A People of God

What will they put on your headstone? Devoted wife, devoted Father? Most of us like to be known as devoted? But, what should the source of our devotion be?

Intro

Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted.

Tozer, A.W.. The Pursuit of God (Optimized for Kindle) [Updated 4/14/2010] (p. 17). Kindle Edition.

Drama

Peter just finished his sermon

People were converted, lives were changed

The New Testament Church has begun

The newly converted people of God operated in a new Spirit

The HS came and began working in them a new love for God and the things of God

The apostles continued to do works of the HS

Remember this is a short lived gift of the HS that stops and does not continue after the apostolic age

But, those who experienced this new life, conversion were now living it out

Doctrine

A people of God is a:

Devoted people

The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition.

Tozer, A.W.. The Pursuit of God (Optimized for Kindle) [Updated 4/14/2010] (p. 14). Kindle Edition.

Devoted to the Apostles teaching (42)

The Word of God

The Apostles Fellowship

koinonia

unity and fellowship of like minded people

The Lord’s Supper

Breaking of “the” bread

The prayers

formed prayers of the church

Devotion:

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament προσκαρτερέω

προσκαρτερέω (proskartereō

to be devoted to, to attend constantly, or fully engaged in

Many of us are devoted to other things, which is fine, unless they take away from our devotion to Christ, we should be balanced

What dos devotion look like?

The Scribe who wanted to follow Jesus. and

“I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus: And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Elsewhere,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take u his cross and follow me.”

English Standard Version Chapter 8

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Christianity isn’t something we dabble in, it is a devotion, a way of life.

Communal people (43-45)

One Spirit

Ephesians 4:4–5 ESV

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

(44) Commonality was belief in Jesus

worldview

practice

life

(45) In giving to the church

their fellow believers as they needed

tithes and offerings to God used in this manner

MLJ-

Authentic Christianity Chapter 7: Continuing Steadfastly

One of the first tests you must apply to yourself, or to anybody else, in order to discover whether or not you are a Christian is to ask the question, Do you want to come together with other Christians? If you do not feel this desire, there is only one explanation: You are not a Christian.

Worshipping people (46-47)

Attending the Temple

dispels any home church ideas

Came to the house of God

(46) eating together

A joyful community

joy in the new life and the promises held out by Christ’s resurrection

(47) Praising God

One who has been given new life cannot help but praise God

God uses that as a witness to the world

Doxology

The result of our devotion to God and drawing near to him in worship is people being added to the church invisible and visible

God is in the business of adding members to his church

Not programs or sensualistic drawings of man

Adds “those who are being saved”

The Christians life is a picture of the life of Christ

Jesus was devoted to his work, his calling by God

The wedding at Cana, Mary asks to get the wedding party wine

“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

In the Garden, He was so devoted that even drops of blood from his brow did not distract him

Jesus lived in community with his fellow disciples, and with the lost

Master and disciple relationship

He taught them how to live in the world without being part of it

He taught them to “love” one another

Jesus worshipped God the Father

“He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogue and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing . . .”

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . .”

Jesus glorified (worshipped ) God in his devotion to him

- “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”

App: We are devoted to the things of God, the things within his church because God uses that to draw in more people

It is not works righteousness. We are not earning anything, or paying God back.

We are faithfully following hard after Jesus, as God’s people, and God uses that t draw new people into His Kingdom.

Let us be faithful in our devotion, community and worship

When a people of God do this, he wants others to do that and will send them here!

How do I know, because God is faithful!