Characteristics of a Healthy Church

Scripture

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Today I want to ask you a very important question

What are you devoted to today ?

What is something that is a habit for you?

Something that you basically do daily and you love doing when you get a chance

I am sure that everyone is devoted to something

If you not devoted to anything then you are what we call a boring person

Talk about Natalie

Most people devoted to something

Netflix

I like my football

Cricket - West Indies winning against Australia

Rassling - When I used to stay by Uncle Bai

Reading - Pastor Mario

Rum and Alcohol

Venez instead of their wife

Gambling

If we wasnt on zoom I woud have asked some of you to share others

When we read the Book of Acts it tells us what the Early Church Devoted Themselves to

As a Christian and as a believer there is nothing wrong with liking your sports and the other hobbies and being devoted to them.....

However in addition to your hobbies The Book of Acts suggets thing we all ought to devote ourselves to

All of us

Even though times have changed since then

These practices of the Early church are still relevant to us today in the year 2021

It is still relevant in a time when we are in a pandemic

Just to give you a little backgroun

Background

Acts is unique among the books of the New Testament. It is the only book which relates the story of the earliest church which was created soon after the resurrection of Christ. It is part of a two-volume work by the same writer, Luke, who related the story of Christ in his Gospel and the story of the apostles’ witness to Christ in Acts. Luke is the most prolific writer in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke and Acts comprise nearly a third of its entire contents.

Luke was concerned to show how the church began in Jerusalem, in the heart of Judaism, and how it expanded with an even greater impact on the Gentiles. Luke showed how Jewish and Gentile Christians with their major differences learned how to have fellowship together, a lesson still very relevant to the life of the church.

The way the believers lived back then is the way believers ought to live today. It is time for the church to get back into the basic principles in which they were founded.

The book of Acts takes place after Jesus left the earth and gave the believers the great commission. Jesus’ insistence that His commission is to be undertaken only after the Holy Spirit has come upon the disciples. The Holy Spirit is central in Acts. Luke made it clear that there would be no Christian mission without the guidance of the Spirit.

Acts 1 deals with the events leading up to the Spirit’s coming, and chapter 2 relates that coming at Pentecost.

In Chapter 1 we see the anticipation of the church where the disciples were waiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. In Chapter 2 we see the coming of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the Church.

After everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues, we hear a mighty sermon by Peter. And then in verse 41 it says ‘so then those who had received this word were baptized and that day 3 thousand souls were added to the church.

And then in verse 42 we see that these new believers after they were baptized they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Isn’t it strange that in those days these believers after they were baptized they devoted themselves to these 4 things but nowadays believers are the total opposite. You baptize them and then you never ever see them again.

It have plenty people today, they have been coming to church years upon years and yet they not really growing

Why is that?

Why is it that many people in church growing in every other area except Spiritually?

I believe that if you as a believer decide to devote yourselves to these 4 things - you will grow a whole lot.

If you decide to not devote yourselves to these things you will not grow

Borrow this line from Tina - It’s your decions and not your conditions that determine your destiny

If you would only make that decision today to devote yourselves to these 4 things it will make a huge difference in your life

Story

Once there was a little boy. When he was three weeks old his parents turned him over to a babysitter. When he was two they dressed him up like a cowboy and gave him a gun. When he was three everybody said, “How cute!” as he went about lisping a beer commercial jingle. When he was six his father dropped him off at Sunday School. When he was eight they bought him a BB gun and taught him to shoot sparrows. He learned to shoot windshields by himself.

“When he was ten he spent his afternoons at the drugstore newsstand reading comic books. His mother wasn’t home and his father was busy. When he was thirteen, he told his parents other boys stayed out as late as they wanted to, so they said he could, too. It was easier that way. When he was fourteen they gave him a deadly two-ton machine, wrangled a license for him to drive it and told him to “be careful.” When he was fifteen, the police called his home one night and said, “We have your boy. He’s in trouble.” Screamed the father, “It can’t be MY boy!” But … it was.”

Why did the young boy turn out like this ?

It’s because of what he was devtoed to. The habits he had in his life.

The wird devote in the Original language is not a one time verb but a continuous one. It means continued steadfastlyor constantly and continually giving unremitting care to soemthing.

The early church was not sitting idle. I was actively devoted to a handful of things that we too must remain devoted to if we desire to remain spiritually healthy.

We need to be devoted to

Scripture

The Apostles’ teaching/ Scripture

Another word for devoted is committed/ cling to

Commited is not a nice word in the church today.

Very few people are consistent.

You are either consistent or non existent

These new believers looked forward to hear what the apostles had to say concerning the scriptures

Society and church today – preaching is a time for texting/ sleeping…it boring….

