Class Lesson August 23, 2015

   AWAKE: A CALL TO A RENEWED LIFE

 

Don't sleep through your spiritual life.

Wake Up!

Every Christian and every church needs to draw aside periodically in a special time of study and reflection spiritually. I am convinced that this study will help us do just that. For six weeks, we, this class, Christ-followers that we claim to be are being called to Return to: God, their first love, prayer, God’s Word, unity with other Christians, and the task of fulfilling the Great Commission personally and as a church. This is a call to experience revival and awakening - personally, and as a class and church. It's time we stop sleeping through our spiritual life ... It's time for us to wake up!

RETURN TO UNITY

 When have you felt united with others in a common cause?

 

Click Here to Watch

South Carolina has posted 30 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 College World Series berths, and two National Championships: 2010 and 2011. Carolina is one of six schools in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles. During Tanner's stint as head coach, the Gamecocks also captured three SEC titles, one SEC tournament title, six division titles, six College World Series appearances, and fourteen straight NCAA Tournaments (longest current streak in the SEC). Between 2010 and 2012 the Gamecocks set two NCAA records for postseason success: the most consecutive NCAA tournament wins (22) and the most consecutive wins in the College World Series (12). In 2013, Carolina set the record for consecutive home NCAA tournament wins, with 29.

How about when 9-11 happened?

Click Here to Watch

It's interesting to see what can bring people together.

• Two men can be polar opposites, but they'll sit side-by-side and high-five each other during a football game.

• Total strangers often start talking to each other when a canceled flight leaves them stranded together at a gate.

• During a national tragedy, citizens come together in extraordinary ways.

The church takes unity to an entirely different level. The church is diverse - white collar and blue collar, Republican and Democrat, plus every ethnic group under the sun - yet we come together because of our shared faith in Jesus Christ. At least, we're supposed to come together. Sometimes our differences still get in the way.

In the Book of Acts, Luke described a very young church that did more than talk about unity in Christ. They lived it.

Our Lesson Point:

Walking with Christ brings us together in unity and purpose.

I. Unity in Prayer 

Acts 4:31

³¹ When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

There's a lot that leads up to Acts 4:31. For starters, the religious authorities had arrested Peter and John for preaching about Jesus' resurrection. When the two apostles were brought before the rulers, they gave a bold declaration of their faith in Christ. They boldly spoke of Jesus as the only way to salvation (see 4:1-12). The authorities charged them not to speak about Jesus anymore, but the apostles said, "We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (v. 20).

After Peter and John were released, they went straight to the believers and told them all that had happened. The believers responded with an amazing prayer: "And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness" (v. 29). They didn't ask God to deliver them from the hands of those who would harm them. They didn't even pray for protection. Their only prayer was that God would help them be bold in the face of persecution.

These early believers were facing the pressure of persecution, but they didn't run. Instead, they came together. What united them? Their faith in Christ and their desire to spread the good news of the gospel to all who needed to hear it.

As the believers expressed this unity in their prayer, three amazing things happened:

1. The place where they were meeting was shaken.
2. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. They began to speak God's message with boldness.

What factors help people feel united?

Remember this from Acts 4:31 - The Lord responds to the prayers of His people. And even if the building doesn't literally shake, the Spirit comes upon us in ways we can perceive. Our daily experiences with the Lord is what allows us to be filled more and more with His Spirit. And this indwelling Spirit enables us to speak God's message with boldness far beyond what is humanly inherent to us.

"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you." - 2 Corinthians 13:11

II. Unity in Practice and Witness 

Acts 4:32-33

32 Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. 33 And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 

When individual believers are filled with God's Holy Spirit, they can't help uniting with one another. The Spirit makes all the difference. When the Holy Spirit gets involved with individuals, a church, a community, or a nation, He will produce change - and it will be change that lasts.

The early believers were deeply impacted by what the Holy Spirit had done and was doing in their lives. Throughout the remaining verses of Acts 4, we can see how the Spirit's unifying presence manifested itself among these believers. Specifically, they "were of one heart and mind" (v. 32). These two mindsets were foundational elements of their early ministry.

