Formosa Baptist Church
2025-12-7
      • Bible Trivia
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      • Acts 2:46–47ESV

  • Big Idea for the Series: In the book of Acts, we see God advancing his Kingdom by his Spirit through his Church.
    FCF: Churches naturally tend towards unhealth and disunity. But, if we follow the example of the early Church in Acts 2 and are constantly being transformed into the image of Christ, we can be a healthy church that is growing and pleasing to God.
    Intro: Have you ever noticed that your coffee doesn’t stay hot for very long? Or that batteries left on the shelf for years will eventually die?
    Newton’s second law, or the second law of thermodynamics, states that in an isolated system, disorder will always increase over time. It means that things naturally move from a state of order to disorder unless energy is put into the system to reverse that natural trend. This principle of things tending towards deterioration is called “entropy.” Think of it as "Murphy's Law" for the universe—a messy room doesn't clean itself, hot coffee cools down, and batteries die even if no one is using them. The trend can be reversed—cold coffee can be reheated and batteries can be recharged—but it requires putting energy back into the system.
    The second law of thermodynamics wasn’t meant to describe churches or the Christian walk, but it actually proves quite insightful. We live in a fallen world where entropy reigns, and it’s true in our spiritual lives as well. Churches do not naturally tend towards health. Just like our bodies, our marriages, and our yards, and our coffee, if not cared for and intentionally worked on—if we don’t put energy into the system—they will tend to deteriorate and become unhealthy.
    Acts 2 gives us a wonderful insight into seven factors that helped spur the health and growth of the early church. You might think of these as “entropy reversers,” ways we can put energy back into the system and spur health and growth in our church.
    Acts 2:42–47 ESV
    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
    Prayer
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    1. Devoted to biblical teaching.

    Acts 2:42 ESV
    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching...

    Teaching and preaching are central to the identity of a church.

    This is of primary importance in the life of a church. Why? Because church is ultimately not about us, it is about God.
    You can’t love and worship and point others to a God that you don’t know or don’t know well. God has revealed himself in Scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ. So, the primary duty of a church is to teach and preach about Jesus.
    Teaching and preaching are the primary way that we fulfill the Great Commission, which is the marching orders for the Church:
    Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
    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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
    As we talked about before, the core of what it means to be a disciple (μαθητής, mathētēs) is to be a learner. You can’t have learners without teachers.
    But not just any kind of teaching will do. It says “to the apostles’ teaching.” Where is our record of the apostles’ teaching? In Scripture. That’s why...

    Healthy churches are marked by expository preaching and teaching.

    Expository preaching is, quite simply, exposing what the text says, means, and how it applies to our lives. This is how I strive to preach and it is how I would encourage you to teach.
    Healthy churches are always asking the question, “What does the Bible say, and how do we apply that?”
    We believe that God has revealed himself to us through Jesus Christ, and the record of the acts and teachings of Jesus has been recorded for us by his apostles in our Bibles.
    An emphasis on solid, biblical doctrine is a hallmark of a healthy church. Churches that deemphasize Scripture, doctrine, or expository preaching and teaching will not remain healthy for long.
    It’s not wrong to do topical series, but by and large, the bulk of our teaching needs to come directly from the text.
    There’s a danger that we have to be aware of when we do topical studies, because we can unknowingly and unintentionally bring our ideas to the Scripture and end up twisting Scripture to support our ideas.
    I once was in a church where the pastor typically preached more from a book of sermon illustrations than he did from the Bible. Every Sunday, he’d read a cute, funny, or motivational story from his sermon illustrations book, expound on that theme for a while, sprinkle a couple Bible verses in, and call it a day. That church was dying, and it was easy to see why.
    I use illustrations, and Jesus used illustrations in his sermons. This, in fact, is an illustration that I’m doing right now. But, illustrations should be used to illustrate Scripture, not Scripture used as an illustration to your story.
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    2. Devoted to the fellowship.

