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The Model Church 7th June 2020 Acts 4:32-37 PP. Psalm133 32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. 36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37 and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Lets Pray….. Lord God who are we to be called your children? Who are we to be part of the great plan of salvation to all who are perishing? We are nothing apart from your finished work through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In Christ we ask that you hold our attention to hear your word of life so we may excel in love Just as you have loved us. In Jesus name we pray….. Amen!
God calls us to be one in Faith, of one Heart & Soul, and one in Possession.
Introduction. Peter and John had just stood before the great Sanhedrin (Chief priest and the Jewish Elders) and been commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus any longer, to which they promised civil disobedience. They were then threatened and released. They immediately met with the believing community and reported all the Sanhedrin had said. 23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. (Acts 4:23) This prompted a prayer meeting in which they praised God as sovereign Creator of all things and then petitioned Him for boldness: 29 And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, (Acts 4:29) They don’t pray for protection or safety or a comfortable life they pray for boldness. In light of the threats that they had received, this prayer request, if answered, would bring much suffering. Their boldness would cause civil disobedience to the new law of, “No speaking in Jesus name,” (Acts 4:17) which would bring down the wrath of the Sanhedrin.
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The Model Church 7th June 2020
Jesus disciples were more concerned with their mission than their comfort. More concerned with obeying Christ than being pain free. Why were they so different from us? Now in verses 32-37 Luke gives us a status report of the early Church. It’s a snapshot of a community of people whose hearts have been utterly revolutionized by believing in Jesus. The description that follows, which is an amplification of an expansion on 2:44-45, was intended to further convey the idea of the Kingdom of God being evidenced on earth and as constantly growing. Here we see that they not only prayed differently than we do, they lived differently than we do thus making the early church become our standard of Christianity today. “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. (Acts 4:32 NASB)
In this one verse we see that the NT church was one in Faith, of one Heart & Soul, and one in Possession.
Link: The very one thing that brought unity among them is that they were……….
- One in Faith Vs. 32a, 33 The author of Hebrews gives us a clear definition of faith. 11 Now faith is the [a]assurance of things [b]hoped for, the [c]conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Paul in the other hand tells us that faith comes by hearing the true word of God. 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) The early church was a clear picture of this as we can read from our verse today. They had become the family of God by hearing words concerning the Christ that he came here on earth as a display of God’s love to us to pay the penalty for our sins and that by believing and receiving Him we are born in the family of God. We see later on in church history that in defense of the Christian faith, Augustine, one of the fathers of the early Church wrote a theological treatise and works on the principles of interpretation, promoting the analogy of faith by which we mean that no interpretation of a particular passage of scripture is valid unless it is consistent with the overall teaching of Scripture. Augustine insisted on the total sinfulness of man and salvation by faith alone based on God’s grace.
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The Model Church 7th June 2020 1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) In 312-590 A.D, the early church fathers in pursuit of oneness of faith wrote the Apostles creed so as to unify the overall Christian teachings as it was evident that many false teachers emerged distorting the very words of Christ that brings life to all who believe. Link: Indeed, to be one in faith grants us the opportunity to be of One Heart & Soul
- Of One Heart & Soul Vs. 32a Luke records that a multitude of believers from various backgrounds and social status, were all of one heart and soul. This may sound unrealistic in our present time. How? In John 17:21-22 Jesus prayed that His followers would be one: 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may [a]believe that You sent Me. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; (John 17:21-22 NASB) Christian unity is not organizational, it is spiritual. The words “as” and “just as” speak of the nature of our unity. It is to be like that of Jesus Christ and the Father a common life; a unity of will, purpose, and goal. It’s not people being united because they are in the same congregation organizationally. It’s people who are attracted to each other because they are pulled by the same power. Illustration: If you take a bunch of small metallic balls and put them in a box, they have a unity caused by the box and so they will hold together. That’s what we call organizational unity. If the box breaks, they all go everywhere. Our unity is to be like that caused by an electromagnetic ball that holds all the balls together because they are all pulled by the same external force which is spiritual. We are pulled together by the power of Christ. Notice here in verse 21 that our unity is a powerful testimony to Christ in the world. Even though Christian unity is spiritual, it is to be visible. If the world is to see our unity, it must be visible. How can we demonstrate our unity? What is to be our distinguishing characteristic? It’s love! 34″A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35″By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
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The Model Church 7th June 2020
Link: The Apostolic church displayed their love for God and for one another to their community because they were…..
- One in Possession Vs. 32b, 34-37 The NT church brought all their possession to the feet of the Apostles and it was distributed to the needy among them. Fact: When we share our possession to the needy in our congregation and within the community we display/show our Love for God and love for Gods people! We can only be one in possession by means of love. “The greatest virtue in the world is love. Without love, man cannot have abundant life. In actuality, without love man is nothing.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll ~ We love because God first loved us and gave his only son to die on the cross for our own sins/faults, giving him power to overcome death, and now sitted on the right hand of God the Father interceding for us. This Jesus, will come back again to take us and be with him in heaven in fulfillment of his promise of love. The disciples in the NT Church were moved by love that’s why sharing their possession was not an issue of debate in their gatherings. In fact the Bible says, “… and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.” (Acts 4:32b) Can you understand this? Their attitude was: Whatever is mine is yours. Just like us, anything that they had worked hard for; but unlike us, they didn’t view it as their own.
