Message Notes 11 03 24
November 1, 2024

Title: A Healthy Church
Text: Acts 2:42-47
Date: November 3, 2024

Introduction: Most of us have at least some level of concern for our physical health. We try to eat properly, get some exercise, remove stress, and get plenty of rest. We may even check our blood pressure from time to time and even have a checkup at the doctor. It’s the price we have to pay if we have any hope of being healthy.

The bible calls the Church, “the body of Christ.” Do we ever concern ourselves with the health of the body of Christ? In our passage for today, Luke tells us what characterized the early Spirit-filled congregation—what made it healthy, dynamic, and alive. He basically records the diet and exercise plan of a healthy body of Christ.

Before jumping into verse 42, let’s pause to remember how this Church was born. Peter preached a Christ-exalting sermon, and as a result of the Spirit and Word at work, three thousand people were saved. Would you agree that’s a great day? God builds His Church by His Word. Just as God spoke creation into existence in Genesis, He speaks this new creation—this new community—into existence through His mighty Word.

The Church is God’s plan. That plan is bigger than the random conversion of a few people. Christianity is personal but not individualistic. It’s corporate. Jesus is saving a people for Himself (Titus 2:14). This fact is made plain here in Acts 2; it has also been emphasized in Acts 1, as the people gathered together (1:14; 2:1). The nature of the Church is reiterated throughout the New Testament and is illustrated by the fact that the epistles, or letters, were written for Churches or in reference to Churches.

Based on the importance of the Church, it is important that we understand what the Church is supposed to be and do. How should we describe a healthy Church? (Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus in Acts, p.35, Tony Merida) There are five essential, non-negotiable components.

I. A healthy church is a

church (Acts 2:42).

II. A healthy church is a

church (Acts 2:42).

III. A healthy church is a

church (Acts 2:42-43).

IV. A healthy church is a

church (Acts 2:44-45).

V. A healthy church is a

church (Acts 2:46-47).

Larry Gipson
First Baptist Church Oneonta