Acts 2: 42-47
Listen link: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
Good news! Jesus loves you just the way you are! And so do I! I also happen to believe that Jesus offers you a new and better life, better than anything you could ever imagine. All it takes is a little willingness on your part to learn what it really means to be a Christian. And we are here to help each other out. None of us have it right yet. We’re all struggling to get it right. But we live in atmosphere of love and acceptance where we will celebrate what is good and help each other work on the things that need work.
This weekly worship service is focused on the good things that God has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord, and on the good things in store for us as we open up to each other and to God and share our lives together. It’s all about Jesus! He wants us to enjoy and abundant life, not necessarily in material blessings but the spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
We have a reliable guide for good living in the Bible. The Old Testament is the history of God’s people, with lots of examples, both good and bad to learn from, plus prophecies about Jesus and the gospel that saves us. The New Testament is the revelation of Jesus, the announcement of the gospel of God’s great love and the teachings of the Apostles so that we learn how to respond to God and to each other. We’re not left in the dark to figure it all out by ourselves. God has told us everything, and it’s all good news that we get that kind of help from God in heaven.
There is a hard part though. We have to face the fact that we are born with a sinful evil desire to want things our own way and we start out life trying to believe that we don’t need God or his wisdom. But once we humble ourselves before that, there is no condemnation. God gives us power to live for him, and gifts to serve each other as well.
Oh, there is something else about that hard part. All human beings really are religious people. Even the atheists, don’t believe in God, religiously! Most of us do believe in God. But we don’t really want to hear from God unless he is going to tell us what we want him to say. There is even a warning about that among the teachings of the Apostles. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
And one more thing, we do have a tendency to lose sight of what God really wants for us, and we have this tendency to go back to being just religious, the way the rest of the world is religious, looking at rules and regulations and obligations and losing our freedom in Christ.
So I wanted to look again at Acts 2:42-47 and ask the questions, what is the church supposed to do? And why does it exist? My outline for exploring these issues will be to answer three related questions. 1. Why does each believer attend worship services? 2. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? And 3. Why does God want us to come together in worship?
To the first question, “Why does each believer attend worship services?” The answer given in Acts 2:42-47 can be summed up to mean, they loved God and they loved each other. So they were enjoying hanging out together on this common theme of the grace they had received through faith in Jesus Christ. But why did they love God? Was it because they were good religious people who wanted to obey the greatest commandment? They knew the commandment, “Love the You’re your God with all your heart, with all your mind with all your strength and with all your soul.” But is that why they were now gathering together, against the will of the Pharisees who had taught them that great commandment? The Pharisees had been telling them all their lives that the way you show your love for God to fulfill that great commandment is by obeying all the commandments, being a good person and honoring the Pharisees who were teaching them the laws of God and who were making the sacrifices for them at the temple so that they could be forgiven of any sins.
Many people attending church today still think about it the way the world thinks about it. It’s what you’re supposed to do. Maybe it’s because they grew up that way or they think they have to in order to get on God’s good side. That thinking is what allows people to believe that it doesn’t matter what church you go to or what religion you follow as long as you believe something about God and try to live a good life. There is this assumption that we all worship the same God no matter what you call him. But that is not so. The real worshippers of God do so because they have had a personal encounter with him, not because they are trying to obey all the rules.
The same Pharisees who were telling everybody how to get in good with God had called for the crucifixion of Jesus. They didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. They didn’t believe they needed any adjustment to their religion. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus, their own Messiah, and now these new believers were rejecting their former religious ways because the Christians had had an encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ by the power of eth Holy Spirit.
Something had happened to them. They had been with Jesus. They had seen him die on the cross, they had seen or heard about his resurrection and they understood what it meant, that God loves his people and has provided a way of salvation that is far better than the religion of the Pharisees. So now they were gathering together in spite of the Pharisees instructions and they were worshipping Jesus as the risen Lord! Now they didn’t have to just act like they love God out of fear for what might happen to them if they didn’t. Now they genuinely do love God because they see how much he loves them.
So these believers in Jesus met together, not out of any obligation, but out of a genuine heartfelt desire to return and give thanks for so great a salvation. This is the chief distinction between faith in Jesus and any other worldly religion. It is this. Do you obey any of the commandments of your religion so that you get a chance at heaven? Or do you love truly love God for who he is? Do you love Him so that he will save you or do you really love him because he has already saved you in Christ?
The one thing that no other religion understands, not even the Jews of Jesus’ day got it, is that God loved us first. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, (that is the eternal second person of the trinity who is also God) so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. In other words, you don’t earn salvation. You can’t be good enough so that God says, “Oh that was pretty good, I’ll save you and let you into heaven.” No salvation from God through Christ is a totally free gift. I love God not so that he might save me but because he already has. Now I obey his teachings and calling, not because I have to but because I want to. And I am not even very good at it. But neither is anybody else and in a good church we can all be honest about that, patient with each other. No masks of, “Oh I’m a good person because I am in church.” No masks! No hiding behind behaviors like that. We can be patient with each other and supportive of one another. And most of all I love Jesus because he loved me first, not so that he might love me back.
