THE START OF THE LORD'S CHURCH
Acts 2
I. Background
A. The Lord promised to build his Church which is his Kingdom - Mt 16:18-19
B. The Lord said there were some there at that time ( 2000 years ago ) would not die before
they saw the kingdom- Mk 9:1
C. Paul said they were already in the Kingdom - Col 1: 13
D. Those that repented and were baptized were added by the Lord to his Church - Acts 2:47
E. Therefore the Church and Kingdom are the same and both are here on this Earth today
II. The Plan Of Salvation Given in The First Gospel Sermon
A. Peter told the crowd that they had crucified the Christ who came to deliver them from
sin - vs 36
B. Believing that they were guilty they cried out " what shall we do " to take away our
guilt? - vs 37
C. This is the first time under the Christ's dispensation that the question was ever raised
D. Peter replied , Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins - vs 38
E. He did not say believe because the fact that they felt guilt ( cut to their hearts ) - he knew
they believed
F. They gladly received his words and were baptized 3000 in one day - vs 41
G. They were added to the Church by God - vs 47
H. The Plan Of Salvation : After believing in Jesus , they repented ( committed to stop their sin ) and were baptized ; THEN their sins were forgiven
III. After Being Saved
A. They met daily to hear more from the Apostles ( preaching ) - vs 42 & 46
B. They fellowshipped with one another which led to providing for the poor ( giving ) - vs 45
C. They broke the bread ( communion ) - vs 42
D. They prayed ( prayer ) - vs 42
E. They met from house to house and ate with one another ( fellowshipped ) - vs 46
F. The non Christians saw goodness in their lives - vs 47
G. Summary : they worshipped through hearing the Word , gave of their goods , took the Lord's Supper , and prayed ; in addition they loved each other so much they spent time and fellowshipped each other causing the people to appreciate them
IV. When We Act Like The Church In The N.T. We Know God Is Pleased