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Book of Acts - Be the Church Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsMinistry of the Apostles, power of Apostles in early Church
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Spirit Filled Church
Spirit Filled Church
When and how, why (Act1:8, 2:1-2)
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
Act2:
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
The church was
Unified (Act5:12)
Magnified(Act5:13)
Multiplied (Act5:14)
But we have to know that Satan wants to
Divide
Disgrace
Decrease the church by any means he can
The early church under the leadership of the Apostles as commission by the Lord had triumphed under adversity and multitudes were coming to faith.
Our section today shows three groups
The church
The unbelieving Jews.
Those who came to believe and were added to the number
In our passage we see the separation of women and men regarding salvation, and this is the first mention of that. Women played a vital role in the church and still do and there are many passages to back that up.
Three things you will see about the church in our passage too
It was a supernatural church
It was a respected and growing church
It was a healing church
I. The Supernatural Church
I. The Supernatural Church
Unified
Magnified
God gave the apostles the power to perform great miracles for a purpose. A way to prove, to authenticate their Minister (Act5:12-16, Rom15:18-19; 2Cor12:12 and Heb2:4)
Act5:12
12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.
Multiplied
14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
The early church was Jewish in origin and in nature so it should not be surprising that they were in Solomon’s portico at the temple. There was opposition (Act4:1-2, 17-18, 21) but even in opposition there was no stopping them.
(below not on screen just for my notes)
Act4:1-2 - Jewish leadership was greatly disturbed by the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus
Act4:17-18 - warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus, even commanded them
Act4:21 - threatened them more, but there was no shutting them up and people took note of it and the numbers multiplied even under persecution
18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
It was by the power of the Spirit that these signs, wonders were being done, resulting in belief in Jerusalem and when Paul went out it other areas like Illyricum.
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
The signs, the wonders were signs of a true apostle, to prove their word is true and the word was Jesus.
4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
God was testifying with them by the signs and wonder, by miracles according to God’s own will.
Moses did great signs (Exo4); Elijah/Elisha were miracle workers, each showing they were sent by God with a message and proof. the signs, the wonders were the proof the message was from God and it was true. It is a new era an era of greater works
Jesus spoke of greater works to be done (Jn14:12-14)
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
There can be lots of discussion about greater works, and let’s draw a comparison briefly Jesus performed works for 3 reasons
To show compassion and meet a human need
The apostles had healed a lame man, now in our passage tonight we see at their hand many signs and wonders were happening
To present His credentials as Son of God
The signs proved the authority and the truth of their word was from God.
To convey a spiritual truth
By doing the preceding each time it lead to the preaching of a gospel message and people believed and were added to the numbers
We have seen the supernatural power of the Spirit can attract but it can also bring judgment like with Ananias and Sapphira. Because of the power of the Spirit it maybe one reason no one dare join them (v.13) but a respected group
II. Respected and growing Church
II. Respected and growing Church
13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.
Wonder who the rest are? The rest, could it be the unbelieving Jews that saw what happened to Ananias/Sapphira? How about the the Jewish leadership that opposed the church and the apostles? How about the level of commitment that was expected. People were really being born again.
The Spirit would convict, convince and convert
The Lord was confirming through the Apostles the work of the Spirit in the people who were being added
The people were behind the preaching of the Word of God, it was being preached boldly, it was being preached often, and the word was coupled with the Spirit to convict, convince and convert. It was God’s word that was changing things, converting people, not the signs, wonders and miracles.
We have the full counsel of God in our hands today and the signs and wonders have gone away in the ways and means to prove the validity of the gospel message. It is put together so we have everything we need to get us to heaven and to lead others to heaven.
We as the church today need to know, need to remember:
Let the preaching be authoritative not authoritarian
Let the preaching be the Bible, not an explanation of the Bible
May we be living the Word and not trying to legislate with it
May it make us Spirit lead and gracious and not grim
Teach, through the word to be loyal and committed to each other
The work of the Apostles laid the ground work for the Church, or as Paul says the foundation
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
They gave us, through the inspired word what we need to share the Good News with others and to help lives be transformed, in other words, lives healed.
12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,
III. It was a healing church
III. It was a healing church
Now the early church was a healing church, while the healing is not by the signs, wonders, miracles the Apostles did, we are still to be a healing church today.
15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.
Act5:
16 Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
The healing was on the roads, the streets, they did not have to be in the temple, in a building. They hoped that even Peter’s shadow would heal them. All the people in Jerusalem and vicinity were coming, and all were being healed.
Don’t people today search for proof of God’s existence and God’s touch? From Gideon’s fleece (Jud6:36-40) to people calling for others to touch a T.V. Set, people want, crave a physical contact with a spiritual God.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.”
38 And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.”
What if the touch is you?
We can touch people with our compassion, we can touch people with our prayers, we can touch people with our heart, but the healing touch comes when we share the gospel and people are added to the numbers of those being saved.
We can be a healing church, in ministering to the physical needs of the people to lead them to the spiritual healing that is needed. The greatest miracle we can do, is to lead a lost sinner to become a child of God
May we remember where the power of God is (Rom1:16)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
In that day the wanted even the shadow to fall on them, today people want more than the shadow of our busy lives, they need the personal touch. That personal touch takes commitment. It takes effort and it takes humility. It takes your hands, your touch.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
It is not just elders who have the power, it is the Spirit that has the power to use you with your personal touch to help bring healing to people in the name of Jesus. The greatest healing is of a lost sinner reconciled with a Holy God. And you are a part of God’s grand plan that was purposed before the world was created.
Here we have seen the supernatural church, it was a respected and growing church and it was a healing church. We need to decide and to walk in what kind of church do we want to be, and walk in that.
Not by supernatural signs, but by bringing people to know the supernatural God. A supernatural church that is growing because of it’s love, care, compassion and touching the broken and helping them to find the healing that is found in Christ Jesus.
(Lead to invitation, encouragement)
(Insert invitation slide)