WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.700 Acts chapter 2. 00:00:03.500 --> 00:00:06.540 We're finishing our series this morning in daily things. 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:12.540 ! You might remember we've seen that the Lord daily bears our burdens. 00:00:12.540 --> 00:00:13.880 ! He bears us up. 00:00:14.939 --> 00:00:15.099 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.100 And so we are to be daily renewed and we are being daily renewed by God. 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:41.980 Outwardly decaying but inwardly being renewed. 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:46.980 And part of the Christian life is daily repenting. 00:00:47.260 --> 00:00:52.179 Daily we take up our cross forgiven and yet repenting. 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:55.659 And then we are to daily encourage one another to keep on going. 00:00:56.620 --> 00:00:59.939 And so today is the last daily unless you can find some more for me. 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:03.920 But I think the last daily we're going to see is actually about the church. 00:01:04.859 --> 00:01:07.540 And it is daily growth. 00:01:07.540 --> 00:01:11.280 So just look in verse 47. 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:18.319 That as the early church of Acts chapter 2 lived out being the church. 00:01:18.460 --> 00:01:20.120 When the church was the church. 00:01:20.819 --> 00:01:23.500 The Lord added to their number day by day. 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:25.840 Those who are being saved. 00:01:27.819 --> 00:01:28.879 Look at the start of the paragraph. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:29.640 Verse 42. 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:32.159 You can see that that early group of Christians. 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:33.500 They devoted themselves. 00:01:34.899 --> 00:01:37.299 They devoted themselves to certain things. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:39.359 And as a result of that. 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:42.340 They're devoting themselves to certain things. 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:43.599 They grew every day. 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:47.219 Living organisms grow don't they? 00:01:48.379 --> 00:01:50.560 So plants grow. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:51.159 Children. 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:51.560 Children. 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:52.560 You grow. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:52.980 Children. 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:55.200 You grow. 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:59.260 If they don't grow there's something wrong isn't there? 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:03.140 They're not receiving proper food or proper exercise. 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:07.620 They're subject to disease or the plant is in a poor environment. 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:10.539 And so living organisms grow. 00:02:10.980 --> 00:02:13.580 And the church is a living organism. 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:16.140 And so the church will grow. 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:19.020 Now there are different types of growth. 00:02:19.740 --> 00:02:22.380 All growth is not numerical growth. 00:02:23.260 --> 00:02:26.160 That's not the only way that growth can be measured. 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:30.580 We are to grow as Christians in grace and in Christ likeness. 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:31.780 In maturity. 00:02:32.220 --> 00:02:33.300 In knowledge. 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:39.400 And so it would be a mistake to think of growth just as in numbers. 00:02:41.140 --> 00:02:43.060 But it would be an equal mistake. 00:02:43.160 --> 00:02:45.020 And one to which I think we're more subject. 00:02:45.300 --> 00:02:46.980 To ignore the question of numbers. 00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:51.920 I think it's really too comfortable for you and I to say. 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:54.020 Well numerical growth isn't the only thing. 00:02:54.260 --> 00:02:55.140 There are other growth. 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:56.740 Other kinds of growth. 00:02:56.820 --> 00:02:57.500 And that is true. 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:01.320 But growth does include growth in numbers. 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:02.660 Look at verse 47 again. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:05.000 They praised God. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:06.260 They had favor with all the people. 00:03:06.420 --> 00:03:09.400 And the Lord added to their number day by day. 00:03:09.420 --> 00:03:10.680 Those who are being saved. 00:03:10.760 --> 00:03:12.660 So there's clearly numerical growth. 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:15.439 The church was getting bigger. 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:18.520 In the number of people who were coming. 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:22.860 And that phrase should strike our hearts. 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:25.120 There should be a longing. 00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:28.740 But the Lord added to their number day by day. 00:03:28.820 --> 00:03:30.420 Those who were being saved. 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:34.459 And I wonder what do we know of such numerical growth. 00:03:34.519 --> 00:03:39.199 It's the first of several summaries in the life of the church in the book of Acts. 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.019 There's another one in Acts 4, 32 to 37. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:44.739 There's a third one in Acts 5, 12 to 16. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:51.639 And Luke seems to have just a number of purposes in giving us these summaries of what church life was like. 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:55.299 One of them is to commend the faith. 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:56.979 He's writing to a man called Theophilus. 00:03:58.059 --> 00:03:59.259 To whom the book is addressed. 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:03.239 And he wants to show Theophilus what the church is like. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:07.839 He wants to defend the church against the critics in Roman society. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.580 And he's writing to show. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:15.680 He's writing these summaries to show that these Christians, they are peaceful. