Miraculous

The Church: Origin and Purpose  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  36:27
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Unstoppable

I am a nerd. I love the Lord of the Rings, Super heroes, and Star Wars. Marvel has this one villain called the Juggernaut. Once he sets his mind to move in a particular direction he is unstoppable. He crashes through any object flattens the strongest heroes and causes chaos and destruction. Now the heroes always find a way to stop him eventually. In other words . . . the unstoppable man is really just hard to stop man.
Early on in the book of Acts we find that the church is unstoppable. Look at:
Acts chapter 3 and 4 Peter and John are arrested for teaching and healing in the name of Jesus.
Response: They prayed for boldness and God shook the place where they met.
And today we will see that although in Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira lie to God and are struck dead; causing fear to seize the church. Their response is to keep going.
No matter what is thrown at God’s church, we are reminded of what Jesus said to Peter:
Matthew 16:18 ESV
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
One thing that the book of Acts shows us time and again is that the church is unstoppable.
PRAY
READ
Acts 5:12–16 ESV
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Gathered

Look ate verses 12-13
Acts 5:12–13 ESV
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
With so many believers already joining the church, the temple was the only place large enough for them to gather, and it was the logical place to worship the Lord.
After the events of Ananias and Sapphira, and the miracles God had already performed the other people in the temple were too intimidated to join the growing church but they respected them.
This reminds me of how the people treated Jesus.
This act of gathering for teaching and encouragement has always been an essential part of the church.
We are challenged in:
Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
As we faced the decision to close the doors of our church building in the face of the Corona-virus these verses were on my heart. Have we met to encourage one another? We have:
Thanks to modern conveniences of the telephone, the internet, our phones, our televisions, and our computers we have found ways to connect.
Our church started a group text and Janelle has been posting daily devotionals to encourage and challenge us. I have made devotional videos to post to our website, and Lord willing, you are watching or listening to this sermon.
I miss everyone. I have had the brief pleasure of seeing a few of you here and there and it has lifted my spirits. I am praying for God to make our path to gathering in person clear. Keep praying for wisdom. In the meantime, keep looking for opportunities to grow and share your faith.
This week, I am planning to host two online Bible studies. This will either be conducted via a Facebook live session or a Zoom gathering. I will get details out by the end of the day on Tuesday. I want to redeem every tool that God has put at our disposal.
Back to our text. What is the result of the church continuing to do the work of the Gospel?

Growing

Acts 5:14 ESV
14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
More than the 3,000 at Pentacost
More than the 5,000 recorded in Acts 4:4
People responded to the truth and to the miracles.

Signs

Acts 5:15–16 ESV
15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
What is God capable of?
Heal through a shadow?
Heal through his people?
Free people from bondage?
All these signs accompanied the ministry of the early church. God was declaring that just like the ministry of Jesus, His church had his blessing. Just as God declared in:
Luke 9:35 ESV
35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
He now says, this is my church, listen to them. And he calls his church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel!

What is God doing today?

Where is our Peter? Where is our guy who heals? Remember that these are signs. What is a sign? Well thing of a stop sign. What is it there for? Who does it represent? Who enforces it? What if you ignore it?
The miracles that accompanied the ministry of Jesus and the early church were not common in other ages. Think of the Old Testament. Who amongst God’s chosen people worked miracles? Moses before Pharaoh, the prophets, and few others including a Donkey that talked. Miracles were uncommon. What was John the Baptist known for? His teaching on repentance. God works in His time according to His purpose and He does so for our good.
Romans 8:28 ESV
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
What are the “all things”?
In our sickness?
In our loss?
In our suffering?
In the good times?
In our blessings?
In our struggles?
Yes.
This is the hard part. God is at work. Are we willing to live out our faith with all boldness . . . even if the miracles we want don’t come? The book of Acts isn’t over. The church is going to suffer and go through major persecution. If our eyes lose sight of the calling we have been given and land on our own wants and desires we will fail. We will be consumed by the worries of this world. Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote while in prison.
Philippians 3:8–4:1 ESV
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
He set it all aside because he is a citizen of Heaven. We do not put our hope in this world but in the God who has proven his love for us time and time again and in Jesus who saved us from our sins. Let us live in the joy and hope that is ours.
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