Sermon Outlines. Org



“THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS”

ACTS 2:41-47

INTRO: A dream is a mental image or vision we see in our minds that has not

yet come to reality. On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King

delivered a 17 minute speech entitled, “I have a dream.” The speech,

from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington

for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment of the American Civil

Rights Movement...According to U.S. Representative John Lewis, who

also spoke that day as the President of the Student Non-Violent

Coordinating Committee, "Dr. King had the power, the ability, and the

capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a

monumental area that will forever be recognized. By speaking the way

he did, he educated, he inspired, he informed not just the people there,

but people throughout America and unborn generations."

()

The Bible tells us that Joseph was a dreamer. Friends, everyone who

ever accomplished much, in life or for the Lord, have been dreamers.

They envisioned the possibilities and the potential and then pursued

with earnest their dream. I have a dream for this church. Will you

dream with me? My dream is to have the kind of of church we read

about in the book of Acts. What is THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS? It

is....

(1) A CHURCH FOCUSED ON PRAYER

ACTS 1:14--”These all continued with one accord in prayer and

supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with

his brethren.”

A. PURPOSE IN PRAYER. The early church meant business when they prayed.

When problems arose, when battles were encountered, when storms of

persecution emerged they went to prayer about the situation before doing

anything else. Someone said, “A church stays on its feet when its members

get on their knees.” (The Complete Book of Zingers. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights

Reserved). THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS will have purpose in prayer. We won't

seek out new programs, people, or plans, but we will seek the face of the

Lord!

B. POWER IN PRAYER. Friends, there is power in a praying church. It doesn't

need to be a large church. We read our Lord's words in Matthew 18:19-

20--”Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching

any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is

in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there

am I in the midst of them.” Nor does the church have to have all the

members present to be effective in prayer. In Revelation 3:20 the Lord

invites--”Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice,

and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with

me.” Our Lord says “any man”--us and God is all it takes! James 5:16-18

tells us--”Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that

ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth

much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed

earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of

three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain,

and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

ILLUS: Elijah was human, a follower of God who sometimes got depressed or

had doubts...James uses Elijah as an example of someone who did not

allow his own weaknesses to undermine his trust in God. Elijah's weak

belief in himself forced him to believe even more firmly in God. James is

inviting us to identify with Elijah's weakness so that we might develop

the same honesty and power in prayer that Elijah exercised. The same

God who listened to and acted on Elijah's prayers will give attention to

ours. (Life Application Bible Commentary; James. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp.

All Rights Reserved).

Friends, God responds to the prayers of the church in a most unusual and dramatic way. Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us--”Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Our thoughts include more than we dare to ask in our prayers; our dreams exceed what we consciously desire. God answers prayer; he even answers unspoken prayers. God can act beyond our ability to ask or even imagine. Paul uses three superlatives to drive home his point: God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above anything we would dare to ask, think, or imagine. (Life Application Bible Commentary: Ephesians. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Right Reserved).

THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS will be A CHURCH FOCUSED ON PRAYER but also...

(2) A CHURCH FILLED WITH PEOPLE

ACTS 2:1--”And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all

with one accord in one place.”

A. A PLACE THAT IS ATTENDED. Many of us, as children, have played the

little game where we crossed our fingers together—all the fingers and thumbs

are folded except the two index fingers; they point up to make it look like a

steeple. The rhyme then goes, “Here is the church, and here's the steeple,

open it up and here are the people.” But most of the time we have to say,

“Here's the church, and here is the steeple, open it up where are the people.”

Someone said, “If absence makes the heart grow fonder—some people must

really love their church.” On any given Sunday less than 25% of Church

members attend church.

B. A PEOPLE THAT ARE ADVANCING. When the church is A PLACE THAT IS

ATTENDED you will find people that are “growing the grace and knowledge of

our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). Someone said, “We don't

use people to build a great church—we use the church to build great people”.

(The Complete Book of Zingers. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved).

THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS is A CHURCH THAT IS FOCUSED ON PRAYER, A CHURCH THAT IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE, and thirdly...

(3) A CHURCH THAT IS FRAMED BY UNITY.

ACTS 2:1--”And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all

with one accord in one place.”

A. THE DEFINITION OF UNITY. The Bible tells us about the early

church--”they were all with one accord....”. Our words “one accord” are

translated from one Greek word that means “unanimously, with one mind.”

Matthew Henry wrote: “We cannot forget how often, while their Master was

with them, there were strifes among them, who should be the greatest; but

now all these strifes were at an end, we hear no more of them.” (Matthew Henry.

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary. e-Sword. Version 9.8.3. Copyright 2000-2011. Rick Meyers. All Rights

Reserved Worldwide). According to the dictionary, “unity” means “the state or fact of

being one. A state or quality of general concord and mutual understanding;

harmony. Singleness or constancy of purpose, action, etc.” (Funk & Wagnalls Standard

Desk Dictionary. Volume 2, N-Z. p. 744).

B. THE DEMAND OF UNITY. Patrick Henry said, “United we stand, divided we

fall.” UNITY demands that we stand together. The Bible tells us there are

some other things we should do together:

GATHER TOGETHER. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20--”For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”

JOIN TOGETHER. Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth--”Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

LABOR TOGETHER. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says--”For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.”

STRIVE TOGETHER. We read in Philippians 1:27--”Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel...that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

KNIT TOGETHER. In Colossians 2:2 Paul wrote to the church at Colosse--”That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.”

ASSEMBLE TOGETHER. (Hebrews 10:25).

