You need this Church

I'm glad you did that end part again cuz I was gonna get you to sing again that was good man whoa are we coming back folks amen hey man that's good son yeah amen what a blessing thank you for being here this evening it's wonderful to see each of you here as we begin our awesome August revival we are excited tonight and honored to have Mike stone Mike is the pastor of a manual Baptist Church in Blackshear Georgia that's in South Georgia they're about an hour and a half from Jacksonville Florida let me share some things about brother Mike I had heard of Mike for a long time many years as as I traveled as an evangelist and then about six years ago through our friend Rick coram and we this church loves Rick coram been with us many times I had the privilege to preach at Rick's power Life conference in st. Simon Island Georgia and so also on the program was Mike stone now I was excited as gonna get to hear Mike stone preach and folks I am telling you something he is like a little bandy rooster I mean he got up there and let the hammer down and I was so blessed I thought hmm we got to get this guy to Northcrest and so I have been looking forward to the opportunity to have him come now we are blessed tonight to have been Gleason is that right bleating and then Andrew stone Mike's six foot four fifteen year old son that just my soul there with him tonight Thank You Ben for flying a pastor Mike over here Micah's graduate of Valdosta State University down in south Georgia Mike and I have something in common because the church which he serves the senior pastor he was a staff member before he became the senior pastor he came in 1997 as the minister of music and then in 2002 he became the senior pastor and he has served there now for 23 years 17 of those years as the senior pastor Mike is past president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and he currently serves his second term as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention so we are honored that he is here I pray that you will listen to him prayerfully he has a word from God for us as we begin these Sunday nights I really believe that during these Sunday nights God is going to use these men to speak to us and I there's none no better to begin this series of meetings than Mike stone so Church would you welcome Mike stone to our pool period tonight thank you so very very much as you take your seats I want to ask you to go ahead and be finding your place in your Bible in the book of Acts the second chapter the second chapter of Acts is where we're going to be in just a few moments as you're finding Acts chapter 2 let me say what a distinct privilege it is to be here at Northcrest I have such a deep appreciation for your pastor and the reputation for your church I was already a bit intimidated to come and fill the pulpit of dr. Dani Lanier and then I saw the lineup you've got for the rest of the month of August now when I saw that I was preaching with Mack Brunson and Johnny hunt and Jeff levorg much less standing here where Danny Lanier preaches I was reminded of the story of two champion boxers in the North Georgia Mountains there was Willie Jack and there was Clarence Willie Jack was the champion on the west side of the mountain and Clarence was the champion on the east side of the mountain and there's always trash talk going on about who was the better of the two so they planned this big showdown there was going to be a a once for all championship boxing match between Willie Jack and Clarence that on the appointed day Willie Jack was a no-show a few days later they saw him down in town in the valley below and they said to him Willie Jack why didn't you show we you had to forfeit that you lost because you didn't even show up several of the Deacons lost a lot of money batting on that boxing match and Willie Jack said well it's kind of like this I'd never been to that side of the mountain and while I was on my way there I passed under this railroad crossing and there was a big sign up there in yellow and black letters it said Clarence twelve feet six inches and I said I ain't going well I feel like a little Willie Jack amongst these giant Clarence's but I am privileged to be here not only to preach with these men and stand in the pulpit of your pasture but to meet your beloved pastor emeritus and to just rejoice and how God has used this great congregation literally for decades in the past I am your debt or pastor for the privilege of being here tonight with that being said I want to look in the book of Acts chapter 2 and we're going to look at one single verse of scripture tonight Acts chapter 2 and verse 42 I'm going to read beginning in verse 37 but we're going to hone in on that 42nd verse and I want to talk to you tonight from the heart of a pastor to a congregation and this is our subject tonight listen to me you need this church you need this church if I could instill any Christian discipline in your heart in life tonight I would love to talk to you about the responsibility we have to spend daily time in the Word of God and that would profit us greatly if I were able to take the Word of God tonight and impress upon you the importance of spending regular daily time in prayer that would be a great benefit to you individually to every family and to this congregation but I'm convinced that if there is anything that will be a blessing to you as a person to your marriage to your family to this community this state this nation and this world it's this glorious thing that God has established as a