Sermon Notes 08-10-08

August 10th 2008 “Eternity Will Reveal Our Unity”
Acts 4:32-37 “32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

Introduction: A church consultant, surveyed church members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question: “Why does the church exist?” Of the members surveyed, 89 percent said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s and my needs.” For many, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep that are already in the “pen” happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11 percent said, “The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ.”

Then, the pastors of the same churches were asked why the church exists. Amazingly, the results were exactly the opposite. Of the pastors surveyed, 90 percent said the purpose of the church was to win the world and 10 percent said it was to care for the needs of the members.
Is it any wonder we have conflict, confusion, and stagnation in many churches today?

Nothing precedes purpose!
The starting point for every church should be the question, “Why do we exist?”

Pastor Phil says: “Until we know what our church exists for, we will have no foundation, no motivation, no direction, and no unity.”

Points to Ponder:1st They had Unity!

A. Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

All the believers shared in this unity. Not just the apostles. Not just the leaders. All the believers were unified.
There was a fundamental solidarity of love and purpose. To be one in heart and mind is to be unified in every fiber of their being.

B. The early church knew why they existed. And they were unified about that purpose. “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul . . . And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them”(Acts 4: 32, 33).

Jesus had enlisted these followers not to a life of leisure, but to a life of service.
While each had a different task they all had the same calling: to fulfill the Great Commission in their generation.
They had one leader—Jesus, one purpose—to communicate the gospel to all people.
These early disciples did more for the spread of Christianity than any generation of followers since. What was their secret?

C. They were family and had entered into a relationship with each other.
They shared the same spiritual father—God Almighty.
They shared a spiritual birth—they were born again into the family of God.

A song Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote describes this family relationship: “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God—I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by his blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod; for I’m part of the family, the family of God.”
The Early Church gave priority to meeting the physical and practical needs that were evident in the community.

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Churches need to be less like national shrines and more like bars, less like untouchable cathedrals and more like well-used hospitals, places to bleed in rather than monuments to look at, places where you can take your mask off and let your hair down, place where you can have your wounds dressed.” The early disciples found that in their community of faith.

Pastor Phil says: “The members of a church are a group of people from various backgrounds with different interests and different perspectives who have been called together for a purpose. That purpose is to cooperate together in reaching out beyond our walls so others can know the love of Jesus Christ. We are in the life-saving business. That endeavor is accomplished best when we understand that we are a family of friends in partnership with each other.”

Points to Ponder:
1st They had Unity!
2nd They had Power!

A. Acts 3:33 “33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.”

They experienced the power of God!
Purpose is the power in the engine of life.
Purpose assures us that the steering wheel is connected to the engine.

Without purpose there is a motion without emotion.

Illustration: Think of light for a moment. Diffused light has no power at all. But by focusing the power of the sun through a magnifying glass, we can set a leaf on fire. And when light is concentrated at even a higher level, like a laser beam, it can even cut through a block of steel.
The early disciples had a laser-like focus to their purpose and the corresponding result was power—the dynamite of God.

The power was evidenced by the growth of the church.
In a matter of weeks, the church went from the Upper Room to every living room in Jerusalem.

It is estimated by scholars that during the first twenty-five years of the Jerusalem church, it grew from 120 people to over 100,000 people. That’s power manifested.
The power was evidenced by their ability to withstand satanic assault. As soon as the Spirit came upon the church, Satan launched a ferocious counterattack. Pentecost was followed by persecution.

First, there was physical violence as church leaders were thrown into prison.
Second, there was moral corruption, evidenced through Ananias and Sapphira!
Third, Satan tried to get them to fight over the wide assortment of gifts! In each case the church withstood the attack and stayed true to its purpose of reaching people for Christ.

In short, we are to resemble a symphony. They may have played different notes from the person sitting next to them.

Unity exists amid diversity because we all follow the same musical score.

Points to Ponder:
1st They had Unity!
2nd They had Power!
3rd They had Favor! They had favor with God!

A. Acts 3:33 “33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.”
Grace, as you know, means unmerited love or favor.

1. Because they were generous God was generous.
Because their heart broke over the same things that broke the heart of God, God smiled upon them.
Because they held in high esteem the purpose of Jesus, God held them in high esteem.

Illustration: In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell tried to explain to his sister why he chose to prepare for the Olympic Games rather than immediately return to China as a missionary: “When I run, I feel his pleasure.” Eric Liddell found his purpose and ran to Olympic stardom. Following his Olympic feat he returned to the mission field in China, there, and there fulfilling his purpose, and there, too, feeling God’s pleasure. There is nothing like being in the center of God’s purpose for your life!

Robin Jones Gunn said, “If you agree to say yes to God’s purpose for your life, you’ll never be bored again with Jesus Christ.” Having God’s favor is the greatest “feeling” in the entire world!
October 6, 1965, Sandy Koufax, the overpowering lefty for the Los Angeles Dodgers, did not pitch in the first game of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins because game day fell on Yom Kippur.

Jesus said: John 17:20-21, 23 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me”

Unity matters to God! Unity creates belief—“By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

When the world sees Catholics and Protestants dueling over power and territory in Northern Ireland, or young and old members of the same congregation dueling over worship styles, or a church splitting over the color of the new carpet, it says, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Paul Billheimer said: “The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the Church has been the scandal of the ages. It has been Satan’s master strategy. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost than all other sins combined.”

Could it be that we can only reach Santa Maria and the surrounding area when we are unified?

Get in The Game!
Conclusion: Unity doesn’t begin in examining others, but in examining self. Unity begins, not in demanding that others change, but in admitting that we aren’t prefect ourselves.
By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).