By: Dr. Donald Clarke

“A series designed to prepare our church for explosive growth”
Acts 2:41-47

41- Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 - And they continued

43- And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

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.

46- And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 - Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

(KJV)
Continuance in the Apostles’ Doctrine (Verse 42)
Active Fellowship (Verse 42)
A Praying Church (Verse 42)
Signs Follow Her (Verse 43)
She is Unselfish (Verse 45 & 46)
She Finds Favor (Verse 47)
She Experiences Sustained Growth (Verse 47)

Understanding the Church’s foundation
Pentecost!
Acts 2:1

As we study the Acts church, it is relevant that we all understand the basic tenets on which this first church was built. We must understand that the church is not a secular or social organization; rather it is a spiritual organism that has to have growth to continue to live! In Acts, we see and incubation or birth chamber where the stage was set, the preparatory steps were taken and then the new organization was birthed in a fiery process driven by the descent of the Holy Spirit from the heavens, sort of like the consuming fire that enveloped Moses’ burning bush but did not consume it.
The Holy Spirit’s descent evidenced by the tongs of fire and the mighty rushing wind on the Day of Pentecost, only occurred after the disciples had gathered in the upper room spending time together in obedience to the words of Jesus. As they spent time together, their differences became obscured and their commonality emerged as they united in purpose, to usher in the birth of the new church.
As we study the events of Pentecost, it is important that we separate the accidentals from the essentials:
The Spirit must (and was) be at work
1) The Spirit came and the people heard the sound of rushing wind and saw tongues of fire.

2) The Spirit baptized and filled the believers, and then spoke as they praised God in various languages.
3) The Spirit empowered Peter to preach, and then He convicted the listeners so that 3,000 of them trusted Christ and were saved.

The believers were (and we must be) united

1) The believers were praising God, not preaching the Gospel

2) And that they used known languages, not an "unknown tongue"

3) (Acts 2:6,8). Luke named fifteen (15) different geographical locations and clearly stated that the citizens of those places heard Peter and the others declare God's wonderful works in languages they could understand. The Church of Jesus must be ethnically diverse and such diversity is considered strength, not a weakness. In the perfected ministry of the church all ethnic groups must share in the life and blessings of the church.

The Church spoke (and must continue to) with one voice

Acts 2:5-13
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded (not confused), because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Why did God do this? For one thing, Pentecost was a reversal of the judgment at the Tower of Babel when God confused man's language (Gen 11:1-9 provide a brief narration of Babel). God's judgment at Babel scattered the people, but God's blessing at Pentecost united the believers in the Spirit.
1) At Babel, the people were unable to understand each other, but at Pentecost, men heard God's praises and understood what was said.

2) The Tower of Babel was a scheme designed to praise men and make a name for men, but Pentecost brought praise to God.

3) The building of Babel was an act of rebellion, but Pentecost was a ministry of humble submission to God.

 She Continues in the Apostles’ “Doctrine”
Preamble

The unusual sounds and activities on the Day of Pentecost drew attention to the disciples. The church must have a commanding performance that will get and keep the attention of the seeking lost.
Once attention was drawn, the Holy Spirit through “one” voice that of Peter delivered a message that addressed the lost state of the listeners, presented Jesus as the answer and concluded with a call to action. The first New Testament mega church was birthed as 3,000 souls came to Christ!
From this point we observe a concerted and sustained “discipleship” effort by the new church under the guidance of the Apostles (the importance of leadership providing direction and coordination of church growth efforts). Verse 42 of our text written by Luke stated that the new disciples “continued in the Apostles doctrine”. In order to discuss this continuing in the Apostles’ doctrine dynamic, I have phrased my discussion today around 3 simple questions that when answered will help us develop this same “discipline” in our fellowship.
1) What is a disciple?

2) What is a doctrine and what is it not? “Didachee in Greek, means “teachings”

3) Where did the Apostles get their doctrines and what were the fundamental tenets of such doctrines?

