The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to change the world through healthy local churches that are marked by ten key elements of kingdom life.
These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.
The most powerful weapon in the hand of Almighty God for the building of the Kingdom of Christ is a healthy local church.
I’ve said that for years, and I continue to believe it with all my heart.
But what kind of church does God use? More specifically, how does the Holy Spirit work on a church of sinners to make it the kind of church that can turn the world upside-down… the kind of church that can be a colony of heaven and a dynamo of power for winning souls for all eternity? How can we define a healthy, Spirit-empowered church? What elements are there?
No book is better positioned than the Book of Acts to answer that question. For the Spirit’s power in and through Christ’s church is the theme of the entire book.
A healthy, world- changing church:
· Prays together
· Prays for boldness, not an end to persecution
· Trusts in the sovereignty of God
· Believes Bible is God’s word
· Exalts Jesus, God’s anointed servant
· Is empowered by the Spirit
· Proclaims God’s word boldly
· Is one in heart and mind
· Is selfless with resources
· Focuses on the resurrection
A healthy, world- changing church:
1. Prays together
Acts 4:23-24 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
· This is a consistent pattern of the early church
· In Acts 1, they were constantly together praying as they waited for the gift of the Holy Spirit
· On the Day of Pentecost, they were all together praying in one accord
· Corporate prayer is a consistent mark of spiritual power
o It fosters unity and humility
o Unity, because the church know it cannot accomplish the mission individually
o Humility, because the church knows it cannot accomplish the mission by their own strength, but only by the power of the Spirit
o This was a church of weak spiritual beggars who knew they had nothing to offer
o They knew the forces arrayed against them were vastly more powerful than they were
o They also knew that the power of the Spirit within them was infinitely more powerful than Satan and evil men
o BUT the power of the Spirit could only be unleased in answer to humble, faith-filled prayer
Matthew 17:20 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
2. Prays for boldness, not an end to persecution
· Context: the beginning of formal persecution by the Sanhedrin
Acts 4:18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:21 After further threats they let them go.
Acts 4:23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
· The larger context: hatred of Jesus Christ and opposition to his name
o They cite Psalm 2 which is directly about the world’s opposition to Christ
Acts 4:25-26 “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’
o They directly apply it to Jesus’ crucifixion by these same Jewish leaders
Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
o Jesus said his servants would be persecuted as he was
John 15:18 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
Matthew 10:25 If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
o Jesus said this persecution would result in great heavenly rewards
Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
· The church fully expected to be persecuted… therefore, they did not seek an end to the persecution… but instead BOLDNESS in the mission
Acts 4:29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
· Paul also prayed the same way
Ephesians 6:19-20 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
· We pray for this because we know our own weakness and fear of man
1 Corinthians 2:3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
3. Trusts in the sovereignty of God
· First, they rooted their worship of Almighty God in his work of creation
Acts 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
o The power God displayed in creating the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything in them is immeasurable
o The nations before him are as a drop from the bucket and dust on the scales
o When we are fearful of people, all we need do is pray to the God who made all things, and people should immediately shrink to nothing before such awesome power
· Secondly, they rooted their prayer to God in his sovereignty over all human history
o Specifically zeroing in on the persecution of Christ, they recite Psalm 2
Acts 4:25-26 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’
o The full messages of Psalm 2 shows Almighty God ruling actively over heaven and earth
o It depicts his will in establishing his Anointed One, Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords in the context of all human opposition
Psalm 2:1-6 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 3 “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
o It begins by asking WHY little humans think they can oppose GOD
o God mocks at their puny efforts… he laughs at their plots and schemes and rage and power
o He is GOD… they are but MEN
o He speaks of his decree concerning Jesus Christ
Psalm 2:7-9 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
o He warns all human rulers not to fight the kingdom of Christ
Psalm 2:10-12 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
o These are the themes in their minds as they prayed about the plots of Jesus’ enemies
o They directly linked Psalm 2 to the schemes of the Jews and of Pontius Pilate in crucifying Jesus
Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
o This is exactly what Psalm 2 said
o So WHY did it happen? God’s sovereign plan!!
