We talked about the reigning church, Amen.
On Sunday. We're going to talk a little bit
about that tonight as well, about being in the church, being
in the body of Christ, the reigning church.
We're not just talking about the building.
You are the church, you are the body of Christ.
So if, if, if we're going to reign, that means you're going
to reign. That means you're going to
reign. Amen.
That ought to be exciting to know that you have authority.
Come on. To know that you have dominion
glory to God. To know that you have God's
love. To know that you have supreme
intelligence on the inside of you.
To know that you are a carrier of His glory everywhere you go.
Come on. How much more exciting of a life
can we be living? Somebody ought to be happy about
it. Glory to God.
So tonight we're going to say that you are change agents.
You're a change agent. Glory to God.
Your own assignment. Come on your own assignment.
And it's going to take you to be able to recognize that you are a
person, come on, that can reign and actually bring change into
the world. Amen.
And so, you know, when Pastor talked about the reigning church
a couple of Sundays ago, he read a couple of quotes from a few
people. And I want to read those tonight
because I want to go from where we saw on Sunday all that the
church, all the characteristics of what the church looks like
and should have and should be operating in to looking at what
the first church actually looked like.
OK. But the couple of quotes that he
read, there was one from Sunday Adelaide and he said this, the
Church of Jesus Christ was planted in this world to be a
change agent. Say I'm a change agent.
We have to get this. We're change agents.
Say I'm a change agent. I'm going to make you talk back
to me tonight. Now, any other time I wouldn't
want you talking back to me, but I want you talking back tonight
because I think you're falling asleep on me.
OK, So what are we going to be? So he said.
That the Church of Jesus Christ was planted in this world to be
a change agent for the transformation of the world and
of the particular society where the church is located.
Amen. So again, everywhere that his
church, the church that he's building that's operating in all
the attributes that we talked about on Sunday, 10 attributes,
we should be seeing communities transformed, transform.
Not just putting a building and having a place where we can just
religiously come to know this church ought to be radically
changing and transforming their communities and the lives of
people around us. Amen.
Say I'm a change agent. And then the other quote that he
read was from Martin Luther King Junior.
We just celebrated that on Monday, right?
It says this. He said this.
He said there was a time when the.
Church was very powerful. There was a time when it was
powerful, and we're going to see that tonight.
But I'm saying it's time that we see the powerful church rise
today. Amen.
The reigning church rising up today, producing the power that
we saw in the book of Acts. And so it says this, that there
was a time when the church was very powerful.
It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced
when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed.
And we're living in a world of Christianity in the Western
church today that wants no suffering, no suffering.
And he goes on to say, for what they believed in those days, the
church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the
ideas and principles of popular opinion.
It was the thermostat that transformed the morals of
society. And then Ed Savoso says this.
The 1st century ecclesia or ecclesia introduced a radical
and revolutionary social agenda that launched a process that
literally changed the world. Say I'm a change agent.
Literally change the world with the subsequent
institutionalization of the Church, however.
What was a? Lifestyle that implemented Jesus
agenda became programs for good deeds that fall short of
transforming society. That's why we said at Anchor
Faith Church, we are not going to be reduced to a social
service. We're not just going to do good
deeds just to do good deeds. We're doing the good deeds to
see transformation in people's lives.
And there is a difference. There is a difference.
And then the last quote that he read was this from Sunday
Adelaide. Again, it says people are
supposed to come to church and be aware that they are being
trained and recruited. The church is supposed to be a
place like a classroom or a war room where you are being
equipped to go out from Monday to Friday and fight for the
cause of the Kingdom of God. Not like fighting demons that's
already been defeated thousands of years ago, but fighting to
bring back righteousness and rules of the Kingdom of God into
every sphere of influence. That means everywhere we go, you
should bring the Kingdom of God. You should have an influence in
those that you are with every single day.
Amen. You should have an influence
where people see your life and see the Kingdom, see the
Kingdom, say I'm a change agent. And so we know this is what I
want to talk about. We know that in Matthew, Luke,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We know that Jesus.