The Apostles did not invent their own doctrines but rather learned and copied them from Jesus with whom they walked with and observed for 3 and ½ years. One cannot live and reach the doctrines of Jesus without first spending time with Him!
Jesus through multiple teachings and daily practical application prepared the Apostles to nurture and guide the church that would be entrusted to them. Then in His last earthly message to them in Matt 28:19-20

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.

Please note that the Apostles were to: a) Teach ALL nations (Build a cross-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-nation church). Any attempt to marginalize the church along ethnic, cultural or any other divides is disobedience to a specific command and therefore a sin; b) The Apostles were to teach what they learned from Jesus, not something that they concocted up to suit their prejudices and fancies
What then did Jesus teach them which then became “The Apostles’ Doctrines?
1) Self denial by putting the Kingdom before personal aspirations. He taught them to serve a cause greater than themselves, the “WE” principle versus the “ME” principle. {Greater love has no man than this that a man would lay down his life for his friends} {If any man be my disciple let him first deny himself, take up his cross and follow me} He taught them about serving each other rather than themselves.

2) Soul winning. His going out of the way to reach the Samaritan woman was a practical demonstration to his disciples of how one needs to a) Go out of the way to reach the lost and b) Put soul winning above the very basics of life such as food. It was after this powerful demonstration which Pastor Don, Jr. spoke about on New Year’s Eve 12/31/08, that Jesus issued the following observation and instruction to His disciples in John 4:34-35 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

3) Compassion for the unfortunate, hurting, hungry, etc. The feeding of the multitudes that followed Him was a practical demonstration to His disciples and a doctrine to be duplicated was that the church had to be holistic to be relevant. When He healed the sick and wept at the grave of Lazarus was demonstration to his disciples that one doctrine to be practiced was “caring and compassion” for those who hurt among us.

4) Constant pursuit of a deeper relationship with God. Even as the “God-Man” Jesus practiced constant communication with God through fastings and prayers. What He was teaching His disciples was that an effective disciple has to be one who constantly seeks spiritual renewal through study of the Word, fastings and prayers.

Disciple
A disciple of Christ is one who (1) believes his doctrine, (2) rests on his sacrifice, (3) imbibes his spirit, and (4) imitates his example
(Easton's Bible Dictionary)

She has an active Fellowship

 (Vs. 42)
Fellowship = Koinonia = Communion which is a root word to Community

If then Fellowship translates to Community, then the following 6 points must exist for a Community to be successful:
1) The Community has to be one where people want to move in. That means it cannot have any “whacky” and “threatening” behavior. People always want to move to a “better” Community and each Community reserves the right to expel those who would threaten the balance of the Community {Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5}

2) The Community has to have laws {Doctrines} by which ALL citizens live so that all know the rules of engagement and boundaries. Any practices and laws in this Community must have the 3 Biblical “P’s”: a) Permission-allowed; b) Predicate-affirmation and c) Precedent-prior application. This prevents misunderstandings and accidents. Ignorance of the law is no excuse!

3) The Community must provide vital services {Emphasis on service not to be served!}, protection and help to ALL its citizens. The Acts church encountered its first problems when some people were excluded from the benefits that were being distributed. How is it that secular governments practice Community while the church searches for something in which it is to provide leadership? The secular governments tax us so that they can provide for ALL in the Community (Fellowship?) In the Old Testament the Jews gave a minimum of 10% so that the Priest and the widows could be looked after. The New Testament Community that is Spirit filled should do no less than the Old Testament believers!

4) All citizens must provide their appropriate share of the Community upkeep {those with more give more for the good of all}, so that ALL share EQUAL benefits from the Community. This is the “GIVING” aspect of the Community.

5) All citizens must share in the benefits of the Community. This is the “RECEIVING” aspect of the Community.

