Investing in Faith: The Call to Active Fellowship
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone. Today, we continue our exploration of what makes Stonebrook unique, focusing on the concept of personal ownership of our faith. Last week, Pastor Luke discussed Jesus' prayer in John 17, emphasizing our mission to make Jesus known through our lives. This week, we delve into personal investment in that mission, using the example of the first church in Acts 2.
In Acts 2, we see the birth of the first church on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers. Peter's sermon led to the conversion of thousands, who responded in three significant ways: repentance and baptism, gathering for worship, and fellowship. Repentance involves a profound change of mind and heart, acknowledging that we've misunderstood Jesus, God, and our purpose. Baptism is a public declaration of our allegiance to Jesus.
The early believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This devotion wasn't just about individual relationships but also about the collective responsibility for each other. They shared their possessions and resources to meet each other's needs, demonstrating fellowship in action.
Fellowship, as described in Acts 2, is not just about socializing but about active participation and contribution. It's about investing our time, skills, and resources in the mission of the church. This personal investment is crucial for the ministry to thrive and for the gospel to be spread effectively.
As we look ahead to 2024 and 2025, we face unprecedented growth and, consequently, an increased need for funding. Our budget for the coming year is $1.25 million, a significant increase from previous years. This budget supports our various ministries, staff, and mission work. We ask you to seek the Lord and consider what He has given you to contribute to this fellowship.
Ultimately, our goal is evangelism. The early church's response to the gospel led to daily additions to their number. We aim to make Jesus known through our active participation in the mission, freely giving of ourselves as Jesus freely gave Himself for us.
### Key Takeaways
1. Personal Ownership of Faith: Christianity is not just a Sunday affair but a way of life that influences every decision and relationship. We are called to live out our faith daily, making Jesus known through our actions and interactions. This personal ownership is crucial for a vibrant and impactful Christian life. [41:20]
2. Repentance and Baptism: Repentance involves a profound change of mind and heart, acknowledging our previous misunderstandings about Jesus, God, and our purpose. Baptism is a public declaration of our new allegiance to Jesus. This response to the gospel is foundational for a transformed life. [47:50]
3. Devotion to Apostles' Teaching and Fellowship: The early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This devotion was not just about individual relationships but also about collective responsibility. They shared their resources to meet each other's needs, demonstrating true fellowship. [51:22]
4. Active Participation and Contribution: Fellowship means active participation and contribution. It's about investing our time, skills, and resources in the mission of the church. This personal investment is crucial for the ministry to thrive and for the gospel to be spread effectively. [56:37]
5. Evangelism Through Fellowship: The early church's response to the gospel led to daily additions to their number. Our goal is to make Jesus known through our active participation in the mission, freely giving of ourselves as Jesus freely gave Himself for us. This evangelistic impact is the ultimate purpose of our fellowship and contributions. [01:13:11]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[41:20] - Personal Ownership of Faith
[42:40] - Jesus' Prayer and Our Mission
[43:45] - The Birth of the First Church
[44:56] - Peter's Gospel Proclamation
[45:52] - Response: Repentance and Baptism
[46:57] - Response: Gathering for Worship
[47:50] - Response: Fellowship
[48:38] - Devotion to Apostles' Teaching
[50:33] - The First Megachurch
[51:22] - Devotion to Breaking Bread and Prayer
[53:00] - Fellowship as a Noun
[54:33] - Fellowship in Action
[56:37] - Active Participation and Contribution
[01:13:11] - Evangelism Through Fellowship
[01:21:03] - Benediction and Closing
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
- Acts 2:36-47
- John 17:20-23
- 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
### Observation Questions
1. What were the three significant responses of the people to Peter's sermon in Acts 2? ([47:50])
2. How did the early believers demonstrate their devotion to the apostles' teaching and fellowship? ([51:22])
3. What does the term "fellowship" mean in the context of Acts 2, and how was it practically demonstrated by the early church? ([53:00])
4. According to the sermon, what is the ultimate goal of our fellowship and contributions? ([01:13:11])
