Devoted

Acts 2:42-47 FINAL EDIT

This week we are wrapping up our series Build your church, and we are going to jump right in to talk about what true Christian devotion looks like. We wrestled last week with the question about what our investments look like in eternal vs non eternal matters and i really want to build off that this week as we consider what true devotion looks like.

What are you devoted to? What would make the short list? Family? Career? O-H, I thought so. Undoubtedly we want to say we are devoted followers of Jesus Christ. But we as humans have a tendency to always want to say the right things. Very few of us would want to come to church on a weekly basis and say I didn’t read my Bible this week, I prayed but only for the things that were really bothering me while I drove to work, I know i shouldn’t miss thrive group this week but it’s on valentine’s day. Not fair? Oops. If we had to truly sit down and do an inventory of how much time and energy we spend with God, and on the things of God compared to other areas of our life, devoted may not be a word that we get to associate with our Christian walk. Let’s take a look at our passage today from Acts chapter 2 and see what it is that they were devoting themselves to in the early church.

Acts 2:42–47 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

We are talking today about being devoted… A quick dictionary definition of devoted

Devoted - To be faithful to, to give time to, to be loyal to, to give priority to. I don’t think so many of us struggle with understanding what devoted means, as much as we do with living out the reality of its meaning. Let’s start with…

DEVOTED DECISIONS

Looking back at Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Pastor Tom did a great job in our prayer service Wednesday reminding us that in prayer God has a part and we have a part as well.. Christian, I fear we expect these radical outcomes from God when our devotion towards Him is more idealistic than realistic. Four decisions of devotion are presented in this passage for us to consider, the first is devotion to…

TEACHING

If you are new to the church, us long time Christians are familiar with a word called devotions.

Today when we say we are doing our devotions it is often a small or quick read of scripture

If a preacher is asked to bring a devotion, it is an understood shorter offering than a sermon.

Our daily bread type devotional books offer a 1-3 minute commitment. With just an 8th grade reading level you can read the Bible in a year in 20 minutes a day, with a high school reading level you can read the Bible in a year by reading 15 minutes a day, and statistics tell us that most Christians will die and have never read the whole book. Yet we we can sit down and scroll through our phone or binge a couple of episodes without even notice an hour slipping by, if you’re a sports fan you can make 3 hours disappear without any problem. Don’t get me wrong a little is better than nothing, but time spent with, or in an area of life is often the highest indicator of devotion, and if we take inventory on our time spent, we are devoted to alot of lesser than things that not only lack eternal value, but really any value at all. We must make a decision to be devoted to the word of God and it’s teaching.

We must be devoted to…

FELLOWSHIP

It is now more common for a family to come to church once or twice a month than it is for them to attend weekly, which begs the question…What will you miss church for? A common comment among the once-a-monthers is that Sunday is the only day they have for family time. I would ask, what are they doing on Saturday? And why is church not the best family time possible? I know one of the common reasons is people citing fatigue. They had a long week, or they can’t join a thrive group because they are too exhausted. Not understanding that many of us are exhausted and fatigued because we are spiritually empty. Hebrews 10:25 teaches us to not forsake meeting together. We actually forsake ourselves of this benefit, because by doing so we encourage one another! Most of us could stand for a little bit more encouragement. When most people are honest about why they are turning to certain vices or sins, loneliness is frequently the culprit. Yet, we often cite loneliness while making little effort to bring ourselves into the available fellowship that is offered by the church.

The once-a-month church attendee is not as much a function of culture winning as it is the church surrendering. I may not always be able to keep track of all of you, but this is a pastor that will never hesitate to check in on you if you try to be a casual attender because I know God has so much more for you.

We must be devoted to…

PRAYER

We don’t pray, because we don’t believe in prayer. Certainly Not to the degree we should. In Acts 12 Peter was imprisoned and the church was praying for him. The Bible tells us that an angel broke Peter out of jail and he went to the people that were praying, and when he knocked on the door, they didn’t believe it was him!

Among other people, we prayed for Linda’s arm on Wednesday night during prayer service. The next day I shared with someone, that I think there would be some people that would have been a little “freaked out” if her arm would have fell out of her sling and it would have been healed. We are ok with someone’s cancer disappearing and calling that a miracle, but we don’t see that so maybe it’s a little easier to process in our flesh. Maybe we are afraid to believe in prayer, because we don’t want to be disappointed? Maybe we are afraid people will say that our prayers don’t make a difference if we don’t see the thing come to pass. But church perhaps those very ideas we just mentioned are the things that are keeping our prayers from being answered. I’m so thankful Pastor Tom called on us to vocalize our request before God on Wednesday night. If you don’t really want it, if you don’t really believe He can do it, why in heaven or on earth would He want to do it? One of my favorite thoughts that comes to mind when someone tells me that God answered their prayer is, of course He did, what else did you expect Him to do?

