The Importance of Gathering

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Series Introduction

This morning were going to begin a new series entitled, “The OG Church”

And through it were going to take a look at the “origional church” found in the book of acts

The church that was a direct result of the life, ministry, death, reserection and assention of Jesus.

The church that exploded in growth in, with little more than a passion and devotion to Jesus…

Without a building, a sunday morning expereince, a kids church, a youth group, or even a worship team..

I want to look at some of important factors that attributed to their growth and success.

The actions they took, the way they lived, the church that was created and birthed through them and the outcome that came from that birth.

Basics

And my hope for this series is that through our study we will reestablish a baseline for what it means in part to be a church..

Both individually and corperatly..

And i dont mean just this church, but the church as a whole.

Were gonna look at what our part, individually, in the church should look like..

What the church as a whole should look like

and how we can help to establish that each day as we live our own lives together.

The Birth of the Church in Acts

though their are other varrying and less prominate opinions in church history

It its whidely held that the historical events found in acts chapter two are considered the birth of the church as a body and organism.

When we get to this passage..

Jesus has died, arisen, shown himself to many, and now asended.

and on his assention instructed his followers to go and wait in the upper room…

And they have done this..

And 10 days after Jesus rises to heaven..

We find 120 people waiting, praying and seek God in the upper room.

and an amazing thing happens.

The bible records this

Acts 2:1–4 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The holy Spirit is poured out..

The Believers in the upper room are empowered.

They are filled with the holy spirit..

They imediatly begin to share about Jesus..

and live like Jesus instructed them..

And this day..

the church is born..

Established..

By the end of the chapter..

Peter has preached his first major message..

3,000 people have been added to the church…

And the bible discribes in verse 42-47 what this early church look like..

and if we continue through the rest of the book of acts we find that this discritption, though it grows, is the baseline of how the church acts in each season and situation..

Outside the walls

We discover that this discription is a little different than it was today..

They didnt have a building..

They didnt have generational minsitries..

They didnt have some of the structures we use today..

rather the focus of who the church was..

was focused around a group of people, who loved Jesus, were sold out to growing in their faith and to living thier faith out in christian community..

I want to be clear..

The way they came togther, cared for one another, lived in christian community, and walked in power where hallmarks of what made them the church..

Not the building they gathered in..

The way they acted a lived..

Paul and Jesus

It would be groups such as this, all over the known world, that Paul would write too as the churches..

places such as ephisus, corinth, philipi..

It would be groups such as this.. That Jesus through John in revelations would address the seven letters to the seven churchs..

not buildings and properties..

but groups of believers

who were call out from living the ways of the world

and marked by the way they did live and lived life for christ..

the church

I want us to be reminded through this series..

that the building we attend is not what makes us the church..

the name on the door.. is not what makes us the church..

but the way we act in our everyday lives..

our habits, lifestyle, faith, and desire for Jesus make us the church..

and its time for us as the church to get back to living out what it means to be the church..

and not just simply checking a box as we visit a building on sunday..

Series Topics

over the course of this series were going to talk about four major hallmarks of the early church..

four things that made them who they were, and are still large parts of who the church should be today..

And today I want to start with the first..

and thats the fact that the early church made it a regular habit of coming together..

they did not try to serve Jesus as lone rangers..

as dessert islanders..

But they were a body, an organism, a group

and they made regular practice of being together.

They might not have come to a specific building all the time..

but they gathered in temple, in homes, in public and came together with a purpose.

they for all instensive purposes made a point to go to church.. if you will.. to be together ruglarly with like minded believers..

No Longer Normal

Can I tell you, We are living in a time, where going to church is no longer normal..

and the statistics show that…

the vast magority of america no longer attends church..

Gallop

A recent gallop pole found that only 3/10 american adults regularly attend church..

Solo

This last week a pastor friend I follow shared a new study that found that 66% of americans now believe solo or family worship can replace a traditional church expreience..

54% of evangelicals in that same pole believed the same thing..

Faithful

Post covid studies have shown that people now consider going to church once every 6 weeks to be faithful church attendance..

