ACTS OF UNITY
I. INTRODUCTION: SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 2:14-25, 36-41
II. UNITED FRONT
A. Peter and the other 11 disciples address the crowd
1. Note it’s not just Peter alone
2. It is the disciples in unison
3. Peter speaks, but the disciples are the one’s presenting God’s Word
SLIDE:
God’s people must be united in order to present God’s Word
B. God’s people must be of one mind
C. And they are of one mind when they are of one Spirit
D. Imagine how things would have turned out if the disciples competed with one another
1. The crowds would never have been won over
2. They would have been convinced that they were drunk as some supposed
E. Can you just see 12 men trying to out speak each other
1. (Guys look foolish enough when they’re getting along)
2. Perhaps correcting each other
3. Correcting Peter
4. “Who put you in charge?”
5. “I want to speak too!”
F. God’s Spirit unites people
G. God’s people must be united in order to present God’s word
I. Otherwise they are not effective
J. When we allow the Spirit to work in and through us we are effective
K. People will pay attention
L. The Twelve disciples stood as one witness before God
M. As a result, God’s word went out to the crowds
III. PRACTICAL ANSWERS
A. The first thing Peter does is address the empirical evidence
B. He appeals to people’s sense of reason
C. He doesn’t chide or abuse the crowd
D. He points out a fact
E. He asks the people to listen carefully
F. It’s 9:00 o’clock in the morning
G. On a festival like Pentecost, a Jew would fast until at least 10:00 am
1. It’s very unlikely so many Jews would have eaten their first meal and gotten drunk on wine already
H. Sometimes people just need a practical answer
I. Ever have someone ask you why you go to church?
1. If the answer is “I don’t know” then that’s not a practical answer
2. Now I’m not putting anyone down that may have said that same answer.
3. I said the same thing for years growing up at my church in California
4. Once I was able to give practical answers for why I went to church, I could effectively address people’s questions
a. I go because I like the sermons
b. I go because the music makes me think about God
c. I go because I’ve made good friends there. We all have busy lives and that’s the one place we see each other consistently
