One of Heart and Soul

December 1, 2024 · Acts

Series · Acts · Week 37 of 120

Scripture referenced 12 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Psalm 98:4 opening call to shout for joy to the Lord

4 Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth! Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!

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Romans 15:13

Advent candle of hope reading about the God of hope filling us with joy and peace

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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John 17

Jesus praying for unity among believers, that all may be one

1 Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you;

2 even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

4 I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.

5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.

6 I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you,

8 for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

9 I pray for them. I don’t pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

10 All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

14 I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.

19 For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word,

21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.

22 The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;

23 I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 Righteous Father, the world hasn’t known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.

26 I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

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Deuteronomy

there should be no poor among you, give generously to the poor

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1 Corinthians 3:16

you are a temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in you

16 Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

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Romans 12

different gifts according to grace: prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;

7 or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching;

8 or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;

11 not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;

13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.

18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

19 Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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John 10:10

the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy; Jesus comes to give life abundant

10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

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1 Peter 5

the enemy prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

1 Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.

2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;

3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

4 When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.

5 Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;

7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9 Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.

10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

11 To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.

14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Ephesians 6

putting on God's armor to stand firm against the strategies of the enemy

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise:

3 “that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

4 You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;

6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men;

8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

9 You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;

16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:

19 on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things;

22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.

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Luke 4

Jesus using scripture to combat the enemy's lies in the desert

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.

7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

9 He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here,

10 for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’

11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

13 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.

14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.

15 He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

17 The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

19 and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’”

24 He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

28 They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.

29 They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

30 But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.

31 He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He was teaching them on the Sabbath day,

32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

34 saying, “Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”

35 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down in the middle of them, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

36 Amazement came on all, and they spoke together, one with another, saying, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

37 News about him went out into every place of the surrounding region.

38 He rose up from the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a great fever, and they begged him for her.

39 He stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her. Immediately she rose up and served them.

40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

41 Demons also came out of many, crying out, and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Rebuking them, he didn’t allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42 When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place, and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn’t go away from them.

43 But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent.”

44 He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

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Proverbs

the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

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Philippians 2

benediction about encouragement in Christ, unity, humility and looking to the interests of others

1 If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,

2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;

3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputes,

15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

16 holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.

18 In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me.

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.

20 For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.

21 For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

22 But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.

24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.

25 But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;

26 since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

27 For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.

28 I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor,

30 because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

On the first Sunday of Advent, with Pastor Ray out of town, the congregation worked through Acts 4:32 through 5:11, looking at the early church's common life, a positive example in Barnabas, and a sobering negative example in Ananias and Sapphira. Three short applications came out of the text: encourage one another, be alert, and fear the Lord.

What was said

The passage opens with a portrait of remarkable unity. The believers were "one of heart and soul," and this was not incidental to the church's health but foundational to it. The connection was made to John 17, where Jesus prays that his followers would be one just as the Father and Son are one, so that the world would believe. That prayer was being answered here in Acts. Unity, it was pointed out, is one of the ways the world can tell that Jesus is the Christ.

The generosity that followed that unity was read against the background of Deuteronomy, where God had always intended that there be no needy person among his people. The early believers were doing through the Holy Spirit what the temple and its leaders were supposed to have been doing all along. The point was made plainly: the temple is no longer a building. From 1 Corinthians 3:16, the believers themselves are the temple where God's Spirit dwells, and that changes everything about how they live toward one another.

Barnabas gets a name in this section, and his name itself carries the argument forward. "Son of encouragement" is what the apostles called him, and that is what he was in practice. The congregation was walked forward to Acts 11, where after Stephen's martyrdom and the scattering of the church, Barnabas goes to Antioch and urges the frightened believers to remain true to the Lord. He then goes to find Saul and brings him into ministry. The gift of encouragement, used well, had enormous consequences for the early church.