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:19.939 They are a positive influence and unit in society. 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:21.420 These people, they're not rebels. 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:22.879 They're not revolutionaries. 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:24.660 They're not disturbers of the peace. 00:04:26.819 --> 00:04:31.939 Luke is saying to us that the church is the community that the world is looking for. 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:37.779 But more than that, what Luke is doing is he's giving a blueprint to the church of God ever since. 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:43.699 This is what a vibrant, lively church should be like. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:49.420 Now I think we don't want to follow this passage slavishly and naively. 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:54.360 It is speaking, isn't it, of a time of revival. 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:57.500 There is an unusualness here. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:00.259 They're meeting together every day. 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:05.000 There's an excitement and an exceptional quality to this. 00:05:06.039 --> 00:05:11.360 I don't think Luke is saying this is how church life has to be in every detail from now on. 00:05:12.539 --> 00:05:14.519 We need to remember it's not a complete picture. 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:15.500 It's a summary. 00:05:16.939 --> 00:05:22.039 We're going to see, well we won't see, but as you go on in Acts, you'll see Ananias and Sapphira. 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:24.879 You'll see within this early church, they were hypocrites. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:25.599 It wasn't perfect. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:32.180 In chapter 6, you go and there are two groups that are grumbling about each other and they're jealous of each other. 00:05:33.320 --> 00:05:36.600 And one feels they're being aggrieved and the other feels they're being overlooked. 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:38.780 So it's not a perfect church. 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:45.239 But nonetheless, Luke is laying down for us marks of a healthy, growing church. 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:51.899 And there's four things that we'll see that the people of God, verse 42, devoted themselves to. 00:05:52.779 --> 00:05:54.919 It's a really interesting word, that word. 00:05:55.119 --> 00:05:57.519 That means they constantly focused on something. 00:05:59.119 --> 00:06:03.299 That means the early church, they were absolutely committed to something. 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:04.759 They were enthusiastic. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.560 And I think that's in itself a mark of a church. 00:06:09.939 --> 00:06:13.540 There are churches, aren't there, where nobody's very enthusiastic about anything. 00:06:14.660 --> 00:06:15.819 And they just turn up. 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:19.980 And they are lukewarm and they are half-hearted. 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:26.519 But in a church where there is life and there is health, there will be enthusiasm. 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:28.540 And there will be costly commitment. 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:31.340 And there will be devotion. 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:34.359 So four elements that we can see. 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:35.779 First of all, they were devoted to the word. 00:06:36.899 --> 00:06:37.539 Luke puts it there. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:41.779 He says they were devoted, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. 00:06:43.599 --> 00:06:46.679 This is immediately after Pentecost. 00:06:46.799 --> 00:06:51.539 It's immediately after when the Holy Spirit was sent upon the church. 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:53.799 The astounding work of the Holy Spirit. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.339 They spoke in tongues. 00:06:56.919 --> 00:06:59.059 They spoke in different languages. 00:06:59.059 --> 00:07:00.939 And others could understand them. 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:03.159 There was ecstasy. 00:07:03.379 --> 00:07:05.659 There were these amazing experiences. 00:07:07.219 --> 00:07:12.739 And we might think, well, the Christians in those days, those experiences were so remarkable. 00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:16.319 They would be far too enthusiastic just to get down to Bible study. 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.339 Who needs the word when we've got the spirit? 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:24.180 But that's not what we have, is it? 00:07:24.219 --> 00:07:26.560 The spirit is the spirit of truth. 00:07:27.719 --> 00:07:34.899 We're told in verse 41 that those who received the word, his word, were baptized. 00:07:34.899 --> 00:07:45.359 They entered the Christian life through hearing the word, and understanding the word, and responding to and obeying the word of God. 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:49.520 And so they continue their Christian life. 00:07:49.520 --> 00:07:50.620 Just as they began it. 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.060 It was word-based. 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:56.040 The people were hungry. 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:59.020 They couldn't get enough of this teaching. 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:04.340 This wonderful message of the restoration of the world in Jesus Christ. 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:06.400 There's so much, they said. 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:07.520 We want to learn. 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:08.439 We want to grow. 00:08:08.580 --> 00:08:09.379 We want to develop. 00:08:11.020 --> 00:08:15.960 And so this early church was marked by a passionate desire for the teaching of the apostles. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:18.160 They couldn't get enough of it. 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:25.660 I wonder whether the apostle Peter has got this in mind when he writes in his first epistle. 00:08:25.960 --> 00:08:28.439 Maybe he's remembering those days in Jerusalem. 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:38.060 He says, like newborn infants, long crave pure spiritual milk. 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:39.720 Speaking of the word of God. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.460 So that by it you may grow up in salvation. 00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:50.440 And so at the heart of every healthy, growing church I know, there is an emphasis on the centrality of the word. 00:08:52.700 --> 00:08:56.259 And at the heart of growth is strong preaching of the word. 00:08:58.040 --> 00:08:59.139 And it costs, doesn't it? 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:01.180 Verse 42, they devoted themselves. 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:08.460 That same word comes in chapter 6 and verse 4, where the apostles make a responsible commitment. 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:14.300 They say, as apostles we are going to devote ourselves to preaching and to prayer. 00:09:16.060 --> 00:09:23.019 And so it's when preachers devote themselves to preaching and when people devote themselves to hearing that both grow. 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:27.420 The word builds up believers. 00:09:29.180 --> 00:09:34.180 And God will send unbelievers to where they will hear the truth. 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:39.199 What's my job? 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:41.620 My job is to grow the grass. 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:44.120 To grow the grass. 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:45.819 To keep the grass. 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.359 Your job as the sheep is to come and eat the grass. 00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:54.539 And if you grow good grass, other sheep will come and eat it. 00:09:56.059 --> 00:09:57.299 But it's not only preaching, is it? 00:09:57.319 --> 00:09:58.839 They are to have a mutual ministry. 00:10:00.019 --> 00:10:01.339 But the word is central. 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:06.019 We have so many opportunities today to feed on the word. 00:10:07.560 --> 00:10:09.300 There are so many good books. 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:10.560 Probably too many. 00:10:11.780 --> 00:10:13.440 So many recordings, aren't there? 00:10:15.899 --> 00:10:16.940 Endless opportunities. 00:10:18.920 --> 00:10:20.860 Do we have a real hunger for the word of God? 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:22.240 To be in love with the Bible. 00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:23.320 An appetite for it. 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:25.900 To delight in God's word. 00:10:25.940 --> 00:10:27.120 To get into it and to feed on it. 00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:29.200 To come expectantly to hear the word of God. 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.500 Here's a mark of the healthy church. 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:37.080 Secondly, they firstly devote themselves to the word. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:39.000 And then secondly, they devote themselves to worship. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:42.020 Here's in verse 42. 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:48.520 They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:53.279 It could refer simply to eating together. 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:56.120 There's been a lot of talk about that the last kind of 10 years. 00:10:56.179 --> 00:10:57.759 If you look at kind of churches in the UK. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.879 That this is speaking about a kind of eating together. 00:11:00.939 --> 00:11:02.039 And the importance of eating together. 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:03.519 And there's some truth in that. 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:07.220 But I don't think that's what it's talking about here. 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:11.360 So can you just look at the way the ESV, I think, rightly has said. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:13.299 To the breaking of bread. 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:14.480 There's a definite article. 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:16.919 And the prayers. 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.079 So I think it's unlikely to have been a meal. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.759 I think it's far more likely to have been the Lord's Supper. 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:28.360 Which is referred to, isn't it, as the breaking of bread. 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:30.500 And the prayers. 00:11:31.199 --> 00:11:32.620 That is the public praying. 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:36.879 And so we find here they are devoted to sacrament. 00:11:38.259 --> 00:11:39.480 And prayer in worship. 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:44.419 It seems there was a healthy mix of formal and informal worship. 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:45.019 If you like it. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:47.220 If you like public and society meeting. 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:48.259 Look at verse 46. 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:54.759 And day by day, attending the temple together. 00:11:55.500 --> 00:11:56.779 And breaking bread in their homes. 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.360 They received their food with glad and generous hearts. 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.919 And Luke is going to tell us in chapter 3 and chapter 5. 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:08.059 That the Christians meet in Solomon's Portico. 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:08.860 You think of the temple. 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:11.299 They met the Christians in a kind of outer court. 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:16.939 And so they seem to have gathered there publicly every day to hear the preaching of the apostles. 00:12:17.359 --> 00:12:21.279 Together with this public gathering, they also met in homes. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:23.879 The details are unclear. 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:30.359 We can't get a fully orbed doctrine of the life of the church from this passage. 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:35.700 But what we do see is that the institution of the church already has a role. 00:12:37.019 --> 00:12:38.039 So look at verse 41. 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:43.580 Those who received his word were baptized. 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:50.759 And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:53.720 We can miss that. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:54.360 Verse 41. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:56.320 There's an element of formality there, isn't there? 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:02.040 There's an element of people being added to the church. 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:03.340 There were those who were not added. 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:05.560 And there were those who were added. 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:07.019 There's an element of formality. 00:13:07.300 --> 00:13:08.220 There is structure. 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:13.220 There is a kind of embryonic organization. 00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:15.220 They didn't just join themselves. 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:18.120 They met with the apostles or the leaders. 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:20.399 They received the sacrament of baptism. 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:23.320 And then they were counted as belonging to the church. 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.860 And there were those who belonged and those who didn't belong. 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:29.420 And the leaders knew who belonged and knew who didn't. 00:13:30.540 --> 00:13:33.160 And the apostles' teaching is the authoritative standard. 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:38.740 And so we have to understand them as committed to formal public worship together. 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:45.700 And we need to emphasize that because there's a kind of strain of thinking in lots of British churches 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:47.860 which says something like this. 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:49.860 Worship is just all of life. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:54.639 So they take Romans 12, which is a true statement. 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:59.379 They present your bodies as living sacrifices, as worship in all of life. 00:13:59.460 --> 00:14:01.080 And I want to fully agree with that. 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:04.220 Whether you work, eat, or play, you do it all to the glory of God. 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:10.960 But what often happens is it's said, well, Christian gatherings or assemblies, 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:15.800 they can take place anywhere, in any place, with any person. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:17.360 It doesn't really matter. 00:14:17.520 --> 00:14:18.500 Any time of day. 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:21.100 And so church is really just a group of Christians meeting together. 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:24.000 There's no essential rituals. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:32.620 The entire time we're together as the assembly, larger groups, smaller food, smaller groups over food, informally, one-to-one. 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:34.879 Everything is worship. 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:37.639 Everything that Christians do together, that is worship. 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:50.519 And I want to say to you, that blurs a distinctive of public worship, which is a key function and mark of the Holy Church, 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:52.659 of a healthy church, the public worship of God. 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:55.240 They devoted themselves to this worship. 00:14:55.240 --> 00:15:04.460 And so there are many churches today that have lost that sense of awe and reverence and majesty. 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:08.620 Where the focus is on ourselves and our needs. 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:11.560 And there's no sense of the greatness of God. 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:13.139 There's no sense of being overwhelmed. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:16.340 No sense of the fear of God. 00:15:16.340 --> 00:15:21.460 No sense of God is in this place and he's speaking to us. 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:22.500 How dreadful. 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:24.879 This is the gate of God. 00:15:25.420 --> 00:15:26.420 The gate of heaven. 00:15:26.940 --> 00:15:31.360 And the vertical aspect between the people of God and God has been lost. 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:32.540 It's all horizontal. 00:15:34.420 --> 00:15:36.879 Or it can more likely happen in churches like ours. 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:41.160 Where the sermon is exalted to a place where it doesn't belong. 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:45.940 Where the sermon or the talk becomes the be-all and the end-all. 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:50.820 And everything else is described as, well, the preliminaries. 00:15:52.380 --> 00:15:54.040 Those are the things we go through. 00:15:54.260 --> 00:15:56.820 But the real reason we come is we want to get to the sermon. 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:01.860 And the sermon then becomes, well, me transferring my notes to your notes. 00:16:02.520 --> 00:16:05.180 And it becomes an informative lecture. 00:16:07.060 --> 00:16:09.000 And we come to receive information. 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:11.320 And so our minds are fed. 00:16:13.400 --> 00:16:14.920 And it helps in our lives. 00:16:15.940 --> 00:16:18.420 But where is the worship? 00:16:20.900 --> 00:16:22.620 Where is the bowing down? 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:26.720 What is the reason this church exists? 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:32.379 The primary reason for this church is to exalt and to glorify and worship the great God. 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:37.799 And in verse 7, it is in praising God. 00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:40.879 And having favor with all the people. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.899 And the Lord added to their number day by day those who are being saved. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:47.259 That is to be the heart of our corporate and individual lives. 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:49.840 To be a people who are in love with God. 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:55.300 To be a people who are entranced with God. 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:56.680 Who delight in Him. 00:16:57.540 --> 00:17:00.700 And desire to exalt and glorify Him. 