It have people who will be awake during the singing but when the preaching start that is time for snoring

We have to go and ger coffee to keep ourself awake lol

These men they were eaget to hear the Word of God

In a lot of churches when is time for the preaching the musicians will leave the stage and not around to hear the preaching

When the preaching done - then they will come back on the stage

Especially during crusades you see this

The Bible is one of the most valuable tools we have today

It is primarily how God speaks to you today

Some people complain OH God does never speak to me

Have you ever picked up the Bible ?

My Testimony

That’s how I started to come to church

My father didnt force me to come then.....

The Word of God is very important

It will change your life

My daddy used to tell a story about a young man who came home one day and told his mother, “Mom, I’m leaving. I want to see the world. And I can’t do that here with you.” But his mother knew he wasn’t ready for the world, so she tried to talk him into staying with her. But he was determined. So she finally said to him, “Son, if you just have to go, take my Bible with you. It may help you on your journey.” He agreed to take it, if that was what it would take for him to get out of the house. He left. But some years later, that old mother saw her son coming down the road. He looked bad, but it was him. He came and sat by her feet on the porch. He didn’t have to say it, but he did, “Mom, life’s been hard on me.” She asked him, “Son, where’s momma’s Bible?” He said, “That’s all I have left.” He handed it to her and she thumbed through it. Son, I told you that this book would have helped you, but you didn’t read it. And I know you didn’t because the money I left for you is still here.”

I left $1000 by Psalm 23

I left $1000 by Romans 8:28

I left $1000 by Philippians 4:19

We don’t see the importance of the Word nowadays

In this day and age where everyone has a word for you, you need to know the Word…

Someone said stop looking for a voice and start looking for a verse

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 1 Peter 2 vs 2

Knowledge of the scriptures is foundational content for every believer.

We need to deveote ourselves to what the bible has to say

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary The Church: Keeping It Simple

The early church didn’t just dabble in the Word, folks. They devoured it. Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Spend just a few minutes to start off , reading and meditaking on what God has said in his Word.

Don’t wait for a Sunday to come then you waiting to hear God’s Word

There is no crime in reading the Bible on a Monday as well

Gary Griffith won’t come and lock you up for reading the Bible on Monday

Ask God to give you a desire for his Word

Listen to the Word

Let us be people who are devoted to God’s Word

Fellowship

These people made it their business to be around people of God

There is a saying that birds of a feather flock together. I say birds of a feather fellowship together

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (The Church: Keeping It Simple)

The Greek word for “fellowship” is koinonia, which means “communion,” or “communication.” Koinonia is people sharing with one another the things of the kingdom and the things of God. Unfortunately, the richness of koinonia has been reduced to a lightweight frivolity in so many churches today, where a time of fellowship is usually synonymous with nothing more than a time of eats and drinks.

Is more than just that

Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God

Do you have a relationship with God?

Fellowship involves

It’s Growing together and being there for each other

Duck lime

Need more of those when COVID goes away

Fellowship and Fun

Nothing wrong with a little fun and fellowship

Some people have the idea that we have to be serious serious all the time

When we fellowship together we have fun times and growing times

If people have the idea that church people are boring people, then guess what

They won’t want to be around such people

Me and Grant

Acts The Believers Meet Together / 2:42–47

Should we not see that lines of laughter about the eyes are just as much marks of faith as are the lines of care and seriousness? Is it only earnestness that is baptized? Is laughter pagan? We have already allowed too much that is good to be lost to the church and cast many pearls before the swine. A church is in a bad way when it banishes laughter from the sanctuary and leaves it to the cabaret, the nightclub and the toastmasters.

Helmut Thielecke

We need to ligthen up a little

A lot of Christians today get caught up by fellowshipping with the wrong type of people

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

This is one of the biggest problems in the church today.

The friends that some people have leads to their downfall

Fall into wrong gangs/ wrong clubs start doing the wrong things

We become the combined average of the five people we hang around the most. – Jim Rohn

It is our duty to stimulate each other unto righteousness and obedience and this happens through fellowship

Romans 12 vs 10 say be devoted to each other in brotherly love, give preference to one another in honor

Romans 13 vs 8 owe nothing to no man except to love him

Romans 15 vs 5 now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus

Basically everything we do as a body is fellowship

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary The Church: Keeping It Simple

“I don’t need koinonia,” you say. “I’ve been a Christian for fourteen years. I’m as strong and tall as a redwood tree.” Really? Think about the redwood tree: Redwood trees appear invincible, but in reality, a relatively mild wind can topple one. You see, above the surface, redwoods seem strong, but their root systems are very, very shallow. That is why they always grow in groves. Their strength comes from interlocking their roots with other redwoods.

You could bet your bottom dollar that if you name someone who no longer part of our fellowship and don’t belong to any church

If you watch their life and their lifestyle

I am sure that they are caught up in all the wrong things

There life isn’t going anywhere much spiritually

They are most likely in a backslidden stage of life

Why is this ?