Went about what? Healing, bringing the Kingdom of
God everywhere he went and he was our representative and
pastor has said this before. Jesus didn't come to the earth
to show you what he could do. He came to the earth to show us
what we can do, what we can do through Him, what we can do
through Him. And so everything that we see in
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John that Jesus did, we can do and
have been actually commissioned to do, commissioned to do as a
believer. And so we know that while he was
here, he sent forth those who would believe in him, which were
called his what disciples. He sent them out and he wanted
them to demonstrate the Kingdom of God to everyone they would
come in contact with, just like he did.
So let me remind you of a couple of those scriptures in Matthew
2816 through 20 out of the amplified, it says Now the 11
disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had
designated, and when they saw him, they worshipped him.
But some doubted that it was really him.
But Jesus came up and said to them, all authority, say all
authority, all power. Absolute rule, listen to this,
in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore, and make disciples of what all nations help the
people to learn of me. Believe in me, obey my words,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything that I
have commanded you. And lo, I am with you, always
remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstances and
on every occasion, even till the end of the age.
So he said for his disciples to go out, come on into all the
world and demonstrate and demonstrate.
This was not just as you know, I read that quote by Sunday.
This is not just a teaching center.
This is an equipping center and we know the difference between
teaching and equipping, don't we?
We've been taught that very well here when Pastor did a
three-year series on equipped, right?
So it's one thing for you to have the knowledge of what you
are to do, but it's another for you to actually go out and do it
and demonstrate it when you go out.
So here we see that he commissioned them to go out and
demonstrate and gave them absolute authority, the same
authority that he had. He gave them to go out and to
do, to go out and to demonstrate wherever they were going Right
now look at March 16. Mark 1614 through 18 says this
out of the amplified. Later Jesus appeared to 11
disciples themselves as they were reclining at the table, and
he called them to account for their unbelief and hardness of
heart. Isn't that interesting?
Because they had not believed those who had seen him after he
had risen from the death. And he said to them, Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
He who has believed in me and has been baptized will be saved
from the penalty of God's wrath and judgement, but he who has
not believed will be condemned. And then he goes on to let us
know. These signs will accompany those
who have believed. So this is for those who believe
all believers. These are going to accompany.
If you are a believer, these are the signs that should be
accompanying you. And he goes on to say, in my
name, what will they do? Cast out demons.
They will speak with new tongues, they will pick up
serpents. And if they drink any deadly
thing, it will not hurt them. They'll lay hands on the sick
and they will get well. So all of these ought to be a
demonstration of what we who believe as his disciples ought
to be doing, just as Jesus did and demonstrated what he did in
the earth. Amen.
Now let's go over to because we are living in, you know, talking
about with the reigning church. We are living in what they
called the church age, OK, or what they call the church
dispensation. Another thing you could call it
is the age of grace. We are living still in that
dispensation. And when did that dispensation
start in the book of Acts? So if we want to see a clear
picture of what the church is supposed to look like, we read
out of Ephesians 4 on Sunday and gave 10 attributes of what the
church was to look like out of Ephesians chapter 4.
But now we can see out of the book of Acts on the 1st with the
first Church, and when it was established we can see what it
looked like. And we can ask ourselves as
believers, are we producing what the church was supposed to be
producing? Are we attending a church that
we can see the demonstrations of what the book of Acts looks
like? Because that is still the
dispensation of the church. And the very first church was in
the book of Acts. And they call that a precedent
setting event when they go to, you know, do all the theological
words that they use in describing.
You know things, I don't know all the theological terms, but
you get my drift, OK. It's a precedent setting event.
That means that that is how it started and that is how it
should remain until he returns. OK.
And so I want to read because I read the quote from Ed Savoso
about the 1st century ecclesia. OK, but I want to read first
before we go to the book of Acts.
I want to read, I want to read what Rick Renner said about He's
a Greek scholar and he talked about the ecclesia again, the
church age, the church dispensation, the age of grace,
and he broke it out in the Greek and this was his definition.
Of what the? Ecclesia look like or what it
can be described as OK, and the Greek and the classical Greek,
and it's very important that we read it to see how important it
is. That you were chosen and invited
to be a part of his Church of his body, the word ekklesia when
you break it out literally when he talks about the call.
That it was a personal invitation as where you can see
where they were personally invited in in Matthew to the
marriage feast. Remember those Scriptures and
this is the this is the, you know, the context of when he
broke out one of these words that went in that word ecclesia
was it was a privilege and honor that you were invited and
chosen. That's why he said, I chose you.
