1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,040 Good morning, Resurrection Church. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:06,080 I don't have to introduce myself then. 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,240 My name is Richard. I'm the high school youth 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,160 director here at Reyes. Thank you for that warm 5 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,040 welcoming. A few years ago I had this job 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:18,800 that I absolutely hated. My job was to steam clean oil 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:25,440 filled pumps in the summer here in Bakersfield in a full rain 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,000 suit top and bottom with rain boots on and a face shield and a 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,479 hard hat. I hated this job because I was 10 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,440 constantly sweating and I couldn't get away from the heat. 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,040 Every time I took a break I would take my rain boot off and 12 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:47,440 pour out the sweat. What I didn't realize is that I 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,640 was letting everybody else around me know how much I hated 14 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:57,200 this by the way my face looked until one day this guy comes up 15 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,520 to me and he says, hey Richard, Co worker of mine wasn't a 16 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,080 Christian. He says, hey Richard, you're a 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,720 Christian, right? And I said, yes I am. 18 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,200 And he goes, and why do you look so miserable all the time? 19 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,680 Because the Christians I know are full of joy. 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:16,160 And that cut me deep. And here's the thing, he asked 21 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,960 that question because I was already telling them about 22 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:24,400 inviting them to church, telling them about Jesus sharing 23 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,920 scripture. But what he was really saying is 24 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,280 what you're saying isn't matching your face. 25 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:36,360 It made me stop and examine myself. 26 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,320 Are people actually seeing that I'm a follower of Jesus or do 27 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:44,440 they just see some guy who hates his job? 28 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,200 The question led me to this passage, and I think it's a 29 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,600 question worth asking yourself to. 30 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,400 If someone followed you around for a week, not just on Sunday 31 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,160 morning, would they be able to tell that you're a follower of 32 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,560 Jesus? Not because you wear a shirt 33 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,560 that says Jesus loves you, or wear a cross around your neck, 34 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,360 or you have a nice sticker on your car, or because you have 35 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,360 this nice little scripture in your Instagram bio. 36 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,400 But they would they be able to tell you're a follower of Jesus 37 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,080 just by the way you treat people, the way you spend your 38 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,200 money, the way you show up for your friends, the way you handle 39 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,640 the hard stuff. Would it be obvious? 40 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:33,920 I'm not asking to make you feel guilty. 41 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,440 I'm asking it because it's the exact question this passage in 42 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,680 Acts 2 raises. Let's look at it together. 43 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:50,160 Acts 2, verse 42 through 47. They devoted themselves to the 44 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,720 apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of 45 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,880 bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, 46 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,520 and many wonders and signs were being performed through the 47 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,280 apostles. Now all the believers were 48 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,720 together and had all things in common. 49 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:13,440 They sold their possessions and property and distributed, 50 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,480 distributed the proceeds to all as any had need. 51 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,240 Every day they devoted themselves to the meeting 52 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,800 together in the temple and broke bread from house to house. 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:28,200 They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God 54 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:33,160 and enjoying the favor for all the people, all of the people. 55 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,680 Every day the Lord added to their number those who were 56 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,480 being saved. We're only a couple weeks out 57 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,760 from the resurrection of Jesus. The disciples. 58 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,280 The disciples watched him die and come back. 59 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,040 They've watched him ascend into heaven. 60 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,000 And on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit shows up, and I mean 61 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,520 really shows up. Peter preaches this sermon that 62 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,960 cuts people to the heart, and about 3000 people come to faith 63 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,880 in one day. Now, Luke, the guy who wrote 64 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:09,520 Acts, is giving us a snapshot of what the church looks like right 65 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,920 after that. What do 3000 new believers 66 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,000 actually do? What does this thing look like 67 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,200 on the ground? The answer is right here in 68 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,800 these 6 verses. What we see here is devotion to 69 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,480 Jesus produces a life the world around you can't ignore. 70 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,600 The first word in verse 42 I think is the most important word 71 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,480 of the whole passage. Devoted. 