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“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."
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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.
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