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NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!
SIX MARKS OF A GREAT CHURCH
ACTS 2:41-47
Introduction
The great Church at Jerusalem is our God-given example of “how to do it.” These folks got in touch with heaven, received their orders and the power to carry them out and they pleased God!
Many of our present day Churches are a reproach to the name of Christ and I believe it is because we lack some of the essential ingredients found in the early Church.
Everything about the early church in Jerusalem could be characterized in one word– GREAT!
We read that it had great power and great grace.
Acts 4:33–“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
We see many Churches today who have drifted and are drifting from the Word of God.
Many are drifting from the written Word–The Bible!
(Which is being replaced in many circles with man’s word and a corrupted word!)
Many are drifting from the living Word–Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Jesus is the both the Power of God and the Wisdom of God according to 1 Corinthians 1:24, but the Jesus of the Bible is being replaced with the Jesus of man’s wisdom)
We see many Churches today who have drifted and are drifting from the Worship of God.
The worship of God is being replaced with the worship of self.
There are some people who come to Church with a desire to have their lusts fulfilled rather than coming with a desire to worship the true and living God!
Many people in our Churches today are more interested in fun, food and frivolity than they are with worshiping God or being right with God and living right before God!
There are some things that are essentials for a great church!
These things are not accidental–that is, these things don’t just happen on their own. They are things that must happen on purpose!
They are not incidental–that is, they play more than a minor role in relation to God’s purpose in our lives!
We could say and should say that these things are fundamental to a great church–
A fundamental is something that you can’t do without!
The church in Jerusalem here in the book of Acts had none of the things that people so often think are so essential for success:
They didn’t have buildings. They didn’t have much money. They didn’t have multitudes of ministries. They didn’t have political influence. They didn’t have social status.
Yet, in spite of all this, the church won multitudes to Christ.
So, what was it that made this Church in Jerusalem so great?
I. THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON! (Acts 4:10-12)
The person of the cross had captured their affection. Jesus had captivated their hearts.
Jesus was everything, and everything was Jesus. Jesus was all in all to them.
Their all consuming desire was to introduce others to the Jesus Christ of the cross.
They were absolutely unconcerned about everything in the world but one thing, and that was teaching and preaching Jesus Christ.
A. They talked of the Person on the cross!
B. They talked of the purchase of the cross!
C. They talked of the pardon of the cross!
D. They talked of the power of the cross!
Getting the message of the cross–the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ–out to a lost and dying world is:
The TRUST of the church–1 Peter 4:10–“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
The TASK of the church–We have been given the command to take the Gospel to the world.
THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON!
II. THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH A PURPOSE!
The Great Purpose That Consumed Them Was The Purpose To Obey The Saviour!
Luke 24:49–“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
A. We Can’t Separate Obedience To The Lord From Love For Him!
John 14:15–“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 15:14–“Ye are my friends if, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
B. We Can’t Separate Obedience To The Lord From His Lordship!
Luke 6:46–“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Who is Lord of your life? Are you obeying Him?
C. We Can’t Separate Obedience To The Lord From His Power And Blessing!
Obedience Is Always A Vital Link In Power And Blessing From God!
1 Samuel 15:22-23–“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON!
THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH A PURPOSE!
III. THEY WERE CONTROLLED WITH A POWER! (Acts 1:8; 12-15)
The Great Power That Controlled Them Was The Power Of The Holy Ghost!
Here is a company of people who in ten days would change the course of history forever. They were waiting on the Lord to fulfill His promise and send the Holy Spirit.
We should learn something from this:
No Christian should perform the slightest act of service for Christ until they are empowered by the Holy Spirit!
Micah 3:8–“But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD. . .”
When the Holy Spirit came, the power of God was manifested in their lives and in their service.
In this Church here in the book of Acts, we see that the deacons, elders, and the pastors were all filled with the powerof the Holy Spirit. Not only that, the people of the church were also filled with the Holy Spirit of God!
When there was need of men to handle what we would consider the mundane matters, only Spirit-filled men were chosen for the work.
Today in many churches we see where people have learned how to sing songs, teach lessons, and even preach sermons without the Holy Spirit’s power.
With the absence of Holy Spirit’s ministry we have seen churches turned away from what once made them great!
D. L. Moody once said, “Pentecost is simply a specimen case of what God can do when people are controlled with the Holy Spirit.”
See Acts 4:31,33.
A. Only The Power Of The Holy Spirit Can Convict Of Sin!
B. Only The Power Of The Holy Spirit Can Convert A Sinner!
C. Only The Power Of The Holy Spirit Can Conduct The Services Properly!
Men have tried their plans, programs, and promotions, but absolutely nothing can take the place of the power of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do!
D. Only The Power Of The Holy Spirit Can Comfort The Saints!
E. Only The Power Of The Holy Spirit Can Conquer Satan!
Now understand that the Holy Spirit is present in every believer, He is prominent in some believers, but He was prevalent in the early believers of the church.
