From Acts to Revelation - Part 7: Fellowship and Worship

From Acts to Revelation

Part 7 – Fellowship and Worship

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

What we have learned so far is; the Lord preparing the Disciples, the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower the Apostles and start the church; Peter's first sermon to all the God-fearing Jews of the world who came to Jerusalem for the holy-day; how Peter's message reached thousands, and they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord, and were baptized.

Today we are going to look at the doctrine the church followed, their fellowship, the works of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles and Disciples, and how the church members took care of one another.

SCRIPTURE READING

Acts 2:42-47

 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he 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.

I.       FELLOWSHIP AMONG BELIEVERS

1.      They continued in the Apostles doctrine

1.      vs38 – Repent be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, and because of the remission of sins, you will receive the Holy Spirit.

2.      This is the doctrine of the church that must be preached.

2.      and fellowship and in breaking of bread

1.      Meaning eating together, as well as the Lord's Supper, which was far less liturgical than today.

2.      They spent time together, ate meals together, fellow-shipped.

3.      Not at special events, holidays or meetings, but all the time, in daily life. They were a community of believers who looked out for one another, and took care of one another.

II.    THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS AT WORK

1.      Fear came upon every soul

1.      This speaks of the moving and operation f the Holy Spirit.

2.      Seeing the things that the Spirit was doing, all had a sense of wonder and fear.

2.      Many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles

1.      NOTE: Done by the apostles. It does not say Disciples...

2.      These signs and wonders were to establish the fact that these men represented God, and their teaching and instruction was to be considered doctrine, and the basis and foundation of the church.

3.       Why can’t all believers do signs and wonders today just like the apostles did in the early church?

1.      First of all we are NOT to listen to those who promote their opinion that we can do anything the apostles or Jesus did. And neither should we listen to those who claim that miracles no longer take place. What we need to hear is the word of God, the apostles teaching on this and what took place in the early church history. One of the reasons to study the Book of Acts!

2.      Any Scripture we may find has to agree with the actual events otherwise it must mean something other than what you may think it means. (Collapsing contexts) We are to believe it as it is written to be in the truth. What the apostles did is seen in the book of Acts as recorded history and doctrine. What the apostles taught the church is in the epistles.

3.      Believers are not given the supernatural ability like the apostles to do miracles at the drop of a hat. Otherwise they would not have had to call Peter to raise Tabitha - they would have done it themselves.

1.      Acts 9:36-10:1 “At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.”

4.      Acts 8:5-7 “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”

1.      He was able to deliver people from demons and heal the sick. What we notice is that there were just a few not the many, not the majority of believers.

5.      Acts 2:43 “…and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles”

6.      Acts 5:12 “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch.

7.      Acts 14:3 “therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

1.      If all the church could do miracles like the apostles and this was normal, then this would be meaningless for Paul say in 2 Corinthians 12:13 “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.”

2.      Throughout the book of Acts (actually called the Acts of the Apostles) we see the apostles doing the signs and wonders.

8.      I believe in God’s power and we can pray and He can still do mighty things, heal and do miracles. He can do beyond all that we ask (Ephesians 3:20) but to promise an absolute recovery by supernatural healing, or resurrection of dead people is not faith but presumption, God does not have to obey what you ask or command, instead we are to obey him.

III. UNITY AMONG BELIEVERS

1.      All who believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need.

1.      Because of the persecution of the early church, and the hate for them, many lost their jobs when they converted to Christianity.

2.      So all who believed shared all they had.

3.      Those with great possessions sold them, and shared the money with those who had nothing.

2.      Seeing this in scripture, we must understand.

1.      This does not mean you must sell everything, and have nothing to follow Christ...unless you are like the rich man who allowed his possessions to be his lord.

2.      But what it means is, if you see a fellow Christian in need, you do what ever it takes to see that they have their needs fulfilled, even if it means selling your possessions. God blessed you to be a blessing. You have, so you can give.

