Tracing the Foundations: Exploring the Purpose, Devotion, and Practices of the Early Church

So good to see you all here this morning.

My name is Taylor and if you're a new Bismarck, this is your first time.

I just wanna say a special welcome to you.

We are so glad that you're here, so glad you chose to be with us this morning.

Patrick James asked me to speak today as we consider the importance of life moves and the role that the church plays in the life of believers.

Here at Somerville Baptist Pymloid, life Groups are central to who we are and what we do, and I have the privilege to help coordinate our groups.

I love our groups.

I'm passionate about discipleship, so I'm really excited about the word that God has for us this morning.

So as we get started, please join with me in prayer.

Mama, thank you so much for your love for us.

Thank you for the work that you've already done this morning.

Thank you for the work that you will do this morning.

I pray that, as we get into your word, that you would just reveal your truth to us and change our hearts.

In Jesus' name, my friend, amen, I wanna start this morning with a question, a question that I think most of you have probably thought about before.

But if you haven't thought about it, don't worry, because we're gonna consider it together today.

My question, as you see, is why are you here?

I'm not asking why you're here on earth or what's the meaning or purpose to life, though those are really important questions.

Now, my question this morning is much more specific.

I'm asking why are you here at church?

See, for most of us this morning, we woke up today and had a decision to make.

You could choose to get up, get ready and come into church, or you could've chosen to stay in your warm and comfy bed, enjoy the beautiful day and use this time for something else, but each of you chose this morning to come to church.

Why?

I think that if we went around the room and took a poll, we get a lot of good answers as to why you are here, answers that picked up on and revealed God's design and purposes for this church.

Some of you would say worship was your reason for being here.

Others would discuss fellowship and community learning, and hearing the word of God.

I think would be a popular response.

In a group this size, we probably get responses that reveal a sense of tradition or obligation, or maybe even requirement.

My goal this morning is to help us think about why we are here and to see God's purposes for his people.

To do that, I've gotta take a step back.

I've gotta ask a more general version of our question, because I can't answer for you why you are here.

So instead, the question that I'm going to ask is why are we here?

That is, why are we, as the church, here?

And then what we're gonna see is we're gonna see three truths, and our hope is that those truths that we see from God's word about his design for his church will examine our hearts, will reveal our motivation to let us know if our reason for being here is God's purpose for his church.

A quick note as we go on when I use the word church, when I refer to church, I'm not just referring to us here in these four walls at this time on Sunday morning.

No, the church is the people of God, believers of Jesus, who meet to glorify him, both together and scattered in his community, and the church of, in broad concept, of which each of us is a part.

So if you have your Bible, go ahead and open it to Acts, chapter one, and keep your Bible closed, because we're gonna use them this morning.

In the book of Acts, we see a description of the start of the church.

In Acts, chapters one and two, we're gonna see three critical truths.

We're gonna see the mission of the church, we're gonna see the foundation of the church and we're gonna see the implementation or practice of the church, and then we're gonna ask that God would use these three truths to reveal to us our hearts as it comes to our attendance at church.

In Acts, chapter one, acts is written by Luke, the doctor and historian who also wrote the Gospel of Luke, and Acts picks up where Luke ends, and Luke, like most good authors do when they're writing a part two, begins with a summer and Luke summarizes the time period between Jesus' resurrection and his ascension.

So I wanna start reading, follow along Acts, chapter one, starting in verse one.

In the first book of Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.

And so the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he presented himself alive to them, after his suffering by many truths appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

So, in other words, after Jesus' resurrection, he is meeting with his disciples, teaching them and preparing them for what's to come next, which at the time they don't know what that is.

They don't know what's about to happen.

But we can look back and know that Jesus is preparing them for his departure, for the coming of the Holy Spirit and the starting of the Church.

And this context makes Jesus's statement in Acts 1, verse 8 all the more important Because in Acts 1-8, jesus gives the mission to his disciples.