Then comes the hard part of the text. Ananias and Sapphira sold property, quietly kept a portion for themselves, and presented the rest as if it were the whole amount. Peter's question to Ananias is worth sitting with: while the land was unsold it was yours, and after it was sold the money was under your control. The issue was never the amount. The issue was the lie, and Peter named it precisely: they had not lied to men but to God. Both husband and wife died, and great fear came over the whole church.

The severity of the judgment raises honest questions, and those questions were not brushed aside. What was said is that the enemy was clearly at work inside the church, using deception to threaten the unity and integrity of the community the Gospel had produced. A quote from one of Pastor Ray's professors was read twice because it was thought to be worth the repetition: if God acts to preserve the integrity of the community that the Gospel produced, we can have increased confidence in the truthfulness of the message itself. That is good news for the honest inquirer, and a sober word for anyone inclined to treat entry into the kingdom of God casually.

The word translated "fear" at the end of the passage carries both senses, and that was held together rather than resolved. There is genuine terror at what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, but there is also reverence, awe, and recognition of God's holiness and power. Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that framing turned what might feel like a dark ending into something the congregation was invited to receive as a gift. The passage immediately following, which is where Pastor Ray will pick up next week, shows that multitudes of men and women were constantly being added to the church in the wake of that fear.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

The pastor described the early church as being 'one of heart and soul,' with Christ at the center as the source of their unity. What does that kind of unity look like practically in a local church, and where do you see it happening or struggling in your own experience?
The sermon pointed to how the believers held their possessions loosely, with all things as common property, and connected that to God's original intent for the temple community in Deuteronomy. How does the idea that we are now God's temple, where the Holy Spirit dwells, change the way you think about generosity?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Well, good morning, friends. We're a small but mighty bunch today. What do you say we fill this place with with praise, with our voices? Judy, you know you want to. Shout for joy of the Lord, for he comes.

Psalm ninety eight four. Shall we stand and sing together? Joy to the world. Oh, come. Oh, come, Emmanuel.

Nope. Not

that one. Alright. We got some announcements for you. Thank

you so much, everybody. Welcome, and I hope you all survived the Thanksgiving break. Well, there's some really good singing going on over here, by the way. Well done. I'm sure over here as well, but I didn't get to hear you.

We don't wanna start a competition, but we do wanna see you in Awana. Awana is starting back up tomorrow night. It's been a blast. We have kids all up in here. Please keep praying for Awana because it is one of things that God is really moving in here at First Bee.

Lots of kids are coming. Carl, do have any notes about that?

No. Tomorrow, we're back on, though.

Tomorrow, we're back on. Great. And the women's luncheon is coming up. That's at Snow King on December 11. You do have to sign up in advance, and even if you've purchased a whole table, have to register each of the participants that are there.

If you need any help, let us know. Happy to do that. There is a link on our website if you have any questions about that. The highly anticipated and momentarily accurate church directory, which currently is not accurate already. It didn't last very long, and we printed off 50 copies of it.

And I'm sorry that we already ran out, but we'll get you we got some sad faces. I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. 50 copies. Already hottest book in Jackson.

It's already a best seller. So come back next week, and hopefully, we'll get some more for you. The Buzzard Breath Chili Cook Off is coming up December 15 at 04:30. 04:30 o'clock, we come here, drop off a bunch of chilis to in crock pots to heat up, and then we go out and sing for a while. We usually come back with more people than we left with, which is awesome.

And then we have a chili cook off contest. Prizes are awarded for spiciest, most original, and audience favorite. So please bring chili. My goal is to try to get to 20 chilis this year. Last year, we had 16, so I'd like to be able to get to to 20, and it's it's just a blast.

We try to feed 60 people. The angel tree is already out there. We already have tags on the tree, and there will be more coming, I'm sure. Tony McDaniel is in charge of that, and we're only doing registration for people to drop off applications during a certain window during this week. And I can tell you what that is.

If you know of somebody that needs an application, let us know, or let Tanya know too. Jackson Hole Men's Alliance is this Wednesday at 06:30AM. Men of all ages are welcome to come and invited as there's a breakfast provided and some study as well. And then our podcast is up. Blake has been navigating the the World Wide Web to be able to figure that out, and it's it's up and it's running on all major platforms.

