2013.10.27 Acts 2: 42-47
The Church is born
We desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us…..
transforming us….. Working through us….. so that we can be effective
witnesses for Him…… So that we can finish the work that Jesus began…. When we
are in the position of really seeing the
power of God in our lives….. When we really yield to the Spirit of God….. Then
we can begin to be the salt and light that Jesus has called us to be…. We
are here to finish the work that Jesus began…. We need to see the power of
God at work in our individual lives and families…. We need to see the power of God at work in the life of the
church….. We are a fellowship of believers….. Together as His church….. We are
representing the Lord Jesus in this
lost and dying world…. We exist to finish the Work that Jesus began…
The Christian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus
Christ finish the work that He
began…...
During
the last few weeks….. We have been looking at the tools that we need to finish
the work that Jesus began…..
Tools
for finishing the work…
1
The Correct message…. The GOOD NEWS……
Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2
Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3
The power of the Holy Spirit….
I would like to focus again this morning on the third point……. The Power of the Holy Spirit….. saving lives and forming a new living representation of the Lord Jesus
Christ…. The church….…. We were in the middle of Peter´s sermon on the day
of Pentecost when we stopped last time….…. let´s pick it up in Acts 2…. Beginning
in V 40…
Acts
2: 40- 41 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
40
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved
from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were
baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
40 Und noch mit vielen anderen Worten gab er Zeugnis und
ermahnte und sprach: Laßt euch retten aus diesem verkehrten Geschlecht!
41 Diejenigen, die nun bereitwillig sein Wort annahmen,
ließen sich taufen, und es wurden an jenem Tag etwa 3000 Seelen hinzugetan.
This day of Pentecost saw an amazing harvest of
souls…… The church was born in an
instant….. The group of believers grew from about 120 people to 3,120 people in
one day…... This is the perfect fulfillment of exactly what Jesus said would
happen when the Holy Spirit came upon them…. They received power to be
witnesses…… They were bold and not any
longer fearful….. They were effective…. Think of how this touched
lives…… Many of the 3,000 were
undoubtedly pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost…..
expecting something special from God….. but not expecting anything like
this….. Salvation… forgiveness…. Many in
this crowd would eventually travel far from Jerusalem, back to their homes,
taking the good news of Jesus Christ with them…… Those who gladly received his
word were baptized….
What a baptism service that must have been! But God continues to do such great
things….. Today he continues to build His church through us…. He fills
us with the Holy Spirit…. And we receive power to be witnesses….
Acts
2: 42- 47 NKJV
42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were
together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and
goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 42-47 Schlachter 2000
42 Und sie blieben beständig in der Lehre der Apostel und
in der Gemeinschaft und im Brotbrechen und in den Gebeten.
43 Es kam aber Furcht über alle Seelen, und viele Wunder
und Zeichen geschahen durch die Apostel.
44 Alle Gläubigen waren aber beisammen und hatten alle
Dinge gemeinsam;
45 sie verkauften die Güter und Besitztümer und
verteilten sie unter alle, je nachdem einer bedürftig war.
46 Und jeden Tag waren sie beständig und einmütig im
Tempel und brachen das Brot in den Häusern, nahmen die Speise mit Frohlocken
und in Einfalt des Herzens;
47 sie lobten Gott und waren angesehen bei dem ganzen
Volk. Der Herr aber tat täglich die zur Gemeinde hinzu, die gerettet wurden.
Luke gives us here in these few verses a wonderful
picture of the birth of the Church…. He describes the essential elements that
were immediately present in the believers as they began their new lives in the
Lord Jesus Christ…. We find them all in verse 42…
The
New Testament Church
1
The Apostles doctrine….. The teaching of the Word of God…
2
Fellowship ( Greek “Koininia” )
3
Breaking of bread
4
Prayer
Let´s look closer at these essential elements…..
On the day of Pentecost…. the sound of the rushing wind…
the tongues of fire…. and the conversion of 3,000 were all miraculous events…..
but the things described in Acts 2:42….. The church is the abiding legacy of
God's work…… Many churches us this verse as the foundation of their
ministries…... basically, you can take this passage as the definition of the
Greek word ‘koinonia……
We´ll look at these 4 points as we study the text…. V42
Acts
2: 42 NKJV Schlachter 2000
42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
42 Und sie blieben beständig in der Lehre der Apostel und
in der Gemeinschaft und im Brotbrechen und in den Gebeten.
