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Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Eating with Glad and Simple Hearts
Acts 2:46 February 20, 2022
I. Introduction:
A. I will never forget being at a concert many years ago with a Christian brother who
was a handsome man and always dressed to the nines
1. It was before the concert started and the auditorium was filled with people
sitting and talking, when this friend of mine stood up and pulled out his cell
phone and began to pretend he was talking to someone on the phone.
2. I said, “What are you doing?” His response to me was “it is all about seeing
and being seen!”
3. I was stunned but over time as I got to know this brother better, he was a
person who spent a lot of time, thought and money on appearances. I knew
him well but most people had no idea who the real him was – they only knew
the person he wanted them to think he was!
B. Let me give you another scenario where you ask a brother or sister in Christ a
direct question and expecting a simple straightforward answer. Instead you get the
run around as they dance all around what your question was with no clear answer
1. When they were done, you had no idea as to where they really were at and
feel that they were not being genuine or honest with you!
C. When it came to the early church these were not the kind of Christians you
encountered. Rather than being complicated and confusing people they were
simple people in the sense that they were who they really were with no pretenses
nor were any masks to wear and they very straightforward and honest with each
other.
D. That is another norm that is essential for MVC to get back to if we are going to be
a church that is vital in this area and revitalizing to those who are touched by the
people of MVC – people who are who they are and say what it really going on in
their hearts and minds.
1. We learned last week that for MVC to be the church God called it to be we
need to be gathering together regularly both in larger and smaller contexts
around the things of Jesus.
2. But v46 gives us a big window into what their relationships were like when
they gathered together.
• See if you can catch it as I read
II. Acts 2:46
A. Read v46
1. Did you catch it? – They ate with gladness and sincerity of heart.
2. Today I want to focus upon the second part where they met and ate with
sincere hearts.
3. Other translations use these words – generous hearts or simplicity of heart.
B. So I went to seven different Greek dictionaries to find out just what this word
means since it is used only one time in the New Testament, right here in v46.
1. It comes from a Greek word that means without a stone, free from rocks and
used in the sense of it being smooth or even ground so that you do not stub
your foot on a rock!
2. Six of those seven resources say that it is indicating a simplicity of heart.
Two talk of a singleness of heart.
3. Thus bottom line when they end up applying this Acts 2:46 says it was:
a) A humble simple heart and life
b) A humbleness associated with a sincerity and simplicity of life
c) A sincerity of heart
d) A simple and plain heart!
C. I think we see two ideas here that are connected to each other.
1. First, they were a people who were not distracted and unavailable because of
busyness with multiple things. Rather they were focused people who had a
single heart of devotion to the teaching of the apostles, the fellowship with
each other, communion and prayer!
a) For some of us that may mean we need to purge things out of our lives,
whether that be commitments or things in order to be people who can
live their lives focused upon the things of Jesus!
2. Secondly, they were genuine, real, honest and transparent people who did not
try to hide anything or to be someone they really were not!
a) They showed their true feelings/thoughts and expressed them in a simple
and honest way! Even when they were not pretty or broken!
D. Brothers and sisters, that was the norm in the relationships in the early church and
only those kind of relationships can make a church vital and revitalizing! They
were focused on Jesus and being real with one another in both life and
conversations!
III. How are you doing in that regard?
A. First and foremost, are you honest with yourself, even with all your brokenness
and flaws and living out the authentic you?
1. Do “you do you” no matter what others think or are you like my friend who
loved to put on a show in front of others to present an image of himself he
wanted others to see?
2. Do you speak the truth in love when it comes to expressing who you are to
others and where you are at today when others ask or do you repeat the most
used lie by Christians – “I am fine” when you are really hurting and dying
inside!
B. Do you have other believers in your life you can be totally yourself with, and
where you can be radically honest with when it comes to the good, the bad and
the ugly of your life?
1. I remember a number of years ago an older Christian man here at MVC asked
me “How you doing?” and I was really struggling at the time so rather than
doing the typical “I am fine” line, I decided to tell him exactly what was
going on in my life!
2. This man was shaken, he had no idea what to say, was sorry he ever asked
and got out of there as fast as he could!
3. Some cannot handle the truth and there are others with whom it is unwise to
share the truth. Those are the self-appointed Christian critics. They are more
concerned with confronting errors than making connections where they can
speak the truth in love to pour grace and wisdom into others!
C. Brothers and sisters if we are going to be a vital church of Jesus Christ in this area
and revitalized believers, it is going to take this kind of radical straightforward
humble and simple honest living and conversations with each other.