Acts 1:8

Let's read Acts 1, verse 8.

Acts 1:8

Jesus says but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

So Jesus tells his disciples that their mission is one, to be in relationship to God through the Holy Spirit, and two, to display God's glory to the nations.

That is the mission.

Turn over to Matthew, chapter 28.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

In Matthew 28 we get Matthew's version retelling of this same event, and you're probably familiar with Matthew's version.

We refer to it often in church and we call it the Great Commission.

Follow along as I read Matthew 28, starting in verse 18.

And Jesus came and said to them All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded me.

And behold, I am linking always to the end of the age.

So, here in Matthew, as in Acts 1A, jesus is telling his disciples that their mission is to be in relationship to God through the Spirit and to display God's glory to the nations.

And we know that this mission doesn't just apply to the disciples, but this is the mission for us today as well.

We are called to ask God's church to be in relationship to God through the Spirit and to display his glory to the nations.

So we have to ask ourselves Is that why we are here?

Do we, by our attendance at church, by our participation in church, fulfill Jesus's mission For our leaders?

This looks like evaluating what the things we do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis fulfill, contribute to Jesus's mission For individuals.

We have to ask ourselves Does my attendance in church, does my participation at church events, does my membership at church lead me into relationship with God through the Spirit?

By being at church on Sunday, am I more likely, or am I led, to display God's glory during the week?

That's the mission?

If the answer to those questions is no, then that's a red flag that can reveal to us that our motivation for being here, our motivation for participating in church, might not be right, because it's not aligning with God's stated mission, which uses purposes for His people.

The mission of the church is to be in relationship to God through the Spirit and to display his glory to the nations.

We have to ask if that's how we're here.

Luke then goes on in Acts to show us an example of this mission in action.

Let's look now at Acts, chapter 2, and I'm going to start reading in verse 1.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gauged in utterance.

Now they were dwelling in Jerusalem, jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, and at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language and they were amazed and astonished, saying are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native tongue, parthenons and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, judea and Cappadocia, pontus and Asia, phrygia and Campyria, egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Syrene, and visitors from Rome both choose and proselytes, treatments and arrangings.

We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God and all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another what does this mean?

But others, mocked, said they are filled with new wine.

So here we see the fulfillment of Jesus' promise and that outworking of the mission statement.

The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and because of that relationship to God they are led to display God's glory to the nations.

I love so much.

What it says they told of the mighty works of God.

This situation, as it's playing out, allows for Peter, the apostle Peter, to stand up and address the crowd.

Look at verse 14.

Chapter 2, acts 2, verse 14.

Acts 2:14

But Peter, standing with the 11, lifted his voice and addressed them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give ear to my words, for these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day, but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel.

So Peter goes on from here and delivers a beautiful sermon that describes how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and his sermon climaxes in verse 32 and following.

We're going to read there in just a second, but as we read, we're going to see the foundation of the church.

Peter here clearly communicates to his audience and to us, the foundation of the church.

So I'm going to start reading Acts 2, verse 32.

Acts 2:32

Follow along and see if you can identify the foundation of the church.

This Jesus, god brains up, and of that we all are witnesses, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit.

He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing, for David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles' brothers what shall we do?

And Peter said to them pretend and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord, our God, calls to himself.

And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying save yourselves from this crooked generation.

So those who received his word were baptized, and they were added that day about 3,000 souls.

So did you pick up on it?

Did you catch the foundation of the church?

Here?

Peter clearly communicates that the foundation of the church is the prior work of Jesus, jesus' death, burial and resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Look back to what he says verse 32,.

Let all of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

The foundation of the church, the center of the church, is Jesus and, in context, what Luke, the author, is showing us is everything that's about to come.

Next, we're about to read the formation of the local church in Jerusalem.

But as we read through the rest of Acts, we see that how the gospel spreads to the nations, and Luke is communicating to us that none of that takes place apart from Jesus as the foundation and the pouring out of the spirit.

