Acts 2:42-47 The NT Church: A Church Focused

I got new glasses a couple of weeks ago. I got tired of not being able to see. From up here, I could see you, or I could see my notes – not both.

My distant vision isn’t so bad except at night, but my close up vision is terrible. I tried to get by with reading glasses for years. A pair hidden away everywhere. I’d get frustrated at the store – I could not read labels. And I got to where I couldn’t see the computer very well. But no pair fixed everything. I could read, or see my computer, or see people at a distance, but not all three. Frustration. Inefficiency. But now everything is in focus. These high dollar progressive lenses are great. They cost a lot, but now I can see you. I can see my notes. I can see my computer. I can see books. I can see. It is freeing. Finally, life is in focus.

The NT church were a people who finally could see. At great cost, Jesus equipped them with lenses that brought life into focus. If you were to guess what the New Testament Church looked like not that they could see?

I’m not really talking about the format of the service, though you might be surprised with some of our similarities. I’m talking about the essence of the church. The church was focused. We make church complex, but it really isn’t that complex. The Lord had given His vision for His people.

(ESV) Mark 12 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Love God / Love others

He had given them clear vision about their mission.

(ESV) Matthew 28 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Make disciples of the Lord

When we let things blur we are in trouble. We can get distracted and lose focus.

Let’s look at the simplicity of the New Testament Church. Let’s ensure that we maintain the same focus.

I. A church focused: A Passion for God

A. Worshipped God

(ESV) Acts 2 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

… 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1. Continuous acknowledgement of Him

2. Continuous submission to Him

3. Personal humility

B. Embraced God’s Word

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

1. Know Him from His Word / not merely existential

2. Find out what He desires / Obey Him

3. Be transformed by the Word – soak in it / find Him

4. Stability for emotions/struggles

C. Depended upon God

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

1. Relying on Him

2. Seeking His guidance

3. Seeking His intervention

D. Empowered by God

(ESV) Acts 2 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

… 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

… 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1. God-sized stuff was going on

2. Inner focus on God impacting our external life

3. God’s workings in their lives impacting others

E. Fulfilled in God

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

… 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

1. A people content / He is enough

2. Thankful

3. Generous because there is no need to hold on to stuff – don’t need it

4. Satisfaction and rest in Him

F. Summary: Focused on Him

(ESV) Colossians 1 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

… 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Without a passion for God it all becomes self centered

1. Self view about ministry – What is convenient / Do what’s easy for me / measure everything by how I feel, impact on me, me me me me me me me

2. It must all begin with a passion for God – A God centered and God directed life

3. Pursuit of Him / Enjoyment of Him / Seeking to please Him / Worshiping Him

4. Everything else secondary / an outflow of my passions for God

II. A church focused: A Heart for People

A. Building Deep relationships

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

1. Going beyond the superficial

2. More than being nice to people – becoming their friends

3. Really caring

4. Really involved in other’s lives

B. Ministering to others sacrificially

(ESV) Acts 2 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

1. Caring about people’s needs (note: not about socialism – people in need because of the faith / situations beyond their control - caring enough to invest in other people)

2. Doing things for others

3. Paying a price to serve others

C. A lifestyle focused on people ministry

(ESV) Acts 2 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

1. Impacting every day / every action

2. Not

a) About just our friends – called a clique – what about those we don’t naturally gravitate toward

b) An add on or duty to do a good deed

3. An attitude / Thinking differently

4. A way of life – caring for and building up people

D. Summary: Characterized by love for others

(ESV) John 13 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

1. An overflow of our love for God – love who He loves

2. Letting God love people through us

3. Not just our friends / For the unlovely - who do we reach out to /spend time with / fellowship with

4. Not just a superficial friendliness / Deep caring / broken heart / drives to do something for them

III. A church focused: Sharing Hope in Christ

A. Intentional / continual spoken witness

(ESV) Acts 2 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

B. Bold witness

(ESV) Acts 4 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

C. Powerful witness

(ESV) Acts 4 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

D. Summary: Unashamed sharing of the gospel

(ESV) Romans 1 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.

1. Speaking the Word of God is the means to find hope that is found in Christ / It is sufficient for salvation / It is sufficient for victory in life / It meets the need every person has

2. Christ died on the cross to forgive sin. Only when people are told of this truth will they have an opportunity to trust in Him. For the Christian the Word of God is fully sufficient for their growth and maturity in Christ

All of these should characterize our life in Christ as individuals / as the church

A passion for God

A heart for people

Sharing hope in Christ

My vision for our church (See first page)