local body of believers in the second chapter of Acts we're going to read some reasons why you need this church Acts chapter 2 we'll begin our reading in verse 37 if you're able and willing to do so would you mind standing to your feet to honor the reading of God's inspired and fallible inerrant completely sufficient and all authoritative Word I'm reading from the King James translation tonight if you're on a smart device you may swap over to KJV Acts chapter 2 beginning in verse 37 the Bible says now when they would you say the word they now when they heard this they would you say they they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles men and brethren what shall we do then Peter said unto them would you save them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promises unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call and with many other words did he testify and exhort saying save yourselves from this untoward generation then they would you say they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them would you say them about three thousand souls and they would you say they and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers may God bless the reading of his word as we bow in prayer together father I pray that the same Holy Spirit that moved the heart and hand of dr. Luke to record these inspired words from the glorious day of Pentecost I pray that same Holy Ghost would have absolute freedom total control and sovereign sway over every thought every word every action every response that takes place within this sanctuary as much as I need your anointing to preach this message these men women students and boys and girls need your divine anointing in order to hear I pray you would shove your words through my mouth put your thoughts upon my mind and I pray that we would make very much of Jesus in these moments that are ahead to the end that this church would be strengthened these believers edified and Jesus Christ would be glorified we make our prayer in Jesus name and the Lord's people said amen be seated please this glorious body called the church has fallen on hard times it's nothing new for the church to be criticized for the better part of two millennia the local gathering of the people of Jesus has been criticized from those out in the culture we're called hypocrites we're called two-faced we're called narrow-minded legalistic backwood and fundamentalists but in the last decade there has been a trend that I have noticed in my own observation as a pastor as a preacher and a leader among the people that we call Southern Baptists that increasing trend is simply this the church is now more and more criticized from within and the church is more and more neglected by those who claim the name of the lovely Lord Jesus Christ we have so redefined the word commitment that many of us believe that we are committed to the local body of believers but we do not understand what it really really means to sing with sincerity that all to Jesus I surrender and all to him I freely give when I was growing up as a boy if you were to deem yourself as a faithful committed member of the local church but the Danny I guess you would have probably had to have gone at least three weeks a month that counts Sunday morning Sunday night and Wednesday night but I don't know how it is here in Meridian Mississippi but travel ball and sports tournaments and condos at the beach and cabins in the mountain and RVs and fifth wheels I mean our folks will leave town at the drop of a hat and they'll bring the hat to drop it if they need to now come tonight to say to the North Crest Baptist Church you need this local church this community needs this local church to be a lighthouse for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ now chapter 2 verse 42 I'm gonna take this verse apart almost walking through it word by word and I want you to see tonight three reasons why you need this church first of all you need this church because Northcrest Baptist Church is a church where Christian discipline is demonstrated it's a place where Christian discipline is demonstrated I've actually had people say to me brother Mike I don't really feel like going to church I've grown desperately distant in my walk with God and in fact if I came to church on a regular basis it would just be out of habit it would just be out of road it would just be out of discipline time out on the field I want to ask a question since when did living a discipline life become a bad thing if you look at the word discipline and the word disciple you get all the way over to the eighth letter before those two words are even spelled differently you know what that tells me to I'm tell about just the meaning of words you cannot be an undisciplined disciple there is no such thing as a disciple of Jesus Christ whose life is not marked by habitual systematic regular observances of the Christian life and the Bible says in verse 42 and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine just like an employee needs a specific job a Christian needs a specific church some months ago I was preaching at a prayer gathering at the Georgia State Capitol it was a legislators prayer breakfast and I ran into a man there who said that he was the state representative from a community where I know several churches and several pastors I said are you a Christian you're at the prayer breakfast he said yes I said do you attend a church there in that town he said well I'm in church every Sunday but I don't just tie myself down to one church pastor he