The Essentials

What do I want them to know? The essentials of the church

Why? It leads to unity, awe, signs and wonders, overwhelming happiness, and more people come to know Jesus

What do I want them to do? Devote themselves to apostles teaching, fellowship, prayer and praise, breaking of bread, generousity

Why? It leads to unity, awe, signs and wonders, overwhelming happiness, and more people come to know Jesus

INTRO

Last week we learned that in many avenues of life there are is a critical thing that thing must do for that THING to happen.

For example, we learned for you to have a marriage you need to have Christlike love and respect, that it does not matter much if you go on elaborate dates, have a big house, buy each other the perfect gifts, look like the perfect couple that they could put on the cover of magazines…those things will not matter much if the marriage does not have a LOVE and RESPECT.

We said a similar thing is true of the church....a group of people can do many great things, feed the poor, have great ministries, a big church building....you do not even have a church, I am not talking about a building (the church in the Bible is the body of believers), , you have just have a group of people....without the most mission critical thing you do not have a church.

WHAT IS THE MOST MISSION CRITICAL THING THE CHURCH MUST DO?

Preach the Gospel....we are sinners in need of a Savior....Jesus has come to rescue and redeem His people.

But we must stop there?

Is this all the church should do?

NO

There are also essential things a church must do....the church does not exist only to Preach the Gospel and say now go on living like you have been.

It is not as some people call it Golden Ticket theology “you now can go to heaven and have a redeemed relationship with God” now you can do what you like.

TENSION

No the Good News of the God is, yes He has come to save rescue and redeem, AND He also shows us how we are to live now, really live,

And this really living when we live into the essentials we see in Acts 2:42-47 bring

Unity and community

Awe, signs, and wonders....God moves in amazing ways

Overwhelming gladness agalliasis

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.132 ἀγαλλίασις, εως

ἀγαλλίασις, εως f: a state of intensive joy and gladness, often implying verbal expression and body movement (for example, jumping, leaping, dancing)—‘to be extremely joyful, to rejoice greatly, extreme gladness.

Church grows

What are thee essentials that the church gets to do for us to experience

Unity and community

Awe, signs, and wonders

Overwhelming gladness agalliasis

Church family grows

GOD

This is what Luke, the writer of Acts, wants to show us in Acts 2:42-47. Luke lays out the 6 essential things a church gets to do that leads to all this goodness.

What are those 6 things?

FLY OVER, the rest of Acts is going to go deeper

Let’s read

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

This was not a passive thing, this was not hey if you have time thing,

DEVOTED: to continue to do something with intense effort, despite difficulties that may arise—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in.’

Difficulties are going to arise, but I a devoted to this

Following Jesus is going to lead to more difficulties in this world

You move from one enemy before you’re a Christian (who’s your enemy before you’re a Christian? God) to 3 enemies when you are a Christian; the world, the flesh, the Devil

I thought if I follow Jesus I get the best life, I mean the blessed life

You do but too often the word blessed gets translated to mean: financial, relational, and career blessings

which is in contradiction to those who follow Jesus in the New Testament

They were poor and oppressed and 10 of the 12 disciples were martyed

This does not mean you might become financially blessed, YES

David and Solomn were rich, Billy Gramham rich (but did not live like a rich person)

They gave there life to this

What did they give there live’s to?

This happened right after Peter just preached, 3000 come to know Jesus

Devoted to Apostles Teaching

What is the Apostles Teaching? Why is that important?

The Apostles Teaching centered on two things

1. Explaining who is God

These are people who were just saved (we have not master it all or know it all oh unsearchable are His ways, they needed to know the ways of Jesus.

Creator....they were not particles coming together randomly.

Gen 1:1

Genesis 1:1 ESV

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Ps 139:13

Psalm 139:13 ESV

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

God is the TRUTH (God is the standard for truth)…it is not what the philosophers say that is the standard, God is the standard for TRUTH

John 14:6

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God is love, Huge Love

do you want to see what love is, look to God, who made a way when there is no way, we gave his life for you, who provides for you, who is always available,

1 John 4:16

1 John 4:16 ESV

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Romans 8:31-39

Romans 8:31–39 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why would they teach about who God is?

TRUE: To strengthen their FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE

let me show how big He is and how magestic, How God He is, IT BOLSTERS OUR FAITH

I have that when I read Romans 8, it never gets old

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS…WE KNOW THIS AND EXPERIENC THIS.

This is why some of you have

When we hear a the Goodness of God we have a gaal-lee'-aws-is

We shout amen or hallelujah!

2. Showing us how to live

Psalm 119:105 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

2 Tim 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Love your enemies

Matthew 5:43–44 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

We are to respond and love all people no matter how they feel about us.