You If have any questions, we'll be able to figure that out as well. Connect Hour on December 22 is a a potluck. So please do bring a dish to share for that one. And we have our Advent reading readers coming up too, which is the best family. If you guys would be willing to come up, that's great.

They're gonna they're gonna read for our first Sunday's Advent. Thanks for being here. Even with Christmas colors, look how cute. Today

is the first Sunday in Advent. We light the first candle, the candle of hope. We have hope because of the faithful promises of God. He sent his son, and we receive our savior, a savior born to redeem the world from sin and death.

Romans fifteen thirteen says, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Should we stand and sing again? And thank you, Bess. And before we sing, may I pray? God, thank you for the hope that we have, that it is sure and certain. And Lord, would you fill us with all joy and peace and hope and believing?

And God, as we sing, Lord, would would you be glorified this morning in this church edified in Jesus' name. Amen.

Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a gospel truth. Thus rejoicing from sorrow, Praise his voice saying, greet the morrow. Christ the babe was born for you. The babe was born for you.

And surely the present. Let's sing that again.

Mighty power and his grace. I can hear the brush of angels' wings. I see glory on his

Amen. You can have a seat here for a moment, and we'll keep going here with a worship through giving. And I'm gonna change spots right over here. Get to sing with guitar and with piano, and we're gonna sing a song called king of kings. But before we do, would you pray with me?

Lord God almighty, we want to pause. Just take a moment here and say thank you in this week of thanks, thanksgiving. God, we don't want just a a day. You tell us to be thankful every day and in all things. And, God, this is the day that you've made.

We wanna rejoice and be glad in it. And James, you say that every good and perfect gift, it comes from you, the father of heavenly light heavenly lights, and you do not change like shifting shadows. And God, we wanna thank you for your faithfulness and your unchanging nature, that you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. And Lord, in light of today's scripture in Acts, would you fill us with your spirit and your love and your unity and your generosity, that we would be a channel blessing to this community and to the ends of the earth. Lord, would you use these gifts and bless the gift and the giver, and thank you, God, for all you have provided.

In Jesus' name, amen.

To reveal the king's uncovered and to reconcile the lost, to redeem the whole creation, You did not despise the cross. But even in suffering, you saw to the other side knowing this was our salvation, forever to the king of kings. And the morning that she rose, all of heaven held its bread till the stones moved forward. And the dead rose from their tombs, and the angels stood in awe. For the souls of all who'd come to the father our stone.

And the church of Christ was born, there the spirit lit the flame. Now this gospel truth of old shall not anew, shall not faint. By his burden and his name and his freedom. I am free for the love of Jesus Christ who's resurrected me. Praise the father.

Alright. There was a reason that I chose that song to to to sing right before the message here. The the lyrics of that song, king of kings, have been swirling in my head all week. And particularly, oops, the the lyrics here, and the church of Christ was born, the spirit lit the flame, and now this gospel truth of old, it shall not kneel and it shall not faint. As we're going through the book of acts here, that that's the story.

That's the story right there. Ray's brought us up to chapter four so far. Enjoy this picture of him. He spent Thanksgiving with his family down south, so I get to preach today. And you can enjoy this picture of him while I share some review.

Are you ready? So Luke picks up where the gospels leave off. Jesus is risen from death. He's appeared to his disciples saying, hey, stay in Jerusalem until the promised Holy Spirit comes. And sure enough, as they stay, the Holy Spirit comes at at Pentecost filling the believers.

And those from surrounding regions were confused because they understood. They're saying, how is it that we're hearing the wonders of God in our own languages? And Peter says, hey, listen. This is the Holy Spirit. These guys aren't drunk as some of you might assume.

It's only nine in the morning, friends. No. God made this Jesus whom you crucified to be both Lord and Messiah. Repent. Turn to God.

