Church Explosion! The Spirit Driven Church
by Mark Parsec(350)
Blogz
Recently, I have presented a series upon the subject of the Holy Spirit, beginning with Pentecost and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon believers in Jerusalem. Then I shared on the Fruit of the Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, and on the Parts of the Body of the church, which all believers have been appointed by the Spirit of the Lord. I shared upon the greatest gift of all… love! Which love is poured forth into our hearts by the Holy Spirit to bind all believers together in equality and service to one another. Last week I shared on the Spirit Driven Life.
You see, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, the positions in the church appointed by the Spirit and the supremacy of love brought forth by the Spirit were all not only evident in the early church but were absolutely essential for the Church Explosion that occurred in the book of Acts. They were essential then… and they are essential now for the life and growth of the church.
To help us understand this let’s review a portion of Peter’s famous sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, beginning with verse 36 (Pew Bible page 110)… Speaking to the people of Jerusalem Peter said…
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Now, it is important to understand that Peter was preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit, and with the gift of preaching which the Holy Spirit had provided him. Peter’s message was a Spirit Driven message and his message contained three important elements…
1. Repent – That is to turn away from your sins.
2. Be baptized – Baptism was a public confession of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by immersion in water. It symbolizes death to the old life, the remission of sins and birth of the new life.
3. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – Peter taught that repentance and receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through baptism WOULD result in the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit. Not could… not should… but WOULD… The Holy Spirit was guaranteed!
So what were the results of Peter’s preaching?
The Word of God tells us…
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
There was a church explosion!!!
You see, when the church is a Spirit Driven church it bears fruit for the Kingdom of God. Not a profit driven church…. not a purpose driven church… not a politically driven church… not a tradition driven church… not a social driven church… Only a Spirit Driven church will produce fruit for the Kingdom of God.
In one day, after one sermon 3,000 people were converted and added to the church! Now that is a Spirit Driven Church Explosion.
So… what happened to all these people? Well, the Bible goes on to tell us in Acts 2:42-47…
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
7 Key Features of the Spirit Driven Church…
1. They continued in the apostles’ doctrine. v. 42
-Believers in the Spirit driven church follow the teachings that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, that he died on the cross to pay for our sins and that he had risen from the grave.
2. They continued in the fellowship. v. 42
-Believers of the Spirit driven church want to spend time with one another. Birds of the feather fly together.
3. They continued in the breaking of bread. v. 42
-Believers in the Spirit driven church want to share communion with one another.
4. They continued in prayer. v. 42
-Believers in the Spirit driven church enjoy praying.
5. They developed a healthy fear of God. v. 43
-Believers in the Spirit driven church understand the consequences of not living in God’s favor and respect His power and authority. They inspire fear of God in unbelievers’ lives.
6. The believers performed wonders and signs. v. 43
-Believers in the Spirit driven church will perform and witness miracles.
7. The believers came together in community. v. 43-47a
- Believers in the Spirit driven church live together in unity and harmony at church and at home. They share their money and their possessions and take care of one another. They worship together, they eat together, and they praise God together.
And what are the results of the Spirit Driven church? Verse 47 tells us…
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
The Spirit Driven church produces fruit for the Kingdom of God. And fruit in the Kingdom of God is new believers, converts, souls saved.
If we want to see a church explosion in today’s church then we must be a Spirit driven church. We need to set aside any motives for personal gain, power, position or profit. We must repent of these things and seek first and foremost to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and receive the fullness of His Holy Spirit that He might lead us in all of our thoughts, feelings and actions.
We must continue in Gospel teachings. We must continue in fellowship. We must continue to share communion. We must continue to pray. We must continue to evoke a healthy fear of God. We must continue to perform signs and wonders and miracles in the lives of those around us. AND… we must continue to be self-sacrificing as we serve and love one another.
IF we are driven to do these things by the Spirit of the Lord, then… the Lord will add to the church daily those who are being saved!
Article submitted Saturday, July 03, 2010 & read 698 times.
Leave Your Comments:
» left by Linda DeWitt (66 days 10 hours ago.)
Nice to see you posting your sermons again. Enjoyed it.Thanks for sharing. Linda DRespond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec(350)
Hi Linda,
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment to my articles. Hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July. See you soon!
Mark
Respond to this comment
» left by Morris Inch(4) (65 days 23 hours ago.)
Thanks for a challenging article. You might be interested in two books in this regard which I authored: Saga of the Spirit & Signature of the Spirit. As for the former, it served for some time as a text book, & while out of print, a used copy appears from time to time online. The latter deals with the miinistry of the Spirit in Luke/Acts.Best wishes, MorrisRespond to this comment
» left by Mark Parsec(350)
Hi Morris,
Thank you for your comments and suggestion on your books. You are always a great encouragement.
God bless you,
Mark
Respond to this comment
0-0-0-0-8-ADWR