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New Beginnings Acts 2

Intro: A book, 100 pages long published by the Department of Justice, can be downloaded is a book that no parent wants to read.

The title is When Your Child is Missing.

Key bullet points and action steps are on the cover of the book, like, “You’re not alone,” “Hope is essential,” “Trust your feelings and share them with law enforcement officials,” “Distribute pictures,” “Keep your focus,” “Exercise caution,” and the final exhortation is “Never stop looking.”

The parents of Jacob Wetterling have been searching for him since 1989. They post messages saying, “We’re still searching for you and we will never quit.”

Parents will spare no expense as with resolute passion they search for their missing children.

So does God. God has lost children, people who have gone the wrong direction, lost their bearings, lost their place in this life and lost their vision of the next life.

God initiated a massive, three-phase search and rescue strategy to find his lost children.

The first phase was Israel. God wanted a nation through whom to show his character and to call people back to himself.

The second phase was Jesus Christ. Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We are lost and Jesus is the way back home. By his death on the cross and his resurrection, we can be reunited to our heavenly Father.

The third phase is the church. We will be looking at the Book of Acts, beginning with Acts 1:8.

Text: Acts 2:42-47

Big Pic: The church is not a museum for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners.

Thankfully, we have a God who continues to pursue us, even when we continue to sin.

The Book of Acts is the second of a two-book set written by Luke.

The Gospel of Luke describes the second phase: God finding his lost children through Jesus Christ.

The Book of Acts, written by Luke and addressed to the same person, Theophilus, as his Gospel, describes the third phase: God finding his lost children through the church. Acts 1:8 is the theme verse of Acts.

How many disciples did Jesus have? (more than 12)

The disciples, 120 of them, (v. 15) wait in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded.

Why Jerusalem? Because the Day of Pentecost is approaching and about a million people will be in Jerusalem.

On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples hear a violent wind and are anointed with tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them. Acts 2:1-4

The 120 disciples become cross-cultural missionaries, speaking the wonderful works of God in the languages of the world. Acts 2:5-12

The people are rightly so amazed at the miracle of the languages.

The burning question is: “What does this mean?” Acts 2:12

Peter, who had previously denied the Lord, is now filled with the Spirit. He boldly declares the meaning of the events of Pentecost: Jesus is alive and he is Lord. Read Acts 2:14-36

The response? Three thousand respond to Peter’s explanation by repenting, being baptized, and becoming the first people in the birth of the church. Acts 2:37-41

The massive, diverse, multi-cultural crowd of 3000 believers becomes the unified community—the church. (Acts 2:42-47)

God is still finding his lost children and creating a thriving family.

Think about the church throughout the world, so-o diverse, so great!

Amidst the diversity, what keeps us all united? The presence of the Spirit.

There are no singular pronouns in Acts 2:42-27. (re-read emphasizing “they”)

The church is not a collection of saved individuals; it is a community living in the Spirit of God.

Illustration/Application:

There is an Episcopal priest who wears a huge golden cross. To some other pastors, it seemed a bit showy at first. That is, until you hear the story behind it.

Jim served many years in his congregation and when he became bishop, he had to leave the congregation he loved. The congregation loved Jim and donated gold items that could be melted down and molded into a cross. In Jim’s cross were melted wedding bands, a friend’s ring meant for his bride, rings from widows and widowers, golden add-on beads, even some crowns from teeth. Over 242 different contributions made up Jim’s huge, golden cross. Stories of peace and pain were forged into a cross binding them altogether.

The bishop’s cross is a picture of the church. When we hold a hand in the hospital, when a conservative loves a liberal, when a Hispanic loves an Anglo and an Anglo loves an African-American, when the young respect the elderly and elderly love the young, a cross is forged and visible for the world to see.

The new church met from house-to-house, eating meals together and using their homes as places of God’s love. Acts 2:46-47

The church spread into Judea and Samaria as Jesus commanded.

Saul of Tarsus was converted and became a missionary to the nations in the far reaches of the world. Acts 9

Paul wrote many of the books in the NT.

Application:

Did you know that a military general’s command remains in effect until he issues a new command?

Good soldiers follow commands, they don’t stop to think about it.

Jesus issued a command to us and it hasn’t changed…Acts. 1:18

We have a task/command to carry out and that’s how the church grows.

This isn’t a suggestion…