Be baptized, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And moved by the message and the Holy Spirit, thousands come to believe that day. The church gained momentum in a big, big way, and they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship. They shared meals together, including the Lord's Supper and prayer, and the church continues to grow. And then in Jesus' name, Peter and John healed that man who couldn't walk since birth.

You remember this part of Acts? And the high council says, hey, guys, it's time to knock it off. This is too much. And Peter and John say, nope. We cannot stop telling about everything that we have seen and heard.

We're not going to stop. And so they get thrown in jail and then released because there was a fear of a riot. And then we left off last week where the believers gathered together, and then full of the Holy Spirit, they prayed for you remember? Courage, boldness, boldness, and preaching the word. So that brings us up to chapter four verse 32, and I'd like to read up to five eleven.

This is the church's common life. So we'll get to see a description of the church. What is it that these believers were doing? A positive example, that being Barnabas, and then a negative example, that being Ananias and Sapphira, and, of course, some application throughout. So are you ready?

We're just taking it verse by verse. Here we go. Beginning with verse 32, it says, and the congregation of those who believed were one of heart and soul. And I don't wanna skip over this part because at the foundation of this healthy, growing, vibrant church, there was unity among believers, a common heart and a common purpose with Christ at the center. This is the kind of unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17.

Look at this. This is the fulfillment of that. Here it's happening. Jesus says, my prayer isn't for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one.

Father, just as you are in me and I am you, may they be in us. It's the unity of the Godhead and the church, unified so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Our unity is the way that people can tell that Jesus is the Christ, and it's happening here, one of heart and soul. And look, we'll we'll we'll keep reading on, and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. Can I take you back twenty years?

So this was me as a youth pastor in Minnesota. I was a kid ministering to kids. And I'm the guy in the middle, back row, no beard. Brad says a beard is really makeup for men, and that's true. And you know what?

What else is kinda neat is that girl right in the front there. I got to officiate her wedding just a few years ago. And another girl on the front row on the far your far right side, she she, over the summer, was just here, and she brought her family, her husband, her two kids, and she's doing well. They're they're doing wonderful, and just it is so neat to see. The these were kids.

Now they're adults, starting their own families. They're walking in faith, and it's just really neat to see. So that was twenty years ago. Anyway, this youth group and I took a road trip to the inner city of Chicago to a place called Jesus People USA. Has anyone ever heard of Jesus People USA?

There was just one person in the first service that had heard of it. So it's been around for over forty forty years. It started in the seventies with some hippie Jesus followers. And it's now a group of about 200 people living communally in a in a 10 story building in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, and they do not get paid directly for their work. Instead, the bunny goes into this common purse where, and here's a quote from the website, it frees up individuals to give themselves wholly to the work of ministry and family life.

So I I will say this. I'm not suggesting that you sell everything you own and move to Chicago and pull all your resources and do this. I'm not I'm not saying that. But I will say it was very fun to witness the work that was going on there in Chicago, that the believers together were holding loosely to their possessions. And with a common heart and a common purpose, with Christ at the center, they're feeding and clothing the poor.

There were at the time, they were buying up buildings and turning them into women and children's shelters, and on and on. They're doing a great work. And so like the the the early church, all things were common property. I just wanted to throw that out there. As an example, I thought that was pretty neat.

33 says, with great power, the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. So it's like Peter and John saying, listen, we cannot stop talking about everything that we've heard and seen, and and we're not gonna be quiet about it. They're filled with the Holy Spirit. They're doing miracles in Jesus' name, and God is using their witness to draw people to themself. There was momentum.

The church was growing. And it says this, an abundant grace was upon them all. This is is is one of my favorites, that there was plenty of grace to go around. God's favor, his kindness was upon every one of them. Verse 34, let's see if it can come up here on the screen.