started telling me I go over here for the preaching go over there for the music go over there on Wednesday nights for the awana probe and I didn't say this because I was an invited guest it wasn't my place it was at the time it wasn't the proper occasion but do you know what I wanted to say to him I wanted to ask him sir do you know what you call a man who calls himself a husband but doesn't want to tie himself down to one wife well I love being a husband but I don't want just one wife I go over here for the cooking and I go over there for the conversation I go over there for the bedroom you know what you call it yeah you do know what you call a man like that but you don't want to use that word in church on a Sunday night the Bible says that these early believers showed themselves to be disciplined followers of Jesus Christ could I just put it down on the bottom shelf tonight if you are a Christ follower you need a place where you say that's my church this is the address where they get their mail that's my pastor those are my Deacons that's my staff that's my choir that's my Sunday School class that's my place of service here's where I write my check here's where I do my own line giving those are my people they're the people of Jesus I'm a child of Jesus that's my church that's where I'm going to show myself to be a faithful surrendered committed disciplined follower of Jesus Christ now I just want to ask a couple of questions of the text why did these ancient Christians demonstrate their discipline there are two reasons we find right here in verse 42 now the first one it's so very simple and by the way I hope I'm preaching two simple blue-collar common people tonight reason number one they were saved they were saved when we read the text going back to verse 37 I had you emphasize the words they and them and I did that on purpose as good Bible students you know the historical setting the context of Acts chapter 2 Christ has died on the cross for our sin bodily raised from the dead he appeared unto his disciples for a period of 40 days and nights with what Luke calls many convincing or irrefutable proofs then he gathered with his disciples on the Mount of Ascension and right before their eyes he began to ascend on a cloud taken up into heaven and men robed in white looked at those disciples standing there with their mouths wide open and their jaws drop men of Galilee why do you stand gazing into heaven for this same Jesus who was taken away from you on a cloud into heaven will come again in like manner but they did what Jesus had told them to do he had told them I want you to tarry remain in Jerusalem listen until you be endued with power from on high and after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ that's exactly what they did they nestled themselves away in an upper room and they began to beseech heaven they began to pray that God would send the promised power and person of the Holy Spirit and the Bible says in Acts chapter 2 that when the day of Pentecost had fully come they were set upon by cloven tongues of fire a violent mighty rushing wind began blowing through that place and the Bible says they began to speak with other languages that was quite a sight that was quite a sound that was quite a sign and the people began to gather and they started wondering what in the world is going on somebody said I think they've been hitting the sauce this afternoon and Simon Peter took his stand and said they're not drunk it's not even drinking time yet this is not drunkenness he said this is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel that in the last days I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and he which all the way back in the pages of the Old Testament and he preached an Old Testament sermon about Jesus Christ born of a virgin living a sinless life dying a sacrificial substitutionary death being bodily raised from the dead at beloved when he got to that part about Jesus getting up from the dead with power over sin death hell and the grave they didn't need 18 verses of just as I am without one plea no they started crying out as though with one voice brother Peter what do we need to do to get in on what Jesus accomplished on the cross what do we have to do in order to be saved and the Bible says Peter said you must repent of your sin and then you ought to go public for Jesus in the watery grave of a believers baptism and that's exactly what they did they found themselves transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of life they had been born of the Spirit would life from above into gods family divine now watch this after that happened after Jesus came and rolled a miracle of grace in their heart everybody in Jerusalem didn't keep gathering together to study the Word of God but they did why because they were saved I was an eight-year-old boy when I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior and I don't mind telling you that something changed down in my appetite something changed down in my soul I grew up in a day when on Sunday night the wonderful world of Disney came on on Sunday night and all I used to I used to pray privately in my room that either mama or daddy would be sick and we wouldn't have to go to church tonight because I wanted to watch the wonderful world of Disney but listen to me even as an eight year old boy just about to go into the third grade when Jesus came into my heart I'll testify with the hymn writer what a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart never again did anybody have to beg me