A Gospel Family on Mission Part 2

SERMON 2: A Gospel Family with Room at the Table

Acts 2:44–47

Sermon Thesis

Christ forms His church into a generous, worshiping, visible witness as the Lord builds His church.

Principle Statement

A gospel family does not turn inward but opens its hands, lifts its praise, and bears witness as the Lord saves.

Introduction

Last week, we looked at the first part of this picture of the early church in Acts 2.

We saw that a gospel family is devoted to the Word and prayer.

We saw that a gospel family shares life around Christ.

The early believers were not merely attending the same religious meetings.

They were being formed into a shared life by the risen Lord.

Today, we continue with what that shared life begins to produce.

When Christ forms us into a gospel family, He teaches us to open our hands, worship with reverent joy, and live as a visible witness while He builds His church.

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1. A Gospel Family Opens Its Hands to Meet Real Needs

Acts 2:44–45

Luke continues:

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

This may be one of the most uncomfortable parts of the passage for us.

It is beautiful to read about devotion to the apostles’ teaching. It is encouraging to think about fellowship and sharing meals.

But then Luke starts talking about possessions, belongings, selling, distributing, and needs.

The passage moves from warm church life into our wallets, our homes, our schedules, our resources, and our personal comfort.

That is good for us.

If fellowship is real, it eventually becomes practical.

When people are no longer just faces in rows, but brothers and sisters in Christ, their needs become harder to ignore.

Luke says, “all who believed were together and had all things in common.”

That phrase can be misunderstood.

He is not describing forced communalism.

He is not saying every Christian sold every possession and private property disappeared.

The next verse helps us understand what was happening.

He says they “were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

The wording points to an ongoing pattern.

As needs arose, believers responded.

Some sold property.

Some gave from their possessions.

Resources were distributed to those who had genuine need.

This was voluntary, ongoing, need-based generosity.

The gospel had changed their relationship to their possessions.

They no longer looked at what they had and said only, “This is mine.” They began to ask, “How can what God has entrusted to me serve the people God has placed around me?”

When Christ saves people, He does not only change what they believe.

He changes what they love.

He changes what they treasure.

He changes what they do with their lives, their homes, their money, their time, and their resources.

This does not mean Christians become careless.

wisdom disappears.

every request is the same as a true need.

one person must meet every need.

But it does mean that when the grace of Christ takes hold of a church, people begin to hold their lives with open hands.

That can be hard for us.

Many of us were raised to be independent.

We respect hard work.

We value responsibility.

We do not want to be a burden.

Those can be good instincts.

Scripture itself honors diligence, stewardship, and responsibility.

But there is a kind of independence that resists the body of Christ.

There is a kind of privacy that keeps brothers and sisters at arm’s length.

There is a kind of self-reliance that refuses to receive help.

There is a kind of comfort that does not want to be inconvenienced by the needs of others.

There is a kind of ownership that forgets everything we have belongs first to the Lord.

A healthy church is a family where needs are noticed and the load is shared.

Needs take many forms.

A widow may need a visit.

A tired parent may need encouragement.

A discouraged believer may need prayer.

A ministry may need another set of hands.

A neighbor may need a tangible expression of Christ’s love.

This is part of what it means to be a gospel family.

When it comes to church, 2e should not only ask, “Is this church meeting my needs?”

That is not an unimportant question, but it is not the only question.

The deeper question is:

Whose needs is God calling me to notice and help carry?

That question can change the way we walk into church.

Instead of coming to church asking, “Did I like the songs? Did I get what I wanted? Did someone talk to me? Did this meet my expectations?”

we begin to ask, “Lord, who do You want me to see today? Who needs encouragement? Who needs prayer? Who needs welcome? Who needs help? Who needs to know they are not alone?”

Think of a family table.

In a healthy family, when someone spills something, no one holds a meeting to decide whether spills matter.

Someone grabs a towel.

When a child cannot reach the plate, someone passes it.

When someone is missing, people ask where they are.

When someone is hurting, the family slows down.

That is not because there is a formal program for every need. It is because the people belong to one another.

Acts 2 shows us a church learning to live that way.

Their possessions were not ultimate.

Their comfort was not ultimate.

Their convenience was not ultimate.

Christ was ultimate.

And because Christ was ultimate, people mattered more than things.

This points us back to Jesus.

The generosity of the early church did not come from nowhere.

It came from the gospel itself.

