The Acts 2 Blueprint

Morning.

I had this I had this moment he was talking about. Last time I thought I really heard from God for someone was when pray for Ethan a number of years back. I think maybe it was even his dedication and there was something really moved me that day. I couldn’t explain it about something about how I can’t remember.

There was just something about Ethan’s life. There was something about his something about how God was going to use him to see that others didn’t see. And Ethan came up and stood beside me and they had laid hands on me. I just really remember it just brought it back physically brought back that feeling I had when I prayed for Ethan a few years back and it was beautiful. Thank you for doing that, Ethan.

And pray for Ethan, but pray for pray for pray for all our kids. I think just in the midst of doing that they get caught up in whatever it is that the Lord wants to do. Father, I thank you for whatever grace, whatever destiny, whatever it was, God, that you have placed on Ethan’s life, God. And there’s almost something about that that we as maybe the grown-ups or mothers and fathers, God would the way that Paul did with Timothy would lay hands in order to fan into flame the gift that you have placed in in the lives of the next generation. And God maybe we have something to learn from that. And God, in this in this moment, God, maybe not physical on of hands at this moment, but God, there’d be something of us that would so long and so desire and so pray and fan into flame what it is that you’ve entrusted into the lives of our kids and our young people. God, I pray you would give them ability to see what others don’t, an ability to hear, an ability to respond in a way that others don’t or maybe even can’t. Ask God bless them. Thank you for them in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

This morning my intention was that we’re going to look at Mark chapter 2 but there is still something about I’m not completely shelving it. There’s still something about Mark 2 at the minute that has my attention. Because the story of Mark 2 is that the friends the guy that couldn’t walk his friends were desperate for him to get an encounter with Jesus and they did all that they could. They bust holes they did everything they could bust holes and roofs in order to get their friend to Jesus. And it was Jesus that said it’s because of their faith. It was their faith that caused something to happen. And even listen to David. and they’ve been around David the last couple of days. Sometimes that’s what it takes. It takes the faith of friends to get you to a place where you encounter Jesus. And that is not a reason to feel less than or or guilty about there is definitely times where it’s going to take the faith of friends that will get you to the place where you encounter Jesus. And it’s great to be in an in an environment like this. It’s great to be able to do this journey of faith, this church life with friends. I don’t know what it would be like to do it with people that you don’t really like or you don’t really love, but the fact that we’re doing it with friends feels like friends. I think moments like this only go to deepen that and develop that.

There’s something on that that we’re going to park it for this morning because I really want to finish off our weekend just looking and reflecting on a couple of verses from Acts chapter 2. Verses that I think you’ll be familiar with the story of how the church was birthed. And the spirit has fallen to the beginning of Acts chapter 2. Peter preaches a basic message but 3,000 people let’s say around 3,000 people were added to their number that day in Acts chapter 2 verse 41. But here’s the few verses just as a as a takeaway before we come to worship. They devoted themselves. This is the this was the pattern. This was the blueprint of the early church. This is what they built themselves around. that devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. And that’s amazing. And I’m believing for that. I’m praying for that. That as family, we as family, as friends, we gather around teaching. We gather around fellowship. We gather around the breaking of bread and prayer. and we will begin to see many wonders and signs. Something be longing for that, believing for that, being stirred by that as we hear from David, from from others who are sensing the same thing that the Lord is doing.

But it’s this here, this here that cannot help but feel as is my takeaway for these few days. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. The early church marked by all of these things marked by fellowship. Sometimes if you’ve been around Christian church, you’ve been around the church long enough, maybe that has a bit of cheesiness to this idea of fellowship. But there’s something deeper there’s something deeper about this word koinonia in the Greek that I think hopefully we are beginning to see give seeing signs of that it’s deeper than just a fellowship. It’s a shared life. It’s common goals. This this idea of koinonia, it’s more than just fellowship. It’s more than just an hour together on a Sunday where we try to make ourselves feel as good about ourselves as possible and we worship. All of those wonderful things that we do. There’s something deeper taking place in the life of the early church which I think caused them to see the signs and wonders caused them to see more people being added.

