Acts - 6

Acts – 6

Acts 2:42-47

Introduction

Have you ever gone back and looked at old pictures of yourself and your family? It is an exercise in humility isn’t it!? In many of them you look awkward. The clothes aren’t fashionable anymore (though some things come back around). The hair. The glasses. I know for me, I was never fashionable or cool, so it’s even worse decades later. Well, there is a website called “Awkward Family Photos” that encourages people to submit weird and/or unflattering family pictures. There are some gems there.

- Picture – 1 – Fed Up Parents

- Picture – 2 - Alf

- Picture – 3 – Blonde Fro

Every family has some pictures like this, don’t they? Not exactly the most flattering. That paint your family in a weird light. They may not even represent your family at all. Could give people the wrong impression. In a sense, I think that many people have had that same experience with churches today. They were involved in a church where things didn’t go right – where stuff maybe got weird. As a result, they have this bad snapshot in their mind of what the church is like.

They have a picture in their mind of a church that’s always asking for money. They are sensitive to it because they were in a church that burnt them financially and abused that topic. Others have the picture of an old-fashioned church, one unwilling to do (or sing) anything new since 1923. Still there are others who carry the snapshot of the legalistic church they grew up in. It was always judging them. If anything looked fun, it was forbidden. Following Jesus was defined purely by rules you had to follow.

While a lot of people have those kinds of pictures in their minds about the church, none of them are the right picture of the church at all. Those don’t really represent what the church ought to be. We need to help them see a better picture. And the only way to do that is by taking them to the Bible.

TS - In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit falls upon those first Christians and great miracles occur. A crowd gathers, trying to figure out what is going on. The Apostle Peter leverages that opportunity to preach a powerful sermon about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. The response is overwhelming. 3,000 people receive his word, repent of their sin of rejecting Christ, and respond in Christian baptism. 3,000 come up out of the waters of baptism, and the church explodes into existence. We are now immediately told what those Christians immediately did on day one. They give us a snapshot of what the Church should be, what the Church can be, what the Church must be.

Acts 2:41-47 - 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 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.

Sounds like a pretty great church, doesn’t it? There is a part of me that wants to dig into the method behind it all. How did they create an environment where such things happened? How did they get this done? What else were they doing that made such an impact in the world? But…this text doesn’t focus on programs or preachers. It focuses on people. It tells us how the people in the church treated one another and what activities they participated in together. Being a healthy church, the kind of church God desires in the world, does not begin with what we do, it begins with who we are.

God’s expectations on the church have little to do with programming and ministry events. His expectations have to do with us. Where we tend to be concerned more about activities, God is primarily concerned with who we are and the relationships between us. So this isn’t an issue of what the church should do, but who the church should be. And the Church in the book of Acts shows us exactly that. 4 Characteristics of the Church:

1. TRANSFORMATION

These believers lived lives that had been transformed by the Gospel message of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. V. 41 - 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The people who formed the foundation of this new church were those who had just responded to Peter’s sermon. They had been convicted by his words (meaning they were convicted by the truth of Scripture regarding Jesus’ identity).

They wanted to know how to respond to the Gospel. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They were obedient in that response. But they knew they weren’t done. They didn’t come up out of the water and walk away. They knew something had fundamentally changed about them. They knew they were to stay together and follow Jesus together.

So even on the very first day of following Jesus, there is this acknowledgment that Christianity is not a solitary endeavor. We need each other. We need to be with each other. We have all been individually transformed by Jesus, forgiven of our sin, and gifted the Holy Spirit…yet we are better together. If you could be a Christian on your own, they would have gotten out of the water and gone their own way. They didn’t do that. The Church is absolutely necessary.

Tim Chester - Church is not another ball for me to juggle but that which defines who I am and gives Christlike shape to my life… By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ.

We can talk much about what it means to be the Church. But we have to start here. Being the Church means being part of the people whose lives have been transformed by Jesus. This is not a social club. This is not a civic organization. This is not a religious business. We are a group of people who have had…and continue to have…Christ change our lives.

As a church, we will celebrate decisions to follow Jesus. We will applaud at baptisms. When people come up out of the water, we will rejoice together. But our responsibility does not stop there, it begins there! That new Christian is now part of the family. They are now part of us. We come together to help each other continue in faithfully following Jesus.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - 4 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Notice the reasons the Bible gives us for meeting together as a church. It’s not just that we hang out for awhile on Sundays. We are to encourage one another. Life can be challenging. The weeks can be hard. So we gather to strengthen each other, to put courage into one another, so we can confidently go back out into our world with the strength and courage to face the onslaught again and remain faithful. But notice the other reason Hebrews gives…to “stir up one another to love and good works.” Our presence together pushes us toward ongoing transformation. We push each other to grow, to change, and we offer to help. This is what marks people who are transformed…they continue to grow and help one another grow.

2. DEVOTION

v. 42 - 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

I love that the Bible uses the word ‘devoted.’ The word carries the idea of “persisting obstinately.” They were stubborn about these things. Nothing was going to get in the way of them ensuring that these things got done. They weren’t casual about their commitment. They weren’t lukewarm about their faith. They were devoted. They were all in. Notice the particular practices they were devoted to. They weren’t dedicated to everything. They were specific.

