A Faithful Church

“A Faithful Church”

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 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. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Not all churches are going to look the exact same. Not all FAITHFUL churches are going to look the exact same. You can have a FAITHFUL Baptist church over here with 30 members. You can have a FAITHFUL non-denominational church over here with 1,000 members.

You can also have an UNFAITHFUL church of 30 people, and you can have an UNFAITHFUL church of 1,000 people.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses 7 different churches, and He commends 5 of them for different things.

The point is that church is not necessarily a one-size-fits all. Different faithful churches can be known for different things, for putting a greater emphasis on certain things.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, if you are going to have a faithful church…whether there are 50 people or 5,000…whether you meet in a cathedral or a living room…whether the church is in Myrtle Beach or China, A FAITHFUL, BIBLICAL CHURCH WILL ALIGN ITSELF WITH THE MODEL LAID OUT BEFORE US IN ACTS 2:42.

A FAITHFUL CHURCH IS A CHURCH THAT LOVES THE WORD OF GOD

Apostles’ Teaching: Why it’s the foundation… (because that’s how we discover the will of God)

Our mission is to discover and fulfill the will of God. In order to fulfill the will of God, we must devote ourselves to the Word of God. The will of God will always be in alignment with the Word of God.

The Word of God Saves: It’s this doctrine, the apostles’ doctrine - the Word of God, that changes eternity for people like me and you and the 3,000 that Peter was preaching to that day. The Bible says that it’s the will of God that none should perish, that all would be justified, would be saved…How do we reach a place of saving faith? By hearing the Gospel, which IS the Apostles’ teaching.

Look again at verse 42..

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. They=New believers who became believers, how? By hearing the apostles’ teaching.

Acts chapter 2 - the Holy Spirit comes down on those who were obedient to God, Peter preaches the Gospel, that’s all He did…by the power of the Spirit within Him..same power by the way that lives within you and within me…by the power of the Spirit, He preached the Gospel, and verse 37 says Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Core value #1 at The Way Church is “A Biblical Worldview” because it’s the Word of God that saves. We keep the Word of God the top priority because it’s the Word of God that saves. We devote ourselves to this apostles’ teaching because it cuts to the heart…it saves. If you are saved, you are saved because you heard the good news of Christ. Period.

If we truly believe in eternity, then we’ll devote ourselves to proclaiming, and standing on, and sharing the same Gospel that saved us. Amen?

And as a church, once we are saved, we ought to devote ourselves to the Word of God for the rest of our lives, just like the Acts 2 church did.

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

The Word of God Sanctifies: We’re cut to the heart by the Gospel and we come to a place of saving faith in Christ. When that happens, God comes to live within us in the form of the Holy Spirit. And it’s by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that we discover the will of God.

If we are in Christ, then we have a gift to see scripture in a new way, to hear from God in a new way.

After we’re justified, we’re indwelled with the Spirit and God reveals Himself in a new way to us through the scriptures that enables us to walk in His will, to see what He’s called us to do and to do it.

The more you devote yourselves to the Apostles’ teaching (Word of God), the healthier you’ll be (obviously)…

- The more we devote ourselves to the Word of God, the healthier our church will be.

It’s core value number one because 1) We believe it’s the truth, and 2) it shapes our health (individually and corporately). And if our health depends on it, then we subscribe to all of it…not just the parts we like or the parts that are comfortable for us.

- I love chocolate, but if that’s all my diet consisted of, I’d be incredibly unhealthy. If the only parts of the Bible we focus on are the ones that we like (a handful of verses), then we’ll be incredibly unhealthy in our walk with God.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in truth; your Word is truth.

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

If we are true followers of Christ, then our lives should NOT make sense to unbelievers.

The gospel says to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. Denying ourselves goes completely against our natural human nature. That means that pursuing the will of God goes completely against our own natural desires.

The Bible says that the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God…THIS BOOK is of the Spirit of God. It is only discerned by the Spirit of God, and that Spirit of God lives within every believer.

The early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching because that’s how they grew to know God on an intimate level. That’s how they discovered the will of God…If we are going to be a church that fulfills the will of God, then we are going to have to be a church that is saturated in the Word of God.

Our Spiritual health will depend on how much of the Word of God we’re consuming.. So we have to devote ourselves to the WHOLE WORD, not just the parts we like (compare to eating a chocolate-only diet)

Acts 2:42 shows us, first, that A FAITHFUL CHURCH IS A CHURCH THAT LOVES THE WORD OF GOD. They devoted themselves to the APOSTLES’ TEACHING.