to be in the Lord's house why because I was saved now you listen to this skinny little preacher from South Georgia tonight it makes perfect sense I mean it's natural for people who've never tasted the grace of Calvary who do not know what it's like to know that they are forgiven of all their sins past present and future it makes perfect sense for them to be in a bass boat on Sunday morning it makes perfect sense for them to be at the mall on a Wednesday night it makes absolute perfect sense for them to be in a deer stand or a turkey blind when the people of God are gathered up at the house of God but it makes no sense to me why people who say they've met the master don't want to meet with other people who say they've met the master when people who've met the master get together to meet I praise the master they all say they've met you say say that I couldn't say that again if my life depended on it but they were disciplined because they were saved I'm talking to somebody tonight on livestream I'm speaking to someone on Facebook live or maybe watching this later on video or listening by c/d it makes sense for people who are not saved to not be disciplined to the house of God but it makes no sense for born-again blood-bought believers to not be disciplined number one they were saved number two they were steadfast 4 the Bible says still in verse 42 and they continued steadfastly now if you hadn't liked it up to this point you may want to go ahead and leave now they continued steadfastly that word steadfast is a combination of two different participles they were steadfast they were fast in their stead stead means their place fast means fixed glued bolted in place and the Bible says that they were so committed and devoted to Christ that they had a place in which they were fastened I don't have to tell Baptists what it means to have your own place that pew where you're sitting right now has probably already begun to take on the shape of your posterior but I mean when these folks were out you would have missed them because they had a place and they were fixed in that place could I ask you a simple question tonight if this is your church and I suppose we've got some guests here tonight I'm confident but for most of you most of us do this is probably your church home do you have a place where you serve and you can be counted on to be in that place it's been probably a year ago I was in the lobby of our church and I was greeting guests and we greet them and give them a gift from our church and this man came out he's a member of our church and he was he was across the handshaking line brother Danny I could tell he was disgruntled about something he was loaded for bear and by the way we see y'all when you do that you're not fooling us and so I was greeting the guests and at the same time thinking oh my heavens what is this going to be about well he came over and he said preacher I've been out for nearly six months and nobody noticed nobody missed me now now listen to me brother Danny I know I speak for you when I say when people fall through the cracks we hate that that grieves our it burdens our soul your pastor and staff never wake up not one single solitary day and ask who can we overlook in ministry but sometimes it just happens and it obviously happened in this case I've been in my church nearly 23 years as pastor mentioned 17 as pastor and I've never said to a single solitary soul what I said to that man that day he just said to me I've been out nearly six months and nobody noticed and nobody missed me and I said well brother that says more about you than it says about us listen to me now I want to be the kind of church member and under in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I want to charge you tonight to be the kind of committed church member that when you're absent somebody notices that the pastor sends out word somebody go after him what are we going to do if he gives up that Sunday School class he's so faithful he taught for so many years what are we going to do without her part in the Alto section what will we do without him in the band what will we do without him serving as an usher what will the children's ministry do without her what will the preschool ministry do without that family what will the finances of the church be like without their ties and their offering many church members leave the same kind of hole as my hand does when I pull it out of a bucket of water but I'm charging you tonight on the mercies of God be steadfast in your commitment to the Lord some years ago I was serving as the chaplain for our high school football team man we were just a few games into the season and we won a region game that we were not expected to win and that one victory changed the outlook for the whole season it just so happens school was going to be out Monday Tuesday and Wednesday and they had not planned to have extra practices I was out on the football field with the coaches afterward and the head coach said can you picture all the boys are sitting here on one knee all the parents are standing around with their seat cushions and their pom-poms and the coach said men this win tonight changes everything so I'm calling three extra practices for next week he said we're going to practice Monday night from 5:00 to 7:00 we're going to practice Tuesday morning from 7:00 to 9:00 and we're practicing Wednesday night from 5:00 to 7:00 he said I planned these practices so you can maximize your time away with family and then he said if you miss one of those practices you'll sit out