God Works Through the Church

Acts 5:12-20

Welcome to Mountain View Baptist Church. We are delighted to have you in our services. It would be an honor to connect with you if you would be willing to stop by the Welcome Center on your way out that our greeters might meet you, we would be blessed.

God has given us a beautiful and rather mild summer so far this year. It is always a blessing to enjoy time with family and friends during this season. Please pray for our vacationers as several are traveling over the next few weeks.

How many of you have ever used a shoe to drive a nail into the wall? Or a butter knife to unscrew a screw in the wall? Or maybe a credit card to scrape ice off a car window? Or a heavy book as a weight? Sometimes they work alright, but they are no substitutes for the real tool.

There are tools that are designed for each of those jobs. Without pressing the illustration, God has a design for the church and the way God uses the church. Unfortunately, the church has been used in ways other than the way God intended in some cases. The church is not a philosophy session or an entertainment center or a social club. A church is an assembly of baptized believers following and honoring Christ. It is to be a place where God is to be exalted and glorified. It is to be a place where the gospel is preached and lives are changed by God.

It is a place where God’s people gather to worship and serve Him. Notice here in this passage, how God used the church in the first century pagan world. Verse 12 states the church is one accord-as one voice and one heart.

Why did God choose to use the church? What is about the church God desires to use? The Bible records for us reasons that God uses the church.

Reason 1. . .

Because of the truth

1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

In the Old Testament God used the prophets and scribes to protect and carry the Word of God. His truth was placed into the hands of the scribes who carefully transmitted its printed message. The message is highly protected by them. It has been historically verified that they would count the letters on the page of a copy and if the number did not match, they would discard the print. Even though it was printed on stones and tablets, God protected the transmission of His truth through them.

In the New Testament God uses the church to protect and dispense HIs truth. This is why Paul wrote it is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” God has given His Word in trust to us to get it out to the world.

1 Timothy 4:14–16 “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

The church is given God’s Word to preach and teach it. 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” It is the charge to preach God’s Word. The message of the church is God’s Word and we cannot back away from its truth. We have no other message. It is the life changing message of Jesus Christ. It is backed by the power of God. There is power in His Word and called a sharp two-edged sword.

The effect of God’s message in the first century is evident v.14. Believers were the more added. The only message that will change lives is the gospel. It is not religious jargon or popular opinion, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is through the church God sends His message. It is not baptism but Jesus only who brings eternal life. He is the Savior.

Every missionary who goes out of our church is under the arm of a local church. Their personal church will pray for them, give so they can go, and communicate with them. They will make sure they are safe and doing well on the field. This means the message they preach is the message of the church that sent them. In every classroom we are to preach God’s Word. In the bus ministry we are to preach God’s Word. Connection Groups are teaching God’s Word. Obviously it is presented in ways for children, teens, and adults to understand, but it is getting out God’s Word.

It is the church that God uses to dispense His truth through.

Reason 2. . .

Because of a unified voice

Notice this one accord means they were united around the person of Jesus Christ. They had accepted Him as their Savior and it was natural to want to be with God’s people in worship.

1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

As they came together to worship God at church, they served God at church. Worshipping and serving God honors Him. When God’s people come together for worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a united effort. Unity builds lives and strengthens the witness to the world.

Paul emphasized body growth, not self-growth. Each individual contributes to this unified growth as he allows his particular gift(s) to function.

Harold W. Hoehner

2 Chronicles 5:13 “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;”

The unity of the church is like an orchestra where all the musical instruments are in harmony to play their music.

The early church knew of this unity when they read back in Nehemiah 8:1 “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.” As they were building their wall, they came together as “one man” as it is called here.

Unity is not absolute agreement but a consensus. Like the a sports team will wear the same jersey and play to win as a team. They may not like the coach’s car he drives but it doesn’t matter. The Holy Spirit unites us under the banner of Christ. Our song: “onward Christian soldier” reflects this spirit of unity.

The nation was united and because of the unity, they were able to accomplish the wall project in 54 days. No permits and inspections either.

As we saw last week, when the church comes together under the mission of reaching others with the gospel, God will add to His church v. 14. Also notice they were privileged to minister to the sick in the first century. God knew He could trust them with the ministry of helping their community.

Diversity is necessary for a body to function, but the body is unified as each member is interrelated and interdependent.

David E. Garland

It is always a privilege to serve God by helping others. Our investment of time and resources need to be in reaching others. God was using the church to impact the community in a great way as they were together as one voice.

Reason 3 . . .

Because of their witness vv. 19-20

Whenever you start reaching people and making a difference in a community, the devil will raise his ugly head. The religious crowd became angry at the church. They were put in jail because of their impact. What the Jewiish leaders did not realize was, it was God doing the work and not the church. God is choosing to work through the church.

Witnessing is not something we do; it is something we are.

Anonymous

While in the Old Testament Israel was the witness to the world, in the New Testament, the church is the witness of God to the world. This witness is against the culture and Satan will do whatever he can to stop the preaching of God’s Word.

You can argue about the comfort of the weather or the best sport of the day or the economics of the day, but you cannot argue with a changed life. The gospel changes lives. What about you today? Has your life been changed by Jesus Christ? 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When you call upon the name of the Lord, turning from your sin, asking Jesus to be your personal Savior, the Bible describes it like, Acts 26:18 “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

God changes me on the inside and my life will never be the same. We are given eternal life and a home in heaven through Jesus Christ. Have you accepted Him today?

Your life is to be a witness to the truth of the gospel. What is in your life right now that God is speaking to you about? What about your witness in your world? Is Jesus shining through your life? Would you come today and surrender completely to Christ and let Him use you as a witness to a world who is in desperate need of Christ?