1. I love what Paul said about the way he lived in 2 Corinthians 1:12-13a
a) The way he lived his life, the way he conducted himself was not dictated
by the wisdom of the world and what the world likes or approves, but
rather it was full of godly sincerity and the grace of God
b) What he wrote to them was exactly what he meant to say. You did not
have to read between the lines and there were no hidden motives. What
he wrote was straightforward and exactly what he meant
2. Ephesians 4:15 tells us that the church grows up into Christ likeness and
becomes stable when we speak the truth in love. Read Ephesians 4:15
a) I believe in light of the context it is talking about a perfect blending of
truth and love both from our preaching up front and in our up-close
relationships with each other.
b) It has been said that truth without love is brutality, but love without truth
is hypocrisy.
c) Romans 12:9 says “let love be without hypocrisy.” That means our love
has no masks on and it is a representation of the real you!
IV. Application
A. I can honestly and repeatedly say that the deepest transformation points in my life
came not just from hearing the truth spoken in a sermon. But when someone who
knew me well and what was really going on in my life spoke the truth to me in
love – whether it be an instruction, encouragement, warning or rebuke.
1. I have had all of them, I needed all of them and my life was changed by all of
them.
2. I am so grateful for the people in my life with whom I can be honest and who
are honest with me so that as iron sharpens iron we can sharpen each other!
B. So where do we go from here? I thought I would have a brother here share with
us how that has worked for him. Meet my good brother Gilbert who is going to
share with us about a group he is in that seeks to be radically honest and genuine
with each other about their lives and walk with Jesus
1. Describe the purpose and nature of this group
2. What does a typical meeting look like
3. How has this group personally impacted your life and walk with Jesus
4. What would someone here at MVC need to do to start a group like this
V. Final word
A. Four questions –
1. Are you living your Christian life authentically so that who you are is what
other people see and come to know?
2. Do you have believers in your life who know who you really are and what
you really struggle with?
3. Do you have other believers in your life who are speaking the truth in love to
each other?
4. Do you give grace to other believers at their points of brokenness and radical
honesty or do you run from or avoid them. Do you brutalize them with truth
without love or do you love them without truth so as to be of no real help to
them?
B. Finally, we are going to do something that is not normal in churches or even here
at MVC.
1. With everyone seated, if you are in a place today where you are hurting or
struggling and can really use some other Christians with whom you can be
radically honest and would love their prayers or for them to speak into your
life would you raise your hand.
2. Brothers and sisters around them who know what brokenness and struggle is
like – would you take note of those who have their hands raised and would
you take a few extra minutes this morning after we dismiss by going to them,
listening and praying or speaking as God leads you to.
C. Gilbert closes us in prayer.
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
God Does Amazing Things When His People Gather
Passage February 13, 2022
I. Introduction:
A. God does amazing things when his people gather together!
1. Not just gathering together to hang out and eat or to watch the Super Bowl
together but when they come together to do the life and mission of Jesus
together!
2. As we said before, you can be an individual believer but you cannot be an
individual church.
B. The Greek word for church is ekklesia.
1. Vines Dictionary says it is made up of two words joined together
a) ek – out of klesia – a calling = to call out of
2. In its most basic use it was a Greek political term that was in use for
hundreds of years before the Christian era. It referred to “a gathering of
citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly”
(Thayer)
3. louw-nida, another Greek word, the dictionary defines it this way: “an
assembly of persons constituted by well-defined membership” They go on
to say that in the New Testament it is an assembly of God’s people and may
be rendered as “a gathering of believers” He also say it implies they are
“interacting” with each other!
4. Bottom line when we come out from our normal routines and places of life,
gather together with, and interact together with other Christians around the
things of Jesus.
C. We learned last week that the church (we the believers, the church) is vital
because it is God’s chosen instrument to carry out His mission and to express the
life of Jesus in this world and to each other.
1. We also learned it is revitalizing because when we interact with other
believers whether it be of spiritual gifts or just the one another ministry of
Scripture it makes an impact upon us that revitalizes our spiritual lives.
D. We are going to learn this morning that gathering together regularly both in larger
and smaller contexts was a kingdom norm for the early church.
1. That is where we interact with each other and that is where amazing things of
God happen!
• Turn to Acts 2 where we see the birth of the church
II. Acts 2
A. We see at the start of Acts 2 that there were 120 people gathered together in one
place praying the thing that Acts 1:14 to which it says they were dedicated.
1. It was during that time of prayer when they were together that the church was
born as the Holy Spirit came to dwell within each one of them.
