Devoted to the Essentials
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Intro
Intro
AG: Boiling a frog:
If you take a frog and drop it into boiling water, it will immediately jump out.
On the other hand, if you put it in room temp and slowly increase the temperature, it will stay in the water until it boils to death.
Gradual change can be dangerous!
TS: Too often churches will find that they have eroded over time. They have drifted from their call. They have substituted other priorities for Biblical essentials.
As we enter 2018, I want to challenge us to take stock of where we are in the essentials.
Chuck Swindoll in “The Church Awakening” identified four biblical essentials in which many churches (his own included) have been eroding. He draws them from this morning’s text
Teach the Word
Live in Fellowship
Worship
Pray
Over time, erosion can destroy just about anything.
EROSION
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
We have been examining Acts and noticed Christ building His church. I think this morning is good opportunity to remind ourselves of these essentials.
1. Teaching the Word
1. Teaching the Word
In the early days of the church, they were devoted to teaching the word of God.
The word of God is God’s revealed truth.
By teaching, studying, and applying it, we become well rooted in the truth.
Notice the contrast of .
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
In driving further west in Texas, you soon learn to spot rivers and creeks because of the trees growing by them. Flat land with little to no vegetation turns into a line of strong trees. When you get close, you identify the water which runs through it sustaining life.
God’s word does that to us spiritually.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Gods’s divine prescription for our growth and completeness is His word.
We should heed Paul’s advice to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
“do your best” “Study”, “Be diligent”
Be zealous in studying the word
Sounds old fashioned doesn’t it?
It is! So old fashioned that it comes straight from the Father in His word.
He never changed this.
There is no other passage wherein He revealed that now it had gone on long enough and school was out.
We must do all within our power to understand the word of God and handle it accurately.
We must be zealously devoted to...
Reading God’s word
Teaching God’s word
Preaching God’s word
2. Fellowship
2. Fellowship
The next essential is that we must be devoted to fellowship.
Fellowship is often misunderstood. I came across this poem which illustrates that point.
Believe as I believe—no more, no less;
That I am right (and no one else) confess.
Feel as I feel, think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, and drink but what I drink.
Look as I look, do always as I do;
And then—and only then—I’ll fellowship with you.
Source unknown
That is NOT what the first church meant by fellowship!
Chuck Swindoll said, “If we have teaching without fellowship the church would be a school.”
Fellowship, koinonia, is close mutual relationships in which we share life with each other.
The Greek word for fellowship comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.
It is the bond of love which we share as family members in God’s family which unites us and ties us together.
This is what led Paul to say in :
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1 COr 12:
We are so connected to each other that we are 1 body!
Every cell in every tissue in every organ in every organ system is essential for the body to be healthy
Every member is just as essential and has a purpose.
All suffer when 1 suffers and all rejoice when 1 rejoices
Fellowship leads us to
guard the unity of the body
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
We must work at preserving unity
The same mind and same judgment doesn’t come from all agreeing, it comes from Christ
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Jesus renews our minds and transforms us to think and judge as He does.
Then we can have and will value unity
be devoted to each other’s welfare
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.
They took care of each others needs
Acts 2:
We do as well and not just inside the body, but also in love reach out together to help those around us.
encourage and build each other up
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
encourage each other
The word of God is learned through teaching and lived through fellowship
3. Worship
3. Worship
They devoted themselves to worship
specifically here, the Lord’s Supper
Baptism was also mentioned just before this when Peter conclude his sermon.
The early church was devoted to worship through the church ordinances.
Both ordinances proclaim Christ
Baptism pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the new life it brought to believers.
The Lord’s Supper represents our lifelong communion with Him
Swindoll summarized their devotion by saying it was worship.
Worship happens as the assembled church focuses on and proclaims & praises God.
Many acts are included.
1. Obviously, the ordinances are the highest forms.
They were given by Jesus
The apostles explained their significance
2. Singing Hymns & songs which proclaim Christ and directly address Him in praise, thanksgiving, and petition.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
We are commanded to sing
The book of Psalms is a hymn book
3. Giving of our service and finances.
serve the Lord
leading worship, playing instruments, preparing the room, greeting, ushers, etc.
We all have an active role in worship!
Give finances
We are instructed to give of our finances as well
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
2 Cor 9:
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Returning a portion of our income is Biblical
Purposefully
Whatever GOD has convicted.
10% for most is the starting place, many give more
Regularly
Cheerfully
4. Reading, praying, and singing His word.
reading the Bible
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
); preaching the Bible (); singing the Bible (; )
Preaching the Bible
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
); singing the Bible (; )
Singing the Bible
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
; )
Some of the best songs of the faith are quoting Scripture or closely based upon Scripture.
Teaching the word, fellowship, and worship all work hand in hand in the life of the church. The final area to which our text calls our attention is:
4. Prayer
4. Prayer
They devoted themselves to prayer.
Corporate prayer is the term used to describe praying together with other people—in small groups or in larger bodies of people
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
This verse is often misused to justify being small in number
The focus is on corporate prayer
if we gather and agree together in prayer, there is a promised blessing
They corporately spent time together praying as a body.
Corporate prayer can be a positive experience in many ways.
Encouragement – praying with others can bring encouragement to the members of the group.
Unity of purpose – Corporate prayer has the ability to knit a group together in a bond of fellowship and praise. As people pray together, they build love and concern for others and display their dependence on God.
Worship – Corporate prayer brings intimate communion with the Savior.
Repentance – As people pray, the Holy Spirit brings conviction and draws His children to repentance.
Worship – Corporate prayer brings intimate communion with the Savior.
There is an exponential benefit to corporate prayer
Repentance – As people pray, the Holy Spirit brings conviction and draws His children to repentance.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
Prayer is powerful.
In prayer, we touch heaven and have many promises of God challenging us to pray.
In fact, we lack because we don’t ask!
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 1
We wrestle and fight
We argue and fuss
All to attempt to get the things we want
GOD says we don’t received, because we don’t ask Him!
what a challenge to us
when in need, ASK GOD!
He also cautions, He will say no if we are only asking to fulfill our lusts.
God isn’t a genie in a bottle here to fulfill our every wish!
Adoring Him
Prayer and worship go hand in hand.
Petitioning Him
Presenting requests, especially interceding for others.
Confessing to Him
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Confess our person sins
confess our corporate sins
Thanking Him
Appreciating Him for all He has done.
Like the story of the 10 lepers Jesus healed.
9 went their way never to return
1 came back and thanked Jesus
We have received so much from God, that gratefulness should be be part of our new nature.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The devotion of the early church serves as a foundation and reminder to us in 2018. We must be devoted to the 4 essentials of:
Teaching the Word
Fellowship
Worship
Prayer
There are other things we can do, but they must reinforce and aid us in keeping our devotion to the essentials.