72 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,240 They devoted themselves. In the original Greek, the word 73 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,240 is pros con torontes, and it means something way stronger 74 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,600 than they attended, or they participated, or even they were 75 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,640 committed. It means steadfastly continuing, 76 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:01,760 and we actually see it right before this passage back in Acts 77 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:07,360 114 in the days between the Ascension and Pentecost, Luke 78 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,440 uses the exact same word to describe the disciples. 79 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,360 It says all these with 1 accord were devoting themselves to 80 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,400 prayer together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and 81 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,920 his brothers. It means constantly, urgently, 82 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,800 without letting up. So by the time we get to Acts 83 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,880 242, this isn't a new posture for them. 84 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:36,600 This is who they already were. It's the same word Paul uses in 85 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,600 Romans 12 when he says, when he says to the believers, he tells 86 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,080 them to be devoted to prayer. This is not a casual word. 87 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:50,760 This is a all in kind of word. So what were they devoted to? 88 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,240 Well, Luke gives us four things. The apostles teaching, the 89 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,800 fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers. 90 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,680 We're going to look at each one because I think we can miss what 91 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:07,440 they actually mean. The apostles teaching this is 92 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,600 the Word of God. The early church didn't have a 93 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,200 New Testament. It was still being written, but 94 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,320 what they had was the testimonies of the apostles, the 95 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,360 one that walked with Jesus, the one that lived with them, the 96 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,240 ones that saw him, how he interacted with people. 97 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:27,560 They were hungry for the Word of God, for the testimonies of the 98 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,880 apostles who saw Jesus, who watched him die and watched him 99 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,240 rise again. And these new believers were 100 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,520 hanging on every word. They were showing up. 101 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,480 They weren't passive. They treated God's Word like it 102 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,600 was the most important thing in their week, because it was. 103 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:50,400 Here's a question we're sitting with. 104 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,000 Do you actually believe that when the Word of God is 105 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,080 faithfully taught, it's more important than anything else you 106 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:02,840 could do with your time? The early church acted like they 107 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:06,600 believed it. Their attendance wasn't passive. 108 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:10,720 Their engagement wasn't casual. They were devoted to it. 109 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:15,680 They were also devoted to the fellowship. 110 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,960 This word in Greek is kononea, and it's been softened over 111 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,520 time. We use fellowship to mean snacks 112 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,960 and coffee in the lobby. I mean, I love snacks too. 113 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,600 Shout out to the baking team. We appreciate it. 114 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,400 But here's the thing, we have group chats, Instagram 115 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:39,440 followers, more ways to connect than any generation before us, 116 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,600 but most of us are still carrying the hard stuff alone. 117 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:49,040 If that sounds familiar and community sounds like a church 118 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:54,040 word or something fake, stay with me, because that's not what 119 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:58,200 Luke is describing here. Koinonen means something way 120 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,760 more loaded than that. It means shared life. 121 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,600 It means I'm letting you into what's actually going on with 122 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,400 me, and you're letting me into what's actually going on with 123 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:11,640 you. And you're telling me about the 124 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,880 hard things in life. I'm telling you about the hard 125 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:16,920 things in my life, the things that we were never meant to 126 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,000 carry alone. They weren't just acquaintances 127 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,120 who happened to show up at the same place on Sunday. 128 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,880 They were in each other's lives. And that's uncomfortable, 129 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:33,559 honestly, because real fellowship, real Koinonia, 130 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:39,960 requires vulnerability. It requires you to let people 131 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,080 see the version of you that isn't cleaned up and put 132 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,880 together. How many of us, when we're 133 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,960 having people over, run around cleaning the house right before 134 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:53,520 they arrive? I know my wife makes me do it 135 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:58,240 too. We do that because we don't want 136 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:02,880 people to see our mess. But I'll tell you the truth, 137 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,160 when I walk into someone's house and I see it spotless, I'm 138 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,120 thinking to myself a bunch of liars. 139 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,760 This house was not like that. Especially if you have kids. 140 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,320 If you got like 4 kids and I walk in and I don't step on a 141 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:21,760 Lego, I know you're lying. But we do that, and we do it 142 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:26,800 with our lives, too. We want to fake it. 143 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,480 We don't want people to see the mess, so we show them the best 144 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,280 version of ourselves. But that doesn't help me and 145 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:42,930 that doesn't help. You they were also. 146 00:09:42,930 --> 00:09:44,410 Devoted to the breaking of bread. 