The Church - 2024 Pt 4 - Connected in Gospel Centered Community with Leaders
The Church 2024 - A Sprit filled people • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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GREET EVERYONE-
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
Our Vision:
To see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on mission.
What mission? - This questions leads us to articulate His mission for His church in a simple way.
Our Mission:
Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!
WELCOME-
This morning you are here! And there are quite a few of you that I don't know your story.
Here is what I do know - You are not here by accident! You are not here by coincidence.
God orchestrated all of the events in your life that would land you here this very morning.
and listen - You may have Big questions.
Questions about Faith,
Questions about the Bible.
Questions about this whole thing called Church.
And maybe just maybe your questions are bigger than that - Maybe your questions are about who Jesus is?
Or Even the existence of God!
Be encouraged! God has you here! Don’t let these pretty faces fool you.
We don't have it All figured out either.
And our desire is to be a people who can connect with you and each other and figure it out together!
ANNOUNCEMENTS-
1. A season of Prayer and Fasting
Feb 14th - 40 days of Prayer and Fasting.
2. Bible Read through -
3. Pray for Dan
4. Stonewater Weekly and the Church App
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND-
Open it to Acts chapter 2 today as we Continue exposing what Jesus, in the scriptures Says about the Church.
It is fascinating to think about!
The fact that the Scriptures. through the work of the Holy Spirit, the person of the triune God breathed out the words of the Text that we can hold in our very hands.
In this series we are Exposing What God says about the Church that Jesus owns and is the head of - in our annual series on THE CHURCH -
The series titled “The Church A gospel centered people filled with the Holy Spirit”
1 - The Church - AS we have heard is A People -
Who is the Church?
We are the Church!
Yes -
The Church is a Gospel Centered People - who are Regenerated, Renewed by the Holy Spirit, and who have the Holy Spirit of God - Dwelling, Taking up residence with in their physical Bodies
These Spirit filled Gospel Centered People are
On a Gospel Centered Mission Empowered by the Holy Spirit that dwells with in them
They are Engaged in Gospel Centered Service led and guided by the Holy Spirit.
AND they are connected in Gospel Centered Community that is Illuminated by the Spirit
and they are led by Gospel Centered leaders who are gifted by the Holy Spirit.
TRUTH -
ENGAGEMENT –
Relationships!
When you hear or read the word “Relationship” what comes to your mind?
Maybe Marriage Relationship?
Maybe Boyfriend or Girlfriend relationship?
Maybe Best friend relationship?
Maybe what comes to your mind are multiple relationships.
Relationships that are tied to places or events.
Relationships around your home - neighbors -
Relationships around the bar you frequent.
Relationships around Golf Games - Watching football or playing football or basket ball or any other sports.
How about relationship with Family - With Brothers or sisters or parents or cousins or aunts and uncles.
Here is what is interesting - Or at least I find it interesting -
When you think about those relationships - Three maybe 4 questions come to my mind.
1 - What would you say are the defining characteristics of those relationships?
Here is how you would answer that - Let’s Say - Your thinking of a relationship with a person named Jeff and he is a golf buddy or a football watching buddy or a work buddy or a school friend or even a romantic relationship.
Here is the statement for you to fill in the blanks.
Jess and my relationship is characterized by ______________.
2 - Have you ever thought about the relationships in your life with purposeful examination and asked those questions?
3 - Are the relationships that you have with people around Jesus, different? Are they Separate from all other relationship? Do you keep them separated?
4 - When you think about relationships within the framework of the Church - what do you think? What thoughts come to your mind?
5 - What do you want the relationship in your life to be characterized by - What is the recipe of ingredients that you want in the enjoyment of relationships you have.
TENSION -
This morning when you walked in You were handed a piece of Paper or at least I hope you were.
This is the HOW TO and consequently the HOW NOT TO - of relationships in the church.
And what we see in this list is they are broken down into categories -
Love One Another - Honor One Another - Greet One Another - Welcome One Another - Show Hospitality to One Another - Have Fellowship With One Another - Agree With One Another - Live in Harmony With One Another - Be at Peace With One Another - Be Kind to One Another - Forgive One Another - Bear With One Another - Bear One Another’s Burdens - Comfort One Another - Care for One Another - Confess Sins to One Another Pray for One Another - Encourage One Another - Build One Another Up - Exhort One Another - Instruct One Another - Teach and Admonish One Another - Sing With One Another - Stir Up One Another to Love and Good Works - Do Good to One Another - Serve One Another -Wash One Another’s Feet - Wait for One Another - Be Humble Toward One Another - Submit to One Another - Speak the Truth to One Another - Do Not Speak Against One Another - Do Not Judge One Another - Do Not Provoke One Another - Do Not Envy One Another
Here is what I want you to do for now - Put this list aside for just a minute and we will pick it back up here at the end.
