Marks of a Spiritual Church

1 Pet. 2:1-5

INTRODUCTION: Peter tells us that the best way to grow is to lay aside some things. Then to desire some things. Then to taste the graciousness of the Lor. 1 Peter 2:1-5 the only way to have a spiritual church is to have spiritual people, and the only way for the people to be spiritual is by the Word of God.

Having worked for many years in Africa, David Livingstone returned to England briefly. Someone greeted him, “Well, Dr. Livingstone, where are you ready to go now?” Livingstone responded, “I am ready to go anywhere, provided it be forward.”

Every Christian should find a moment of transparent honesty for spiritual life assessment. Are we, with David Livingstone, moving forward?

PRAYER IS THE FIRST MARK OF A SPIRITUAL CHURCH: Acts 1:14
“Prayer?” you say. “I don’t need to go to church to pray. I can pray by myself.” Yes, you can pray by yourself. In fact, Scripture commands us to do so (Matthew 6:6). However, Jesus also spoke of a dynamic that takes place uniquely when we pray corporately (Matthew 18:19, 20).

They not only prayed, but they prayed together and they prayed constantly.
They were in one accord.
Prevailing in prayer.

Their worship also included prayer, in our text literally, “the prayers.” New prayers and old. Probably public and private.

FELLOWSHIP: Acts 2:42
Fellowship binds together.
Fellowship creates love… John 13:35
Fellowship demands agreement on the essentials of the Christian faith.
The Blood for atonement.
The resurrection for justification.
The 2nd Coming for glorification.
Separation for sanctification;
Someone called the church “the colony of heaven.” Here the believers fulfilled the words the Lord gave his disciples just before the crucifixion: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

GIVING: Acts 2:44-45
We would give ourselves. Rom. 12:1, 2
Spirit filled Christians will not complain about giving.
We should love to give because God gave His all.

BIBLE STUDY: Acts 2:41; 17:11
The way we know God’s will is by His Word. Eph. 5:17
We need to study to rightly divide the Word. 2 Tim. 2:15
A biblical church is marked by teaching. Thousands of new converts needed to understand precisely how Peter linked Old Testament text with the ministry of Jesus. Theologians call it “Messianic Christology”. It became the core of New Testament doctrine.

PRAISE: Acts 2:47
This is one offering we are sadly lacking today. Heb. 13:15, 16
We try to flatter and praise everyone and everything but the right one.
Praise convicts people of sin and brings the fear of God. 1 Kings 1:40
Praise gives God all the glory.

HOLY COMMUNION
The breaking of bread speaks of Communion. Communion is vital to the health of the church corporately and to believers individually. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that, because they took Communion lightly, many of them were weak, sick, and even dying unnecessarily (1 Corinthians 11:30).

Whenever we fail to give worth to the Lord’s table, we jeopardize not only our spiritual life, but our physical, and emotional life as well (1 Corinthians 11:29, 30)

SOUL WINNING: Acts 2:46
Went from house to house.
No one has been able to improve on this method.

God understands all our shortcomings, our failures, and our problems. Yet he has no other plan for sharing the good news with the world than the proclamation of his people. When we truly believe the power of Peter’s message and truly behave like these early believers, some day a future writer may write of our churches, And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

CONCLUSION:
We are coming to Christ, the living Stone. Christ is the living, resurrected, and life-giving God. Each person accepts or rejects this “living Stone.” Rejection means “to examine and reject because of lack of value.” This rejection refers to the people of the first century who ultimately crucified Christ and to anyone since that time who has not embraced him as personal Savior.

God the Father places infinite value upon Christ. Precious (entimon) describes our costly redemption through Christ.

Do you want your church to be a spiritual church or do you want a dead, cold, mummified church? Are you willing to… Pray, Fellowship, Give, Study your Bible, Praise God, Be a soul- winner? If so your church will be a spiritual light-house to many a tired, journey weary, sin-sick soul.

The story is told that a number of years ago in London’s Hyde Park, where free speech is the order of the day, a Communist took the podium, pointed to an impoverished elderly gentleman in the crowd, and said, “When the Communists are in charge, they will put a new suit on that old man!” A pastor in the audience responded, “When Christ is in charge, He’ll put a new man in that old suit.”

Political systems claim to have the ability to put a new suit on an old man. But Jesus Christ truly puts a new man in the old suit by changing people from the inside out.

Main Menu | Previous Page