one quarter I don't care who you are if you miss two of those practices don't even come back into my locker room except to bring back your Jersey you will be off this team and all those men sir good sir and I watch grown men daddies standing around with tears running down their coach the coach was a member of my church I saw math word I said coach I'm Terry that's incredible leadership in fact I'm gonna baptize that next time we have revival I'm going to tell the church we got five services this week Sunday morning Sunday night Monday night Tuesday and Wednesday night if you miss one of them we're not gonna let you come back for a month if you miss two of them you're out of here now that's a true story when I told it to my church I told it to them the same way I just told it to you they laughed I told it for them to laugh so do not feel guilty about laughing but I want to just point this out to you when the coach said that about a football game nobody laughed the only thing that it seems that absurd to be that committed to is the only thing on this planet that deserves that level of commitment that's the cause of Jesus Christ okay one reason you need this church this church is a place where Christian discipline can be demonstrated if you're not going to demonstrate it here where you gonna do it you need this church number one because it's a place where Christian discipline is demonstrated number two because this church is a place where Christian doctrine is declared our text continues in verse 42 and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles dot trend that word doctrine gives us our word for teaching they didn't just gather together for potluck supper they didn't just gather together to talk about SEC football they gathered together to talk about the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints now the Church of Jesus Christ is the only place that God has ordained to be the pillar and the ground of the truth now I thank God for Christians who serve in places of government in our city government our County our state and even our federal government I understand the Bible says it righteousness exalts a nation and sinners our approach to any people I understand the Bible says that when the righteous rule the people rejoice but when the rip wicked rule the people groan but I also want to say this it is not the place of the county courthouse to tell this community that there is salvation through the blood-stained cross of the Lord Jesus Christ God has given that responsibility to the local church now I thank God for the school system they do a great job educating our children I thank God for the bamboo stirrers they do a great job supporting music in our public schools I thank God for the Beta Club they do a great job promoting academics I thank the Lord for the rotary club my dad is a Rotarian and they do a tremendous job in the business community the Lions Club does a great job serving families of those that are visually impaired the Salvation Army does a great job caring for those that are poor but it is only the Church of the Living God that has been commanded by our God to be the bedrock for the truth of the word of God you need and your family needs to systematically study the precious holy book of God and if you're not going to do that here where would you do it you need this church because this church is a place where Christian doctrine is declared now right here from verse 42 I want to say a couple of things about there doctrine first we need to know the word about the source of their doctrine here the Bible simply calls it the Apostles doctrine now we know historically and chronologically they did not have the New Testament most of the books of the New Testament or none of the books of the New Testament had been written as of the day of Pentecost so they taught from two primary sources they taught from the pages of what we would call our Old Testament and they taught on the basis of the revelation that God was giving to the Apostles that we now have as our New Testament in other words they taught by revelation and they taught by declaration this is why when we come together I don't care if it's a children's ministry event if it's Wednesday night youth activities if it's a Sunday night awesome August or if it's Sunday morning and your pastor is preaching you haven't had church until somebody opens up the blessed book of God and declares what thus saith the Lord they devoted themselves to the Apostles doctrine that was the source of their doctrine simply put I didn't come tonight to talk to you about the president I came to talk to you tonight about the king of all the kings I didn't come tonight to gripe about some pop star though there are plenty we could gripe about I came to talk to you tonight about the bright and Morning Star when we come into this place your pastor doesn't come to tell you how to be three four three ways to be a better you are seven ways to grow better petunias in your greenhouse he comes to take the Word of God and teach you line upon line and precept upon precept from the book of Genesis all the way through the book of the revelation that's the source of their doctrine now look right here and listen carefully that means among other things that the primary and most fundamental way that you should evaluate this man's ministry and the Ministry of this church is simply this is he teaching God's Word do you know how the average American family judges and evaluates and measures the ministry of their pastor and their church is it close