The Devoted Church

Good morning. It's wonderful to be back with you again. We have had a fantastic week in Hong Kong.

To everyone that we have met and has hosted us, thank you so much. It's been wonderful to be here.

In a good Watermark tradition, let me introduce myself. If you're new here, my name is Kevin.

I'm not one of the pastors. I'm a visitor from Cape Town. I've listened to lots of Chris's sermons,

and he does that every week, right? And so it's good to be with you.

I wonder if you can pray with me. I know we've prayed a bit this morning, but I feel like I would love some prayer.

I'd love for us just to pray. Will you join me? I'm going to pray for 30 seconds.

Heavenly Father, Christ the Son, Holy Spirit, we want to hear from you this morning.

God, we don't need to hear from any individual. We don't need to hear the opinions of man.

We want to hear from you and from your Word. God, why don't you take the words of your Scripture.

Why don't you apply them to our lives? Why don't you help us to hear from you this morning?

God, challenge us where we need to be challenged.

Encourage us where we need to be encouraged.

God, you know where we all are at in our different stages.

Some of us are joyful, and some of us are mourning.

Some of us are celebrating, and some of us are grieving.

God, why don't you speak to us this morning, and come and have your way.

In your name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Now, as a church, you know that if you've been coming for a while, you are busy working through the book of Acts, which is fantastic.

And last week and the week before, we looked at Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And Acts chapter 2 is really the time when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church in power.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And the church is baptized in the love and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit for the ministry and the work to which God calls them.

And Chris and I have argued over the last two weeks that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not just for some people.

It's not just for those that are extroverted or the young people.

It's not just for the Pentecostals or the Charismatics or those that enjoy having a good time.

And, you know, the rest are the chosen frozen.

Do you know that phrase?

Okay.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is what it means to be a follower of Jesus, to walk with God and to know God.

And more than that, we see that if we go back to the beginning of the Bible,

we see that actually to walk with God and know the presence and the love and the power of God

is part of what it means to be human.

And so the ministry of the Holy Spirit is so necessary and powerful and needed in the church.

And without the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, the church is not the church.

We're just a gathering of people that believe the same things.

But it's the life and the power of the Holy Spirit that takes the wonderful truth of the gospel,

the truth of Jesus, and actually makes it real in our lives and applies it to us.

And so that was the beginning of Acts chapter 2 that we've looked at the last two weeks.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Now, the scripture that Echo read to us is a wonderful scripture.

And we're going to look at what happens when God the Holy Spirit is poured out in His church,

when the gospel is preached, and when God is at work in His church.

And let's just recap briefly the story in the Bible where we're at.

Remember that for hundreds of years, God has been speaking to His people, promising to give them His presence.

Through the prophets, through Joel and Jeremiah and Isaiah and Ezekiel,

God's been saying that there will come a time when I will no longer,

the words of God will not just be on the pages of your Bible, but they'll be written in your hearts.

You will know what it means to walk with God and to love God and to trust God,

because I will give you the Holy Spirit.

So God's been promising this for centuries for His people.

And then Jesus comes, and Jesus promises to pour out the Holy Spirit.

And He says it like this.

He says,

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

For whoever believes in Me, as the scriptures have said,

out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

And then John adds,

This He spoke about the Holy Spirit, who had not yet been given,

because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

And so then just a little bit later, in Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Jesus says to the disciples,

Wait here in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit,

which my Father promised,

and John baptized you with water,

but I will baptize you in the Spirit.

And then a few days later, this happens.

Pentecost, Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And the result of Pentecost is that the disciples are full of the Holy Spirit.

They are joyful.

They are celebrating.

They are bold.

And the people around them think that they're drunk.

And so Peter stands up and explains what's going on.

And he says,

They're not drunk.

They've encountered God.

And the result is that Peter invariably preaches the gospel.

And then look at what happens.

Acts chapter 2, verse 36.

Acts 2:36

Peter says,

Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him,

both the Lord and Christ,

this Jesus whom you crucified.

It says,

When they heard this, they were cut to the heart.

They said to Peter and to the other apostles,

Brothers, what shall we do?

Peter said to them,

Repent and be baptized,

every one of you,

in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

for the forgiveness of your sins,

and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And those who received his word were baptized.

And there were added that day about 3,000 souls to the church.

And here's the question I want to ask us.

What happens?