For there was not a needy person among them. For all who were owners of lands and houses, They would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and they would lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would distribute they were distributed each to the extent that they had need. Now some scholars would say, well, because they were under Roman occupation, and these their land would probably be taken from them anyway, would they would sell it. Whatever the case, these people were giving generously for the benefit of of the community. And not only is this generous, I want you to look at this one here from from Luke's Jewish audience, and this would have been from the Torah in Deuteronomy.

For him to include the believers taking care of the poor, it would have signaled back to the Torah and Deuteronomy. There it is on the screen, where this practice is supposed to be happening throughout the temple and its leaders. These are the things that God intended for the temple, that there should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land that he's given you. So give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything that you do. So this was God's intent from the for the temple from the beginning.

But now, look at this, now the Holy Spirit has come, and there is a new temple where God resides where? Right here in the heart. In the heart of his believers, it's no longer about a temple or about a building. It never has been. It it it it's not like that here.

That Christ resides right here. From first Corinthians three sixteen, do you not know that you're a temple of God and that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you? We are now his temple, the believers in Christ, the local church, and fulfilling the purpose that God always intended, filled with his spirit and love and unity and generosity, testifying about the risen Jesus. This is what the early church was doing, and this is what we continue to do. And and look at this.

I I think this is is pretty neat. It comes after acts two forty two, that as they were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, sharing meals, including the Lord's Supper and prayer, they're filled with, look, his spirit and love and unity and generosity testifying about the risen Jesus. Isn't that neat? That as they were devoting themselves to those things, here's here's the result. And and what's better here is that these things right here are still as winsome and attractive today as they were then.

Would you agree? To see a church that's filled with God's spirit and his love and his unity and generosity and the testimony about our living Christ, that's a winsome and attractive thing. And first, be I just, I want to encourage you and I want to fan the flame because I see this in our body of Christ. I see us doing these things. And of course, we're not perfect, but to the best of our ability, as God leads, we are pursuing this.

And may I just pray for a moment? Lord, would you help us to continue to be this kind of a church, a church that is filled with your spirit and your love, your brand of self giving, others focused love, and with unity and generosity that we get to be a channel of blessing to this community and to the ends of the earth. Thank you, Lord, for how you're working through First Be and each person here. Lord, would you continue your good work through us as we trust in you, as we devote ourselves to the scripture, just saying what it says, and fellowship. We're meeting together, sharing meals.

We're taking time to be together and to prayer. In Jesus' name, Lord, we thank you for the church. Amen. So verse 36, there Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, a Jewish believer from the land of Cyprus who was also called Barnabas by the apostles, which translated means son of encouragement. He owned a tract of land, and he sold it, and he brought the money, and he laid it at the apostles' feet.

Radical generosity, Barnabas. I love this guy, the Encourager. By the way, I don't know who these ladies are in the picture. It's just a Google image, but I like their bus. I like their Barnabas.

I like their Barnabas. Get it? That's terrible. Moving on, look what it says about Barnabas in chapter 11. Okay?

And this was a very, very difficult time in the church. Stephen so we're we're not there yet, but we're going to get there in chapter 11. Stephen had just been martyred, and the church scatters from Jerusalem. And you can imagine the anxiety and the fear that the church must have felt. And Barnabas goes to Antioch, and it says he encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

And he was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And a great number of people were brought to the Lord. And then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. And when he found him, he brought them to he brought him to Antioch.

So for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul, best buds, met with the church, and they taught great numbers of people. He was they were ministry partners. So isn't this awesome that this was the man who was encouraging the discouraged, saying, friends, church, I know you're scared right now. I know the church is scattered. I know there's persecution.

Stay true to the Lord. Keep on keeping on. He was an encourager, and and the church needed that, and the church still needs this. We do. So full of Holy Spirit and faith, he taught with Paul.

He would later mentor John Mark. You remember that? And then John Mark and and Paul would have they would divide. They had a blowout. And Barnabas is the guy he's the conciliator.

He brings them back together. I'll just say Barnabas used his gift of encouragement well. And little application point here, may I encourage us? We have been given different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, foretelling or forthtelling, prophesy in accordance to your faith.

