The Activity Of The Church

Series: The Local Church

Acts 2:41-47

Introduction

How did you guys enjoy revival?

Technology rule:

Elbow your neighbor and tell them to pay attention

Raise your hand and embarrass them, call them out

We will take it up and you will get it back after service

All I ask is that you act like adults

“Amen? Let’s go!”

NBC Mission Statement:

“Live with purpose, leave a legacy through Mentoring, Ministry, and Missions”

NYA Mission Statement:

“Leading young adults to live saved, sanctified, and sent”

Definition of church: The church is the visible, local congregation of believers that form the community of reconciliation

Background

Jesus has ascended into heaven

The disciples have received the Holy Spirit and preached Pentecost

Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?””

Now

People have been saved and the church in Jerusalem has been formed and we are seeing the activity of their ministry and how God is using them

Three focuses I pray you will find at Northside and in our ministry:

Saved - Missions, Ministry (v. 41, 46-47)

Our first and foremost goal is that people come to Jesus…

God used the church here in Acts to point people to Jesus - read v. 41 and the end of v. 47

We want to see people added to our church at Northside because they gave their life to Jesus… We want to see people added to our ministry because young adults gave their lives to Jesus…

My prayer is that you will join us in that common cause of seeing young adults come to faith in Christ… (every workplace, every college campus)

(Share short testimony of getting saved at Northside)

Importance of baptism (not salvific, but important)

Sanctified - Mentoring, Ministry (v. 42-47a)

sanctified (ἁγιάζω) - to set apart; to make holy; to consecrate

The activity that the church was practicing showed how to live a life set apart

Continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching

Fellowship

Breaking of bread (The Lord’s Supper)

Prayer

Sense of awe = (fear; φόβος - reverence)

Together

Had all things in common

Shared all things by selling them to help anyone who might have need

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple

Breaking bread from house to house (sharing meals together)

All with gladness and sincerity of heart and was as an act of praising God together

They served each other…

Because of these things, they had favor with those outside of the church, and through their example people came to Jesus

My prayer is that you will join us to be together as a community of believers within the church of Northside, and we together will carry out this same ministry…

Sent - Missions (v. 47b)

They were being sent out into their community to share the Gospel with the lost around them and people came to Jesus because of it…

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””

We believe and practice this as a church and as a ministry within Northside…

Conclusion

I love Northside, its my home, its my family, and I love the people here and those of you I get the privilege to pastor. But for those of you who are here that are still searching for a church home, if you can’t find that here then go to a Bible-believing church that practices this same activity and serve there faithfully.

My heart is for you to find a church and plug in there, and my hope and recommendation is Northside Baptist Church… (we aren’t perfect, and neither is any church…)

“Amen. Let’s go.”

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