Livestream

we as the church has taught people if you catch the live stream youve been to church..

but thats not true…

You might have seen the message but you missed the tangible things that happen when you step foot in a physical gathering of believers..

Half Truth

the biggest half truth of our time, that the enemy has fed our culture..

“is that you dont have to go to church to be saved.. “

Half truth because the church is not salvation.. that part is true..

the only true requirement for salvation is Jesus..

He is the way the truth and the life..

But church is not about salvation..

Church is about community, accountability, growth, service, and so much more..

aspects that help us to grow in our salvation ands stay on the strait and narrow path.. ..

Commanded

And church attendance is so important that God himself commands us in his word that we are not to forsake it..

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV)

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24–25 (KJV 1900)

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Even in the early church, people were tempted not to come together …

But from the begining of the birth of the church

they set the example of how important coming together as a body is..

Jesus

Church is so important that Jesus made a regullar practice of going to the temple,, a form of church, and worshiping the father today..

Sharing from the torah..

teaching and learning..

The Example of the Early Church

Our passage in acts 2 gives us an overlook of what the origonal church looked like and valued after its birth..

lets look what it said again.

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Now were going to deal with this passage in many ways through the next few weeks..

But I want you to focus on a couple specific pieces this morning..

look what it says.

The early church “Devoted themsevels to the apostles teachings, to fellowship, to breaking bread and prayers, and they did this day by day as they attended temple, and gathered in thier owns..

THE EARLY CHURCH DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO GATHERING..

aND GATHERING WITH A PURPOSE..

AND THATS THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH..

TO GATHER WITH A PURPOSE…

Lets look at this for a moment.

Devoted

They devoted themselves..

They comited them selves to this..

Made a poitn to make it happen..

They didnt let anything get in the way of it.

What did they devote to?

Teaching

The apostals teaching...

They let the apostals teach them and they received it..

and the bible says that the apostles devoted themselves to payer and study..

THis is the place of the pastor today..

To know the word.. and teach the word..

And its th eplace of the sheep to receive and act upon the word..

but thats hard to do when you never put your self in a place to receive from the pastor..

Fellowship

With teaching, they comited to fellowship..

coming together..

breaking bread..

eating

praying

worshiping..

growing..

we will talk more about this next week.. when we talk abotu community..

but there are things that require you to be present ..

in the house..

Day by Day

The early church didnt just come together sunday and wednesday.. It was day by day…

the modern church.. is sunday.. wednesday.. small group..

and we complain about that comitment..

But they did this daily..

it wasnt a box to check..

it was a lifestyle..

coming together..

where?

Attending the temple and breaking bread in their homes..

They come together in temple… met in the courts of solomon..

the temple was The first communial building of the church

Jesus regularly went there..

to do the things we already talked about..

but not only did they meet in the temple.. they met in thier their homes

The early church set the example for coming to church and coming together...

They set the example..

for us to follow today..

So lets breifly look at why its important for us still today to be devoted to coming together and coming to church..

Why is Church Important?

and their are a multitude of anwsers..

but I want to focus briefly one 6

and ill be brief..

1. God tells us too and Jesus exemplafied church attendance

God comands it in Hebrews 10:24-25

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Jesus Made regular habit of going to temple with the dicsiples

The early church exemplafied regular gathering together..

2. Church is a place we come together and worship with like minded believers

Ephesians 5:19 ESV

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

3. Church is a place where we grow

each week we come together for family meals (Sunday)

We have other oppurtunities such as biblestudy, disicpleship, wormens and youth ministirs

Not the only

Obvisouls church is not the only place we grow..

we should be eating meals as home each day as well..

having regular devotion with god daily

4. Church is a place we serve

the church is missional..

its being the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth..

this gives us oppurtunity to live out the love of Jesus in the earth..

church is a place where we can do this..

or find oppurtunites to do this..

5. Church is a ploce we find community with other believers

god did not call us to live life alone..

but to care for one another..

At church we edify, encourage, and lift up one another..

we hold each other accountable to the word of god..

and care for one another

You cant do many of those things when your not here..

6. Church is a place where we find Jesus

many of us came with somone else and found JEsus in church..

and people are still doign that today…

Salvation Altar Call