BACKGROUND -
In our passage of text this morning in the book of acts we see a description of the behaviors of a group of people.
Here is what is interesting about this particular group of people.
They are all what you and I consider strangers to each other.
Here is what had happened -
If you rewind this narrative about 50 or so days back in time what has happened is Jesus came into Jerusalem for the last time of the donkey - Palm branches in the air - Shouts of Hosanna from the extremely large crowd.
This would be his last week here on earth.
He spends time with the 12 guys closest to Him, His very best friends - The ones who he had the deepest relationship with.
He will pray with them - Teach them about what is fixing to happen to Him and to them --
He will go through being crucified on the cross - he will rise again - He will appear to them and commission the assembly of the called out ones, the church.
in the midst of doing all of that He will say - Im going to send the spirit with power and you will be witnesses.
That all takes about 47 days.
After he ascends to the father and leaves everyone down here.
There are about 120 people gathered in an upper room and what happens is that Jesus and the Father send the Promised one - They send The holy Spirit.
The holy Sprit indwells these 120 and what is the first thing that is recorded for us in the scriptures -
Proclamation of the Gospel. to people and here is what is interesting - All kinds of people from all over the place.
People from 15 different countries and 15 different languages - All strangers with one another.
Here is what happens.
The Spirit of God moves through the 120 and they proclaim the Gospel to thousands of people - Literally thousands -
and at the end of Spirit Empowered activity - vs 41 says -
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
So, from thousands of people, from 15 different countries and languages, all that hear the proclamation of the Gospel, in their own language.
God adds 3000. God saves and brings from death to life, by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, People once dead in their trespasses and sins - All of them saved by grace through faith. 3000 souls in ONE DAY -
THE First day of the assembly of the Called out ones - The Church
That is what the word church means in the original language of the New Testament.
The word Church in the New Testament means “called out ones” plural. and in the Greek literature it is used to describe an assembly.
This is ONE OF the biblical frameworks by which we must understand that an assembled church is not a church.
The answer to the question Who is the Church? is not “I am the Church”
The answer to the question Who is the church? is
WE are the church!
SO here we are in the first century -
3120 people who are all but 11 pretty new believers,
from 15 different countries - Different languages - and as we begin to look at vs 42-47 what we will find is how The Holy Spirit of God mobilized them all into action that gave us clear characteristics that can define their relationship to one another.
UNPACKING -
VS42 -
begins with the words “and they” The They is the object of this sentence and is pointing back to the previous Object of vs 41 - The three thousand People - The three thousand new believers -
These three thousand are now characterized in this passage of text with a specific Characteristic.
an action word - Devoted
It is a verb in the english in the past active sense - Devoted - Like when me being devoted to Brandi or saying to her I am devoted - It has the tense of past present and future tense.
I devoted my self to you I am devoted to you and I will be devoted to you.
IN the Original language of the New Testament the word there that is translated devoted has a couple of connotations that are important to understand.
Its most basic meaning is “to stay by” or “to persist at” and when it is used in connection to people it means “to be loyal to someone” and it was used to say “to occupy oneself diligently with something” or “To pay persistent attention to” another way “to hold fast to something or someone”
In Literature the fullness of its usage meant “to continue to do something with intense effort, with the implication of Despite difficulty, to persist in”
SO we could expand the verse, if we were reading an Amplified version to Read.
And these 3120 new believers in Christ Jesus, persisted continued with intense effort, despite difficulty, to be loyal and to Hold fast to.
This is what there relationships were characterized by.
If someone were to ask them “how would you say that you relationship with these other people was defined?
They would answer “We persistently continue with intense effort, despite difficulty to hold onto these things!
What where those things -
1. The Apostles teaching. Meaning that they were persistantly continuing with intense effort despite difficulty to hold on to learning. The appostles were teaching and they were learning.
What the Apostles were teaching was the Gospel - They were teaching that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus was the redeemer and the prmoised messiah.
2- They were also persistently continuing with intense effort despite difficulty to hold on to each other. That is what “the fellowship means.
In the original language the word that is there where we see fellowship means “an association of people of mutual relations and involvement. In other words “the other participants in this movement.
3 - There were also persistently continuing with intense effort despite difficulty to the breaking of bread - Now there is an unsetteled conversation as to what breaking of bread was and means - Some academics believe it means eating meals together, Some people say that is is simply the breaking the first loaf of bread of a meal which was the custom of a Jewish meal, back then and Some believe it was the breaking of the Lords Supper, Communion. Where Jesus took bread and broke it.