to the house do they have good coffee folks that's what they make Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts for nothing wrong with having coffee but I'd rather go to a church with bad coffee and good preaching I get my folder somewhere else can I get an amen do it do I like the music do they have smoke do they have lights there's nothing inherently wrong with any of those things will that our teenagers start telling us what church the family needs to go to and we'll start evaluating the preacher not based upon the doctrine that he preaches but is it cool is the edgy is he hip which in the modern American church brother Danny means he's wears a plaid shirt about two sizes too small buys his jeans in the women's department and has a hairdo in desperate need of a comb which is obviously your pastors problem the source of their doctrine I want to say a second word they're not only about the source of their doctrine but the substance of their doctrine here the Bible says and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine that word doctrine gives us our English word didactic but that may not help you because most of you didn't use the word didactic this week it simply means to draw out or to mark out a line here's what goods sound fundamental Bible preaching does it marks out a line in the theological sand and says everything on this side of the line is truth and everything on the other side of the line is Error it's a derivative of the same word Paul used when he wrote to Timothy and said you need to be diligent to present yourself approved unto God a worker that does not need to be ashamed rightly what's the next word rightly dividing and handling the word of truth in your Sunday School classes and from this pulpit cut it straight preach it plain and let the chips fall where they may now I want to ask you a question you don't even have to answer out loud do you want that kind of preaching in this place if you do that means sometimes pastor with his sermon he's preaching right now through the book of Genesis you don't get to pick your text the text picks you if you have that kind of preaching that means some Sunday mornings you're gonna come in here and he's going to open up the book of Genesis and it is going to be a word of encouragement for you oh my it's going to be a word that says stay at it you're on the right track don't row weary in well-doing keep your hand to the plow keep your eye on the prize run for the finish line go go go and he will exhort you but if he's preaching the whole Council of God there gonna be some other days you come in here and he just flat cuts you to the quick you say preacher you were stepping on my toes this morning well when people say that I like to say I miss I miss my mark because of what naming at your toes I was aiming for your heart listen me I'm being dead serious if God gives me length of life I may one day be a pastor emeritus and be able to not be the full-time pastor of our church but I would not for one skinny minute go to a church where I emotionally enjoyed every single sermon because I know myself too well pastor if I were a member of this church and I felt good about every sermon you preached either you're not preaching all of it or I'm not listening very well or a combination of the two because every once in a while I'm gonna come into the house of God and the man of God will take the Word of God and under the power of the Spirit of God he's gonna act like he's been hanging out in the bushes behind my house eavesdropping at the kitchen window he's going to be shoving the words of God all down into my stuff and all down into my business and the Holy Ghost of God is gonna say Mike stone you're not right you're wrong your attitude is wrong your motive is wrong your agenda is wrong your thinking is wrong your opinion is wrong and you need to get in this altar and get all your wrong made and right by the precious forgive me blood of Jesus Christ the substance of their doctrine have you noticed that you can go to the doctor and the doctor will tell you all kinds of stuff about yourself I went to the doctor about six weeks ago was having some medical problems and he started telling me some stuff that I needed to quit doing and some stuff I needed to start doing he said I needed to start xx Rex Rex Rex Rex Thank You exercise he told me I needed to start laying off the sugary drinks and the sweets I'm getting me another doctor no listen seriously when the doctor tells us all these things that we need to start doing that we're not doing and quit doing that we are doing we pay him $400 shake his hand and say thank you but when the preacher does that we say I'm moving my ladder and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine let me tell you why you need this church you need this church because this church is a place where Christian discipline is demonstrated this church is a place where Christian doctrine is declared could we lean in close before I move on I want to talk to the parents for just a moment in fact if you've got kids in your house for whom you are responsible would you say Amen I want to make sure that you know who I'm talking to in a world that will teach your children that they evolved from evolutionary pond scum where else are they going to hear that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth if they don't hear that at the church house in a culture that says that they are so insignificant that you could have aborted them within the womb if you had only wanted to where else will your children