That is why the church in Acts exists.

That's what Luke is communicating that the church in Acts exists because of Jesus, and we know that the same thing is true for us.

We are here only because of the prior work of Jesus and the pouring out of his spirit on us, and so, as we consider why we are here, we have to ask ourselves is Jesus our foundation?

Is Jesus the center?

Another way for us to ask this question is are we about Jesus?

Do we?

Are we here to make much of Jesus?

Now, I am thankful for and proud of our leadership here at Somerville Baptist, pinedwood, and you should have confidence in knowing that our leaders are intentional about putting Jesus first.

From the songs that we sing, to the messages that we hear, to what we talk about and how we go about set up and tear down before and after service, our leaders make much of Jesus, but theirs is not the only responsibility we as individual Christians have to ask ourselves the same question is Jesus the center?

Am I here for Jesus?

It's my reason for participating, attending church on Sunday, participating in things, church, abyss throughout the week.

Is it to make much of Jesus?

Because if it's not, then we have to ask ourselves why am I here?

Why am I here if not to make much of Jesus?

Jesus is not the foundation and he is not the center.

That's what Paul is communicating to his audience.

That's why Luke is putting this here in the book, for us to know that we are only here because of the prior work of Jesus his death, burial, resurrection and the power and outpouring of the Spirit.

That's why we're here.

Next, luke goes on to show us the effect that this power has on the lives of these first century believers.

Let's look at Acts, chapter 2, starting in verse 42.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And they, that's the believers, and they devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers, and all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles, and all who believed were together and had all things in common and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need, and, day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes.

They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who will be in sin.

So here we see the effect, we see the implementation or practice of the church, and this can serve as a model for us.

We can look at these first century believers, see what they did and use that as a way to compare to the things that we are doing.

So there's a couple of things that I want to note, a couple of important points that are often mixed.

First, he shows us that they were a devoted church.

They were a devoted church.

Now, devotion is a very important concept in Scripture and it's one with which these first century Jews would have been very familiar with.

Their lives were characterized to the extent that they were devoted to God, either positively or negatively.

Turn over in your Bibles to Mark, chapter 12.

Mark 12 · chapter mention

In Mark, chapter 12, jesus is approached by some religious leaders and they ask him what is the greatest commandment Out of all the commandments in the Old Testament, all the laws.

Mark 12 · chapter mention

They ask Jesus which one teacher is the most important one?

And Jesus' answer is instructive for us, and we find it in Mark 12, beginning in verse 29.

Jesus answered the most important is here O Israel, the Lord, our God.

The Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

So Jesus answers the most important commandment is that you be devoted to God, and we know that devotion is likewise critical for us, that we are commanded to be devoted to God.

Now, some of you might have felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up just at that ideal, because we live in a society where devotion is not something that is celebrated.

In fact, to be labeled as devoted carries negative connotations.

To be labeled as devoted to something means that you are simple-minded or closed-minded or you can't think for yourself.

And oftentimes devotion in our culture is used to negatively label someone who's devoted to their religion.

Right, so you're religious nut if you are devoted, and so we want to push back on devotion and I know, no, no, no, I'm not, I'm not devoted.

I love God but I'm not devoted.

At least that's how we a lot of times act or respond to that concept.

But once again, here the Bible is very instructive for us, because the Bible reveals to us that everyone, christian and non-Christian alike, is devoted to something or somethings.

Turn over in your Bible to Philippians, chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Philippians, chapter 3, the apostle Paul is writing, and he's writing to a young church and he's warning them about the world around him.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Philippians, chapter 3, verse 17,.

Philippians 3:17

Paul says this Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us, for many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross, of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their God is their belly and they glory in their shame, with mindset on earthly things.

Paul could have written this yesterday about Somerville, south Carolina.

The Bible communicates to us that everyone is devoted, and we live in a society that wants us to be devoted.

