44 Preaching Teaching/ Acts 2:42-47: Establishing Growth
Notes
Transcript
A Master Planned Community
Rhetorical Sermon Outline
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A. Foundational Elements
Big Idea: Christ’s Community-They met the urgent because of the ultimate.
1. Sermon Title: Tyranny of the urgent
2. Text: Acts 2:42-47
3. Subject: Establishing Disciples
4. ETS: Luke painted God’s Sistine Chapel of the early churches community.
5. ESS: The early church prioritized Jesus in their community
6. OSS: Hearers will take a specific step in one of the four areas that we are to be continually devoted to.
FCF-We build our communities for ourselves and like the rest of the world, but God wants us to build his community in line with his mission.
B. Formal Elements
I have had three favorite basketball players: Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon and last but not least Manu Ginobili. Manu would go onto make the hall of Fame and one of the reasons he would make the hall of Fame is because he was the greatest winners in professional sports, wherever he played he won championships.
When he played on the Spurs he was a part of the big 3. He started at times, but he even willingly came off the bench. he played many different roles but whatever the coach called for he played his role to perfection. The consumate team player.
At times Ginobili was the leading scorer, at times he came off the bench, many times he would hit the last second shot to win the game, he would do whatever he was called upon to help his team win championships. He embraced his role whatever it was.
What is your role on God’s team?
Today I want us to see that the more we GROW IN OUR FAITH, the better we can play our role and we may even have more roles to play.
You see I have never met a basketball player who says I want to sit on the bench.
But I have seen a lot of Christians who sit on the sidelines.
Today I want us to commit to growing in Christ so that we can play our roles to the fullest capacity.
We started with our vision-Go over that.
Last week we talked about the first part of our vision engaging the community.
Did anyone share their faith last week?
I want to brag on Nate for a second-he called me and he shared with his teammage last week at MOD Pizza.
This week we are going to talk about the second part establishing disciples.
And in regard to that we are specifically going to be talking about GROWING IN CHRIST.
Bridges says this:
People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.
Three commitments to Grow in Christ
Growing in Christ Commitment #1:
Growing in Christ Commitment #1:
I. You must commit to Unapologetically prioritizing your spiritual health. (42).
I. You must commit to Unapologetically prioritizing your spiritual health. (42).
When you get on an airplane what is the first thing they say you should do if the airplane is going down. You must make sure you can breathe. If you want to save others, you have to be okay.
Now last we talked about engaging the community. There are all kinds of things we can do as christians. We will not be effective if we are not first and foremost healthy.
How do we prioritize our spiritual health.
THE WHEEL-Talk through this
a. God’’s word has to be your main course.
a. God’’s word has to be your main course.
What is your guide, where do you eat from spiritually. Many of us eat from our phones more than we eat from the word of God. Many of us consume more facebook/netflix/snap/Fox or CNN news than we do the word of God.
Acts 2:42 (NASB95)
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
They did not just do it once-Continually.
Continually devoted can also mean persisting or persevering in something. They had a track record and did it over and over again. They continued to get into the word.
“The steady persistence in the apostles’ teaching means (a) that the Christians listened to the apostles whenever they taught and (b) that they assiduously practised [sic] what they heard.”
They were not just hearers of the word they were doers of the word.
Are you continually devoted to God’s word?
here is the latest stats on Americans and I want you to think about which one of these best describes you
5%-Bible Centered-interacts with the Bible frequently it transforms their lives and shapes their choices.
19% are Bible engaged-interact with the bible frequently. Helps them to love God and love others.
19%-Bible friendly they are open to it, would accept it.
9%-Bible Neutral not for or against it
48%-Bible Disengaged-Don’t interact with it
Positive over 50 percent of americans are favorable to the Bible.
Encouraging a lot of people in our country are open to the Bible.
Bible Centeredness Is Decreasing, and Skepticism Is Growing
Two other significant but less encouraging shifts in the spectrum of Bible engagement are worth noting. The first is that Bible Centered adults have decreased from 9 percent to 5 percent in the past year.
If you want to devout yourself to God’s word here are five simple ways you can do that.
Different ways to get the word into your life:
Hand illustration:
Read-15 minutes a day you would read the whole bible in a year
hear-Church or podcast
study
memorize it-We give a verse every week
Mediate on it
How do we prioritize our spiritual health.
b. Prayer has to be your lifeline (42).
b. Prayer has to be your lifeline (42).
If we look at the wheel you have the word how God talks to you and you have prayer-How you talk to God.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
I am going to be honest with you, I am stronger in the Word.
There are a lot of things we can’t do right now. But prayer is one thing we have to do right now.
You can’t keep people from Prayer.
One of my mentors once said his most fruitful time in ministry was when he got older because he could not do as much so he prayed more.
Just like if you want to play bball like Giniobli he had some things that were required to play: Shooting, passing, rebounding and Defense.