6) The Community cannot survive without “Communication”! We must speak a “common” language and we must speak to each other!
The Fellowship and Community that we strive for at Harvest Fire is the one modeled in the Acts church of which Chrysostom in his Homily chapter V11 page 47 said the following:
“This was an angelic commonwealth where no one called things their own. Forthwith the root of all evil was cut out. None reproached, none envied, no pride and no contempt was there…The poor man had no shame and the rich had no haughtiness”
John RW Stott in his book The Message of Acts challenges us this way “The fact that we have hundreds of thousands of destitute brothers and sisters is a standing rebuke to us who are more affluent. It is the responsibility of Spirit-filled believers to alleviate need and abolish destitution in the new Community of Jesus”.
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She is a Praying Church

1) Jesus demonstrated a consistent prayer life while on earth. Leaders must teach the congregation how to pray.

2) Lord, teach us how to pray. The “Our Father” outline was a template on prayer as Jesus taught His disciples how to pray with specificity.

3) Prayer must happen constantly! Men ought always to pray and not to faint and pray without ceasing

4) Prayer must have specificity to be effective (James 5:16; it must be effectual and fervent to accomplish much, otherwise it will achieve little or nothing at all and we engage in a an exercise that wastes time) and we will not pray amiss (James 4:3)

5) The Jezebel spirit can attach itself to prayer. Jezebel held prayer without permission, predicate or precedent. Jezebel who was not authorized to call a prayer meeting did not invite the sitting prophet Elijah to the prayer meeting. The intent was corrupt and froth with lies. It was held to plot the death of an innocent man because of envy. The results of this scheme brought famine and death to Israel.

6) My prior church affiliation was grievously wounded by a “prayer” meeting, held for divisive purposes, not reconciliation. It was held to advance personal ambitions not Kingdom agenda. The same happened to us at Harvest Fire many years ago (Those that are ignorant of history, will be guilty of repeating it). The irony is that when this happens, no one enjoys the spoils because while it might be a boost for our personal egos, the church suffers a setback.

7) Prayer must happen not just personally in homes as seen in out text Acts 2:42 (They continued steadfastly in prayers) but the church set a time for corporate prayer led by the leaders of the church. In Acts 3 we see Peter and John going to the temple at the “Time of Prayer”, the 9th hour!
Let us pray!

She is Unselfish
(Acts 2:45-46)

45- And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46- And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, (KJV)
As the Acts church grew, the believers showed 3 memorable Unselfish traits as they moved away from the ME principle to the WE principle: (They practiced commonisn which says “What's mine is yours," while communism says, "What's yours is mine.")
They were Sensitive to each other’s needs, they Shared with each other and they Served each other.

1) They were Sensitive to the needs of each other. Jesus taught about being sensitive to each other’s need in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-34: “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion”.

a) It is important to note that this was not a real story but rather an illustrative object lesson in compassion towards our fellow men and more importantly those of our Faith. We need to see and be sensitive to the needs of others!
b) We should not wait for our fellow believer to beg from us if we see through the Spirit, a need that he or she has. In the case of the man lying on the Jericho road he was in such a terrible state and so wounded that he could not even muster up the strength to beg.

2) They shared what they had with each other. Some sold extra land that they owned or other possessions and gave the proceeds to the church so that the needs of the less fortunate among them could be met. There is a young man among us who just this past week put his expensive gold chain in the offering with a note saying that he had lost all he had and could only give his chain to help. He gave so that others could be helped! That is what we want to see happen in Harvest Fire.

a) The story of the Good Samaritan also suggests that it is not sufficient to be sensitive to the needs of others and have compassion on them, but to share of our resources with them (“the prayer and potato principle”).

b) Some of us will only give to those who can give back to us, but the Good Samaritan gave to a man that had lost it all and could not return the favor. He not only met his initial need by pouring in oil and wine on his wounds but made future provisions for him by leaving money with the inn keeper for his future needs. That after he had put the wounded man on his donkey while he himself walked (denied himself of his own comfort) the rest of the way.

c) Real love is evidenced by sharing! 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, (the Apostle asks this rhetorical question) how dwelleth the love of God in him?

