The Early Church Believed
The Church: Then & Now - Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to church! We’re glad you’re here if you’re here with us in person or joining us online. It’s a blessing for you to be here with us.
Well, I feel like I haven’t seen you all since last year! I hope you all had a safe new year and some time to rest. We were able to rest quietly at home, well, relatively quietly with fireworks going off all around us.
[Don’t forget to make plans to attend the Christian Life & Witness Course this week on Thursday night or Saturday morning. If you would like to serve as a prayer counselor for the upcoming evangelistic crusade with Franklin Graham, you must go through this course. There are other volunteer opportunities as well and there is a great need for volunteers. So make plans to participate in this opportunity.]
As I was thinking about the New Year and where we have been as a church and where we’re going, I was thinking about the messages that I have preached over the last year and the scripture that we’ve covered.
We did a series on the Who we are as a church and what we do
We followed that with a look at the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
We did a series called Money Matters and giving to the church
After Easter, we looked at several characters of the Bible, leading up to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
We jumped to the Old Testament to look at the account of Jonah.
And we spend a good while on the Book of Colossians
As I was pondering what we should look at next, I did want to get back into an Old Testament book, but I felt the Lord pulling me to the Book of Acts, for a look at what the church was and what it is today.
Now, it will take us a while to get through Acts. it might take us all year. But I believe that God gave this book to us for a reason.
Let’s look at our passage for today in Acts 1. This is written by the Apostle Luke. Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and what we call The Acts of the Apostles to a fellow named Theophilus.
1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
[pray]
I. Luke’s Gospel Continues
I. Luke’s Gospel Continues
As I said, Luke picks up the narrative right where he left off with the Gospel of Luke...
1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach
We don’t know exactly who Theophilus is. This could have been a real name or a title of sorts. The Greek name Θεόφιλος (Theophilos) means “friend of God” or, possibly, “lover of God.”
Luke doesn’t explain why he is writing these accounts to Theophilus. We don’t know if Theophilus asked for this information or if he was a student of Luke. But we know that Luke knew the importance of providing a historical account of Jesus life and what followed.
2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Luke’s purpose in this letter is not to lay out proof. He felt that those proofs had already been presented elsewhere. He refers to them here, but does not provide any detail.
II. They Believed Christ’s Promises
II. They Believed Christ’s Promises
Luke moves on to include some of Christ’s last words, which are also referred to in Matthew’s Gospel and Mark’s Gospel.
When we think of Christ’s last words, we often turn to the book of Matthew, for the Great Commission:
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But Christ clearly had a more involved message, which he delivered to the disciples over the course of the 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension. In Luke’s first account, Jesus reminded the disciples that he was revealing to them the truth of all scripture: The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. We have to remember that, what we call the Old Testament was all of scripture to them at this point. He reminded them that this scripture must be fulfilled. I love what Luke wrote here. He said that Christ...
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
That’s the goal right there. We want to understand scripture so that we can apply it to our lives. If you truly want to understand scripture, pray that as a prayer, “God open my mind to your Word.”
Luke reminded his disciples of the things he had been teaching them all along...
46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”
The Book of Acts picks up from there. He continued by telling them that something big was coming...
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about;
What was it he was promising them?
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
Christ was promising them the coming of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he was promising them the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the very thing I’ve been telling you about for the last year. It is the moment that we are joined together with Christ, and through him joined together with the body of Christ, his church, and joined together with God.
While the early church experienced an overflowing of, seemingly supernatural gifts, (e.g. speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, raising from the dead, among others), the baptism of the Holy Spirit is less about these miraculous things than it is about being joined together with Christ.
Let me put this as simply as I can: The baptism of the Holy Spirit is just a way of saying that we are saved—we have accepted Christ, we have asked for and been granted the forgiveness of our sins, and we now have Christ within us, growing and blossoming, and changing us—transforming us so that we are becoming more like him. We are dying to our sinful way, or old flesh, and being revived in our Spirit. <<— THAT is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Part of His spirit, his character, becomes part of us and begins to change us.
Paul put it this way to the Corinthian church...
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
This is an important concept to grasp. No matter what we once were, or appear to be, when we come to Christ, we are all the same. We are all joined together, and we are all striving to become more like Christ and to let him have his way in us.
The disciples, in their way began to misinterpret and misunderstand his words. They were attempting to take his words and match them with their own expectations...
