After the ascension of Jesus the disciples followed
the directive of Jesus to go to Jerusalem and wait. The disciples had received the new birth
being born from above. When we are “born again” or “born from above” this is a
supernatural event. It is the beginning
of the supernatural life God wants us to live.
Without this happening we are merely human beings left with a mind that
is in a fallen state of being to make decisions about our lives and the lives
of other people that we influence. We
are trapped with a mindset that is severely limited compared to having the mind
of Christ. We are born again with a new
nature, a nature that is like God a
supernatural state of being. I think we
often do not understand what God has done for us and what we are capable of
doing through the new nature we have received.
For 10 days they waited, praying, seeking the
scriptures to bring greater understanding of what Jesus had taught them and
revealed to them about the prophecies regarding the Messiah. It must have been a time of great
anticipation as they waited for the Holy Spirit to be given to them. The
disciples who were with him when he was baptized had the experience of watching
the Holy Spirit descend upon him as a dove.
They had to be wondering what kind of experience they were going to
have. When the Spirit was given it came
in power and it was evident to everyone the sound of a rushing mighty wind and
the appearance of tongues of fire. Maybe
it was tornado or hurricane like but whatever it was there was no doubt in
anyone’s mind that this was from God.
The physical manifestations were seen and recorded to testify of the
fulfillment of the promise God had given to them.
The Holy Spirit came in power and those who were
baptized in him began to speak in tongues.
The people who heard them noted that they were speaking in their
language. The question some may ask
regarding this is did the disciples speak in another language or did they speak
in a heavenly language that God gave the people the interpretation of it so it
was as though they were hearing someone speak in their language?
However it happened the important aspect is that it
was promised to them, was needed by them and was given to them to be
witnesses. Without the Holy Spirit the
work of the ministry could not be carried out the way God wanted it to be done. Receiving the Holy Spirit is a supernatural
event, it cannot be contrived by human effort.
Their lives
were radically changed after receiving the Holy Spirit. They were transformed from being scared for
their lives, thinking that the scribes and Pharisees were out to kill them to
being bold and courageous witnesses for the Lord. Peter was one who experienced
the supernatural power to witness as he stood before all the people and
preached a message that brought many to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. The church experienced exponential growth in
a short period of time because of the power of the witness of the Holy Spirit
filled people.
It was important for the new believers to unite and we
see that there were certain practices that began immediately to disciple
them. The principles established then
are just as valid today for all believers and they need to be part of our lives
as we seek to become strong disciples of Christ.
Acts 2: 42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe
came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the
apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common;
45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds
to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together
in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and
generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the
people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being
saved.
There were 4 things they incorporated into their lives
to become strong disciples of Christ.
1.
They devoted themselves to the
apostle’s teaching.
This was the first thing mentioned
about the early church and it indicates its importance. The word “devoted” is a strong word that can
also mean dedicated or consecrated. It was not a wishy washy commitment they
were making to receive teaching from the Apostles. William Barclay translates it as, “They
persevered in listening to the apostle’s teaching.”
They were actively pursuing knowledge
of God through the teachings of the apostles.
They had much to learn as this was a new revelation to thousands of new
believers. The knowledge the apostles
had gained through their three years of being with Jesus now found expression
in the teachings they were able to give to the new believers.
Doctrine to some is almost a dirty
word. They think of it as boring and
they want the practical messages that make them feel good or are ways to make
their lives better. Doctrine is
important because it defines and clarifies what we believe to be truth. We have to know what we believe and why we
believe it so we can effectively communicate it to others who are new to the
faith or are in error in what they believe.
A mark of a true disciple is a hunger
to study the Word, be taught the Word and live according to the Word. When we lose our hunger for the Word we are
in a bad spiritual state. Your being
here tonight is an indication of spiritual hunger. You could be in many other places doing many
other things but you are here by choice to meet with the Lord. There should be a hunger in all of our hearts
for the Word, it is the Bread of Life that sustains us in our daily walk with
the Lord. It is like water that cleanses
us from wrong thinking and actions that are revealed to us as we read the
Word. It is like a fire that burns
within us and compels us to share it with others. It is like a hammer that breaks bondages by
revealing truth to us. It brings us comfort
in time of distress and encourages us to attempt great things for God. It is
our guide to help us make right decisions.