3) They served each other by inviting them to their respective houses and served them a meal.

a) In the Last Supper and in the foot washing incidents Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples as Pastor Don, Jr. preached last year, “The art of service”. Some folks have actually made the washing of feet a Doctrine and then leave church and never invite folks to their houses for a meal showing that they did not really “get it”. Jesus was not setting forth a doctrine He was teaching a principle. He told His disciples that those that were great in the Kingdom were those who learned to “serve” the Kingdom.

b) Too many of us want to be served. When we serve food on fellowship Sundays for example, many including our leaders rush to be served and only a few rush to serve!

c) It is the responsibility of leaders (Elders, Ministers and Deacons) and older people in the faith to teach the new converts the art of service by they themselves serving. Very soon we will have a fellowship of believers rushing to serve each other and in church. No one will have time to worry about their needs but will spend time meeting the needs of others. I just experienced two new believers over the last two weeks who asked to be a part of the Usher ministry. Seeking to serve rather than being served.

d) We need a fellowship where we fix up the houses of the widows and single mothers among us because if their house is in disrepairs then it is a bad reflection on us. We need to make sure that no one goes hungry among us. We need to make sure that a young man or woman among us who wants to go to college has their dreams fulfilled through us rather than dashed because of lack. We need to have a fellowship that will be involved in the greater community at large where we worship, showing the world that our confessions are not just lip service but proactive participation. That is why we are working with Norland Senior High School to help them become an institution of excellence. We cannot and will not sit by idly on the sidelines while the undesirables like the drug pushers and pimps take over our communities!
Let us become a fellowship that is unselfish. Let us learn how to be sensitive, how to share and how to serve. Only then will we become the Salt and Light Jesus commanded us to be!

 She Finds Favor

Favor is synonymous with Grace which means “God unmerited (unearned) blessings”
Acts 2:47
47- Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

FAVOR
1) The day of the Lord when all the blessings of the covenant shall be heaped upon God's people Isaiah 49:8; 58:5; 61:2.

2) In wisdom literature, this word is used in the sense of "what men can bestow": "He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him" Prov 11:27. In Prov 14:35, ratson refers to what a king can or will do for someone he likes.

3) A church that operates as a unified church, a caring, giving church that put others above themselves will automatically earn the favor of God!

4) Many times the church does not earn favor is that the church is out of sync with God. She has a form of Godliness but does not walk in the Kingdom and so nothing happens. We spend time in frustrating exercises and seem to gain no traction.

5) We cannot earn man’s favor unless God is with us!

6) If we walk in God’s will, the favor of God will find us.

7) The story of Joseph is a clear indication that when God’s favor is with you, no matter where you are and who is against you, that if you please God, then He will cause your enemies to be at peace with you, even in prison.

8) When the members walk in the will of God and walk obediently then the members will get blessed and then the church will experience the favor of God through the blessings of his favor.

9) We should be rooting for one another that they will be successful and that God will bless them. The member’s blessings overflow into blessings of the church. Instead of being envious and covetous we should pray earnestly for the members to be blessed so that they can bless and bring favor upon the church.

10) The members of the Acts church were blessed with resources and they in turn became a blessing to the church so that there was no lack among them. Who wants to be a part of a church that is not blessed? It starts with folks in the pews!

11) Joseph got blessed in Egypt and was able to provide relief and earn favor for all of Israel

12) Daniel in captivity earned favor from God in Babylon and was able to get favor for his fellow captive’s right there

13) Esther gained favor from the King and was able to translate it to rescue all of Israel

The principle at work here is as follows and we must pray daily and declare the following:
a) We must pray the favor of God upon our business owners so that they in turn can be a blessing to the church.
b) We must also patronize their business so that we keep the wealth in the Kingdom. The story of a Muslim Elder who patronized the business of a young Muslim paying more for the product to keep him in business until he gained traction in his business!
c) We must pray for those members that have jobs that they will get unusual favor with their employers through raises and promotions so that they can bring favor to the Kingdom
d) We that are blessed with businesses must employ those that we can from the fellowship and pay them a fair salary and then challenge them to bless the Kingdom.
e) And finally, we must pledge as a people that when God blesses us and cause his favor to come upon us that we will not run and hide but that we like the Acts church will give of our resources that the entire church will benefit from our blessings.
Only then will we earn favor with God and Man like the Acts church did!