What does it look like to a community of people

when the Holy Spirit is poured out,

when the gospel of Jesus is preached,

and when God is at work in a city?

What does that look like?

What does that manifest as?

Well, in some senses, a new community is born.

On this day, straight after the Holy Spirit is poured out,

the church is born.

In fact, this is the first church gathering

that Echo read to us about.

And it's a very famous and well-known passage.

And I know that Watermark really cherishes community.

I'm sure this is a passage you've probably preached on

many times over the years.

But what this passage shows us

is that when the Holy Spirit is poured out,

when the gospel is preached,

when God is at work,

something unique happens.

God births a new community is born.

But it's a very unique community.

It's different from just your colleagues at work

or the community around your housing estate

or your alumni at your university where you study.

This is, when the church is working at its best,

it's an exceptional community.

But we need to be careful.

We need to be careful that we don't just hold up Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

or print it out and distribute it in the bulletin

and then say,

there we go, Watermark,

go and do likewise.

In some ways,

the Bible says that every verse in the Scripture

is good for learning and for teaching,

for us to learn from and for training.

But Acts chapter 2 is not a church planting manual.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

The Holy Spirit didn't just say,

let me give you a manual how to be the perfect church.

There it is.

Go and do it.

Acts chapter 2 is not a prescription of the perfect church.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It's a description of what happens

when God is at work in people's lives.

Do you see the difference?

It's a historical description.

The Holy Spirit is writing,

or Luke is writing,

and saying,

this is what happened

when God poured out His Spirit in people

and when the people of God encountered God,

the gospel is preached

and God is at work in the world.

This is a description of what happens

when the beauty of Jesus is made known,

when the cross of Jesus is preached

and when the Holy Spirit is given.

And what makes this community distinct?

What differentiates them from,

like we said,

your colleagues or your housing estates

or your sports friends

or the guys you go running on the mountain with?

What differentiates these people?

Well, the key is found in verse 42.

If you've got your Bible,

look at it with me.

Look what verse 42 says.

It says,

they devoted themselves

to the apostles' teaching,

to fellowship,

to the breaking of bread,

and to prayer.

What makes this community so distinct,

so unique,

is that this church,

in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

and every true church,

is made up of men and women

who give themselves away.

Who give themselves away.

The ESV,

which is the version we read,

says they devoted themselves.

And the word to devote,

it actually comes from the same word,

to consecrate yourself,

to set yourself apart.

But what it means is

to continuously give of yourself

to a purpose,

to something else.

In fact,

in all the translation of the Bible,

it says,

in this verse,

it says,

they gave themselves,

the apostles' teaching,

to fellowship,

to breaking of bread,

and to prayer.

They gave themselves.

Just like in Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6 · chapter mention

it says,

the apostles were so busy,

they didn't have time

to give themselves

to the ministry of word

and to prayer.

And so they appointed some deacons.

They said,

deacons,

please come and help us

and run the ministry

so that we can give ourselves,

we can devote ourselves

to these things,

to prayer and to preaching.

They gave themselves

to that which is important.

They devoted themselves.

And here we see

that they gave of their property.

They gave of their time.

They gave of their resources.

They gave of their wealth.

They gave of their personal space.

They invited people

into their homes.

Here is a group of people

characterized by giving.

I'm not exactly sure

on all the ins and outs

of Hong Kong culture,

but in most major cities

of the world,

and this is certainly true

in the West

where we come from,

but I suspect

it's probably not that different

here in Hong Kong.

Most main cities

of the world,

there is the idea

that the good life,

what James K. Smith

calls the good life,

the life of contentment,

the life of happiness,

the life of joy,

is found in consuming things,

right?

Consuming products,

goods and services,

consuming experiences,

all found in the relationships

around us.

If we can just have more things,

if we can have more space,

if we can experience

more wonderful things,

if we can have

the right relationships

and the right connections,

if we can know

the right people,

then our lives

will be worthwhile.

Then we'll really be happy.

And when we're not happy,

we are told that

all we need to do

is to find more things,

to get another person

in the house

to help us,

to get some more space,

to buy another gadget

or MacBook

or car

or something

of that nature.

As you think about

the conversations

in your workspace

around the water cooler

or around the lunch table,

is that the understanding

below the surface?

that the road

to more happiness

and contentment

is found

in more things

and more experiences

or in knowing

the right people.