They have neglected the discipline of fellowship

Fellowship is not fellowship if giving and sharing is not involved. Real community as shown in the infant church show us that fellowship cost us something. Instead of having an eye on our own needs, our eye should be on giving ourselves away for the good of others.

Them Pastors always want money

Breaking Of Bread

This could speak of eating together as a family

I am sure all of us can remember the times of Christmas dinner

Who doesn’t like that time

It is a happy and joyful time

When we eat together as a family we begin to bond together and get to know each other at a greater level

There is somerhing unifying about sharing a meal together

Some of us have different likes and dislikes

People who know me know I like fried rice

Diandra likes to eat Popcorn

Pastor Mario has to get some fish

Others of you listening like to get a little ham

No harm in that

Eating together is a very good habit

But the breaking of bread can be more than just eating together a meal

It could also symbolize the Lord’s Supper

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10 vs 16)

If is one thing believers believe in is the Lord’s Supper

Most people try their best not to miss the first Sunday of a month

The Lord’s Supper is mandatory to all believers

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor 11 vs 23-26)

It is something that we do on a monthly basis and it is soemthing Jesus told us that we ought to do

I did not take communion the first time i came to church

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary The Church: Keeping It Simple

Communion is vital to the health of the church corporately and to believers individually. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that, because they took Communion lightly, many of them were weak, sick, and even dying unnecessarily (1 Corinthians 11:30). Whenever we fail to give worth to the Lord’s table, I believe we jeopardize not only our spiritual life, but our physical, marital, and emotional life as well

The Sermon Notebook: New Testament The Marks of a Growing Church (Acts 2:42–47)

These early Christians also found common ground in the Lord’s Supper. They were quick to remember and to commemorate God’s great blessings on their lives. When these people gathered, they did so to celebrate their Common Ground: The Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Ill. Things haven’t changed! The same thing that brought these people together is the same thing that binds us one to another. It is the death, resurrection and return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we come together at the Lord’s Table, may we always remember that we are here, we are saved, and we are family all because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. We were nothing when He found us, and we are nothing apart from Him today, John 15:5. Everything we have, everything we are, everything we ever hope to have or be, we owe to Jesus! When we forget this and feel that we are partly or wholly responsible for who we are, them we are in deep spiritual trouble.)

Prayer

Jesus said my house

Thus his people

Christians today hate anything dealing with prayer

Look at prayer meetings

It is the most empty esp when compared to concert, camp, crusade

Praying together as a body is so important today

We ought to pray individually as well as cooperatively

Acts 1 vs 14 – they all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer along with the woman and Mary the Mother of Jesus and with his brothers

Vs 24 – and they prayed and said You Lord who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these 2 you have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.

Acts 4 vs 31 and when they had prayed the placed where they had gatherd together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the Word of God in boldness.

There is power in the prayer of believers

Prayer was central to their lives yet it is not something that we consider important today

Most people only pray when they have something that is urgent that needs to be fixed

Prayer is something that was big in Jesus’s life and ought to be big in our lives

Even if you have to start for a few minutes a day

I remember Sanjay and his testimony

Praying in public can be scary

Hands would start to sweat

Make it a habit

You will get better at it in time

Ralph Neighbour tells about meeting with well—known Korean pastor David Cho in Seoul several years ago. He had an appointment, and they talked for some time. Then, says Ralph, “his secretary entered the room to inform him it was time for his next appointment. I dismissed myself and sat in the waiting room outside his office to wait for a friend who was coming to meet me. Curious about who his next visitor would be, I observed his office door to see who would follow me. “Fifteen minutes later, no one had entered that door. Tactfully, I said to his secretary, ‘Has Dr. Cho’s next appointment been delayed?’

“She smiled and said, ‘Oh, no. They are together now. You see, each day he uses this time to talk to the Lord.’ The secret of his church’s phenomenal growth (it is now the largest church in the world) was revealed to me by this experience. Dr. Cho has learned the priority of prayer in his life and ministry.”)

Carr, A. (2015). The Marks of a Growing Church (Acts 2:42–47). In The Sermon Notebook: New Testament (p. 1900). Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr.

Conclusion

Therefore now that you have seen the believers example and what they have devoted themselves to we need to

1. Spend some time and assess how devoted we are to these things

2. Find out all the things that we are devoted to and that takes away our time from these things

3. Look at someone’s calendar and check book and you will see what values to them

When we devote ourselves to these things we will begin to be just like the early church and we will see the growth that we so anxiously want to see in the body of Christ. Verse 47 shows the results they got from these habits – praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was continually adding to their number day by day those who were being saved

The Sermon Notebook: New Testament The Marks of a Growing Church (Acts 2:42–47)

As you’ve listened to this message, I trust that the Lord has pointed out areas where you need to make improvements in your own life. If so, I invite you to bring those needs to Jesus and let Him take care of them today.

May we all work on being a people devoted to the Word, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and to prayer both corporately and indivdidually