and grandchildren learn that I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very well where else will they hear that if not at the church house of the Living God in a culture that says you can marry anybody you want to sleep with anything whether it's got on skirt or breeches or doesn't know which one it's supposed to wear where else will our descendants learn that in the beginning God created their male and female created he them and for this reason man shall leave father and mother and be joined listen to his wife and they shall become one where they're not going to hear that on the History Channel or National Geographic and with no offense they're not going to hear that at the public school and that's not their responsibility but they ought to be hearing that and learning that at the Church of the Living God you need this church because this church is a place where Christian discipline is demonstrated where Christian doctrine is declared but there's a third and final reason you need this church because this church is a place where Christian Duty is displayed over fifty-eight years ago President John F Kennedy raised his hand in front of the Bible and the Supreme Court justice and took the oath of office as this country's 35th president it was 22 degrees that day in the nation's capital with a windchill factor of 7 perhaps that's why the president's inaugural address was just around 14 minutes long but by far the most famous and well-known line of that inaugural address was a 22 word statement in fact if you travel to the nation's capitol and go to the Kennedy Memorial and witnessed the eternal flame you can see these 22 words etched in that monument and so my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country now I want to baptize those 22 words because I think they convey the spirit of the concluding portion of acts 2:42 and I will ask you my fellow Northcrest States that's not what Northcrest Baptist Church can do for you ask what you can do for your church in the last 10 words of this verse I see there are two things that we need to do to fulfill our duty to the local church now there are others that this is not an exhaustive list by any stretch but we need to get to the house all right two simple expressions of the duty you need to display at in and through this church notice with me first of all there's a word about the bread that they shared the Bible says and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine in fellowship and in the breaking of bread you good Bible students know that scholars debate as to whether or not this breaking of the bread is in reference to the Lord's Supper it's possible they regularly observe the Memorial meal of our Lord's death that may be true but we can't be dogmatic about that in fact I'm of the persuasion that that's not what's in reference here because of its connection with this beautiful Greek word Koinonia translated here as the word fellowship the Bible says they continued in fellowship and in the breaking of bread I contend this involves more than just eating together this is actually fellowshipping and growing in Christ together in fact beloved that word fellowship that appears here the Greek word Koinonia was used in a lot of different ways in and out of the Bible it describes something that is interwoven intertwined and interconnected in fact and I want to be gracious here pastor in extra biblical literature this word Koinonia would even describe the physical coming together of a man and his wife in marital intimacy certainly that's where the illustration would end in the life of the local church but the bottom line is this word describes our lives coming together as one so much so that when you have a problem I shed a tear when you have a joy I celebrate when you have a difficulty I enter into that difficulty with you brother Danny may never have me back after I say this but you know what I told my church this word Koinonia means we ought to be so tight and connected together that if I drink a Pepsi you ought to burp they're sharing bread together they're living life together brothers and sisters there's a popular motto in churches across this country when churches redo their website and t-shirts and all their promotional material often they'll have the little byline doing life together Immanuel Baptist Church doing life together Northcrest baptist doing life together is my opinion that while that phrase may be overused it cannot be overstated we need to do life together and that cannot happen merely in corporate worship services there has to be a way through your Sunday School class through your small groups that you do live together outside of these walls and off the campus of this church could I ask you a simple question when was the last time you had some church family over at your house now if you're like our place one reason that we don't is because the house stays messy and we're too to have folks over I think my wife's watching online hey honey you know one of the things that would strengthen the ministry of the church where I'm a member and I'm confident with strengthen the ministries of this church if you just put on a pot of water and boil some weenies get some potato soup or some vegetable soup get some games let the kids play in the yard fellowship together and just start doing life together there's the bread they shared secondly the burdens they shared and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers I need you to pay very close attention to this final point their lives were not