What the Church Looks Like

Nourishment

Acts 2:42–47 “42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

Devoted = hold fast to, continue in. - Full Heartedness

Priority it comes first

Perseverance - stay with it

Faithfulness in ministry

Not the bear minimum or comfortable

Egg out reach is ok, but saying hi to an

Prioritize love like Jesus.

Devoted like a marriage - all aspects of life.

Although the early church had been

Suddenly converted

Exposed to much persecution

Experienced many trials

Devoted choses to anchor itself in love. (stormy seas)

1. Teaching

What Kind?

How Jesus explains the OT

Tempted in Luke - Jesus Responds with Scripture (Luke 4:4,8,12)

Jesus’ ministry starts with Isiah scroll (Luke 4:17-21)

Luke 10:26-28 - Jesus defines the law of Moses with the greatest command

On the cross - Ps 22:1

Luke 24:27 at the end, Jesus takes the disciples through scripture - Greatest bible study ever

We must devote ourselves to understanding scripture cover to cover

Not a verse of the day. - Keith Draw them to teaching!

Read the paragraph around it.

A life verse and understanding the story arch

This is life long learning!

2. Fellowship

Diverse and Non discriminative

Pentecost and Azusa Street

While they were most likely all Jews - they were from every nation

Rich and poor

Male and Female

Young and Old

They honored the image of God

Historian - Kenneth Scott Latourette said, the reason Christianity eventually enrolled the largest population of the Roman Empire was because it didn’t exclude.

The goal is to be as diverse as the community around them.

Friendship - This is wat changes people

Healthy - Show up to events.

The Church needs to be a place you can tell some one I am not doing well.

What keeps us from making friends? - so easy for kids…

v.44 Meeting together in one place (many places)

3. Meals & Communion together - Chili Cookoff

“Breaking of Bread” - vs 46

Liturgy and common life - coming together

Liturgy = practices of corporate worship

Standing and singing songs

Communion

Baptism

Alter time

Life together requires common life. and vulnerability

It’s not all about me. Its learning to get along. Jesus was not comfortable

4. Prayer

Why is prayer important?

The coming together of heaven and earth.

Our soul, mind, and body aligned to the Holy Spirit

Pray continually

The prayers can be quotations of prayers

they don’t have to be spontaneous

they can be spontaneous

Reading out loud long time ago vs now

These 4 elements are the primary signs of life in the early church.

Garden sings of life

Not 3 out 4…

The pitfalls of leaving one out

No lifelong teaching of Jesus and how he fulfills the OT = country club talking that mimics the larger culture or society around them

No fellowship end up with isolation and it exponentially harder to sustain living faith

No breaking of bread we begin to loose track that Jesus’ death and resurrection are the center of everything! - more important than air! + Common everydayness —not fulfilling the great commandment. Discipleship happens in the normal “Go”

Neglect prayer - we simply forget that we are heaven and earth people.

Devoted!

Full heartedness

Are you doing your part to cultivate the soil of your heart?

When we do all 4! Its going to grow like Spirit - it can’t help but grow.