Six Marks Of A Great Church

Before. Acts chapter 4. And where you at? We're going to start in verse 33. Act 433.

And we're going to look at the 56 places where the Lord uses the word, great as it concerns. A church. Ask for. Let me turn their myself. Acts 4 verse. 33.

And this is what the Bible says at 4:33. And with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace. Was upon them. All the Firstmark. Of a great church is that church has great power. Someone misfire already mentioned that. She said, Spirit-filled a church with great power. Now. I'm going to stop right there and talk about how I just want to say. It is a church is not does not operate. On human Ingenuity. Operate on our gifts and talents are wet or our wisdom. A great church will operate on Supernatural power. It is the power of the holy spirit. It's not all the marketing things that you can do. Although we will Market our church cuz I want people to know that our church exists, but that has nothing to do with the power in the church. It's not how eloquent I am in the Pulpit. I know I'm not but even if I was that has nothing to do with. It's not the stories that I tell or the joke that I tell it is a supernatural power that makes the church great. They ought to be something about new Grace Church.

That is Supernatural. And if it is, then we're on our way to being a great church. It's possible to have a great organization. You can have great mechanic, great planning, great talent, and still not be a great church. If the, if the power of the holy spirit is not upon the people in the church and the pastor, I would say, but remember on the day of Pentecost, we start here and Acts chapter for the day of Pentecost. Is the day that the Holy Spirit came and they had 120 preachers their preaching. And remember how many people were saved that day? 3,000 3,000 people were saved onto debt on the day of Pentecost. By 120 people preaching. Today it would take 12,000 people preaching to save five or six. It seems like and yet they did this in one day that most churches can't do any year. You see that there was a supernatural power. Listen to what act 18 says. You shall receive power after that. The Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me. That's what the Lord said. He said you will receive power. After that. The holy spirit will come upon you and you shall be Witnesses unto me. What Jesus Christ is on trial today, like, never before, and we are to be his witness and his witness needs to be filled with the holy spirit. So let me ask you something this morning. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you filled with it? Now? You say, wait a minute, when I was saved. I thought the Holy Spirit Come to live in my heart life. He did. So I have the Holy Spirit in me. Yes, you do. If your Christian the holy spirit is in you, but is he active in? You? Are you filled with his Spirit? Yes, look once wear it. When we are saved the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, but friends, we have to have this continual feeling of the spirit if we're going to be filled and to witness with power, like the Bible tells us here. So are you filled with the spirit? Is your pastor filled with the spirit? Well, I trust that I am but I don't want to ask. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? I don't want to ask. Are you a spirited person but does the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit rest upon your life. Do we have each has to answer that question? I'll show you verse hear Ephesians. 5:18. Look at this here. What the Bible says, and do not be drunk with wine and pitches dissipation. But be filled with the spirit. Now, let me give you very quickly. A very important rule grammar lesson here. I just want you to look at that. Last phrase, be filled with the spirit. Number one. That is an imperative verb, which means it's a command God is commanding us that we be filled with the spirit. Not only is that. Verbs in the present tense, which means it's ongoing are feeling needs to be on going every single day. When we get up out of bed. We ought to ask the Lord to film, fill us with his Spirit. We need that. You say, why? Because we Are, Holy vessels, We Are Holy to the Lord, but we also leaked, you know, that we leak sometimes, and sometimes it's easy to get away from the spirits on the morning, and we're just living our Christian Life and our own strength and our own power. This is a present, which says Not only are you feel with a spirit? Are you being filled daily with the spirit? That's what he's saying when he says, be filled with the spirit Nexus, a passive voice. What does that mean? Well for verbs in a passive, what does that mean? Well that the subject is not doing the action. He is being acted upon in other words. This is not something that you do. This is not something that you attached is something that God does in you and through you. And with you, it is his power that's doing it. It's not from your own effort. And then it says it isn't, it is plural and number. What does that mean? Means if you would read that, it would say y'all be filled with the spirit. He's talking to the whole church not telling just to the preacher. He's talking to the deacons. He's talkin to the choir. He's talking to John and Miss Ferrell and David Miss Elsie, and Peggy, and Ben, and Ron, and Myrna, and Kevin and Katie and Vicki and Jenny and Martha by lost. Anybody left out Skylar back there, Patsy. I don't want to leave in, he's talkin to all of us. It is pouring. All of us have to be filled with the spirit. We are to be witnesses to the Lord and friends. Let me say this, if our church, if all of us in here, we're filled with the spirit. We would