IV.   WORSHIP AMONG BELIEVERS

1.      They continued daily with one accord in the temple

1.      The temple had been turned into a Church, which is just another reason for the religious authorities and Jews alike to hate the Christians.

2.      and breaking bread from house to house

1.      Meaning, they took turns feeding each other, from house to house, caring for each others needs.

3.      ate their meal with gladness and singleness of heart

1.      They had a joy that persecution could not hinder.

4.      Praising God and having favor with all people

1.      Jerusalem as a whole was impressed with what they saw in these followers of Christ, although the religious leaders continued to persecute them.

5.      and the Lord added to the church daily-such as should be saved.

1.      Many came to the Lord, were “saved” and counted among believers, regardless of where they lived, or worshiped.

CONCLUSION

What we learned from Acts today is;

1.      The early church continued in the doctrines of the Apostles

1.      Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ

2.      Because of the remission of sins you will receive the Holy Spirit

2.      The early church continued in fellowship

1.      eating together, spending time together in worship and every day life

3.      The Holy Spirit was at work, showing signs and wonders

1.      both through the Apostles, those appointed and through the Disciples prayers

4.      The early church also showed unity among believers taking care of each other, no matter the cost

And when these things were done...Acts 2:47 tells us, that the Lord added to their number.

From Acts to Revelation - Part 1: The Church Revealed

From Acts to Revelation

Part 1 – The Church Revealed

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

We are beginning a new series this week, which I have entitled “From Acts to Revelation - The Church Revealed”.  

We will be exploring many things through the scriptures over the following weeks, as we take a look at defining “The Church” by our own terms, the ideas and thoughts of others, and finally through the definition given to us by the Holy Scriptures themselves.

Over the next few months, I expect we will see ourselves in many differing lights, with the hope that when we conclude this series, we will become the Church Christ died for us to be.

Without self-examination, one cannot rightly assess their performance.  Without judging ones performance, you cannot expect to do any better than mediocre at whatever task you set out to do.

If your relationship with God is just that, mediocre, then you can never expect to experience the greatness that the Lord has in wait for you in your life.

It is true, that each of us has as much of God as we wish in our lives.  If you want more of God's involvement in your life, then you must get more involved with Him.

Too often I hear people ask, “Where's God?”, and every time I hear this, I am saddened that we are not being the presence we should be. We need to rightly represent our Lord, so that others will want more of Him in their lives. It is not God failing mankind today, but His Church that He has sent forth to represent Him.

If today, you are not experiencing the full power of God in your life, it is not because of God’s unwillingness, but your own lack of seeking. Jesus promises, IF we seek, we WILL find, and IF we knock, the door SHALL BE OPENED.

My hope is that through this series, you will ask yourself the most important question, am I truly seeking?  Do I have enough of God in my life?

SCRIPTURE READING - What is The Church?

I Corinthians 12:12-13; 27

“¹² The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink... ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

I.                   DEFINING WHO WE ARE AS THE CHURCH

a.      Who do we think we are?

i. Some denominations believe they are the only way to heaven.

1.      Denominations are a creation of men who cannot live in unity with one another, although we were all baptized by the same spirit, and believe there is but one God.

2.      Paul warns us about being divided as believers, stating here that though there are many parts, we are one body, promoting unity, not division.

ii.                      Because of man's inability to live in peace with others, denominations have watered down the Body of Christ, and made it nearly ineffective in this day and age.

iii.                   Some denominations have created new writings, which they hold on the same level as the Holy Scriptures.

1.      But we know from the Holy Bible, nothing is to be added or taken away.  What is contained in the scriptures, is the complete intention of God.  To think that man in his wisdom can add anything only compounds the problem of division, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees did in their day.

2.      We dare not expound on God's wisdom, and need only to take Him at His word, even when we don't fully understand the reasoning.

a.      His ways are above our ways, we cannot fully see as of yet!

b.     Who do others say we are?

i. Bigots, intolerant, hateful, lustful, hypocrites.