147 00:09:45,770 --> 00:09:49,570 This almost certainly refers to both the Lord's Supper communion 148 00:09:50,490 --> 00:09:54,930 and to actual shared meals. Look at verse 46. 149 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:59,440 They were breaking bread in their homes every day around 150 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,680 kitchen tables with actual people. 151 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,240 This wasn't a program. This wasn't. 152 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:10,120 This was just life together, eating together, showing up in 153 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:14,400 each other's ordinary days. I think we miss under 154 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,200 underestimate how powerful a shared meal is. 155 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,360 When you invite someone into your home, what you're doing, 156 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,000 you're you're doing something more than feeding them. 157 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,360 You're saying, I'm willing to let you see how I actually live. 158 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:36,320 And that's not nothing. A few years ago, I got to the 159 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:38,560 opportunity to go to the Middle East and I walked into this 160 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:43,200 home, the home of Syrian refugees who were all from a 161 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,760 Muslim background. And I walked in and they all had 162 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,480 Bibles on their laps, 4 women sitting there, Bibles open and 163 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,560 they said, can I tell you what How I Met Jesus? 164 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:55,240 And I was like yes, please tell me. 165 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,440 They viewed the word of God like it was the most important thing 166 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,880 that they could share with me. When they opened the door, as 167 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,720 they fed us, they welcomed us in like family. 168 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:14,320 We were strangers but we shared Jesus and that made us family. 169 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,760 And then to top it all off, they asked how they could be praying 170 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,240 for us. How could how they could be 171 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,360 praying for the American church. And that wrecked me. 172 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,480 You who have so little want to pray for us. 173 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,320 That's Koinonia. That's what it looked like in 174 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,440 Acts 2, and that's what it looks like when the church is actually 175 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:44,120 alive. They were devoted to prayers, 176 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:47,920 not prayer in general. The prayers. 177 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,680 There's something communal here. They were praying together. 178 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,480 They were bringing their needs, their fears, and their 179 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:59,200 gratitudes to God together. Prayer was not a private, 180 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,400 individual, last resort kind of thing for the early church. 181 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:10,440 It was central, it was constant. It was something they did with 182 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,880 each other. So that's what they were devoted 183 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,240 to. The word each other shared meals 184 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,000 and prayer. And here's what I want you to 185 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,280 notice. None of these four things are 186 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,040 programs. None of them are events you 187 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,600 attend. They are practices, things you 188 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:34,720 actually do repeatedly with others over time. 189 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,520 And they devoted themselves to these things. 190 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,440 Now look what happens because Luke doesn't just describe what 191 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,160 they were doing, he tells us what it produced. 192 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,840 Verse 43, everyone was filled with awe. 193 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,200 Awe inside the community. Something was happening that 194 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,200 couldn't be explained. The presence of God was real. 195 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,680 The Holy Spirit was moving. The early church wasn't just a 196 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:04,640 nice group of people with shared values. 197 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,560 There was something alive in them that wasn't there before. 198 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,360 And the people inside the community felt it. 199 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,600 They were in awe. And look, if you're skeptical 200 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,960 about any of this, I want you to stay with me right here. 201 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:24,200 Just watch what happens to these people, watch what their lives 202 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,200 produce, and then tell me what else could explain it. 203 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,200 This wasn't an accident. Jesus said in Matthew 1618, I 204 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,360 will build my church. And here's what I want you to 205 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,120 see. He kept that promise in real 206 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:45,440 time. Verse 47 Jesus is building every 207 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,400 person being saved, every outsider getting pulled in. 208 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,360 That's not the early church executing a great strategy. 209 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,640 That's Jesus doing exactly what he said he would do. 210 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,840 He was the engine. They were just devoted to him. 211 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,160 For three years He lived with his disciples. 212 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:08,320 Same rooms, same meals, same life. 213 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,240 He showed them what real community look like. 214 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:19,240 Now they're just putting it into practice, not by their own 215 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,680 efforts, but by the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. 216 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,120 And look what happened, verse 47. 217 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,520 Every day the Lord added to their numbers those who are 218 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,640 being saved. People are on the outside. 