First, they were devoted to “the apostles’ teaching.” And as we learned from Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-36, the apostle’s teaching was anchored in and focused on the Bible. Meaning this…the church purposely centered itself on the clear teaching of the Bible. They studied God’s Word. They examined truth. They let Scripture inform and transform their lives.

They also devoted themselves to “the fellowship.” So they weren’t just devoted to things and activities…they were devoted to each other. They saw the value of spending time together as the spiritual family they were.

The early church was also a place characterized by devotion to “the breaking of bread.” This is a reference to the taking of communion together. Jesus had instructed them that whenever they gathered together they were to remember His sacrifice for them, the sacrifice that brought them together in the first place. This ensured Jesus was the centerpiece of His people’s attention.

Finally, they were devoted to “the prayers.” They celebrated their relationship with God. They sought Him together. They were looking for His guidance. They were relying on His presence. They were enjoying the new access they had to God by the work of Jesus. And by “prayers,” it means they continued the long religious tradition of having dedicated times of prayer together throughout the day. In addition to regular prayer whenever you feel like it, they had dedicated, structured times to pray.

This is a church that is devoted. Dedicated to God and to one another. So much so, look at v. 46 - 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, How often did they meet? Every day! Sometimes it is a challenge for us to commit to an hour or two on a Sunday. Not so for them. They were so radically transformed, and so radically devoted, not a day went by without them gathering in some way.

3. CONNECTION

v. 44 - 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. They were together, and they were together A LOT. So much so that they had all things in common. You don’t find too many groups that you can say that about. Really, how many people do you share everything in common with? Maybe those in your immediate family. Maybe a close friend. Why? Because you spend so much time with them!

The church became so interconnected with one another that it was like they were one person. Not in the sense that everyone began to look the same, dress the same, think the same. They were in unity. Not uniformity. Unity. They recognized they were one. That is why we phrase our mission here at Broadway the way that we do. We want to help people find hope in Christ…that drives it all. For the first time, or yet again, we want people to continue to find hope in Him. But we add that second phrase…we want to help people find a home in His church. Why? Because we are in the business of connecting God’s people, not just with God, but with each other.

Later in the NT, the Bible will use the imagery of a Body to define and describe the Church. Our parts may be different, a hand doesn’t look like a foot, but they are part of the same body, unified together. Romans 12:4-5 - 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 - 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Notice the deep connection that is supposed to happen among God’s people. Our lives should be so wrapped together that we mourn with each other. When a part of this church is hurting, all the other parts should take it personally and hurt with them. Same with celebration. But really the phrase that sticks out most to me is in Romans 12. We all together are one body…”and individually members one of another.” So it is not just that you belong to the church. We belong to each other.

So here is what I want you to think about this week: how connected are you? Not just to the Church. How connected are you to each other? How tied in are you to what is going on here, and in the lives of the people around you? If you don’t feel connected, why?

- Is there tension in some relationship you need to resolve? Follow the Bible and go talk to that person.

- Do you feel disconnected because you sit in here for an hour on Sunday, but then whisk right out the door and don’t think of it again until next Sunday? There are other things to get involved in. Pretty much every day of the week. Just look at all the people around you. If you quickly duck in and duck back out and not talk to anyone…you will never experience what Acts 2 describes.

4. ACTION

The relationships in the Church are not just some surface-level, lovey-dovey affection. It goes much deeper than that. V. 45 - 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. Think about this for a minute. It’s one thing to ask someone for money and they pull out their wallet and give you some. But it’s another thing entirely for them to sell something they own to get you the resources you need. There is a level of sacrifice there that is unmatched.

Their feelings translated into real, practical action on each other’s behalf. So much so, listen to how Luke describes the Church a couple chapters later. Acts 4:32-35 - 32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

The phrases are incredible…”no one said that any of the things that belong to him was his own.” No concept of personal property. They opened up their lives and their stuff to each other. If I have something you need, consider it yours. “There was no needy person among them.” We miss what a revolutionary statement that is. Jerusalem and Judea were poverty-stricken. But the Church provides so well for each other, the poverty that defines their region does not define them.

Can you imagine such a thing? This is the kind of church that could change the world. In fact, this is the kind of church that DID change the world. V. 47 - And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. And God has been doing that ever since. How could He not? That is the kind of community people want to be part of. That is the kind of community God delights in placing people into.

Here is how to start…because I don’t know about you, but all this can seem a bit overwhelming. When I read this, I see the transformation of my current life that has to occur to make this a reality. And so should you. There is a lot of time involved. There is a lot of sacrifice of my money involved. There is a lot of relationships involved. This reality demands your entire life. So here is how to start: after church is over, go up to someone you don’t know and ask their name. Ask how long they’ve been coming here. Ask about their family. Ask about their job. Get to know them a bit. Make plans to sit together at church next week. Maybe grab some coffee. Go to lunch. You’re going to eat anyway. Eat together. Then when you get to church next week, do that again. And again. And again. Watch what happens. Watch God transform you and the people around you.