A Spirit Empowered Church
Notes
Transcript
The Missing Process
The Missing Process
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
There is an importance to focus of how we let the Holy Spirit move from the “Temple Model” to “Church Model.” What does that mean?
We must understand that before Christ, the temple was the center of the Jewish people. God’s people would read scriptures, prayed with each other, encouraged each other and worshipped God. The building of the church was elaborately decorated & constructed. The temple is where Heaven & Earth met. The Holy of Holies was the inner santcum where Shekinah glory of God dwelled. But..Someone say But..When Jesus died on the cross, the thick veil isolating the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. The presence of God was unleashed and available to all who believe. Then as my wife talked about at Pentecost Sunday 2 weeks ago something dramatic and amazing happened: Those who believed in Jesus became the place where heaven and earth met.
We would see at a later time Paul explains in:
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Freed from a place, all believers and all gatherings of believers have become the place where heaven and earth meet—and all believers are now priests who love, serve & Worship God in all they say and do. Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry (Service), and Worship were to be the effective functions of a Spirit empowered Church. The Five Functions we will focus and hone in on is the Acts 2 process based functions: Connect, Grow, Serve, Go & Worship.
There is a biblical strategic plan required from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to product spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in
Today we will focus on Connect. Your probably wondering what this is in front of you, can someone come up and play with me?