Point 1…
1
The Apostles doctrine….. The teaching of the Word of God…
they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine…..
They relied on the apostles to communicate to them who Jesus was and what He
had done…… They had just trusted in
Jesus for forgiveness and salvation….. now they want to know more!....
The phrase…. “Continued steadfastly” uses a Greek verb
communicating "an unshakeable and single-minded faithfulness to understand
and obey the Word of God…. it is
the truth of God….. The Bible scholar Eugen Huehn says that 4105 New Testament passages
quote or refer to Old Testament Scripture….. Much of the New Testament is a
repeating and explaining of the Old Testament…. It´s all in here….. Today God
allows us to sit under the apostles' doctrine - the New Testament record….. They were students of the Word of God as they
were taught from the scriptures by the Apostles…. Continuing in v42… we come
now to the 2nd essential ingredient…
2
Fellowship ( Greek “Koininia” )
They continued in fellowship…. The Greek word koinonia
has the idea of association, communion, fellowship, and participation…. it
means to share in something…..
All genuine believers together make up the
Church….. The Body of Christ….
As Christians we share the same Lord Jesus…
we share the same love for God…. we
share the same desire to worship Him….. We share the same job of living for Him…..And
we share the same joy of Proclaiming the Gospel to others……
We also share many of the same struggles and sorrows….. We like Paul…. Should desire to
share in the fellowship of his sufferings…. Philippians 3:10….. Let´s continue on with point 3…
3 Breaking
of bread
They continued in the breaking of bread…. They spent time
with each other…. Enjoying God´s grace in their lives…. Celebrating their
salvation and seeking to love and encourage each other…. They lived and worked
together for the Lord…… Not just on Sunday….
4
Prayer
Whenever God's work is done, God's people are praying….. A
famous Christian leader….. Oswald Chambers…. said prayer is not preparation for
the work…. Prayer is the work of ministry….
In Luke 18:1 Jesus
said that man ought always to pray and not lose heart….
Don´t
stop…. Don´t lose heart…. Paul exhorts us to pray without ceasing…. 1 Thess 5:17…. Let´s review the elements
that we find in this most important verse…. v42…
The
New Testament Church
1
The Apostles doctrine….. The teaching of the Word of God…
2
Fellowship (Greek “Koininia” )
3
Breaking of bread
4
Prayer
These are the 4 elements that are needed in the life of
every believer……. They produce healthy effective believers that are able to
grow and reproduce….. Healthy believers make a healthy church….
Everything else we read about the power and glory of the New Testament church flows from this foundation…
let´s continue… v 43…
Acts
2: 43 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
43
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through
the apostles.
43 Es kam aber Furcht über alle
Seelen, und viele Wunder und Zeichen geschahen durch die Apostel.
v43…. The presence of the power of God to demonstrate
that the Apostles were sent from God…..
The power of God was evident because fear came upon every
soul….. One of the greatest, most powerful works God does is to change the
human heart…..
Acts
2:44,45 NKJV Schlachter 2000
44
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold
their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
44 Alle Gläubigen waren aber beisammen und hatten alle
Dinge gemeinsam;
45 sie verkauften die Güter und Besitztümer und
verteilten sie unter alle, je nachdem einer bedürftig war.
v
(44-45)
With the addition of more than 3,000 believers in one
day….. most of whom stayed in Jerusalem
after such an incredible event….. the family of Christians had to share with
each other in order to survive…..
The Jews had a tremendous custom of hospitality during
any major feast like Pentecost; all visitors were received into private homes,
and no one could charge for giving a bed or a room to a visitor or for
supplying their basic needs….. The Christians
took this tremendous feast-time hospitality and made it an everyday thing…..
They sold their possessions and their goods, and divided
them among all, as anyone had need….. The power of God is evident here because
Jesus became much more important to them than their possessions……
Acts
2: 46, 47 NKJV Schlachter 2000
46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.
46 Und jeden Tag waren sie beständig und einmütig im
Tempel und brachen das Brot in den Häusern, nahmen die Speise mit Frohlocken
und in Einfalt des Herzens;
47 sie lobten Gott und waren angesehen bei dem ganzen
Volk. Der Herr aber tat täglich die zur Gemeinde hinzu, die gerettet wurden.
v (46-47)
So
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house
to house….
