WHAT DOES THE SPIRIT-FILLED NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH LOOK LIKE IN 2018?

Sermon Notes, August 12, 2018

Rev. George Stevenson

            Rev. George Stevenson, Assistant District Superintendent for the Virginia District, spoke to us on Sunday.  The title of his sermon was “What Does the Spirit-Filled New Testament Church Look Like in 2018?”  His scripture reference was Acts 2:41-48.

            Acts 2 gives us a view of the beginning of the Church, what it was all about, how God blessed it.  We know that Jesus had been crucified, placed on the cross, gave Himself willingly, placed in a borrowed tomb.  His enemies thought they’d gotten rid of Him, the imposter, but they got a surprise.  On the third day, just as He said, He came out of that tomb, victorious over death, sin, the grave, the world, and Satan, and to give us the glorious victory we can have in Jesus Christ. After the resurrection, for 40 days, he met with His disciples.  Remember they were hiding behind closed doors for fear of their lives.  Jesus walked with them, went through closed doors, giving them peace and comfort.  It was a marvelous time for those believers. 

            Then He met with them one more time at the foot of Mount Olivet giving them instructions and commission. “Go to Jerusalem and tarry until you receive power.  And then you’ll be able to go into all the world and preach my Gospel.”  Then all of a sudden he was taken out of their sight, ascending to the right hand of the Father, where He is right now, praying for us.  As the disciples stood there, amazed and confused, two men in white apparel appeared and asked, “Why are you gazing into heaven?  Don’t you know that this same Jesus will come again, just as you’ve seen Him go?”  What a promise!

Now they were alone.  The only thing they had to hold on to were the instructions of Jesus, to go to that upper room and tarry until they received power.  They didn’t understand it.  They had no idea what was going to happen.  But they obeyed the Master.  For ten days 120 of them gathered in that upper room, waiting for something to happen in their hearts and lives.  When everything was prepared, and all was just right, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, and filled every heart with poweThey ran out of that upper room to turn their world upside down for Jesus’ sake.  And the world said, “We can’t stop them.”

According to the Bible, Peter stood up and preached a message.  “Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, came forth on the third day, He’s alive and well.  He has all power, and He’s seated on the right hand of God the Father.”  Good news: This same Jesus that was crucified, and buried, is still alive and well!  He still is seated on the right hand of God, and He still has all power!  He still has the answers to all of life’s problems.   That’s good news for the church, and for you and me.  When Peter finished preaching, he gave an invitation, and 3,000 people came forth as new believers.  3,000 were baptized, and Acts 2:41 says 3,000 people were added to the church by faith.

Now here’s the question: what should the spirit-filled church New Testament look like in 2018?  God hasn’t changed.  The Word of God hasn’t changed.  The power of God hasn’t changed.  There’s still victory in Jesus.  Why in the world did those 3,000 new converts want to become part of that little group of believers filled with the power of the Holy Spirit?  I believe it was because of the INFLUENCE of the early church.

There was something different about that group of people.  Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they could not be stopped, spreading the Gospel.  The church was growing rapidly.  They loved people, and they were on fire for the Lord.  Those 3,000 converts said to themselves, “That’s the kind of church I want to belong to.”  The power of INFLUENCE.

Every one of us has an influence.  How’s your influence?    We’re influencing people by the way we live, the things we do, the things we say, by our attitudes.  Our church has an influence.  The community is watching us.  Stephen was one of the early Christians who influenced those around him.   In Acts we read about how Stephen’s enemies tried to stop him from preaching the gospel, but he wouldn’t stop.  So they stoned him.  As the last stone hit him, he looked up into heaven and asked the Father to forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing.  In the crowd, holding the coats, was a man with papers in his pocket to arrest other Christians who spread the good news of Jesus.  His name was Saul. 

Stephen’s attitude had an influence on Saul’s life.  A few days later he met Jesus on his way to Damascus, and his life was totally changed.  He became Paul.  And every time we pick up our Bibles, we are influenced by the apostle Paul and his writings. 

Reverend Stevenson told about a man he knew who was a really bad man.  The only thing he had going for him was his Christian wife.  She prayed for him, and asked the church to pray.  After a long time, he came to church, and eventually accepted Jesus as his savior.  He was influenced by his wife, her prayers, and the way she lived her life. He wanted what she had.  It changed him.  How’s your influence?  Are you influencing people for good?  Are you influencing them for Jesus?