Is that true?

Is that true in our lives?

We've got a friend

in Cape Town.

Her name is Julie

and she used to work

in one of the big

global advertising agencies.

And she told us

many years ago

that one of the

underlying principles

in advertising,

I really apologize

if you're in advertising,

but anyway.

She told us

one of the underlying

principles in advertising

is to rob somebody

of their self-contentment

and then sell it back

to them

in the form of a product.

Does that make sense?

So in other words,

an advert's message

might be,

you know,

you're not really

going to be respected

or you deserve

to be respected more

but you're never

going to get the respect

you truly deserve

unless you drive

the right car.

Here's a BMW.

Or you're never

really going to be

appreciated

unless you look

magnificent.

Here's a diamond necklace.

Or unless you experience

the world

and get to see

and travel

and experience

different cultures,

you're such a bore.

You're never going to

have an exciting life.

You want a trip to Japan?

Right?

So advertising sometimes,

not everyone,

robs people of their

self-worth,

their self-contentment

and sells it back

in the form of a product.

Friends,

the reason why we

often buy so much stuff

and buy often more

than we need

is not because we

fundamentally need

these things.

It's because we're

looking for a version

of the good life.

We're looking for

contentment.

We're looking for

satisfaction.

We're looking for

something to please us

and to satisfy us.

But friends,

the narrative of the

Christian life

is very different.

The narrative of

the Christian life

because the narrative

of the gospel

is that joy is found

not in getting

but in giving.

The life that God

has called us to

is not found

in consuming.

It's in giving

of ourselves.

It's in devoting

ourselves to the

contentment and the

joy of others.

As we give of ourselves

to others and try

and secure their

blessing and their

joy and their

happiness,

in that place we

find our own

joy and contentment.

And that's what we

see in the book of Acts

and nowhere more

poignantly than Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 as we've

read today.

That the very core

of the first Christian

community were these

two fundamental truths.

One, for God so loved

the world that he gave.

That he gave himself.

And two, the joy and

contentment and happiness

that so many of us are

looking for are found

not in consuming but in

giving.

Here were a bunch of

people that devoted

themselves.

They gave of themselves.

They spent their lives

giving to the people in

the community around

them.

Friends, at the heart of

the Christian gospels

that because God so

loved the world, broken

and marred and sinful

as it is, he did

something about it.

But he didn't send his

driver.

He didn't send an

ambassador.

What did he do?

He sent himself.

He gave himself.

He gave his son, Jesus

Christ, to die on the

cross.

To be smashed with

nine inch nails through

his hands.

To be so bloody that

you wouldn't even

recognize him as a

human body.

He gave himself that

you and I could find

life.

Jesus didn't just come

as an obedient son.

He did that as well.

But he gave of

himself.

Jesus didn't just come

because his father

asked him to and as

an obedient son you

obey your father.

Jesus gladly and

willingly gave of

himself.

In Matthew 20, Jesus

says, the son of man

came not to be served

but to serve and to

give his life as a

ransom for many.

Galatians chapter 1,

Galatians 1 · chapter mention

Paul writes, grace to

you and peace from

God our father and

the Lord Jesus Christ

who gave himself for

our sins to deliver us

from the present evil

age.

Galatians 2.20, I have

been crucified with

Christ.

It's no longer I who

live but Christ who

lives in me.

That's a wonderful

verse, isn't it?

Now why is that true?

Why is it that I can be

crucified to myself?

Why is it that I can go

into my work week

tomorrow no longer

looking after myself

and no longer me in my

life but Christ living in

me?

On what basis can I do

that?

He goes on to say, for

the life that I now live

in the flesh, I live by

faith in the son of God

who loved me and gave

himself for me.

Friends, at the heart of

the gospel is a God who

though he made everything

and therefore he owns

everything and everything

belongs to him and

everybody is accountable

to him.

This sovereign and

majestic God to whom

one day all creation

will one day bow down,

this God gave.

For God so loved the

world that he gave.

Kelly Capik wrote an

amazing book from where

I got that phrase, for

God so loved the world,

for God so loved that he

gave.

And this is what he

writes.

He says, the God who

created and perfected the

world and whose world

turned from him has brought

restoration through giving.

The Father loved the world

and gave the Son.

The Father and the Son

gave the gift of the Holy

Spirit into the hearts of

humanity.

