The Fellowship of Believers
A Sermon on Acts 2:41-47
Scripture
41¶ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43And fear came upon every soul: …
Sermon Description
A Christian is a person who has received abundant life from God and what does the Christian do in response to this incredible measure of grace? He goes to church. Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes a Welsh politician in the 1960’s who said, “I’m a Christian, but the non-churchgoing type.” Dr. Lloyd-Jones exposes this wrong thinking, showing that a Christian is not one who goes to church once a year or not at all, but one who participates actively in Christ’s body in a response of thankfulness and servitude. Reaching the world does not start with asking people to go to church; it starts with sharing the gospel, as the gospel is the most important truth in the world. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, if an unbeliever is saved by Christ, they will naturally want to join the local, visible family of Christ. Ultimately, Christians gather because they rejoice in the same Savior. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches from Acts 2:41–47, we learn that in this life, there is only one way to get to the favorable side of eternity: through Christ’s blood. Those who respond to His sacrifice and rejoice in Him will be in fellowship with believers today.
Sermon Breakdown
- The passage describes the beginning of the Christian church.
- The passage shows what it means to be a Christian and what the Christian message and church are.
- There is confusion today about what it means to be a Christian and what the church is. The only standard is Scripture.
- A Christian is born again, with new life from God. This new life expresses itself.
- The first way the new life expresses itself is by separating from the world.
- Positively, the new life expresses itself by joining the church and continuing in it.
- The early Christians came together constantly. This is a test of whether someone is a Christian.
- The early Christians came together willingly, not reluctantly. This shows the new life in them.
- People of all types came together, showing the new life is deeper than natural differences.
- The early Christians came together because they had the same new life, outlook, experience, hope, and Savior.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones's purpose is to tell people about Christ and the new life He gives.
- Time is short, so we must prepare to meet God and see His glory.
The Book of Acts
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.