merely woven together as friends their lives were woven together as disciples of Jesus Christ so much so that they left one another closer to Jesus than when they first encountered one another they carried their burdens to the Lord together in prayer it's been probably five and a half six months ago I still can't talk about it without getting emotional but I found myself in probably what I what I think is the most difficult moment of my life I was facing challenges physically emotionally I was under deep demonic attack and it happened to hit a crescendo climax point brother Danny while I was at the Atlanta Airport and I got on the phone I called my wife and I I really didn't want to tell her this because I knew that she would want to be where I was but she couldn't be there but I just said to her honey hye-young I can hardly breathe my lack of breathing was not physical it was spiritual and emotional that was impacting the physical are you following me she offered a word of prayer for me over the phone and God really began to move but I was traveling that day with my associate pastor I do not know what I would have done at that crucible moment of adversity in my life if I did not literally have a brother in the Lord Jesus with his hand on my shoulder and his prayer taking me to the throne room of God maybe you've heard the story about the two rednecks Bubba and Leroy they were standing out in a field and a crop duster came over and Bubba looked up at that crop duster and said Leroy I I can't stand Heights and Leroy said Bob I can't stand Heights either and Bubba said I sure would hate to be way up there in that plane and Leroy said I'd hate to be way up there without that plane hey this life is going to be hard enough with this thing called the church it's got to be next to impossible without it the bread they shared the burdens they shared tonight in just a few minutes when we go into our time of invitation there may be some dears ain't a boy a girl a teenager all the way through a senior at all that wants to come and find a place to pray if this church is the church that I think it is don't be surprised if you come some Sunday and kneel at this altar you'll feel a hand on your shoulder you may feel a hand in the small of your back that's a brother or sister say I love you and we're taking this to the throne room of God together that's why you need this church when I was growing up I grew up in a small little country church 25 to 30 was a crowd and we sang out of the red shape-note stamps Baxter hymnal but every once in a while when we were feeling a little bit contemporary the pianist would start playing the familiar song popular at that time young people on this thing called an LP then we'd start singing you will notice we say brother and sister around here it's because we're a family and these folks are so near when one has a heartache we all shed a tear and we rejoice in each victory in this family so dear and that's why I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God cuz I've been washed in the fountain and cleansed by his blood you know what we are we're joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod for I'm part of the family the family of God and you need this church somebody here tonight let me tell you one reason you need this church this church is a place where tonight you're going to have a saving encounter with Jesus Christ the same thing that happened on the day of Pentecost is going to happen for you the Spirit of God has touched your heart with the truth of the gospel and you want what you sense is happening in the lives of this dear church family in about 45 seconds we're going to stand to our feet and we're going to start to sing a song of invitation pastor is going to be standing right down front and tonight if you're here and you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior why don't you leave your seat come take brother Danny by the hand and tell him I need to be saved but Danny I want to be saved whether you're up in the balcony down on the main floor brother Danny I want to be saved somebody in this building tonight you're saved but you've never been scripturally baptized you need to come tonight say preacher I've already been saved but I want to follow the Lord in believers baptism there's got to be at least one person maybe a family here tonight you've been visiting here for a while the people around you might even think you're a member here but you've never officially pledged your heart and loyalty to this dear congregation I couldn't think of a better night for you to come and say pastor I want to put my membership in this church I want you to formally and officially be my pastor this altar is open for prayer I'm gonna pray however God is leading you to respond you come as the Lord leads let's bow in prayer father I preached the message you have laid on my heart and I thank you for your love for your church your love for this church and I pray that we would have a love for this church as well move in this time of commitments superintended by your great power and make our petition and the strong name of Jesus amen would you stand your feet everyone standing together

Channel: NorthcrestBaptist

Views: 715

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: northcrest baptist, dan lanier, paul davis, meridian, ms, awesome august, mike stone, Danny Lanier, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Blackshear, GA

Id: c4546wR7TI8

Length: 54min 52sec (3292 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 22 2020