Becoming One

Last week we began a new series called The Spirit and the Bride, and we’re going to dig into that a little bit more, because I think there’s something so beautiful that the Lord is showing us in this season and in this time.

I just think there’s something so beautiful that the Lord is wanting to bring to us. When we began the year, I was praying, “Lord, what is it that You want to do in our church? What is it that You’re doing in this season?” Right? Because how many of you know things are changing? Things are changing, and the world around us is changing. We’re going into different seasons. We’re going into different times. And we need to know what the Lord is saying in that specific time. You guys with me?

And we serve a God who is not just some big omnipotent presence in the sky. No, we serve a God who is real, who is powerful, and who speaks to us. And so I like to begin the year with just praying and seeking the Lord: what is it that You are doing? What is it that You’re saying? And I just so strongly sensed that the Lord is saying, “I want to reveal Myself in a new way.”

Now, it’s not new as though it’s a way that’s never been done before, like we’re going to reinvent the church. No, that’s not what’s happening. But there are many of us who have gone through life — maybe you’ve gone through life in a way where you’re like, “I don’t even know if I’ve heard the Lord. I don’t even know if I’ve ever really felt His presence. I have so many questions.” And so this is what I believe the Lord is saying to us right now. The Lord is saying, “Then let Me show you who I am. Let Me show you who I am.” How many of you know that’s the heart of the Father? That’s the heart of the God that we serve, that He wants to show Himself to us. Amen.

And so I believe the Lord’s giving us such a clear picture so far this year about what He is doing in the church, what He is doing in this season of life, how He is revealing Himself, and what He is wanting to do. And so we’re coming into this series called The Spirit and the Bride. We’re talking about the Spirit and the bride, which is the church, the bride of Christ, and how the Lord is preparing His church. That’s you and me. If you’re part of the church, raise your hand. That’s right, everybody should be raising your hand. If you’re a believer and you’re a part of the church, you are a part of the bride of Christ.

And so the Lord is working in us. He’s preparing us for His return, so that when He comes as the Bridegroom, the church is prepared to receive Him and become one with Him. Last week we started the series with the title “The Preparation of the Bride,” and today we’re going to be talking about becoming one. Becoming one.

“In the last days”

I want to start in Acts chapter 2 this morning, starting at verse 1, and we’re going to have this up on screen. And if you have your Bibles, turn with me to — we’re going to get there in a moment — John chapter 17. John 17. I’m going to start here, but we’re going to end up in John 17.

Acts 2:1 says, “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

And so last week we began this series called The Spirit and the Bride, and we spent some time contrasting the original outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as described here in Acts chapter 2, with the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that I believe the Lord is wanting to do today. How many of you know the Lord is still pouring out His Spirit to this day? Amen.

And so we began talking and contrasting a little bit, and we get this picture here of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the church. It’s the birth of the church of Jesus Christ. It’s what He promised would happen, and it happened. The disciples, the apostles, were obedient to what Jesus said — not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. And so they’re waiting, they’re praying, and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit gets poured out, and everybody’s like, “What on earth is going on?” Right?

Now, I know we don’t like to be weird, but how many of you know things that happen in the Spirit sometimes can be a little weird? These people were seeing what was happening: “What is going on? They’re speaking different languages, and some of them are speaking languages from my hometown, from where I’m from.”

And so Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit — I want us to notice what he says in Acts 2, verse 16. Peter says, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days.’” Everybody say, “In the last days.” Peter says, “‘It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.’”

And what we pointed out last week is that Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, was not only saying what was happening; he was declaring prophetically the new era that we now find ourselves in. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he says, “This is what was promised: that we are now in the last days.” Everybody say, “The last days.”

Now, the last days — this was about two thousand years ago, when this Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 took place. I think it was roughly 1,993 years. Okay, we’re getting real close to about two thousand years since this took place. And Peter says we are now in the last days. If they were in the last days then, how many of you know we’re really in the last days now?

And the Lord, in these days, is still pouring out His Spirit. He’s still pouring it out and demonstrating His power and moving through the church. And how many of you know He wants to do that? That’s what He wants to do in this age. And so Peter was not only saying, “Hey, this is what Jesus promised. This is the Holy Spirit.” He’s saying, “No, no, we’re in the last days. Jesus is coming soon. He’s going to return. He’s going to establish His kingdom, and He’s coming again.” We are in the last days.