    Acts 2:42 ESV
    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship...
    Notice that it does not say they were devoted to “fellowship” or to “fellowshipping;” it says that they were devoted to “the fellowship.” That’s not a mistranslation, the definite article is present in the Greek. This is a noun, not a verb here, which means that “the fellowship” refers to something, not to an action.
    The word translated “fellowship” in our Bibles is the Greek word “koinonia.” It means a “close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship.”
    When it says they “devoted themselves...to the fellowship” it’s referring to the body of believers in Jesus Christ as a “fellowship”—a church.
    All of these believers so far are Jews. But, beyond their identity as Jews, there is now an identifiable group—a “fellowship”—of people who believe in Jesus and are devoted to one another.
    This devotion was not a casual interest, it was an intentional commitment. Devotion to their church.
    Church membership is biblical, even if it looks a little different today than it did 2,000 years ago. A lot of people nowadays will argue that the early church didn’t have a formalized membership roster or membership process. They may or may not be correct—Scripture does not explicitly say one way or the other. We do know that Roman culture was quite meticulous in its record keeping.
    And it wasn’t just the Romans. Some of you may have seen this meme floating around—it shows an ancient clay tablet that has been carefully chiseled. What’s the message? It’s a customer complaint from someone who received the wrong grade of copper in their shipment...From 1,750 BC! My point is simply that you can’t make an argument that the early church definitely didn’t have rosters—we simply do not know. They certainly could have! They may have, the may have not.
    That isn’t the point, though. The precise details of how church membership worked, and where they met (in houses or in the temple) and when—those are all descriptive. What is prescriptive for us is that we’re to be devoted to our church.
    When we talk about qualifications and the processes of membership, what we are trying to do is to apply this biblical instruction in our modern context and culture.
    So, the question then becomes, “How do we best express devotion and commitment to our local church and the body of Christ in our culture today?”
    What I know from our culture is that membership in an organization—if it has any significance whatsoever—is always accompanied by some sort of formal process.
    If you want to be a member in a local country club—there’s an application, rules and regulations you’re expected to abide by, penalties if you don’t, probably a membership fee, and then certain perks and privileges that come with that membership. We won’t even get into all of what’s required to be a part of an HOA or something!
    Joining a local country club is not very significant in the grand scheme of things. But, believing in Jesus Christ and being a part of his church is the most significant decision you’ll ever make. And as the local expression of that Church, it’s important. We don’t exclude people on the basis of income, the size of their house, how they dress, or their golf game like an HOA or country club does.
    But, Scripture is absolutely clear that the Church is comprised of people who believe in Jesus Christ and have repented of theirs sins and given their lives to him. Acts 2:41 says
    Acts 2:41 ESV
    So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
    So, at very least, being a member of the church requires “receiving” the word of God (repentance and faith) and baptism.
    To non-members: I want to challenge you to think about and pray about joining the church as a member.
    Being a member of a church doesn’t save you, nor does being a member of a local church mean that you’re automatically “devoted” to your fellowship.
    Becoming a member of a local church is a public, outward display that says, “I am devoted to this particular church (which is a representation of the body of Christ).”
    It’s a public commitment that shows that you are going to seek to minister to this group of believers and be ministered to by them. It’s a commitment to allow them to hold you accountable for living in a way that is godly. It’s a commitment to serve them. It’s a commitment to learn biblical teaching from them and to help them stay doctrinally sound.
    We live in a society that has a very unhealthy fear of commitment. Instead of getting married, people just live together—bypassing God’s design and harming themselves and their relationships. Instead of joining a church, people will just attend long term but make no commitments.
    But Jesus deserves and demands commitment. Jesus is committed to his church.
    Ephesians 5:25–27 ESV
    ...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
    To those who are members: are you devoted to your church?
    Just because you’re a member doesn’t mean you’re a devoted member.
    Are you devoted to giving and receiving biblical teaching?
    Are you devoted to being in the presence of your brothers and sisters in Christ?
    Where are you serving? If you’re a member, you ought to be serving somewhere.
    What does a devoted church member look like? Well, that’s basically what this passage is all about!
    If you want to know more about membership—either about becoming a member or about being a more involved member—I want to encourage you to talk to me and sign up for our upcoming membership class in January.
    (Give info on membership class)
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    3. Devoted to communion.