Acts 4:28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
o God is actively ruling over the schemes and plots of all wicked, Christ-hating rulers on earth
o They can only do what God’s secret will has determined!
· Relying on God’s sovereignty in prayer gives the church power and boldness in missions and evangelism!
4. Believes Bible is God’s word
· As we’ve seen, they pray Psalm 2 back to God
· Powerful prayer is always based on scripture… scripture tells them how to pray and what to pray for
· Scripture feeds the faith that is essential to all powerful prayer
· BUT look how they introduce the quote of Psalm 2:
Acts 4:25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
· Foundational to the doctrine of scripture is the Holy Spirit’s work in all authors of every Bible text
· David wrote Psalm 2 under the direct inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
· Healthy, powerful, world-changing churches believe in the inspiration of every word of Scripture by the power of the Holy Spirit
· We believe that God is speaking to us in every word
· Also we believe every word of scripture is perfect… no errors
Psalm 12:6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
· The perfect words of scripture fuel our prayers and our actions
5. Exalts Jesus, God’s anointed servant
· The church’s prayer and mission is centered on Jesus Christ, specifically exalting and magnifying Christ
· Psalm 2 establishes Jesus as God’s anointed servant, Son, and the ruler over all the earth
Acts 4:26 his Anointed One
Acts 4:27 your holy servant Jesus
Acts 4:30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus
· Everything this powerful church is doing is to exalt Jesus Christ, to lift his name and take that name to the ends of the earth
6. Is empowered by the Spirit
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
· Apart from the Holy Spirit, the church can do nothing
· It is by the Spirit’s power alone that our weaknesses, sins, fears can be overcome
· It is by the Spirit’s power alone that our enemies melt away like snow
· It is by the Spirit’s power alone that people are convicted of their sins, repent and believe in Jesus Christ
· Verse 31 is the essence of REVIVAL… it is like a mini-Pentecost all over again
· The room was shaken like an earthquake and the Spirit was poured out on them again and they were filled with the Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly… with GREAT POWER
· This is such a vital concept that I want to spend a whole a sermon on it God willing, next time… throughout the history of the church, God has again and again poured out his Spirit in a small re-enactment of Pentecost to revive his church and empower it for holiness and evangelism
· MORE NEXT TIME!
7. Proclaims God’s word boldly
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
· The outpouring of the Spirit on the church is specifically linked to bold proclamation of the gospel
· They were FILLED with the Holy Spirit and SPOKE the Word of God BOLDLY
· No fear at all, despite the fact that these were the very people who had conspired against Jesus and had him murdered
· They spoke the word of God = the gospel
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
· The word of God, with the gospel at its center, must be proclaimed with great boldness
o We are calling on people to repent of their sins… to forsake them and turn in their lives to God through faith in Christ
o We are calling on people to see in Christ crucified the blood atonement that God demands for their sins
o We are calling on people to submit totally to Jesus as their Lord and King
o These things are all coming as COMMANDS from God on high
Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
· By the power of the Spirit these words can be spoken boldly, not in some weak, mealy-mouthed craven way
· We are ambassadors of the coming King; Jesus will come again as he described:
Matthew 24:30 They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
· This coming King is DEMANDING their repentance, faith, and full submission!
· So by the power of the Spirit, we speak these words BOLDLY, with NO FEAR
8. Is one in heart and mind
Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
· This healthy church didn’t just do evangelism… they had a beautiful life together!
· First, they displayed the ONENESS Jesus prayed for, patterned after the Trinity…
John 17:22-23 that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me
· The unity of the church is essential to its mission in the world; “TO LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT YOU SENT ME!”