2. It was at that moment that the church of Jesus Christ was born and later that
day 3,000 souls were added to the church!
B. Then we see in Acts 2:42 -47 what the norm was for that newborn church, the
norm we are seeking to get back to after the cultural earthquake we have
experienced that has impacted our lives and church.
1. As I read Acts 2:42 note the four things they were devoted to, what they built
their lives around, what they persisted in. Read
C. Now we see in the verses that follow what that devotion to these four essential
norms looked like in real life
1. Read v44 – they were together, the believers were together – that simply
means a group of people, believers were with each other in one place at one
time!
2. Read v46 – note also that they gathered together day by day
3. Note that they gathered together around the things of Jesus!
a) Read v46a one mind in the temple means they were everyday going to a
big gathering at the temple where they were together in unity. we learn
in Acts that two key things happened at the temple everyday - teaching
(Acts 5:21,42) and prayer (Acts 3:1)
b) Read v46b-c. Secondly, we see that day by day they were in smaller
gatherings in their homes taking communion and openly sharing their
lives together around a meal!
D. Later on in Acts we hear about them gathering together to:
1. Pray (12:12)
2. Hear ministry reports of what God was doing (14:27)
3. Hear decisions from the leadership of the church (15:30)
4. Take communion and hear God’s Word (20:7-8)
E. Bottom line the norm of the early church was that they were together, they were
together often to interact with one another regarding the things of the Lord since
they were continually devoted to each other!
1. We can be revitalized as a church and as individual believers as we get back
to the eternal norms we see in the early church. - meeting together to
interact with other believers around the things of Jesus, gathering together
regularly in large gathering and smaller gatherings
• The book of Hebrews gives us an encouragement about the importance of gathering
as believers. Turn to
III. Hebrews 10:24-25
A. The background of the book simply is that Jewish believers were being tempted
and pursued to be drawn back into their old beliefs in Judaism. But the writer
was showing them the superiority of Jesus over any Old Testament saint, the
superiority of the new covenant over the old covenant and the superiority of one
time for all sacrifice of Jesus over the sacrifices in the Mosaic law.
B. Thus, they arrived at the point in the book where we see that because of the blood
of Jesus they/we are able to enter with confidence right into the presence of God.
Then he gives three major outcomes of this:
1. They could approach God in prayer with full confidence
2. They could hold onto the hope of Jesus return without wavering
3. Consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds
C. The final half of this third application is what I want to focus on now
1. Read v24-25
2. Not forsaking our assembling together
a) Not neglecting nor abandoning our meeting together as believers.
b) In context of v24, it appears that these meetings are of the nature that
they are small enough to allow one another to make a significant
difference in each other’s lives. Close enough to each other to stimulate
each other.
c) For some all they know of church is coming to a 90 minute service on a
Sunday morning and partaking in the service in a manner that is no
different than sitting in the stands at a baseball game as they cheer from
the stands of the church with an amen here and there when something
they like happens!
3. As is the habit of some
a) It appears that it was a problem at that time that people were not
intentional nor consistent in meeting with other believers. In addition,
some totally abandoned it all together.
b) That is clearly a problem today as statistics of churches in general state
that before Covid most people attended church about two times per
month. After Covid, WSJ – reported recently that in-person church
attendance is roughly 30% to 50% lower than it was before.
4. But encouraging one another
a) We need to encourage, urge believers to get together with other believers
in a small group context and going to the corporate church, whether that
is a home church or in a church building!
b) Note that this urging does not come from the pastors or elders but rather
from each other. Responsibility is on each one of us as a body and not
sit back and wonder why the elders or pastors did not call.
5. All the more as we see the day drawing near –
a) This instruction is all the more important as we see the return of the Lord
drawing near.
b) Those who understand what the Bible says about the end times and the
signs that it is near know how important this exhortation is to us in these
days
c) We need each other all the more, as this world will be tougher and
tougher for Christians as the return of Jesus draws near.
• So how are you and I doing in gathering together with other believers?
IV. Application
A. Let us do a self-evaluation. Give yourself a score between 1 and 10 – 1 terrible
and 10 great
1. Gathering with other believers in a larger corporate setting? 1-10
2. Gathering with other believers in a smaller personal setting? 1-10
3. Interacting with other believers in those settings around the things of Jesus?
1-10
4. My Christian experience is an everyday experience with other believers 1-10
5. In light of this evaluation, what next step you believe God would have you
take?
6. Share with someone what you feel is the area you are strongest and weakest
and what next step God would have you take.