God’s new people

Bible passage: Acts 2:42-47

Series on Salvation moves on: Why do we need to be saved? How are we saved? What does salvation mean?  Last question: What are we saved for?

A Baptist church tried to get a man to attend, but he never did. "Why don’t you come?" the minister asked, and the man finally admitted it was because he didn’t have proper clothes. So a member of the congregation took him to a clothes shop and bought him a nice suit, shirt, tie, and shoes. But on the following Sunday, he still wasn’t there. So the minister visited him again and asked him why he didn’t come. "When I got dressed up in my new suit," the man explained, "I looked so good I decided to go to the Church of England instead."

What is the purpose of the church? Do we come to show off our Sunday best? Of course not! We all know this. We certainly know this in our church.

The reason we come to church is not to show off our clothing or to see what other people are wearing. Why then do we come to church? For what purpose?

For the majority of people the most important thing about the church is the people.

People go to church because of the people who attend that church! Because they like the people. Because they feel that the people are very friendly, etc. SURELY, THIS OUGHT TO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHURCH!

The early church had something going for it. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) about 3,000 people repented and were baptised and the Lord added them to His church.

Acts 2:47 "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 4:4 "Many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand."
Acts 6:7 "So the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly...."

The early church grew rapidly. 3000, 5000 and more! Why? What was happening?

They didn’t have barbecues or youth groups or a crèche or a website - but they had something that caused the church to grow. They had an intense devotion to the Lord! Could this be the difference?

Receiving the message of salvation means becoming part of God’s church. Church isn’t an optional extra. Being part of God’s church means devotion to God and commitment to one another.

Our text in Acts 2 tells us about their devotion and how it caused the church to grow. They devoted themselves to four things:
1- The truth that teaches us
2- The fellowship that holds us
3- The table that humbles us
4- The devotion that blesses us

1. The truth teaches us

Acts 2:42 "The devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching...."

For us today, the apostles’ teaching would be the Word of God, the Bible. The apostles taught the inspired Word from God. We now have it contained in what we call the Bible. Can it help us? Will it do anything for us?

Scripture is from God and it is powerful! It is the truth! Some books contain certain truths, but the Word of God contains "all" truth, which can be applied to our lives. And when applied, it will work!

The early church devoted themselves to the study of God’s Word. It is the truth that exalts Jesus and creates fellowship.

Salvation creates church and church meets around the Bible, the word of God which is truth to live by.

We read the Bible because we know that it can be trusted to tell us the truth about life. And exalt God as the only true God there is and exalt Christ as the only Saviour there is! And when we exalt God as God and Christ as the Saviour, the church will grow! God will bless.

2. The fellowship that holds us

Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship..."

Being saved and part of God’s family leads us to being part of the fellowship of the church – local and universal.

United service at a Baptist church, but the word obviously hadn’t got round - because when it started most people there were Baptists. When the leader said “put you hand up if you’re a Baptist” everyone did so except one lady. The leader said, “and what are you?"

She replied, "I’m a Methodist." "Why are you a Methodist?" asked the leader. "Well," replied the lady, "my grandparents were Methodists, my mother was a Methodist, and my late husband was a Methodist."

"Well," responded the leader, "That’s no answer. Just suppose your grandparents had been morons, and you’re mother and husband had been morons, what would you have been?" "Oh”" she said, "then I suppose I’d be a Baptist."

That’s the pride that divides! The early church had its problems, but there were no divisions over denominations, because there were none!

If we are in Christ, then we are one with everyone else who is in Christ

If we are saved we are part of the church, not an optional extra, it’s what it means to be in Christ. As we are part of the universal church we should also apply ourselves to membership of a local church. That entering into the church through faith is marked by baptism – the proper way of sealing and affirming our faith.

Once we are part of the universal church and have joined a local expression of the church then we should aim to bless others in the church

We should do things that build up one another, not tear down one another. As we work at blessing one another, instead of blistering one another, the church will grow and God will be praised.

3. The table that humbles us

Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread..."

Many people are devoted to the table that fills us up, we should be devoted to the table that humbles us. Communion, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Table, The Lord’s Supper.

When we miss out on sharing in communion we miss its spiritual significance and its blessing.

Jesus commanded us to take bread and wine as he did as a constant reminder of what he did on the cross, so that we won’t forget and so that we will be humbled by his love and self-giving.

The Lord’s table is the table that humbles us. How can it not humble us, realising what Christ did for us on the cross?

Every time we come to this table we are reminded of Jesus, and his grace. Christ was right, but became wrong for us on the cross! He was sinless, but became sin for us! he was close to god, but was separated for us! he lived, but died for us!

Humbled is good. The way up is down. When we deliberately humble ourselves, God will pick us up and bless us. A humbled church will be a growing church.

4. The devotion that blesses us
 
Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Our Heavenly Father is in the blessing business! And the more we pray, the more He blesses. He may not always bless us immediately or just like we ask Him to, but He will bless us!

Matthew 7:11 "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Our Heavenly Father is in the business of giving us good things. We humans are basically evil people and yet, we give good things to our children. BUT GOD OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS COMPLETELY GOOD. There is not a speck of evil in Him. Why then would He not give us good things when we ask of Him?

A man was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to play cricket – and soon boy could hold a bat and hit the ball but was having problems getting the basics of bowling.  The boy would take the ball and leap up in the air, swing his little arm and try to propel the ball to the wicket. The father would take the ball and bowl it himself and say "Do it like this, son."

The boy would try again and miss, again. After not quite getting it for a long time the little boy said, "but it’s easy for you up there. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FROM DOWN HERE."

Sometimes we think this way when it comes to life’s difficulties. We tend to want to say to God, "It’s easy for you up there. You don’t know how hard it is from down here." BUT GOD DOES KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR US DOWN HERE!

Heb. 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are....Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Jesus was tempted in every way, just like us. HE KNOWS HOW HARD IT IS FOR US DOWN HERE. And this is why we can pray with confidence, knowing that He will sympathise with us and help us.

When we devote ourselves to prayer, He will bless us.

Four ways the early church expressed their faith in Christ and their commitment to the church.

Faith is a seven day a week commitment – it isn’t just about church activities. But being saved means being part of the Christ’s body which is his church. The early church in Jerusalem committed themselves to their church and it prospered. As an essential part of our commitment to Christ we care called to be part of this church – sharing in