Jesus gave Himself. Though He was rich, for our sake He became poor, so that by His poverty we might become rich.

He saw our deepest need — our sin, our guilt, our separation from God, our helplessness — and He gave Himself completely to rescue us.

Generosity is not an attempt to earn God’s favor.

It is a response to the grace we have already received in Christ.

This Spirit-formed church was marked by awe, gladness, sincerity, and praise.

2. A Gospel Family Worships with Awe, Gladness, and Sincerity

Acts 2:43, 46–47

Luke gives us a picture of this early church by showing us the tone of their life together.

Look at verse 43:

> “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

And then in verses 46–47:

> “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God…”

The early church was marked by awe, gladness, sincerity, and praise.

Verse 43 says, “awe came upon every soul.”

The word translated awe can also mean fear, reverence, or holy wonder.

They were deeply aware that God was at work among them.

Many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles, confirming the truth of their witness.

There was weightiness. There was reverence.

There was a sense that they were dealing with holy things because they belonged to the holy God.

That is important for us to remember and realize as well.

A healthy church should have spiritual warmth, but it should never become spiritually casual.

We do not gather to be entertained.

We do not open the Bible as though it is merely helpful advice.

We do not pray as though we are only keeping a religious habit.

We do not sing simply to fill time.

We come before the living God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

There should be awe in that.

Luke also says they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God.

The word translated glad carries the idea of real joy, even exultation.

There was real, lasting joy among them.

Why?

Because the gospel produces joy.

They had been brought into the people of God.

They were no longer alone.

They had hope beyond death.

They had brothers and sisters in Christ.

Their circumstances were not suddenly easy.

Many of them would face hardship.

The book of Acts will soon show opposition, persecution, and suffering.

But their joy did not come from easy circumstances.

Their joy came from Christ.

That is a truth we must remember as well

Acts 2 reminds us that the life of the church is not meant to be driven by guilt, pressure, anxiety, or duty.

The life of the church is meant to overflow from gladness in Christ.

Luke also says they had “glad and generous hearts.”

That word translated generous carries the with it as well the idea of sincerity, simplicity, or singleness of heart.

It pictures a heart that is not divided, not pretending, not manipulating, not putting on a show.

Their life together was marked by sincere joy.

These verses show us a people whose praise of God shaped the way they shared life together.

There was gladness, simplicity, sincerity, and worship.

Awe without gladness can become cold and stiff.

Gladness without awe can become shallow and casual.

Acts 2 shows us both: reverent awe and glad-hearted praise.

When we sing, we are praising God.

When we pray, we are not merely transitioning between parts of a service.

We are depending on God.

When we open Scripture, we are not merely studying religious information.

We are hearing the voice of God through His Word.

When a church lives with that kind of reverent joy, people notice. The life of the church begins to say something to the watching world.

That is where Luke takes us next.

3. A Gospel Family Bears Witness as the Lord Builds His Church

Luke closes this picture of the early church with these words:

Acts 2:47 ESV

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The passage ends with the church’s life becoming visible to the people around them.

Luke says they were “having favor with all the people.”

That word favor in the Greek means

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. χάρις

a winning quality or attractiveness that invites a favorable reaction, graciousness, attractiveness, charm, winsomeness

This is significant in a human relational sense.

It describes how the people around perceived and recieved the early church.

The word charis conveys the idea of a favorable disposition toward another—Mary is described as finding favor with God (Luke 1:30),

Jesus grows up in the favor of both God and humans (Luke 2:52), and the early church finds favor with the people (Acts 2:47) and with God (Acts 4:33; 13:43).

At this surface level, charis describes goodwill and positive regard.

But the significance deepens considerably when examining how God’s favor operates theologically.

Grace is associated with the salvation of humanity through the life and death of Jesus, who is understood to embody the grace of God.

Grace is a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor.

When the early church enjoys favor with people in Acts 2:47, they experience social acceptance.

But when God extends charis, the outcome transforms existence itself.

The early church, while they did nothing to earn God’s favor, they did earn the favor of the people around them through the way they lived their lives, interacted with one another and with outsiders.

They were not trying to impress the community.

They were not putting on a performance.

They were living as a people changed by Jesus, and that life could be seen.

That is important for us.

A church’s witness is not only what happens when we organize an outreach event, though those can be good.

It is not only what happens when we invite someone to church, though we should do that.

It is not only what happens when someone shares the gospel in a conversation, though that is essential.

