Oh my, how well the Church did… at first!
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 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.” Acts 2:41-47 (ESV)
Everyone I know wants the Church to do that well again, and always! So, the question is with so many good people wanting the Church to be biblical in all we do and to experience the manifest blessings of God, why do we not see the Church experiencing the manifest blessings of God?
As the Lord allows, I will explore this question over the next twelve to eighteen months in a series of sermons I am calling “Understanding Acts: Body #2 Takes Over!” This coming Sunday morning, 6-6-2010, I will begin the series with an introductory sermon by that very title.
When God determined to save His people, He did so by taking on a human body in which He lived a sinless life, perfectly obeyed the Law, died an atoning death, and three days later rose again from the grave! Body #1, the Divine Person of Jesus Christ, perfectly did His Father’s will and work in the world!
Forty days after His resurrection, Body #1 ascended back to His Father where He now serves us as our Great High Priest. Thankfully, He did not leave us without divine aid. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer to enable and empower us to finish the work that Jesus Christ came to do.
The Book of Acts was divinely inspired to instruct us (both by precept and by example) in the way by which we are to accomplish the great world-wide task of evangelization we are both called and commissioned to accomplish.
It takes an average reader about 2.5 to 3 hours to read the 28 Chapters of the Book of Acts. I hope you will start reading now. Maybe reading for 2.5 hours at one sitting will work well for you. Or, maybe 5 sessions of 30 minutes each per week will be best. Either way, I hope you will read this “Christian and Church Growth Guidebook” over and over again as we work through this series in the coming months.
We begin this Sunday! Start reading now! I hope to see you Sunday morning with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and family and friends by your side.
