Empowered Disciples 10

Unity of the Believers

Last week we looked at the Prayer meeting in Acts 4:23-31, and we never got past the first point in the sermon.

This morning we are going to look at the last part of Acts 4, as we close out the chapter, and look at the unity of the believers.

Last we seen that Peter and John were released from prison and returned to their own companions, their own people.

After reporting what the Sanhedrin had threatened them with, not to preach or do works in the name and authority of Jesus, the believers began to pray.

They called upon God as the One who made the heaven, earth, sea, and all that are in them.

Then they pray using Scripture that David wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Psalm 2:1-2.

The believers then call on the Lord to take note of the threats made against them and grant them confidence or boldness to speak the Word of God.

We are told in verse 31 that the place where they were gathered was shaken, and the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the Word of God with boldness.

There are times God shakes us to get our attention, and other times He can just simple speak to us.

Sometimes the movement of God is so great that is feels like our world or our life is shaken.

These believers have this fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, they had their spiritual batteries recharged, and now we are going to see the outcomes of that.

One Vision

Our text this morning says one heart and soul, that is they had One Vision, they were in unity in what they needed to do.

As a body of believers, a church we need to be in unity in our vision, in what we need to do.

Acts 4:32–33 NASB95

32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

The early church had grown from the 120 that was gathered in the upper room praying from the time Jesus ascended to the day of Pentecost, to now we are told 5,000 in verse 4 of this chapter.

In the early church, each member sought to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ.

Evangelism was the daily delight and ministry of the whole congregation, these two things were just part of what we could say their vision was.

They felt everyone in their city needed their message.

Together they characterize the community life as marked by four things: their unity in mind and heart, their sharing of their possessions, the power and witness of the apostles, and the grace of God, which rested upon them.

The church prayed, they were filled with the Spirit of God, and as a result they were unified.

This is a God-given spiritual unity, not a man-made organizational uniformity.

The church is an organism that is held together by life, and that life comes through the Holy Spirit.

This way of life is characterized by a love for one another.

John 13:35 NASB95

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

No one claimed that any of their possessions was his own.

The people were preoccupied with with ministering to each other.

The picture is one of what is mine is yours, that is they shared everything they had.

When the Holy Spirit is at work, giving is a blessing and not a burden.

What the believers did was purely voluntary and was motivated by love.

The Greek literally reads everything was common with them.

Taken by itself, this could refer to shared ownership; but in conjunction with the first expression, it also refers to a practice of freely sharing one’s goods with another.

Much grace was upon them all, primarily in God’s blessings on their lives and witness.

They had all things in common - If the people had been filled with the Holy Spirit, then it must be recognized that they were responding to God’s promptings.

The Holy Spirit was responsible for the continuing surge of unprecedented generosity.

They were not selfish, neither greedy or critical, neither suspicious or regretful.

Each person considered his possessions as belonging to the Lord.

The believer seen it as they owned nothing, and all that they had was the Lord’s.

The apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, as the resurrection was the major emphasis of the first century preaching.

Acts 4:20 NASB95

20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Although they knew that such an emphasis greatly offended the Jewish authorities, the apostles never suppressed the truth to avoid that offense.

They were not willing to strip the message of anything deemed offensive.

Abundant grace was upon them all - this speaks of divine favor and human favor.

The world was impressed by the believers’ love and unity brought on by filling of God’s Spirit.

This church experienced God’s blessings.

God blessed both their lives and their witness.

Illustration An Orchestra

When you look at an orchestra it contains many instruments.

A violin sounds different from a trumpet, and a drum sounds different from a flute.

But when every musician follows the same conductor, beautiful music is produced.

If each musician follows their own rhythm, the result is chaos.

Application:

Christ is the Head of the church.

When believers submit to His leadership and His Word, unity flourishes.

Ask yourself: Am I following Christ's direction or insisting on my own way?

Practical Applications

We need to Pray for unity within the church family.

We need to Refuse to participate in gossip, division, or unnecessary conflict.

We need to Place the mission of reaching people above personal preferences.

We should Celebrate what God is doing through others instead of competing with them.