If it is serving, serve. If it's teaching, teach. If it is to encourage, give that encouragement. If it's giving, give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently.

And if it's to show mercy, do it cheerfully. And as I I see your faces in this room, and I can see the gifts that you bring right here to First Be as the body of Christ, and I'm so encouraged by you. And and, again, I I want to encourage you, and I wanna fan the flame to continue to use the gifts that you've been given to build up the body of Christ. Love must be sincere, hate what is evil, and cling to what is good. That's from Romans.

So that's a great segue into chapter five. So we've looked at a description of the church, the church's common life, what they did. Positive example being Barnabas, the encourager, and then we get to Ananias and Sapphira. Now Ray said, you know, you could just stop, and I'll pick it up next week. And I said, Ray, I'm a big boy.

I can handle this. You know, not just not just the the positive examples, but but the negative ones as well. And, Lord, help us to take in the whole counsel of scripture, the good examples and the bad. So here it is, chapter five starting in verse one. I'll read to 11.

Alright? But a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property, and they kept back some of the proceeds for himself with his wife's full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours?

And after it was sold, was it not under your control? He's saying it was yours to do whatever you wanted with it. Why is it that you've concede this deed in your heart? You've not lied to men, but to God. And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died, and great fear came over all who heard it.

Verse six. The young men got up and covered him, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Now an interval of about three hours had elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, tell me whether you sold this land for this price. And she said, yes, for that price.

And then Peter said to her, why is it that you have agreed together to put the spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well. Ten. And immediately, she collapsed at his feet and died. And the young men came in, and they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

And great fear came over the whole church and over all those who heard about these things. And this is a very difficult teaching, and it raises a lot of questions. Why is it that Ananias and Sapphira lied? It was their property to do whatever they wanted to with it. What's with the deception there?

What was their motivation for not telling the truth? Was it just for recognition? Was it, well, Barnabas said he gave his land there, and he got recognition. Maybe we will too. And then, of course, another big question is, why such a severe punishment?

Right? That's a question that goes through my my mind, and the truth is I don't know the answer to all those questions, but I do know this. Let's look at this slide. I do know this, that the enemy was at work within the church. There's no doubt about it.

And in the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira, what what the the church came as a as a unified body, and the enemy was at work to try to pull them apart. And Peter exposes it. He says, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You've not lied to men but to God. Why is it that you've agreed agreed together to put the spirit of the Lord to test collusion?

You know, you're dividing the body here, and these are things that threaten the integrity and unity and purity of the church. That's what was happening. And as one of Ray's professor professors point out here in this next slide that if God acts to preserve the integrity of the community that the Gospel produced, we can have an increased confidence in the truthfulness of the message itself. Can I read that again? Because I thought this was very well said.

That if God acts to preserve the integrity of the community that the gospel produced, we can have an increased confidence in the truthfulness of the message itself. That's good news for the inquirer, but bad news for anyone who would take a casual approach to entering the kingdom of God. So that's been sitting in my lap for a few weeks, and I'm just gonna go ahead and I'm gonna put it in yours. Okay? You're welcome.

And then verse 11 ends with, and great fear came over the whole church. And looking at this word fear, this is interesting. It can actually mean fear or terror, like a real fear terror, but it can also mean reverence and awe and respect, a recognition of God's power and holiness. So in the negative sense, fear of danger or judgment, but in a positive sense, that reverence and awe and respect for the Lord. So as we go on in acts, we're gonna see the result of that fear.

And this fear is not a bad thing. That multitudes look at this. Multitudes in men and women were constantly added to their number. That's where Ray's going next week. As a result of that fear in the Lord, it was an awestruck terror.

Oh my goodness, Ananias and Sapphira, but also a reverence and an awe and a respect for the holiness and majesty and might of the Lord. A good healthy fear that drew people to God. So as a matter of application, I'm gonna wrap it up here. Here's just a few points drawn from the text today. Alright?

