Acts 2:41-47, 1:8 The Church - The most powerful Living thing

Bill Bright recounted the following illustration from in the Multnomah Message, Spring, 1993:

While walking through the forest one day, a man found a young eagle which had fallen out of his nest. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens. One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly. The eagle thought it was a chicken.

"Still it has the heart of an eagle," replied the naturalist, "and can surely be taught to fly." He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, "You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly."

The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.

The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly."

But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.

Finally the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly."

The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens, never to return to the barnyard.”

The church often lives with the chickens. Unknowingly it grovels as if it was part of the world. Anxious. Confused. Powerless. Not knowing who it really is.

Rome was one of the most powerful countries in all of history yet, when Paul and his little group of followers show up here is what happens:

(ESV) Acts 17 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting,

(ESV) Acts 17 6 … “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

The movement started with a handful of struggling rejects. Pecking at the ground like chickens.

But now they understood who they were – they were the church of the living God. And they were turning the world upside down. And they became the most powerful movement the world had ever seen. They soared as eagles leaving the anxiety and powerlessness behind.

We will look primarily at Acts 2:1-47 as our text as we see the birth of the most powerful living thing – the church.

You are this powerful thing – right here this morning. You are the local presence of the mighty church that was birthed 2,000 years ago. May we grasp the significance. May we understand what God wants us to be. May we turn our world upside down for Christ.

I. The Church: A New Organism

A. ‘In Christ’ people

(ESV) Acts 2 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

(ESV) Acts 1 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

(ESV) 1 Corinthians 12 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body

1. We are not a club but the miraculous body of Christ

a. Forget all the silly stuff that goes on in some churches – this event was proof of what was happening – the birth of the church – The Holy Spirit living within – connecting the believers together in the body of Christ.

2. Connected in Christ through the Holy Spirit

a. To Him

b. To each other

3. The visible means by which Christ makes Himself know in this world

a. As witness / In actions / Full of power revealing the living God

4. Not an individual thing – a community of God’s people – This is what it means to be in relationship to God – living / growing in the community of the church

B. Transformed people

(ESV) Acts 2 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

a. Days before hidden away - afraid and helpless and defeated

b. Now empowered to live openly for God even in face of persecution

1) Witnessing 2) Lives changed from sin – Eph – such were some of you

(ESV) Ephesians 2 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

c. A new identity / a new beginning (A new creation)

(ESV) 2 Corinthians 5 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

C. Spiritually empowered people

1. The Spirit at work within

(ESV) Acts 2 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “… 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

2. Spirit empowered to live and witness

(ESV) Acts 1 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

a. To witness

b. To overcome sin

c. To live for Him

d. To stand in the face of adversity

What does a Spirit-filled body of Christ look like? Here we see the NT church on display.

II. The Church: A focused church

A. To the Word of God

(ESV) Acts 2 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

1. Lived lives intaking the Word of God

2. Lived their lives embracing the Word of God

a. Making it have an impact on their lives

3. With obedience following the Word of God

a. Baptized – associated themselves with Him

b. Paul emphasized the Word of God empowered by His Spirit

B. To prayer

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

1. Seeking fellowship with Christ

2. Seeking help from Christ

3. Seeking the means to grow in Christ / reach others --- more often than praying for the sick or own needs

C. To each other and the local body

(ESV) Acts 2 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,

1. We more important than Me

a. Even though some in the community were hard to live with

2. Sacrificing for one another

3. Unity in truth – a priority to get along even in disagreement

4. Invested time with one another

a. As a full body - In personal fellowships – home ministry

b. With gladness

5. Exercised each person’s God given design to grow one another

D. To 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 …

1. His Majesty and Power was seen by believers and unbelievers alike

2. God was active in doing great things

3. Personally experienced His power

III. The Church: Reaching the world

A. Personally

(ESV) Acts 1 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1. Must not become self-absorbed

2. The ultimate compassion toward people – share Christ

3. As individuals and as a body

a. Spiritually empowered

b. Through communicating the truth of scripture

c. Through reflecting Christ-like lives

d. Through helping others and building relationships

e. Through sharing their story

B. Through God’s strategy

(ESV) Acts 1 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1. Geographic and cultural – from close to farthest away

a. Locally – it starts across the street

b. Regionally – it reaches to people like you

c. Nationally – it includes people are similar but different

d. Internationally – it reaches to people and places radically unlike you

2. Begin with wise strategy – then led along the way

C. In God honoring ways

(ESV) Acts 2 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. In large groups

2. In houses

3. In one on one situations

4. Uplifting God

5. In a non-offensive but direct manner to people

6. Depending upon God

7. God saved and transformed people

This is the church as God intends. As He has made it. You are this church. Intended to soar and impact the world. This is our DNA.

But you must choose. You can choose to act like chickens, rooting around in the dirt. Or you can move forward knowing who we are and What Christ desires to be through you. What will you choose?