ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FACEING THOSE IN THE CHURCH IS HOW TO MOVE
FROM WHERE WE ARE IN OUR SPIRITURAL JOURNEY TO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO BE.
IT IS ONE THING TO KNOW HOW GOD MEASURES OUR MATURITY---THE DEGREE
OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE THAT EXIST IN OUR CHURCH.--BUT IT IS QUITE
ANOTHER TO KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE THIS KIND OF MATURITY IN ORDER TO
MEASURE UP TO "THE STATUE OF THE FULLNESS OF
CHRIST"
1. WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCES DO BELIEVERS NEED TO BECOME A DYNAMIC CHURCH?
THESE EXPEERIENCES MUST GROW OUT OF THE ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS
OUTLINED AND DESCRIBED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
THESE KINDS OF EXPERIENCES ARE NEEDED BY BELIEVERS EVERYWHERE. NO
MATTER WHAT THEIR BASIC ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC STATUS, CULTURAL
BACKGROUND AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES.
2. WHAT KIND OF FORMS AND STRUCTURES SHOULD BE DEVELOPED TO
PROVIDE OUR BELIEVERS WITH THESE EXPERIENCES?
WE NEED TO DEVELOP PATTERNS AND USE METHODS IN OUR OWN "CULTURAL
MOMENT" THAT HELPS US DO THE VERY PEST POSSIBLE JOB WE CAN IN
APPLYING NEW TESTAMENT PRINCIPLES OF CHURCH LIVE.
IF WE NEED "NEW WINE SKINS" WE NEED TO DO IT.
IF "OLD WINE SKINS" WILL DO THE JOB, GOOD
WE NEED TO BE THOROUGHLY BIBLICAL AND YET CULTURALLY RELEVANT.
"ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN SO SOME CAN BE WON."
3. WE NEED TO BE TOTALLY OPEN TO THE DIVINE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS SAID THAT HE WOULD BUILD HIS CHURCH (MATTHEW 16:18)
THEREFORE PRAYER NEEDS TO BE A VITAL PART OF ALL THAT WE DO.
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II. IN DESCRIBING THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM, LUKE OUTLINED
STEP-BY-STEP WHAT TOOK PLACE IN THOSE DAYS. LOOK AT THE
FOLLOWING THREE FUNDAMENTAL AND VITAL EXPERIENCES.
A. A VITAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH THE WORD OF GOD.
"AND THEY CONTINUED STEADFASTLY IN THE APOSTLES' DOCTRINE.
(ACTS 2:24a)
ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, GREAT CONVICTION CAME INTO THE HEARTS OF A
GREAT MULTITUDE OF PERT'S FELLOW JEWS--BOTH THE RESIDENTS OF
JERUSALEM AND JUDEA AS WELL AS THE GREEK-SPEAKING AND GOD-FEARING
JEWS THAT HAD COME FROM ALL OVER THE NEW TESTAMENT WORLD.
"ABOUT THREE THOUSAND" PEOPLE WERE CONVEERTED TO JESUS CHRIST AND
WERE PUBLICLY BAPTIZED ON THAT VERY DAY, DEMONSTRATING THEIR
ALLIGIANCE TO JESUS CHRIST.
FROM THAT OINT FORWARD, THSES BELIEVEERS "CONTINUED STEADFASTLY IN
THE APOSTLE'S DOCTRINE". WHAT THE APOSTLES TAUGHT THAT DAY AND THE
DAYS THAT FOLLOWED WAS WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED FROM JESUS CHRIST,
HIMSELF.
PETER SAID ONLY AS CHRISTIANS "DESIRE THE PURE MILK OF THE WORD" WILL
THEY GROW IN THEIR CHRISTIAN LIVES.
PAUL ELABORATES : "SO THAN FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING BY
THE WORD OF GOD." (ROMANS10:17)
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHRISTIANS TO MATURE IN FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE
WITHOUT A KNOWLEDGE OF THE "APOSTLES' DOCTRINE" AS IT APPEARS IN
SCRIPTURE.
THE WORD OF GOD GIVES US SOMETHING TO "BELIEVE IN" --OUR FAITH
(EPHESIANS 4:19). THE WORD OF GOD KEEPS US FROM BEING "TOSSED TO AND
FRO AND CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE" --OUR STEADFAST
HOPE (EPHESIANS 4:14) THE WORD OF GOD DEMONSTRATES WHAT
TRUE LOVE REALLY IS. WITHOUT THE HISTORICAL RECORD OF WHAT JESUS
CHRIST DID FOR THE WHOLE WORLD IN GIVING HIS LIFE, WE WOULD NEVER
KNOW THE TRUE ESSENCE OF SACRIFICIAL AND SELF GIVING IN LOVE
(I JOHN 3:16)
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B. A VITAL RELATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH GOD.
