The Community of Believers
Blade Small Group In Home Sermons • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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How many of you have heard of Harvard University? Yale, or Princeton University?
These are universities that are known to be some of the top universities in the Word. When someone graduates from one of these schools they do not just gain an education, they also join a powerful social network or a community.
This community is the alumni network. There are perks and benefits to being part of these alumni communities, this includes having more employment opportunities and doors opened for you due to the reputation of the school that you went to. It also includes being connected to a large number of leaders and employers who prefer or give preference to others who are part of their networks.
These communities also host social events all over the world allowing alumni to connect and get to know one another after graduation and throughout their lives.
Being a part of one of these associations has huge benefits to ones life. But today we are going to talk about a community that is superior to all other communities and that has benefits that far outweigh those of being a member of the alumni or an elite university.
The community that we are talking about today is the community of believers, the community of followers of Christ.
Big Idea- The church is to be an intimate community of believers who live life together and are united in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Big Idea- The church is to be an intimate community of believers who live life together and are united in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Take Aways
Take Aways
Believers accept the gift of salvation.
Believers are to have close, selfless relationships with other believers.
The unity of believers is in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What happened before the text that we will be going through today is that the day of Pentecost had come and the disciples had recieved the Holy Spirit just as Jesus has promised. After that Peter gave a sermon and at the end of that sermon Peter calls the people to repentance. We will start at Acts 2:40
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
Here it is talking about what Peter was saying to the people in his sermon. This crowd that Peter was addressing was from the same generation of Jews who saw the coming of the Messiah (who is Jesus) and they rejected Him. The NKJV uses the Word Perverse to describe this generation.
The original word used here to describe this generation is the greek word Skolios, and this word meant crooked but it also means harsh and unjust. This generation was morally bent and twisted, they were dishonest and had no moral principles.
We see this same language used in the Old Testament when talking about those who were rebellious and unfaithful to God.
We see this in Psalm 78:8
And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
This was written talking about Isreal when they were rebelling against God.
“They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation.
This passage was referring to the Isrealites when they were rebelling against God while Moses was leading them to the promised land.
This word usage was also used in the new testament in Phil 2:15
that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
This passage was a call for God’s people to be different even in the midst of those who do not follow God and those who rebel against Him and are enemies of Christ.
This is also what Peter was inviting the people to. He was inviting them to accept the gift of salvation. See the crowd was already on a path to eternal separation from God set to experience the wrath of God being condemned to the lake of fire for eternity.
However God sent His son to die for the sins of the World so that we may have eternal life. But in order to have eternal life and in order to become a part of the community of believers they must accept Christ as Lord and follow Him. In order to be a believer one must accept the gift of salvation.
Today we live in a world where there is no morality. Man calls good evil and evil good and the world is opposed to Christ. Just like Peter gave the truth of the Gospel to the people of that time. We are also to present truth here and now so that they may be saved.
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
These new believers who have accepted the gift of salvation were baptized and they joined the community of believers. This community of believers was the church and there were four important aspects of life that they took part in together as believers.
These four practices were.
1. The teaching of the Apostles
2. The fellowship.
3. The breaking of bread.
4. Prayers.
Now the teaching of the Apostles were the teachings of Jesus passed to the Apostles. This is the Word of God. These believers studied the teachings that they recieved and they lived it out. This is also what we should be doing as believers today.
The fellowship, this fellowship included believers spending time together and forming close relationships where they are living life together also sharing goods with one another.
To truly have fellowship believers must engage selflessly.
When I was a baby Christian I was not very connected to the church that I attended. I worked in a way that I picked my own hours however I worked often during times that there were church events like during small group and bible study. Not only did I work purposefully during times that I could be fellow-shipping with other believers. I also did not prioritize these events. In fact I avoided them, I wanted nothing to do with hanging out with people from church and I did not want to be in community with believers, in fact the whole Idea of it for me was that it was an inconvenience. In fact I time blocked everything to make sure that I was busy even video game sessions and day naps. It wasn't until I started to engage with other believers building relationships with them and being discipled by someone who was spiritually more mature than I was that I began to grow spiritually and that I saw the community of believers as a true community that I was a part of.
I was selfish with my time and not loving towards others, this kept me from experiencing true fellowship with other believers. Lack of fellowship with other believers will stunt the spiritual growth of a believer.
In order to have true fellowship we must have selfless relationships with other believers looking out for each others interest above our own. Philippians 2:3-5
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
This is the heart that we are to have when living life with each other. This is how believers are to fellowship with one another.