I chose you. I chose you.
I invited you to be a part of my Church of my body.
I chose you to be a part of it. And so he says this, it is an
entire assembly of individuals who are called out, called
forth, separated, and who therefore hold a position of
honor and privilege. That's why I don't understand
why we can't be more excited when we come through these doors
and honor and privilege that He called us out of darkness.
He called us, invited us, drew us by His Spirit to be a part of
His body, the Church, a position of honor and privilege.
A body of believers, as called out citizens of heaven, who are
to apply God's laws in the affairs of the earth, and to be
invited to this distinguished body in both an honor and
privilege. And then in the classical Greek,
it denotes, which we've been taught here at Anchor Faith
Church, it denotes an assembly of citizens who are invited to
participate in a closed assembly.
It was a privileged assembly to deal with the laws, business,
society, customs, culture, judicial matters.
God expects the church to exert its spiritual influence in every
arena of society in which it exists.
This emphatically tells us it was never God's intention for
the church to be a small group of silent, unnoticed people who
gather quietly together to discuss religious affairs.
This power packed word of God's original intention was for the
church to exercise a voice of influence in private and public
life. He ordained the Church with his
own authority to rule and reign in the earth.
His divine plan is. That His called out ones would
exercise spiritual authority to dominate over the powers of
darkness in every place where the Church is established.
That is what the word Ecclesia means and it's time that we
change our heart towards His Church and towards His body and
towards His bride. It is a privilege and it is an
honor to be a part and participate every day in what He
has privileged and honor us come on to be a part of.
And honestly, it's sad when I hear people disregard it.
It's sad. It's.
Grieving the reigning church is a privileged place to be a part
of and we have an assignment in the church.
And so Matthew 1618, you know, pastor, read the Scripture.
Matthew 1618 through 19. It says this, I will say to you
that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
And Pastor always reads it out of the Passion translation as
well, because it reads it correct according to the
classical Greek of what Rick Renner described, the ekklesia.
And it means I give you the name Peter a stone.
And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock and foundation of
which I will build my. Church my legislative assembly
and that's exactly the word that ekklesia describes in the
classical Greek and the legislative assembly called out
ones that will come together to hear from God to then what put
to practice what we're hearing the Kingdom of God should look
like. Isn't that what he told us in
Matthew chapter 6? Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your Kingdom, your will be.
On earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
And that's what He intended for His church to be doing while we
are remaining in the earth. Hallelujah.
Now let's look at Book of Acts. In the Book of Acts chapter 1,
we know one through 8. It says this was the first
account composed about all that Jesus began to do and teach
until the day when he was taken up to heaven, and after he had
by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had
chosen. There's that word chosen, He
invited he chose them to participate in what he was
wanting to do in the earth to these he also presented himself
alive after his suffering by convincing proofs and appearing
to them over a period of 40 days and speaking.
Remember this is after Jesus had died on the cross and he he rose
up and he began to appear to them over a period of 40 days
speaking to them things concerning what the Kingdom of
God and he gathered them together.
He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the
father had promised which he said you had heard of from me
for John the Baptist with water, but you will be baptized with
the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
So when they had came together, they were asking him saying,
Lord, is it at this time you are going to restore the Kingdom of
God to Israel? And he said to them, It is not
for you to know the times or the epochs which the Father has
fixed by His own authority, but verse 8.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you shall be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and even unto the remotest parts of the earth.
In Acts chapter 1, He he appears to them, actually He appears to
over 500 people, 500 followers that had followed him while he
was still alive in the earth. He appeared to 500 people,
right? And he told them all, he told
them all to wait. OK, he told them all to wait,
but and he told them why so that they could receive the Holy
Spirit and then in verse 14 listen to this of Acts one.
It says these all with 11 mind were continually devoting
themselves to prayer along with the women and the mother of
Jesus and his brothers. I like to say this because, you
know, if you're a Catholic, you need to know that Jesus's mother
Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized with the Holy
Spirit, and prayed in other tongues.
She was there in the upper room waiting with everyone.
OK, and so anyway, here we see they all went to obey what he
had told them to do. They were all in one mind
praying, devoting themselves to prayer.