o The world is at war with itself because people are at war internally with themselves
o But the church is made one in Christ and that is POWERFUL evangelistically
· The text says they were one in heart and mind (soul)… at the CORE of their very being, they agreed about the most important things in the world: God, Christ, life, death, possessions, time, purpose… everything came together around the word of God and the Kingdom of Christ
· Sin is the great divider… it fractures… it shatters… it divides…
· The work of the gospel in Christ and in the Spirit is to bring all things together and unify them
Ephesians 1:9-10 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment– to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
· They were fulfilling the second great commandment, to love their neighbors as themselves
9. Is selfless with resources
· Their unity and oneness in the love of the Spirit even extended to their possessions, their wealth
Acts 4:32 No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
Acts 4:34-37 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
· This kind of faith is supernatural… this kind of love is heavenly; in heaven, we will be completely liberated from selfishness and will perfectly fulfill the second great commandment at every moment
· These verses should not be hijacked in support of some political agenda; private ownership was still in place, as we will see in the next chapter with Peter’s statement to Ananias… he sold a property but only brought some of the money… then lied about the amount they gave
Acts 5:4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?
· So the generosity described at the end of Acts 4 wasn’t some early form of communism or socialism… just lavish Christian generosity
· Keep in mind that the persecution of Jewish Christians by Jewish non-Christians was in full swing at that point… the Jewish leaders threw out of the synagogue any Jew who declared faith in Jesus as the Messiah… that was actually established even while Jesus lived, as John 9 makes plain
· This would mean poverty… Jewish Christians would not be able to buy or sell or make a living; blackballed by their own people
· So the Spirit moved those with property to sell it… clear example was Barnabas… real name was Joseph… a Levite from the island of Cyprus
· The money these generous early Christians gained from such sales was PUT AT THE APOSTLES’ FEET… meaning the church trusted the apostles to do the right thing with it; they didn’t mandate how it was to be used
· Submission to God-ordained church authority
10. Focuses on the resurrection
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
· The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest event in human history… of course along with his atoning death… these two must always be taken together
· However, being crucified was nothing unusual; Jesus himself was crucified with two others that same day
· But someone rising from the dead, never to die again, that had never happened in history
· The testimony of the apostles to the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the centerpiece of the gospel they preached
· By his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ was clearly proven to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world
John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
· By this awesome message the early church turned the world upsidedown for Christ!
· Notice also that it says, MUCH GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL
· God’s grace is not just for conversion and initial faith in Christ;
James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
· As we turn to a final summary and evaluation, we need to ask for MORE GRACE… humbly and by faith!
Applications:
A healthy, world- changing church:
· Prays together
· Prays for boldness, not an end to persecution
· Trusts in the sovereignty of God
· Believes Bible is God’s word
· Exalts Jesus, God’s anointed servant
· Is empowered by the Spirit
· Proclaims God’s word boldly
· Is one in heart and mind
· Is selfless with resources
· Focuses on the resurrection
FBC Durham needs to look at this list as in a mirror… does this characterize US? And if we see any deficiencies, the answer must be repentance, faith, and prayer… followed by bold action!
Reaching this region of the world has been entrusted in part to us… as well as to all the true churches in this region. Christ will most certainly summon us to his Judgment Seat that we may give an account to him for each of these things.
As I look over this list, I can see some wonderful evidences of his grace to us already. We are a church that prays together regularly… but I know we could do more!
We are not a persecuted church generally; but I think our time is coming. Our society is becoming more and more hostile to the gospel. We have to pray for boldness, not a warm welcome from pagans. Many of us have testified that they let fear of man cause them to shrink back from witnessing. We need to repent from that and ask God for boldness.
We are a church that openly delights in the sovereignty of God… but I know we could trust in him more than ever.
We are a church that does delight in the person and work of Jesus Christ… let’s do so more and more. Let’s be willing boldly and clearly to proclaim his name to the world!
We are a church that relies on the Spirit’s power, but we should seek fresh outpourings of his power for witnessing more than ever before.
We are a church that proclaims God’s Word boldly here on Sunday mornings… but what about Monday at the workplace or at playgrounds or on airplanes or to servers at restaurants or to neighbors?
We are a wonderfully united church and have not had intramural squabbles for a long time. But we need to beware of how issues can come to divide us.
We are a often generous financially, but most of our people have no significant financial needs… no one is desperately needy. If the economy crashed or more poor people became members of FBC that would be tested. How selfless will we be then?
We are a church that delights in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Let’s tell people who don’t yet know him that “Christ is risen!”