Faith by itself is dead

James 2:17 ESV

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Your faith activated by works

And they would teach more thigns

Devoted to the Apostles Teaching to learn about

- WHO GOD IS

- HOW WE SHOULD LIVE

2. DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO THE FELLOWSHIP

They devoted themselves to one another

They did not live in isolation but in community…there were not private but personal.

One of the greatest ploys of the enemy is to get you to live in isolation.

That is when we are weakness and most prone to be taken out

COMMUNITY/FELLOWSHIP some day is really easy, other days it is hard, conflicts happen, hearts are hurt.

BUT IT IS OH SO GOOD

agalliasis

WHY?

1. Wired for it, created for community

Genesis 2:18 ESV

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

CLINICAL SOCOILOGY HAS VERFIED THAT A PERSON WILL GROW DEPRESSED without community

This is why the pandemic has been so hard on people

We are created to be with people

We are created for intimacy with each other

2. We do not need people only to because we are created for it, in a similar we need community to become more whole, more Christ like, and to be picked.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.

Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

COMMUNITY PICKS UP

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 ESV

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

We are all going to fall one day

Some people this is HARD!

Pain

people have hurt you

you have gotten close to someone and they really hurt you

I am sorry there are no perfect fellowships

Push past the pain…find another group…on the other side of pain is agalliasis

Pride

I don’t need it…I got it

Proverbs 16:18 ESV

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

FEAR

If people knew me, they would not like me

SO what we are doing is having people like the false us and as a result we feel no one likes us because people do not know the real us.

What if they knew I struggled with ____

Or I did ____

True Christian community would show you Christ like love and help you to, accepts us and helps be more like Christ and have freedom and ag- al-lee'-as-is

HAPPINESS

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” C.S. Lewis

3 + 4 DEVOTED themselves to Prayer and Praise

Fellowship with their Father

We are created and need fellowship with our Heavenly Father, it fills us up, makes whole, makes alive....this happens at church, we feel a little more whole or a lot more whole when we leave.

We read in Acts the early Christians followed the Jewish prayer rhythms over praying at morning, afternoon, and evening

To receive the Father’s love

Supplication

They would come to Father like the Lords’ Prayer lays out and follow ACTS

Adore: God I am grateful for your love and forgiveness, I praise you that you are truthful, I praise you that you keep your promises.

Confess: Abba Father I have sinned, I have lusted after a person, I have become jealous, I have lied at home,

Thanksgiving: God thank you for a job, home, a family, friends

Supplication: God I need a new job, better health, a spouse,

Matt 7:7-10

Matthew 7:7–10 ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

Fellowship with the Father

4. Broke Bread

This is the Lord’s Supper

Remembrance, celebration and hope

- Remembering and celebrate what God has done

And they would rejoice in the hope they have now and the hope that Jesus is coming back again

they did this every Sabbath

and it’s more the Lord’s Supper

Love feasts on Sabbath days after church

church potlucks

going out to eat after church

They would come together to eat together this was an

Act of acceptance and fellowship that lead to nourishment

That Jesus was for all

Jews didn’t eat with Samaritans

Rich did not eat with poor (1 Cor 12 Paul calls them out)

Nourishment

- Physical: we are eating some good food, and most of my life many church potlucks or dinners tended to be good, people brought their best dishes

Relational: we fellowshipped with one another, the masks came off that sometimes we would carry inside the sanctuary

Emotional: nourished us emotionally, some of us know this, we have a space with one another where we can really share good or bad what is really going on

Spiritual nourishment: all of life is spiritual and we sharing spiritual things, we talk about Jesus, we talk about our souls needing encouragement....many of us know this, it is the going out with a person who going out with them feeds your soul.

ag-al-lee'-as-is ἀγαλλίασις agalliasis

DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO THE BREAKING OF BREAD

Apostles teaching, fellowship, prayers and praise, breaking of bread

GENEROUS

They were crazy generous, not only did they give the their tithe to the church, 10%, they went above and beyond. When they saw someone in need they met the need even if they ment selling their possessions to help someone out.

That is radical

That is not the American way, we like bigger, better, faster, stronger

Acts 4:32–37 ESV

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Whoa

No one was in need

They were going to take care of each other

Lucian, a Greek philosopher who did not like Christians said, “Their founder (Jesus) taught them that they should be like brothers to one another, and therefore, they despise their own privacy and viewed their possessions as common property.”

This is the essentials to the early church.

Mission critical

- Preach the Gospel

DEVOTED

- Apostles teaching

- Fellowship

- Prayers and Praise

- Breaking of Bread

- Generous

DO you know what happened when the church did this

Unity and community

Awe, signs, and wonders

Gladness that makes you want to dance

The family grew