That’s the main thing that all those first believers at the beginning of the church had in common, a genuine love relationship with Jesus, their praise and worship was heartfelt and sincere, the way anybody will give thanks for anyone who actually does rescue them from danger. Have you ever seen a firefighter get punched instead of hugged by the person he carried out of the burning building? Have you even seen a flood victim push the boat away instead of get in and get to safety? Salvation is being offered. Why reject it? It could happen, but we call those people crazy for not appreciating their savior!
The main reason the believers gathered together, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer was to celebrate their new life and to make sure of it. They wanted to worship God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing in our text that says they were supposed to build a building, or create events or programs that might draw people to listen to the gospel and maybe they would believe. The Scripture does say that they were filled with awe and wonder. That is the effect of learning how much God really loves you, in spite of your sin. And it does say that the Lord added to their number daily. But that is the thing that God does.
And the way God did it was by making the new believers into people who became very loving and kind and gentle and helpful. Not perfectly. We can never get past being humble and honest about our shortcomings. But still, filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, they loved their neighbors as themselves and thus fulfilled the second greatest commandment, and again, not because they had to but because they had been given a new heart filled with love and it just poured out of their grateful hearts to love anybody that they came across! So look what happened. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
No program or event can have the same lasting impact as people who are just, in their nature, filled with the love of God for all people. So while the devotion to the Word and fellowship and prayer may seem like too much of an inward focus, it really has an outward result; lives lived as the light of the world! People in love with God who go out and make disciples just because their excited about Jesus and can’t stop talking about him.
Why does each believer attend worship services? We love Jesus and we long to be led by his Spirit and we know that often happens, mostly happens, when we worship together.
So let’s move on to my second and third questions. They won’t take nearly as long to answer. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To rejoice with the angels in heaven over their salvation. To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! But it should not be anything like, we need more people to keep the ministry going. It should not be couched at all in any idea that people ought to go to church because they are supposed to know what’s good for them. No, we’re having a party! The more the merrier! All are invited! And we love one another. We care about each other.
And we can’t make that happen unless we are very hospitable, friendly, blessing people with what they can appreciate, what they’re looking for. Here’s a very silly example. We all love ice cream? Well, how long do you think an ice cream shop would stay in business if the only flavors they serve are broccoli and spinach and they insist that it is right because veggies are good for you? Similarly though, when people enter these doors, if what we’re offering isn’t helpful and enjoyable to them, why would they ever come back?
People don’t need rules and regulations. They also don’t need to be just entertained. They need and encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ who loves them like crazy and you and I get to be the people who show them that love. We are his hands and feet, his kind hands and his feet ready at a moment’s notice to run and help anybody who needs it. The more we can live like that, the more people will be interested in what is going on here and it will be the Lord who moves their hearts to want to find out and join us. The Lord will add to our number.
So why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! And finally, why does God want us to come together in worship? The Biblical answer is in Hebrews 10: 23-25 where we read, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And [here comes the fun part] let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
So apparently, already when the book of Hebrews was written, some Christians were in the habit of giving up in church. “We don’t need to meet together.” And still today many people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Salvation is by faith in Jesus, not by going to church.” Well, while that’s technically true, that going to church and being around other believers doesn’t make you a Christian, nevertheless, if you’re a true Christian, you’ll have a desire to be around other believers in a regular basis. You have fun together.
In addition, the passage in Hebrews teaches us clearly that without the God given of habit of corporate worship and the God given mandate of corporate accountability we will not prove faithful over the long haul. If we don’t come together for worship and spur one another on, who’s going to stimulate growth? There’s a reason why it says, “spur” one another on. Anybody that knows horses knows what spurs do. We like to think that we’re naturally inclined to be faithful without any help from anybody. But the truth is we need the spurs for the same reason the horse does, to go a little faster.
It is a humbling thing to accept the fact that God inspired, God inspired the Biblical author to say “Spur one another on!” and not just be nice to each other, encourage one another, or even pat each other on the back. But “spur one another on!” Push for it! It’s humbling. But it’s good too. It is in church that we have the best opportunity to face up to our shortcomings without feeling the sting of condemnation as we love each other and accept each other, “warts and all” as they say. Showing grace and forgiveness as Jesus did, that the atmosphere in which we find strength to make progress and find that we can help each other along the way. There is no more fertile ground for our growth to Christian spiritual maturity than in loving, heartfelt community worship that is attentive to the Word of God and rejoicing in the fellowship of believers.
So why does God want us to come together in worship? Well, He loves it when his kids all enjoy each other’s company, and what Father would not enjoy his family all together, singing praises of thanksgiving for what a wonderful Father he is? As we keep uppermost in our hearts and minds the practices and especially the attitudes of the earliest grateful believers, we will indeed spend all our lives praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and this will change us into people who really do look Christ-like in the way we love our neighbors and we might even be blessed to see signs and wonders of answered prayers and the Lord will indeed add to our numbers as he sees that we are a healthy place where new believers will be encouraged and who will grow into mature Christians and that’s a beautiful thing. Amen!
