Early Church Series

We have been considering God’s promise for His people from Act 11:21, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.”(KJV)

We will consider in detail the life of the early church, and see what we ought to do, in order for the Lord to fulfil this promise to bring many people into His Kingdom.

• The believers were a praying people

Acts 1:14, “They gathered frequently to pray as a group,”

Acts 2:1, “When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. (GNB)

Acts 4: 30-31 says, “Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed through the name of your holy Servant Jesus. When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.” (GNB)

The early church was a praying church. We read how they gathered frequently to pray together. They were all in one accord in prayer, and the very place where they met was shaken. What happened as a result was that all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were also specific in their prayer. In Acts 4:30 we read how they were praying that the Lord would stretch out His hand and do mighty wonders and miracles, and also heal the people, so that the name of Jesus could be greatly honored among the non-believers.

The call of God today to the church is that we be a praying church. A praying church is a powerful church. Prayer is waiting in the Lord’s presence. Only if we take time to pray as individuals, as families, and collectively as a body of Christ will God’s promise to bring in souls into the church, be fulfilled. Today the church is sadly lacking in the dynamic of prayer. We come together for worship and to listen to the word, but there are very few who are willing to spend time in prayer. Revival begins only when the church prays together. Moreover, our prayers need to be precise as was the prayer of the early church. We must seek the Lord to perform wonders and miracles through us so people will come to believe in the Lord. Only as we become a praying people will the Lord be able to fulfil His promise to lead the multitudes into His Kingdom.

• The believers were a power-filled people

In Acts 2:4, we read, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” (GNB)

Also in Acts 4:31, we read, “When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.” (GNB)

We also realize that the early church was a power filled church. As they prayed and waited on the Lord that the entire meeting place was shaken’ and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit in our life is so that we can lead the holy life that the Lord requires of us. Without the power and the filling of the Holy Spirit we will never be able to fulfil God’s plans and purposes.

• The believers were a people who preached the word

We read in Acts 4:31, “When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness. (GNB)

In Acts 2:14, we read, “Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means. (GNB)

Also in Acts 2:41 we read that, “Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.” (GNB)

What happened as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit was that believers began to preach the word boldly. Once they were filled with power of the Holy Spirit, they did not just stay inside the comfort of the building, but went out into the world, and preached with boldness. We see how the Lord transformed Peter, the one who denied Jesus earlier that he stood and preached fearlessly to the entire crowd in Jerusalem. The outcome was unbelievable. Three thousand people who heard the message believed, were baptized, and added to the church that day.

Each one of us is called by the Lord to be those who will preach and teach to those in our own neighbourhood, and the people we come in contact with every day. This mandate is for every believer. We are called by the Lord not just to be members of His body, but to be the ones who proclaim the gospel to those outside so they too can come in and join us.