Unity…. With one accord…… They were totally focused on
the Lord Jesus and the miraculous transformation that had happened in their
lives….. Their love for their risen savior was far greater than any small
differences of doctrine or culture…. They were on big family…. And growing
daily….
The Christian family lived together and grew in grace….. The grace of God kept them unified and
loving and helping each other…. That´s
the way it should be…. Look with me at what Peter wrote…. 2 Peter 3: 18….
2
Peter 3: 18 NKJV Schlachter 2000
18 but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be
the glory both now and forever. Amen.
18 Wachst dagegen in der Gnade und in der Erkenntnis
unseres Herrn und Retters Jesus Christus! Ihm sei die Ehre, sowohl jetzt als
auch bis zum Tag der Ewigkeit! Amen.
The church is meant to worship God and learn His Word
together…. but it is meant to do more….. God wants us to share our lives with
one another…… That is true fellowship
(koininia)
Praising
God and having favor with all the people….. Their Christian
experience was daily…… Moment by moment…. It was joyful and simple - good examples for us to
follow……..
v47b
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved….
This is God's prescription for church growth…… If we
take care to follow the example of Acts 2:42-47 God will take care of growing the church
Himself…...
This was so awesome…… The excitement must have been electric….. Transformed hearts and lives…..
loving and serving each other…. Sharing everything…. They shared their very
lives…. They shook the world for Jesus….
They were built on the right foundation…. They had everything they
needed to grow healthy and strong as believers…. I´m sure that all of us would
have loved to be a part of the church in those very exciting times…
The sad reality today is that the church is not as alive
and powerful as it once was…. We as
believers are far from what these early believers were…. We are not steadfast
in doctrine and fellowship and prayer….. We suffer from a spiritual version of the….
Failure
to Thrive Syndrome….. What is this…? It is a very sad
phenomenon that is sometimes found in young children…. Especially orphans from
the old USSR and in third world countries…. In these places there is often
little love and attention given to these children…. They are outcasts of
society….. Sometimes they are not fed regularly…. They receive little or no
physical touch…. They are unloved and uncared for… abandoned…. Alone in an
institution that really sees them as burdens…. They often are underdeveloped…..
Some never learn to interact with others…. Many never learn to talk and respond
normally….. Some just lay down and die…..
Failure
to Thrive Syndrome
What causes failure to thrive?
Emotional or maternal deprivation is often related to the
nutritional deprivation….. The mother or primary caregiver may neglect proper
feeding of the infant….. or lack of
understanding of the infant's needs……
They are usually alone…. without a family to love and
crae for them…… Their alienation from normal life interferes with feeding and
normal bonding activities…..
What
are the symptoms of failure to thrive?
The parallels between
Physical failure to thrive and Spiritual
failure to thrive are very interesting….
Symptoms may include:
lack of appropriate weight gain…. They do not grow….
Irritability….. grouchy unhappy Christians…
easily fatigued…… excessive sleepiness
lack of age-appropriate social response (i.e., smile)
Prevention of Spiritual failure to thrive…. It´s Acts 2:
42….
Acts
2: 42 NKJV Schlachter 2000
42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
42 Und sie blieben beständig in der Lehre der Apostel und
in der Gemeinschaft und im Brotbrechen und in den Gebeten.
This list contains exactly what we need to thrive as
individuals….. It is exactly what we need to grow and multiply as the church….
Here´s the list…
The
New Testament Church
1
The Apostles doctrine….. The teaching of the Word of God…
2
Fellowship (Greek “Koininia” )
3
Breaking of bread
4
Prayer
In the church today, we often take for granted what the
word "fellowship" means….. We
need to understand that “failure to thrive syndrome” can happen in our
spiritual lives….. It can be avoided and it can be cured…… But, prevention doesn’t
happen by itself…..
The key to avoiding this spiritual disease is fellowship……
But, fellowship is much more than what we often think…... We can see what I
mean in today’s passage…… It’s the prescription against “failure to thrive
syndrome”…..
