Gtcotr/011109
Our text today will be taken from the book of Acts.
When we desire to understand more about creation and God’s intended plan for mankind we often refer to the beginning, to the book of Genesis, which reminds how God first made everything. I believe that God’s best for mankind is found in those first pages of creation and even though He was forced to put His best on hold to deal with sin, I can’t imagine that He has given up on His plan for us.
We are in a parenthetical moment, the time between the fall of man, recorded in Genesis 3, and the creation of the new heaven and the new earth seen in Revelation 21. We live in a capsule of time dedicated by God to the putting down of every evil and every enemy who has dared to stand against His plan for mankind. When God gets finished dealing with sin, it’s back to Garden of pleasure for us.
God included the story of creation in the written account of His will to show what His intentions are and how He wants life to be enjoyed. Genesis 1 and 2 are pictures of the foundation of God’s will for man’s life on planet earth. God still intends to walk in the cool of the day in the midst of His children, enjoying a divine relationship with each one of us throughout eternity. We only have to read the story of creation to be reminded of God’s desires.
Some Bible scholars hold to the ‘law of first mention’. The law of first mention is the thought that in order to correctly understand and rightly define God’s original intent on any subject, one must go back to its point of origin or introduction into the scriptures and use that as a foundation for all further study and belief on that subject. I certainly accept that the law of first mention has some merit.
I want to use that principle this morning to help us better understand God’s original intent for The New Testament Church. So, without further ado, let’s turn to the book of Acts, Chapter 2.
Acts 2 NKJV
1 ¶ When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
The book of Acts chronicles the birth and work of the first Church. Acts 2:1 gives us a glimpse of the first days of that Church and paints a picture for us much like Genesis does for those first days of creation. Genesis 1 and 2 reveals nothing about what was happening outside the Garden of Eden, but definitely shows the peace of God that Adam and Eve were intended to enjoy inside the Garden.
Acts 2:1 gives us that same feeling about the environment God created inside that upper room Church. There was an evident unity, perhaps even a ‘living unity’, a spirit of unity if you will, that permeated the place where they were all gathered. It is worth noting that God included and worded this verse on purpose and we cannot neglect the importance of people being gathered together in one mind and one spirit. It is in this type of Church environment that God poured out His divine blessing and power.
Look back a few verses into chapter one with me and let’s set the stage for happens to this first Church later in Acts 2. For the sake of the time we have this morning and the conclusion God has given for me to share with you, we won’t be able to read all of chapter one, but I do encourage you to go back and re-read this passage to get added personal revelation and greater application on this subject.
Ok, at this point, Jesus had been crucified, buried and resurrected, spent 40 days thereafter appearing to more than 500 people, teaching His disciples and had just ascended up to the Father from the Mount of Olives, about one half of a mile outside the city walls of Jerusalem. The eleven disciples are now officially Apostles with instructions from heaven … what do they do? Let’s see …
Acts 1
12 ¶ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
The Church begins to take some form in this upper room as these Church leaders gathered together, praying and being careful to include others … the Church grew from eleven to over one hundred people in a very short time … somewhere between verses 14 & 15.
15 ¶ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
Peter, either inspired directly by God in that moment or else inspired by what he had seen and knew from his previous three years as a disciple of Jesus, begins to teach revelation and give instruction from the Holy Scriptures … these things still happen in Church. He tells those in attendance that day, that they need to ordain another church leader to fulfill prophecy and fill the vacancy left by Judas.
Peter uses both the Word and current events to prove his point. Then he sets some qualifications and guidelines and calls the Church to action. This is the very first board of directors, elders or leadership meeting the church every held.
Through the years since that time, both the process and the results of that first leadership meeting have been held in question by scholars and theologians, proverbial ‘armchair quarterbacks’, who do agree with the Church’s pick of Matthias to replace Judas. This serves to show us that a Church’s decision may later be critically judged by others, even by some who weren’t actually involved.
Nonetheless, by the time we get to Acts 2:1 the church is formed as a solid unit of committed believers and despite their differences, they are in one mind and purpose, praying and petitioning God for His divine power and looking for the return of their Lord, Jesus.
Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
How do we know they were praying for power? Because power is what Jesus had earlier told them they should wait for and not leave Jerusalem until they received.
Did they get what they prayed for? Glad you asked! Back to:
Acts 2
1 ¶ When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
What were the results --- “They got the POWER!”
However, that was not the end of the day, it was just the end of the Church service that day. Power is never the end … power is the beginning … Power is never the purpose … it’s but a means to the fulfilling the purpose of God.
The Believers of that day were not super spiritual Church goers, committed to prayer, living in a spirit of unity, worshipping God and seeing the Church grow while out of touch with the real world … they were real people with real problems in their life and facing real limitations in their Church and in need of help from God to continue.
These Believers were held captive by fear and insecurity. They were not accepted by the mainstream religious groups of their day and on top of that they had recently experienced some tragic disappointments in life and ministry. These Believers and their Church were subject to the same pressures of life as are we.
This was not only a Church that got the power but it was also a Church that desperately needed the power. Without something dynamic happening to the Church, how could they survive until Jesus came again? Great things should happen in Church …
Well, they got the power and this power gave them what they needed to begin accomplishing the will, the purpose and the plan of God not just in the Church but through the Church in the world.
By the way, the plan of God was not to stay longer, pray stronger, worship louder or have more meetings and discuss deeper revelation … rather the plan of God was to get the Church out into the streets of life with a message that challenges and changes men and women from all walks of life to submit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit was given to equip Believers with the power to be a witness and make this happen. Every Believer should possess the willingness and the ability to give testimony to the gospel message in a language others can hear, understand and accept.
Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
The power received by those attending Church that day was designed for the streets … to be most useful outside the Church walls to accomplish the purpose of God that all might hear the Gospel and be saved.
The greatest day of the church is still in the streets, in the homes and in the hearts of those who do not yet know and have not yet heard.
We come to church each week to:
* Pray for the power
* Commit to the purpose
We leave church each week to:
* Work the plan of God
This morning you may be facing some problem or some limitation of life. Perhaps you have experienced a tragedy, are burdened with fear or dealing with insecurities …
You are in the right place … this is the Church, and this is the time you can receive the power you need to set you free from those burdens …
Allow the Holy Spirit to unburden you this morning by His divine visitation upon your life. Stop complaining, don’t be divided, angry, unforgiving or resentful … stop being critical and lay it all down at the feet of Jesus. Commit yourself to more earnest prayer and worship God in the spirit of unity. Join yourself to the Body of Christ according to the will of God and become a functioning part of His family in the earth.
Remove those things which are standing between you and God and let God deal with your fears, insecurities and disappointments. Only He has the power you need …
Ask Him to fill you right now!
