Power in the Church

Acts 4:31-37

Welcome to MVBC! We are honored to have you attending our services today. If this is your very first time, we are blessed by your presence. Please be sure to stop by our welcome center that we may connect with you

We are in a current series entitled: The Cause of the church and let me catch you up in case you missed. The first week week studied the heritage of the church and last week we studied about the need in the church. This week we will study about the Power in the Church.

Have you ever wondered where the power in the church is from? Or what is in the church that makes it powerful? Sometimes people confuse the power in the church by the people who make up the church. People will think the power comes if you have rich people, or if you have educated people, or if you have political leaders in your church.

The power in the church is not found in the accomplishments or social status of its members.

In fact, the power in the church has nothing to do with what man can do or what he has, but everything in the world with who God is and what God can do. This early church was made up of mostly ordinary people with limited resources. They were farmers or early first century slaves or fishermen. A few were some more influential people like doctors and lawyers, but mostly unknown and normal people. No people we would consider powerful.

Here was an unusual situation where the church realized the power in the church. They were praying and seeking God when God comes upon them. It was God who came to them. They knew only God had the ability to empower them. They were seeking God for what He could do.

God shows us the results of the power when He comes upon the people. God comes when Christians come together to pray, seeking the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, they can overcome challenges and live out a Godly relationship within the church.

You may be here today facing some big challenges in your life and God shows you here His power over these things. It might a fear of a health report, or a legal matter where you find yourself, or an uncertainty about a future event or decision, or a life changing decision. For this early church, they were contemplating losing their possessions, or their freedoms or even the loss of their lives. Or there could be some sudden changes in your life you were not ready for.

God shows us here how we are to handle these matters. Take it to the Lord and leave it there.

When God comes down in prayer, it is amazing to see what God does. When a church seeks God, He will come upon them in His time.

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:”

The Bible shows us four results of seeking God with all our heart.

Result 1. . .

God will shake the world v. 31

We don’t know what it must’ve been like on that day, but notice God shook the place. I know that when God shakes a place, you know it is God that did it. It was no fabrication of man, something only God could shake.

How many of you have been in a strong earthquake? If you have lived here in CA for any length of time, you probably have experienced an earthquake. An earthquaking shaking your physical world will certainly get your attention. When God shakes your world, it will cause a great commotion and bring attention to God. What about your spiritual world? When God shakes things up because He can shake things up.

God filled the believers with the Holy Ghost. This means they were empowered to accomplish God’s work in the first century. This is what Jesus meant when He said John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

God is showing us that what we build and try to do in our own flesh, can be shaken and changed by God’s power. It is God that sends His power, it is God that brings conviction, it is God that reveals our inadequacies, it is God that brings salvation, and it is God that saves us from our sin.

His power can shake both heaven and earth. When we are in need, we can go to God and ask Him to shake our world for His glory. His shaking causes us to look unto Him. Only He has the power to change lives and adjust circumstances in our lives.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We saw this verse in our study that dynamite blows things up that will re-arrange our lives. The word power is the word from which we get dynamite.

If you have never accepted Christ, today would be a perfect day to trust Him. To turn to HIm.

Result 2. . .

God will give us boldness

In verse 31, boldness to speak God’s Word. Years ago there was an evangelist who had a holy boldness. He would tell the story of how God would lead him to give out the gospel. He would drop a gospel tract when people would approach him. When they would bend over and pick it up for him, he would say, what does that paper say. Then he would read it to them to share the gospel. We need a holy boldness to share God’s Word everywhere we go.

For the first century Christians, it was very difficult to give out the Word of God because it went against the pagan culture. A society built around worshiping man instead of God was not acceptable. It made no sense to them and anyone who did worship Jesus as Savior, would be considered a lunatic.

The pressure of giving in to what is popular is so much easier than following Christ. It is no different today. Our society is more about worshiping mankind than God. 2 Timothy 3:1–5 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” This is a description of a society that loves man more than God.