And then it says, And at this time Peter stood up in the midst
of them, and gathering about 120 persons was there together.
This is what I wanted to know. He appeared to over 500 and
something. Only 120 obeyed him and showed
up and waited. So they didn't get it.
They didn't get it. They didn't get it.
I'm not saying they didn't just get the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. They didn't get it.
Only 120 got it. They only got it.
And so think about that. So anyway, here, now go on.
This is Acts Chapter 1. So now we're moving on into Acts
Chapter 2. And verses one through.
Four. And he said this now when the
day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
Who were they? That was the 120 marry.
All of those that he just talked about in Acts chapter 1 and
verse 14. They were all waiting, it says.
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent
rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were
sitting. We went there when we were in
Israel, we went to the place where they said that they were
in the upper room and it says this, and they appeared to them
as tongues, as a fire distributing themselves, and
they rested on each one of them, verse four.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak
with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
So they received what? God had told them they would
receive, they waited, they were obedient, they did what he said,
and they were praying. And one mind.
Waiting on the promise. And they got the promise.
They received it. OK, Now go on down to Acts
chapter 2 and verses 37 through 40, 37 through 40.
Acts 237 through 40 says this. Now, when they heard this,
remember they were speaking in tongues and people were thinking
they were drunk. What did Peter do?
Peter stood up in the midst of the crowd because they were
thinking the people were drunk. And he said, it's only the third
hour. They're not drunk, as you
suppose, right? And then he goes on to say, It
says, Now when they heard this, they were pierced to their heart
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what
shall we do? You know what Peter said.
You need to repent. Each one of you and be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you and your children and for all who
are far off. As many as the Lord God will
call to himself. Is the Lord God still calling
people to repent? Come on, even to this day, so
all it is for all the Holy Spirit was not done away with.
The Holy Spirit is still moving. If people are still getting
saved, then we are still going to get people filled with the
Holy Spirit, OK. And so then he goes on to say,
he said, and with many other words, he solemnly testified.
And kept on exhorting them, saying be saved from this
perverse generation and it's time for people to be saved from
this perverse generation. Y'all have an assignment.
I gave y'all an assignment on Sunday.
Do you remember what that assignment was?
Invite somebody to church for Sunday because we still need to
see people saved from a perverse generation.
Amen and filled. With the Holy Ghost, Amen.
So that they can have power to overcome the strongholds and all
the perversion that they've been participating in for years.
They need the power of the Holy Spirit at work within their
Life. OK, we're not ashamed of it now
and drop on down to verse 41. This is what I want you to see.
It says this now. Those who believed what Peter
had said were baptized and added to.
The church that day, This is the first church on the planet, 3000
was added to the very first church on the planet that day.
They were saved and they were filled with the Spirit of God
and the power of God. And this is when the church age
began and we are still in it. The church dispensation, the
church age, we are still in it. So this is a picture of what the
first, what the church looks like and should still look like
and still should look like. Now let's look here because I
can give you 11 characteristics. I gave you 10 on Sunday.
I can give you 11 characteristics of what we saw
in the first church. And we have to ask ourselves, is
this what we are still doing today?
As believers, are we doing some of these things?
I know we're doing it as a Church of Anchor Faith Church,
but as believers, are we doing these things because it's not
just about the church building, it's about the body of Christ.
It's the body of Christ. And so we have to ask ourselves.
So in Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47, it says this first
thing. They were continually, This is
the first church right after they all got saved and filled
with the Holy Ghost. It says they were continually
and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of
the apostles. One translation says teachings
of the Apostles. It means they were coming and
hearing the word, The teaching from the fivefold ministry
gifts. You will not grow as a believer
and mature if you are not connected to a local body
sitting up underneath the five fold ministry gift.
OK, and so he goes on to say they were continually and
faithfully. Are we continually and
faithfully being devoted to come to hear the teaching of the Word
or the instruction of the Word? Ask ourselves what else to
fellowship and we say this. This is why we have
opportunities to fellowship. And I'm going to say this, all
of them are important, not just one aspect of it.
If you come in and do nothing but come to church and receive
teaching and then leave and never fellowship with people.