We see here in verse 42 of Acts chapter 2, one form of
the word fellowship that doesn’t mean what we may usually think……
Acts
2: 42 NKJV Schlachter 2000
42
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
42 Und sie blieben beständig in der Lehre der Apostel und
in der Gemeinschaft und im Brotbrechen und in den Gebeten.
“They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to fellowship...”
Fellowship here is from a Greek word “koinonos” which is
where we get “koinonia”….. It means to be a sharer…. a companion…. one who is a
participant…. We are talking about genuine active participation in each other´s
lives…… We should recognize when one of our brothers or sisters is not getting
enough to eat…… Not getting enough time in the Word…. They start acting weak and
sickly….. They say crazy….Non Biblical things….. The start to avoid
fellowship….
Fellowship is exactly what the new or weak Christian
needs…. What exactly is fellowship? We need to understand this…..
What should we experience when there’s true fellowship?
Look again at v 44-45…..
Acts
2: 44, 45 NKJV Schlachter 2000
44
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold
their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
44 Alle Gläubigen waren aber beisammen und hatten alle
Dinge gemeinsam;
45 sie verkauften die Güter und Besitztümer und
verteilten sie unter alle, je nachdem einer bedürftig war.
Do you see the words “together” “common” “sharing”? These
are all found in the definition of the Greek word “koinonos”……
Does this mean we all must sell our possessions and come
together and live in a commune? No…... Then what does it mean? Here’s what I
believe this means for us today….. The selling of possessions was a means to an
end…... We see that end when we look at the last phrase of the verse……
We have true fellowship when we demonstrate genuine
caring for each other by taking action….. We move to the needs that we see in
our brothers and sisters…. We respond with more than mere words….. We attempt
to meet each others’ needs….. Caring is just an emotion that says, “I care for
you.” Koininia is more…. True Fellowship means we must take action…… We also
need the unity of the Spirit….
If the body of Christ, or at least our small group, is to
experience true fellowship, we must be of one mind….. That’s a tough one to
understand….. What does being of one mind mean for us? Verse 46 helps us
understand this a bit: “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple…”
Being
of one mind…. means that we stay focused on serving God
and each other……. In reality that means that we have no hidden reason to be
here or be with each other…… Our only
desire is to please God……
If as individuals we’re living God-centered lives…… And if
we want to experience true fellowship….. we need to meet together often…. In
worship on Sundays and more…... The early church in Jerusalem met in the courts
of the Temple….. They met to worship, teach and experience true fellowship……
And they met from house to house….they were doing life together… They were
truly loving and serving each other….
Jesus said when we truly love each other… everyone will
know that we are His disciples…. (John 13:35)….
John
13: 34,35 NKJV
34 A
new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13: 34,35 Schlachter 2000
34 Ein neues Gebot gebe ich euch, daß ihr einander lieben
sollt, damit, wie ich euch geliebt habe, auch ihr einander liebt.
35 Daran wird jedermann erkennen, daß ihr meine Jünger
seid, wenn ihr Liebe untereinander habt.
How do we exercise this love and caring today? We see in
the passage for today that it isn’t just having meals together…..
Acts
2: 46,47 NKJV
46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 46,47 Schlachter 2000
46 Und jeden Tag waren sie beständig und einmütig im
Tempel und brachen das Brot in den Häusern, nahmen die Speise mit Frohlocken
und in Einfalt des Herzens;
47 sie lobten Gott und waren angesehen bei dem ganzen
Volk. Der Herr aber tat täglich die zur Gemeinde hinzu, die gerettet wurden.
They were eating together…. But there is more…. their hearts were in it…. they ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart….. Breaking bread is a form of Fellowship but there is more
to Fellowship….
Fellowship is what goes on while we’re eating together……
It´s happening when we study the Bible together….. It´s fellowship when we are
serving and when we are praying together…. As believers we do life together….
We rejoice with those who rejoice…. We weep with those who weep…. There’s
something about humans that makes us bond together better when we share meals…..
I guess God just made us that way….. But, what happens is this: we sit around
together and share about our lives….. we talk about our joys and our pains, our
struggles and our triumphs…... We can begin to bear one another’s burdens;
celebrate with each other and cry with each other….. We can only pray for each
other if we share with each other……
It’s true that someone can become a Christian without a
church or even a small group of believers….. However, the effective Christian
life is not meant to be lived alone….. A Christian who lives a life away from
other Christians will never mature…… Without fellowship….. He or she will not
persevere in the faith ….. In other words, the “Lone Ranger” Christian will develop “failure to thrive syndrome”…..