And I want us to take a moment and contrast the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and today. On the Day of Pentecost, we see people were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time. And today we are seeing that God is still pouring out His Spirit, and for many of us it’s not the first time. And how many of you know that’s biblical, right? When Paul says, “Do not be drunk with wine, … but be filled with the Spirit,” that is a continual sense of being filled.

And so when you’re filled with the Spirit, it’s not just one and done, right? When you’re born again, your spirit, which was dead, is now reborn. But there is also this other thing called the filling of the Holy Spirit, His Spirit that comes upon us, and that is to happen over and over and over.

How many of you know sometimes you wake up in the morning and you’re like, “Man, I am not filled with the Spirit right now”? Right? You wake up grumpy and you’re like, “Oh, here we go again. Another day, another trudge, working the nine to five.” There are days when you may be a believer, you may have been filled with the Holy Spirit before, but that day — not filled right now, right? Like, I have an attitude. There is some complaining going on. I have some stuff, right?

But how many of you know that as soon as we look to Him and we say, “God, would You fill me right now?” — how many of you know He gives freely? And He pours out His Spirit, and He begins to fill us, and all of a sudden the things that we were concerned about, we’re no longer concerned with, right? The things that we were thinking about are no longer as big of a thought, right? He pours out His Spirit. And so many of us here have been filled with the Spirit before, but He’s doing it again and again. And so on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out for the first time. Today God is pouring out His Spirit again and again. Somebody say amen.

That’s hot. You know when you’re drinking it, it goes all the way down? I feel it all the way down.

On the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, the church of Jesus was born. Today I believe that the Lord is rebirthing and reawakening His church, that He is stirring up the church, that He is pouring out His Spirit again. The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 took place shortly after the ascension of Jesus into heaven. And I want to ask this question, and I want us all to seriously ponder this. If the Holy Spirit was poured out briefly after Jesus ascended into heaven, could it be that the Holy Spirit will be poured out in a major way briefly before His return? Right? Could it be that there is another major outpouring that the Lord is wanting to bring about?

And I think we’ve gotten some glimpses of it. We’ve seen some rumblings. If you’ve been tapped into what’s happening in the church worldwide, we’re seeing revivals taking place, and people coming into a place of worship expecting just to go through a service, but all of a sudden eight hours, ten hours, days, weeks go by, and they’re saying, “I don’t want to leave, because the Lord is doing something.” There’s something significant that the Lord is doing. I would even say that we are living in a time when it is easier than ever to receive and to see the Lord.

I believe that, as the Bible says, darkness covers the earth and deep darkness the people, but the Lord will arise over you. How many of you know, as things get darker, He gets brighter? Interesting.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”

And so the Lord is doing this work. We also talked about how in the book of Acts there are really two prominent themes, right? There was the theme of the Holy Spirit, and there was the theme of the church. The book of Acts is where we see the Holy Spirit poured out for the first time and begin to move through the church, right? People are being healed. People are being saved. People are speaking in new languages. All of a sudden people’s hearts are being supernaturally changed, and God starts moving through the church. And this is where we see the church being birthed and beginning to spread.

And then we talked about Revelation 22, verse 12. This is where Jesus is speaking in John’s revelation — the revelation of Jesus Christ. And Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give everyone according to his work.” Verse 17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” Jesus is saying, “I’m coming quickly,” and how many of you know our response is, “Come quickly”?

And the reason that we long for Jesus’ return is not, “Well, I just want to get this over with. Life is getting really hard right now and I just want to be done.” How many of you know that’s not the heart? The heart is saying, “No, I want Jesus to come because I’m longing for Him. I want to be with Him. Even beyond just being born again, I want to literally become one with Him. I want to be face to face with Him.” And so our response is, the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

Well, what were the two prominent themes in the book of Acts? Somebody say it: the Spirit and the church. The Spirit and the church. And what are we looking at here in verse 17? The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Come. The rest of verse 17 says, “And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’”

Listen, there is something so powerful that happens when we look to the Lord and we say, “Come, Lord.” And that’s what I was trying to get across during our time of worship. There is something so powerful — and sometimes we don’t see God moving in our lives because we never actually do what He says. But when we humble ourselves and we come to Him, and we lift our hands, we lift our voices, and we say, “Come, Lord,” how many of you know we’re responding to exactly what He wants us to do, where He can come into our lives? He can come into our situation.

