WE ARE STILL THE CHURCH
(The Benefits of Belonging to the Church- October 31, 2021)
Series Big Idea: "Jesus is depending on the Church to change the world "
Sermon Big Idea: "The Church is still relevant and still has the power to change the world"
Key Scripture (Acts 2:41-47)
We, THE CHURCH, are on mission from God. It is our mission to see people far from God become awakened to life in Christ. There is nothing about our assignment that has changed. A world-wide crisis and health emergency has not changed it. God, has not and will not change! That mission has been personalized by our leadership here at the church and it goes something like this (you can follow along by opening your bulletin to the inside top right); "We exist to help ALL people take the next step in their journey to KNOW, LOVE, SERVE, and SHARE Christ."
A biblical understanding of the Church comes from the Greek word ekklesia. It can be defined as "an assembly" or "called out ones." So, the real meaning of the word is not a building but a people. (Ephesians 1:21-23) tells us that the Church is the body of Christ and He is the head of that body. The body of Christ or "The Church" is made up of all believers from the day of Pentecost until the day that Christ returns in His Second Coming.
Today, like never before, the world needs the Church! Unfortunately many feel the Church is no longer relevant and the idea is outdated. I believe this is the wrong perspective we should have of the Church. Let's look at the Book of Acts and see what the early Church was like and what they were busy doing.
(Acts 2:41-47)
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. 43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.
From these verse we can see that people were open to the message of Jesus Christ and accepted it and were baptized. Over 3000 at one time! Luke says in verse 42 that after they were saved they were "devoted" to the apostles teaching. You could say that their spiritual growth and maturity was based on Scripture, because God had revealed His truth to the Apostles and they taught it faithfully. This passage also says these people were partners in the ministry with the Apostles. They were partners with Christ and all other believers (1John 1:3). It is their spiritual duty to stimulate each other to righteousness and obedience (1 Peter 4:10). They were also observing Communion and praying together.
Verse 44 “Held all things in common” does not mean these people lived in a commune or up in the hills somewhere by themselves and distributed everything equally. It simply means that they didn’t hold tight to their possessions. They were ready to use them at any moment for someone else as the need arose.
They went to the temple everyday to praise God, pray, and witness to the Gospel of Christ. The Church was joyful because it had a single purpose; Jesus Christ. And the benefit of this was that God was adding to their number daily!
The benefits of belonging to the Church then as well as today is that the Church is God's Family. Jesus has brought us into His family because of what He did on the cross. We are united with Him as members of His body and family and we join His work of reconciling others back to Christ also.
CONCLUSION
The Church is the only thing that is going to reveal heaven to all the earth. (Philippians 2:13-15) says that when we allow Christ to transform us, our transformed life is an effective witness to God's Word. Our role is to shine until Jesus returns in all His glory! We will reveal heaven to everyone we encounter.
I hope you will attend every week of this series about the Church. It is that important! I will unpack what the Church family really means. We will not only have the knowledge but also have the opportunity to get involved with the Church family.
I leave you with two questions
- How do you think our church should be more like the early Church?
- What can you do to help our church be more like the early Church?
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideals for this message, are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.
NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context
Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson
Hughes, Robert B. and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. Revised edition of New Bible Companion.
Fernando, Ajith. Acts. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.
Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887. Print.
Garland, David E. Acts. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2017. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.
Vaughan, Curtis. Acts. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2009. Print. Founders Study Guide Commentary.
Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. Print. The New American Commentary.
Gangel, Kenneth O. Acts. Vol. 5. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998. Print. Holman New Testament Commentary.
Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.
Schnabel, Eckhard J. Acts. Expanded Digital Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012. Print. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.
WORDsearch. Adult Questions for LESSONmaker. WORDsearch. Print.
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. Print.
Merida, Tony. Exalting Jesus in Acts. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017. Print.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006. Print.
Smith, Jerome H. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992. Print.
Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933. Print.
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