Prayer is a non-negotiable
Here are some things I have found helpful.
Wednesday Night prayer meetings
Prayer list
Prayer walks
Application:
Personal plan:
How would you evaluate yourself right now?
Which are you strongest in?
Which are you weakest in?
What is your plan right now?
What is a next step you can take?
Growing in Christ Commitment #2:
II. You must commit to non negotiable fellowship (43-46).
II. You must commit to non negotiable fellowship (43-46).
Another part of the wheel is Fellowship
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
We see another spoke of our wheel fellowship.
Christianity is a personal relationship but it was meant to be in community and just like these early believers were devoted to God’s word and Prayer they were devoted to each other.
Jesus actually said that the way the world would know we are christians is if we loved one another. John 13:33-34.
Christian Fellowship is radically different!
Christian Fellowship is radically different!
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Most communities that you are a part of it is based off what you do. You pay a membership fee, you are good enough to be invited into it, but this community the only criteria is believing in Jesus Christ. The only entry fee was paid by Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for your membership
What’s going on here is this communal living. Some think that because they thought Jesus was coming back that any day that they were this radical.
They were doing life together this was authentic relationships.
What a testimony this was that they really loved each other.
I have experience the radical generosity of fellowship:
Aiden heart surgery
Given a van
I have seen our church be radically generous: This last Christmas.
What if the church was the most generous place out there right now. What if you have a job and we are generous. Already I have seen our church be a generous church.
Great fellowship translated into radical generosity.
Our Fellowship is centered on worshipping God.
Our Fellowship is centered on worshipping God.
Acts 2:46 (NASB95)
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,
One of the things I read is that a Joyous church is victorious Church.
They were centered on Jesus worshipping and doing life together and they were taking it serious.
(SHOULD I INCLUDE THIS)When I first became a believer the man who lead me to Christ did some things that were really important. He plugged me into a church and got me around some likeminded Christians. I would spend my summers with about 100 believers who were committed to growing in the summers. We would share meals together, we would worship together and I still look back at those years as some of the most formative years of my life.
LIFE GROUPS
This is why we push life groups so much. The more we grow and impact people we want people to be in authentic relationships and this happens in life groups.
Right now we have five different life groups going on:
If you want to get in one we would love to have you.
One of the things the guys are doing is the 4 W’s!
How is your wheel turning?
In 1997, he began playing for the Argentinal National team. They were way overmatched but this was a team that had worked together for years, practices, competitions and through that they gained a love for one another. Ginobili would continue to play for his team until 2016 and this particular year they did not place but here is what he said.
"I would rather lose with you guys than win with any other group of players," Ginobili
Growing in Christ Commitment #3:
Growing in Christ Commitment #3:
III. You must commit to expecting God to move like only he can. (43 & 47).
III. You must commit to expecting God to move like only he can. (43 & 47).
One of Ginobili’s greatest feats was beating the USA dream team. A bunch of guys that many would have considered second rate. This team from Argentina beat the US Dream Team, a team that had Lebron on it. It was a miraculous feat.
Don’t we all like to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
As great as a story as that is, it is pale in comparison to watching God move in our lives.
If a group of underachievers can beat an American dream team, picture what a group of believers could do who are pursuing the Lord together.
When a group of people will commit to growing in Christ, the soil is ready for a great movement of God.
Isn’t this what Christianity is about, God moving on behalf of his people for his glory.
Expect Great thing from God attempt great things from God-William Carey
Expect Great thing from God attempt great things from God-William Carey
God wants to move through you!
God wants to move through you!
Yes You, there is no stutter here.
Acts 2:43 (NASB95)
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Not only does he want to move through you, he delights to move through you.
Think of a time when God moved through you in a mighty way
Maybe it was doing something you felt like he was calling you to do
Maybe it was leading someoen to Christ
Maybe is was discipling somone
Maybe it was being there for a friend who was really going through a hard time.
God want to move in your life, he delights to do this.
God does what only God can do!
God does what only God can do!
Acts 2:47 (NASB95)
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 just looked at so many things this community was doing-
Devoting themselve
“The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.”
What is it’s mission:
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Acts C. Summary: Community Life (2:42–47)
In Acts we never see a community turned so inward that taking the message to those outside and engaging with those outside is forgotten or ignored.
As we are going through this series I want us to see that all these topics are interconnected.
Engaging our community is connected to equipping disciples
Jesus said it like this
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Paul said it like this
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
And in the midst to their faithfulness God shows up and adds to their group.
IN Acts the continual Inward and outward growth of the church. They give progress reports.
As I heard one pastor say God is responsible for the breadth of our ministry we are responsible for the depth.
As a result the Church expanded because they were always trying to reach people with the love of Jesus.
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.
Illustration-Emperor who said we don’t take care of our own but the christians do.
Our inward and outward growth were meant to go together.
Before we multiply we have to add?
God has designed for the church to grow both inwardly and outwardly