Church; Gathered and Scattered ~ 20250316 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
03/16 Church; Gathered and Scattered (Acts 2); Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250316_church-gathered-scattered.mp3
We’ve been looking at the church, who makes up the church, what the church is and what we as the church are to be about.
We have seen that the church is a Holy Spirit created New Covenant community of born again baptized believers. The church consists of all those who call on King Jesus for salvation; all those who swear allegiance to him (through baptism), publicly identifying as his followers.
The church is brothers and sisters, adopted into the same family, who seek to uphold the family name.
The church is a flock, stray sheep brought into the fold by the good Shepherd, those who know the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. As sheep we are prone to wander; we are to hold one another accountable and go after the strays, those who begin to wander away from their Shepherd.
The church is a holy temple, a dwelling place for God; we join together as living stones and enjoy together the presence of God among us.
The church is a body made up of many diverse body parts, each with unique God-given gifts and abilities that allow the body to function as an organic whole, working together to accomplish what any one part could never accomplish on its own.
The church is the betrothed bride of Christ; Jesus laid down his life to make us his own, he is washing us with the word, making us pure and holy, so that our affections are only for Jesus, as we wait for him to come and take us to be with him forever.
The church unites around Jesus, the truth about who he is, the true transformation that he brings about in the lives of his followers through the good news; the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
We looked at the church local and the church universal; the one universal body of Christ that spans history and geography; all who in every place call on the name of the Lord (that’s the church universal). Every true local church is a subset of the universal church, those who gather together locally under the sovereign Lord Jesus.
The Church Gathered
That’s important to see. The local church gathers. In Acts 1, the Apostles and the rest of Jesus’ followers were together and were devoting themselves to prayer. In Acts 2, on the feast of weeks or Pentecost, which is on the first day of the week, they were all together in one place when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Peter proclaimed Jesus as both Lord (YHWH) and Christ (Messiah), Jesus crucified, raised to life, seated in glory at the right hand of his Father, pouring out the promised Spirit on his followers.
Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
This is the birth of the church Jesus promised to build. Those who received the good news of Jesus, who he is, what he came to do, were baptized and added to the church. Think about this; that gathering of the church on Pentecost was both the church local and the church universal. It included all believers in Jesus, all gathered in one place. In the rest of Acts, we see the gospel advancing and spreading, and not again will we see the church universal gathered in one place until that day we gather around the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Devoted to The Teaching
But look back at Acts 2 to see what the newly birthed church was about:
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
The church was earnestly committed to, devoted to, adhered strictly to the teaching of the apostles. The truth about Jesus was central to the church. I’ve heard it said that doctrine divides, and that’s true. Truth is absolute. There is right and wrong, true and false. True teaching divides truth from error, the genuine from the false. But doctrine also unites, it gives those who believe true teaching an immovable anchor that bonds us together in a robust unity. Jesus’ church is built on his true identity and mission.
Devoted to The Fellowship
The church devoted themselves to the fellowship, that which we share, what we have in common. There is a sweet fellowship even between strangers when we discover that we are following the same Jesus. We may have nothing else in common, but if we have Jesus, that is enough. The church was committed to, held tightly to, devoted themselves to the fellowship. This might be so obvious it shouldn’t need to be said, but you can’t have fellowship all by yourself. Fellowship is a community word.
I’ve heard people say ‘I feel closest to God when I’m out in nature, up on the mountains’. And if that’s you, I get you! There’s something restorative, therapeutic to be out in God’s creation, breathing fresh clean air, enjoying the vastness and majesty of everything he spoke into existence. It can help us regain a sense of awe and wonder. But as close to God as you might feel on the mountain, that’s not church. Church is not a feeling, it’s not a place, it is a fellowship of people. Jesus said:
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Church is gathering together with other people in the name of Jesus. And that’s where Jesus promises that his closest presence will be experienced.
Devoted to The Breaking of Bread
The church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. At his final Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Breaking bread together was a standard part of any meal together. Jesus filled this everyday routine with new significance. The good news is that Jesus gave himself up for me. His body was broken for me. He wants us to remember him together as part of our fellowship as his church.