1.      TV Evangelists in sex scandals

2.      Evangelists in money scandals

3.      Tax fraud, evasion, money laundering

4.      Priests sex abuse

5.      Charlatans and fake healing seminars

6.      False doomsday, end-of-time prophets

7.      Cults

8.      Let us just say, we are not viewed in a good light.

c.      Who Jesus says we are

i. Jesus tells us, we are the children of the living God.

ii.                      We are instructed to be the Body of Christ. His presence here on earth!

iii.                   We are to GO into ALL the world.

iv.                     Baptizing into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

v.                        And teach those baptized by the one Spirit, to OBEY all Christ commanded.

vi.                     This, by Christ's definition is the Church.

d.     How does one become a member of the Body of Christ?

i. Jesus told Peter that by exclaiming his belief in the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, he was a member.  This exclamation IS the foundation of Christ's Church on earth!  Jesus said so.

e.      Who have we become?

i. Given enough time, we mess things up.

ii.                      God gave His word to the Israelites, and the Sadducees and Pharisees messed it up.

iii.                   God gave His word to the Church, and guess what...the Church today is not as Christ intended.

iv.                     BUT, the Good News is, we have the Word of God, and through reading it, and examining it, we CAN be the Church Christ intended us to be, as His presence here on earth!

II.               THE BOOK OF ACTS

a.      The importance of The Book of Acts 

i. The life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of Acts and the epistles.

ii.                      The importance of this second of Luke's two-volume work can hardly be over-estimated, for without it we would have no record of the beginnings and development of the early church.

iii.                   Therefore, as Acts furnishes for us a selective record of events that took place during the formative years of the church, it provides us with the history of our faith, and the forming of the Church.

iv.                     It also provides helpful information of the facts surrounding many of the letters of the apostles, which in turn helps us to better understand when they said what they said and why they said it. It was written in the early 60's, perhaps from Antioch, Rome or Ephesus.

b.     The Purpose of The Book of Acts

i. As was stated, Acts is the second part of what was originally a two-part, single volume (i.e. Luke-Acts; cf. Acts 1:1).  Therefore, it is reasonable to include Luke's purpose for Acts as falling under his purpose for the book of Luke. 

1.      In Luke 1:4 the author says that he is writing to "most excellent Theophilus" . . . "in order that he might know the certainty of the things he had been taught."  Apparently, Theophilus seems to have been a man, who though receptive to the gospel and perhaps even convinced by its claims, had many questions about Christianity, as he knew it. 

2.      Luke wrote to strengthen him in his belief.  Given the contents of the book of Acts, Theophilus appears to have had questions about the coming and activity of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the apostles, Paul and his dealings with the Jerusalem apostles and the advancement of Christianity.

ii.                       In a sentence, given the emphasis on the unity of the church and its expansion from Jerusalem to Rome we may say that Luke's purpose was to demonstrate to Theophilus the sovereign, unified and everlasting advance of the gospel into all the world.

1.      There are seven "progress reports" on the unity and advance of the church that further confirm this (2:47; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:30, 31).  With this knowledge, Theophilus, who was probably a Roman official, could understand how Christianity reached his city.

c.      What we will discover

i. I believe we will come to a better understanding of what defines us as a church, what takes place in a church, and exactly how a church behaves in a world filled with sin.

III.      THE REVELATION

a.      The importance of The Revelation

i. No story is complete without an end.  Just as Genesis tells us all about the beginning, God also tells us all about the end of this “time”, or dispensation after the “Church” age.

b.     The purpose of The Revelation

i. Our purpose for examining Revelation in part, will be to see the warnings which are given to the seven churches, examining ourselves with each church to see if we are falling short in our end-times.

CLOSING

1.       Starting next week, we will begin examining the Introduction to the Beginning of the Church

2.       Afterword, we will examine a selection of Revelation

3.      Lastly, we will examine ourselves as a church closely, and see where we stand 

ALTAR CALL