Class Lesson July 8, 2018

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE 

Not long after moving into our home, a Christian neighbor appeared on our doorstep with a plate of cookies! She introduced herself and welcomed us to the neighborhood. It was an act of service that meant a lot to us at the time. 

I had the opportunity to do something similar one Saturday. I joined several members of our church to cut lawns and trim bushes for a number of senior adults. It made a big difference to those we served, including one retired pastor who did not have the income to maintain his yard. It was a joy to see how we made a difference. 

The greatest thing we do in this life is to gain salvation through faith in Christ. As great as that is, though, God doesn’t immediately take us up to heaven once we’re saved. He leaves us here on earth for a purpose. We are saved to serve. As we serve others, we imitate Christ who served us and met our deepest need. 

Now it’s our turn. We’re up!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? 

Acts 2:37-41 

37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do? ” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation! ” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 

If you feel ordinary, welcome to the club. But God has used ordinary people over and over again in the Bible to do great things. Take Peter as an example. Peter was just a fisherman known more for his brashness and his ability to put his foot in his mouth. Fairly ordinary. But we see a different Peter in Acts 2; he is almost unrecognizable from the man we saw in the Gospels. The man who was so intimidated he would not admit to a servant girl that he knew Jesus (see John 18:15-17), now boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ to thousands of people. 

When the people asked, “What should we do?”, Peter was poised and ready with a call to action: “Repent and be baptized.” Peter was not saying we must do two things. Only one action is required: repentance. 

“Repentance” in the Greek language literally means “after-mind” or “changed mind.” To repent is to change the way you think about your life and your behavior. It means to change your thinking, change your heart, and change the direction of your life. It is agreeing that God is right and we’ve been wrong. So Peter told his listeners to repent and reverse the course of their lives.

But what about being baptized? The phrase that follows—“for the forgiveness of your sins”—sounds like we experience forgiveness as a result of baptism. But the little word that begins the phrase is the Greek word eis, which can be translated “for,” “because of,” or “on account of.” Peter was calling the crowd to be baptized because their sins had been forgiven. 

That is exactly what three thousand people did that day. They responded to the message of Christ with repentance. And because they accepted Peter’s message, they were baptized. 

Peter’s example should encourage us. One way we serve others is by sharing the gospel with them like Peter did. We serve them by telling them the truth—God’s truth—about His Son, Jesus. We don’t do others any lasting favors by simply befriending them or performing an act of service for them without coupling it with a verbal witness for Jesus. We want people to know the reason we serve them is because Jesus served us by dying in our place on the cross. We want to be ready to share the hope that is within us (see 1 Peter 3:15), so as we serve others we must speak up and tell them about our Savior, Jesus.

Acts 2:42-45 

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 

As we serve others by sharing the gospel, we continue to serve them by helping them grow in their walk with Christ. I love the way the early church accomplished this: “They devoted themselves.” Luke, the writer of Acts, described four things in which they persevered. 

• The apostles’ teaching. The apostles were now passing along Jesus’ teachings. The apostles followed Jesus’ command to teach “them to observe everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). We know they helped people see the connection between Old Testament prophecies and Jesus. 

• The fellowship. The Greek word koinonia was used in a secular sense to describe the sharing of goods. It means to share something in common, and it likely refers here to the sharing of time and relationships between people. The key thing they shared in common was their faith in Jesus Christ. 

• The breaking of bread. This could refer to a meal that individuals and families shared together, but it also may refer to sharing the Lord’s Supper. These disciples enjoyed time together, and Jesus was the reason for their fellowship. 

• Prayer. Spending time together also meant spending time talking to God in prayer with other believers. As these disciples used their fellowship opportunities in homes, they also spent time in fellowship with the Lord in prayer. 

Not only were the believers enjoying sweet fellowship, but the apostles were performing miracles that validated the message the apostles were proclaiming. 

Then these early believers had a curious practice where they “held all things in common” (Acts 2:44). The wording of the original language suggests that the early Christians maintained ownership of their possessions, but regularly sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to people who were in need. (See also 4:32–5:4.)

Acts 2:46-47 

46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

In verse 46, we see a phrase repeated that was used in verse 42: “they devoted themselves.” Early Christians lived out their devotion to Christ and to each other in obvious ways, most notably in: 

1. The temple. The temple was the center of activity in Jerusalem, where large crowds of people could be found. The temple was also a place where these young believers could interact with others and share their faith. Their faith in Christ was not something to hide. (See Matt. 5:15-16.) 

2. Their homes. If the temple was the center for evangelism, homes were the center for fellowship. It was here that relationships flourished, as sounds of joy, laughter, music, and worship surely emanated from the homes of these early Christians.

People long for connections and a sense of community. They might achieve a certain level of that at work or with a few neighbors, but it lacks the love that comes when Christ binds the community together. When believers in a church freely share, fellowship, pray, and grow together, they display something no other group can: hearts changed by Jesus. When we live like that we draw others to know Christ.

LIVE IT OUT

How is God leading you to serve others? 

• Serve others with a simple act. Being kind to others can be done through simple acts that don’t cost a lot of money. Reach out to someone who needs a word of encouragement and perform an act of kindness.                                                                              
• Serve others by sharing the gospel. Sharing the truth of the gospel is one way to serve others. Pray and look for an opportunity to share Christ with a friend, coworker, or family member.                                                                                                                                                       
• Serve others by opening your home. Talk to your church leaders about starting a new Bible study group in your home. A home group is a great way to include neighbors and coworkers. 

God saves us from the penalty of sin, but He also saves us for something: to joyfully serve Him as we serve others. We’re saved to serve. You’re up!

