The Great Example
Notes
Transcript
The Great Example
INTRODUCTION
Me on the piano-
Compare to Jennifer
If you want your child to play piano, do you want them to watch me or Jennifer?
Devotion is lived out by practicing hard.
What made the early church so powerful and successful was their devotion.
Acts 2:42-47
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.
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, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
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.
3 Reasons Early Church Was Powerful
They Had Powerful Habits
They Had Powerful Habits
Acts 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
They were devoted to God’s Word
“They devoted themselves”= practiced until it was a habit.
Devoted= persistent, stubbornly.
Not natural- it is practiced.
ILL- Sam Bradford, Heisman winner and #1 draft pick in 2010 draft, signed record at time $50 million guaranteed contract. In an interview one of the coaches said, "He is so concerned about muscle memory." Practiced to point it was habit.
Good habits must dominate the bad habits.
What do you crave? - ME- Sugar
What do you crave more than God’s word?
They were devoted to Fellowship
Koinonia= fellowship with man and with God.
Fellowship with man.
They took care of each other.
Acts 2:44-45
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.
Acts 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
Breaking of bread= Lord’s Supper and Love Feast.
“with one accord” (KJV)= Unity with purpose.
NAS= “with one mind”= lived with same purpose.
Philippians 2:1-4
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Sounds like an impossible task.
Philippians 2:5
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Be like Jesus and you will have one mind.
There is no place for disunity within the body of Christ.
The early church struggled to keep this unity.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.
16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Fellowship with God
Verse right before the verse we just read.
1 Corinthians 1:9
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Acts 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Prayer was a habit of the church.
ILL- Church gathering when Peter was arrested.
Peter miraculously released and found church praying.
Prayer meetings are least attended events of churches.
CALL TO CHURCH-WIDE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY.
June 2 at 6:00
First of midweek worship and prayer service.
Prayer for summer activities/ Lord’s Supper
They Had Powerful Priorities
They Had Powerful Priorities
Acts 2:46-47
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
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.
Day by Day= every day.
Before church was a building and social club.
Temple
2 purposes of Temple attendance.
Worship and Prayer
Witness to unbelievers.
Jesus taught in Temple.
Early Jewish Christians taught in the Temple.
They went and taught where the people were.
Daily people were saved because they witnessed daily.
They Had Powerful Reputations
They Had Powerful Reputations
Acts 2:43
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
signs and wonders
Proof of God’s power on them.
These happen as the church lives in obedience.
Only 2 miracles recorded in Acts happened during a gathering of believers.
Ananias and Sapphire - died because they lied.
Eutychus- fell asleep during sermon out of window and died.
Awe= phobia/ fear
Because unbelievers knew God’s power was upon them.
Favor with all the people
They were good neighbors.
Greatest Commandment
Good Samaritan
We are called to be the salt of the earth.
ILL- It’s been said, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
Farmer once said, “You can add salt to the feed.”
Salt causes people to thirst for the things of God.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus.
We serve those around us as the light of Jesus.
Acts 2:47
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.
Added new believers daily
A church devoted to the right things will see spiritual and physical growth.
CONCLUSION
Are you a fully devoted follower of Jesus?
Are you a fully devoted follower of Jesus?
Are you growing in your faith?
Are you growing in your faith?