The witness of the church also includes the kind of people we are becoming together.

How we love one another says something.

How we forgive one another says something.

How we welcome children says something.

How we care for widows says something.

How we treat newcomers says something.

How we handle disagreement says something.

How we speak about one another says something.

How we carry burdens says something.

How we rejoice in Christ says something.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:14–16:

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

That fits what we see in Acts 2.

The church was not trying to draw attention to itself, but its life together could not remain hidden.

Their devotion, generosity, worship, sincerity, and joy became visible.

And when the life of God’s people is visible in the right way, it does not ultimately say, “Look how wonderful we are.”

It says, “Look how gracious our Father is.”

Our life together is not separate from our mission.

Our life together is part of our mission.

That fits the vision I see in Scripture for us as a church: that we would be a large family that reaches out into our community sharing the love of Christ.

But we need to understand that biblically.

We do not want to become a large family in the sense of a closed family.

We do not want to be a church where people on the inside feel comfortable while people on the outside feel like there is no place for them.

We must be a gospel family with room at the table.

Since Christ has welcomed us, we welcome others.

Since Christ has shown mercy to us, we show mercy to others.

Since Christ came seeking the lost, we seek our neighbors who remain far from Him.

As they gathered and lived this way, the verse shows us that the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

“And the Lord added…”

That phrase is essential.

That keeps us humble.

Can we save anyone?

Can we manufacture spiritual life?

We cannot force repentance.

We cannot create faith in a human heart.

We cannot build Christ’s church by human cleverness.

The Lord saves.

The Lord adds.

The Lord gives life.

The Lord opens hearts.

The Lord builds His church.

We can rest in that truth.

The future of this church does not rest on our strength, our creativity, our budget, our programs, our energy, or our ability to figure everything out.

We are responsible to be faithful, but the Lord alone gives saving growth.

Acts 2 shows us that the Lord was adding through the life and witness of a devoted church.

They were listening, praying, sharing, giving, worshiping, and living visibly as Christ’s people.

God’s sovereignty does not cancel our faithfulness.

It gives us courage for faithfulness.

We pray, welcome, invite, share the gospel, serve our community, teach our children, care for the hurting, look for those who are spiritually confused, and love our neighbors in word and deed.

We do all of that with open hands, saying, “Lord, You must do what only You can do.”

The Lord did not save isolated individuals and leave them alone.

He added them to His people. Salvation brought them into the family of God.

That matters in a time when many people think of faith as private and individual.

“I can believe in God on my own. I can follow Jesus without the church. I can be spiritual by myself.”

Acts 2 shows us though that the church’s life together matters so much.

We are not an optional add-on to the Christian life.

We are the family into which Christ gathers His redeemed people.

Think of a porch light on a dark night.

Does a a porch light chase people down the road?

No, it does not force anyone to come inside.

But it shines.

It says, “There is a home here. There is warmth here. There is a place to come in.”

A gospel family should be something like that in a community.

Not loud in a showy way. Not manipulative.

Not pretending to be perfect. But visible. Warm. Steady. Faithful.

A people whose life together says, “There is grace here because Christ is here. There is room at the table because Christ has welcomed sinners like us.”

As we think about our church and our community, some questions we can ask:

What does our life together say about Jesus?

Do people see grace among us?

Do they see love?

Do they see humility?

Do they see truth?

Do they see joy?

Do they see repentance and forgiveness?

Do they see a family with room at the table?

We should also ask also ask:

Who are we praying for by name?

Who are we inviting?

Who are we moving toward?

Who needs to hear the gospel?

Who needs to see the love of Christ through us?

Who is the Lord placing near us — in our family, our workplace, our school, our neighborhood, our community?

The answer will not be the same for everyone and that is good!

Every believer has some part in the witness of the church.

Together, by God’s grace, our life becomes a witness.

Conclusion

This passage gives us a beautiful picture of the church at work.

Faithful, visible, welcoming, prayerful, clear about Christ.

It reminds us as well that it is the Lord who adds.

That helps keep us from pride when we see fruit.

That keeps us from despair when ministry feels slow.

That keeps us from panic when we see needs.

That keeps us from thinking everything depends on us.

We plant. We water. We love. We speak. We serve. We pray.

But God gives the growth.

We can be a gospel-centered family on mission for the Lord by His strength and power.

May the Lord continue growing us as into a gospel family whose life together bears witness to Christ.

And may He add to His people those who are being saved.