turn this community upside down for Jesus. Yes, we do need to do that. But we all have to be filled with the spirit and we would be able to touch our world. You see, a great church has great power. You say, well preacher. I hope all everything that you have in mind. I hope that you can do it when though I can't do it. All of us has got to do it. It is all of us. We must do it. Together, me and women, boys, and girls. The first Mark of a great church is that church has great power. It's a Spirit-filled church number. The second Mark of a great church is great. Grace, not look at it again. And verse 33 with great power of the Apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great. Grace. There's that word again. Great grace was upon them all. Now, what is Grace in this contacts? We ever heard the little definition God's riches at Christ's expense. Well, that's kind of a little acrostic. Let me give you a theological definition of Grace. It's the desire. And the enabling ability for God's people to do the will of God. That's what Grace is you. We wouldn't even want to do. The will of God had God's grace not moved in our hearts. That's number one, and number two, even if we did desire to do, the will of God, we could not do the will of God apart from God's enabling Grace in our life. So God gives great grace. And the desire and the ability to do his will, let me give you another look definition of great. Grace. It is the loving Spirit of Jesus Christ in a person and in a church. You know, we out to be a Grace field Church. And his grace is Saving Grace. Yes, Living Grace, dying, Grace, praying, Grace, testifying Grace, witness, and Grace, loving grace, and giving Grace. It's all the grace of God. When, when we have visitors to come here, we out to be the most graceful and the friendliest Church, most loving shirts, that they have ever been too. If you ever been in a church, Where you just knew that the people didn't love each other? Yes, we've all been there. I've been to churches before, when I would get up and preach and when I would stand up and look out there, you could just see it on their face every one of them look like they had just been weaned off of dill pickle just by looking at their face. They just sour and you could just tell the spirit of God was not in that place. There's one little boy story is told he wanted to go to church with Mom and Daddy wouldn't take it. So, he went to a church to start a business and then he decided he should go to one. He won't buy one. Then another, then another, then another and finally ended up on the one at the end of town and all the townspeople. Say why you going to that church for you walk by five more he says because at that church there those people down there. Love you, and that's why that he went a great church, will be known for its love. Not as pettiness. It'll be known for its Grace, not if division, but it'll be known because it has great grace of God on its life is both the desire and the ability to do the will of God. And that's what we need. And Paul say, is here. Or Luke says here that a great church has great power and it has great grace. Let me give you a third Mark of a great church. Now if you have your Bibles open to Acts chapter 4, turn to ask after 5 because we're following the word great here and how the Lord is using it. Great power and great grace. Number three. The mark, third, Mark of a great church is great fear and I'll look at it in Acts chapter 5 verse 5. Now, you know, this story here and a nice and Sapphire. They had sold some land and there's going to give the money to the church. But they kept back some of the money. They didn't give all that. They said that was they were going to do. So. Look what happened in verse 5. Then ananas hearing these words fell down and breathed his last. In other words, he came to church to give his offering and he didn't give what he was supposed to have given and he was trying to kind of meander around and not do what he was going to do. And what did the Lord do he struck him dead right there? In the chart and look, it says so great that it is great. Fear Came Upon all, those who heard these things, you see ananias and Sapphira, pretended to have a Devotion to God, that they did not have, they were big Pretenders. They didn't attend contend for the faith. They pretended to have faith. And as a result, God struck them dead. When it when you think about this, wonder if everybody that come to church, let's say that they tied. And instead of giving 10%, they just gave one or 2% or just throw the $5 bill in the plate every week and wonder if God would strike us dead. Every time we did that. That would be nobody in the church. I wouldn't be here preaching. I mean so why would he do that? Because he was setting a pattern. God doesn't always strike people dead who are four tenders and hypocrite because we all play together sometime and we still we're still here. So he doesn't strike people dead like that all the time. But God does these things. If you look back in the Old Testament and New Testament killed, do these things as examples for us back when they were carrying the Ark of the Covenant and it started to fall off, fall off the wagon, their uses I run and the catch it. So it wouldn't fall on the ground and break. God struck him dead just like that cuz it Because it was said that you shall not touch the Ark of your Lord with your hands. People. Just trying to keep him from falling. God struck him. Dead. Just like that. It's four examples for us. God doesn't destroy. Every perverted City. Just look at all of our big city in the perversion if he not destroy that but he did destroy Sodom and Gomorrah didn't know why did he do that? The Bible says, in June, in June that he left them for an example to those after who should live. Ungodly God destroyed, Sodom and Gomorrah. So that those who would live like them after would see what he could do. If it was an example. He doesn't do it all the time. God doesn't destroy murmurs, and and gossips. But he sure destroy those who come out of Egypt that were gossiping. He's destroyed everyone. I'm quite 1st. Corinthians, 10:11 these things happen to them for examples to us. You see we need to have a holy and Reverend fear for who God is a reverend. We ought not to come in church and call God to man upstairs or the top dog where the big cheese and and just flippantly say his name. God is The God Who holds your very life in his hands and we need to reverence and respect God. And so God did something to ananias and Sapphira as an example to the rest of us. And was the bible say that it struck fear great fear into the church and I think one of the things missing from churches today, Is the fear of God, you cannot have a great church, if there's no fear of the Lord? Because when there's no fear, the lord, you have people that say, well, we are not here for God. We are here for ourselves. Just like I played on the video here, a few weeks ago. You're not doing it for God. You're doing it for yourself. There's no fear of God in that statement. Not at all. That we're not talkin about shaking in your boots. We're talkin about, reverence for almighty God. The Bible says, the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is in lightning to the eyes. God secret is with those who fear Him. A healthy reverence respect for God. Now when we go out and we witness and there's lost people.

We ought to as much as we can to try to accommodate ourselves to those people. I'm not going to stand here. If there was a church full of lost people. I wouldn't stand here today and and teach them about God's Redemption and propitiation and use all these big theological words that they would have no clue what I was talking about. Cuz I spend my whole time, it's like you have to make it simple for people. So sometimes you have to accommodate yourself to people but in no way, will we ever trim the message of the Gospel here? It's going to be, it's going to be the pure gospel. We're not going to try to out worldly the world. We're not going to have things here. Just so it looks like the world so that the world would come. No, we'll go out and we'll, date to them and will love them and will show Grace and will show love, but when they come into the church, we will love them, but we're not going to trim the message. The message of the Gospel is the same and I think many churches have trimmed their message and they lost the main attraction of the church in the main attraction is the Lord Jesus. Not some worldly way or worldly music or something like that. And when the world looks at churches like that, they lose respect for the church. Everybody in this community is going to come to this church. Not everybody in this community is going to like this church, but I will do want them to respect our church. I want them to respect it. I want them to say with those people over there believe this, and they do that. But, you know something, I don't agree with them, but they sure agree with it. They will stand for something. That's what I want people to say. I want people to respect our church. There will be a fear and a reverence for God of refusal to trim. The message of refusal to compromise with send a great fear. So what we have so far great church great power. Great grace and great fear. Well, if you'll turn to ask chapter 1 or chapter 8, You'll see the next time. The Lord uses the word, great. And number four is sometimes, they'll be great persecution. Now look at it and acts 8:1. Now saw was consenting to his death, is to talk about when they were stoning. Stephen. This is before Paul was saved on the Damascus Road. His name was saw so he was standing there as they were stoning. Stephen and he was holding, everybody's coats and all and he was going right along with it because he was a persecutor of the church. And I look what it says. Nice all was consenting to his death at that time, a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea Samaria, except the apostles. So you see here, great churches sometimes will be greatly persecuted by friends if we go along to get along, and if we want to rub shoulders with the world and never preached against sin, then we'll never be persecuted. But if we do it in, if I preach the way off the breach and we live the way we ought to, And we witness the way we all to witness. There's going to be some people in the community that don't like us. They don't like our message. They don't like the way that we do things don't be amazed if everybody doesn't love a new testament church because a true New Testament Church is going to have opposition's the early Christians. They didn't go out into the world, to enjoy the world. They went to change the world and friends. We have a faith. That a jail cell can't lock up a sword. Can't kill water. Can't drown in death. Can't destroy. That's our fate. And we're going to be head-on with the powers of be, we're not going to be right in the middle of the road. Know, we going to be in our lane and we don't have to be afraid of persecution. And we're not going to go out and try to bait people to persecute us. We don't have this martyr complex that says, well, if I don't go out and hate it and be killed for Christ. I'm not doing what he wants to do know, we don't have that complex, but we just don't have to get along with everybody. If you know what I'm saying. Great persecution. Number 5.

