FELLOWSHIP SET AFLAME
#762 FELLOWSHIP SET AFLAME
Scripture Acts 2:40-47 Orig. 11/11/1979
Rewr. 2/9/1982
Passage: 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Purpose: In a series from The Book of Acts, to declare the great message of the early church as it discovers its potential to become the people of God.
Keywords: Bible Study Faith Fellowship Outreach Revival
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Acts describes “fellowship” form the New Testament perspective. We are able to see for ourselves what it is like in the 20th Century. Perhaps a view of the fields of the 17th century will help us to determine if we have lost something of a great significance. From The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder by Francis Howgill. (Editor correction: Edward Burrough, 1634-1663)
The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all as in a net, and His heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land. We came to know a place to stand in and what to wait in; and the Lord appeared daily to us, to our astonishment, amazement, and great admiration, insomuch that we often said one unto another with great joy of heart: “What, is the Kingdom of God come to be with men? And will He take up His tabernacle among the sons of men, as He did of old? Shall we, that were reckoned as the outcasts of Israel, have this honor of glory communicated amongst us, which were but men of small parts, and of little abilities, in respect to many others, amongst men? And from that day forward, our hearts were knit unto the Lord and one unto another in true and fervent love, in the covenant of life with God; and that was a strong obligation or bond upon our spirits, which united us one unto another. We met together in the unity of the Spirit, and in the bond of peace, treading down under our feet all reasoning about religion. And holy resolutions were kindled in our hearts as a fire which the Life kindleth in us to serve the Lord while we had a being, and mightily did the Word of God grow amongst us, and the desires of many were after the name of the Lord. O happy day! O blessed day! The memorial can never pass out of my mind. And thus, the Lord, in short, did form us to be a people for his praise in our generation.”
I. Such Fellowship Meant a Gospel Proclaimed. V40, “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’”
The middle verses of chapter 2 establish gospel. Announcement of “day of the Lord.” V17, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God.” It is affirmation of basic aspects of Jesus’ life. V22, “. . . Hear what I have to say. Jesus lived among you, He died because of you, and for you, but He lives because God came to you in Jesus” (the Skinner short version of 22-25.)
What a joy to view the perspective of the land of Jesus. There is such a wealth of material available in book, on tape, in video. Too much time is spent watching unseemly TV soap operas.
The gospel authenticated the superiority of grace over law. David was dead. A great leader, but dead. His tomb was nearby. But Jesus was alive. Oh, how Satan sought to create a delusion of His death. It is still the first defense for the skeptic.
The gospel must make every attempt to call people to decision. See v21, “Whosoever shall call”; see v36, “Let all the house of Israel know”; see v38, “Repent and be baptized, every one;” see v40, “He did exhort saying, ‘Save yourself.’”
This gospel proclamation is central to our faith and must never change. There is such worth and encouragement in the evangelist who lives the life and exhorts decision. There may be variant program interests. The contemporary may show persistent differences. God help us to be faithful to proclaim the gospel and to call people to decide.
Ultimately, it is the gospel that relates sin to the cross. The human condition has not changed. The unbelieving contingent is in greater jeopardy for all the so-called Christians who do not take sin seriously. See v23—sin put Jesus on the cross.
It is the gospel that demands adjustment in the life of the believer.
It is the gospel that portrays God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness means that estrangement is gone. It means we are at peace. It means that the offending iniquity has been resolved. It does not mean that sin is gone from the extensions of our lives.
It is the gospel that forecasts the Holy Spirit’s resolve in the believer’s life.
II. Such Fellowship Meant United Purpose. V41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls.”
There are three interrelated action words.
“Received”-- apodexomai—not the normative word for belief (pisteuó) or “to trust.” This word is mental credence and more. It is unreserved submission to a new life orientation.
“Baptized”—since you are Baptists, you know what it means. You know that only “immersion” translates the Greek. The people here being “baptized” were doing what was repugnant to them. They were Jews, God’s people. This ritualistic form meant them to be separated from their covenant God by their own sin. No person truly comes to Christ who does not deal with their own sin. Why age of accountability is so important. Also why “koinonia” Bible study, etc., are, and this brings us to the third “action” word.
“Added”—prostithémi—“to place beside.” Those who believe come to a place of equality. They take their place in the fellowship of believers. They perceive of themselves as “babes” in the faith who need to be nourished to grow.
It is interesting that medical science has taken this word, literally, to name a rapidly changing sphere of developmental medicine. “Prosthetics” is the science of artificial body parts, that which is “added.” Ask anyone who has lost a hand, arm, leg, breast, what this has “added” to their lives.
III. Finally, Fellowship Means, for All of Us, Growing, Changing in Our Faith. V42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Of what did the early church consist? Firstly, it was a learning church. The word means they persisted in hearing what the apostles had to say. The apostles were not motivators, or promoters, they were proclaimers. We are waiting for some self-styled motivator to come along to get us to do what we don’t want to do. Too many are steadfastly looking for some reason to excuse ourselves from the koinonia.
It was a church of fellowship. “Steadfastly . . . in the fellowship” says text. It is a noun. We tend to view “fellowship” as a verb. It is not what we do, it is what we are. It is the fellowship that produces harmony, that produces success. It will be interesting, after the “strike” is over, if split teams can “win.”
It was a praying church. Jesus has taught them this. They were learning more in practical experience. We are dealing with this very thing in prayer meeting. “Caring” people will want to share.
It was a reverent church. V43, “And fear came upon every soul.” The idea of reverential awe. And fear came before the “wonders and signs.” I remind you this morning the contemporary mission consequence was birthed on the concept of “expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”
And it goes without saying further that it was a giving (sharing) church.
Conclusion
Using Dr. Helen Falls’ (NOBTS) story of Miss Alice Barnes of Maryland WMU. Miss Falls worked for her. Saving reusable material with a flourish “All right, Miss Annie.” Alice had worked for Annie Armstrong as Helen was working for Miss Alice. Limed funds. One year 127,000 pieces of material to Maryland WMU. They walked the streets of Baltimore to save the 2 cents it then cost to mail a letter. Alice Barnes could not break the covenant, though Annie Armstrong was long dead.
Links/References
Howgill https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/quakers/biographies/howgill_biog.html
Burrough https://www.friendslibrary.com/edward-burrough/life
Memorable Works: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A30510.0001.001/1:102?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
Burrough, E. (1671). The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder, E. Hookes.