The bride has made herself ready

Now I want to look at Revelation 19:7. Listen to this: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb” — talking about Jesus — “has come, and His wife” — everybody say, “Wife.” I mean, if you’re a believer, that’s talking about you. I’ve got some guys who sometimes look at me like — right, they give a little look. But how many of you know He’s preparing us as a bride, Himself being the Bridegroom? And there’s this marriage that is yet to happen, where the two become one. We come together. It says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife,” notice, “has made herself ready.”

How many of you know there are few people as busy as a bride on her wedding day, right? I remember my wedding day. I remember waking up in the morning — it was around eleven, something like that. And, you know, I brush my teeth, I do my hair — but I wake up like this. That’s funnier than y’all think. I’m sure my daughter’s rolling her eyes at me right now. No — I wake up, I roll out of bed, brush my teeth, put on my suit, and I’m like, “I’m ready to get married,” right?

But then I look at my wife, and I see the lineup for the day and the scheduling and the manicures and the styling, right, and the hair prep and the dress and putting it on and making sure the flowers are just right. There are all these things that need to take place for a bride on her wedding day. And Scripture is saying here, “Let us be glad. Let us rejoice.” Why? Because the wedding is coming. His wife has made herself ready.

So as we’re talking about the last days, we’re talking about the end of this era. How many of you know there is something that we need to be ready for? There are things that we need to be doing in order to get ready, to be prepared, to make sure that we’re not unprepared for the marriage supper that is about to take place. Because how many of you know you can miss it? We can miss it. God can be moving and we miss everything. Why? It usually has to do with our heart. But here is this marriage that is to come. The Lord is preparing His church. And so I would ask us today: How do we prepare ourselves? How do we prepare ourselves to receive Jesus?

Jesus’ prayer the night before He died

And I believe the Lord gives us such a clear picture. I had you turn to John chapter 17, and we’re going to look at what Jesus did the night before He died. Now, John 13, 14, 15, 16 — that is a picture of Jesus with His disciples at the Last Supper. And how many of you know when you’re talking and you know you’re about to die, you know you’re about to be beaten, you’re about to be falsely accused, you’re giving your life up — how many of you know, if you are in your last day, you’re going to talk about some pretty important things? It’s the final words of Jesus, the final acts of Jesus’ earthly ministry here on earth.

And I want us to notice that in chapter 17, Jesus begins to pray to the Father. Let me ask you: what kind of things would you be praying the night before you died? What would your prayers look like? I know for me it’d be, “Lord, get me out of this. I don’t want to do this.” And I would probably just stay there. Jesus went on to say, “But Your will be done, not Mine.”

But I want us to notice what Jesus prays in John chapter 17, verse 20. Jesus says, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” I want us to notice that Jesus wasn’t just praying for His disciples, who He had just shared a Last Supper with. Jesus, the night before He died, was praying for you and me — the ones who would believe through the word of the disciples, the ones who received the gospel message. The night before Jesus died, He says, “I’m not praying just for these. I want to pray for those who will believe in Me through their word.”

Verse 21 says, “I’m praying that they may all be one.” Everybody say, “One.” “I’m praying that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Notice Jesus is praying, “Father, I’m praying that You would make them one.” Why? So that the world would believe.

Can we see how important this was to Jesus? The night before He died, He was praying to the Father for you and me, and He’s saying, “Lord, let them become one. Father, let them become one, just like We’re one.” This is a big deal to Jesus. Why? So that the world would believe. You could almost say that if the church does not become one, then the world will not believe. “Father, would You make them one?”

I want us to just notice really quickly and think about the way God the Father and Jesus the Son would interact. Jesus would say, “Hey, listen, the works that I’m doing — I’m not the one doing them. It’s the Father.” Right? Jesus would also say things like, “I don’t do anything unless I see the Father do it. I don’t say anything unless I hear the Father say it.” And so Jesus was always giving preference to the Father.

And then the Father would say things like — in Hebrews chapter 1, God the Father said, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” God said that about Jesus. And it says in Philippians chapter 2 that God highly exalted Jesus and raised Him up and gave Him the name above every name. Who did that? The Father did that. And when Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “Hey, when the Holy Spirit comes, He’s not going to talk about Himself. He’s going to talk about Me.”

I want you to notice that we’re seeing the oneness of the Godhead throughout Scripture, and the way that They prefer one another, the way that They honor one another, the way that They give place to one another and say, “It’s not about Me; it’s about Him.” Right? God the Father saying, “No, no, no, Your throne is exalted forever.” The Holy Spirit’s coming, and He’s saying, “You’ve got to know about Jesus. You’ve got to know about what He’s done.” Are you seeing what I’m saying? They would all give preference to one another.