Listen link: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
Good news! Jesus loves you just the way you are! And so do I! I also happen to believe that Jesus offers you a new and better life, better than anything you could ever imagine. All it takes is a little willingness on your part to learn what it really means to be a Christian. And we are here to help each other out. None of us have it right yet. We’re all struggling to get it right. But we live in atmosphere of love and acceptance where we will celebrate what is good and help each other work on the things that need work.
This weekly worship service is focused on the good things that God has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord, and on the good things in store for us as we open up to each other and to God and share our lives together. It’s all about Jesus! He wants us to enjoy and abundant life, not necessarily in material blessings but the spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
We have a reliable guide for good living in the Bible. The Old Testament is the history of God’s people, with lots of examples, both good and bad to learn from, plus prophecies about Jesus and the gospel that saves us. The New Testament is the revelation of Jesus, the announcement of the gospel of God’s great love and the teachings of the Apostles so that we learn how to respond to God and to each other. We’re not left in the dark to figure it all out by ourselves. God has told us everything, and it’s all good news that we get that kind of help from God in heaven.
There is a hard part though. We have to face the fact that we are born with a sinful evil desire to want things our own way and we start out life trying to believe that we don’t need God or his wisdom. But once we humble ourselves before that, there is no condemnation. God gives us power to live for him, and gifts to serve each other as well.
Oh, there is something else about that hard part. All human beings really are religious people. Even the atheists, don’t believe in God, religiously! Most of us do believe in God. But we don’t really want to hear from God unless he is going to tell us what we want him to say. There is even a warning about that among the teachings of the Apostles. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
And one more thing, we do have a tendency to lose sight of what God really wants for us, and we have this tendency to go back to being just religious, the way the rest of the world is religious, looking at rules and regulations and obligations and losing our freedom in Christ.
So I wanted to look again at Acts 2:42-47 and ask the questions, what is the church supposed to do? And why does it exist? My outline for exploring these issues will be to answer three related questions. 1. Why does each believer attend worship services? 2. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? And 3. Why does God want us to come together in worship?
To the first question, “Why does each believer attend worship services?” The answer given in Acts 2:42-47 can be summed up to mean, they loved God and they loved each other. So they were enjoying hanging out together on this common theme of the grace they had received through faith in Jesus Christ. But why did they love God? Was it because they were good religious people who wanted to obey the greatest commandment? They knew the commandment, “Love the You’re your God with all your heart, with all your mind with all your strength and with all your soul.” But is that why they were now gathering together, against the will of the Pharisees who had taught them that great commandment? The Pharisees had been telling them all their lives that the way you show your love for God to fulfill that great commandment is by obeying all the commandments, being a good person and honoring the Pharisees who were teaching them the laws of God and who were making the sacrifices for them at the temple so that they could be forgiven of any sins.
Many people attending church today still think about it the way the world thinks about it. It’s what you’re supposed to do. Maybe it’s because they grew up that way or they think they have to in order to get on God’s good side. That thinking is what allows people to believe that it doesn’t matter what church you go to or what religion you follow as long as you believe something about God and try to live a good life. There is this assumption that we all worship the same God no matter what you call him. But that is not so. The real worshippers of God do so because they have had a personal encounter with him, not because they are trying to obey all the rules.
The same Pharisees who were telling everybody how to get in good with God had called for the crucifixion of Jesus. They didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. They didn’t believe they needed any adjustment to their religion. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus, their own Messiah, and now these new believers were rejecting their former religious ways because the Christians had had an encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ by the power of eth Holy Spirit.
Something had happened to them. They had been with Jesus. They had seen him die on the cross, they had seen or heard about his resurrection and they understood what it meant, that God loves his people and has provided a way of salvation that is far better than the religion of the Pharisees. So now they were gathering together in spite of the Pharisees instructions and they were worshipping Jesus as the risen Lord! Now they didn’t have to just act like they love God out of fear for what might happen to them if they didn’t. Now they genuinely do love God because they see how much he loves them.
So these believers in Jesus met together, not out of any obligation, but out of a genuine heartfelt desire to return and give thanks for so great a salvation. This is the chief distinction between faith in Jesus and any other worldly religion. It is this. Do you obey any of the commandments of your religion so that you get a chance at heaven? Or do you love truly love God for who he is? Do you love Him so that he will save you or do you really love him because he has already saved you in Christ?
The one thing that no other religion understands, not even the Jews of Jesus’ day got it, is that God loved us first. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, (that is the eternal second person of the trinity who is also God) so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. In other words, you don’t earn salvation. You can’t be good enough so that God says, “Oh that was pretty good, I’ll save you and let you into heaven.” No salvation from God through Christ is a totally free gift. I love God not so that he might save me but because he already has. Now I obey his teachings and calling, not because I have to but because I want to. And I am not even very good at it. But neither is anybody else and in a good church we can all be honest about that, patient with each other. No masks of, “Oh I’m a good person because I am in church.” No masks! No hiding behind behaviors like that. We can be patient with each other and supportive of one another. And most of all I love Jesus because he loved me first, not so that he might love me back.