1. They were one in heart with a mutual generosity. The early believers shared their possessions. It's rare to see this kind of radical generosity today. We may contribute to a fund, but what these believers did is comparable to discovering a fellow believer who needs transportation and giving him your car. One person's needs became everyone's needs. That's some serious unity!
2. They were one in mind and purpose. They prayed for boldness to proclaim the message of Jesus, and God answered their prayer. The apostles continued to preach boldly and with power about the gospel. This was their one mission. We can do a lot of "good things," but we must have unity on "the main thing" - preaching the gospel to every man, woman, boy, and girl around the world.

A time is coming when people from every nation, tribe, and language with gather around the throne of God and give praise and glory to Him. God is at work around the world bringing these people to Himself. Our mission is to join Him in that task.

How have you seen mutual generosity impact your church or community?





Remember this from Acts 4:32-33 - Believers in Christ can become as one in Him. And the depth of the fellowship among believers is seen in the practical expressions it takes as they relate to one another. Always remember that the great truth of the gospel is that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. God will show His favor to those who live in unity and who are faithful in witness of Him.


 

III. Unity in Sacrifice 

Acts 4:34-37

34 For there was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs. 36 Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement, 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

The Holy Spirit leads us to surrender, which is why the believers in the early church willingly gave up their possessions for one another. They joyfully let go of everything else so they could fully embrace Christ and focus completely on Him and His gospel.

Surrender is often hard, but it shouldn't be. When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we gain far more than we give up. When we surrender to the Lord, we surrender in victory, not defeat!

• Every time He convicts us of sin, it's time to surrender that sin to God and experience His forgiveness, freedom, and grace (see 1 John 1:9).

• Every time He calls us to respond generously to a need, we can joyfully let go of what we know was never "ours" in the first place.

• Every time He speaks to us about the direction and purpose of our lives, we can surrender and join Him in the great adventure of His mission.

Verses 36-37 give us a specific example of one believer's generosity. Barnabas sold a field and brought the proceeds to the apostles for distribution. We'll look more closely at Barnabas' mission and work in our next session. For now, however, let's note how Barnabas surrendered his life, exemplifying the mindsets noted earlier in verses 32-33.

• We know Barnabas was "of one heart" with his fellow Christians because of his generosity.

• We know Barnabas was "of one mind" with his fellow Christians because of his encouragement and his laser-like focus on the church's mission.

Barnabas surrendered himself to the Lord. His devotion to Christ was apparent because of his devotion to and unity with other believers. Choose to be a Barnabas in your church.

What's your initial reaction to these verses?

How should these verses guide our actions and attitudes today?





Remember this from Acts 4:34-37 - A spirit of concern for the needs of others ought to permeate the fellowship of believers. The church does well to establish a systematic approach that assures that those believers who need support and encouragement are not overlooked. The church continues to need individuals who model the spirit of Barnabas and who will take specific actions to address a situation when others need encouragement.

The Sunflower is probably the most amazing of the flowers God created. They literally follow the sun. Now I don’t know about you, but one the most amazing things I have seen is a field of sunflowers. Watching one flower follow the sun is cute, but watching hundreds in absolute unison follow the sun is actually quite incredible. Something I found out recently, is that Sunflowers continue tracking the suns direction long after sun sets. Through 360 degree’s they ensure that they are always oriented in the direction of the sun. Their unity is totally dependent on one thing. Their relationship to the sun.

What will it take for each of us to follow in unity to the Son?



Closing: The picture of the church in Jerusalem portrayed in the verses that are at the heart of this session is a picture of a church united by prayer, practice, witness, and sacrifice. It is a picture of the church as it should be. It is a picture of a church that most all of us would want to be a part of. And we can be if we commit ourselves to the same steps taken by the congregation of believers in Jerusalem.  

LIVE IT OUT

There is incredible power when God unites His people. How will you strive for unity of heart and mind within your church community?

• Yield. Surrender yourself each morning to the lordship of Christ and let Him fill you with His Holy Spirit.

• Pray. Pray daily for unity in your church and among believers in your community. Ask God to remove all barriers to unity and make your church family one in heart and mind.

• Share. Take a bold step to confirm that you've surrendered everything to Christ. When you see someone with a need this week, do whatever you can do to take care of it.

God uses our unity in Him to bring revival to our lives and churches - and that leads to spiritual awakening in our nation. May God through His Holy Spirit impact you in such a way that unity abounds in your family, church, and community.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me not to dismiss Your ideal for the church as something impossible to achieve but as a reality to be striven for and possible because Your great grace is available to us too. Amen.

Hope to see you this Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan