Bro Mike started with a football illustration, especially appropriate since next Sunday is Super Bowl.
Illustration: Vince Lombardi telling his team,"Gentlemen, this is a football."
Everything else is goes on from there.
We are tied to the early church. We need to start from scratch. It's Going Back to Basics.
In Acts 2:37, following Peter's sermon, the people "were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers what shall we do?'"
The answer: "Repent and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...this promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
Key passage for today -- Acts 2:41-42.
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.The Holy Spirit led them in the first steps of the new church.
Everything we do must be fueled, empowered and enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
What the early church members did as the Holy Spirit directed them:
1. They made a profession of faith.
A human being listens to the gospel and says "That's for me. I must repent and be saved and tell the world."
Baptism is public, not private. "Count me in with the Lord Jesus and His followers." Many of those early converts were kicked out of their homes because of this decision. There was a cost. Many were killed later in the days of persecution of the early church.
11.They wholeheartedly committed themselves to the local church.
They "devoted" themselves. The NKJ uses continued steadfastly--a more accurate translation of the single Greek word which indicates a person is deeply committed to what he believes.
Bro Mike used the marriage illustration again. Just walking down the aisle and saying "I do" is a one-time event. Then begins the day-to-day struggle to make the marriage work. Just going down the aisle to join a church is a one-time action, too. And then begins to struggle to work out our relationships with others in the church.
So many people say, "I don't attend. I was badly treated there. I was deeply hurt." That's not continuing steadfastly.
The church is made up of imperfect people who are struggling to live out God's grace. People like we are.
The early Christians turned away from their traditional temple worship and all that it brought into their own lives and of their families to make a commitment to the new church.
111. They became avid students of God's Word.
The Bible shows all facets of where we live. When a church is led by the Spirit, the Spirit is the head. We are the Body-- arms, legs, elbows, fingers, feet, eyes. We function together a a unit - a single Body.
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There will be a baptism service next Sunday, Feb .6
Each of us needs to ask ourselves: How am I? Do I need to the saved? Am I committed to church attendance? Is my church experience life-changing? Are there other activities -- sports, TV, etc,. that come before my commitment to my church?
These are the steps the early Christians, as they were led by the Holy Spirit, took to begin their new lives in Christ: making a profession of faith, committing themselves to their local church, and becoming solid Bible students.
These are the steps we need to take also.
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