219 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,960 They notice the community's life together, their devotion, their 220 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:43,160 generosity, their joy. The way they treated each other 221 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,360 was creating this gravitational pull. 222 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:50,600 People were being drawn in not because the early church had a 223 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,200 great marketing strategy, not because they had the best music 224 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,960 or the coolest buildings or the greatest kids camp, but because 225 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,960 their life together was so different, so human, so 226 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:09,160 authentic, marked by the presence of God that the people 227 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:10,640 on the outside couldn't look away. 228 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,400 I saw a picture of this in the Middle East on the same trip we 229 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,480 visited this school that was planted right in the middle of a 230 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,960 Muslim neighborhood. Now this in this country, 231 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,280 neighborhoods were sectioned by your religion. 232 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,000 So this school was planted right in a Muslim neighborhood. 233 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,120 And the staff and the teachers begin to tell us that the the 234 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,120 Muslim people around them let their kids come to this 235 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,600 Christian School because they see the way they love their 236 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:48,640 kids. I was in awe because the love 237 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,440 was visible from this school and the world noticed. 238 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:57,400 And honestly, Jesus said that would happen. 239 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,520 He said that people would know who we are by the way we love 240 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:10,400 each other. It would be evident it wouldn't 241 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:15,640 be by your programs, not by your events, but by the love you have 242 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:19,800 for each other. That's what was drawing the 243 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,440 people into the early church that was winning the favor of 244 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,680 the entire city. The love was real and the world 245 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:31,840 noticed them. Verse 47 also says they had 246 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:37,880 favor with all the people. This is remarkable because 247 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:44,360 Jerusalem was a a diverse, complicated city, and this brand 248 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,960 new community of followers of Jesus who are themselves diverse 249 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,040 and complicated, is winning the favor of the city around them. 250 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:59,560 People like them. People are drawn to them because 251 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,800 what they had was real. The early church wasn't trying 252 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,319 to be impressive, They weren't trying to grow. 253 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:08,920 They weren't running campaigns or strategies or outreach 254 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,680 events. They were just devoted to Jesus, 255 00:17:13,319 --> 00:17:17,599 to his word, to each other. And the growth was a result. 256 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:26,200 Favour and awe was the result. Which tells us something really 257 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,280 important. You don't manufacture this. 258 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,160 You can't fake it. You can't program your way to 259 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,800 it. A life that the world around you 260 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,200 can't ignore is not something you produce on your own. 261 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:50,760 It happens when you're devoted to Jesus over time, AW Tozer 262 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,800 said there are rare Christians whose very present incites 263 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,880 others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare 264 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,080 Christian. Me too. 265 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,240 Think about the people in your life who are like this. 266 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:15,120 You probably know at least one. Someone's whose faith seems 267 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:18,440 real. Not perfect, not showy, but 268 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,440 real. Someone who, when hard things 269 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,960 happen, doesn't fall apart like you'd expect. 270 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:28,080 Someone who is generous in a way that makes no sense from the 271 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,680 outside. Someone who just seems to care 272 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,440 about people and what's true and what actually matters. 273 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,280 And when you're around them, you feel it, there's something 274 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,000 different about them. That's not an accident. 275 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,440 That's what devotion produces over time. 276 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,320 Because devotion to Jesus produces a life the world around 277 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:58,000 you can't ignore. So here we are. 278 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,000 I want to ask you to do something that might be a little 279 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,600 uncomfortable. I want to ask you to hold this 280 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:08,880 passage up like a mirror and just look at it. 281 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,720 Not in a guilt trip way, not in a you're not doing enough kind 282 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:16,440 of way. Just honestly. 283 00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:22,480 Paul puts it plainly in 2nd Corinthians 13 five. 284 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,080 He says, examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. 285 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,960 Test yourselves. It's not a harsh command. 286 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:33,720 That's an invitation. To be honest. 287 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:40,240 That's all I'm asking you to do right now because I had to look 288 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:45,080 at it that way myself. The whole idea of devotion, 289 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,600 being devoted to people, to community, and that was 290 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,200 completely foreign to me before I came to Christ. 291 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,640 In my old life when things got hard or someone disrespected me 292 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,000 or offended me or I didn't, I didn't like something. 