### Interpretation Questions
1. How does personal ownership of faith, as described in the sermon, influence daily decisions and relationships? ([41:20])
2. What does repentance and baptism signify in the life of a believer, and why are they foundational for a transformed life? ([48:38])
3. In what ways can active participation and contribution in the church's mission lead to effective evangelism? ([56:37])
4. How does the early church's practice of sharing possessions and resources challenge our modern understanding of fellowship and community? ([54:33])
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your daily life. How can you take more personal ownership of your faith beyond Sunday services? ([41:20])
2. Have you experienced a profound change of mind and heart regarding your understanding of Jesus, God, and your purpose? How did this impact your life? ([48:38])
3. In what ways can you actively participate in the mission of your church? Consider your time, skills, and resources. ([56:37])
4. How can you contribute to the collective responsibility of your church community, similar to the early believers in Acts 2? ([53:00])
5. What specific steps can you take to foster true fellowship within your small group or church? ([53:45])
6. Considering the church's financial needs, how can you seek the Lord's guidance on what He has given you to contribute to the fellowship? ([01:04:28])
7. How can your active participation in the church's mission lead to making Jesus known in your community? ([01:13:11])
Devotional
Day 1: Personal Ownership of Faith
Christianity is a daily commitment, not just a Sunday ritual.
Personal ownership of faith means integrating your beliefs into every aspect of your life. It’s about making Jesus known through your actions and interactions, not just during church services but in your daily routines. This kind of faith requires a conscious effort to live out Christian principles in every decision and relationship. It’s a call to be a living testimony of Jesus' teachings, showing love, compassion, and integrity in all you do. This personal commitment is essential for a vibrant and impactful Christian life. [41:20]
Colossians 3:17 (ESV): "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Reflection: What is one specific way you can demonstrate your faith in your workplace or school today?
Day 2: Repentance and Baptism
Repentance and baptism signify a profound transformation and new allegiance to Jesus.
Repentance involves a deep change of mind and heart, recognizing and turning away from previous misunderstandings about Jesus, God, and our purpose. It’s an acknowledgment of our need for a Savior and a commitment to follow Him. Baptism, on the other hand, is a public declaration of this new allegiance to Jesus. It symbolizes the washing away of the old self and the birth of a new life in Christ. This response to the gospel is foundational for a transformed life, marking the beginning of a journey of faith and obedience. [47:50]
Acts 3:19 (ESV): "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness? How can you publicly declare your commitment to Jesus this week?
Day 3: Devotion to Apostles' Teaching and Fellowship
True fellowship involves collective responsibility and devotion to spiritual growth.
The early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This devotion was not just about individual relationships but also about a collective responsibility for each other. They shared their resources to meet each other's needs, demonstrating true fellowship. This kind of community is built on mutual support, shared learning, and a commitment to spiritual growth. It’s about being there for one another, both in times of joy and in times of need, and growing together in faith. [51:22]
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
Reflection: How can you contribute to the spiritual growth of your church community this week? Is there someone you can encourage or support?
Day 4: Active Participation and Contribution
Investing time, skills, and resources in the church's mission is crucial.
Fellowship means active participation and contribution. It’s about investing your time, skills, and resources in the mission of the church. This personal investment is crucial for the ministry to thrive and for the gospel to be spread effectively. When you actively participate, you help build a stronger, more vibrant community that can reach out and make a difference in the world. Your contributions, no matter how small, play a significant role in the collective mission of the church. [56:37]
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."
Reflection: What specific gift or talent can you offer to your church community? How can you start using it this week to serve others?
Day 5: Evangelism Through Fellowship
Our ultimate goal is to make Jesus known through active participation in the mission.