1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
This is another picture of our unity as we gather as one body. Breaking bread together is a regular way of remembering Jesus and affirming our allegiance to him. Breaking bread together is a way to affirm one another as members of this new covenant community. The church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread.
Devoted to The Prayers
The church devoted themselves to the prayers. Prayer was something they did together. They prayed with one another and for one another. Once we were strangers and aliens; now fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God;
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Together we can seek God’s face. Together in the Spirit we have access through Jesus to the Father.
The church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.
Community and Outreach
Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The Temple
A word about the temple in Jerusalem; the word for ‘temple’ here refers not to the temple building itself, the holy place, but to the whole temple area, including the courtyards. No one but the priests could enter the actual building. But the temple courtyards were places where people could gather, sing, worship, pray. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day;
Mark 11:17 ...“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
When the disciples went to the temple together, they were using it as God intended, to be a place of prayer. But we see the transition happening. As Jesus taught the woman from Samaria,
John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ...23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
That one temple was destroyed in 70 AD and never rebuilt. The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the divine presence, the glory of God leaving the temple because of the rebellion of his people.
Throughout the New Testament, as we have seen when we looked at the church as a building, we, the church, are the living stones who make up the dwelling place for God. When we see the disciples going up to the temple, it is usually to pray, or to interact with people, to teach, to point them to Jesus, the greater temple (Mt.12:6).
Community and Outreach
Acts 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
This community, this unity, being together, having things in common, led to outreach. ‘The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.’ God used this kind of connected gathered community of diverse people to reach more people with the good news of salvation in Jesus. Jesus himself said:
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Our love for one another, in spite of our differences, even in spite of our disagreements and frustrations and irritations, ‘bearing with one another in love’ speaks volumes of the uniting power of Jesus and is a powerful witness to the watching world.
The Church Scattered for Evangelism
But notice this is not only the gathered church. Day by day, in the community, in each other’s homes, in the workplace, their lives pointed to Jesus. As they went about their days, Jesus was shining through them, inviting others to find the joy and peace and hope that they had found.
Jesus promised his presence with us when we gather in his name. Jesus also promises his presence when we scatter for evangelism and disciple making.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We were never meant to be septic tanks of God’s grace, where everything flows in and nothing flows out. We were meant to be conduits of God’s grace to others. Paul says of the relatively new church in Thessalonica,
1 Thessalonians 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
This is natural. When you find a great deal, an amazing restaurant, a funny video, don’t you tell your friends about it? You see a spectacular sunset, find a glorious mountain vista, you instinctively want to find someone who can enjoy it with you. The gospel is the sweetest, richest, most gloriously beautiful and satisfying truth. It is too good to be true, but it is absolutely true! It is news too good to keep to ourselves. We must invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good!
Summary
The church is built on the gospel foundation of who Jesus is and what he came to do. Those who believe and are baptized are added to the church. The church is to devote itself to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. The church as a community gathered is to be a light and witness for Christ, and the church is to scatter for evangelism.
We, the church, are to be advancing on enemy territory, breaking down the gates of hell, setting the captives free, seizing ground for our King of kings.
Matthew 16:18 ...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Do Not Neglect to Meet Together
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.
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2025.03.16 Sermon Notes
The Church; Gathered and Scattered (Acts 2)
The apostles and disciples together devoted themselves to prayer
Acts 1:13-14; 2:1-2
Peter preached the gospel; Jesus as Lord and Christ, crucified, raised, exalted, pouring out the Spirit
Acts 2:32-33, 36, 41
The church gathered
Revelation 5:9-10; 7:9-10
The church is devoted to Acts 2:42
the apostles’ teaching
the fellowship Matthew 18:20
the breaking of the bread Luke 22:19; 1Cor.10:16-17
the prayers Ephesians 2:18-20
The church gathers as a light and witness
Acts 2:44-47; John 13:35
The church scatters for evangelism
Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; Matthew 16:18
Do not neglect meeting together
Hebrews 10:19-25
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org