That’s the main thing that all those first believers at the beginning of the church had in common, a genuine love relationship with Jesus, their praise and worship was heartfelt and sincere, the way anybody will give thanks for anyone who actually does rescue them from danger. Have you ever seen a firefighter get punched instead of hugged by the person he carried out of the burning building? Have you even seen a flood victim push the boat away instead of get in and get to safety? Salvation is being offered. Why reject it? It could happen, but we call those people crazy for not appreciating their savior!
The main reason the believers gathered together, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer was to celebrate their new life and to make sure of it. They wanted to worship God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing in our text that says they were supposed to build a building, or create events or programs that might draw people to listen to the gospel and maybe they would believe. The Scripture does say that they were filled with awe and wonder. That is the effect of learning how much God really loves you, in spite of your sin. And it does say that the Lord added to their number daily. But that is the thing that God does.
And the way God did it was by making the new believers into people who became very loving and kind and gentle and helpful. Not perfectly. We can never get past being humble and honest about our shortcomings. But still, filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, they loved their neighbors as themselves and thus fulfilled the second greatest commandment, and again, not because they had to but because they had been given a new heart filled with love and it just poured out of their grateful hearts to love anybody that they came across! So look what happened. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
No program or event can have the same lasting impact as people who are just, in their nature, filled with the love of God for all people. So while the devotion to the Word and fellowship and prayer may seem like too much of an inward focus, it really has an outward result; lives lived as the light of the world! People in love with God who go out and make disciples just because their excited about Jesus and can’t stop talking about him.
Why does each believer attend worship services? We love Jesus and we long to be led by his Spirit and we know that often happens, mostly happens, when we worship together.
So let’s move on to my second and third questions. They won’t take nearly as long to answer. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To rejoice with the angels in heaven over their salvation. To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! But it should not be anything like, we need more people to keep the ministry going. It should not be couched at all in any idea that people ought to go to church because they are supposed to know what’s good for them. No, we’re having a party! The more the merrier! All are invited! And we love one another. We care about each other.
And we can’t make that happen unless we are very hospitable, friendly, blessing people with what they can appreciate, what they’re looking for. Here’s a very silly example. We all love ice cream? Well, how long do you think an ice cream shop would stay in business if the only flavors they serve are broccoli and spinach and they insist that it is right because veggies are good for you? Similarly though, when people enter these doors, if what we’re offering isn’t helpful and enjoyable to them, why would they ever come back?
People don’t need rules and regulations. They also don’t need to be just entertained. They need and encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ who loves them like crazy and you and I get to be the people who show them that love. We are his hands and feet, his kind hands and his feet ready at a moment’s notice to run and help anybody who needs it. The more we can live like that, the more people will be interested in what is going on here and it will be the Lord who moves their hearts to want to find out and join us. The Lord will add to our number.
So why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! And finally, why does God want us to come together in worship? The Biblical answer is in Hebrews 10: 23-25 where we read, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And [here comes the fun part] let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
So apparently, already when the book of Hebrews was written, some Christians were in the habit of giving up in church. “We don’t need to meet together.” And still today many people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Salvation is by faith in Jesus, not by going to church.” Well, while that’s technically true, that going to church and being around other believers doesn’t make you a Christian, nevertheless, if you’re a true Christian, you’ll have a desire to be around other believers in a regular basis. You have fun together.
In addition, the passage in Hebrews teaches us clearly that without the God given of habit of corporate worship and the God given mandate of corporate accountability we will not prove faithful over the long haul. If we don’t come together for worship and spur one another on, who’s going to stimulate growth? There’s a reason why it says, “spur” one another on. Anybody that knows horses knows what spurs do. We like to think that we’re naturally inclined to be faithful without any help from anybody. But the truth is we need the spurs for the same reason the horse does, to go a little faster.
It is a humbling thing to accept the fact that God inspired, God inspired the Biblical author to say “Spur one another on!” and not just be nice to each other, encourage one another, or even pat each other on the back. But “spur one another on!” Push for it! It’s humbling. But it’s good too. It is in church that we have the best opportunity to face up to our shortcomings without feeling the sting of condemnation as we love each other and accept each other, “warts and all” as they say. Showing grace and forgiveness as Jesus did, that the atmosphere in which we find strength to make progress and find that we can help each other along the way. There is no more fertile ground for our growth to Christian spiritual maturity than in loving, heartfelt community worship that is attentive to the Word of God and rejoicing in the fellowship of believers.
So why does God want us to come together in worship? Well, He loves it when his kids all enjoy each other’s company, and what Father would not enjoy his family all together, singing praises of thanksgiving for what a wonderful Father he is? As we keep uppermost in our hearts and minds the practices and especially the attitudes of the earliest grateful believers, we will indeed spend all our lives praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and this will change us into people who really do look Christ-like in the way we love our neighbors and we might even be blessed to see signs and wonders of answered prayers and the Lord will indeed add to our numbers as he sees that we are a healthy place where new believers will be encouraged and who will grow into mature Christians and that’s a beautiful thing. Amen!