293 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:01,320 I just cut people off. I didn't care who they were, 294 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,360 family, friends, siblings, I'd walk away. 295 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,480 Devotion was not in my vocabulary. 296 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,200 So when I became a Christian and I realized I was supposed to 297 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,560 stick things out with brothers and sisters and work it out to 298 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,440 actually stay when it got uncomfortable, that was new 299 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,840 territory. I had to go to God and say, 300 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,240 Lord, I see this in your word and I see you're telling me I'm 301 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:26,840 supposed to be devoted to these people. 302 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:37,460 Help me do this, because I can't, Jesus said. 303 00:20:38,780 --> 00:20:40,900 By this, people will know that you're my disciples. 304 00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:42,340 By the way, you love one another. 305 00:20:44,420 --> 00:20:51,060 Lord, help me love them. That gravitational pull we see 306 00:20:51,060 --> 00:20:54,500 in Acts 2 is exactly what Jesus was describing. 307 00:20:55,340 --> 00:20:58,580 When people see the way we love one another, they think, I've 308 00:20:58,580 --> 00:21:00,420 never experienced anything like that. 309 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:04,920 That was me when I first came to Christ. 310 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,760 It was all new, it was foreign, and it was real. 311 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,840 And if you look around this church, you'll see it right here 312 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:19,080 in this church that we are diverse, just like the early 313 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,840 church. But if you look at Pastor Dave, 314 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,240 Pastor Daniel, Pastor Steve, Pastor Vance, and then you look 315 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,520 at me, we don't look like we'd be friends outside of church. 316 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,640 I'm sorry, but I wouldn't have been hanging on the block with 317 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,880 these guys. But the number one thing we have 318 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,880 in common is Jesus, and that's more than enough because that 319 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,760 makes us family. That means I don't walk away 320 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:51,640 from these guys. I got to be devoted to my 321 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,800 brothers and sisters. The early church in Acts 2 was a 322 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,440 wasn't a collection of extraordinary people. 323 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,400 These were ordinary people, fishermen, tax collectors, women 324 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,600 who had complicated lives, people from different 325 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,160 backgrounds who would have never chosen each other to be friends. 326 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,560 What made them extraordinary was not who they were, it was who 327 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,840 they were devoted to. In this church we have teachers, 328 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,840 law enforcement, doctors, nurses, ex gang members, field 329 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:28,640 workers, city workers. It doesn't matter what your 330 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,440 background is, what matters is who you're devoted to. 331 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,600 I think a lot of us, myself included, have the tendency to 332 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,760 slide from devoted to comfortable without even 333 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,440 noticing. We go to church. 334 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,400 We're not bad people. We believe the right things, but 335 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,760 devoted? That's a different word. 336 00:22:54,360 --> 00:23:01,240 That's a different gear. So let me ask you plainly, is 337 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:07,040 your life producing any of this? Is there all in your life? 338 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,360 Not every moment, not perfectly, but is there something of the 339 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,480 presence of God that is real and evident to you and the people 340 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:22,040 around you, or has your faith gone kind of quiet and flat? 341 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,920 And look, you don't have to go overseas to be in awe of what 342 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:32,000 God is doing. I get to be in awe all week long 343 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,840 when I'm just going about my normal day. 344 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,040 And it doesn't happen every day, but I get to be in awe at the 345 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,280 gym, at the barbershop, when I meet people and I get to share 346 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:46,040 the gospel with them. I share Jesus's love and I can 347 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:50,320 see hope in people's eyes and I see God transforming them. 348 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,840 I see God transforming myself, everyone around me here in this 349 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:58,400 church, and I'm in awe. I get to be in awe on Friday 350 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,360 night when I get back from Thrive Conference and I'm 351 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:02,720 sitting on my couch and I'm breaking down in hives and I 352 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,200 have to go to the ER because I'm having an allergic reaction. 353 00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:10,560 And I'm sitting next to a gentleman who has this nice 354 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:15,000 ankle monitor on. And I lean over and I start 355 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,760 talking to him and wanting to share Jesus with me. 356 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,760 And he tells me God is great, Bro, I'm in awe. 357 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,960 Tell me your story. And he tells me he just got out 358 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,120 from serving two life sentences. He's out on parole. 