Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church     
 
Pastor Tim Janiszewski - "God's New Community"

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Messages of Grace

(Past Recorded Sermons) 














 
This Sunday
Sept. 6, 2015



Sermon Title:
"How Firm
a Foundation"



Scripture:
Acts 2:42-47,
Revelation 22:6-21  
Picture of Pastor Tim
September 3, 2015

Dear MLEPC Members and Friends,

Acts 2:42-47
    AC 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

     This passage describes the life of the first Christians who were living in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus' death and resurrection and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. What were they up to? What did they focus on? How did they put together the earliest Christian community established about  A. D. 30? Let's briefly list the points.
  • They were devoted to the apostles' teaching--Right from the start, Christ-followers were hungry to listen to gospel preaching and teaching, and then to apply it to life.
  • They were devoted to the fellowship--Christians enjoyed what in the Greek is known as koinonia or a deep relational bond of shared faith in the Risen Lord.
  • They were devoted to the breaking of bread--Many scholars think that communion or the Lord's Supper was shared from the earliest days, reminding and strengthening believers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • They were devoted to "the prayers"--The first church spent lots of time on its knees, both together and privately, knowing that God changes things through prayer.
  • They were filled with awe as God did miracles through the apostles--To the early Christians, God was truly "awe-some." They witnessed the power of God flowing through their leaders and into their community.
  • They freely shared with each other, making sure that the needy had enough--Those blessed with much gave to those without, and all were taken care of in Christ.
  • They practiced their faith at temple and at home--There was no separation of living joyfully for Jesus between their church and out-of-church lives.
  • They were praising God--Worship was the heartbeat and soul-cry of these Christians.
  • They enjoyed favor with all the people--These early believers sought to elevate the good reputation of Jesus throughout Jerusalem and beyond.
  • They added daily to their number those who accept Jesus and were saved--Evangelism was an everyday activity. And people came to the Lord!
     Of course, the first Christians did not do all of this perfectly. A reading of the rest of the book of Acts and the New Testament letters reveals that they had their fair share of struggles. Yet they knew from the start that if they pursued this vision for their life together, God would be with them in world-changing ways. The New Testament Christians set out to live as God's New Community.

    All of this occurred nearly 2,000 years ago. So what does that make Christians today? Are we God's Old Community? No, I would offer that each generation of Christ followers has opportunity to live as God's New Community. We seek to embody these ten marks of a healthy Christian fellowship, even as they did. Yet we do it in our time, our place, and our situation uniquely, so that we may both know Christ and make Christ known.

    From September 6 through November 8, we therefore shall look at God's New Community through a sermon series. We'll ask God to renew our vision and passion for being His people who are in the world, but not of the world, for the sake of the world, to win the world for Christ. That's what the first Christians set out to do; let's do the same here and now. Plan to join us every week!

Pastor Tim

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