In other words, the gospel

is shaped by giving.

God's generosity buys us

out of bondage and brings

us into the blessing of

belonging to him.

But the good news is not

only that God made us to be

recipients of his

generosity, but also

participants in the

movement of his divine

generosity.

Isn't that amazing?

God redeems the world by

giving.

God puts right the wrongs

of the past, not by

punishing, not by

teaching, but by giving.

But more than that, God

doesn't just give and put

right the wrongs of the

past.

See, the problem with our

rebellion, the problem with

our sin, the problem with

the brokenness of the

world, is that sin, it

doesn't just cause problems

in my life, though it does

that.

It leaves me separated from

God.

I'm existentially divorced from

my Creator.

The problem with sin is

that it also causes a part

of my soul and my makeup

to die.

It leaves us spiritually

dead.

That's why Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 says, as for

you, you are dead in your

trespasses and sins.

But it also says you are

slaves to the enemy, slaves

to the prince of the power

of the world.

And so sin does a couple

of things.

It leaves us spiritually

dead.

It makes us slaves to sin.

And it mars our hearts.

It disorders our loves.

And so when Jesus brings us

back from the grave, when

Jesus died to rescue us and

to save us, he didn't just

forgive us of sins.

He did that.

But he makes dead people

alive again.

That's Ephesians 2.

As for you, you're dead in

your sins, but by the grace

and the kindness of God, God

has made those of you who are

dead alive again.

We are now alive in Christ

Jesus.

And so when Christ brings

us back, he doesn't just go

off that which is lost and

make it found again.

He goes off to dead people,

makes them alive again.

Now, friends, the problem

with the worldview that says

happiness and pleasure are

found in consuming more

things and in getting more

things and experiencing more

pleasures outside of God is

that it always leads to death.

It leads to the death of our

relationships.

It leads to the death of our

marriages.

It leads to the death of our

families.

Something inside of us and

something around us always

dies when we look to other

things for our pleasure and our

satisfaction.

You know what it's like to be

used by somebody?

Someone uses you for their own

career advancement or to gain

some benefit?

What happens to that

relationship?

It doesn't flourish.

It dies, right?

Because a life that is based on

getting, a life that is based on

consuming, a life that is based

on using, consuming, it promises

life, but it robs us of life.

And in the end, it leaves us

dead.

But the countercultural,

counterintuitive message of the

gospel is that God gave and he

brought back life.

In him giving of his life, he gave

us life.

And friends, that's true for

community life as well.

As we give of ourselves to those

around us, in that place, the

community comes alive.

In that place, we flourish.

A few years ago, Harvard Medical

School published a report in the

Harvard Health Publication.

And it was called this, money can

buy you happiness, but only if you

give it away.

This is how the report starts off.

Here's a finding that may be

surprising.

Spending money on others makes

people happier than spending it on

themselves.

This was the conclusion of

researchers at the University of

British Columbia and Harvard

Business School who conducted three

studies to determine the relationship

between spending habits and

reported happiness.

Friends, didn't Jesus say the same

thing?

Acts chapter 20, the apostle Paul

Acts 20 · chapter mention

goes to a little village called

Miletus, just below the city of

Ephesus.

And he calls the elders from the

church in Ephesus to come down to

Miletus where he is.

He's at the harbor port.

And they have a discussion.

And Paul says to them, I'm getting

on in age.

I'm probably not going to see you

again.

I don't think I'm going to come to

Ephesus again.

And they are all distraught.

This is their father in the faith,

the guy that started the church.

They love Paul.

They're very upset.

And they're all crying because he

said, I'll never, you know,

I'm probably not going to see you

again.

And then so Paul gives them these

kind of final words.

These are his last words.

He says, now I commend you to God

and to the word of his grace, which

is able to build you up and give you

an inheritance amongst those that

are sanctified.

Sounds like a good benediction,

right?

And then after that, he says, wait,

wait, there's one more thing.

Remember the words of Jesus, who

said himself, it is more blessed to

give than to receive.

One of Paul's final words, he says,

friends, I want you to live a life of

giving, not consuming.

I want you to devote yourself, to

give of yourself for the well-being

of those around you.

Paul says the same thing in 1 Timothy.

Timothy is a young pastor in Ephesus,

and Paul writes to him.

And in Timothy's church, there are a

whole lot of very wealthy people.