I mean, you see them, people come through the doors, they
leave. I mean, you, they come in, sit
in the back, they leave, don't talk to anybody and that's it.
They're not going to be healthy. It wasn't designed for that.
Fellowship is important. We need one another.
That's why we have opportunities of fellowship where we have
men's fellowships and women's fellowships.
And I don't care how mature you are and how much you can't stand
to be around. You need it.
Period.
Or you'll turn into well, we won't talk about it, OK, anyway,
you need it, say I need it. Then he goes on to say, let's
look at another point. What eating meals together,
which has to do with fellowship but also has to do with.
Communion where he says breaking of bread.
So you ought to be a person that participates in communion, but
you better judge yourself rightly before you partake of
it. OK, communion's important, but
we ought to be judging ourselves before we take it because then
we could bring on judgement if we are in sin or we're having
something against somebody when you take him.
It's not just a religious exercise.
You remember Joshua did a great little teaching on that the
other day, right? And so eating meals together,
what else is important? Prayer, Prayer.
Corporate prayer. Well, I pray in my closet.
I pray individually. No, this is corporate prayer.
This is what this is talking about.
We ought to be participating somehow in corporate prayer.
It's important for you. It's important for you to grow
as a believer. So the next thing we see is that
in verse 43, it says a sense of awe was felt by everyone.
Here we go. We ought to be seeing many
wonders and signs and attesting miracles.
This ought to be #4 we ought to see miracles happening in
people's lives. We ought to be seen signs and
wonders happening. So we have teaching #1
fellowship #2 prayer #3 miracles, signs and wonders #4
#5 was communion, breaking of bread or the Lord's Supper, you
know, eating meals together. The next thing we see here is it
says in verse 44. And all of those who had
believed in Jesus as Savior were together, say together, not
separate, not doing their own thing.
They were all together, which also means unity because we're
going to see it somewhere else. It says they were all together
and had all things in common. So you know what that says to
me? They were.
There was unity in the community.
They were all together. There was unity in the community
of believers, unity in the community.
OK, and look what else it says. They were all together.
They had all things in common, considering their possessions to
belong to everyone as a whole. Not only were they in unity in
the community, you could also say they had the same mindset
because it one translation says they all believed and had
everything in common. But here we see now, now they
made a decision that nothing they had belonged to them, that
it was all available to the whole community.
At any time, any time of the Lord's disposal that the Lord
would say, you know what, you need to sew this into that
person or you need to give this to that person.
Commonwealth. We haven't even gotten there
yet, guys. So that was the next point.
Commonwealth so. Then he goes on to say in verse
45, it says they began selling their property and their
possessions and sharing the proceeds with all and the other
believers as anyone had need. They were involved in
Commonwealth and generosity. They were generous.
There was a generosity among the church.
OK, let's look at the next thing we can see because here it says
they were of one mind. It says day after day they met
in the temple area continuing here it was with one mind and
breaking bread in various private homes.
Remember there was no at that time church building because
people say we'll see this is that you should do church in
your home. This are cell group all this
stuff. No, it was because it was the
very. First church, they had not
erected an actual literal building yet, so they had to
meet in homes where they could be as the new church was being
established and people were getting born again in the city
so they would open up their homes and have services.
OK, and so he goes on to say they were eating meals together.
What is another thing that we ought to be seeing in?
The church is joy. It says they were together with
joy and generous hearts. So it and then it goes on to say
this praising God. So there ought to be a praise in
your mouth full of joy when you come in this place.
You ought to be, if you're a true believer that is supposed
to be representing what the First Church look like.
You shouldn't come in here somber and not be able to have a
praise in your mouth because it's demonstrates what they did.
Listen, they didn't even have, you know, they had just started
the church. They didn't have all the
teachings that we have today. There's no excuse.
They it was just automatic. It was automatic in their life.
It was automatic. They didn't have to have a band
strike up something to destroy that I have.
The world didn't give it to me. Come on, they just began to
praise God that they were saved, and they were filled with the
Holy Ghost, and they were seeing miracles, signs, and wonders
demonstrating before their eyes, and they were seeing all these
wonderful things in people's lives.
And they just began to open up their mouth and praise the Lord
on the Most High. Oh, His mercies are good.
His mercies are new every morning.