Hope to see everyone this Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan


Teacher Notes:

Play Video: Britain’s Got Talent – Father Ray Kelly, a Parish Priest of Oldcastle in Ireland

Click Here to Watch

 Everybody Hurts

When your day is long
And the night
The night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough
Of this life
Well hang on

 Cause everybody hurts

Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts

 If you're on your own

In this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much
Of this life
But hang on

Everybody hurts, sometimes
Everybody hurts sometimes
So, hang on

So, hold on,
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on

You’re not alone

Why did Father Ray’s rendition of the song resonate with the judge’s like it did?

1. Why are we even here? We learned that God’s creation was orderly, purposeful, and according plan. We also learned that we are God’s greatest treasure of creation.
2. Why are we in the mess we’re in today? We chose to ruin a perfect relationship with God by our prideful rebellion of God’s one command that He gave us in paradise – and thus we allowed sin to enter the world.
3. Why Can’t We Fix It? We can’t fix it because it’s an inherited nature that’s bent on rebellion. God’s Standard is Clear, but Our Character is Flawed.
4. Why Did Jesus Come? Jesus came to save us and to remove our sin. He came to fix the mess we’re in and provide a way back to paradise.
5. What Should We Do Now? That has a lot to do with how we view our salvation.

The Believer's Purpose: Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

God has a purpose for your life. If that weren't true, He'd have taken you home to heaven at the moment of salvation. Maybe you have wondered, why doesn’t God just beam me up to heaven now that I’m saved. Why has He left you here? The Lord intends to influence others through you. 

• We are not saved from our sin just so we can go to heaven – now or later. 
• Christ saves us for something: the joy of living for Him, serving Him, and bringing glory to His name before others. Our purpose is to be a vessel through which Christ overflows to others--touching those who hurt and desperately need a Savior. Once we are saved, Scripture teaches, our involvement is threefold. 

Our lesson this morning says that we are not to live for ourselves; we serve God by serving others. – SHARE / SERVE / LOVE

I. Lead Others to Faith and Growth in Christ   Acts 2:37-41 

When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each 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, as many as the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 

It looks like the church is making great inroads into people’s lives, but …

A lot of good things are happening in churches across America. We’re in the thick of summer, and if this summer holds consistent with recent summers:

• Over two million teenagers will attend a Christian camp like Centrifuge
• Almost three million kids will attend a Vacation Bible School.
• 72,925 kids will accept Christ as a result of VBS.
• Over a twenty-year period, Southern Baptist churches have baptized 7.1 million people.

It looks like the church is making great inroads into people’s lives, but …

The last statistic shared at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention reported this: Over seven million people have come to Christ! Yet during that same twenty-year period, 6.5 million people stopped attending church.

• 7.1 million enter. 6.5 million exit. In spite of our evangelistic efforts and statistics, the church is not growing. “Our convention could be twice as large as it is today if we would have simply engaged the people we just baptized.” [Source]
• This isn’t just a Baptist problem. It is an issue for the whole evangelical church.

What made the difference in the early church? The obvious answer is the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. Immediately after those 3000 came to Christ in Acts 2, the young church did something else through the Holy Spirit – read verses 42 – 45. 

II. Support and Help of Fellow Believers     Acts 2:42-45 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 

What made the difference in the early church? Besides the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit, it was the Support and Help of Fellow Believers that made the difference. They did this in four key ways. 

What were they? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (2:42). 

• They were taught God’s Word.
• They invested time in being with God’s people. They shared their common faith in Christ.
• They centered this fellowship in Christ.
• They prayed continually, an act of ongoing dependence upon Christ.

What do we call this? Discipleship 

Recently our pastor told the church that if they couldn’t attend both the worship service and a Bible study group, choose the Bible study group.

• There is a direct correlation between involvement in a small group Bible study and spiritual growth … and sharing the faith ... and ministry. Preaching and exposition of God’s Word will move people toward a deeper walk with Christ, but it is the interaction with a group of other believers—as in a Bible study group—that discipleship flourishes.

Points: Sometimes God chooses to use human beings as the instruments through which He does His mighty work. The witness of the church is strengthened when those outside the church see how believers care for one another. All that we have is to be dedicated to the service of the Lord.

And finally, in verses 46 – 47, we are told to Live Lives that Honor God and Point to Christ 

III. Live Lives that Honor God and Point to Christ        Acts 2:46-47 

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descended on the believers, Peter preached an incredible sermon, and—BAM!—three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41). Just a short time later that number had grown to five thousand (4:4). And it didn’t stop. The church continued to grow.

Think about this: What perception do people outside our church have of the Lord because of what they see in our church’s fellowship and service?

Points: Worship of the Lord is to be a daily experience. A fellowship of believers is made stronger when members maintain it with an attitude of joy and humility. Even those outside the church are attracted to a fellowship where the members care for one another. A growing church is the product of the Spirit’s continuous work in the life of its members.

CONCLUSION: People long for connections and a sense of community. They might achieve a certain level of that at work or with a few neighbors, but it lacks the love that comes when Christ binds the community together. When believers in a church freely share, fellowship, pray, and grow together, they display something no other group can: hearts changed by Jesus. When we live like that we draw others to know Christ.

God saves us from the penalty of sin, but He also saves us for something: 

to joyfully serve Him as we serve others.

Scripture clearly defines the believer's purpose. Aligning ourselves with God's intentions for His children--loving others, witnessing, and serving-- bring us great satisfaction. In fact, we're still on earth not merely to hear more teaching but to act on it and share with others what we learn. So, hang on!