Another word where great is used, is a great church. A mark of a great church is great. Joy, that look how the Bible says it in verses 6 through 8 of the same chapter. Chapter 8 and the multitude with one Accord. When I used to read that when it said one, I thought they all drive Honda Accords. All the multitude had one Accord. All right, he did the thing spoken by Philip hearing and seeing the Miracles, which he did not. Watch this for unclean spirits crying with a loud voice, paint out of many who were possessed and many who were paralyzed in Lane were healed. These men were performing, Miracles, Supernatural things were happening. And look what it says in verse 8 and there was what great joy. Great joy, which of course is great. Joy. When the Seeker healed in the lane or able to walk? One thing about a church that makes a church, great is a church, should be a joyful place to come. We don't want to look like that. We were weaned on dill pickles. We need to have joy in the church. And that means that everything that we do. It doesn't have to be somber. There's a time to be somber in church. There's a time to be quiet and reflective and prayerful but there's also a time to laugh and there's a time to be. Joyful. I can remember when I baptized Jacob and Craig I did that in my home church. And I member I baptized them and dumped them in the water and brought them out and looked at everybody. Everybody. And if some of them look like they wanted to class, but they wouldn't because they thought was not right to clap in church and I told him, I said, you can clap. I think this is a joyous time right here. Somebody gets paid and someone get baptized, we ought to celebrate those moments. That's what we ought to do is. Okay, the Clapping to laugh and have fun in church. It's good to show emotion in church because we're happy about the supernatural things that God is doing as listen to a preacher preach the other night. And he said, about 20 years ago. He was preaching in this big old boy. He been witness into him for about a year. He said after the service he got up out of his chair. He said he's just a big rambunctious more about six-foot-five, big fella and said he come walking down the aisle. I said, he had tears coming down his cheeks and he said, his mama was right behind him, dancing and praising, the Lord, and waving her hand in the air and all like that. You see, that's what we Want to see the joy of the Lord. This is not real cheerleader. Enthusiasm friend. This is what happens when God moves in and Satan moves out. That's what happens. There's Joey and the church. So, I'm in favor of laughter. I like, happiness. We ought to have ice cream suppers in potlucks and things like that. We don't always have to be quiet, but there's some people say, well, I like reverence, but friend is no contradiction between rabbits and laughter or reverence. Enjoy. You can have both. I love when I come out from the back while ago is about 11, Pat and David was up here and you can just hear people talk and just chattering that was fine. You don't have to sit down and talk and enjoy each other Fellowship. You showing love and you showing Grace, that's not the all those things are good. When you feel with the joy of the Lord, in the happiness of the Lord, at all to show. It's what I'm saying, and I tell you, one of the worst things I can never have. Let me tell you something. How you can tell if a church is a great church, two things. If you drive up and get here, early and park right out here in the back. And you want everybody walk-in. If everybody walks in, and they do not have a Bible in their hand, number one, you know, that the Bible the word of God is not a priority in that church. you know that and let me tell you the second thing, you know, when the last amen and said, If everybody turns and walks out and disappears in 2 minutes, there's something wrong with that church. Because people off to be in group stalking and smiling and hugging and laughing, they ought to be great joy in a church. And when the parking lot this clears in a matter of minutes, there's something wrong at that church. When people have joy, they want to stick around. They want to fail us yet. They want to laugh. They want to hug a great church, has great joy, there's a 10-3 rule is called that churches should follow and that is when the last amen and said, if you have visitors, you all to spend 10 minutes, speaking with three people that you haven't spoke to you after church. That's the 10 three rules. And I think that's a good rule. Well one more and we'll finish what makes a great church sick. Smarts of a great church. What we said power That's Spirit-filled people, Grace loving, people fear healthy, reverent, respect for God, persecution, not going out, trying to get persecution, but just understand, everyone's not going to like you, and that's okay. And then, great joy, good Fellowship. Loving people number one. Number six. A great church has great evangelist. So turn to ask after 11, just about 33 chapters. Over Acts chapter 11. And this is the last time that the Lord uses the word great here in act and look at it in verse 21. Talking about the church and the Hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed and turn to the Lord. Great evangelism. People play with only thing. Preachers are interested in is numbers. Who cares about numbers will? Let me tell you, who cares about numbers. God cares about numbers. Because he tells us in Acts at Pentecost, how many people were saved 3000. He could have said, a bunch. If you could fit a whole passel of them, a whole school of them were saying, no, you didn't. He said, 3000, how many days did it? Take? God create the earth and the heavens and all how many day, how do you know that the Bible says that? In the Bible, tells us how many, how many days did it rain day and night on Noah's Ark? How do we know it was 40? The Bible tells us, God is interested in numbers. He loves numbers because he wrote them down here. Now. We're just not counting numbers, but we do want to make numbers count and a church that is not seeking. The Lost is a church. That is lost itself. What did Jesus say in Matthew 4:19. He said, follow me. And I'll make you Fishers of what men. If you follow Jesus. You'll be Fishers of Men. If you're not fishing for men, that means you're not following who you're not following Jesus. In other words, if you're not witnessing trying to bring people to Christ.