    Acts 2:42 ESV
    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread...
    Now, when I use that word I am intentionally invoking two meanings of that word: both the aspect of “fellowship” that the word implies, as well as the ritual (or “ordinance”) of the Lord’s Supper.
    Scholars like to argue whether this reference to “breaking bread” refers merely to eating normal meals together or to something more theologically significant like the Lord’s Supper.
    The fact that this phrase is sandwiched between theologically weighty things like the apostle’s teaching, the fellowship, and the prayers definitely pushes me to believe this is not merely an ordinary meal. I don’t think Luke is telling us that the early church was a bunch of foodies.
    The gospels use this phrase when Jesus was instituting the Lord’s Supper:
    Matthew 26:26 ESV
    Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
    It is likely that the early church was eating meals together on a weekly basis (or even multiple times a week) and celebrating the Lord’s Supper each time they did so. So, if you can imagine a potluck meal that incorporated the Lord’s Supper into it, that’s probably what is being pictured here.
    This also makes sense of other passages, like I Cor. 11:20-22, where Paul rebukes the church at Corinth for how they have corrupted this practice.
    1 Corinthians 11:20–22 ESV
    When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
    So, clearly, they were eating a meal—it’s hard to imagine how anyone could be gluttonous or with the tiny pieces of bread or get drunk with the tiny cups that we use when we do the Lord’s Supper.
    My point in all of this is simply to help us understand what Luke is probably referring to when he says here in v. 42 and in v. 46. When he says they “devoted themselves...to the breaking of bread” and that they were “day by day...breaking bread in their homes.”
    It’s probably not that he was referring only to the Lord’s Supper (as we think of it today) nor that he was only referring to a potluck meal or fellowship meal (as we think of it today), but probably to something that would look a lot like a hybrid of what we call the Lord’s Supper and what we call a Fellowship meal. And that’s why I’m using the word “communion.”
    Now, the way we do this differs a little bit because of practical, logistical, and cultural reasons, but the fact is that we do, in fact, observe both of the essential aspects of this practice in the early church.

    Communion through the Lord’s Supper.

    Jesus gave us very clear instructions in the gospels that we’re supposed to observe the Lord’s Supper as a way of remembering him and what he has done for us. It is a visible gospel proclamation.
    1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV
    For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    Much of what we do as a church is centered in teaching and learning—and rightly so, as we have seen.
    But God knows that some of us have short attention spans, so he has given us interactive ways of proclaiming the gospel together as well. The Lord’s Supper is one of those means. It’s our opportunity to physically enact the gospel.
    It’s the New Testament equivalent of putting our hand on the lamb for our sin offering as it’s throat was slit and it was offered up for us. When we eat that bread and drink that cup, we are physically reenacting the beatings that Christ’s body endured and the blood that he spilled on our behalf.
    But, we don’t do this individually. We don’t take the Lord’s Supper in private on our own—it’s a corporate act. And that gets at the second aspect of what is pictured here in Acts:

    Communion through fellowship.

    Earlier we talked about fellowship as a noun—as something that we are—here I’m using it as a verb—as something that we do. To put it another way, “A fellowship fellowships.”
    And so, as we take the Lord’s Supper, we do it together, as a church. That is our way of acknowledging that we, collectively, are the Church.
    We are saved as individuals, but we are not saved to remain individuals but to be a part of the body.
    So, we take communion together. We fellowship and spend time together on Wednesday evenings before we go to our groups, after church on Sunday mornings, in each other’s homes, and in the community.
    A healthy church enjoys being together.
    Sometimes people leave a church because they just “didn’t fit in” or “didn’t feel welcomed.” And we, as a church, definitely need to be conscious of people on the edges and welcome them in. But, if all you’re doing is showing up at 10:55 on Sunday morning and then jetting out the door as soon as service is over, how do you expect to get to know people and build relationships?
    Those relationships get built during Sunday School classes and around the table at Wednesday night meals. Those relationships are built when you invite someone over to your home and you serve alongside them in the nursery.
    There is no way to accomplish all that a church is supposed to be and do inside one hour on Sunday morning. So, if you want to be a part of the church, then get invested!
    Acts 2:46 ESV
    And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    4. Devoted to Prayer

    Acts 2:42 ESV
    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
    This is the second time in Acts that we’ve seen the church devoted to prayer, and it won’t be the last time we see it.
    Acts 1:14 ESV
    All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
    As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, prayer is a powerful preventative for disunity and division, and it helps to promote unity. As we pray, we submit our will to God’s and we seek his Kingdom. As an entire church does this—laying aside their individual wills and seeking the will of God—they draw together as one.
    That’s the sign of a healthy church. And that comes through prayer. We don’t naturally lay aside our wants and desires. It takes prayer and drawing close to God for that to happen.
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    5. Generous.

    Acts 2:44–45 ESV
    And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

    The early church recognized the needs of its members and willingly gave to minister to their own.