Come on, bless the Lord, Oh my soul and all that is with me.
I will rejoice. They didn't even have anyone to
teach them how to worship. Think about this.
And now we have to come in and get people pumped up just to be
able to open up their mouth with the Creator of heaven and earth
is living on the inside of us. Come.
On praise, joy was automatic
Hallelujah and says praising God continually.
And what else did it say? Having favor.
With all people, another translation for that word favor
was grace. There was actually one
translation that says there you were able to look among the
community and see great grace resting upon their lives.
Great grace resting upon their lives, being able to do the
things that they were seeing before their eyes unfold and
demonstrate to people's lives. There was great grace that they
could sell their possessions and belongings and had.
There was no one in need among them.
There was grace upon them and favor when people looked upon
them. There was such favor.
It says with all people, favor with all people, he'd said.
He said he'd give us favor with God and man.
With all people. And so here we see now what is
the next point? The next point we can see right
here. And the Lord kept adding to
their number daily those who were being saved.
That means the Church was increasing.
It was increasing. It was increasing.
Come on, it was being added to. It was increasing in number, but
not just in number. It also means it was more.
It was increasing in growth or maturity.
It was growing because the apostles now are teaching them.
And so now the church is increasing because it's being
added to, but it's also growing and maturing because now what
the Holy Spirit is at work come on in each and every one of
their lives. And now the apostles are
bringing the teaching that they need from the from the word of
God, right? And so they're added to
increasing, growing, or what we could call being built up.
They were being. Built by the architect.
Jesus, the head of the church, the life giving source of the
church, the ecclesia is a living, alive body, the body of
Jesus Christ. It is alive.
The breath of God breathe on it, and that is the Spirit of God.
And so anywhere where the Spirit is not welcome, it's a dead
body. And yet we have we have the Holy
Spirit, we welcome the presence of God.
And yet you want to sit sometimes and be a dead head?
Come on. I'm telling you, if we are going
to reign in 2025, we've got to get a glimpse of what you really
look like in the body of Christ and get a revelation.
Get a revelation. Get a revelation, guys.
Refuse to be lukewarm, refuse to be complacent.
Refuse to be come on a person that will not hunger and thirst
for the things of God. Refuse to be that.
When we've been given such greatness, the next thing I want
you to see and then we'll close down.
Maybe is here. I got to find it.
The last thing is, the last point is the fear of the Lord,
because it says in the book of Acts there was the fear of the
Lord among them, the fear of the Lord.
And this is where I think we're at with the Western church
because if you had real fear of the Lord, you would not grow
cold, complacent or lethargic or what we see people that fall
asleep. They'll realize just as Pastor
said, the time and the season that we're in and the fact that
we need to be change agents in the world.
Because I'm telling you, this thing is quickly wrapping up.
And so here again, this was Acts chapter 2.
All of that that we just read was only in Acts chapter 2.
And then you go right into Acts chapter 3 and you begin to see
Peter demonstrates a miracle with a lame man, and then he's
arrested. He's arrested and thrown in
prison because of this lame man being healed.
OK, And then you move over into Acts Chapter 4.
And verse 29 through 37 says this and now the Lord take note
of their threats because this is Peter was arrested and he gets
out and he says listen, he says now take note of their threats
and that you would grant your bond servants that they would
speak your word with all confidence.
One translation says boldness while you extend your hand to
heal that signs and wonders take place through the name of your
holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed the
play. Where they were together was
shaken. Here they get filled again.
They're there and that shaken, and they get filled with the
Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
And the congregation of those who believe were of one heart
and so, and not one of them claimed that anything belonging
to them was his own, but all things were common property to
them. Here it is again.
And with great power the apostles were given testimonies
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was
upon them all, for there was not one needy person among them.
All who were land owners or houses would sell them and bring
the proceeds and sales and lay them at the apostles feet and
they would distribute to each one who had need of it.
And then he went on and said who did it?
Now you know right after that. Then we go into Ananias and
Sapphira in chapter 5. Then you move on over into
chapter 6 and you see Steven being stoned and all these
things. I mean you want to go and read
the book of Acts? Come on.
I mean, it was all happening. In the book of Acts, everything
that we talked about, and what is so awesome about this is that
this was a demonstration of what the church ought to be looking
like. And I mean Peter, he went out
and let me look in Acts. Acts 8 was pretty cool too.