And Paul wants to help young Timothy

know how to pastor and shepherd these

wealthy people in his church.

And so he writes to him and he says this.

He says, Timothy, for those who are

wealthy, encourage them not to put their

hope in the uncertainty of riches,

which is so unstable, can go up and down,

but their hope in the faithfulness of God,

who will look after them.

And encourage them to be generous and to

share, to be ready to share, and here's

why.

Why should they share?

He says, because, encourage them to do so,

so that they may take hold of that which

is truly life.

You hear that?

Paul here says, I want you to experience

life.

I want you to flourish.

I want you to maximize your joy and your

satisfaction in life.

So give it away.

Okay.

Here is a church.

In Acts chapter 2, that we're committed

Acts 2 · chapter mention

not to consuming, but to blessing.

Not to taking, but to giving.

To give themselves to the well-being of

those around them.

And friends, that's true of money, but it's

true of every area of life.

It's true with our time.

It's true with our relationships.

It's true with our resources.

It's true with our networks and our

connections.

This lifestyle of a generosity is what has

characterized the early church.

And I think of just Henrico sharing around

university ministry.

And I loved what Henrico said around, we can

think of this ministry strategically.

Who are the up-and-coming leaders?

Who are the people that are going to

influence Hong Kong?

Who are the people that are, you know,

maybe we should really try to influence the

business, the finance guys.

The guys are going to do well and that will

pay dividends back into church in years to

come.

And we can strategically think about this

thing.

But even you can do ministry from a consumer

aspect.

You can even think about church, about how do

we maximize our church?

How do we grow and grow trajectories?

You can even think about ministry in that

way.

And I loved what Henrico said and said, hey,

maybe this won't pay dividends.

But here are people made in God's image that

Jesus died for.

And we're going to serve them.

And we're going to love them.

And we're going to give up our time for

them.

Now, let's look at Acts chapter 2 again.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And let's see what is it that they devoted

themselves to.

Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Verse 42, it says this.

Firstly, they devoted themselves to the

things of God.

So they devoted themselves to the apostles'

teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking

of bread and to prayer.

Notice four things that they gave themselves

to.

They gave themselves to the apostles'

teaching, which means that they gave

themselves to knowing and understanding

God's ways and God's word.

Psalm 19 is one of the most beautiful

psalms.

And Psalm 19 says this.

The law of the Lord is perfect.

It revives the soul.

Anyone feel tired and exhausted?

The word of God revives our souls.

Then the psalm says, your word is more

desired than gold, even the most precious

gold.

It's sweeter than honey and the drippings

of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by your word is your servant warned.

In keeping them, there is great reward.

Friends, the little I know about Hong Kong

is that time is precious, right?

Time is one of your most precious commodities.

And time is finite.

It comes to an end each day.

You can't prolong it or buy any more of it.

It is what it is.

And I know that in Hong Kong, many of you

work very long hours.

Many of you have demanding jobs.

Some of you have demanding bosses.

Some of you may even be demanding bosses.

But time is precious, right?

And when there's a lot of pressure,

something's got to go.

You can't do everything that you always want to do

in the amount of time that you have.

Time is precious.

Friends, can I ask you not to give up on God's word?

This is one of those things that it's so easy

to let slip when time is little,

when you're under pressure.

Friends, can I ask you not to give up on giving

yourself to God's word?

Your relationship with God and the state of your soul

is too precious to let that slip by the side.

I want to encourage you, don't cut back.

Wake up early.

Get into God's word.

Devote yourself to the teachings of the saints

and to God's word.

Secondly, they gave themselves to godly fellowship

and community.

They gathered together for community lunches.

CG wasn't just a program in the life of the church.

This was a community that gave themselves to each other

and they spent their time and their energy

investing in one another.

Opened up their homes and invited each other in.

And the truth is that sometimes investing

in community is costly.

It does cost you.

But it's so beautiful.

It's so wonderful when community comes together.

And in Jerusalem, notice that Jerusalem was a major city.

It was a city where people were coming and going.

People would come for trade.

People would go back to the outlying villages.

And it was probably a very transient city, right,

in the context of the ancient world.

Sounds familiar to Hong Kong, right?

And I guess these people might have thought to themselves

from time to time,

I don't know if I'm really going to build friendships

with that person.