And Jesus, the night before He died, is praying to the Father, and He’s saying, “Father, You need to make them one. You need to make them so together that they prefer one another, they love one another, they serve one another.” Why? So that the world might believe. I don’t know about you, but that is a big agenda for the church. Amen. Because there are people in all of our lives who are dying, and they don’t know Jesus. There are people who are on the path to destruction because they don’t know Jesus.

Raise your hand if you’re praying for someone in your life who does not know Jesus. Right. Keep your hand up if you’re praying for someone who does not know Jesus. I want to tell you: don’t stop praying for them. Don’t stop praying.

But what Jesus is talking about here is so important: “I’m praying that they would be one like We are one, that the world might believe.” Notice, They’re not selfish. They weren’t self-exalting. They were preferring one another, serving one another, and honoring one another. Somebody say amen.

And so I want you to notice: Jesus prays this prayer, “Let them be one. Let them be one.” And I want us to notice what happens shortly after the Holy Spirit was poured out, in Acts 2, verse 41. Jesus prays this prayer, and look what happens. It says, “Then those who gladly received Peter’s word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they” — everybody say, “They,” talking about those three thousand — “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together” — they were what? They were together — “and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” I want you to notice what happened. Jesus prays to the Father, “Make them one.” The Holy Spirit is poured out, and what happens? They become one.

Not just going to church, but added to it

I want us to look at five statements in Acts 2 that lead us to what Jesus is talking about today, becoming one. The first one, verse 41, says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” Everybody say, “Added.” How many of you know there’s a difference between going to church and being added to the church?

Going to church is something I do when I’m up for it, when it fits my schedule, when it fits within my plans. But being added to the church is, “No, I’m invested in this. I’m a part of this. I’m a part of what God is doing here. I’m a part of what He has.” Why? Because, how many of you know, when we get added to the church there is a strengthening and a fortification that takes place in our walk with Him.

Let me tell you: can you be born again and not go to church? I believe so. But let me tell you, you are very vulnerable and susceptible to being taken out by the enemy. How many of you know what happens when a predator tries to get its prey from a herd? It tries to isolate one, because it is vulnerable. And I will tell you, there is nothing that the enemy wants to do more than to get you away from the church, to keep you out of the church, to keep you from hearing the truth, to keep you from receiving and being in His presence. Why? Because as soon as he can get you isolated, you’re susceptible to being taken out, and it’s unnecessary.

But I want you to notice: the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts chapter 2, and it doesn’t just say they were saved and they got baptized. No, it says they were added to the church. They were now a part of this. They were a part of the bride. They were a part of the people who were being purified and prepared and becoming more like Jesus. Why? Because they were in fellowship, and they were one together. Somebody say amen.

I think we sometimes way undervalue coming to church. We way undervalue what happens when we’re together. There is so much that the Lord wants to do, so many ways that He wants to reveal Himself, and He reserves it for the church. There are things that He wants to show you that He will not show you alone in your bedroom. There are things that He will show you when you’re alone with Him — how many of you know we need that too? But there are things that He will do only in community with other believers. This is so important.

And I’m telling you, we’re in dark times. We see it, we hear about it, we know it, we sense it. And I would say, don’t just go to church. Be added to the church. Jesus was saying, “I’m praying that they would become one. I’m praying that they would be together, that they would strengthen one another, that they would allow the Holy Spirit to speak in their midst and do something, that they would walk away from those times together strengthened in the faith and encouraged.” Because how many of you know we need each other? Amen.

And so these three thousand people who were saved knew: this isn’t just back to business as usual. This isn’t, get saved and just go back to life how it was. No — “I’ve been added to something. I am now a part of the bride of Christ, and He is doing a work in me and in us.” Amen. So important. So important. Because everybody would say, “You don’t need to do that. You don’t need to do that.” No, there is something powerful the Lord wants to do in our lives when we take these things seriously.

That’s why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Is Paul saying that you can’t be friends with unbelievers? No, he’s not. But you cannot have the same kind of fellowship with unbelievers as you can with fellow believers. There is something different that takes place.

I said this already, but when you’re born again, your spirit is reborn. What was dead on the inside — all of a sudden the light is turned on, and you’re starting to see things differently, and you start to have different values. When you give your life to the Lord, how many of you know it wrecks you? It wrecks what you were, and you are now becoming something new. Why? Because now I’m alive on the inside, and I’m seeing things differently. And when people say things, all of a sudden the things that I used to agree with, I’m not agreeing with anymore. Because I’ve received the truth. I have an eternal hope. I believe that Jesus is coming back again, and I’m going to spend eternity with Him, right?