Secondly, the bible says that they devoted themselves to FELLOWSHIP

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

2. A FAITHFUL CHURCH IS A CHURCH OF UNITED IN JESUS’ NAME

How many people loved taco Tuesday last week? Great! That was a form of fellowship. And it was awesome. Fellowship can look like taco Tuesdays and potlucks, and beach night, and tea parties. And all of those things are good, and they’re good for this church community that we’re building, and they are pleasing to God…but this passage of scripture shows us that the fellowship of the church goes way deeper than simply gathering and spending time together.

Fellowship is partnership (we’re in this together-we’re on the SAME PAGE)

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Phil 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Phil 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

BEING IN FELLOWSHIP AS A CHURCH MEANS DOING WHAT WE DO TOGETHER, BEING ON THE SAME PAGE. But it’s not enough to simply be united…we are called to be united in Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Secular examples: Sporting events, marching for something you believe in (can be very anti-God)....Our goal isn’t simply to get together and to be together; it’s to do so in Jesus’ name.

The goal for us as a church is that in everything we do, we want to do it in alignment with the will and character of Jesus.

That’s what Paul meant in Philippians 2:2 when he said complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

If we are in fellowship, that means we’re partners, sharers (give 1 verse example of Greek translated to “partner”)

WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE. God wants us to be on the same page. We go over our mission statement and core values every Tuesday night to ensure that we are IN AGREEMENT, ON THE SAME PAGE with each other.

The last thing I want to show you about fellowship is that FELLOWSHIP IS LOVE

In the English language, we have one word for LOVE…I love my dog, I love Tennessee football, I love my wife, I love Jesus…

In the Greek, we have multiple forms of love

Agape love - The highest form of love…and unconditional, sacrificial love (John 3:16 - God looking down at us - God is locked in and focused on us)

Eros love (HALEY) - A passionate, romantic love… (Song of Solomon -

A face-to-face love - 2 people are locked in and focused on each other)

The love that we share in fellowship is Philia love (TWO OTHER MEN) - It’s not a romantic, face-to-face love, but a shoulder-to-shoulder love)...We are bonded in solidarity by the same mission and purpose, same focal point that keeps us together. Philia love is also known as brotherly love…what makes us brothers and sisters? We have the same father

And the Bible gives us 2 specific ways that we can fellowship in Jesus’ name often…

Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

BREAKING OF BREAD (meals + holy communion)

Holy communion brings us into common union (unity) with Christ and with one another

1 Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (Gk. fellowship) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (Gk. fellowship) in the body of Christ?

PRAYERS (praying together, on the same page) Acts 2, Lord’s Prayer. Exhort them to come to prayer night (it is just as important as Tuesday night).

1- When we pray, we are to pray in Jesus’ name, with one another (with the church) in mind. “OUR Father”.

2- United prayer is what God calls us to, and when we pray that way, He produces much fruit.

3. GOD MAKES A FAITHFUL CHURCH A FRUITFUL CHURCH

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… 47 …And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

When we are faithful, He takes care of the fruit. We are not chasing fruit; we’re chasing God.. when we do that, He produces the fruit.

We want to be a fruitful church…if we are faithful (v.42), then He will make us fruitful (v.47).

It’s our job to be faithful; it’s God’s job to be fruitful. Do your part and leave the fruit up to him - 1) In your job or in school, 2) In your family (marriage and kids alike), 3) And in ministry (as individuals and as a church)...IF WE ARE FAITHFUL (v.42), GOD PRODUCES THE FRUIT (v.47).

Holy Communion

The word “communion” literally means “sharing” or “fellowship”. When we take communion, we share in the body and blood of Christ, and we come together to remember His sacrifice for us on the cross.

1 Corinthians 11:23…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

We take Holy Communion to remember that sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. It’s important that we slow down and appreciate the magnitude of this sacrament. It’s only by Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross that we have communion with God, that we have relationship with God, that we have forgiveness of sins, and that we have eternal life. In this ceremony, we fix our focus on Him and remember the incredible sacrifice that He made for us.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Let’s please take a few moments, search our hearts… and if there’s any unconfessed sin in our hearts, take this time now to repent to God and ask forgiveness.

Musicians and guys in the booth, you all please come forward to receive communion.

THIS TABLE IS OPEN TO ALL WHO ARE IN CHRIST. COME AND RECEIVE.