 Signs Follow Her

Acts 2:43
“And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
In Acts chapter we see the power of the new church in full display by Peter and John though their encounter with the crippled man at Gate Beautiful.
Acts 3:1-11
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2- And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

3- Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4- And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

5- And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6-Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 -And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8- And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

9- And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

10- And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

11- And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.

The points that must be noted in this 6th characteristic is that church must be a place where signs and wonders are in full display where these bring attention to the power and authenticity of the risen Jesus. Please note then amidst the hoopla surrounding the healed man, Peter pointed the astonished people back to the Jesus that they had previously rejected.
We must be careful to attribute the glory to God when signs and wonders occur and resist the temptation to take the credit ourselves. We are not the healers, Jesus is and we are just the vehicles through which this power is displayed.
Signs and wonders are not limited to just the leaders but every member should demonstrate that power when necessary. We are like light bulbs linked to the electricity source. Our light comes from our source, Jesus. Therefore any bulb in any socket connected to the source can light up when turned on!
The power display of the Acts church was not limited to one incident but rather became a modus operandi as noted in Acts 5.
Acts 5:11-15
11-And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

12-And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

13-And of the rest durst no man joins himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14-And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15-Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
The key here is ofcourse verse 14, where Luke narrates that the church continues to grow. We should always remember, the church is a living growing organism and if growth ceases then she is in state of death!
Death: Anything or organism that stops growing dies – decays!
Growth should be on two (2) tracks spiritual & numerical

She Experiences Sustained Growth.

The key here is sustained growth which is seen over a period of time. A famous modern Evangelical preacher has accused many of us in the New Statement church of confusing swelling with growth. Swelling is a symptom of a sickness or ailment while growth is a sign of good health!
The church was unified (Acts 2:44), magnified (Acts 2:47 a), and multiplied (Acts 2:47 b). It had a powerful testimony among the unsaved Jews, not only because of the miracles done by the Apostles (Acts 2:43), but also because of the way the members of the fellowship loved each other and served the Lord. The risen Lord continued to work with them (Mark 16:20) and people continued to be saved. What a church!
The Christians you meet in the Book of Acts were not content to meet once a week for "services as usual." They met daily (Acts 2:46), cared daily (Acts 6:1), won souls daily (Acts 2:47), searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), and increased in number daily (Acts 16:5). Their Christian faith was a day-to-day reality, not a once-a-week routine. Why? Because the risen Christ was a living reality to them, and His resurrection power was at work in their lives through the Spirit.
When each believer practices his/her faith on a daily basis in all environment and under all circumstances then the church grows daily. Sunday morning only becomes only a ritual and not a way of life and it loses its effectiveness
Real growth is shown in all areas and all members are catalyst of growth. Those members who do not contribute to growth are in danger of being cut off and cast into the fire just like cankerous branches on a citrus tree. Every believer who is a part of the church should become a Church Growth Specialist

Listen to Jesus in: John 15:1-2
1- I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2- Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
I should be a church growth specialist, you should be a church growth specialist and we must be church growth specialists if we are to achieve the exponential growth that Jesus requires!
The church must not only experience unit growth (members witnessing to other individuals) but there needs to be a mass-evangelism effort that add the masses to the fellowship. Growth therefore must be on these 2 crucial fronts if it is to be sustained. The Acts church has now eclipsed over 8,000 and trending upwards.
In Acts 4 after the healing of the crippled man at Gate Beautiful, we witness that over 5,000 men (not counting women) came to Christ as a result of this healing!
Acts 4:4: “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand”. (Exponential growth – 3,120 to 8,120)
Growth is important because people naturally gravitate to where the crowds are. Just like fireflies flock to the light a growing church will attract others to its ranks.
We must all become Church Growth Specialists!
Jesus and the woman at the well
• It displayed a hunger in “Him” for the lost” St. John 4:34 -35 (My Meat – see page 5)
• Matthew 28:19-20 (page 4)
• A barren church begins with barren members!
o Barrenness is the ultimate curse because there is no legacy