What this looks like is intentionally building in open time gaps where you can be of use to your brothers and sisters in Christ, this looks like being able to share your goods and treasures with other believers in need. This looks like seeing believers as family and treating them as such.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This living in community and showing love and selflessness in fellowship benefits other believers and it shows the World that we are followers of Christ.
The third practice that believers practiced together in community was the breaking of bread. What this looked like was believers partaking in meals together in each others homes as well as partaking in communion and the Lords supper together. This practice should be happening among believers today as well.
If you have not been hospitable with believers and have not been inviting them over for meals then now is the time to start! This community that we have been adopted into, this community of believers is one that last forever, these will also be with you forever in eternity.
What this means is that these believers had a consistent prayer time with other believers both formally and informally. This is also something that should happen regularly among believers today. Do you find yourself engaging with believers in prayer outside of church?
If you find that this is lacking then start engaging in that way.
Back to the main text Acts 2:43
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Here when it is talking about fear coming upon every soul, it is talking about a deep reverence and respect for the Lord. The apostles were working in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The wonders and signs that the apostles were performing also signified a new Era. This phrase is used in different parts of the Bible when Moses brought down the Law, when Elijah brought a new message and when Jesus began and did His ministry.
These miracles did not end with the Apostles, the power of the Holy Spirit works in that way today just as it did back in those days.
Back to our text Acts2:44-45
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
Back in 2010-11 Butler University’s Men’s basketball team was runner up at the NCAA finals for two years in a row. What made this stand out is that there was nothing particularly special about butlers players individually. They didnt have more size, strength or speed then the other teams. Argubly they had less of all of those. But what Butler’s team had was unity. They had a shared vision and purpose.
This is the same kind of unity that believers are to have but even more because we are united by the Holy Spirit.
This passage shows the unity that the believers had holding all things in common. They exercised love and care for each other disbursing what they had based on the needs of the body.
The cultural idea of holding all things in common for the Greek culture at the time was a utopian idea. This was an Idea where everything is shared equally. This also included the idea of the community worshipping together.
Now this unity came about because of what everyone in the community had in Common. This commonality was Christ as Lord and the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
Each believer is being transformed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Christ and to desire what God desires.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This indwelling of the Spirit and the change that the spirit does in us is what causes us to have a mind like the mind of Christ. To have a mind of Christ is to want what God wants, to desire Gods Will to be done. This change that the Holy Spirit does in us is what causes us to be able to esteem others more than ourselves. This is what allows us to be selfless for our brothers and sisters in Christ and to love one another.
Do you find yourself struggling in the area of loving others? of being selfless for other believers? of desiring Gods Will to be done instead of your own will to be done?
The only way that we can be conformed by the Spirit is to walk in the spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to do what God says to do and to deny the desires that we have that are contrary to the Word of God.
Our minds are renewed with the Word of God. We study the Word, meditate on the Word and live out the Word of God. Gods Word tells us what His Will is.
If we are not walking in the Spirit, and we are not being conformed to the Will of God by His Word and His Spirit then we are walking in the Flesh. This means we are fulfilling our own desires rather then the Will of God.
If this is how you are consistently living your life then it may be that you are not a believer and that you need to truly give your life to Christ.
Just like the community in the text were united and holding all things in common, we are to have the same type of community among believers.
Back to our text. Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
This passage lets us know that these four things, observing the Word of God, having fellowship with each other, breaking bread together and praying together was a lifestyle. These are things that they continued to do.
In this passage it says that they continued daily with one accord. This means that this Christian community operated with a unity of purpose. This purpose was lead by the Holy Spirit and was to do the Will of God.
Living life together and walking after the spirit in community as well as individually is how we should be living life as believers.
So many times in our society and culture people profess to be believers and they treat church and other believers like a one day event that only happens for a few hours on Sunday but that is separate from the rest of their lives.
But that is not it, believers are to live in community and with unity driven by the Holy Spirit as it conforms us to desire and work to do Gods Will.
They will know that we are followers of Christ by how we love one another, this can only happen if we are showing this in true community.
Matthew 12:48-50 Says
But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Just as our Lord viewed Gods people as His people, we also are to see other believers and treat them the same.
Our Take Aways
Take Aways
Take Aways
Believers accept the gift of salvation.
Believers are to have close, selfless relationships with other believers.
The unity of believers is in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
