Contagious Disciple
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning!!
How’s everybody doing??? Why not take a moment right now and greet that person sitting beside you and ask how’s she/he doing.
Every Sunday morning:
1. We see each other, have you ever wondered how was your brother, your sister was since the last
Sunday you saw each other?
We listen to the preachingWe join in the praise and worship
2. We listen to the preaching
3. We join in the praise and worship
So, why do we come to church?
There was a survey, conducted online Dec. 4 to 18, 2017, among a nationally representative sample of 4,729 adults on Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel, asked respondents who attend religious services a few times a year or less often (including those who never attend) whether each of ten reasons is “very important, somewhat important, or not important” for why they do not go to religious services more often.
(Insert Picture here)
So here’s a statistics that was made showing us why people attend church services.
So we can see 10 reasons, from top up to the 6th, I believe it’s safe to say that these reasons are the valid ones and the one from the beginning is the valid one.
The rest, it shows that the church is really for everyone, we don’t tell who should attend base upon their reason. In fact I believe a particular Bible based Christian worship service is an open opportunity to those who really seek God.
This is how Sunday mornings looks like today.
Let’s check out what it looks like before, let’s go back to the scripture, our text today says:
Acts 2:44
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-44,
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Our Theme for the whole year is:
Breakthrough, and our topic for the whole month of February is Being Contagious, today our specific topic is Being a Contagious Disciple.
When we apply this word to a disease, what do you think the most contagious disease is...or diseases are..?
As has been explained by others, the measure of contagiousness is the average reproduction number = average number of people an infected person is likely to infect. This is different from deadliness which is measured by mortality rates = how many of those infected will likely die. On that measure, untreated rabies, untreated HIV and Ebola are the three deadliest diseases.
We have heard three (3) sermons about being a contagious Christian, now we want to be more specific -
Be a CONTAGIOUS DISCIPLE
Are all Christian A DISCIPLE?
When we measure how those deadly diseases immediately affect a person, can we safely say that in the realm of Christianity, the same effectivity should happen?
Like, our being a Christian will and can infect others in such a way that their lives will automatically Love God, Love People and serve the World?
Are we that contagious right now?
Let’s asses ourselves in the light of the text this morning.
They themselves were INFECTED
They DEVOTED THEIR LIVES
They REPRESENT (DEPICT) A SHARED LIFE AS A COMMUNITY
to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer
Parsons, M. C. (2008). Acts (p. 48). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
They WANTED MORE
They were a PRAYING CHURCH
They ARE A REVERENT CHURCH
The early church is a CHURCH WHERE THINGS HAPPENED
They NEVER WAVERED and EVENTUALLY, UNKNOWINGLY BECOME CONTAGIOUS themselves
They were INFECTED
They were INFECTED
How do you literally get infected by a disease?
Yeah we know: You don’t take care of your health....
But “kung madalian...biglaan...go to a place where you can easily catch it. Right???
If you intentionally go to a place where a disease is spreading, or when you ge
So, those who were INFECTED was in GROUND ZERO that day!!
you know after 911 world trade center was called ground zero right? Coz that day, that’s where the immediate attack began.
Those people in , was in ground zero that they, they were all caught up with Peter’s preaching and everything they heard struck them..the prior verse said in..
37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
“Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?””
Acts of the Apostles 2:37 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/act.2.37.nlt
You know when you are INFECTED, you begin to think of the REMEDY!!! Amen!!
Once a person is infected with a contagious disease, that person becomes agitated or troubled, because he wants to get well, in the case of this new believers, they were “infected” by the word of God, and they were in were in awe. Immediately they began to ask what they should do. When they were “pierced in their heart” they knew something was not right with their lifestyle...they want to know what to do...THEY WERE INFECTED, all of a sudden they want to change their life, they want to turn their lives 180 degrees.
The next thing that happened is that these believers:
They DEVOTED THEIR LIVES
They DEVOTED THEIR LIVES
The early Christians persisted in listening to the apostles as they taught. The original meaning of the the word devoted meant - They persevered and constantly diligent. I really believe that there is no idle time for these people, I do believe that they also have personal things to attend to, but BEING PERSISTENT, PERSEVERING AND TO BE CONSTANT DILIGENT in their Christian lives was not a dilemma, it was never about WHICH ONE TO PRIORITIZE!!
They were a PRAYING CHURCH
They were a PRAYING CHURCH
K
They REPRESENT (DEPICT) A SHARED LIFE AS A COMMUNITY
They REPRESENT (DEPICT) A SHARED LIFE AS A COMMUNITY
This is where we got the word KOINONIA - if you have’t heard this before this means FELLOWSHIP - and in this verse, it means that fellowship is the essence of the of the Christian life - fellowship with God and with other believers in Christ.