Message: Why do We Attend Worship Services
Acts 2: 42-47
Listen link: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
Good news! Jesus loves you just the way you are! And so do I! I also happen to believe that Jesus offers you a new and better life, better than anything you could ever imagine. All it takes is a little willingness on your part to learn what it really means to be a Christian. And we are here to help each other out. None of us have it right yet. We’re all struggling to get it right. But we live in atmosphere of love and acceptance where we will celebrate what is good and help each other work on the things that need work.
This weekly worship service is focused on the good things that God has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord, and on the good things in store for us as we open up to each other and to God and share our lives together. It’s all about Jesus! He wants us to enjoy and abundant life, not necessarily in material blessings but the spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
We have a reliable guide for good living in the Bible. The Old Testament is the history of God’s people, with lots of examples, both good and bad to learn from, plus prophecies about Jesus and the gospel that saves us. The New Testament is the revelation of Jesus, the announcement of the gospel of God’s great love and the teachings of the Apostles so that we learn how to respond to God and to each other. We’re not left in the dark to figure it all out by ourselves. God has told us everything, and it’s all good news that we get that kind of help from God in heaven.
There is a hard part though. We have to face the fact that we are born with a sinful evil desire to want things our own way and we start out life trying to believe that we don’t need God or his wisdom. But once we humble ourselves before that, there is no condemnation. God gives us power to live for him, and gifts to serve each other as well.
Oh, there is something else about that hard part. All human beings really are religious people. Even the atheists, don’t believe in God, religiously! Most of us do believe in God. But we don’t really want to hear from God unless he is going to tell us what we want him to say. There is even a warning about that among the teachings of the Apostles. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
And one more thing, we do have a tendency to lose sight of what God really wants for us, and we have this tendency to go back to being just religious, the way the rest of the world is religious, looking at rules and regulations and obligations and losing our freedom in Christ.
So I wanted to look again at Acts 2:42-47 and ask the questions, what is the church supposed to do? And why does it exist? My outline for exploring these issues will be to answer three related questions. 1. Why does each believer attend worship services? 2. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? And 3. Why does God want us to come together in worship?
To the first question, “Why does each believer attend worship services?” The answer given in Acts 2:42-47 can be summed up to mean, they loved God and they loved each other. So they were enjoying hanging out together on this common theme of the grace they had received through faith in Jesus Christ. But why did they love God? Was it because they were good religious people who wanted to obey the greatest commandment? They knew the commandment, “Love the You’re your God with all your heart, with all your mind with all your strength and with all your soul.” But is that why they were now gathering together, against the will of the Pharisees who had taught them that great commandment? The Pharisees had been telling them all their lives that the way you show your love for God to fulfill that great commandment is by obeying all the commandments, being a good person and honoring the Pharisees who were teaching them the laws of God and who were making the sacrifices for them at the temple so that they could be forgiven of any sins.
Many people attending church today still think about it the way the world thinks about it. It’s what you’re supposed to do. Maybe it’s because they grew up that way or they think they have to in order to get on God’s good side. That thinking is what allows people to believe that it doesn’t matter what church you go to or what religion you follow as long as you believe something about God and try to live a good life. There is this assumption that we all worship the same God no matter what you call him. But that is not so. The real worshippers of God do so because they have had a personal encounter with him, not because they are trying to obey all the rules.
The same Pharisees who were telling everybody how to get in good with God had called for the crucifixion of Jesus. They didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. They didn’t believe they needed any adjustment to their religion. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus, their own Messiah, and now these new believers were rejecting their former religious ways because the Christians had had an encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ by the power of eth Holy Spirit.
Something had happened to them. They had been with Jesus. They had seen him die on the cross, they had seen or heard about his resurrection and they understood what it meant, that God loves his people and has provided a way of salvation that is far better than the religion of the Pharisees. So now they were gathering together in spite of the Pharisees instructions and they were worshipping Jesus as the risen Lord! Now they didn’t have to just act like they love God out of fear for what might happen to them if they didn’t. Now they genuinely do love God because they see how much he loves them.
So these believers in Jesus met together, not out of any obligation, but out of a genuine heartfelt desire to return and give thanks for so great a salvation. This is the chief distinction between faith in Jesus and any other worldly religion. It is this. Do you obey any of the commandments of your religion so that you get a chance at heaven? Or do you love truly love God for who he is? Do you love Him so that he will save you or do you really love him because he has already saved you in Christ?
The one thing that no other religion understands, not even the Jews of Jesus’ day got it, is that God loved us first. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, (that is the eternal second person of the trinity who is also God) so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. In other words, you don’t earn salvation. You can’t be good enough so that God says, “Oh that was pretty good, I’ll save you and let you into heaven.” No salvation from God through Christ is a totally free gift. I love God not so that he might save me but because he already has. Now I obey his teachings and calling, not because I have to but because I want to. And I am not even very good at it. But neither is anybody else and in a good church we can all be honest about that, patient with each other. No masks of, “Oh I’m a good person because I am in church.” No masks! No hiding behind behaviors like that. We can be patient with each other and supportive of one another. And most of all I love Jesus because he loved me first, not so that he might love me back.