They will suffer from lack of food… The Word of God…… or from lack of
encouragement and personal contact….. We all need the fellowship and
encouragement that we find in the church…. The
body of Christ….. The Church was no accident…. It is God´s plan for his people
to be together in love and in unity… to help each other until we have
finished the work that Jesus gave us to do and He returns in Glory to receive
us to himself…..
Close
As we study the Word … we will continue to discover the Work of the Holy Spirit….. Fitting us
together into the Body of Christ as living stones is another of the things that
the Holy Spirit does….. turn to 1 Cor 12: 13…
1
Corinthians 12: 13 NKJV Schlachter 2000
13 For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
13 Denn wir sind ja alle durch einen Geist in einen Leib
hinein getauft worden,7 ob wir Juden sind oder Griechen, Knechte oder Freie,
und wir sind alle getränkt worden zu einem Geist.
This morning we are going to celebrate communion….. The
word translated here as communion is Koininia….. We belong to each other…. We share in each
other lives…. We are all in Christ…. As one…. This koininia with each other and
with the Lord is perfectly pictured in the broken bread and in the drinking of
the Cup….. There is another element of Koininia….. We have fellowship with God
the Father…. The cross of the Lord Jesus did so much for us…. God has through the Blood of our Perfect
sacrifice…. The Lord Jesus Christ….. restored us to the sweet fellowship that
Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden….. The Apostle John wrote about it
in 1 John 1….
1
John 1: 5- 10 NKJV
5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God
is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship
with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if
we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we
make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 1: 5- 10
Schlachter 2000
5 Und das ist die Botschaft, die wir von ihm gehört haben
und euch verkündigen, daß Gott Licht ist und in ihm gar keine Finsternis ist.
6 Wenn wir sagen, daß wir Gemeinschaft mit ihm haben, und
doch in der Finsternis wandeln, so lügen wir und tun nicht die Wahrheit;
7 wenn wir aber im Licht wandeln, wie er im Licht ist, so
haben wir Gemeinschaft miteinander, und das Blut Jesu Christi, seines Sohnes,
reinigt uns von aller Sünde.
8 Wenn wir sagen, daß wir keine Sünde haben, so verführen
wir uns selbst, und die Wahrheit ist nicht in uns.
9 Wenn wir aber unsere Sünden bekennen, so ist er treu
und gerecht, daß er uns die Sünden vergibt und uns reinigt von aller
Ungerechtigkeit.
10 Wenn wir sagen, daß wir nicht gesündigt haben, so
machen wir ihn zum Lügner, und sein Wort ist nicht in uns.
We have perfect fellowship with the Lord and with the
Father….. Koininia…. Our fellowship with the Father purifies our
hearts…. We examine our hearts and confess our sins…… When we confess our
sins…Our gracious Heavenly Father
forgives us and washes us clean…. Paul exhorts us to examine our hearts everytime we take communion…. We are going to
pass out the elements as the Band plays…..
Let´s take the time to examine our hearts before the Lord….. We will take
communion together when I come back up here….
Please turn to 1 Cor 11…
1
Corinthians 11: 23- 26 NKJV
23
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord
Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had
given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is
broken[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also
took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death till He comes.
1 Corinthians 11: 23- 26 Schlachter 2000
23 Denn ich habe von dem Herrn empfangen, was ich auch
euch überliefert habe, nämlich daß der Herr Jesus in der Nacht, als er verraten
wurde, Brot nahm,
24 und dankte, es brach und sprach: Nehmt, eßt! Das ist
mein Leib, der für euch gebrochen wird; dies tut zu meinem Gedächtnis!
25 Desgleichen auch den Kelch, nach dem Mahl, indem er
sprach: Dieser Kelch ist der neue Bund in meinem Blut; dies tut, so oft ihr ihn
trinkt, zu meinem Gedächtnis!
26 Denn so oft ihr dieses Brot eßt und diesen Kelch
trinkt, verkündigt ihr den Tod des Herrn, bis er kommt.
As we conclude today I would like to remind us that the
Love of God is at work in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…. We are commanded not to forsake fellowship….
We need each other….. Let´s pray…