They were living out what Paul would later teach the Philippians: 3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NASB) This could be translated: “thinking of others as superior to yourself.” Unity is destroyed where self-esteem prevails, rather than a higher esteem for others. This kind of love displayed by the Apostolic church is all what God is calling us today to act on in order to bring unity and equality in the body of Christ. Paul knew this and that is why he went before God and prayed that the Thessalonian church and its believers might grow in love, more and more. Paul knew that the model church is a church that has a strong love. Your love for Christ and our fellow believers must not grow cold irrespective of the trials and hardships you may go through as a Christian.
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The Model Church 7th June 2020 Do we have needy people in our congregations today? The answer is automatic; Deuteronomy 15:11- “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.” Matthew 26:11- “You will always have the needy/poor with you, but you will not always have me with you” God Himself declares these words in scripture. The “poor, needy and orphans” will always be among us.” It is our duty and responsibility as God’s children to be benevolent to them when God gives us opportunities and resources to do so. The situation we are in at the moment with many people losing their jobs due to the pandemic and not able to meet their daily needs as expected is a clear picture that we have the needy within us today. What are you doing to reach out to many who are in this crisis? Everyone of us and every nation will give an account to God as to how we have done what God has commanded of us in taking care of the poor, needy, widows and orphans. Fact: True service to God is not on Sunday morning. True service to God is our everyday service to those that are suffering and in need. Especially the poor, needy, widows, hungry and orphans. Many of us in our congregations have been blessed by God to help those in need within us and sometimes we don’t take heed of God’s command to do so. We are compelled or moved by greed and selfishness that we neglect the task that God as given us. Challenge! Know this fact! Everything that we accumulate on earth will be left here when we die. Others will live in your home, drive your car, spend your money, eat your food, sleep in your bed, wear your clothes, etc. None of us will take ANYTHING with us except our soul which will live forever. What price have you placed on your soul? What is it worth to you? If God has blessed you, find someone today that is less fortunate than you and bless them. God gave all of us what He gave us to be a blessing to others. The best way to do this is through your local church as we can see in our text today. In the last two weeks, we have been sharing donations to the needy as a congregation. Be part of us in extending your blessings to God’s people by sharing what He has blessed you with not only during this pandemic but in all times. You can share your donations either in form of funds or goods. By doing this we display the love God’s love for his Church and therefore drawing more to be part of the family of God. Application: When we serve the poor, needy, widow and orphans within us, God’s Word declares that we are serving Him. When we fail to do so, we are rejecting God. Link: The NT church brought all their possession to the feet of the Apostles and it was distributed to the needy among them.
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The Model Church 7th June 2020 Conclusion A man named Joseph, a Levite of a Cyprian birth commonly known as Barnabas sold a piece of the land he owned and brought the money and laid it at the Apostles feet. The Church was indeed ONE in Faith, heart & Soul and in Possession. No one among them lacked. God calls us to be one in Faith, of one Heart & Soul, and one in Possession.
Invitation If you are listening to this message and yet not saved, remember you cannot yield to God’s love unless you repent and turn away from your sins. Peter the Apostle spoke these words before the high priest, rulers, elders and the scribes; 12And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Today God wants you to believe in his son Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins so you can become part of his big family the Church where you are one in faith, heart & soul and in possession. He wants you to receive Jesus as your personal savior for the forgiveness of your sins. You can do this by agreeing with God that your are a sinner and that in your present condition you are destined to eternal death. Believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay for your sins. Call upon Him (Jesus) for the forgiveness of your sins and ask Him to come and be with you and in your heart. By doing this you become God’s Child and now you can yield to God’s love by sharing your possessions with others. Will you do this today? Kindly, do it for the hour is now and the day is today.
Lets Pray…… Our Lord and Our God. The ruler of the universe and all created things. Thank you for allowing us sit under your feet to learn from you. Please forgive us for being unfaithful to you by not fully yielding to your love in sharing what you have blessed us with to them who are needy within our church and community at large yet we are enjoying your unmerited favor. We know this has caused disunity in your church and therefore not able to display your saving grace to many who are perishing. We ask that through your power we may be able to unleash your unconditional love in our acts of mercy as we share our possessions to many who are needy. Help us Lord to serve you and serve your purpose for us in our lives here on earth. Lord we ask that today in your mercy and grace you may receive as your children all those who will put their faith in you for the forgiveness of their sins because you love them and want them to be your own. We pray this trusting in your Son’s name. Amen
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