That’s the main thing that all those first believers at the beginning of the church had in common, a genuine love relationship with Jesus, their praise and worship was heartfelt and sincere, the way anybody will give thanks for anyone who actually does rescue them from danger. Have you ever seen a firefighter get punched instead of hugged by the person he carried out of the burning building? Have you even seen a flood victim push the boat away instead of get in and get to safety? Salvation is being offered. Why reject it? It could happen, but we call those people crazy for not appreciating their savior!
The main reason the believers gathered together, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer was to celebrate their new life and to make sure of it. They wanted to worship God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing in our text that says they were supposed to build a building, or create events or programs that might draw people to listen to the gospel and maybe they would believe. The Scripture does say that they were filled with awe and wonder. That is the effect of learning how much God really loves you, in spite of your sin. And it does say that the Lord added to their number daily. But that is the thing that God does.
And the way God did it was by making the new believers into people who became very loving and kind and gentle and helpful. Not perfectly. We can never get past being humble and honest about our shortcomings. But still, filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, they loved their neighbors as themselves and thus fulfilled the second greatest commandment, and again, not because they had to but because they had been given a new heart filled with love and it just poured out of their grateful hearts to love anybody that they came across! So look what happened. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
No program or event can have the same lasting impact as people who are just, in their nature, filled with the love of God for all people. So while the devotion to the Word and fellowship and prayer may seem like too much of an inward focus, it really has an outward result; lives lived as the light of the world! People in love with God who go out and make disciples just because their excited about Jesus and can’t stop talking about him.
Why does each believer attend worship services? We love Jesus and we long to be led by his Spirit and we know that often happens, mostly happens, when we worship together.
So let’s move on to my second and third questions. They won’t take nearly as long to answer. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To rejoice with the angels in heaven over their salvation. To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! But it should not be anything like, we need more people to keep the ministry going. It should not be couched at all in any idea that people ought to go to church because they are supposed to know what’s good for them. No, we’re having a party! The more the merrier! All are invited! And we love one another. We care about each other.
And we can’t make that happen unless we are very hospitable, friendly, blessing people with what they can appreciate, what they’re looking for. Here’s a very silly example. We all love ice cream? Well, how long do you think an ice cream shop would stay in business if the only flavors they serve are broccoli and spinach and they insist that it is right because veggies are good for you? Similarly though, when people enter these doors, if what we’re offering isn’t helpful and enjoyable to them, why would they ever come back?
People don’t need rules and regulations. They also don’t need to be just entertained. They need and encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ who loves them like crazy and you and I get to be the people who show them that love. We are his hands and feet, his kind hands and his feet ready at a moment’s notice to run and help anybody who needs it. The more we can live like that, the more people will be interested in what is going on here and it will be the Lord who moves their hearts to want to find out and join us. The Lord will add to our number.
So why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! And finally, why does God want us to come together in worship? The Biblical answer is in Hebrews 10: 23-25 where we read, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And [here comes the fun part] let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
So apparently, already when the book of Hebrews was written, some Christians were in the habit of giving up in church. “We don’t need to meet together.” And still today many people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Salvation is by faith in Jesus, not by going to church.” Well, while that’s technically true, that going to church and being around other believers doesn’t make you a Christian, nevertheless, if you’re a true Christian, you’ll have a desire to be around other believers in a regular basis. You have fun together.
In addition, the passage in Hebrews teaches us clearly that without the God given of habit of corporate worship and the God given mandate of corporate accountability we will not prove faithful over the long haul. If we don’t come together for worship and spur one another on, who’s going to stimulate growth? There’s a reason why it says, “spur” one another on. Anybody that knows horses knows what spurs do. We like to think that we’re naturally inclined to be faithful without any help from anybody. But the truth is we need the spurs for the same reason the horse does, to go a little faster.
It is a humbling thing to accept the fact that God inspired, God inspired the Biblical author to say “Spur one another on!” and not just be nice to each other, encourage one another, or even pat each other on the back. But “spur one another on!” Push for it! It’s humbling. But it’s good too. It is in church that we have the best opportunity to face up to our shortcomings without feeling the sting of condemnation as we love each other and accept each other, “warts and all” as they say. Showing grace and forgiveness as Jesus did, that the atmosphere in which we find strength to make progress and find that we can help each other along the way. There is no more fertile ground for our growth to Christian spiritual maturity than in loving, heartfelt community worship that is attentive to the Word of God and rejoicing in the fellowship of believers.
So why does God want us to come together in worship? Well, He loves it when his kids all enjoy each other’s company, and what Father would not enjoy his family all together, singing praises of thanksgiving for what a wonderful Father he is? As we keep uppermost in our hearts and minds the practices and especially the attitudes of the earliest grateful believers, we will indeed spend all our lives praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and this will change us into people who really do look Christ-like in the way we love our neighbors and we might even be blessed to see signs and wonders of answered prayers and the Lord will indeed add to our numbers as he sees that we are a healthy place where new believers will be encouraged and who will grow into mature Christians and that’s a beautiful thing. Amen!
