Title The Church Standing Strong (Acts 9:31)
Contents
A church that stands strong (Acts 9:31)
Our church has been aiming for a 3G church so far. With a three-year plan, the first year focused on people growth, the next year focused on ministry growth, and this year focused on church growth. It is very natural for people who have grown in faith to do the work God has entrusted to them and for the church to grow. We want all of our members to focus on church growth this year and focus on that. Church growth will then follow naturally.
Today's text reads, "So the churches of all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were in peace, and they stood firm, and proceeded in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and increased in number." I hope that this year our church will stand strong and the number of people who are being saved will increase and become a church that is increasing day by day. When we deal with these words, we can realize that the revival of the church is the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Lord, and the power of the Word. It can be seen that God is leading the history of the church becoming whole and standing strong. A church that stands strong is at peace, and there is faith that fears the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. What is the secret of the scattered churches in the text to stand strong and to become more and more churches every day?
I. There was peace in the church.
“The church is at peace” The persecution that continued after Stephen’s martyrdom ceased and the church found peace.
The fearful persecutor Saul was converted, and when he returned, the persecutor disappeared, and the people he had instigated were also silenced, and the church was at peace. The early church was not at peace from the beginning. They were scattered to escape persecution. Wherever they went, they witnessed the gospel. Many people were martyred while preaching the gospel. While persecuted, Christianity hid in the underground catacombs and worshiped, but did not decline and spread throughout the world. Most of the churches that had already been established were located in the Canaanite precincts of Judah, Galilee, and Samaria. Members of this church took advantage of this peaceful period. Unlike the church, which, in its heyday, seeking only safety and drowning in self-indulgence, they were more and more faithful to their duties and took advantage of the peace they had been given.
II. He had faith in the fear of the Lord.
When a believer learns the lesson of God's love revealed in Jesus Christ, the promise of liberation from sin and death, and the promise of the sonship of God, he knows the love of God at the same time as fear. Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptablely with reverence and awe, or let us give thanks, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” Reverence and fear are key factors in our obedience to God, the Creator of all things. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Those who truly believe in the Lord should not fear the Lord. Because there is no reason to be afraid to see him. Because there is a word of the covenant that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39) God has promised that He will never forsake us or leave us (Hebrews 13:5) ) The fear of the Lord is a dramatic change in our lives by having such reverence for the Lord. To fear the Lord is to honor Him, obey Him, follow His teachings, and worship the Lord with reverence.
Ⅲ. There was the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Saints! The reason the early church grew because of their faith in fearing God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The decisive cause of the decisive growth of the early church must not be overlooked that the work of the Holy Spirit existed before the devoted efforts of the apostles and saints. It was the work of the Holy Spirit that allowed the early church to grow explosively. It was by no means that the apostles, including the apostles, came to revival with the wisdom and power of the apostles and saints.
Regardless of the time, place, and environment, all churches must have the work of the Holy Spirit to grow and revive and become a church that increases day by day. Without the comfort and work of the Holy Spirit, the church cannot stand strong.
Saints! Our church also needs the comfort of the Holy Spirit. This year, in order for our church to become a church that increases every day, and to stand strong, the powerful work of the Holy Spirit is necessary. In which churches does the Holy Spirit work powerfully? Is the church sleeping without praying? It is a praying church. The Holy Spirit works powerfully in the church where we pray earnestly with one heart, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit overflows.
In Acts 1:4, Jesus “gathered together with the apostles and commanded them, saying, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from me.’” The promise here refers to the Holy Spirit. He commanded us to gather in one place to pray to receive the Holy Spirit. What kind of work happens when you pray? The Holy Spirit comes and you receive power. Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you… " did. All the members of the Early Church, who were commanded to pray without leaving Jerusalem, gathered in one place.
Acts 1:13-14, “And they went in and went up to the upper room where they were staying, and Peter, John, James, Andrew and Philip, Thomas and Bartholomew, Matthew and James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zelotite, and Judas the son of James were all there. 14 They devoted themselves to prayer together with the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus. 15 The crowd that had gathered was about one hundred and twenty. ”
The members of the Early Church gathered in one place and worked hard to pray with one mind. The number of the gathered group was 120.
While believing in the Lord's promises and praying, an amazing work happened. Acts 4:31-32 says, “After praying, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and all the people were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. No one even claimed that it was his own.”
The Holy Spirit works powerfully when we pray. I pray that you will receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit by putting all your heart into prayer. When we pray, the Holy Spirit renews the church, makes it grow, and makes it a church that does more every day.
Relying on the Holy Spirit, the church lives, works, and grows. Without relying on the work of the Holy Spirit, if we try to do it in a human way or with human wisdom, the church will not progress and will go backwards. Therefore, we must focus on prayer and be guided by the Holy Spirit. We must pray to become a church where the Holy Spirit works. A church that does not pray depends on human means and methods.
Saints! We hope that we will become a church that prays, receives the power of the Holy Spirit, and is led by the Holy Spirit.
Then our church will become a church that adds more days, a church that increases the number of people who are being saved, and a church that moves forward. This is a church that stands strong.
① There was peace in the church.
② He had faith to fear the Lord.
③ There was the comfort of the Holy Spirit.