Take the Next Step | Jerry Dirmann

Acts 2:40-47 gives a picture of what the Holy Spirit began in the early church and what God desires to keep doing through His people. The text shows a people who gladly received the Word, got baptized, and did not treat obedience like a menu where somebody picks the parts he likes. Jesus becomes Lord when He is allowed to be in charge, because keeping control only makes somebody a professional at jacking up his own life.

The early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching because they needed to learn how to follow Jesus. The apostles’ fellowship shows that learning was not merely sitting in a room hearing a lecture. Small groups let people open the Bible, ask questions, speak out what God is showing them, and receive insight from the Holy Spirit through one another. The Holy Spirit does not only speak through somebody on a platform. The wisdom is not from people. The wisdom is from God.

The breaking of bread and prayers formed another part of that early-church life. The Holy Spirit also brought wonders, signs, and healings, not as something strange, but as the normal Christian life. Jesus has commissioned believers to use His name, lay hands on people, and expect God to show that He is real.

Acts 2 also shows believers sharing possessions in a unique moment of need. The travelers who came to Jerusalem for Pentecost stayed because they needed to learn from the apostles, and the church’s priorities changed. Personal wealth became less important than helping new followers of Jesus get established in the faith. God used that generosity to send trained disciples back into nations and communities.

The text describes believers meeting in the temple and from house to house, eating with gladness and simplicity of heart. Simplicity of heart means allowing competing priorities to be pruned so that following Jesus becomes clear again. The church needs both the gathered teaching of the Word and the smaller setting where the Word gets down into real life. As believers gather, obey, pray, fellowship, and walk in gladness, the Lord adds daily those who are being saved.

The call remains simple: take the next step. The mission to multiply disciples, leaders, churches, and movements requires people who hear what Jesus says and then do it. Jesus Disciple University, foundation classes, groups, ministry teams, and the Jesus Disciple app provide practical ways to move forward. God has called His people to make an impact, and that work is already bearing fruit.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus is Lord, not an option Jesus’ lordship cannot be reduced to preferred commands and ignored commands. Baptism becomes a clear example of whether somebody will yield to what Christ says, even when it is inconvenient. Control may feel safe, but Jesus already holds the supernatural plan that brings the deepest and best life. [10:32]
• 2. Small groups turn knowledge into life The apostles’ teaching and fellowship belonged together from the beginning. Conversation around Scripture requires people to put truth into words, examine it, and apply it to real decisions. The Holy Spirit can give fresh insight through a believer who has known Christ for two weeks as surely as through somebody who has studied for decades. [17:26]
• 3. Healing belongs to normal Christian life The name of Jesus carries authority because Jesus Himself has commissioned believers to use it. Wonders and signs help people recognize that God is real, present, and powerful. Faith does not treat healing as a strange interruption, but as a natural expression of the Holy Spirit at work through Christ’s people. [22:35]
• 4. Simplicity of heart makes room for joy Gladness of heart grows where competing priorities are pruned and Jesus is given first place. A complicated heart can become so full that it has no room left to enjoy walking with Christ. The early believers found joy not by escaping responsibility, but by centering life on fellowship, the Word, prayer, and obedience. [31:45]
• 5. The next step carries the mission The Great Commission moves forward when disciples actually take the step Jesus puts before them. Training, groups, foundation classes, and practical tools are valuable because they equip ordinary believers to multiply disciples. God’s work becomes tangible when somebody stops delaying and says yes to the next act of obedience.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:14] - Acts 2 and the Early Church
• [10:10] - Obey Jesus and Get Baptized
• [14:24] - Devoted to Teaching and Fellowship
• [22:02] - Healing and the Name of Jesus
• [23:50] - Generosity for New Disciples
• [26:45] - Temple Gatherings and House Groups
• [31:28] - Gladness and Simplicity of Heart
• [35:42] - The Mission to Multiply
• [40:19] - Rock Conference Resources
• [41:36] - Jesus Disciple University
• [43:54] - Jesus Disciple App and Next Steps
• [52:06] - Take the Next Step
• [54:20] - Prayer of Surrender

Bible Reading

Acts 2:40–47
“And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” [05:14]

Matthew 7:21–23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” [10:42]

Hebrews 10:25
“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.” [28:53]

Observation questions

1. In Acts 2:40–47, what four practices were the new believers devoted to, and what happened among the people as they continued in them? [21:51]
2. What does Acts 2 say about where the believers met, and what took place in both the temple gatherings and the home gatherings? [27:52]
3. What need led the early believers to sell possessions and distribute resources to one another? [24:16]
4. In Matthew 7:21–23, what is the difference between merely calling Jesus “Lord” and doing the Father’s will?

Interpretation questions

1. Why does baptism matter as an act of obedience for a person who has received Jesus and calls Him Lord? What does delaying a clear command reveal about who is holding control? [10:27]
2. Acts 2 connects the apostles’ teaching with fellowship. Why is it important for believers not only to hear biblical truth but also to discuss it, ask questions, and work out how to live it? [17:10]
3. The signs and wonders in Acts 2 brought awe and helped people recognize that God was real. How can praying in Jesus’ name for people’s needs be a loving witness without becoming a performance? [22:58]
4. Hebrews 10:25 calls believers to meet together and encourage one another. Why might isolation make it harder for a believer to stay strong, hopeful, and obedient to Jesus? [29:13]

Application questions

1. Is there a clear step of obedience that has been put off because it feels inconvenient, uncomfortable, or costly—such as baptism, forgiveness, joining a group, serving, or making something right? What would it look like to take that step? [11:48]
2. Where is the pull to stay in control strongest right now? What might it look like to trust that Jesus’ plan is better than trying to manage everything alone? [12:19]
3. How regularly is there space to open the Bible with other believers and actually speak, ask questions, and apply the Word? What could help make that kind of fellowship a real priority? [30:03]
4. Is there someone in the group’s everyday life who is sick, hurting, or carrying a need? How can the group grow in faith to pray for that person in the name of Jesus this week? [23:20]
5. What possessions, time, abilities, or resources could be used more generously to help someone grow as a follower of Jesus or meet a real need? [25:19]
6. What has made the heart feel crowded or complicated lately? Is there a competing priority that may need to be pruned so there is more room for gladness, fellowship, prayer, and following Jesus? [31:57]
7. What is one next step toward making disciples that feels realistic and clear right now: taking a foundation class, joining or starting a group, serving on a ministry team, or helping one person follow Jesus? [52:24]