Acts 2: 42-47
Listen link: http://www.firstcovenantcadillac.org/#!this-weeks-sermon/c20mw
Good news! Jesus loves you just the way you are! And so do I! I also happen to believe that Jesus offers you a new and better life, better than anything you could ever imagine. All it takes is a little willingness on your part to learn what it really means to be a Christian. And we are here to help each other out. None of us have it right yet. We’re all struggling to get it right. But we live in atmosphere of love and acceptance where we will celebrate what is good and help each other work on the things that need work.
This weekly worship service is focused on the good things that God has done for us in Christ Jesus our Lord, and on the good things in store for us as we open up to each other and to God and share our lives together. It’s all about Jesus! He wants us to enjoy and abundant life, not necessarily in material blessings but the spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
We have a reliable guide for good living in the Bible. The Old Testament is the history of God’s people, with lots of examples, both good and bad to learn from, plus prophecies about Jesus and the gospel that saves us. The New Testament is the revelation of Jesus, the announcement of the gospel of God’s great love and the teachings of the Apostles so that we learn how to respond to God and to each other. We’re not left in the dark to figure it all out by ourselves. God has told us everything, and it’s all good news that we get that kind of help from God in heaven.
There is a hard part though. We have to face the fact that we are born with a sinful evil desire to want things our own way and we start out life trying to believe that we don’t need God or his wisdom. But once we humble ourselves before that, there is no condemnation. God gives us power to live for him, and gifts to serve each other as well.
Oh, there is something else about that hard part. All human beings really are religious people. Even the atheists, don’t believe in God, religiously! Most of us do believe in God. But we don’t really want to hear from God unless he is going to tell us what we want him to say. There is even a warning about that among the teachings of the Apostles. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
And one more thing, we do have a tendency to lose sight of what God really wants for us, and we have this tendency to go back to being just religious, the way the rest of the world is religious, looking at rules and regulations and obligations and losing our freedom in Christ.
So I wanted to look again at Acts 2:42-47 and ask the questions, what is the church supposed to do? And why does it exist? My outline for exploring these issues will be to answer three related questions. 1. Why does each believer attend worship services? 2. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? And 3. Why does God want us to come together in worship?
To the first question, “Why does each believer attend worship services?” The answer given in Acts 2:42-47 can be summed up to mean, they loved God and they loved each other. So they were enjoying hanging out together on this common theme of the grace they had received through faith in Jesus Christ. But why did they love God? Was it because they were good religious people who wanted to obey the greatest commandment? They knew the commandment, “Love the You’re your God with all your heart, with all your mind with all your strength and with all your soul.” But is that why they were now gathering together, against the will of the Pharisees who had taught them that great commandment? The Pharisees had been telling them all their lives that the way you show your love for God to fulfill that great commandment is by obeying all the commandments, being a good person and honoring the Pharisees who were teaching them the laws of God and who were making the sacrifices for them at the temple so that they could be forgiven of any sins.
Many people attending church today still think about it the way the world thinks about it. It’s what you’re supposed to do. Maybe it’s because they grew up that way or they think they have to in order to get on God’s good side. That thinking is what allows people to believe that it doesn’t matter what church you go to or what religion you follow as long as you believe something about God and try to live a good life. There is this assumption that we all worship the same God no matter what you call him. But that is not so. The real worshippers of God do so because they have had a personal encounter with him, not because they are trying to obey all the rules.
The same Pharisees who were telling everybody how to get in good with God had called for the crucifixion of Jesus. They didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. They didn’t believe they needed any adjustment to their religion. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus, their own Messiah, and now these new believers were rejecting their former religious ways because the Christians had had an encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ by the power of eth Holy Spirit.
Something had happened to them. They had been with Jesus. They had seen him die on the cross, they had seen or heard about his resurrection and they understood what it meant, that God loves his people and has provided a way of salvation that is far better than the religion of the Pharisees. So now they were gathering together in spite of the Pharisees instructions and they were worshipping Jesus as the risen Lord! Now they didn’t have to just act like they love God out of fear for what might happen to them if they didn’t. Now they genuinely do love God because they see how much he loves them.
So these believers in Jesus met together, not out of any obligation, but out of a genuine heartfelt desire to return and give thanks for so great a salvation. This is the chief distinction between faith in Jesus and any other worldly religion. It is this. Do you obey any of the commandments of your religion so that you get a chance at heaven? Or do you love truly love God for who he is? Do you love Him so that he will save you or do you really love him because he has already saved you in Christ?
The one thing that no other religion understands, not even the Jews of Jesus’ day got it, is that God loved us first. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, (that is the eternal second person of the trinity who is also God) so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. In other words, you don’t earn salvation. You can’t be good enough so that God says, “Oh that was pretty good, I’ll save you and let you into heaven.” No salvation from God through Christ is a totally free gift. I love God not so that he might save me but because he already has. Now I obey his teachings and calling, not because I have to but because I want to. And I am not even very good at it. But neither is anybody else and in a good church we can all be honest about that, patient with each other. No masks of, “Oh I’m a good person because I am in church.” No masks! No hiding behind behaviors like that. We can be patient with each other and supportive of one another. And most of all I love Jesus because he loved me first, not so that he might love me back.