I wrote the whole book of Acts in the last couple of days.
Now go on to People were still getting filled or still getting
healed. People were getting born again,
baptizing them in the name of Jesus, laying their hands on
them, and they received the Holy Spirit again.
Now look at Acts 931. Says this so the.
Church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed
peace without persecution, and they were being built up.
Here's that word. Remember we talked about supreme
intelligence. They were being built up in
wisdom, virtue and faith and walking in.
Here it is the. Fear of the Lord and in the
comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to
grow in numbers. You see, that continued to grow
in numbers. And it was they had the fear of
the Lord. They had the fear of the Lord
now. You know it goes on to Acts what
it was the last book. 28 or 26 huh. 28 is the last chapter or
26 one of them anyway. 28 yes well here in Acts 17, this is my
last scripture See I did good I guess cuz y'all aren't any
mending me back and getting me going.
So Acts 17, four and eight says this.
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along
with a large number of God fearing Greeks.
This is when he was beginning to minister to them and another
number of the leading women. But the Jews becoming jealous
and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a
mob and set the city in an uproar, and attacking the House
of Jason. This is when they came and drug
him. It says they were seeking to
bring them out to the people and when they did not find them,
they began dragging Jason and some of the.
Brethren before the city authority shouting, here it is,
say I'm a change agent. These men who have upset the
world have come here also. One translation says these men
that turn the world upside down have come here also.
They went out and we know they touched everywhere they went to
Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the
world. They did what Jesus told them to
do and he is still telling us the same thing to do today.
And he said they literally turned the world upside down.
And I want to know where the church is.
Is the church today turning the world upside down?
Do we look like what the book of Acts look like?
Do we look like this? Is he still raising the dead?
Come on, is he still healing the sick?
Is he still feeling people with the Spirit of God?
Come on. Is he still casting out demons?
Come on, is he still saving people?
This is what the reigning church looks like and we have to ask
ourselves, are we participating in everything that God said we
should be participating in, in His body and doing what He says
we would do? This was not just for the
apostles. This was not just for the
disciples then. It was not just for when it was
in the book of Acts. It is still happening today and
we ought to be so passionate and on fire saying I am going to be
the hands and the feet that are going to go out and turn this
world upside down for the Kingdom of God.
I am going to be a person come on of of sitting up underneath
the word. I'm going to be a person of
prayer. I'm going to be a person that
will fellowship with like minded people.
I mean, do you spend more time with your worldly friends than
friends in the church? Come on, these are the things we
ought to be asking ourselves. You know, when's the last time
you've seen a sign take place, a wonder plate take place for your
life? Come on, a miracle take place in
your life? When is are you?
Are you participating? I mean, I've seen people sit in
the church and not take communion.
Why? I asked myself, Are they
judging, having to judge themselves?
Is there unity among the brethren, among the community?
Or do you have alt with people? Come on, do you not want to be
around certain ones? You favor others?
He said We shouldn't favor any man or we have one mind.
Or do you sit there and think, well, that's Pastor's opinion?
No, actually it's the word of God.
So I don't have to agree with that.
I don't agree with that. I don't agree with the way they
do that. I don't agree with that.
Come on, this is what he says. In his scripture, OK, are we a
person that's yielding and hearing and listening to the
voice of God to say, hey, you've got that, share it with so and
so they are in need. Do you yield?
Do you give? Do you give?
Are you generous? Do you praise or do they have to
turn the wheel to crank you up when you walk through the doors?
Do you have joy in the midst of it all?
Because they were actually being persecuted.
They were being drug into jail. None of us are.
But do you know, there's people in Congo where Pastor is right
now that are still being persecuted?
And actually, he can't leave where they're at in that area
because it's too dangerous. So they've not gotten to go out
anywhere. Maybe that's why he's ready to
get home. They've had to stay at the
apartment because it's too dangerous.
OK, But yet we freely get to come and collect and be a part
of a community. Do you put more emphasis on your
baseball community? Do you put more emphasis on your
football community? Do you put more emphasis come?
On. Than.
Your church community. We've been given such an honor
and privilege to participate in His body and His church.
Let's not take it for granted.