It will take great boldness and perseverance to live for God in a pagan society. You can be sure there will be consequences and struggles if you live Godly in Christ Jesus.

The church today needs God’s power to live boldly in this pagan culture. As they sought Jesus for this boldness in the first century, we must seek Him today. He will empower us to live Godly as we go to work, as we to go the store, or have our kids in community events.

Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness.

Charles Spurgeon

The only New Testament precedents for spreading the Gospel are godly living, praying, and bold speaking.

Geoffrey Thomas

God wants us to live out our faith boldly before a world who knows not Christ. Our life is the best witness we can have. What are people seeing in your life? Are you a Godly witness wherever you go?

Result 3 . . .

God will give unity

We will always be better than me. As the church unites under the banner of the Cross, we are united in our efforts to reach this 600 plus thousand people here in the high desert. The fields are white unto harvest. Notice they were so united in verse 32, their heart and soul were for living the gospel. It did not matter what their social standing was or where they worked or the car they drove, but it mattered what their desire was.

While all of us may have different personalities and background and employments and preferences, we all can be united around the cause of Christ and His church. This unity is for a purpose of getting the gospel to a world without Christ.

At the end of September, we will have our annual mission conference where we come together to get the gospel out to the world. In the lobby is a map of the world and where our missionaries are serving. We come together for the expressed purpose of remembering the world’s need of the gospel. Each week we come together at God’s House to honor God and remember our community needs Jesus.

As we add our second service on Sunday September 7 at 8:30 AM, we are making room for more people to hear the gospel. This is a golden opportunity for us as a church to minister to people quite frankly who have left over the past few months because when they came there were no seats.

I would challenge you to unite with us in this effort, maybe you can make one service a worship time for you and your family and the other service a time of serving to that others may be reached. Maybe the 8:30 AM service will be a worship time and the 11:00 AM will be a place where you serve for the nursery or usher or be a counselor or be a greeter.

One of the best places to serve is right here with church family because every person is important. The music, the teaching, the preaching, the greeting, the bus ministry, all have one united purpose: to give the gospel and help people to grow in their walk with the Lord. We cannot be side tracked with side issues and things that don’t contribute to reaching people.

The power of the church is the God-given unity around the the gospel.

Result 4. . .

God will give grace v.33

When the church is seeking God in unison, God will send great power to witness for Him. Sometimes people will ask why do you have building banquets to raise funds? First of all, it is an opportunity to take the church into the community as a witness for Christ. Secondly, it gives the church an opportunity to unite around the vision of moving the church the forward. This is something that you cannot get any other way. Just as you set aside a time to honor a special person in your life with a nice dinner or gift, we set aside the time to honor Christ and give Him our undivided attention.

I love that God gives great power when a church seeks Him and great grace is when we do something for others. The more they loved God the more they loved others. You cannot help but love others when you love God. They demonstrated their love by giving up their possessions and distributing the proceeds so that everyone’s needs were met. This is not a command for proof of spirituality but simply a look at the practical needs of others. God gave them great grace means He moved them to share their resources.

I believe the church should share to be a witness to others the gospel and the love for others. A few weeks back, we had a 124 Foundation Dinner to thank each person who has committed to see our building project move ahead. Why are we building a parking lot, a new church building, adding a second service? We are doing for others. Others should be the hallmark of the church. We are uniting our efforts and our service for others. Just as this early church lost lands and possessions at the expense of the government, the church came together to help each other.

This church was a community of believers who sought God and He sent His power. God’s power is beyond human power and empowered them to do great things for God.

God can use you right where you are. You can be a greeter, you can be an altar worker or children’s teacher or assistant children’s teacher. You can be a bus worker. Or a nursery worker. Will you decide today? Will you serve Him right where you are?

If you are here today and have not accepted Christ as your Savior, will you accept Him today? Will call upon Him? You don’t grow into it, you make the decision to accept Him. Will you accept him today?