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:05.840 And we particularly need to be very careful. 00:17:08.840 --> 00:17:12.240 We try to worship after the biblical form. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:15.600 We talk about the regular principle. 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:17.200 We don't actually talk about it lots. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:19.400 But that's what we're striving to do on a Sunday. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:20.000 That is important. 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:20.519 What does it mean? 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.099 It means that we worship God as He commands. 00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:27.819 If I can put it this way. 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:30.079 That is the form. 00:17:31.539 --> 00:17:33.139 That is the container. 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:36.619 Of what we're trying to do. 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:39.980 We're trying to worship God in the way that God requires. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:42.920 It's the form. 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:43.680 It's the container. 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:44.379 It's the husk. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:45.579 But it's not the reality. 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:49.000 The reality is what? 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.059 It is the worship of God. 00:17:50.059 --> 00:17:51.559 It is the experience of God. 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.480 And the terrible danger for churches like ours. 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:59.240 Is that we just rely on the form. 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:01.539 And the container. 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:04.599 But actually at the heart of our worship. 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:06.700 There can be a coldness and an emptiness. 00:18:10.619 --> 00:18:12.200 I get really quite depressed. 00:18:12.940 --> 00:18:15.659 Kind of some of the contemporary modern worship movement. 00:18:15.659 --> 00:18:18.539 And you may know I'm not great fans of. 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:20.420 My charismatic friends. 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:22.879 No I am fans of my charismatic friends. 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:24.480 I'm not fans of. 00:18:25.159 --> 00:18:26.899 Of what they're trying to teach us about worship. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:30.539 But I do have to say. 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:30.819 Don't I. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:32.899 I think they've got lots to teach us in other ways. 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:35.420 There is a vibrancy. 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:36.060 There is a vibrancy. 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:37.500 And a heartfelt. 00:18:38.780 --> 00:18:39.800 Nature to what they do. 00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:41.540 And it's meaningful to them. 00:18:43.040 --> 00:18:44.060 We can't sing at the moment. 00:18:44.120 --> 00:18:45.180 It's driving me crazy isn't it. 00:18:45.280 --> 00:18:46.460 But when we can. 00:18:46.560 --> 00:18:48.160 Do we throw ourselves into singing? 00:18:50.080 --> 00:18:51.120 We can be in church. 00:18:52.120 --> 00:18:53.380 The form can be correct. 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.180 Where is the life and the passion? 00:18:56.180 --> 00:18:59.220 The sense that we are. 00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:01.120 Adoring this great God. 00:19:01.220 --> 00:19:02.080 And humbling ourselves. 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:04.160 It is a demanding thing to come to worship. 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:08.759 We need to pray on Saturday night. 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:11.299 And on the Lord's Day morning. 00:19:11.860 --> 00:19:13.500 Lord prepare us as we come in here. 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:16.160 As we give of ourselves. 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:17.700 As we participate. 00:19:18.060 --> 00:19:20.000 You don't just stand up and sing the words. 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:23.420 You don't just stand there. 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:24.880 And watch someone sing at the front. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.240 But with our whole heart and soul. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:30.140 That is worship. 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:32.880 And so no matter how bad the sermon is. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:33.799 We've worshipped God. 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:35.400 The third W. 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:37.880 We have they devoted themselves to the word. 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:39.039 They devoted themselves to worship. 00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:40.240 And thirdly. 00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:41.559 They devoted themselves to welcome. 00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:43.039 That's not the best word. 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:43.339 Alright. 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:45.880 But I didn't feel like. 00:19:46.059 --> 00:19:47.539 The better word would be oneness. 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.480 But it doesn't work with alliteration. 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:51.039 It does in a way. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:51.420 But not. 00:19:52.159 --> 00:19:53.460 And so word. 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:53.980 Worship. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:54.519 Welcome. 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:55.379 Or oneness. 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:57.480 Can you see it? 00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.819 They devoted themselves to the fellowship. 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:00.460 And that's much more isn't it? 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:02.519 Than our common superficial understanding. 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:05.059 We have kind of a genial niceness of a cup of tea. 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:06.119 Chatting together. 00:20:06.399 --> 00:20:07.460 Luke puts it this way. 