"AND THEY CONTINUED STEADFASTLY I THE APOSTLES' DOCTRINE AND
FELLOWSHIP (ACTS 2:42b)
JERUSALEM CHRISTIANS DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO "THE APOSTLES'DOCTRINE"
OR TEACHING, BUT ALSO "TO FELLOWSHIP." LUKE USED THE GREEK WORK
"koinonia" WHICH MEANS TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE ANOTHER'S LIVES.
THEY ATE TOGETHER. BREAKING BREAD. IN MOST NEW TESTAMENT
CHURCHES THIS WAS MORE THAN HAVING COMMUNION PERIODICALLY. ON
OCCASION, THESE MEALS WERE CALLED "LOVE FEASTS"
THESE LOVE FEASTS WERE PATTERENED SOMEWHAT AFTER THE PASSOVER
MEAL.
IT WAS THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LOVING RELATIONSHIPS AT THE HUMAN LEVEL
THAT MADE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MEANINGFUL. HAVING DYNAMIC
RELATIONAL EXPERIENCES WITH ONE ANOTHER ENABLED THEM TO HAVE
DYNAMIC, WARM, AND REWARDING EXPERIENCES WITH GOD.(I JOHN 4:20)
THEY PRAYED TOGETHER. (ACTS 2:42)
THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, PRAYER WAS OFTEN IN THE CONTEXT OF
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS.
PRAYER WAS PUBLIC OR CORPORATE RATHER THAN PRIVATE. THEY INCLUDED
PRAYER IN ALL THEY DID.
THEY SHARED THEIR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
15 DAYS IN JERUSALEM, AND ON THE 15TH DAY PENTECOST HAPPENED.
THOUSANDS OF JEWS STAYED IN JERUSALEM. IT WAS A PROBLEM FOR THE
APOSTLES. HOW TO CARE FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE.
THROUGH THE CULTURAL DYNAMICS CHANGED ONCE THESE CHRISTIANS
UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS NOT GOD'S PLAN TO STAY IN JERUSALEM
INDEFINITELY. MANY MAINTAINED THEIR UNSELFISH AND GENEEROUS SPIRIT.
ONCE BELIEVERS UNDERSTAND HOW GRACIOUS GOD HAS BEEN TOWARD THEM
IN GIVING THE GIFT OF HIS SON, HOW CAN THEY DO LESS IN BUILDING THE
KINGDOM OF GOD.
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(MATTHEW 10:42) A CUP OF COLD WATER IN THE NAME OF THE LORD .
THEY PRAISED GOD TOGETHER.
(ACTS 2:46-47a)
AS THESE BELIEVERS PARTICIPATED IN THESE VARIOUS KINDS OF FELLOWSHIP
EXPERIENCES--EATING TOGETHER, PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER AND SHARING
THEIR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS--THEY WERE ALSO "PRAISING GOD."
MARK RECORDED THAT "WHEN THEY HAD SUNG A HYMN, THEY WENT OUT IN
TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES."
WE CAN SAFELY ASSUME THAT SINGING WAS AN INTRICATE PART OF THIS
PRAISE EXPERIENCES.
IT IS CLEAR THAT THESE NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANS IN JERUSALEM HAD
FOUR VITAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH GOD.
AS THEY ATE TOGETHER, THEY REMEMBERED THE LORD WITH HOLY COMMUNION.
AS THEY PRAYED FOR ONE ANOTHER, THEY FELLOWHIPPED WITH GOD.
AS THEY SHARED THEIR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS TO MEET EACH OTHER'S NEEDS. THEY
WERE WORSHIPING THE ONE WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR THEM.
AS THEY TAUGHT ONE ANOTHER WITH PSALMS AND HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL
SONGS, THEY WERE LIFTING THEIR VOCIES IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING TO GOD.
C. A VITAL WITNESSING EXPERIENCES WITH THE UNSAVED WORLD.
(ACTS 2:47)
LIKE MADE IT CLEAR THAT MANY OF THE NON-CHRISTIANS IN JEREUSALEM
WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH THIS NEW LIFESTYLE, THIS NEW FAITH IN CHRIST.
THE COMMUNITY OF LOVE BECAME THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT THAT
IMPRESSED THESE UNBELIEVERS.
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THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE CHURCH--BOTH NUMERICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY
HAPPENED BECAUSE CHRIST'S FOLLOWERS WERE CARRYING OUT HIS
COMMANDMENT WHICH HE TO THEM IN THE UPPER ROOM. JESUS SAID:"BY THIS
WILL ALL KNOW THAT YOUR ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE
ANOTHER." (JOHN 13:35)
KIND OF CHURCHES TODAY:
BIBLE TEACHING CHURCHES
RELATIONAL CHURCH
EVANGELIMS CHURCH
GOD'S PLAN IS FOR EVERY LOCAL CHURCH TO HAVE ALL THREE AND A BALANCE IN ALL THREE.
"HAVE A WALK WORTHLY OF THE LORD, FULLY PLEASING HIM" (COLOSSIANS 1:10)