The early church's response to the gospel led to daily additions to their number. Our goal is to make Jesus known through our active participation in the mission, freely giving of ourselves as Jesus freely gave Himself for us. This evangelistic impact is the ultimate purpose of our fellowship and contributions. By living out our faith and actively engaging in the church’s mission, we can help others come to know Jesus and experience His love and grace. [01:13:11]
Matthew 5:16 (ESV): "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Reflection: Who is someone in your life that needs to hear about Jesus? How can you share His love with them this week through your actions and words?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "One of the things that makes Stonebrook, Stonebrook is that we historically, and we would urge you to take personal ownership of your faith. And what we mean by that is that as a church, we want to be, we want to be as a church, we want you to be as a Christian more than just a Sunday Christian. The Bible, we see the Bible describing a way of life that lasts Sunday through Saturday and then hits Sunday and keeps going." [41:20] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Belief in the gospel proclamation that Jesus is your king and your savior changes everything. And the right response to that change is repentance and then baptism. Repentance is all about changing your mind. Repentance is all about admitting that you've been seeing this whole thing wrong in the first place. You've been seeing Jesus all wrong. You've been understanding God all wrong. You've been understanding yourself and your purpose and your destiny all wrong. You've been understanding everything. Everything all wrong. And it's time for a change." [48:38] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The purpose and heart of all of this talk about money. Ask yourself. If you look at verse 47, what was the effect? What was the effect of the church's response to the gospel? What was the effect of their repentance, their worship, and their fellowship, their contribution? The effect was evangelism. Verse 47, every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. And that's what the mission is. Every day the Lord saved people. Every day more and more people heard the gospel proclamation of God's word." [01:13:11] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "More and more people will get to see and hear that Jesus is Lord and Messiah as we personally engage in this mission. I don't care if you give zero dollars. I don't care if you give ten dollars. What has God given you that He is asking you to give for this? That's what it's all about. It's that graph that separates out mission and ministry and admin and ops. That's a false separation. Everything we're doing here is for this purpose. More and more people will get to hear. That Jesus is Lord and Messiah. Jesus is King and Christ. Jesus is Savior and Master. More and more people will get to see and understand that Jesus is your only hope for the world." [01:15:16] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Jesus is the King. So what happens? Verse 37. What happens next? When they heard this, And said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what should we do? And Peter replied, Repent be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call." [45:52] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Together, the way we live our lives toward one another. So Luke focused a lot on coming together in worship, but in unity, reconciliation, forgiveness of one another is a weird thing in our world. And it sends a very clear message that we are a forgiven people. So that was last week, personal ownership of his mission for us. And this week, I want to expand on that by talking about our personal investment in the mission. So not just, not just coming together and being kind and loving and forgiving. We do that, but there's also, there's also this aspect of personally investing in the mission." [42:40] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Fellowship, though, my point here, fellowship is not about having your felt needs addressed. Hopefully, as you are part of the fellowship, your felt needs will be addressed. But that's not what it's primarily about. Fellowship, the word, it means contribution. It means participation and sharing. So my counsel to you, if you are trying to decide if Stonebrook is the right place, is there any fellowship here, my counsel to you is to dive in and participate. And you are going to find the fellowship there by definition." [01:00:25] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The larger this group of people called the church grows, the more organization and systems need to be in place to keep it healthy and thriving, but at the end of the day, the church is all about the people. Well, it's all about Jesus. Jesus is all about the people. The ministry of the church is the ministry of the people. The ministry of church is not the ministry of us professionals, not the ones of us who get paid. We get paid to make sure that the skids are greased for you all to be able to do ministry, that you have the equipment, that you have the training, that you have the skills, that you have the resourcing available to you to do the ministry God is calling you to do." [01:04:28] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Fellowship means participation. Fellowship means contribution. Contributing your time. Contributing your gifts. Your God-given skills. Contributing even your possessions when there is need for it. And that's what we're seeing here in Acts chapter 2. Active participation and active investment and funding of the ministry of the church. So as a pastor, just a little aside. As a pastor, sometimes I hear stories, oftentimes from other churches, oftentimes from individuals visiting our church, to come and see if this church is offering. Entering the kind of ministry services that person feels they need." [56:37] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "And it's that fellowship thing I'm going to major on today. But first, let's look at each of the other two briefly. So, repentance and baptism. Look back at verse 38. They asked, what should we do? Peter replied, repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so, verse 41, those who accepted his message were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 people were added to them." [48:38] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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