    This is not socialism, this is gospel generosity. Socialism says, “I take from you and give to those in need.” Christian generosity says, “I give of my own desire to those who are in need.”
    2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV
    The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
    The New Testament doesn’t give us a percentage of what we’re supposed to give as some kind of law. What it gives us instead are principles.

    Principles for giving in the NT:

    Everything we own is a gift from God.
    1 Timothy 6:17 ESV
    As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
    Money and possessions are temporary.
    Matthew 6:19 ESV
    “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal...
    Generosity is rewarded in heaven eternally.
    Matthew 6:20 ESV
    but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
    How we use our money is evidence of our heart.
    Matthew 6:21 ESV
    For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
    God is pleased with joyful gifts, not begrudging gifts.
    2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
    Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
    A healthy church is comprised of individuals who are:

    6. Enjoy worshipping.

    Acts 2:46–47 ESV
    ...they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God...
    This is not a church that is characterized by dutifully attending worship.
    It’s a church where worship is the overflow of hearts that are filled with joy and gratitude for what God has done and who he is.
    Just like our financial giving, worship should be joyful, genuine, and heartfelt.
    Our natural tendency is to get comfortable, to go through the motions during worship. To not think about the words we’re singing, and not put passion into our worship.
    This is not so much a command (“enjoy worship!”), but more of an assessment. Healthy Christians enjoy worshipping. Do you enjoy worshipping? Are you passionate about worshipping God?
    But, there are things you can do to prepare yourself for worship. Are you reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, meditating on God’s goodness throughout the week before you come to church on Sunday?
    And, worship isn’t only what you do Sunday morning from 11-noon. It’s also what you’re doing and saying throughout the week. Are you, “day by day,” receiving the blessings of God with a “glad and generous heart?”

    7. Blessed by God with favor and growth.

    You may have noticed that I kind of skipped over verse 43. There’s a reason for that. I mentioned earlier that there are aspects of this passage that are descriptive (telling us what happened) and others that are prescriptive (telling us how we ought to be).
    Verse 43 tells us the result of the early church’s devotion to teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. So, it’s not saying “you should be doing signs and wonders,” it’s saying that God blessed their obedience with signs and wonders.
    Acts 2:43 ESV
    And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
    And specifically, it says that these signs and wonders were being done “through the apostles.”
    Now, obviously, I’m not saying God doesn’t work miracles today. I’ve seen miracles with my own eyes. But, since none of us are apostles, we should not expect that the same kind of miracles and signs are going to be exhibited in the same frequency and intensity that they were with the Apostles.
    Just as Jesus’ teaching was verified through the signs and miracles he performed, so now the Apostles’ ministries are being verified as Jesus works miracles through them. And this is a pattern that we’ll see in the book of Acts.
    Now, that being said, we also shouldn’t be too surprised when God does work a miracle through a church that is reaching the lost and serving him gladly.
    But don’t send money to some televangelist to get a prayer cloth or something like that. That kind of thing was for the Apostles.
    Now, just as verse 43 was descriptive, so too is the end of verse 47—it tells us what God did more than what the church did.
    Acts 2:47 ESV
    praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

    Healthy churches generally have a positive reputation in their communities.

    Now, the obvious exception here is in areas of intense religious persecution.
    In fact, while the church at Jerusalem started off enjoying the favor of all the people, eventually the tides turned and they were driven away from Jerusalem by persecution.
    In our world today, there are many churches that are serving the Lord faithfully and being persecuted for it. That happens.
    But, there is still a general truth that—outside of areas of intense persecution—when a group of believers is filled with the love of God, they usually have a good reputation in the community.
    And the flipside is true as well. When a church develops a bad reputation in the community, especially in our area where we do not have religious persecution, it is usually not because they’re being persecuted but because they’ve become unwelcoming to outsiders, judgmental, hypocritical, and filled with division and fighting.
    And this is even more true when you’re talking about a church’s reputation amongst believers. A church that has a bad reputation in their community usually deserves it.
    And...

    Healthy churches generally experience numerical growth through conversions.

