Acts 2:36-47 THE RIGHT RESPONSES TO JESUS CHRIST

Acts 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Lord

Christ

Jesus

Crucified             Resurrected          Ascended

Christianity is all about the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is central to everything. That was the rediscovery of the reformed churches during the Reformation. Ritual meant nothing. Only the revealed Christ of Scripture meant everything.  And people were called back to relationship with God through Him alone.

THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO THE SAVIOUR

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."

Today we are going to witness together and participate in the Profession of faith of Madison Bonello, Caitlin Conlon, Shannen Conlon, Phoebe Fuata.  When folk respond to the Lord Jesus, they respond in various ways.  Sometimes there are many steps towards Christ, and one of those steps is the step of salvation.  Today as we witness the profession of faith of these four young ladies we are seeing the fruit of those many steps towards the Saviour, and that one step of salvation!  They have each put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only Saviour!  When they believed in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour they too received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He showed them their Saviour the Lord Jesus.  He created faith within them to trust in the Saviour.  He changed their hearts to love Him who first loved them when He gave Himself for them at the cross, and continues to show His love to them throughout their lives. They have repented of their sin, they have turned from going their own way to going His way. They know now he forgiveness of their sins.  They were baptised symbolising their change of direction, symbolising the death burial and resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ. They know now that it was the Lord who called them to Himself. As Madison Bonello, Caitlin Conlon, Shannen Conlon, Phoebe Fuata make their profession of faith today they are added to the number of those who are members of this church. We thank God for His work of grace in their lives, and we stand with them in their profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO SALVATION

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

WE EXIST TO WORSHIP   "devoted"

The word devoted here speaks to us of a complete change of heart.   "Hopelessly devoted to you." From Grease.  It is about love.  Worship is about love.  It is not so much what we do, but more about how our hearts are directed towards the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.38 This is the great and first commandment.39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

The first and greatest commandment is love the Lord.  We love Him because He first loved us!

"Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Matt. 4:10 "..The Father seeks worshipers...and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Jn 4:23-24 1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The first-century followers of Christ continued to meet in the temple, not only because it provided a large venue for their growing numbers, but because it seemed like a natural meeting place. As good Jews, they continued to participate in temple worship. They also met in homes, where they sang together and observed communion.

The purpose of salvation is to bring into God's presence a body of worshipers. In Ephesians, Paul says God foreordained us "to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph. 1:6). In Philippians, he says that Jesus came to earth and suffered as He did and was raised "so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11). We were created for worship, we were redeemed for worship, and we will enjoy worship for eternity. Therefore, a church must make worship a priority.

WE EXIST TO INSTRUCT

The first Christians couldn't get enough teaching. As we'll discover later in Acts, they met in the temple for instruction. They also met in homes where teaching took place. They wanted to know everything that Jesus had taught the apostles. They remained hungry for spiritual nourishment. Instruction gives the mind the building material with which the Holy Spirit renovates the old person into a new, Christlike person. If new Christians are like hungry babies needing nourishment, then a church must provide quality biblical and theological teaching, or it will forever remain a nursery.  Acts 2:42 clearly states that the apostles did the teaching. These twelve men were trained by Jesus from the very beginning (1:21-22), and they had personally interacted with the resurrected Savior. Of course, they didn't have a building dedicated to meeting together. No one had a home large enough for three thousand people! So they broke into smaller groups to meet in multiple homes throughout the week and then met as one body in a public area of the temple. They did not yet have the completed New Testament. The instruction was based on the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus gleaned and remembered by the apostles from their time with Him. Instead of writing a body of work, Jesus poured His divine knowledge into these people, and then He gave them His Holy Spirit to guide their interpretation of Old Testament Scripture to keep them right and true in their teaching.

"Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..." Heb. 6:1 "Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18 "(God has given)...some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of ministry, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all...become mature...like Christ." Eph. 4:11-16

WE EXIST TO FELLOWSHIP   "and the fellowship"

The phrase is "the breaking of bread," which originally mingled the ideas of koinōnia and the communion ceremony (cf. 2:46-47; 20:7; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; Jude 1:12). The custom of "the Lord's Supper" comes from the time Jesus shared a worshipful Passover meal with His disciples, at which time He recast the image of the traditional cup and bread to represent His blood and body (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20). The first believers continued this practice, making communion a part of what came to be known as "love feasts." They met in homes to enjoy eating together, sing hymns, read Scripture, and hear teaching. Later, Paul would admonish some for allowing the meal to overshadow communion (1 Cor. 11:17-22).

The phrase "the breaking of bread" has in mind "a meal which had the double purpose of satisfying hunger and thirst and giving expression to the sense of Christian brotherhood. At the end of this feast, bread and wine were taken according to the Lord's command, and after thanksgiving to God were eaten and drunk in remembrance of Christ and as a special means of communion with the Lord Himself and through Him with one another."

"By this shall all men know that you are my disciples — that you have love for one another." John 13:35,  1 John 3:16-17, Matt. 25:34-40, Heb. 13:16, Rom. 12:13

"Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities.. and there are different kinds of service to God(ministry)... All of you together form the one Body of Christ and each of you is a separate and necessary part of it." 1 Cor. 12:4-5, 27

The four priorities in Acts 2:42-47 are not just individual elements, in the early church they were interconnected. The people gathered for worship. Instruction was part of their love feasts. Baptism gave them a sense of identity with one another. They prayed individually and communally. Sharing the bread and cup of communion reminded them of their interconnectedness, and that prompted them to be extraordinarily generous with one another. Like coals in a fire, people grow cold and die when separated; however, they produce light and warmth when connected, sharing joyfully and generously with each other.  The Greek term is koinōnia [2842], referring to "a close association involving mutual interests and sharing."[26] Secular Greek writers used the term to describe the unique bond shared by a husband and wife. For a group, the word denotes a mutual personal investment of the members with one another. Look at verses 44-45 —"44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."

The remarkable fellowship of the followers of Christ was such that they lost their sense of personal entitlement; wealth and possessions became a means of meeting the needs of fellow believers. This doesn't mean they lived communally together in a compound like one large household. It means their unique fellowship produced extraordinary unity and generosity. People became more important to them than things or their own comfort.

WE EXIST TO EVANGELISE 

I love verses 46,47  46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Later in Acts 4 it says  31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Churches can become overly inward focused, adopting an "us four and no more" mentality. Worship, instruction, and fellowship serve the needs of the body, while visitors feel like outsiders looking in. Meanwhile, no one gives any thought to impacting the community beyond the church property line. Evangelism cannot be contained; it naturally affects everyone the members encounter, wherever they may be. And it mainly happens outside the church building.

 

If all four priorities are upheld with prayer and maintained in balance, evangelism naturally occurs. As the first Christians devoted themselves to worship, instruction, fellowship, and prayer, they became bold witnesses of the gospel to the world outside. As Millard Erickson states,

In biblical times the church gathered for worship and instruction. Then they went out to evangelize. In worship, the members of the church focus upon God; in instruction and fellowship, they focus upon themselves and fellow Christians; in evangelism, they turn their attention to non-Christians... believers gathered to praise God and be edified; then they went forth to reach the lost in the world with the good news of the Saviour.

WHY OUR CHURCH MUST NEVER STOP GROWING

1. Because God loves people  

For the love of Christ controls us, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.2 Cor. 5:14,20 Luke 15:3-10

We must never stop talking of our Lord. He is One with the Father, through whom all the universe was created.

We must never stop talking of our Lord Jesus. He is the One God sent into the world to take human flesh to become our Saviour by dying at the cross to bring us forgiveness.

We must never stop talking of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Saviour God has given. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. –Acts 4:12.

2. Because God commands us to reach out.

"Go out into the country...and urge anyone you find to come in, so that My House will be full." Luke 14:23  "you will be my witnesses" Acts 1:8

3. Because God expects us to grow

"Under Christ's control, the whole Body is nourished...and grows as God wants it to grow."  Col. 2:19  "(Jesus) I will build my church." Matt. 16:18

Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20