Staff Focus - Establishing Churches

Start with setting up the series

Here’s one for starters - if you want to start, grow, succeed as a church - according to this passage - you think I’m going to say you need 4 things.

MISSIONAL CHURCH _ CHURCH ON MISSION

Teaching

Fellowship

Breaking Bread

Prayer

Nope - you need 1 thing - the HS

And it starts actually not in v42 - it starts in v38.

As the people hear the Word of God expounded - preached by Peter,

They are cut to the heart - we’ve kiled the Messiah!

Acts 2:37 NIV 2011

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’

Acts 2:38 NIV 2011

Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, 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.

And befre you say - oh - you need repentance and baptism before you can recieve the HS,

So we need repentance first..

keep reading…

Acts 2:39 NIV 2011

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.’

The Lord will call.

And if you’re called then the promise is for you.

And you will respond in repentnace.

God acts - the HS works,

people respond

in repentacen - with Baptism,

And so v42-47 is not the gloriosu work of the chruch in getting it all right.

No - it’s the natural, joyful, right, holy, godly responce from forgiven sinners.

If you’d like the stablish a churhc you need the HS.

He will glorify God the Fatehr - by fulfilling his promise in htise whom he has called and it is all achieved in and through the risen Lord JEsus!

—-

At GCWP we have 5 ministry teams - E, E, E, E, E,

Elders,

a staff team

womne ministry teams, mens’ ministry teams,

childrens groups,

youth groups,

home groups,

international womens groups,

2 preaching programs,

training

I mean on paper we should be building a cathedral to fit us all in.

But it’s nothingt o do with all that.

It’s the Lord’s plans though hisHS.

The next seeion we’re going to look at the church plnated in Antioch.

And again - they of course did stuff - but doing stuff is only fruitful if

Acts 11:21 NIV 2011

The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

And then after that we’re going to Ephesus - and Paul turns us and meets some discipels - but these guys are missing somethings…

Acts 19:2 NIV 2011

and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’

This is not a 2 teir believers system - these guys were baptised in the name of John the Baptsist - they’re still awainting for the one to come.

He’s been and gone - be baptised in his name - and the HS comes to them as well.

Now - having nicked the thnder out of the next 2 talks which I’m not doing - so it’s not my prpblem.

What’s then the lesson so far!

If establishing a church is all aout the work of the HS - what’s the point.

The point is we are freed from worry, frustration, dissapointment when it’s slow and or hard.

It also means we freed from pride, smugness, selfsatisfaction,

Because all glory goes soley and only to the HS.

We humble oursleevse and trust him.

We fight on regardless and trust Him.

I don’t know about you - but church instry can be pretty depressing, frustrating, worrying, dissapointing - or it can be a cause for gloating and boasting and smigness.

Ridiculous really - the HS will being, conntinue, grow or not.

We will not.

OUr duty then is simply one of response to His grace.

The passage befor eus is often used as a template for our modern ‘church services’

but it’s hard really to squeeze that out of the passage.

This is the immediet response of the people of God to the work of the HS at pentecst.

Recap pentecost.

This is much more a picture of what church family is.

Not a USNday serfice.

This is about life as a floower as we’ll see.

And in our passage the responses are as follows:

Repentance

Baptism

The Acts of the Apostles C. The Community Created by the Spirit (2:41–47)

However, it is not legitimate to argue that these experiences should be simply replicated in the life of every believer or contemporary church. Acts 2 is a narrative about the historic fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Israel by the renewal of his people in Jerusalem. Luke is highlighting the faithfulness of God and outlining the way salvation was provided for believing Israelites by Messiah Jesus.

The Acts of the Apostles C. The Community Created by the Spirit (2:41–47)

Luke is giving a description of the ministry of these disciples to one another in a variety of contexts, not simply telling us what happened when they gathered for what we might call ‘church’.

Devoted themselevs to 4 things in v42 (then explanded in v43-47) (Seperaet section?)

Koinonia - Worship band in Lesotho - let’s just say, I prefer the quality of fellowshi that the HS gives - rather than that band gives

Teaching

Fellowship

Koinonia - Worship band in Lesotho - let’s just say, I prefer the quality of fellowship that the HS gives - rather than that band gives

The Acts of the Apostles C. The Community Created by the Spirit (2:41–47)

This is affirmed in 4:32, where a similar statement about having ‘all things common’ (hapanta koina) is prefaced by the words ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind’. That relationship brought a certain sense of responsibility to one another.

Breaking of Bread - NOT THE LORD’S SUPPER

Its our use of the phrase ‘let us break bread togtehr that applies it to the Lord’s Supper - but this didn’t happen formaly unitl the 2nd centurey.

The Acts of the Apostles C. The Community Created by the Spirit (2:41–47)

But these meals were doubtless given a special character by the fact that they were associated with teaching, prayer, and praise. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts (v. 46), and this gladness issued in praising God (v. 47). Perhaps as they gave thanks for their food they focussed also on the person and work of the Lord Jesus, reminding one another of the basis of their fellowship in him. In this way, a meal could be given the same sort of significance that Paul ascribed to the community suppers at Corinth (1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:17–34).

Vision dinners - better - Home Gorups?

Prayer