TEACHING NOTES Introduction This series has been focused on leadership in the church. We’ve learned the biblical definition for leadership (be a servant) and we learned about the roles of shepherds and deacons in the church. Now that we have identified and chosen our leaders, we need to be reminded of our church’s mission. ‌ Why does this matter for our church? We want to be a faithful family of God who are devoted to the Word of God. ‌ Our Vision (who we are): We are a family of disciples helping each other to be more like Jesus. ‌ Our Mission (what we do): We make disciples of Jesus through baptism and teaching obedience to the Word of God. ‌ Matthew 28:18–20 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 obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ‌ All authority = This means that Jesus is not only the King of kings in heaven and on earth, but He is also the leader of His church. Christ is our authority, our King, our Priest, and our Good Shepherd. All humans in the church are under the authority of Christ and His Word. ‌ Make disciples = Literally, make students who learn the way of Christ and follow His teachings. The church is never told to make Christians or converts, but to make disciples. Our task is to teach and train people to be devoted followers of Jesus. ‌ All nations = These Jewish disciples would no longer be focused solely on Israel, but would be what Israel was intended to be—a light to all nations. ‌ Baptizing them = Once a person repents of sin and pledges allegiance to Jesus, the next step is to be baptized. In the ancient church, baptism was understood as being buried with Christ and resurrected to new life. It was also understood as the moment a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. ‌ Teaching them to obey = Notice that Jesus did not say, “teaching them to believe.” Baptized people should already believe. Now they called to obey God’s Word. Our teaching should be focused on faithfulness/obedience. ‌ I am with you always = If we are doing the mission that Jesus has just laid out, He will be with us in that mission. If we get off mission and turn the church into something else, we cannot expect God to bless it. ‌ Our Devotion (how we make disciples): 1. Teaching — We are devoted to God’s Word. 2. Fellowship — We are devoted to each other. 3. Communion — We are devoted to Christ. 4. Prayer — We are devoted to worship. ‌ Acts 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ‌ Devoted = Grk. proskarterountes (imperfect tense, active voice) - This Greek verb denotes a continuous action of commitment. It can also mean “to stick to or be close at hand, attach oneself to, be faithful.” ‌ The apostles’ teaching = Grk. ton apostolon te didache - teaching, instruction. The early church was devoted to being taught the Word of God. The first believers were not yet called Christians. They were called disciples, which means to be students. The Greek term didache is also the title of an ancient church document from the first century AD. This document contains parts of the sermon on the mount and instructions on how the church should function. ‌ The fellowship = Grk. te koinonia - sharing, participation. The modern church often views fellowship as simply eating meals at church. However, the Greek term koinonia refers to sharing resources within the group. This word appears again in Acts 4:32–35 “32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common [koina]. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” Sharing food and resources is the basis for “the daily distribution” in Acts 6 where deacons are first appointed. ‌ The breaking of bread = Grk. te klasei tou artou - While this phrase can simply refer to eating meals together, here it also includes the Lord’s Supper (Communion). We know from other ancient documents that the church practiced Communion at every Sunday gathering. Communion was so important that if someone was absent because of illness, the deacons would take Communion to the person’s home so they didn’t miss out. ‌ The prayers = Grk. tais proseuchais - Luke includes the definite article “the” to show that there were certain prayers that the early church prayed together. One of these was the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), which the early church prayed three times daily. They also went to the temple for daily prayers. ‌ Acts 2:43–45 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 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. ‌ Awe came upon every soul = The family-like community within the church amazed people to their core (soul). People watching how the disciples cared for each other realized that this movement was completely unique. ‌ Wonders and signs = If you continue to read through Acts, you will see the apostles doing multiple miraculous deeds for people. This supernatural power gave the apostles credibility that their message was true. ‌ Had all things in common = The Greek word for “in common” here is koina, which is another form of koinonia. This is further evidence that koinonia is not simply eating together, but about sharing resources. ‌ Distributing the proceeds to all = Because there were so many poor people in Jerusalem—because the religious leaders had taxed their own people into poverty—the early church in Jerusalem pooled their resources to care for each other. We do the same today by giving to our church and using those resources to care for our church family. ‌ Acts 2:46–47 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. ‌ Attending the temple together = While the temple was still standing, the early Christians in Jerusalem continued to worship in the temple. Why? Because these early believers were Jewish and understood that Christianity was not a totally separate or new religion. Christianity is the fulfilment of Judaism or the new covenant that the old covenant prophesied. Once the temple was destroyed in AD 70 (predicted by Jesus in Matt. 24), Christians could no longer attend the temple. ‌ Breaking bread in their homes = Not only did the early Christians attend the temple and gather in smaller groups for worship and Communion, they also spent time gathering in homes for meals and relational purposes. ‌ Having favor with all the people = This is a similar idea to verse 43, “And awe come upon every soul” referring to the church’s impact on unbelievers in the communities in and around Jerusalem. ‌ The Lord added to their number = Notice that Luke wants us to know that it was the Lord who added to the church. The church was not devising schemes to attract unbelievers. They were simply living as Jesus and the apostles taught them to live and the Lord provided the growth. Growing the church numerically should not be our focus. We cannot add people to the kingdom of God. Only God can draw people to Himself. ‌