With a few of these devoted decisions in mind, what devoted distinctions did we seen in our text. Let’s look at verses 43-45.

DEVOTED DISTINCTION - OUTCOMES

Acts 2:43–45 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need.”

Awesome - The first distinction of this early church here in verse 43 is that they felt awesome! Isn’t that what it says? They felt a sense of awe. In other words, to feel awesome! Anyone in here not want to feel AWESOME? Now I don’t want to at all downplay the movement of the Holy Spirit and I don’t want to put too heavy of an emphasis on emotions. But this passage clearly states that they felt awesome! I don’t know about you but I like feeling awesome. Sometimes I wonder about certain people and if there’s anything in this world that excites them? I mean your team winning a game, seeing your child succeed, making money, fireworks, ice cream, a new car, a great meal, the love of your spouse? Some people act like it’s a sin to be excited about anything.

And i will say I think all of us somewhere along the line have heard some bad preaching, hopefully none this morning so far. But I’ll but somewhere in your history you were told that Christianity was supposed to be a struggle, and life can be a struggle for sure. But maybe you weren’t allowed to be happy, or smile, or be joyful. BUT A SENSE OF AWE = FEELING AWESOME! It’s ok to be overwhelmed with excitement when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

another devoted distinction is

Signs and wonders - God is still doing them! I know that for some of you that the phrase signs and wonders quickly activates your anti-pentecostalism radar. But church we can be notorious for throwing the baby out with the bathwater, we really need a better analogy don’t we? Maybe some of you have seen people act foolishly in areas of spiritual gifts and said i really would rather just not be around that at all. But let me pose this question, if we try to put limitations on what God can and cannot do in any one given area of the spiritual realm, are we limiting what He might want to do in every area? To me the greatest sign and wonder is still that a sinner turns from sinning, repents, and begins to live a transformed life in Jesus name. I’m not sure we even believe God can still save everyone! Or perhaps because we have put a limit on how He can or cannot move in our lives we have quenched the movement of His Spirit in and around us.

They were distinct in that they had…

All things in common -

I’m not going to labor this point too much. But if you are a Christian that attends an evangelical church like this one today, and understand the scripture, you should be pretty comfortable with teaching of giving 10% to your local church. If you’ve created some scenario whereby you believe you can continue to come to church here on a weekly basis and not financially support the local church at some level, in the same reasoning you are ok with being a burden to all those who are giving so you can just come as a consumer. Now if you are a visitor here today I’m not talking to you, although you can know it is a scriptural principle.

There are Christians who God has prospered greatly who have justified why they don’t give to the local church they attend, but for some reason believe they can still enjoy all the benefits that exist because others ARE giving. All things in common means if I have more I give more, if I have less I give less, that’s why an idea like 10% can work for everyone. But when we come in to the church we work to serve and lead all people equally regardless of financial status. This is a small way in which we can experience having all things in common. When each does their part, every need can be met. When each does their part, every need can be met. Allowing the local church to minister to you when you have the means to give and you do not is creating a burden for those whom you are here with today.

DAY BY DAY

Acts 2:46–47 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Day by day… they had one mind. Bengals and chiefs sitting together, jerseys

One mind spoke of the unity which existed among them inside the church, but was established by breaking of bread together, in other words spending time together. Do you know a big reason disunity happens in the church? We don’t spend enough time with one another. When there is lack of communication between us and another person the default emotion is negative. When we come together Matthew 18 tells us that Jesus is there with us, that means when we are apart, the enemy is doing everything he can to try to fill our minds with negative assumptions and false realities about our relationship with others. The more time you spend with people the more you know their heart and the more favor and grace we show to one another.

It’s says day by day they were…

Praising God -

Romans 12:1 says that presenting your whole life as a sacrifice to God is worship, and yes worship is more than just singing. But God wants you to sing. Praise is a verb, if you go study the Psalms, if you visit Paul and Silas in the prison cell, if you march around the walls of Jericho with the Israelites, when it’s time to praise God, there should be noise coming out of you. Well pastor I give thanks to God in my heart, that’s great but He wants you to vocalize it, He wants to HEAR it. When someone gives my child a gift I make sure they say thank you, and an appropriate response from them would not to be “well i said it in my heart”. For those of you that don’t sing in church, all the reasons you don’t are welling up inside of you right now re-establishing your defiance, but I’m here today to tell you that according to Psalm 150 that you are to Praise God in his sanctuary, and to not sing with God’s people show a lack of surrender within our Spirit.

If you come to cap city and don’t sing, and say I come because I like the preaching, you aren’t understanding the preaching, because we believe that a Christian should sing during worship.

When Paul and Silas sang in prison it not only caused their chains to fall, but the chains of others. What if you aren’t singing for your chains but for others? What if your lack of praise, is what’s keeping chains from falling.

he said what you bind on earth I will bind in heaven, and what you loose on earth will be bound in heaven

what a Shame it would would be this morning church if your lack of worship was keeping someone in bondage when they need to have their chains break loose

I get you’ve seen others doing worship wrong, but if i quit doing everything i’ve seen others doing wrong i wouldn’t be doing much of anything.