No Poverty

Because of the believers unity in their vision, and love for one another, no one went without.

Acts 4:34–37 NASB95

34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. 36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37 and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

There were no needy persons among them.

This is the ideal God established for Israel.

According to Deuteronomy 15:4, Israel was to keep God’s commands; and God would bless them; there would be no poor among them.

Deuteronomy 15:4 NASB95

4 “However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess,

There is evidence in the New Testament times that the text of Deuteronomy 15:4 was seen as a reference to the ideal final times when Israel would be fully faithful to the law and there would be no poverty in the land.

The Christians saw themselves as the people of God of the final times, they were experiencing God’s blessing, and they were striving to realizing the ideal of a people of God with no poor among them.

The end of verse 34 and verse 35 depict the means by which they sought to realize this ideal.

Those who had lands or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds, and lay them at the apostles’ feet.

The proceeds were then distributed to the needy among them.

There was no transfer of ownership, no control of production or income, no requirement to surrender one’s property to the community.

James 2:15–16 NASB95

15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

The way they use to do it, was they would sell their property and bring it to the apostles as needs arose.

The practice of laying the proceeds at the apostles feet was a gesture of submission to another.

The twelve apostles were the representatives appointed by Jesus Christ.

The submission was not to the apostles, but to the one they represented.

To lay one’s gift at their feet was to offer it to Christ.

Luke concluded his treatment of the early Christians by mentioning Barnabas who sold a field and placed all the receipts at the apostles’ feet.

No person was commanded to sell anything.

God judges the greatness of a soul, not by the size of a gift, but by the devotion that sacrifices it.

Dr. Franklin Graham said, “If you have anything you cannot live without, give it away. Anything that is too valuable to give to the Lord reflects the poverty of its owner’s soul.”

The generous church in Acts was not forced into giving.’

Their generosity flowed from hearts transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Generosity is evidence of Spiritual health.

When hearts are full of Christ, hands open to others.

The early church viewed themselves as a sTextSlidesHandoutQuestions piritual family.

When needs arose, believers willingly shared their resources.

The church should be a place where people experience practical expressions of God's love.

Meeting needs opens doors for ministry and demonstrates the reality of the gospel.

The believers in Acts recognized that everything they owned belonged ultimately to God and could be used to bless others.

God has entrusted us with resources not merely for our comfort but also for ministry.

Ask God how your time, talents, and possessions can help others.

Acts of generosity often inspire others to be generous.

One person's faithfulness can create a culture of compassion throughout the church.

Practical Applications

We need to look for needs within our church family and community.

We need to practice generosity with our finances, time, and abilities.

We need to remember that stewardship is about God's kingdom, not personal accumulation.

We need to ask God to help you see people as family rather than strangers.

When God's people are united around Christ and sacrificially love one another, the world sees a glimpse of the family of God.

We begin this message talking about how the early church was unified around one vision and that we need to be united around one vision.

Refuge Family Fellowship’s vision statement is to be a Christ-centered refuge where misfits are welcomed, the broken made whole, and family is found.

We feel called to reach people who feel like they are outcasts, misfits, hurt, abandoned, and do not feel like they have anyone else.

Many people feel like they will not fit in because they have tattoos, piercings, a past, or they are single parents.

A church has hurt some people and do not feel comfortable going to one.

We desire to be a place where people can find healing from emotional and spiritual wounds, overcome shame and guilt, and move beyond their past to find a new life and purpose in Christ.

We do not want to be just a crowd, or a place people come to just sit in a pew.

We desire to be a fellowship where authentic relationships are built, and people are deeply known.

A place where new believers and even seasoned believers can grow spiritually, marriages can be strengthened, and single parents can find support and love.

We want to grow together, build together, serve together, to glorify God together.

We are committed to raising disciples, not just attendees.

We do this through biblical teaching that is practical and life-changing.

To equip people to live out their faith daily, helping every person discover their calling.

We will be grounded in the Word of God, as we are told in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.”

We have placed a Bible in the stage, right under where I stand to preach.

We believe everything has to be built and grounded in God.

We must stand on the Word of God, so that He might build this church.