They're just going to be here for 18 months

and then their company's going to transfer them back to,

I don't know, some other town, Ephesus, right?

JP Morgan's going to move them to Ephesus.

I'm not going to build a friendship with them.

Or should I really invest in this friendship?

Who knows how long they're going to be here?

Here's a community that opened up their homes

and they gave themselves.

They devoted themselves to one another.

And then notice also the diversity of cultures.

In Jerusalem, there was people,

we told them earlier in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

people from every region in the known world came together.

And they didn't just give themselves

to those that were like them.

They didn't just give themselves

to those that were the same socioeconomic class,

those that had studied overseas

or those that spoke the same language.

Here was a diverse group of people

that gave themselves to each other.

Thirdly, they gave themselves the breaking of bread.

And this is communion.

And Chris led us so wonderfully in this this morning.

And in the ancient world,

when you had communion together,

you didn't just have a tiny piece of bread.

You had a whole meal together.

It was a feast.

And you'd bring your food together

and have a long table.

And everyone would take an hour or two

around the table feasting together,

celebrating relationships,

celebrating the many becoming one,

like Chris led us in this morning,

but also celebrating what God had done in their midst.

And they would sit down and celebrate,

but right at the heart of the community

was the gospel, the truth that Jesus had died

on the cross for their sins.

And then notice they gave themselves to prayer.

They devoted themselves to prayer.

Friends, I want to say that you don't become

the person that God's called you to.

You don't become the man or the woman

that God's called you to without prayer.

And Romans chapter 15 talks about laboring in prayer.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

Any ladies here have been through labor?

Any men watched your wives going through labor?

I've watched my wife go through it twice.

And I remember Claire saying at the end,

that was the most difficult thing she's ever gone through.

And yet, what is the result of labor?

It's life.

It's new life.

And Paul here talks about laboring in prayer.

Friends, sometimes prayer can feel like that.

It's hard work.

It's a discipline that we give ourselves to.

And yet, by laboring in prayer,

we see the power of God at work.

And notice what they prayed for.

The church in the book of Acts believed two things.

One, they believed in the power of prayer.

They saw the power of prayer.

They prayed for Peter to be released in jail,

and he was released.

They prayed for people to encounter God

and the power of the Holy Spirit, and they did.

They prayed for miracles, and they saw them.

They prayed for boldness, and they experienced it.

They prayed for deliverance from attack and oppression,

and God delivered them.

These people really believed in the power of prayer,

and so they gave themselves to prayer.

But then also, they believed that prayer doesn't just change God's heart.

It changes our hearts.

And so in Acts chapter 6, it says the apostles gave themselves to prayer

Acts 6 · chapter mention

because they knew that the power of God was in that.

And they knew that they needed a change.

God didn't need a change.

And so they gave themselves to prayer.

And then two last things we see.

Remember, notice how they gave themselves to one another,

and we spoke about that.

They gave themselves to each home.

They sold their possessions.

They sold their resources.

They gave to those who had need.

They gave to anyone in the community.

And in many ways, they knew that being part of church

meant being part of a family, being part of a community.

It's one of the most beautiful things that we've experienced about Watermark.

Watermark is such a community church.

And it's easy to put a label on the side, right?

Watermark Community Church.

It's easy to put up a banner and say, we believe in community.

It's another thing to live it.

And I think Watermark lives it so beautifully.

And then finally, they gave themselves to mission.

And it's not immediately clear from this chapter,

but in the preceding chapter, we see how the Holy Spirit is poured out.

And what does Peter do?

He stands up and he tells everyone about Jesus.

We spoke about this last week, right?

He tells them about the wonder of Jesus.

He tells them about the sin and the cross and how God died for us.

And he makes much of the wonder of Jesus.

And then Acts chapter 2, it says,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

this new body of people found in Jesus come together.

They devote themselves to prayer and the sacraments and God's word and community.

And then it says, the Lord added to their number,

day by day, those who were being saved.

And in the next chapter, chapter 3,

Peter and John are on the way to the temple.

People, and they see a man begging for money.

And they don't say to him,

sorry, I don't have any money on me today.

What do they do?

They tell them about the wonder of Jesus.

And they pray for him.

And that man comes to faith.

And other people see this man, life change, and they come to faith.

And friends, here was a community that hadn't just accepted Jesus.

They hadn't just converted from one religion to another.

They hadn't just become church people.