And Paul is saying, how can you have true fellowship with someone who has totally different values, a totally different understanding — people who don’t even believe that there is a God — in the same way as with people who do believe? You cannot have the same fellowship. The church, which lives as though there is a God, has different values than the world, which lives as though there is no God.

And so there is a fellowship and a strengthening and an encouraging that is to take place in the church. True fellowship among the body is not socializing. It’s when we come together as brothers and sisters in the Lord and we walk away encouraged and strengthened to fulfill our calling and our purpose. And so, to become one, we need to be believers who are added to the church. I don’t know about you, but I don’t just want to be a part of a church. I want to be added to the church. I want to be a part of the body of Christ. Amen.

Verse 42 says, “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many” — everybody say, “Many” — “many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” Let me ask you, why were miracles happening? Because Jesus wasn’t there. But miracles are happening.

How many of you know there is something powerful that happens when believers come together in this kind of fellowship, where they are hearing the Word of God preached? They are hearing the Word being spoken. They’re hearing the truth. And as they’re hearing the truth — what happens when we hear the truth? Faith comes, right? The Bible says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So when we hear the Word of God, all of a sudden things start stirring on the inside. Come on, if you’ve ever experienced that before, say amen. Right? Where you hear the Word of God preached and something is changing on the inside. What is that? That’s something called faith.

And it’s the washing of His Word, where He’s washing away the blemishes, and all of a sudden you’re not seeing things the way that you used to. Why? Because you’re being washed with His Word. You’re being washed by what He has said and what He is doing. And so when you come into fellowship and you hear the Word of God taught, faith comes.

And when faith comes, all of a sudden you start to do the things that God’s Word says. How many of you know you won’t do it unless you believe it? But when you hear it and you believe it, you start to do it. And when you start to do it, how many of you know that’s when the miracles start happening? When you start praying prayers that move heaven and release God’s power here on earth. Why? Because I believe that what God has said is true, and I can’t go back to what was. I’ve been compromised by His Word. I can’t settle for anything less. I must see His will come to pass in my life.

How many of you know, in an atmosphere where the Word of God is being taught, and there’s an atmosphere of fellowship where we’re talking about what God is saying, we’re talking about what God is doing, we’re strengthening and encouraging one another — how many of you know an atmosphere like that is marked by the power of God, and miracles start taking place? Amen. Are you guys with me this morning? Did you guys know this was the last thing Jesus prayed — that they would become one?

No one among them lacked

Look at this next mark of becoming one. Verse 44 says, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” I think this could be the greatest miracle of all of them. Several thousand people who were a part of the church, through the teaching and the fellowship of the Word, began to embrace a different value system, where it was no longer about how much I could get, but it was now about how I can help the person next to me. How can I help the people who have been added to the church? How can I help those I’m in community with?

And these people, who had been compromised, began to open up their hearts and their resources to others. How many of you know the fellowship of becoming one is not just sitting and talking? It is an action. It is a releasing, a giving of oneself. It’s a becoming one where, if you have a need, then I have a need — where your need in my eyes is just as great as if I had the need. Just a completely generous environment, not withholding anything.

And we see this continue a couple of chapters later, in Acts 4:32, where it says, “Now the multitudes of those who believed” — notice — “were of one heart and one soul.” Isn’t that what Jesus prayed for the night before He died? “Lord, make them one.” And here we’re seeing the Holy Spirit being poured out and beginning to move through the church. It says those who believed were of one heart and of one soul. “Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was on them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked.”

I want you to think about that. At this point there are thousands of people in this church, and there was not one person who lacked. Does that sound too good to be true? But what was happening? They were compromised. They didn’t function the way they used to anymore. They had been changed by the Word, changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. God moved on them, and they gave to each as they had need. There was not anyone among them who lacked.

Notice: “For all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” Now, here’s what this is. I used to picture this, and I would think, “Oh, so they were just like a homeless community out in the middle of nowhere.” No. It says they gathered from house to house. So they did not sell all their possessions. They weren’t homeless. This is talking about people who had extra. This is talking about people who had investments, had extra land, had extra homes, and they saw their brothers and sisters in need. They saw those without homes. They saw those who couldn’t get food. And they began to sell what was extra.

Let me ask you: when is the last time you saw people who did a good job, who were probably wise with their investments, and they said, “I can’t leave it like this. I must sell all and give to them, so that nobody would have need”? How many of you know only God can move on a heart like that? Only God can move on a heart like that.