In Ephesians 2:20-21 we read that we “are built upon the foundation of the

apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In

whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in

the Lord.” I want you to notice the words “fitly framed together”. The words

speak of be glued or welded together.

ILLUS: If you have ever bought a piece of laminate furniture you have a piece of

furniture in which a wood finish is glued to a piece of particle board. It

may have held together for a little while and then it started coming

apart. What happened? It was put together with faulty glue, or

something else wasn't right when it was put together.

Friends, I am going to give you my honest opinion about those who just

won't stick. I believe there is something wrong with their relationship

with God.

Someone said, “The church has three kinds of members: pickers, kickers,

stickers.” (The Complete Book of Zingers. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved). The question this morning is, “Are you a picker, kicker, or sticker”?

(4) A CHURCH THAT IS FRIENDLY AND HAPPY

ACTS 2:46--”And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,

and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with

gladness and singleness of heart.”

A. THEY WERE HAPPY WHEN THEY CAME TO CHURCH. It tells us

here--”And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple...with

gladness and singleness of heart.” Friend, does it make you happy to come to

church? The psalmist said in Psalm 122:1--”I was glad when they said unto

me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Psalm 100:4 tells us we are

to--”Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be

thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Friends, “People do not miss church

services because they live too far from the church building—it is because they

live too far from God.” (The Complete Book of Zingers. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch

Corp. All Rights Reserved).

B. THEY WERE HAPPY WHEN THEY PRAYED. The early church was a praying

church. They were happy to pray and they were happy when they had

prayed. Acts 4:31 tells us--”And when they had prayed, the place was

shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the

Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” They believed

that through prayer God would do great things through them.

C. THEY WERE HAPPY WHEN THEY SUFFERED. The disciples in the early

church counted it a privilege to suffer for Jesus. The Bible tells us in Acts 5:

40-41--”...And when they had called the apostles, and had beaten them,

they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let

them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that

they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”

ILLUS: Peter and John were warned repeatedly not to preach, but they

continued despite the threats. Believers today should also live as Christ

has asked, sharing the faith no matter what the cost. You may not be

beaten or thrown in jail, but you may be ridiculed, ostracized, or

slandered. To what extent are you willing to suffer for the sake of

sharing the gospel with others? (Life Application Bible Commentary: Acts. Bible Explorer 4.0.

Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved).

They rejoiced not because of the bad things they suffered but because they

were counted worthy to suffer for the Lord.

D. THEY WERE HAPPY WHEN THEY GAVE. Acts 2:44-45 tells us--”And all

that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their

possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”

They saw a need and gave and were happy to do so. They followed the

Biblical principle--”Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of

Christ.” (Galatians 6:2). When we bear one another's burdens it brings joy,

not only because we can help each other in tangible ways, but also because

we fulfill Christ's command--”A new commandment I give unto you, That ye

love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John

13:34).

THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS is A CHURCH THAT IS FOCUSED ON PRAYER, A CHURCH THAT IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE, A CHURCH THAT IS FRAMED BY UNITY, A CHURCH THAT IS FRIENDLY AND HAPPY, and lastly...

(5) A CHURCH THAT IS FRUITFUL AND GROWING

ACTS 2:47--”Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the

Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

A. THE SUPPLIER OF GROWTH. The last part of v47 tells us--”...And the Lord

added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I want you to note: The

credit for the salvation of souls is not given to Peter's preaching, the apostles'

miracles, or the Spirit's manifestations—it was the Lord who was adding to

their number daily. (Life Application Bible Commentary: Acts. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006.

WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved). The problem in many churches today is that

instead letting the Lord add people to the church; men are adding people to

the Church.

B. THE SPECIFICS OF GROWTH. A church should be growing in three ways:

SPIRITUALLY. In the Word. In love. In Christlikeness.

NUMERICALLY. In numbers. But let me say that too often we get too caught up in numbers. A BIG church is not necessarily a spiritual church. A small church is not necessarily a weak church. But when we allow the Lord to add to the church “such as should be saved” the church will be a blessing and will grow.

MISSIONALLY. As we grow our outreach should grow. Our giving to missions should increase. A church that is not a missionary church will soon be a missing church. (The Complete Book of Zingers. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All Rights Reserved). Friends, missions are our mission!

CLOSING: THE CHURCH OF OUR DREAMS is A CHURCH THAT IS FOCUSED ON

PRAYER, A CHURCH THAT IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE, A CHURCH THAT

IS FRAMED BY UNITY, A CHURCH THAT IS FRIENDLY AND HAPPY, and

A CHURCH THAT IS FRUITFUL AND GROWING.

The early church possessed these qualities. Warren Wiersbe said of

the early church: “The church was unified (Acts 2:44), magnified

(Acts 2:47a), and multiplied (Acts 2:47b). It had a powerful

testimony among the unsaved Jews, not only because of the miracles

done by the Apostles (Acts 2:43), but also because of the way the

members of the fellowship loved each other and served the Lord. The

risen Lord continued to work with them (Mark 16:20) and people

continued to be saved. What a church! (Warren W. Wiersbe. Bible Exposition

Commentary (BE Series) - New Testament. Bible Explorer 4.0. Copyright 2006. WORDsearch Corp. All

Rights Reserved).

Friends, I have a dream of a church like the one recorded in the book

of Acts! Will you dream with me?

PREACHED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR OF UNIONTOWN BAPTIST CHURCH, UNIONTOWN, KY ON SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 20, 2011.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download