We take the latter. We believe that this was communion- Jesus had instituted it with he apostles and the Apostles were teaching it.
4 - They were also persistently continuing with intense effort despite difficulties to prayer.
So 4 - things - The Apostles teaching, which for us today would be the Scriptures,
Each other
Communion and prayer.
VS43-
Look what happened to them - They were devoted to these 4 things and what was manifested out of their devotion was
AWE came upon every soul.
The word AWE in the new testament language is an extremely interesting word - In Greek literature it means to fear to be afraid -
When used in connection to a deity it means to fear enough to have profound respect and Honor.
To be in fearful Awe of God -
Like Isaiah was in Isaiah chapter 6 -
IF you done know the story - Isaiah was one of the Big prophets of God - Speaking on behalf of God with the words of God to 5 different kings of Israel -
And in Chapter 6 Isaiah has A dream - Its Just a dream -
IN his dream He finds himself in the very throne room of God - Remember, its a dream - And Isaiah is in such Awe of Gods majesty and speldor and power that Isiah gets afraid - and here is what He says - Woe is me for I am lost -
In other words I am in the wrong place at the wrong time -
then He instantly confesses - I am a man of unclean lips and I serve a people of unclean lips.
I am in trouble.
The dream works out - But this is a reflection of the AWE OF GOD .
WE need more of the Awe of God in our life -
SO AWE of GOD was in Every person -
Signs and wonders were happening -
Signs and Wonders - these are healing and miracles - something we don't see a lot of today. We see some but not a lot of!
VS44&45-
Are descriptive verses on what being Devoted to each other looked like in this first church.
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.
And here is what in effect these guys did -
They eliminated poverty from among the believing community. If there was a need - Not a want but a need - The Assembly of these three thousand Solved the need.
VS46 -
Additional things -
Day by day - They Attended temple together.
In other words they went to worship together -
I long for the say when culturally when one of us are asked on Sunday Morning - Why are you guys going? We will answer “Were going to worship!
You see what happens in our culture - they see the church as an institution or an hierarchy, a location , a building -
My prayer someday is that our communities once again will see the church as a people ask God’s people,
By these guys were going to worship Day by day together - Some of your versions will use the terms - With one mind - Meaning “in unity together”
The Connotation of the word - Together in the original language means not only physically together but also together in mind and heart. In unity together -
Unity is so very important to the health of the church.
Verse 46 also uses the teem “breaking bread together” - this usage is more settled thatn verse 42 - Most people believe that this is eating food eating meals together becasue of the rest of the verset hat indicated that everyone recieved their food with glad and generous hearts -
Some of your versions say “gladness and sincerity of hearts.
VS47 -
Again a description of what there were doing and what whas happening -
They were praising God.
How often were they praising God? Well 47 is a continuation of 46 and that says “day by day”
Every day they were praising God.
Here is what was happening to them - They were having favor with all the people.
What that means is the culture around them - Their community look at them with favor!
Man oh Man have ewe gotten along ways away from that - We definitely have some work to do in that area.
Here is the Amazing part -
God was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Every day New people were coming to Christ.
WHY?
Because they were devoted to the Gospel and to each other and to taking communion and to prayer.
I love the way one author Eric Celerrier puts it when He writes about the Origins and the First use of the word Christian in the first centruy”
Christian by the way was not a term of endearment used by the community. It was a slang a slur if you will.
Here is what Eric Observed!
“The believers’ lifestyle was so clear and unmistakable that this name was assigned to them.
Because they put into practice what they had learned from Jesus, they completely achieved the mission that was given to them (and to us): to represent Christ and make Him known!”
Here is the amazing part -
These people put into practice what they learned form Jesus - And if you were in the first church, you would have leaned it as well.
Here is the beautiful part - The Information was transmitted to you by two primary means -
And Guess what - This is still how it works today .
1 - The Holy Spirit - Illuminated the information to you and sends the Scripture to us.
This is what Paul was sharing with the Church in Corinth - in the First part of His first letter.
11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
We have been given the Spirit who is form God, Who comprehends the thoughts of God and the words or information is taught to us, through the scriptures, by the Spirit,
and what does the Holy Spirit do - Interprets Spiritual Truth to those who are filled and regenerated and renewed and indwelt with the Spirit.
This is what is commonly referred to as Illumination - The Spirit Illuminates or interprets the spiritual things that are revealed to us in the spirit collection of literature that was breathed out to human authors by the very Spirit of God - The Very power of God - Breathed these words out onto the page and then Transmitted them through the last 3500 years and then translated them into english for the last 600 years so that we could read them and understand them and know Jesus.
