Acts 2:41-43 DEVOTED

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1 Acts 2:41-43 DEVOTED

2 139 th Westminster Kennel Dog Club Awards Miss P Charlie Rocket

3 Bobby Bobby Reenactor at Greyfriars, Scotland

4 Devoted In the Greek it is the compound word proskarterountes (προσκαρτεροῦντες ): a continuous or steadfast commitment. In the English it means- to be zealous for, or to be passionate about, or loyal to someone or something. I m speaking of the word Devoted.

5 Lost Friends Nothing and no one succeeds in the Christian life unless they are truly passionate about their faith.

6 Oswald Chambers "The bedrock of Christianity is a personal and passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ."

7 RE. Faith A faith that is not wholly devoted to Jesus is not a faith at all.

8 Kyle Idleman Fans often confuse their admiration for true devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus. Fans assume their good intentions make up for their apathetic faith."

9 Acts 2:41-43 How could a group of virtual strangers one day become a dynamic and closely united Body of Believers the next? It wasn t their Spiritual Maturity, or their Vast Experience in Church Building or their Extensive Education in the N.T. It was their Devotion to God.

10 Acts 2:41-43 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added. They were devoting themselves to the Apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [And] Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the Apostles.

11 When the church first began It was literally filled with Baby Christians. T he place was a Giant Nursery. Only about 132 of the 3,000+ members had trusted in Jesus for more than a few hours/days.

12 When the church first began The early church is almost totally dependent upon the Apostles for just about everything. Later on, we will see qualified elders and deacons providing organization and functioning as leaders within the body.

13 An ALL Jewish Church We have only new formerly Jewish Christians. Most of the real teaching seems to occur through the preaching of the Apostles. There are no formal missions programs yet. The church in Jerusalem will never be as missionary-minded as the church at Antioch, (Acts 13:1ff.).

14 An ALL Jewish Church There was no such thing yet as church discipline. (till Acts 5) Gentile Evangelism wouldn t even begin until Acts 10 and 11, and especially in chapter 15 and beyond And then only because God basically MADE them go!

15 An ALL Jewish Church There may have been some proselytes Can just imagine what would have happened if some Uncircumcised Gentile Saint showed up to one of their first common meals with a great big Spiral Cut Honey Ham?

16 What Made Them One So again, it wasn t their Spiritual maturity, or their Vast Experience in Church Building or their Extensive Education in the Word that gave the church its dynamic condition it was Devotion. Please keep this in mind.

17 4 Basic Activities 1.) A DEVOTION to: The Apostles Teachings. The same teachings Jesus had commanded of them and had told the 12 to share, as they went out to make Disciples of all nations, (Matt. 28:19-20).

18 4 Basic Activities 1.) A DEVOTION to: The Apostles Teachings. Emphasis on the Saving work of Jesus. A utilization of Old Testament prophecies. Basically, Peter s sermon. *Bear in mind that the Apostles are also a work in progress. There still a lot of stuff that they need to come to grips with themselves.

19 4 Basic Activities 1.) A DEVOTION to: The Apostles Teachings. It is painfully obvious from Acts 10 and 11 that Peter had not yet grasped that the church would be composed of Jewish and Gentile believers becoming what Paul will call One New Man (Ephesians 2-3).

20 4 Basic Activities 1.) A DEVOTION to: The Apostles Teachings. The issues of circumcision and Law-keeping for Gentiles still had to be tackled. But I believe that at this moment Luke wants us to focus on is the New Disciple s DEVOTION to an understanding of God s Will and the proclamation of the Gospel.

21 4 Basic Activities 1.) A DEVOTION to: The Apostles Teachings. The Good News is that the Apostles Teachings have been preserved in the New Testament (for us). It is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of a personal knowledge of the Word of God Are you Devoted to the Apostle s Teachings?

22 4 Basic Activities 2.) A DEVOTION to: Fellowship The term Luke uses describes a joint participation and a sharing in common of the responsibilities of the church. It is a true partnership of hearts and minds... (Acts 4:32). In Gal. 2:9, it included a sharing together in the work of Christ. Phil. 3:10 & 1 Pet. 4:13 it included the sharing of Christ s sufferings.

23 A Truly Devoted Heart Only a truly devoted heart and mind desires to work and if necessary suffer for someone! Fellowship

24 Devoted All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. (Acts 2:44-45). I m not suggesting that this is a binding example today, it is not. What I am suggesting is that their actions provide tangible evidence of their Devoted hearts and minds

25 4 Basic Activities 3.) A DEVOTION to: The Breaking of Bread Probably not Communion: (Matt. 26:26 and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. ) (see Mk. 14:22; Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23-24). That would be a supreme example but the breaking of bread here is probably a reference to a common meal

26 4 Basic Activities 3.) A DEVOTION to: The Breaking of Bread And every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, (Acts 20:46, emphasis mine).

27 4 Basic Activities 3.) A DEVOTION to: The Breaking of Bread An intimate form of Fellowship. In the ancient near Eastern culture it was huge honor and implied an acceptance of that person as a fellow heir of the Kingdom. It s why we are taught not to eat with those who have returned to the world. (1 Cor. 5:11; 2 Thes. 3:6; Gal. 2:12) 2 John 1:10-11).

28 4 Basic Activities 4.) A DEVOTION to: Prayer All of us appreciate the value of prayer, and devote the proper time and value to it. These Newly-saved, formerly Jewish believers were only beginning to grasp the true significance of their new life and new found freedom under the NEW COVENANT.

29 4 Basic Activities 4.) A DEVOTION to: Prayer Under the N.C. - Prayers were no longer a chore, but a privilege. They were no longer prescribed recitations, but genuine heart-felt communication with the Father of Jesus, their Savior.

30 A Devoted church The true test of a Devoted church is not doing everything perfectly; but faithfully and with a Sincere Devotion. It wasn t just what the church in Jerusalem did that Luke is trying to convey here; it was how and why they did these things.

31 Like Newlyweds These newest Christians were like newlyweds they just couldn t seem to be apart from one another. The activities named (teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers) were all community activities, things the church did together.

32 Like Newlyweds Even the competitive Me first Apostles had stopped thinking only of themselves and became seriously devoted to the needs of Christ and His church. This was not just togetherness; this was and is real unity. This is not just human affection; this is genuine love.

33 Devoted The early church in Jerusalem may not have been the perfect pattern for all that we do as a church today, but it is an excellent example of a Devoted church, one that is marked by love for God and love for others.

34 Final Thought Remember Bobby So did everyone else. His story inspired a novel & a Movie And if you go today to the old Cemetery at Edinburgh, you ll find a statue to a very Devoted dog. nd 1896 Albumen print of Bobby

35 Final Thought Are you as Devoted as Bobby? Will you remember your Master s death through obedience to His Will? He s calling you now...