That’s the main thing that all those first believers at the beginning of the church had in common, a genuine love relationship with Jesus, their praise and worship was heartfelt and sincere, the way anybody will give thanks for anyone who actually does rescue them from danger. Have you ever seen a firefighter get punched instead of hugged by the person he carried out of the burning building? Have you even seen a flood victim push the boat away instead of get in and get to safety? Salvation is being offered. Why reject it? It could happen, but we call those people crazy for not appreciating their savior!
The main reason the believers gathered together, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer was to celebrate their new life and to make sure of it. They wanted to worship God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing in our text that says they were supposed to build a building, or create events or programs that might draw people to listen to the gospel and maybe they would believe. The Scripture does say that they were filled with awe and wonder. That is the effect of learning how much God really loves you, in spite of your sin. And it does say that the Lord added to their number daily. But that is the thing that God does.
And the way God did it was by making the new believers into people who became very loving and kind and gentle and helpful. Not perfectly. We can never get past being humble and honest about our shortcomings. But still, filled with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, they loved their neighbors as themselves and thus fulfilled the second greatest commandment, and again, not because they had to but because they had been given a new heart filled with love and it just poured out of their grateful hearts to love anybody that they came across! So look what happened. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
No program or event can have the same lasting impact as people who are just, in their nature, filled with the love of God for all people. So while the devotion to the Word and fellowship and prayer may seem like too much of an inward focus, it really has an outward result; lives lived as the light of the world! People in love with God who go out and make disciples just because their excited about Jesus and can’t stop talking about him.
Why does each believer attend worship services? We love Jesus and we long to be led by his Spirit and we know that often happens, mostly happens, when we worship together.
So let’s move on to my second and third questions. They won’t take nearly as long to answer. Why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To rejoice with the angels in heaven over their salvation. To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! But it should not be anything like, we need more people to keep the ministry going. It should not be couched at all in any idea that people ought to go to church because they are supposed to know what’s good for them. No, we’re having a party! The more the merrier! All are invited! And we love one another. We care about each other.
And we can’t make that happen unless we are very hospitable, friendly, blessing people with what they can appreciate, what they’re looking for. Here’s a very silly example. We all love ice cream? Well, how long do you think an ice cream shop would stay in business if the only flavors they serve are broccoli and spinach and they insist that it is right because veggies are good for you? Similarly though, when people enter these doors, if what we’re offering isn’t helpful and enjoyable to them, why would they ever come back?
People don’t need rules and regulations. They also don’t need to be just entertained. They need and encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ who loves them like crazy and you and I get to be the people who show them that love. We are his hands and feet, his kind hands and his feet ready at a moment’s notice to run and help anybody who needs it. The more we can live like that, the more people will be interested in what is going on here and it will be the Lord who moves their hearts to want to find out and join us. The Lord will add to our number.
So why do believers want others to join us in worship? The answer must be, to add to the joy! To build up God’s kingdom or family! To see them saved! To join the party and the celebration of life in Christ! And finally, why does God want us to come together in worship? The Biblical answer is in Hebrews 10: 23-25 where we read, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And [here comes the fun part] let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
So apparently, already when the book of Hebrews was written, some Christians were in the habit of giving up in church. “We don’t need to meet together.” And still today many people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Salvation is by faith in Jesus, not by going to church.” Well, while that’s technically true, that going to church and being around other believers doesn’t make you a Christian, nevertheless, if you’re a true Christian, you’ll have a desire to be around other believers in a regular basis. You have fun together.
In addition, the passage in Hebrews teaches us clearly that without the God given of habit of corporate worship and the God given mandate of corporate accountability we will not prove faithful over the long haul. If we don’t come together for worship and spur one another on, who’s going to stimulate growth? There’s a reason why it says, “spur” one another on. Anybody that knows horses knows what spurs do. We like to think that we’re naturally inclined to be faithful without any help from anybody. But the truth is we need the spurs for the same reason the horse does, to go a little faster.
It is a humbling thing to accept the fact that God inspired, God inspired the Biblical author to say “Spur one another on!” and not just be nice to each other, encourage one another, or even pat each other on the back. But “spur one another on!” Push for it! It’s humbling. But it’s good too. It is in church that we have the best opportunity to face up to our shortcomings without feeling the sting of condemnation as we love each other and accept each other, “warts and all” as they say. Showing grace and forgiveness as Jesus did, that the atmosphere in which we find strength to make progress and find that we can help each other along the way. There is no more fertile ground for our growth to Christian spiritual maturity than in loving, heartfelt community worship that is attentive to the Word of God and rejoicing in the fellowship of believers.
So why does God want us to come together in worship? Well, He loves it when his kids all enjoy each other’s company, and what Father would not enjoy his family all together, singing praises of thanksgiving for what a wonderful Father he is? As we keep uppermost in our hearts and minds the practices and especially the attitudes of the earliest grateful believers, we will indeed spend all our lives praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and this will change us into people who really do look Christ-like in the way we love our neighbors and we might even be blessed to see signs and wonders of answered prayers and the Lord will indeed add to our numbers as he sees that we are a healthy place where new believers will be encouraged and who will grow into mature Christians and that’s a beautiful thing. Amen!
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