The power of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury for the church. It is an absolute necessity!
THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON!
THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH A PURPOSE!
THEY WERE CONTROLLED WITH A POWER!
IV. THEY WERE CONTINUING IN PRAYER!
Acts 2:42 says that “. . .they continued in. . .prayer!”
With every problem the early church encountered they had the same first response -PRAYER.
They were confident in the ability of prayer!
When they were choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot–They prayed! (1:24)
When they were threatened–They prayed! (4:24-31)
When they ordained deacons–They prayed! (6:6)
When they came across folks with spiritual needs–They prayed! (8:15)
When they felt the need to do so–They prayed! (10:9)
When saints were in trouble–They prayed! (12:12)
When they commissioned missionaries–They prayed! (13:3)
When they ordained elders and pastors–They prayed! (14:23)
They were aware that Satan might wall them up, but He could not roof them in.
All of our trials and troubles are nothing as long as we have prayer!
All too often we pray when there is nothing else that we can do, but Jesus wants us to pray before we do anything at all!
Prayer does not fit us for the greater works: prayer is the greater work!
Ephesians 3:20–“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”
The churches in the Book of Acts were confident they could pray themselves out of their situations.
Whether it was about their feelings, their foes, their friends, their families, their failures or their future–they prayed!
When we do not pray, we limit what God might do in our lives.
The church rises or falls with its praying. The first church meeting in the book of Acts was a prayer meeting. Churches now are depending on so many other resources and neglecting the one resource God has given to us - the marvelous resource of prayer!
Prayer is a shield to the soul and a scourge to Satan. Prayer is not an escape from responsibility, but rather it is our response to God’s ability.
Prayer is both the thermometer and thermostat of the local church. The spiritual temperature either goes up or down, depending on the prayers of God’s people!
THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON!
THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH A PURPOSE!
THEY WERE CONTROLLED WITH A POWER!
THEY WERE CONTINUING IN PRAYER!
IV. THEY WERE COMMITTED TO PURITY!
In Acts 5 you will find the church dealing with two of its members who are guilty of lying and deceit.
A recent Gallup poll reported that there is very little difference in the behavior of the churched and the unchurched in a wide range of items including such things as lying, cheating and stealing.
That didn’t happen without consequence in the Church we find here in Acts 5!
To make a difference you have to be different! Local churches in communities have so little impact today because many times they are no different from those in the community.
A Canadian paper once reported the effects of a recent storm which had swept over their town with the following words, “We are glad to announce that the wind storm which blew down the congregation church did no serious damage to the town.” Here was a church of such little consequences that its destruction was not considered a serious loss.
A. Our Attire Ought To Manifest A Commitment To Purity.
B. Our Actions Ought To Manifest A Commitment To Purity.
C. Our Affections Ought To Manifest A Commitment To Purity.
D. Our Attitudes Ought To Manifest A Commitment To Purity.
E. Our Appetites Ought To Manifest A Commitment To Purity
There is little commitment to purity today in the church simply because there is so little fear of God.
II Corinthians 7:1–“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
We had better fear God because He is God before God brings us reason to fear!
THEY WERE CAPTIVATED WITH A PERSON!
THEY WERE CONSUMED WITH A PURPOSE!
THEY WERE CONTROLLED WITH A POWER!
THEY WERE CONTINUING IN PRAYER!
THEY WERE COMMITTED TO PURITY!
VI. THEY WERE CLOTHED WITH PRAISE! Acts 2:47
The church here in Acts was a happy church. No wonder their numbers grew. There was no complaining, no criticizing, no envy, no strife. What an attractive company of people the early church was.
A miserable Christian broadcasts to the world that something has gone wrong with Christianity.
The charm of the Gospel is in the joy it brings to its recipients. It is good for the ungodly when the they see Christians glad, for then the unbelievers long to be believers themselves.
Acts 16:25–“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
A lot of people pray at the darkest hour of their life, but these men were praising God in the darkest hour. I submit to you it was their praising that convinced the jailor of the reality of salvation.
See Philippians 4:4–“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
If we are joyful, others will be blessed by our lives. They greatest contradiction in the world is a Christian who has no joy! Joy is a chief characteristic of the Christian life.
A. We Have The Joy of ACCEPTANCE (Acts 8:38,39)
B. We Have The Joy of ASSURANCE (Luke 10:17-20)
C. We Have The Joy of ASSEMBLING (Psalm 122:1)
1 Peter 1:8--“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
Conclusion:
Though there is no perfect church, there are certain things that are apparent in any great church. Every great church will have the six attributes that I have given you today.
These six traits will be manifested in the lives of the individuals of great church.
Let me ask you this, if every person in this church was just like you, what kind of a church would we have?
Do we want our church to be a great church? If so, what do we need to allow the Lord to work in our lives to help us accomplish that?
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!