Where did they get this concept of generosity? They learned it from Jesus — through the preaching of God’s Word, the apostles’ teaching, and in the fellowship. They learned who Jesus was. They learned how Jesus would serve and prefer and lay down His life for others — the one who prayed the night before He died, “Father, make them one with one another, that the world might believe.” How many of you know His kingdom is not like any other kingdom?

What the apostles must have taught

I want to go back to verse 42, and we’re almost done. I want you to notice a part of becoming one. It says, “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine,” in the apostles’ teaching. Can you just, with me, real quick, imagine what this teaching was probably like? These were the ones who walked with Jesus, the ones who knew Him — His personality, His tendencies. They knew Him as man. They knew Him as the Messiah. They knew Him as Savior. And here they are, talking to the people, and they’re saying, “This is what Jesus was like.”

And yes, I know that they were sharing a lot of the things that we have right now in the New Testament. But they were also saying things about who He was, what He was like. And they would talk about Jesus, and they would say things like, “You’ve got to know what Jesus was like. He would minister to people all day. All day. And He would give of Himself, and people would come to Him and tug on His clothes and cry out, ‘Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!’ And He would stop for every one of them. And then at the end of the day, after He was teaching all day, He would come home, and then He would just start praying for people all night. And He would pray that God would move, and begin to move in power again. And we knew that Jesus was exhausted, because we were exhausted. And yet He still gave.

“And when we would go to bed at night, we would wake up in the morning, and Jesus wasn’t even there. He was gone, and He was praying to the Father in the morning, and He was praying for those that He would encounter, that He would begin to move in power in their lives, that someone else would be healed, that someone else would be delivered.” This was the way He lived. This was who He was: to minister, to love, to serve.

And I can only imagine when they would share about the night that Jesus gave His life and was betrayed. How they would talk about how they remembered the night He was about to be arrested, and how, after a long day of preaching and teaching, you would think He’d just want to kick back and have dinner with some of His buddies. But what does Jesus do? He begins to wash everybody’s feet. And He knew He was about to be betrayed. He knew He was about to give His life. He knew He was about to be falsely accused, beaten, lied about. And He’s washing everyone’s feet. What kind of man is this?

And on the day that He gave His life, He didn’t defend Himself. Because He knew that if He defended Himself, they would have had to let Him go. But He didn’t say a word. And He let them spit on Him. He let them lie. He let them make accusations. But He didn’t defend Himself. And as He was on the cross, and as He was dying, He looked to the Father in heaven and He said, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they’re doing.”

And when the church, when the people, heard these teachings, their hearts were broken, and they realized, “That’s our Savior. He’s the one. He’s the one we’ve been waiting for. He’s the one we’ve been longing for. He didn’t have to do these things. He was already with the Father. He was already in heaven forever and ever. But He gave it all for us, so that we could become one with Him.”

And as the apostles taught these things, it changed their hearts. It changed their priorities. It changed their values. And they realized, “This is our God. This is our Savior, and we need to be like Him. We need to do things His way. We need to love one another. We need to serve one another. We need to prefer one another. We need to become one, like He is one with the Father and the Spirit.”

That the world might know

How many of you know the way that you can tell that you’ve received the good news is through the radical change of your heart? It doesn’t mean you’re perfect. But all of a sudden you’re thinking differently. You’re investing your time, you’re investing your resources, you’re giving your attention differently. Why? Because I see Jesus. I’ve received from Him. Amen.

Listen, what could happen in an environment like this, with this kind of teaching, with this kind of oneness, loving each other, serving one another? What we see in verse 47: “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

I felt like the Lord literally just dropped this. There are some of you who are trying to be a witness to unbelievers, and the best thing that you can do is to become one with the church. We think that we can bring salvation to people by preferring them, when in reality we need to begin preferring one another — become one with one another, that the world might know who Jesus really is.

The reality is, whether you know it or not, people are looking for Jesus. And a lot of times you might bring up Jesus, and all of a sudden they’ll say something like, “Well, that’s good for you, but what I believe …” I hear that all the time. But we don’t stop loving them. We don’t stop talking about Jesus. And we definitely don’t stop being one together in fellowship. Why? Because that’s what Jesus wanted. He wanted it so much that the night before He died, His final words, His final prayers, included, “Let them become one.” There is so much power and potency when we become one with one another. And Jesus is calling for us to be like Him. Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.