Day by day… they had favor with all people

Getting along - They got alone. Perhaps one of the greatest witnesses you could have to this culture today that you are filled with the Holy Spirit is to show others that you can just get along with everyone. Just about all of our lack of getting along with others has to do with not getting our way, or not being right in any given situation. Whatever it is, I assure you that 90% of the time, getting along is much important than being right about that thing.

Finally, my favorite day by day is…

Church growth! - I’ve done some consulting for churches over the years, and I’ll say this, you can have churches that are growing numerically, but not spiritually. But you can’t have churches that are growing spiritually and not numerically. Did you catch that, let me repeat it. You can have churches that are growing numerically, but not spiritually. But you can’t have churches that are growing spiritually not numerically. One of the key outcomes of spiritual growth is leading others to Jesus Christ. If God’s not adding people to the church day by day isn’t there something broke in the equation?

I’ve been hard on you for a second so let me give you some praise. Today marks day 42 of this year, and we’ve had more than 42 visitors so far this year, that sounds like addition every day doesn’t it? Will you just give God a hand right there for Him honoring your faithfulness! By and large I think this is a very healthy spiritual environment but we’ve preached the things we have today because we want you to keep growing wherever there might be a gap!

Ultimately the principle of day by day here comes forth. If you have been less devoted than you should be, and devotion has to do with what I do day to day, there has to be a shift in my routines. Cut tv for a month, skip a meal a day, pray before you leave the bedroom in the morning. I’m afraid, “We want to see radical moves by God but we don’t want to have anything to do with radical devotion.” REPEAT

RESPONSE I’m going to invite the team and as they come i’ll share this quote with you from the book Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

About the book of Acts, Bible translator J.B. Phillips wrote, “It is impossible to study of the book of Acts without being profoundly stirred and, to be honest, disturbed. The reader is stirred because he is seeing Christianity, the real thing, in action for the first time in human history. The newborn Church, as vulnerable as any human child, having neither money, influence nor power in the ordinary sense, is setting forth joyfully and courageously to win the pagan world for God through Christ.

Yet we cannot help feeling disturbed as well as moved for this surely is the Church as it was meant to be. It is vigorous and flexible, for these are the days before it ever became fat and short of breath through prosperity, or muscle-bound by over-organization. These men did not make ‘acts of faith,’ they believed; they did not ‘say their prayers,’ they really prayed. They did not hold conferences on psychosomatic medicine, they simply healed the sick. But if they were uncomplicated and native by modern standards, we have to admit that thew were open on the God side of things in a way that is almost unknown today. Are you open to the God-side of things this morning? The secret of power in the early church is a secret that hasn’t changed one bit in twenty-one centuries.

We talked about devoted distinctions today, What distinctions do you want to see? We want Him to raise the dead, heal the sick, break the addictions, restore our marriage, and we can’t turn off the tv to read our Bible…c’mon church.

What devoted decisions need to be made? Your previous days, years, or decades of devotion have little to do with what new devotion God might be asking you to make today. Day by day means with continuation, to keep presenting yourself on the altar of sacrifice on a daily basis.

They were CONTINUALLY devoted to the teaching of the apostles

Are you devoted to the word of God?

Do you wake daily with a desire to hear from His word?

They devoted themselves to fellowship – people don’t come here looking for a friendly church, but a church where they can make friends. Every week everyone should make it a point to meet someone and include them in their circle. (2:42)

They devoted themselves to breaking of bread and prayers. This Reminds us of community, rather than me and mine. (2:42)

Is your home a place where people come for Christian fellowship, or some place that you might not have families over because the kids might mess up your stuff?

They devoted themselves to meeting needs. (2:44-45) How often do you think about meeting the needs of others? Wait, stop… How often DO YOU ACTUALLY meet the needs of others? And I might add, others that cannot do for you in return.

They praised God with gladness and sincerity (2:46-47) Does your praise flow from a sincere heart? Do you even praise God at all? Praise is not just singing, but a sincere heart will always want to sing to God that is worthy of all glory.

They had favor with ALL people (2:47)

Are you more interested in getting along? or getting your way? His ways are higher so you aren’t going to get your way anyway. When you’re worried about getting your way, you are just getting in THE way. Be at favor with all people.

LETS STAND and I’ll put this question before you. Are you a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Because as we wrap up this series entitled build your church, that’s what He intended. This passage had conviction for everyone of us this morning. If as we preached you checked off all but one box when it comes to being devoted, why not come ask God to help you check that one off as well?

Here the words of this passage one more time, and as you hear them ask the Holy Spirit which area in you needs to grow.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

we want see Him do radical things, but we want very little to do with radical devotion. Come devote every last area of your life to Him today.

PRAY

communion and wall down