And it was chaotic. I imagine it was chaotic. This fledgling group of believers that have been caught up by the wind of the spirit, caught up by the spirit being poured out. And all of a sudden they’re working all of this out together. More people are being added but yet they still stick to the pattern. They still stick to the teaching to the prayer to the breaking of bread and to the gathering in one another’s home sharing everything together sharing life sharing common goals. And it’s the idea of this fellowship was deep it was deeply rooted. It was birthed out of radical choices that people had made to follow Jesus. There’s a radical choice to follow Jesus. Then there’s almost a part of me would love to get to back to the idea of what it means to follow Jesus. It’s radical. It’s going to cost you it’s going to cost you everything to follow Jesus. Lay it down your life. And that’s so much of what marked the early church they didn’t have lots. Some of them did, but everybody just committed themselves to this common life, to sharing goals and pursuing what the spirit was doing among them.

And I just love the idea. This is a simple idea of this this communal experience that that give life that accelerated the life of the spirit throughout all of the known world. And you’ll see it everywhere that this the language of all everything everyone. It’s so encouraging that so many of us have came this weekend. It’s going to take all it’s going to take everyone. It’s going to take everything. And that I hope I really hope that as we consider what it is to be part of this family, be part of what the spirit is doing that we’re not just a community for the sake of it. I would find it really difficult if we’re just a community for the sake of it. And there whenever I go back into these couple of verses, whenever I go back into the first few chapters of Acts and see what in there, they were not perfect. I’m not romanticizing the early church at all. They were far from perfect, but there was something beautiful about how they emphasized genuine concern, genuine care for people, and it was through radical generosity and through discipleship. And we are here. We’re here as a church family today because of radical generosity. And it’s beautiful that we’re seeing signs of this.

As I listened to Gary last night, I listened to David. I couldn’t help but just sit on these verses last night and this morning. Try to scribble down a few thoughts. God, what is it that you’re saying to us? And hopefully there’s something in you being caught up by these verses of being caught up by the spirit of because I think that’s what it is. I go back again to Paul’s letter to Timothy and I’m reminded of how he said the spirit is does not make us does not make us timid. spirit does not make us back away. It does not make us shy. It does not make us cautious but it gives us power love and self discipline. And as I say not saying that we romanticize the early church not saying we necessarily copy exactly what the early church did because we can’t do that. It’s completely different day completely different time but I think we tap in to the same spirit to that same spirit that is that is in our churches today and find ways to contextualize that that the same power love and self discipline would be evident. It’s that same spirit not necessarily replicating exactly what was done or romanticizing what was done but that same spirit of power of love and of self discipline and that and that’s what the rest of the book of Acts is about.

And I’m drawn back to that again because I’m reminded that the book of Acts is about the action of the spirit of God in the lives of real people. And I think that’s what’s that’s what that is what excited me to delve back into these verses this morning. What it is is about the action of the spirit of God in the lives of real people. And I look as I look around this morning feel that’s what he’s doing. Feels like a real group of people. And not many I don’t want to romanticize necessarily all of you. I think it’s incredible group of people, not without our flaws, not without our mistakes, but more convinced than ever that the spirit of God is wanting to do something, wanting to birth something. And the action of the spirit of God in the lives of real people is what we see here. And I think there’s something about what he’s inviting us to today. And our job is to invite that same spirit into our gatherings today. not just our gathering in spirit into our everyday lives into our fellowship and breaking out that we would see something of what was done here because of the work of the spirit and I guess my sense is is that as David the spirit’s just feel we’re ready for him to do whatever he wants to do it’s going to cost us I think there’s this desire for radical generosity laying of our lives for for one another. And I think we see that spirit then the spirit still longs to do now. They’re reminded of that and sometimes become so familiar with the story be so content with going through the motions because it’s nice. It’s not more I love than doing life with you guys. It feels what what if we what if we believe there was more? I believe there was more that he was inviting us to partner with him together and seeing something beautiful happen and yeah the preach prayer for Mark 2 these are ramblings of scribbling over a wonderful breakfast but I do hope there’s something in there for us that we can something that we all take a hold of believe for praying see the spirit do.

Father Please, thank you spirit that we are looking for hearts available. You’re looking for here I am in spite of our flaws, our mistakes, times that we get it wrong, times that we don’t know it all, that you’re still longing to do something unique and beautiful and remarkable in and through us. Thank God we believe it, but help us in our belief.

We love you. We need you. Thank you for this remarkable family of people. Thank you for each person. Thank you for each family. God, I pray that we would be we would know signs of the life of the spirit doing something in us and through us. God, we almost can’t explain, but we just give our yes to leaning into it in Jesus name. Even as we worship now, as we worship you now, God, would you spark something within our hearts, within our lives for your honor, for your glory, for our good, for our benefit in Jesus name. Amen.