    Now, again, all the same caveats. We’re talking about how God worked in the early church and how he usually works; I’m not saying this is some kind of magical formula that if a church just does the right things they will automatically grow.
    But, they usually do. And, in our context, when a church is declining in numbers and not experiencing salvations and baptisms, it is usually a sign that the church is unhealthy.
    Why? Because Jesus commissioned us to make disciples. He promised to go before us as we obey him. We know that the Great Commission isn’t complete and that there are more disciples to be made because Jesus hasn’t yet returned.
    So, usually, churches that do not experience numerical growth through conversions are churches that have stopped trying to fulfill the Great Commission.
    I’ve seen this happen in several different churches. In fact, from personal experience, I can tell you that the churches I have seen decline and die have all—without exception—been churches where one or more of the above signs of health were not practiced.
    I remember being in a church that was large enough that it had an elevator in it, but only ran about 30 on Sunday mornings. This wasn’t a rural church, either, it was in the middle of a large metropolis. As an elderly lady showed me the church’s trophy case and relayed the glory days to me of the church softball team, I couldn’t help but notice all of the trophies and memorabilia were from the 50’s and 60’s. Then, nothing.
    I asked her “What happened?” She said, “Well, all of our kids grew up and moved away.” I said, “Well, that tends to happen in just about every church. But what did the church do to reach out to the community and bring in new people?”
    She thought for a moment, and the expression on her face said, “I never thought of that...” Finally, she said, “Well, nothing, I guess...But yeah, they all just moved away.”
    This was the same church where the preacher preached not from Scripture but from a illustration book. Doctrine and teaching had gone out the window. It was the same church that had absolutely no programs, events, or services designed to serve or reach people in their community.
    Churches that let their teaching and doctrine go by the wayside tend to die. Churches where the members are not devoted and where church membership is treated as unnecessary or meaningless tend to die. Churches that don’t fellowship and regularly celebrate and reflect on the gospel through Communion, that don’t pray, that aren’t generous—they die.
    Now, I want you to notice that I said “churches,” not “pastors.” Now, it’s true that churches where the pastor isn’t doing those things usually don’t do well, either. But, it takes the entire church working together.
    I need your help. I need you to be devoted. I need you to care about your teaching, Sunday School leaders, youth group leaders. To make every effort to study well and not just show up and fire from the hip and hope for the best. To make sure that your conversation in class is always going back to Scripture, not just funny stories and gossip. I need your presence in worship and Sunday School and Wednesday night—it’s not just me that needs it, it’s all of us. We need you to be here. We—your pastor, your deacons, your teachers—need to know that you care and you want to learn and grow.
    We need you to be devoted to your church. Not just a benchwarmer. We need more nursery workers, children’s church workers, sound booth techs, social media managers, teachers, and food preppers.
    We need your friendship and your fellowship, your prayers, your generosity. We need you to be on mission to make disciples, to share the gospel with your friends and family, to invite them to church. We need people who love worshipping and don’t care if they sing like a goat!
    And as we do all of these things together, I believe that God will bless our church with favor and with growth.
    So, I want to leave you with some practical ways that you can be a devoted member:
    Repent of casual Christianity and apathy.
    If you’re not a member, prayerfully consider joining.
    Come to the Discover Formosa meeting on ______.
    Come to church every time you’re physically able.
    If you’re not already serving, find a place to plug in.
    Pray for the church, its leaders, and pray over the prayer list.
    Invite people to your home, share a meal.
    Give as much as you’re able to give with a smile.
    Worship from the heart.
    Share the gospel with someone.
    Reflection Questions:
    What are the primary components that contributed to the health and growth of the early church according to Acts 2?
    What is expository preaching/teaching, and why is it important for a healthy church?
    In what ways can we practically devote ourselves to biblical teaching in our individual lives?
    What are some specific actions we can take to demonstrate our commitment to church membership?

      • Acts 2:42–47ESV

      • Acts 2:42ESV

      • Matthew 28:19–20ESV

      • Acts 2:42ESV

      • Acts 2:41ESV

      • Ephesians 5:25–27ESV

      • Acts 2:42ESV

      • Matthew 26:26ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:20–22ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–26ESV

      • Acts 2:46ESV

      • Acts 2:42ESV

      • Acts 1:14ESV

      • Acts 2:44–45ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 9:6–7ESV

      • 1 Timothy 6:17ESV

      • Matthew 6:19ESV

      • Matthew 6:20ESV

      • Matthew 6:21ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 9:7ESV

      • Acts 2:46–47ESV

      • Acts 2:43ESV

      • Acts 2:47ESV

      • Revelation 1:5–6ESV

Formosa Baptist Church
jason_hill@formosabaptist.com
https://www.formosabaptist.com/
5 members