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GOD’S INTENTS AND PURPOSES FOR HIS LOCAL CHURCH
ACTS 1:8; 2:1-14, 41-47
Introduction
I believe that by and large, most (not all, but most) local Churches today, even “independent, fundamental, Bible believing, Baptist Churches” are nothing like what God really intends for them to be.
Many Churches Have Lost Their Purpose!
1. Some Churches have become just a place for social events instead of fulfilling the Great Commission.
2. Some Churches have become a place for folks to just come, rest and relax instead of them becoming fervent servants for the Lord.
3. Some Churches have become a place for folks to sooth their conscience that they are doing OK instead of places of conviction to stir folks to obedience!
Many Churches Have Lost Their Power.
1. There are few souls being truly converted.
(There may be a multitude of professions but how many are really in possession of salvation)
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2. Too many who make up local Churches have lost their testimony.
Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
3. There seems to be little fear of God among the members of most congregations.
Many Churches Have Lost Their Purity.
1. Some have become havens for unrepentant sinners.
2. Some have adopted worldly standards and practices.
What Are God’s Intents And Purposes for the Local Church?
I. GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH TO BE FILLED WITH POWER!
Acts 1:8–“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
We are filled with power when we are filled with the Holy Ghost!Ephesians 5:18–“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
One reason so many are not filled with the Holy Ghost is because they are filled with something else and there is no room for the Holy Ghost to fill their lives!
* We can’t be full of ourselves and the Holy Spirit at the same time!
* We can’t be full of sin and the Holy Spirit at the same time!
* We can’t be full of the world and the Holy Spirit at the same time!
II. GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH IS TO BE INVOLVED IN WITNESSING!
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
When a Church is filled with Holy Spirit power as it should be, the result will be that the Gospel will be given out boldly and souls will get saved!
Acts 4:31–“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:33–“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (For the Word of God to be received it first had to be proclaimed!)
Acts 2:47b–“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (When there is no soul winning, there is no addition!)
GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH –TO BE FILLED WITH POWER., TO BE INVOLVED IN WITNESSING!. . .
III. GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH TO BE FILLED WITH RIGHT DOCTRINE!
Matthew 28:18-20–“18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
John 8:31-32–“31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Acts 2:42–“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine...”
2 Timothy 4:1-4–“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Four Things Are Needed For The Church To Be Filled With Right Doctrine:
A. Right Doctrine Has To Be Taught!
1 Timothy 4:13–“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
1 Timothy 4:16–“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
Titus 2:1–“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:”
B. Right Doctrine Has To Be Received!
Paul said of the Bereans:
Acts 17:11–“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
1 Thessalonians 1:6-7--“6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13–“13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
C. Right Doctrine Has To Be Put Into Practice!
1 Thessalonians 4:1–“1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
2 Thessalonians 3:6-7–“6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: ”
D. Wrong Doctrine Has To Be Avoided!
Romans 16:17–“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
Ephesians 4:14–“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
Titus 3:10–“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;”
GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH –TO BE FILLED WITH POWER., TO BE INVOLVED IN WITNESSING, TO BE FILLED WITH RIGHT DOCTRINE!. . .
IV. GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH TO BE UNIFIED!
Acts 2:46–“And they, continuing daily with one accord. . . .”
(We are not talking about unity for unity’s sake, but unified in the right things!)
Acts 2:44–“And all that believed were together,. . .”
A. There Should Be Unity Of Heart And Soul!
Acts 4:32–“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:”
B. There Should Be Unity In Purpose!
Acts 2:1–“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
They were all there for the same purpose!
(i.e. Waiting on the Lord to be endued with power!)
Acts 11:23–“23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”
C. There Should Be Unity In Obedience!
They were all there because they had been told to be there!
2 Thessalonians 3:14–“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
D. There Should Be Unity In Doctrine!
Acts 2:42–“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine . . .”
E. There Should Be Unity In Fellowship!
Acts 2:42–“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship. . .”
“Fellowship” = “partnership, that is, (literally) participation.”
F. There Should Be Unity In Breaking Bread!
Acts 2:42–“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread. . .”
Observance of the Lord’s Table as well as what we call fellowship.
G. There Should Be Unity In Prayer!
Acts 2:42–“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
(Today’s emphasis is upon “playing” and not “praying” – Most Churches can have a “fellowship” with fun activities and it is well attended, but they can have a prayer meeting and it is hard to get folks to come!)
Isaiah 56:7–“. . .for mine house shall be called an house of prayer. . .”
H. There Should Be Unity In Care!
Acts 2:44-45–“44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”
Acts 4:32–“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”
1 John 3:17–“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
I. There Should Be Unity In Worship!
Hebrews 10:25–“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Acts 2:47–“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
John 4:23–“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
Where there is no spirit, worship is dead.
Where there is no truth, confusion reigns.
GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH –TO BE FILLED WITH POWER., TO BE INVOLVED IN WITNESSING, TO BE FILLED WITH RIGHT DOCTRINE, TO BE UNIFIED!. . .
V. GOD INTENDS FOR HIS CHURCH TO BE PURE.
We find that the early Local Churches practiced “Church Discipline.”
In the very early stages of the Church, the Apostles applied the discipline against the members of the Church.
In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Church.
They both dropped dead at the word of Peter. And then the Bible says,
Acts 5:11–“And great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things.”
Later on Churches were instructed to apply their own discipline against their members. In 1 Corinthians 5, there was one who was having sexual relations with his father’s wife. (Something even the Gentiles looked down on.)
1 Corinthians 5:4-5 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 5:6-7–“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1 Corinthians 5:11–“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
Conclusion
What does God want from us in 2007? What are His intents and purposes for His Church today? Has He changed? We are His Church!
So let’s put it on a personal level:
1. God Wants Us To Be Filled With His Power! Are you?
2. God Wants Us To Be Witnesses For Him! Are you?
3. God Wants Us To Be Filled With Right Doctrine! Are you?
(Teaching Right Doctrine, Receiving Right Doctrine, Practicing Right Doctrine, Avoiding Wrong Doctrine.)
4. God Wants Us To Be In Unity! Are you?
(In Heart and Soul, In Purpose, In Obedience, In Doctrine, In Fellowship, In Breaking of Bread, In Prayer, In Care, In Worship.)
5. God Wants Us To Be Pure! Are you?
So, as we begin this ninth year together, how are we doing?
We may think we’re doing alright. But what would God say about it?
Are we the kind of Church that God has in mind as what a Church should be?
Are we fulfilling His intents and purposes?
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!