We have a government that wants us to be devoted, we have big businesses that spend billions of dollars every single year to keep you devoted, and we can think of a list a mile long of things that we can be devoted to.

Some examples can include our work, our money, entertainment, sports, recreation.

Most importantly, we're invited to be devoted to ourselves.

Look at verse Acts chapter 2, verse 33,.

Acts 2:33

Acts 2, verse 43.

Acts 2:43

So the believers were devoted, and says and all came upon every soul.

I think so often.

As Christians, we want the awe of God, we want to experience God, we want the blessings of God, but we don't want devotion to God.

And the model here of the early church is one that was devoted to God, one who loved God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength.

And so, as we consider why we are here, we have to ask is being at church leading me to a deeper devotion to God?

Because I'm here?

Do I love God more with my heart and my soul, my mind and my strength, all parts of me?

Are they being directed toward God in adoration, praise and devotion?

Because if they're not, we have to ask then what do we do?

Why are we here?

Not for devotion to God?

They were devoted to God.

Luke then goes on to list several things that they were devoted to, and these are best understood as the how of devotion.

That is how can I be devoted to God?

It shows us by being devoted to the things of God, by being devoted to the practices of Jesus, the example that Jesus set for us, that are reflected in the lives of these early Christians.

So let's look to the things that they were devoted.

First, luke says they were devoted to the apostles teaching.

I've labeled this that they were a learning church.

Now, certainly they weren't just learning for learning sake, they weren't just learning to accumulate as many facts and figures and information as possible.

No, they were learning to be conformed into the image of Christ.

In other words, they were learning for spiritual growth.

Turn over to Ephesians, chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

In Ephesians, chapter 4, again, the apostle Paul is writing.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

This time he's writing to a young church who's really still trying to figure out what it needs to be a church, what it needs to be a community of believers according to this new faith, this new way, this new Christianity.

And in Ephesians 4, 11 and following, paul encourages the Ephesians to take their spiritual growth seriously.

Follow along as I read Ephesians 4, starting in verse 11.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves carried about by every wind of doctrine, by humankind, by craftiness in the sinful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him, who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Let's look back, verse 15.

Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him, who is the head, into Christ.

We are to take our spiritual growth seriously and we know that spiritual growth doesn't happen by accident.

Spiritual growth doesn't happen or won't happen for long, but only come into church one day a week.

Now, the model of the early church is a church that was devoted to spiritual growth.

They were devoted to the apostle teachings, that was, they were devoted to the Word of God, and this is one of the key elements, the key abilities of the church is to bring us to a deeper learning, a deeper understanding, a deeper love and devotion to the Word of God.

The church is a learning church and we should be people who are learning, people taking our spiritual growth seriously.

Next, back in Acts, chapter 2, we see that they were a loving church.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Look with me Acts, chapter 2, verse 44.

Acts 2:44

And all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need.

The picture being developed here is one of radical love and generosity.

The believers here in this early church had a deep, intimate, personal relationship with one another, and this type of deep, intimate relationship is one that we all love for, because it's who we have been created to be.

We've been created to have this type of deep, personal, intimate relationship with God, and this is why the church is so great.

This is why the gift of the church is so amazing, because the church is able to both model these relationships and therefore lead us to a more personal, more intimate relationship with God.

So we are designed, or the church is designed to be, in intimate relationships with one another To show and demonstrate what a Christ-like, self-sacrificing love is, so that we would know that more perfectly and then be led to a deeper relationship with God because of it.

This is a loving church, and a loving church leads to a church of people who are devoted to God.

We see here how this all goes together.

Each one of these elements is connected.

They were a loving church and it led them, leads them, to deeper devotion to God.

Next, we see that they were a worshiping church.

In verse 42 and 46, we see that they were devoted and participated in the breaking of bread.

Now, this phrase breaking of bread communicates a shared meal that's centered around the Lord's soul.

So we just talked about they were in fellowship with one another, but they weren't fellowshiping just for fellowship or friendship sake.