And they are, encourage one another, be alert, and to fear the Lord. Encourage one another, be alert, and fear the Lord. Now I understand not everybody is a Barnabas. Right? But we can still encourage one another and build each other up.

We can do this, whether it is a word of encouragement or active service or generosity or compassion. Whatever it is that God has gifted you with, you can use it to build one another up. I also believe that there is a warning here to be alert. You remember Jesus in ten ten saying, the enemy comes to do what? To steal and kill and destroy.

What does Jesus come to do? To give life and life abundant. But the enemy, to kill, steal, and destroy. First Peter says, he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He didn't want unity in the church.

He didn't want these these believers in Christ in this new era of the church to be unified and together and on the same page with Christ at the center with a common heart and a common purpose. The enemy didn't want that nor does he want it now. But the good news is, and this really is the good news, is we're not sitting ducks here. We have God's armor to stand firm against the strategies of the of the enemy. We have protection here.

Ephesians six, and it tells us to put it on. Put on these things. Put on truth. Put on righteousness. Put on the gospel.

Put on faith. Put on the hope of our salvation and the word of God and prayer. Just going back, see, to to Luke chapter four where Jesus is tempted in the desert, what does Jesus use to combat the enemy's lies? He's using the scripture. So all to say that we are not defenseless against the enemy, and there is enemy, and he seeks to kill and steal and destroy and divide the unity that we have in the body of Christ, but we are not defenseless against the enemy.

The warning here to be alert. To be alert. To be aware. And then last is the fear of the Lord. I think we tend to see the fear of the Lord as something that's negative.

And in the study this week, was I I you know, looking at this again, I thought this isn't a negative thing at all. This is wonderful, and it's important. It's very important. Proverbs tells us it's the fear of the Lord that's the beginning of wisdom. If we want real wisdom, wisdom from the Lord, it's the fear of God is how we get there.

And the knowledge of the holy one, that's understanding. So that when we view God with reverence and awe and respect, recognizing him for who he is, that's the beginning of real wisdom. So in this very short brief message here, there it is, Acts four thirty two through five eleven, there's a description of the church's common life. There's a positive example being Barnabas, the encourager, and a negative example we learned from Ananias and Sapphira. And then just a few applications points, and there they are again.

Encourage one another to be alert and to fear the Lord. So I'll I'll end with that. And would you join us in in one last song too? And while you two are coming up, may I may I pray? Lord God almighty, I am just absolutely amazed by you, and I thank you that as we go through the scripture chapter by chapter, verse by verse, which you reveal to us through your spirit and through the word, your holiness.

We see your might. We see your power. We see your sovereignty. Lord, we see how important the church is then, but also today. And God, as we devote ourselves to your teaching and to fellowship and sharing of meals together and prayer like the early church, God, would you fill us with your spirit?

Would you fill us with your brand of love, your self giving, others focused love? Would you fill us with unity, God, with the what the enemy seeks to destroy and tear apart, God, would you bring us close together as the body of Christ? Thank you God for generosity. And as you taught us to pray, protect us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and glory forever. Amen.

Alright. Would you stand? We're gonna shift right over here again. Lori, do say? And it's fitting, isn't it?

I surrender all. And This week as I was thinking about a benediction, something to send us off with, it was Philippians two that came to mind. So I wanna share this with you. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ Church, do we have do we have that? I sure do.

If any comfort from his love, indeed we do. If there's any common sharing in the spirit, amen. If any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and one mind, there's more there. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but also to the interests of others. And Lord, would you help us?

We want to be like that early church, filled with your spirit, and love, and unity, and generosity. Lord, not just looking to our own interests, but the interests of others. And Lord, may a church we that we would be winsome and attractive, God, to those around us. As we devote ourselves, Lord, to the apostles teaching, and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayer. All these basic things, God, that will always work.

God, would you help us to walk in them in your spirit. In Jesus name, amen.

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Early Church Encouragement Fear Of The Lord Generosity Spiritual Deception Unity

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