It is our weapon against the temptations of the devil and is one of our
primary defenses against his lies .
It is our source of wisdom and knowledge of God’s character and
nature. It reveals who He is and who we
are.
I pray the desire to learn will never
be quenched in our lives. Reading the word is critical to our spiritual growth
and the Holy Spirit is with us to teach us. One of the ways that Muslim
converts are discipled is by simply having them read the word and then ask what
is God asking me to do as a result of what I have read. The goal is to have
them understand on their own and not depend on someone else to tell them what
the scriptures mean and how they should respond. They are taught to obey what
they are learning from the word. What they have discovered by using this
approach is that the people are making the changes they need on their own and
they are witnessing to the nonbelievers in obedience to the great commission.
Loren Cunningham is on a mission to get a Bible into the hands of everyone by
the year 2035. He has stated that in areas where people have been
evangelized through open air campaigns
or their facsimile only 5 % of the people stay faithful to their commitment to
the Lord. But in areas where public campaigns have occurred and the converts
are given a Bible they are seeing a 200% growth rate! Why? Because the converts
are obeying the word and sharing the gospel with the lost.
There should always be a hunger to be
taught but also the application of the word and obedience to what the Holy
Spirit is teaching us.
2.
The second mark of the New disciples
is they had fellowship with each other. We are social beings, gregarious people
who need each other. As believers we can be treated as strangers after we come
to Christ and the Holy Spirit begins to make changes in us that may not be
understood or accepted by people. We can feel alienated from others and that is
why we need to connect with other believers. Being a part of a community of
believers is the way we can grow spiritually as we learn to submit and receive
instructions from one another.
Evangelism has been done in many
countries by extracting converts from their families and communities. This has
created tensions in the family among certain people groups. What has worked
successfully among Muslim groups and tribal groups is to keep the believer with
the family and allow them to live out their faith within the family. As family
members come to faith the family stays together and the fellowship they now
share in Christ binds them together. The New believers connect with believers
outside of their immediate family as well and help each other grow in their faith.
People who are hermits and live alone
often develop mental and social problems. God said it was not good for man to
be alone and he created Eve to be Adam's companion. We need each other and
being a part of a fellowship group where healthy relationships are formed will
keep us on track and not get weird. Being accountable to others can only occur
when we are in close fellowship with each other. If you are not a part of a
fellowship group I encourage you to find one or start one.
3.
The third aspect of discipleship was
meeting to “break bread” which is to share meals. Jesus met and ministered to
many people by sharing a meal with them. There is something almost magical
that happens when we share a meal with others. It is a casual time for everyone
except someone like Martha who was overly concerned about the presentation than
the opportunity to enjoy being with Jesus.
One of my most memorable shared meals
experience was when I was in Jerusalem many years ago. We attended a church service
in a church that had been burned down by arsonists. All the wood was charred
and only a little bit of the structure remained. The fellowship we experienced
came from true believers who were willing to follow Jesus at any cost. After
the service we were invited to the home of the man who was the gardener where
the tomb of Jesus was located. He did not have much food to offer, a canned ham
or spam and boiled potatoes was our meal. But the time we shared with him will
forever be etched in my mind. A humble man serving a humble meal in a humble
home filled with the love of Christ.
Sharing a meal involves service to
each other, giving of resources, hospitality and investing of your time in
another person. All of these produce a
spiritual benefit for the people involved.
Breaking of bread can also signify
sharing of the Lord’s supper which is also a very important aspect of being in
relationship with one another. It reminds us of the unity we have in Christ as
his body but also his sacrifice for us that has made possible the relationship we
have with him and with each other. The
early church shared communion on a regular basis and it is still an important
memorial that we should keep regularly today.
4.
Prayer was the final element
mentioned.
More than 30 times in the book of
Acts we find either individuals or groups of believers who are on their knees
before God. They are praising and worshiping Him and interceding for others. We
also find them praying for their own needs. So Acts is not only the Acts of the
Holy Spirit, it is also Acts of prayer as well. https://keithoconnor.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/the-book-of-acts-and-prayer/
The church was birthed in prayer as
the 120 met in Jerusalem waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Act 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting
themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
his brothers.