No, their time together was centered around Jesus Christ.

It was Christ-centered worship.

They were a worshiping church.

Here I think there is a significant track for us as modern believers, because if we're not careful, we can associate worship to what we've just done here.

We can volunteer to chapter thinking that worship requires a band, music and songs, but the picture of worship that's developed for us in Scripture is one of a proper heart response to God.

It's praise, it's adoration, it's thanksgiving to God because of His holy perfection.

And so what we do here on Sundays, together as the church in worship, should lead us and train us and equip us to worship scatter.

We should worship at work, we should worship at home, we should worship at school, we should worship at play.

Our attendance, our participation in church should lead us to greater worship of God.

Again.

If we think back now to the mission and one of the parts of the mission stated that was to display God's glory to the nations I can't think of a better way to display God's glory to the nations than by men, women, boys and girls worshiping God day in and day out.

The church is a worshiping church, and so we have to ask ourselves are we being led to deeper, more consistent worship by being here?

Finally, we see that they were a praying church.

They were devoted to the prayers.

Now, throughout the book of Acts, prayer is a consistent thing, and it reveals to us that these early believers recognize that they could do nothing apart from the power of God, and so they were consistently in prayer, seeking God's will for their lives.

And when we think about prayer.

We can see that prayer is one of the greatest and most significant gifts of grace, because prayer is the opportunity for each one of us, as individuals, to have one-on-one conversations with the creator of the universe.

But I also know that for many of us, prayer is one of the most difficult parts of our Christian lives.

But here again, this is why the church is so great, because where we fall short of prayer, we are not going to be able to do anything.

We are going to be able to do anything, and that is so great, because where we fall short, where we fail in our prayers, the church is there to support us.

The church is there to help us.

They're there to pray for us.

They're going to instruct us in prayer and lead us, as individuals, toward deeper lives of prayer.

But it's hard for the church to pray for you.

The church doesn't know you, and so this is why, again, it fits all together, because this early church was in community, they were in fellowship, they loved one another and so they prayed for one another.

And so, as you consider, as we consider, why we are here, are we being led toward deeper, more intimate, more consistent prayer lives?

Are we praying for other believers?

Are we having other believers praying for us when we fall short in our prayer life?

Do I have brothers and sisters who are picking me up before God?

This was a praying church, and prayer is central to what the church does.

Now, as I close it and the band comes up, I wanna go back to the question that we started with why are you here?

We've seen three critical truths this morning.

We've seen the mission of the church, we've seen the foundation of the church and we've seen the implementation, the practice of the church.

My encouragement challenge for you this week is to prayerfully consider your motivation, to ask that God would reveal to you why you're in church, why you come to church and then pray.

By His power, he would change your motivations, he would change your will to align with His purposes for His people.

There's one other reason, though, that you might be here this morning, a reason I haven't talked about at all up to this point.

You might be here this morning and you are searching for answers, you are looking for truth, and let me tell you that is a great reason to be at church this morning.

And if that's you, I've got two quick things to tell you this morning.

First Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe.

Pain to earth, pain to price the penalty for your sin, so that you could be in eternal fellowship with God.

That's great news for you this morning.

The second thing that I wanna say to you this morning that you're looking for answers.

We've talked a lot about church, what the church is and what the church looks like, but you should know that you don't have to be a Christian, you don't have to have it all figured out to be involved with the community here.

Now I would encourage you, I would encourage all of us, if we're not already in a life group, to get into a life group.

Life groups are such a beautiful representation of the model of the church, what the church is supposed to be.

So if you're looking for answers, if you're searching for truth, know that you do not have to have it all figured out.

Let us love you, let us get to know you, get to know us, find where you belong here, and together we can grow in our understanding of God, our relationships.

You've got to grow together in Christ's likeness.

So we're gonna sing a song in just a minute.

I'll be down front.

James will be here as well, as the spirit means I invite you to respond.

Please stand.