Acts 1:12-14
Baby Pictures
Do you like to look at pictures? especially baby pictures? Of course
a lot of things have changed since we had our first children. It is
hard to imagine since most everyone has a cell phone that you can
take pictures on, but for Kathy and myself, our first camera was a
major purchase.
We were already at Bible college and she was expecting. We wanted a
camera to take pictures but knew we would not be able to afford to
have pictures developed so we purchased an instant camera. The
pictures were not that good, but we thought that was the best route
for us.
To this day, we have large picture albums of each one of our
children. By pulling out those picture albums you could learn a lot
about our family in the early years. Maybe a little too much.
But tonight, I want us to pull out the church’s baby pictures.
Let’s go look at some snapshots of what the church was in it’s
earliest days. Perhaps it will help us be the church God’s wants
us to be today.
I. Here is a picture of the room the church born in. The church
was birthed into a room of prayer.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord
in prayer and supplication,
Acts 1:24 And they prayed…
A. The church was not born with surveys, campaigns, or even
the intentions of men.
1. I do not say these things are bad.
2. I do say that they are not what a church is to be built
upon.
3. The church is to be built on prayer.
B. Prayer was the church’s delivery room.
1. The church was conceived in the mind of God.
2. Yet for it to move from the mind of God to breath its
first breathes, it had to be carried in by prayer.
a. For the first church to breathe required 120 devote
Christians 10 days of earnest prayer—and that is
after they had walked with the resurrected Lord for
40 days.
b. I am convinced that no assembly of believers will
ever have more spiritual life than we create through
the means of prayer.
C. If the church was born in a prayer room, should it not live
in a prayer room?
1. We should pray to know God’s will.
2. We should pray to be empowered with God’s Spirit.
3. We should pray for opportunities to share Jesus.
4. We should pray for the salvation of souls.
5. We should pray for the faithfulness and consistency of
our people.
6. We should pray for revival.
D. Prayer is the power that sets all spiritual things in motion.
II. Here is a picture of the church’s deliver doctor. He was the
Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as
of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
A. Some don’t know it, but it looked for a while like there
wasn’t going to be a birth.
1. In fact, the people were in labor for 10 days with
nothing much happening.
2. It wasn’t the people in the upper room’s fault. They
were doing all of the right things. The church just
would not be born.
a. They prayed \\#Acts 1:14\\.
b. They read, understood, and even preaching the Word of
God \\#Acts 1:15-25\\.
c. They responded to the message and obeyed what they
understood the Scripture to say \\#Acts 1:26\\.
3. None of those things produced the living church.
B. But there was no spiritual life until the Holy Spirit showed
up in chapter 2. Then there was no stopping the birth.
C. Might I suggest that the church is not capable of serving God
until it is filled with the Holy Spirit of God?
D. How are we to be filled with the Holy Ghost?
1. It is interesting, but the only command Jesus gave to the
early church was go to wait.
Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with
them, commanded them that they should not depart
from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
a. He did want to them to stay close, in Jerusalem.
b. I do not know that they had to stay in same room
together, but that seems to be what the disciples
did.
Acts 1:13 And when they were come in, they went
up into an upper room….
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer
and supplication, with the women, and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
2. While they were waiting, they did make good use of the
time.
a. They prayed.
b. They studied the Scriptures.
c. They preached.
d. They repented.
e. But the command given to them above all of that was,
"wait."
3. Waiting on the Lord to do something is in itself a
spiritual virtue.
a. Like praying and preaching, waiting on God is an act
of faith.
b. For those in the upper room, waiting on God was act
of obedience.
c. Waiting on God is act of dependence. It literally
shows God that we understand we cannot do anything
without Him—so we won’t even try.
E. Maybe we need to have a waiting service.
1. No preaching. No teaching. No sleeping.
2. Just pray and wait on God.
3. There is no spiritual life without the Holy Ghost of God.
III. Here’s a picture of the church’s first step. It was to preach.
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the
eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them,
Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken
to my words:
A. As soon as the Holy Ghost of God came, the church started
preaching—and kept at it.
1. \\#Acts 3:1\\ They are preaching again.
a. \\#Acts 4:1-3\\ They were arrested for preaching.
b. \\#Acts 4:18\\ They were commanded NOT to preach.
c. The disciples’ answered in the next verse:
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said
unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of
God to hearken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye.
2. Their answer indicates that they were preaching and would
keep on preaching because that is what God had told them
to do.
B. It may come a big surprise to some, but the primary purpose
for the church is to preach.
1. The first thing the church did after receiving the Holy
Ghost was not worship, was not sway and sing, and was
not to study the Bible.
2. It was to preach.
a. And it was not to preach to the saved.
b. It was to preach to the lost in the streets below.
c. No one them to do so. They just knew to do it.
C. I believe that any church that ceases to make preaching to
the lost their primary mission has lost its direction.
IV. Here’s a picture of the church’s second step. It was to worship.
A. If the church’s primary purpose is to preach, then its
secondary purpose is for worship.
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in
the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
1. Continuing in doctrine, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper,
and praying - that is worship.
2. It is expounded upon some more:
Acts 2:46 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.
B. Worship is not for the lost. It is for the saved.
1. The lost cannot worship a God they are in rebellion
toward.
a. I am not saying that they cannot come to church.
b. They can. They should. They are welcome.
c. But they cannot worship.
d. The problem with some churches today is that they
building their worship service around lost people.
2. They are spiritually dead. They cannot worship God.
C. But what the lost cannot do, the saved cannot do without.
V. Here is a picture of the church learning to share with others.
Acts 2:44 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.
A. Some children take awhile to learn to share. Some kids never
do, but the church took to it right away.
B. It has always been the delight of the church is to share.
1. \\#44\\ Sharing lead to them learning how to sacrifice
and to give.
2. Sharing lead to the first church miracle - Acts 3, the
lame man at the Gate Beautiful.
3. Caring lead to the appointing of a group within the
church whose sole purpose for existing is to serve the
widows.
a. Acts 6
b. We call them deacons.
C. Why should a church care about the material and physical
needs of others? Because God does.
1. God did not create the world with diseases, addictions,
and brokenness.
2. Sin did all of that.
3. We preach the gospel to heal the sinful soul but we care,
give, and go to heal the broken life.
D. Much of the epistle of James is dedicated to this truth:
James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in
peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding
ye give them not those things which are needful
to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead,
being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I
have works: shew me thy faith without thy works,
and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
1. The Bible does not say we can work ourselves into heaven,
but it is teaching that our works may work someone else
into heaven.
2. Love and a helping can sometimes impress Jesus on the
heart of someone in need better than a thousand sermons.
VI. Last, here is a picture of the church all grown up and moving
off on its own.
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas
and Saul for the work whereunto I have called
them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid
their hands on them, they sent them away.
A. Here is a newsflash.
1. Children aren’t supposed to live their whole lives at
home.
2. They are supposed to grow up and move along.
3. That is what the church did.
B. The church may have been commanded to wait on the Holy Ghost,
but they were never commanded to wait on sinners.
1. The church was commanded to go to them.
2. The Bible is not against purchasing land, building
structures, and establishing long-term ministries.
3. It is the love of those things and our refusal to leave
them that will destroy us.
Micah 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is
not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall
destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
C. Jesus sent us to fish for men not to build marinas. I
understand that if a fisherman doesn’t catch fish in one
spot, he just moves to another.
D. Let us take the message of Christ to every corner of a sin
cursed world that will have it.
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