We can also understand the same meaning of fellowship in the beginning , when Adam was placed in the garden to enjoy friendship and communion with God. The early church showed a great quality of togetherness.
Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was one of Britain’s greatest naval commanders. He had a long and distinguished career, in which he gained a reputation as a master tactician and for his great personal bravery, explained one of his victories by saying: ‘I had the happiness to command a band of brothers.’
explained one of his victories by saying: ‘I had the happiness to command a band of brothers.’
.
The Church is a real Church only when it has that kind of fellowship.
They were a PRAYING CHURCH
They were a PRAYING CHURCH
Kononia have two parts for it to work - fellowship with God and with other Christians, but this picture of community is not always perfect,
The Acts of the Apostles The Characteristics of the Church (Acts 2:42–7)
these early Christians knew that they could not meet life in their own strength and that they did not need to. They always went in to God before they went out to the world; they were able to meet the problems of life because they had first met him.
these early Christians knew that they could not meet life in their own strength and that they did not need to. They always went IN to God before they went OUT to the world; they were able to meet the problems of life because they had first met him.
The Acts of the Apostles The Characteristics of the Church (Acts 2:42–7)
these early Christians knew that they could not meet life in their own strength and that they did not need to. They always went in to God before they went out to the world; they were able to meet the problems of life because they had first met him.
Barclay, W. (2003). The Acts of the Apostles (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., p. 33). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.
The early believers, they ARE A REVERENT CHURCH
The early believers, they ARE A REVERENT CHURCH
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
In other translation it says “fear came over them all”. This fear, this deep sense of awe just shows how the early believers sees who God is in their lives.
The lives of the early believers were so distinct in such a way that it also influences the spiritual climate of their time. Their deep respect for God can be seen in their worship like we can read in:
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—
The early church is a CHURCH WHERE THINGS HAPPENED
The early church is a CHURCH WHERE THINGS HAPPENED
Signs and wonders are there. It’s weaved-in in the fabric of the day to day life of the early believers.
Check out these verses:
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
Acts 2:
12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
In this last verse, it is part of the believers prayer for the release of Peter and John from being scrutinized by the Sanhedrin,
John Piper said it this way:
They cried for boldness in their witness; they cried for God's hand to be stretched forth in healing; and they cried for God to perform signs and wonders. They were not just "open" to signs and wonders. They were desperate for them. They prayed for them to come.
If we expect great things from God and attempt great things for God, things happen. More things would happen if we believed that God and we together make them happen.
They NEVER WAVERED and EVENTUALLY, UNKNOWINGLY BECOME CONTAGIOUS themselves.
They NEVER WAVERED and EVENTUALLY, UNKNOWINGLY BECOME CONTAGIOUS themselves.
They NEVER WAVERED and EVENTUALLY, UNKNOWINGLY BECOME CONTAGIOUS themselves
They NEVER WAVERED and EVENTUALLY, UNKNOWINGLY BECOME CONTAGIOUS themselves
Acts 2:
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
If you would closely look on what we have been discussing it shows that there is a process, stages, and this last point is the culmination.
When a person REALLY HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE JESUS, there’s no way that, that persons life is still the same as it were before. Because that person did really understand the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross, there was a change of mind that demanded a change of action.
Those persons who asked Peter, after hearing what Christ did for them, and with that preaching, it pierced their heart, and it made them realize that they have to do something and they did, they repented of their sin and with that decision, their Christian journey was launched that day.
And since day one, our last verse shows that they never WAVERED, they worshipped together, they never forgot to visit God’s house, they also met in homes, this just shows how intense they were in wanting to know more about Jesus and how they want to listen more to the apostles teaching. Also that change in their lives cause them share what they have it was not forced upon them it was an automatic response out of their new experience.
John Piper said it this way:
The Christians in that first church were captured by a vibrant, dynamic, and personal vision of God, but that did not keep them from focusing on one another. They did not have to choose between being a church going hard after the God seated in heaven and a church dedicated to the needs around them here on earth.
Christianity did not isolate believers to focus exclusively on their own relationship with Jesus, but made each believer another vital vein in the body of Christ — each of them carrying what others need from God to the one in need.
And with this happening, the early church, true enough, made an impression around the community they where in, THE WAY THEY LIVE were so POTENT ENOUGH TO EMIT A CONTAGIOUS LIFE STYLE. And thats why the Bible said, they were “enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”