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:10.099 He says that all who believe. 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:10.720 Verse 44. 00:20:10.879 --> 00:20:13.700 Were together and had all things in common. 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:16.500 There's a deep and observable unity. 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:18.319 They stuck together. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.139 They clung together. 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:20.039 They belong together. 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:21.819 It was natural. 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:22.779 They delighted in it. 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:23.659 It was instinctive. 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:24.259 They were together. 00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:28.119 They've got this incredibly attractive oneness. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:29.899 Welcoming to the world. 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:30.899 It's a costly thing. 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:34.099 And Luke says verse 45. 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:36.460 And they were selling their possessions and belongings. 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:38.759 And distributing the proceeds to all. 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:40.500 As any had need. 00:20:45.379 --> 00:20:45.799 Yes. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:47.379 He translates it well. 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:51.079 Luke is telling us something reasonable. 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:52.079 And sensible. 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:55.519 Sometimes you hear this passage preached. 00:20:55.740 --> 00:21:00.819 And it's as if the Christians had this gigantic fire sale of all their possessions. 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:03.000 The great boot sale of all time. 00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:04.799 And they got rid of everything. 00:21:05.639 --> 00:21:09.420 And they went around just distributing all the money to those who are in need. 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:10.839 That isn't what Luke is saying. 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:15.859 Luke is saying that from time to time when somebody was in need. 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.879 Another person would sell something. 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.339 Sell part of their property. 00:21:21.619 --> 00:21:22.899 They'd sell a piece of land. 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:24.119 They'd sell an animal. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:27.159 And they'd give the proceeds to them. 00:21:27.379 --> 00:21:29.419 Or another month somebody would be in need. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:31.740 And somebody else with property would sell it. 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:33.619 And give the proceeds to them. 00:21:33.619 --> 00:21:35.599 It wasn't a silly thing. 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:37.779 The Bible is not naive. 00:21:39.639 --> 00:21:41.939 There's not a negativity about possessions here. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:43.559 It's not voluntary communism. 00:21:45.899 --> 00:21:46.099 No. 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:47.519 Luke is telling us. 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:48.479 The writer of Acts. 00:21:48.939 --> 00:21:50.859 That it was simply a way to help the needy. 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:53.500 And as a result of this. 00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:54.219 He is able to say. 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:55.599 Chapter 4 and verse 34. 00:21:55.899 --> 00:21:57.659 There was not a needy person among them. 00:22:00.659 --> 00:22:02.879 And the quality of their fellowship. 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:04.219 And of their oneness. 00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:06.659 Is a huge challenge. 00:22:06.659 --> 00:22:07.059 Isn't it? 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.859 And so too often in churches. 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:11.799 You will have heard. 00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:12.699 As I have heard. 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:14.059 Of behavior that is toxic. 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:17.659 People who treat one another. 00:22:17.879 --> 00:22:18.879 Unbelievably badly. 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:21.860 A backbiting. 00:22:22.280 --> 00:22:23.820 And sarcastic. 00:22:24.020 --> 00:22:24.540 And gossip. 00:22:24.840 --> 00:22:25.620 And fault finding. 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:26.420 And cruelty. 00:22:28.600 --> 00:22:30.680 Or there can be a degree of indifference. 00:22:30.840 --> 00:22:32.500 Of non-involvement. 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:33.860 But Luke says. 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:35.740 They devoted themselves to the fellowship. 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:37.240 And so Christian life. 00:22:37.340 --> 00:22:38.420 Is life in community. 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:42.440 And every single one of us here this morning. 00:22:42.540 --> 00:22:44.320 Has something in us. 00:22:44.320 --> 00:22:46.400 Which fights against community. 00:22:46.620 --> 00:22:47.420 And we've got to give it up. 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.700 My individualism. 00:22:49.820 --> 00:22:50.740 My autonomy. 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:52.380 My independence. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:53.460 I don't want to be vulnerable. 00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:55.080 I don't want to be obliged. 00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:56.519 I don't want to have to open up. 00:22:56.620 --> 00:22:57.700 I don't want to be responsible. 00:22:57.960 --> 00:22:59.900 I want to be free of all those things. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:00.920 And so people say. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:01.800 I'm happy to come. 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:04.080 I'm happy to participate. 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:05.620 But here are the magic words. 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:07.080 I don't want to get involved. 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:11.660 And you can't be a Christian in isolation. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:16.900 You can't develop Christian graces in isolation. 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:20.740 You cannot sit in a room by yourself. 00:23:20.860 --> 00:23:21.720 And become more loving. 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:22.560 And more patient. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:23.320 And more meek. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:27.180 And you need to get out into the church. 00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:29.480 And have people slap you hard across the face. 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:31.279 That helps you to be meek. 00:23:31.860 --> 00:23:32.720 Helps you learn patience. 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:35.700 If you want to be more loving. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:38.120 You need to get into contact with. 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.380 The most obnoxious person in your congregation. 00:23:41.620 --> 00:23:42.380 And learn to love them. 00:23:44.019 --> 00:23:45.680 And that will help you to be more loving. 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:48.720 You want to be more patient. 00:23:48.860 --> 00:23:49.860 How do you learn patience? 00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:52.059 You have to wait. 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:52.519 And wait. 00:23:52.759 --> 00:23:53.100 And wait. 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:54.640 And wait for things to happen. 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:58.300 We pray for these things. 00:23:58.300 --> 00:23:58.700 Don't we? 00:23:58.820 --> 00:24:00.740 But do you recognize how they come? 00:24:01.800 --> 00:24:03.080 How does God make us like this? 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:05.920 It would not be good for you and I. 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:08.020 If we were a church of perfect people. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:10.900 We wouldn't grow. 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:11.980 We wouldn't develop. 00:24:12.520 --> 00:24:14.460 It's as we rub together. 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:17.160 That we develop these graces. 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:19.080 And we grow these graces. 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:22.780 You cannot fulfill the one another's of scripture. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.020 By yourself. 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:26.680 You can't serve God by yourself. 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:28.580 So we need to protect. 00:24:29.060 --> 00:24:29.580 And deepen. 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:31.420 And nurture body life. 00:24:34.040 --> 00:24:36.080 And you need to go deep into your own heart. 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:38.860 And pay the price of giving yourself. 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:40.540 It's a little bit like marriage isn't it? 00:24:42.100 --> 00:24:43.700 I say to grooms getting married. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:44.920 On your wedding day. 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:46.580 I want you to be very excited. 00:24:47.080 --> 00:24:48.220 And quite a bit scared. 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:52.340 There should be an aspect of fear on the wedding day. 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:53.900 Because the commitment that you're making. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:55.580 Is so so great isn't it? 00:24:56.860 --> 00:24:58.720 But that is the path to fruitfulness. 00:24:58.840 --> 00:24:59.940 And so in church life. 00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:02.500 You need. 00:25:03.280 --> 00:25:04.160 To become. 00:25:05.800 --> 00:25:07.180 To be able to be hurt. 00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:07.820 Badly. 00:25:07.820 --> 00:25:10.860 To be willing for that. 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:11.880 To let down the shield. 00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:14.980 And so many churches fellowship. 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:16.380 Is really shallow. 00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:17.680 Because of the reluctance. 00:25:20.360 --> 00:25:20.880 Word. 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:21.620 Worship. 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:22.840 Welcome. 00:25:24.600 --> 00:25:26.420 We live in a very lonely city. 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:28.960 The Bible says. 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:30.960 It is not good for people to be alone. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:35.900 And the church is to welcome one another warmly. 00:25:37.340 --> 00:25:38.680 Those from outside. 00:25:41.360 --> 00:25:42.259 And if I said to you. 00:25:42.300 --> 00:25:43.180 Are we a welcoming church? 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:44.160 I don't know what you'd say. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:47.100 I suspect we'd have a range of opinion here. 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:49.400 And most of us think we're more welcoming than we are. 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:52.400 And it is something isn't it? 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:54.700 That needs to be worked on all the time. 00:25:55.860 --> 00:25:57.640 And it's something we can never take for granted. 00:25:57.800 --> 00:25:58.060 Welcoming. 00:25:58.180 --> 00:25:58.480 Lastly. 00:25:58.660 --> 00:25:58.980 Witness. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:00.320 Witness. 00:26:01.600 --> 00:26:02.460 It's not mentioned. 00:26:02.620 --> 00:26:02.860 Witness. 00:26:03.040 --> 00:26:03.440 In the passage. 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:08.440 And people use this passage. 00:26:08.580 --> 00:26:10.820 To talk about kind of taking the gospel to all the world. 00:26:10.860 --> 00:26:11.539 And that's a good thing. 00:26:11.580 --> 00:26:13.660 But I don't think it's exactly what this passage is teaching. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.480 Can you see what happens? 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:18.059 The Lord added to their number. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:19.240 Those who are being saved. 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:22.299 What was it that made their witness so effective? 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:24.000 To unbelievers. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.160 It was everything wasn't it? 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.500 It was the church being the church. 00:26:27.320 --> 00:26:28.259 It was the preaching. 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:28.980 It was the worship. 00:26:29.080 --> 00:26:29.720 It was the welcome. 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:32.600 It was the impact on the community as a whole. 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:34.339 So awe came on every soul. 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:36.399 They looked at these Christians. 00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:37.980 And they said these Christians are different. 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:40.019 We've never seen people like this before. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:41.159 The way they behave. 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.139 The way they treat each other. 00:26:42.219 --> 00:26:43.179 The way they love each other. 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:44.779 The way they open up their homes. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:47.559 The way that they love us. 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:49.179 And it impacted the community. 00:26:49.379 --> 00:26:50.959 Because the church being the church. 00:26:51.099 --> 00:26:51.859 Wins the world. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:56.699 People praised God with glad and generous hearts. 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:57.719 And they were praising God. 00:26:57.779 --> 00:26:58.939 And having favor with all the people. 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:01.939 And when the church is as she should be. 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.859 People will come. 00:27:05.719 --> 00:27:06.539 People will come. 00:27:07.699 --> 00:27:10.439 When we are people as we should be. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:12.039 People will ask us about our faith. 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:13.419 You won't have to go hunting. 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:14.679 And dig them up. 00:27:14.719 --> 00:27:15.319 They will come. 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:19.859 It's an effective, powerful, fruitful witness. 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:22.500 So what am I saying? 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:25.919 Am I saying this is the way you put the pennies in the slot. 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:27.819 And out will come great numerical growth. 00:27:28.479 --> 00:27:32.619 Am I saying numerical growth in church life is always guaranteed if you just get it right? 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:34.079 I don't think we can say that. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:37.659 But I think we can say this. 00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:39.259 It is normal. 00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:43.819 It usually is. 00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:47.960 But this is God's plan and purpose for his church. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:51.059 And I am a little bit too ready. 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:54.500 I'm a little bit too ready to hide behind the sovereignty of God. 00:27:54.500 --> 00:28:02.380 And sometimes churches are unwilling to look critically at themselves and say how are we falling down and where are we falling down? 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:10.299 John Stott said we need to recover this expectation of steady, uninterrupted church growth. 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.619 Steady, uninterrupted church growth. 00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:17.460 Daily those being saved. 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:18.599 And if not, why not? 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:21.759 Where is our weakness? 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:24.400 Where are we failing as a church? 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.440 Four simple words. 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:27.819 Word, worship, welcome, witness. 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:29.339 That's what we give ourselves to. 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:32.180 That's what we concentrate on. 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:38.500 That all our church activities come into one of those four spheres. 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:41.460 What are the areas of weakness? 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:42.900 What do we need to strengthen? 00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:47.779 Do you believe this can happen? 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:52.559 Or are you sitting there well thinking it's good in theory but I don't know. 00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:56.500 Do you believe that God can bring people in and convert them? 00:28:58.180 --> 00:29:02.259 That we may not just see one person converted but many. 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:04.819 Will you let it grip your heart? 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:07.339 Will you pray for it? 00:29:07.399 --> 00:29:09.519 Will you pray for it like you've never prayed before? 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:15.920 Will we as leaders give ourselves to the strengthening of these aspects of our church? 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:18.079 What is your church about? 00:29:18.599 --> 00:29:19.079 They ask you. 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:20.059 Well you've got four W's. 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:23.639 What do you do in your church? 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:24.779 Well what do we do? 00:29:24.879 --> 00:29:26.160 We hear the word of God. 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:29.200 And we worship God as our maker. 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:31.960 And if you come you'll be welcomed. 00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:34.500 Welcomed like you've never been welcomed before. 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:40.180 And you will see that you'll go out into the community and world and witness. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:43.940 May God grant us grace to think about these things. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:46.119 To pray about them. 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:48.339 And to change. 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:49.779 Amen.