Preparing for the Lord's Day
Acts
Statistically, Americans spend more money on gym memberships and fitness than any other country in the world. A friend from Sierra Leone once visited and asked me, “What is everyone training for?” When I asked what he meant, he pointed out how many people were jogging.
With all this activity, one would assume the U.S. would be among the healthiest nations. However, that’s not the case. Despite our focus on fitness, we have some of the worst health outcomes among developed nations. How can that be?
I’m not a health expert, but it seems one major factor in this disconnect is diet. We run the engine hard, but we’re putting in the wrong fuel. Many want to be healthy by exercising, yet they continue to consume ultra-processed foods and excessive sugar. We’re willing to put in the effort, but we’re not willing to give up the indulgences. The reality is, that no amount of exercise can compensate for poor nutrition. If we want true health, we must first fix our diet.
In many ways, this parallels how we often approach ministry. The church can be very focused on activity while neglecting its spiritual diet. We want to be out serving, doing, and sharing, but if we fail to nourish our souls with the right spiritual food, we will not be truly effective.
This weekend, we will celebrate our annual Missions Festival and rejoice in how the Lord is moving across the world—in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. We heard stories of gospel transformation and kingdom growth. But what fuels this work?
As we come to our passage for this Sunday, Acts 2:42-47, we find the answer in the final verse: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The early church was flourishing—people were being drawn to salvation in Christ every day. But how did that happen? What was the spiritual diet of this growing church? As we look ahead and seek to continue bearing fruit as a church, we must ask: What must be our spiritual diet if we desire to flourish in gospel mission? This Sunday, we will see that if we desire to be a flourishing church, we, like the early church, must devote ourselves to the Apostolic teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and meditate upon Acts 2:42-47, Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 133:1, Isaiah 56:7, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, Colossians 4:2-3, 2 Timothy 4:2, and the Westminster Confession of Faith 1.
This week we will celebrate that sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of bread and wine look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon him and all his benefits. Our hymns for this week include “Come Thou Almighty King,” “Jesus Paid it All,” and “Lamb of God.
Text: Acts 2:42-47
Title: A Flourishing Gospel Community
- We Must be Devoted to Apostolic Teaching
- We Must be Devoted to Sacrificial Fellowship
- We Must be Devoted to Sacramental Worship
- We Must be Devoted to Continual Prayer