J. When we talk about God and the Church today we have to be practical about it
K. We need to address the people’s questions and concerns
L. People will have questions about the church
M. Why should people listen to us?
IV. NATION OF OPTIONS VS. PRACTICALITY
A. There are so many voices in the world today
B. Why should people listen to the voice of the church?
C. There are so many voices
D. So many options today
E. I don’t remember so many options growing up
F. I don’t remember so many:
1. Fast food places
2. Movie theaters
3. Games
4. Sports
G. All of those have options
H. Fast Food example
1. Order a #2
2. Do you want to supersize that?
3. Do you want Regular or Diet
4. Do you want a pie?
5. One or two, they’re half off
6. Do you want to make a donation to our charity
I. We have become a world of options
J. And in our world of options, the Church has become an option
K. Who can remember a time when on Sunday mornings businesses were closed?
L. I hade a job as a teenager and the store I worked at was open Sunday from 12-3
1. Now places are open 24/7
M. Memories of going to Canada to visit family as a kid
1. Was amazed that places were closed on Sundays
N. There used to be very few options on Sunday
O. Church was one of the only options
1. Partly because it was one of the only options (let’s face it)
2. But also because we knew it is something we should do
P. Now the Church is one of many options
Q. Why should people go?
R. Give us a practical reason why we should go
1. We have groceries to buy (Both my wife and I work we don’t have any other time to get food)
2. Shopping to do
3. We want to spend time with the kids, they’re in daycare all week while we’re at work
4. They have sports on Sunday morning
5. The Church gets in the way of those things
Tell me if I’m wrong
S. We live in a nation that has so many options that our lives have actually become impractical
T. People don’t want complicated
U. People want practical
V. Peter addresses the crowd with a practical answer
1. Peter says, we’re not drunk.. and here’s why
W. He didn’t go straight into Jesus until he addressed their practical concerns
X. Proving they’re not drunk, he gets into what is happening
V. PETER’S QUOTE OF JOEL
A. Then immediately Peter begins to quote Scripture
B. He speaks from the book of the prophet Joel
C. And just the mere fact that he is quoting Scripture proves something
1. Peter knows his Scripture
2. He’s not making stuff up
3. He informs the crowds with the Word of God
D. We need to be learning our Scripture
E. So when people come to us with questions, we can rely on God’s word for the answers
F. It’s important ladies and gentleman to spend time in God’s word
1. It will feed you
2. It will bring you closer to God
3. God will speak to you through it
G. When people come with questions you’ll be better equipped to address them
VI. CHRIST COMES TO ALL
A. In quoting Joel, Peter declares that God’s Spirit will be poured out on all people
B. Not just men, the rich, the educated… but all
C. Sons and daughters will prophesy
1. God works through men and women
D. Maidservants
1. God works through all social classes
E. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
F. Everyone that Peter is speaking to can be saved.
G. Everyone that God comes to can be saved.
VII. I WON’T BE IMPRACTICAL NOW (WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID)
A. Peter continues to quote Scripture
B. He gives Old Testament and present day evidence of Jesus as Messiah and God
C. I could go into the theology of all that right now
D. But that would be impractical
E. That’s a good paper, Sunday school or small group study
F. But suffice it to say Peter says the following:
1. God gives his Sprit to each person
2. Those who receive God’s spirit have life
3. We put Jesus in on the cross by our sin
4. God raised Jesus to life from the dead
5. We have life in Jesus who is God
6. The Holy Spirit you are witnessing now, comes from Jesus
VIII. THE CHURCH GROWS
A. Peter shares this news with the crowd
1. That we put Jesus in the grave and God pulled him out
2. That we need to repent and gives our lives to Christ
B. The people are moved
C. The Bible says that they are cut to the heart
D. The literal translation is that they were stabbed in the heart
E. That’s heavy news
F. You ever hear news that stabs you in the heart?
G. News that convicts you?
H. News that once you hear it you know you have to respond?
I. I received news once that convicted me to go into ministry
J. Seminary/Calling example
1. When I was in seminary I didn’t know what I was going to do with my degree
2. I knew God wanted me in seminary, but I didn’t know where he wanted me once I graduated
3. Then I heard a statistic one day
4. The PCUSA denomination (our denomination) loses 30,000 members every year
5. I had grown up in a church that lost a lot of members
6. But that church turned around and began growing and I learned a lot through that experience
7. I knew at that moment that God was calling me to help churches grow and transform
8. I was cut to the heart
a. By a simple truth
b. That I believe the Holy Spirit brought me
K. The people in the crowd were cut to the heart
1. By the truth
2. By the Holy Spirit
L. 3,000 people converted that day
1. 3,000 people!
M. The church consisted of maybe a few hundred before that morning
N. Talk about a huge growth spurt
O. Imagine if 3,0000 showed up at our door ready to give their lives to Christ
1. Things would really shake up wouldn’t they?
IX. PEOPLE CONVERTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. It was the Good News of Christ that converted people
B. It was the Holy Spirit working through the disciples and the crowd that drew them in
C. It was the work of the Holy Spirit that got everyone’s attention in the first place
D. God made a big noise and got their attention
E. We need to let God make a big noise here at Bethany
F. Then we’ll have people’s attention
G. People can’t hear the word of God unless we have their attention
H. A noise will get their attention
I. But it’s the Spirit who will convert
J. 3,000 people were converted on the day of Pentecost on the Good News of Christ
1. Not by some gimmick
2. Not by a free wwjd bracelet
3. Not with a concert
4. Not with music
5. Not with an offering
6. Not with a sign up sheet
7. Not with a committee
8. Not with a top ten list of ways to change your life
9. Not after a retreat
10. Not with coffee service
11. BUT by the message of what Jesus did for us
12. By sharing the promise of God to all those who are willing to listen
X. CONCLUSION
A. What kind of noise will God make at our church?
B. We need to do what the disciples did to find out
C. We need to pray
D
E. Because God’s activity in our lives begins with prayer
F. And God will send us his Holy Spirit
G. He will unite us
H. He will draw people to him
I. And he will speak through us to bring transformation.
Let’s Pray