359 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:30,680 And he says God is good because I should have never got out. 360 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:35,480 That's my brother. I'm in awe of what God is doing 361 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:41,840 in people's lives. I'm in awe of the presence of 362 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:50,280 God, and you can have it too. Is your life together with other 363 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:54,640 believers actually life together, or is it mostly just 364 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,800 Sunday mornings? Do people know what's really 365 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,880 going on with you and you know what's going on with them? 366 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:13,640 And is anything spilling out? Is any of this visible to the 367 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,880 people around you who don't know Jesus yet? 368 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,160 I'm not asking because I want to make you feel bad. 369 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,480 I'm asking because this passage is not describing something 370 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,840 impossible. It's describing what happens 371 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,640 when ordinary people are devoted to Jesus. 372 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,240 And that's available to you. That's available to all of us. 373 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,400 And here's the grace in this The early church wasn't devoted and 374 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,720 then got the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit 375 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:51,360 and then they were devoted. The engine of all this is not 376 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:53,280 willpower. It's not your effort. 377 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:59,520 It's the Holy Spirit working in people who say yes to Him who 378 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,560 are showing up to the Word, who are letting people in, who are 379 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,960 praying together, who are being generous with what they have. 380 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:11,680 The devotion is a response, not the starting point. 381 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,920 You don't manufacture this and then hope God shows up. 382 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,080 You turn toward God in His Word with His people in prayer, and 383 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:26,240 He produces devotion in you. And here's the thing I want you 384 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:31,080 to walk away with today. Devotion to Jesus produces a 385 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:33,120 life the world around you can't ignore. 386 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:41,480 At the end of verse 47, Luke says every day the Lord added to 387 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,880 their number those who were being saved every day. 388 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:51,880 Not a big annual event, not in a revival weekend, just 389 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:56,840 consistently, quietly daily. God was bringing people in 390 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,400 because the community was alive, because the devotion was real, 391 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:04,840 because the life they were living together with an 392 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,880 advertisement that nobody could fake. 393 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,200 That can be. True of us, it can be true of 394 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,040 you. But it starts. 395 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:16,720 With the question I asked in the beginning. 396 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:19,680 If someone followed you. Around this week. 397 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:23,720 Would they be able to? Tell that you're a follower of 398 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:29,640 Jesus. And if the honest? 399 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,120 Answer is I'm not sure. Probably not. 400 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,960 That's not condemnation, that's an invitation. 401 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:42,360 An invitation to look at verses 42 through 46 and ask which one 402 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,840 of these am I missing? Where have I drifted? 403 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:48,440 From devoted to just attending what? 404 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:54,800 Would it look like? To actually give myself to this. 405 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,000 To the word. To real fellowship, to the 406 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,840 breaking of prayer with people, to prayer. 407 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,560 And. And see what God does in you and 408 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:11,040 through you. So here's what I. 409 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:15,360 Want to actually ask you to do not in a vague think about it 410 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:21,160 kind of way specifically. Number one. 411 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:26,360 Pray with other people, not just on your own. 412 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,400 That matters. Have a private prayer life, but 413 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:31,960 I want you to pray with other people. 414 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,800 It's out loud. I know that feels. 415 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,440 Awkward. It feels vulnerable. 416 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,280 Do it anyway. There's something that happens 417 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:45,360 when you pray with someone else that doesn't happen when you 418 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,240 pray alone. You hear what they're? 419 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:50,560 Actually carrying. They hear what you're carrying 420 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,040 and you realize you haven't been alone in all this. 421 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,760 They're going through it, too. Find one person this. 422 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:01,680 Week and pray with them. Just one person. 423 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:10,160 Get vulnerable. Let someone actually know what's 424 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,320 going on with you. Not the cleaned up version. 425 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,480 Not that I'm doing well. Or like Pastor Dave likes to 426 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,000 say. Don't settle for the. 427 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,880 American I'm doing fine answer. I'm doing good. 428 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:29,880 No get vulnerable. I know it's scary. 429 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,240 It was scary to me too. But you cannot have. 430 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,080 Koinonia, real fellowship without it. 431 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,560 You can be. In the same room as people for 432 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,720 years and still be completely unknown. 433 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,400 Vulnerability. Is what closes that gap. 434 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:56,160 Let someone. In be known and no others, ask 435 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,680 someone how they're actually doing and then wait for a real 436 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,880 answer. Invite someone into your home 437 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,360 for a meal. Show up when someone is going 438 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:08,280 through it. Let people show up. 439 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:11,320 For you. This is what it looked. 440 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,680 Like in Acts 2. And it's still. 441 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:18,080 What it looks like when the church is actually alive. 442 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:23,640 Get into a group if you're not in a. 443 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:25,400 Small group with other believers. 444 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,920 That is the single most important next step you can take 445 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,480 today. Not because it's a church 446 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,520 program. Because you weren't designed. 447 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,360 To do this alone, neither was I the. 448 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:41,040 Early Church. Wasn't sitting in the department 449 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,960 in their apartment by themselves, trying to be 450 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:49,040 devoted. They were together every day. 451 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,640 You need people around you who are running in the same 452 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:56,320 direction. If you're not in. 453 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:57,920 A group. When you walk out of here, 454 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,400 there's a table in the lobby. Stop. 455 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,200 Talk to them. They will put you in a group. 456 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:06,920 Or you can come. Hang out with me on Tuesday 457 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:08,440 nights at 6:30 in my small group. 458 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:14,280 Don't wait till next. Week. 459 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:16,480 Do it today. Find a group. 460 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,720 And if none? Of those, feel like your next 461 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,840 step? Maybe it's that your? 462 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:31,040 Faith has just gone quiet. Tell God that that's a Step 2 463 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:34,080 ask. Him to feel you again. 464 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,240 And if you don't know. Jesus, if you're here and you've 465 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,960 been watching from a distance. Trying to figure out. 466 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,840 If this is real. I want to speak. 467 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,560 Directly to you, just for a second. 468 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:54,760 What you just heard? About the early church was not a 469 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:57,840 performance. It was a community of. 470 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,320 People whose lives were genuinely changed by Jesus. 471 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,960 By his death for. Them, His resurrection before 472 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:12,600 them, and His spirit in them. And he is still. 473 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,320 Changing people today. He changed me. 474 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,840 I didn't deserve it, I didn't earn it, but he changed me. 475 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:23,480 And he can change you. Too. 476 00:32:29,620 --> 00:32:33,540 If you want that, If you want what? 477 00:32:33,540 --> 00:32:36,260 That passage describes to be true in your life. 478 00:32:38,020 --> 00:32:40,380 I want you to give. You a chance to respond right 479 00:32:40,380 --> 00:32:46,060 now. 2000 years. Ago God sent his son Jesus. 480 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,600 To live a life. That we couldn't live a perfect 481 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:57,600 life and died the death that we deserve. 482 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,280 He paid for our sins. He died on the cross, and he was 483 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,040 buried and rose on the third day, defeating sin and death. 484 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,680 Giving us assurance. That if we put our trust in Him 485 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,360 as Lord and Savior. That he would give. 486 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:17,280 Us eternal life that when we walk out of this life. 487 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:23,560 We too will rise. And be with eternity, be an 488 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:27,560 eternity with God. The Bible says you can. 489 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,520 Be saved if you declare with your mouth and believe in your 490 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:35,040 heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. If you're willing to. 491 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:42,240 Ask Him as Jesus into your life for forgiveness and salvation. 492 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,880 Would you please bow your head and close your eyes? 493 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,560 If you'd like to ask. Jesus to be your Lord and 494 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,680 Savior. Quietly or even. 495 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:56,560 Silently repeat this prayer after me. 496 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:05,400 Jesus, I know I'm a. Sinner I am lost on my own and I 497 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,520 can't save myself. I know I'm incapable. 498 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:12,480 Of living perfectly. I want. 499 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,679 You to save me. I want to be. 500 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:19,600 Part of your family. I surrender. 501 00:34:19,679 --> 00:34:23,480 Everything to you. I receive your. 502 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:28,360 Promise of relationship of adoption as your child. 503 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:35,719 Of the forgiveness of. Sin of the Holy Spirit and 504 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:40,679 eternal life. Jesus be my Lord, please. 505 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:45,880 If you prayed that. Prayer for the first time right 506 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,920 now, would you be brave and. Raise your hand so. 507 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:54,520 Only I could see. Thank you. 508 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:01,400 Thank you. Can put your hands down in. 509 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:02,960 Jesus name. Amen. 510 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:07,440 All right, everyone up here. Jesus loves you. 511 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,280 And if you said that prayer for the first time today, welcome to 512 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:19,510 the family of God. Our prayer team. 513 00:35:20,190 --> 00:35:22,350 Is going to be coming up right now and we'd love to pray with 514 00:35:22,350 --> 00:35:25,150 you. If you raise your hand. 515 00:35:25,150 --> 00:35:28,230 Today we have two tables in the back, one on the right and one 516 00:35:28,230 --> 00:35:29,950 on the left to say I raised my hand. 517 00:35:30,950 --> 00:35:34,150 We have a gift for you and we'd love to talk with you about what 518 00:35:34,150 --> 00:35:36,910 it looks like to follow Jesus and walk with you on this 519 00:35:36,910 --> 00:35:40,470 journey. Please stand and move as the 520 00:35:40,470 --> 00:35:41,150 Lord leads.