So when we gather as the church - When we assemble as the assembly of the called out ones - The Spirit does the speaking in community.
And that happens whether we are gathered in large groups on Sunday morning or in Small groups throughout the week.
That is the Second way that Information transmitted to us -
IT is transmitted through people - Namely in the Scriptures - 3 people
1st community - You see a spirit filled People that are indwelt by the Spirit and devoted to the Scriptures - The writer in Hebrews says That groups have an anointing of the Holy Spirit and can unfold the mysteries of God.
Here is the deal - The Bible is to be understood and dove into in community with other faithful devoted believers.
I can remember a passage of Text and there could be one - Where it says “read the bible in isolation”
There is passage after passage after passage of Scripture that tell us to be in community - Devoted Community.
2nd Here in this passage of text, the information comes to us from the Apostles. The Apostles Teaching
and if you read on other Leaders cuz there were just too many for the apostles to do all the teaching.
Plus the Apostles could not be in all the places this Gospel was gonna go all at the same time. So the Apostles appointed leaders and they appointed leaders and they appointed leaders and so on and so on. This is what is meant when the creeds say “Apostolic Church”
SO here is what happened to solve the size problem and the logistic Problem -
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Antioch, Iconium, Derbe, Lystra, - 5 Cities and Multiple Church's planted.
These guys were devoted. Paul. Luke, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus and the team.
5 cities, multiple Churches - all need leaders.
VERSE 23 when they “Paul and team” had appointed Elders for them in every Church.
Some churches? - A few Churches? Elders over many churches? Nope “Elders (plural) in Every church.
Elders - What the Who counsel of Scripture will tell us is Elders are to be Devout men who lead the Church.
These are Gifted men with a very specific role in the Church.
Gospel Centered men who have gifts and who use these gifts to do a specific function.
Look at Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
VS11 and He gave - Who is the He? - Jesus Gave -
HEre is what He gave - Apostles - Prophets - Evangelslists, Speherds - Teachers -
Why did he give them -
To Equip the Saints for the work of Service - That is what “ministry means”
What is the Work of Service - What is the Work of Ministy - For “building up the Body of Christ -
The Body of Christ is the Chuch -
And byuliding up. Building up in the Original Language of the NEw Testament that that word Build Up is to COnstruct - To buiodl somthing -
You see the work of ministry is to build the Body of Christ - To take the foundation of Christ and place others on Him which Paul sus are building Blocks and we do that BY making disciples -
And the Purpose of the Church is to make disciples - and the Purpose for leaders in the church is to equip the saints for that very work of Building - COnstruction the CHurch -
How does that happen - Take a foundation (Jesus and you add parts to it on top of it and you make a building.
Gospel Centered Community - Characterized by Devotion to each other and Illuminated to understand Spiritual things by the Holy Spirit.
Led by Gospel Centered Leaders - who are Gifted by the Holy Spirit to equip the saints for the work of ministry to build up the Church.
This is what the Church is and this is what the church does.
But how does that flush itself out? If flushes itself out in small group community.
STICKY POINT
APPLICATION OR IMAGINE
AS Robert and Melissa and Team come up to lead us once again into Musical worship.
Take the sheet of paper and take the last moments of our time together and look through the headings -
Here is what I want you to do -
Ask yourself this question - In my relationships with other people in community - What is the ONE or TWO of these that I need the most?
DO I need Love by my community?
DO I need to just feel Welcomed?
Do I Just need to be made to feel at home or Just to have a conversation in fellowship?
Do I need to find agreement, harmony, and peace with other people?
Just someone to be Kind? Comeone to be forgiveing or let me know that I am forgiven.
DO I want someone to Struggle with me and help carry some of this heavy life?
Which one or two or maybe three do you need the most?
Then once you have Identified the one you need the most - Go back through the lost and ask - What one or two or three do I have the most difficult time giving away towards others.
Here is my prayer -
My prayer is that we would be the people who in our small groups and even here on Sunday mornings at some level we can find relationship - Gospel Centered relationship - So that our lifestyle is so clear and unmistakable that the name Christian wold be assigned to us, in a way that is respected. Because what we do is we put into practice what we have learned from Jesus, and we completely achieved the mission that is given to to us:
That missions is to represent Christ and make Him known to every people group!”
My prayer is that we would rely on each other in new and in deepening ways -
my prayer is that we would all spend time with each other in the Scriptures in community together.
My prayer is that these relationship that we have with one another would be the most valuable and important relationships we can have.
My prayer is that we would be a the Church -
A Gospel Centered People, On a Gospel Centered mission, Engaged in Gospel Centered Service, Connected well in Gospel Centers Community in Gospel Centered leaders.