They devoted themselves.

They spent themselves.

They gave themselves to the Lord, to the church, and to the city,

to help the city find and follow Jesus.

William Temple was the Archbishop of Canterbury many years ago,

and he famously said this,

the church is the only organization which exists not for itself,

but for those who live outside of it.

Now, that's maybe not the only reason why the church exists,

but it is true.

The reason the church exists is to join God in the renewal of all things.

The reason the church exists is to join God in the rescuing and redeeming of this planet

and restore all that's gone wrong.

To join God in making everything horrible and painful in the world untrue.

And by bringing the hope of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit

and the love of God to our city and our world.

Friends, I don't know all the ins and outs of Hong Kong.

I don't know all the cultural dynamics that's going on.

But what I do know is this.

In every city of the world, in every corner of the globe,

the wealthy and the not so wealthy,

the educated and the not so educated,

male and female, every one of us are longing for the maker that made us.

Every one of us are longing for a sense of transcendence.

Every one of us are longing for the balm that our souls need.

We long to feast in the living waters of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

And this city is full of people that don't know God.

And here was a church that devoted themselves.

They gave themselves to Christ, to each other,

and to the city in which they lived.

Inviting those that had never encountered the life of God

to experience Him for the first time.

Friends, we have the hope of the world.

We have the healing balm that every heart longs for.

We have the golden treasure that every heart seeks.

And His name is Jesus.

Can we be a church that gives ourselves,

that devotes ourselves to Christ,

to His Word,

to each other,

and to the cities in which we live?

Let's pray together.

We're going to pray in a minute,

but just as I was preparing for today,

a couple of groups of people I thought about.

Maybe those of us who have been giving.

You've been giving and giving and giving.

You've been serving, serving,

and you're exhausted.

I feel like God just wants to empower you

and refresh you.

Maybe you so understood this,

that being a follower of Jesus is not about consuming.

It's about giving.

It's about being a blessing.

And maybe you're exhausted from all the serving.

God wants to refresh you.

He wants you to sit at His feet,

like Mary,

not like Martha.

He wants you to sit at His feet.

Martha said,

Jesus,

tell my sister to come work with me.

And Jesus said,

she has chosen the better thing.

One thing is required.

And I feel like God says,

for those of us that are exhausted,

come and sit at my feet,

and come and encounter me.

For those who feel like they want to give,

but the cost is just too high.

God wants to give us His grace.

And to help us see that

it's the greatest blessing

to be those that follow Jesus

and don't take but give.

Maybe for those whose relationships

have been marked by getting and taking,

your relationships are struggling,

maybe your marriage is hurting,

maybe some other relationship is strained.

God, we pray for those people.

We pray to come and bring healing

and wholeness, Lord.

We pray, Lord Jesus,

won't you come and

bring freedom in those relationships, God.

God, we pray for those of us here

that are hurting.

We pray, Lord God,

for those that are tired and exhausted.

Holy Spirit,

won't you come and refresh us.

We pray, God,

for those of us that we feel like

we want to be this community that gives,

but God just feels like

the cost is so high.

God, won't you help us to see

that you gave us you.

You're all we need, Lord Jesus.

And then finally,

for those of us that don't even know Jesus.

Maybe you know Christianity,

you know religion,

you know the Bible,

but you don't know Jesus.

Friends, without Jesus,

there's nothing.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit

opening our eyes to see Jesus,

we have nothing.

If you don't know Jesus,

why don't you right now,

just say,

Jesus, I want to know you.

This God that so loved me

that He gave Himself for me.

This God that so loved me,

He died on the cross for me.

I want to know Him.

If that's you,

what do you tell God that?

Say, Jesus, I want to know you.

Say, Jesus, I'm sorry for my sin.

Sorry that I've lived my life

for my own pleasure

and my own glory.

God, I want to live for you.

I want my life transformed by you.

Christ, I pray,

won't you make us

that kind of church, Lord?

Thank you for

the tens and the hundreds

of men and women

that are already living

this kind of life,

the selfless,

community-giving life.

Thank you, God.

God, won't Watermark

be a light on a hill?

Won't we be salt in our city?

Won't we be counterintuitive

and countercultural?

A people that give

and not take.

A people that live

for the benefit of others

and not ourselves.

Holy Spirit,

come to work in our hearts,

we pray.

In your name.

Amen.