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
Jesus told them—more or less—you don’t need to know the answer to that question.
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
And that’s still the same answer that we have today. We don’t need to spend a lot of time worrying about when he’s coming back, how soon, or what we’ll go through between now and then.
But he did emphasize the impact that the Holy Spirit would have on them and the things that they needed to focus on. That’s the most important part of the message.
He says “you will be my witnesses, here and beyond, to all of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 is a powerful ministry model that has powered churches for 2000 years. This ministry model is what powers and drives this church. We have a saying around here. We say that we “Love God. Love Others. and Love the World.” This is our way of capturing our core verses:
The Great Commandment
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
The Great Commission
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
These are the most important lessons that Jesus left behind and these are the most important things for a church—and that means ANY CHURCH!
I told you last week that our giving is down and our attendance is down here at FBC Pharr. I also told you that we struggle with getting actively engaged volunteers to serve here in the church and to serve our community well.
Even so, these things are still more important than our bank accounts. They’re more important than our building program. They’re the most important things that we do around here. Our vision statement, Love God, Love People, and Love the World will solve budget problems and attendance problems. It will solve volunteer problems and will correct problems left behind when people leave the church for their own reasons. But we have to be willing to do our part in making that vision statement a reality.
And the alternative view is just as important to understand, if we cannot figure out how to Love God, Love People, and Love the World, then we will NEVER solve our budget and people problems.
FBC Pharr, LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, LOVE THE WORLD—let’s figure out how to do this well.
III. They Believed His Resurrection & His Ascension & That He Would Return
III. They Believed His Resurrection & His Ascension & That He Would Return
Jesus ministered on earth for 40 days from the time he was resurrected until he ascended into Heaven. He was not a rumour. He was not a myth. He spoke with people that he knew before his death. He sat and had meals with them. He revealed the truth of scripture to them. He corrected their misunderstandings. And then this happened.
9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”
Jesus did not disappear like a thief in the night. He was taken up into the heavens there as they stood with him watching. As they stood there wondering, they had a visitation from angelic messengers, who reminded them that he would return to them one day.
And it was Matthew that reminded them of the hopeful promise that—even though he may be away from them in heaven—he remained with them in spirit, saying “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus was telling his disciples, this is not the end, but it is the beginning of something that will last forever.
Conclusion
Conclusion
These things are the truth that our own faith is built upon. We know that Christ walked the earth. He taught his followers. We have his words from eyewitness accounts and we have two thousand years worth of the existence of his church, laid as our foundation.
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The Lord’s Table
The Lord’s Table
We now move to the Lord’s Table as we remember the sacrifice and the salvific work that Christ completed on the cross. As we do regularly, we come to the table reflecting upon his sacrifice and we remember the reason that He made that sacrifice.
This is an appropriate time to reflect on your readiness and upon your personal condition before God.
[pause]
I know that a few of you come from a tradition of closed communion, which means that only members of the church are allowed to participate in communion. But here at FBC Pharr, we practice open communion. That means that we leave the decision to participate or not participate up to you.
If you are a Christian, who believes in Jesus Christ, and have taken him as your Savior and your Lord, we invite you to participate with us, if you feel it is appropriate.
Scripture teaches us that if there is any sin in your life or conflict with your brother or sister that might keep you from participating in this meal, then do not participate. If this is the case with you or if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please allow the bread and the cup to pass and do not participate.
If this is you, please do not feel guilty or compelled to participate. There is no judgment or condemnation here. However, if this is you, please seek one of us out to get answers to questions that you might have or to correct some things in your life. We are here to serve you.
[pause]
Jesus came to this world to open the doors of Heaven to us by taking our say sin upon Himself and provide a way that we might enter into the presence of Almighty God.
[distribute the elements / pray / send out the deacons]
You’ll notice that you have two cups, one inside the other. The bread is in the bottom cup. You can gently separate the two cups.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
This is the body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, take it and eat in remembrance of His body broken for for us.
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This is the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Take it and drink in remembrance of His blood poured out for us.
For by eating this bread and drinking this cup, we join together in proclaiming the Lord’s life, death, and resurrection until His return to us.
Doxology
Doxology
Praise God from Whom
All blessings flow
Praise Him all
Creatures here below
Praise Him above
Ye heavenly host
Praise Father Son
and Holy Ghost,
Amen