The early church faced opposition
from the beginning and it helped them establish prayer as a regular part of
their meetings each day. They also went
to the temple at the hour of prayer that had been established in their
faith. Prayer had been a major part of
their lives and it continued to be a priority for the early church.
The early church made it a priority
and they had some incredible prayer meetings.
They prayed because they saw their need and their prayers brought
results.
Peter and John were threatened by the
religious leaders and were told to be silent.
When they were released they went back to the body of believers who
immediately went to prayer.
Act 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and
grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
Act 4:30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and
signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant
Jesus."
Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which
they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
As the church grew in numbers so did
the needs of the people. It reached a
point where meeting physical needs became a hindrance to the preaching and
prayer that was needed.
Act 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to
the ministry of the word."
A solution was found and the
leadership was able to focus on what they were called to do: prayer and the
ministry of the word.
When Peter was placed in prison the
church gathered to pray and God miraculously delivered him.
Act 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest
prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Barnabas and Paul were commissioned
as missionaries as a result of the church in Antioch seeking God in prayer,
fasting and worship.
Act 13:1 Now there were in the church at Antioch
prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Act 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the
work to which I have called them."
Act 13:3 Then after fasting and praying they laid
their hands on them and sent them off.
There are more examples of the church
on its knees and the great things that happened as a result of their unified
prayers.
Personal prayer is the norm for most people
but corporate prayer is not practiced in many believers’ lives to the same
degree. There is a need for both in the
life of the believer.
When we can come into agreement and
pray together the enemy trembles and God responds. Prayer is one of our most powerful spiritual
weapons of warfare. If we do not pray we
should not question why things are not changing.
The churches that are being raised up
among the Muslim areas spend exended time in prayer daily as a body of believers. They are in critical situations where their
very lives are on the line each day.
They understand the need for prayer but also the power of prayer as they
see lives changed as a result of their prayers.
Often we don’t pray until we are in a crisis situation and are desperate
for God’s intervention.
The miraculous growth of the church
in Korea is a direct result of the prayer focus of the church. They continue to meet daily for prayer and
have designated prayer mountains where individuals and groups can spend time in
prayer. Korea has become the third
largest sending nation of missionaries as a result of their dedication to
prayer and obedience to the Lord.
Prayer meetings are often the least
attended service of many churches and corporately very little time is spent in
prayer in most churches. May God burn in
our hearts a desire for corporate prayer in the church so that the work of God
can go forward in his miraculous power. Jesus told his disciples to pray that
the Lord of the Harvest (Holy Spirit) would send laborers into the
harvest. We must pray individually and
corporately for the workers to be released.
The early church had remarkable
growth, remarkable miracles, remarkable boldness, and remarkable courage which
came as a result of their corporate prayers.
We can expect the same things to happen as we make the same commitment
to prayer that they did.
Here in Guatemala there is a city,
Almolonga that experienced an incredible transformation that came as a result
of corporate prayer. Their city was a
disaster filled with drunkenness, prostitution and abuse. The jails were overflowing. As the believers began to unite in prayer God
began to move in miraculous ways to bring repentance. One of the key pastors
was threatened one day and a pistol was placed in his mouth. When the trigger was pulled nothing happened
and the would be assassin knew he was dealing with something beyond his understanding. God also blessed their land giving them crops
that were much larger than normal. Part
of the increase came as a result of the work ethic that changed but part was
also God’s blessing on the land. The community
down the road from them did not see the fruitfulness that Almolonga experienced.
Corporate prayer brings results.
The early church produced strong disciples
because of their emphasis on teaching the Word, fellowship that developed close
relationships, sharing meals that demonstrated servanthood and genuine care for
each other and corporate prayer that produced incredible results.
These four aspects of making
disciples are needed today as we face a world that is becoming more
antagonistic to the gospel and moving deeper into depravity. We need strong disciples who will be able to
stand against the forces of darkness to boldly proclaim the gospel and believe
God to do great and mighty things through their prayers offered in faith.
The results in the early church
discipleship program were:
Supernatural ministry
Unity among the believers
Generosity
Favor
Joy
These things are what we can also
expect to happen as we dedicate ourselves to becoming disciples of Christ.
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