You're out of the will of God. Because you're not following, you think about that. I think about all the months and years that I've gone by that, I haven't witnessed anybody set our home study, never around people. Don't witness anybody not right with God. When I do that. That's that's not right. If you are a follower follow me and I'll make you Fishers of Men. If we're not fishing. We're not following. So you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out and I watch this when you catch fish.

When you catch fish, when John goes fishing and he catches a fish, you know what he's doing. He's bringing the fish out of a beautiful life. And he's bringing them into a frying pan. When you go out and fish for men, you're bringing them out of the frying pan and put them into a beautiful life. Amen. That's what the Bible is saying how wonderful it is to be Fishers of Men to bring souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I'm finished. But I just want to leave you with this this morning. 6 marks of a great church, not these aren't what I say, although I agree with him, then come for me. If everyone, I was in the word of God. We say any use the word great. Great power of church will be Spirit-filled. Great. Grace Church will be a loving Place. Great fear, a healthy, Reverend respect for God. Great persecution. Everybody's not going to like us. That's okay. Great. Joy fellowship and loving each other smiles and laughter and great evangelism, going out and being Fishers of Men. So I want to give you a challenge this morning. And here it is. I want to give you this morning a 90 Day prayer challenge. And I want you to pray this prayer. Everyday, at least once. For the next 90 days, you cycle, what? Kind of a long prayer. It's about five or ten words. This is what I want you to pray for the next 90 days. Lord. Give me your heart for lost people. That's all you had to say. Say it everyday and mean it. And meaning, if you want to say it a different way, Lord. Give me your heart that you had for none of them. I'm tired of having Jonah's heart. Play it that way, every any anyway, you want. Say Lord. Give me your heart for lost people. And here's how you can start thinking about it. When you in your car. When you pull up to a stop light, start praying for that. The people that you see, in the cars Beside You Lord? Help help those people come to Christ, Use Me, Lord to bring them to Christ. And if you want, use me, use my church. When you're in line at Food Lion and you see all those people there in the people at the cash, register start praying for him. Since Lord. I pray that each one of these people here that you would touch their heart, and that you would save them. You would give me an opportunity to speak to them. If not made my church, go out and speak to them and witness to them and bring them to Christ. When you're in the line at the bank, wherever you are you in drive-through at Bojangles, you pray for the people in front of you. Behind you and all the workers that you see when you had them your card, you pray the Lord. I pray that you would do something in their heart when you standing at the pharmacy getting medicine. Pray for all them back there, in the back that's working all of them. And ask the Lord to open a door of opportunity for you to share the gospel with friends list. We treasure. what we think about, Whatever you think about a lot. That's your treasure and I want to ask you. Does great power. Great, great, great fear, great persecution, great joy, great evangelism. That's great for a great church, but it's also would be great for a great Christian. Wouldn't it? Does the six things here, vibrate in your heart this morning? If it does, you're on your way to be a great Christian. And we are on our way to being a great church. Amen. Let us pray. Father. We do. Thank you and praise. You and love you today. Lord, or we thank you for this passage. And when the church first started, Lord that we can learn so much from this first century Church. Lord, I pray for our church that we would be at church. That is filled. With the holy spirit that the members here are filled with the holy spirit that we would be at church with great power. That we will be at church of great grace. Or we know that. We're just Beggars like everyone else telling everyone else where they can find bread. Or maybe we be at church of great fear, that we will have a healthy reverence and respect for you and your word. We may even have to deal with persecution, but that's okay. We're not out. Trying to be liked by everyone but we want to love everyone. May we be a church of great joy that church that likes the fellowship and truly love being around each other. And may we be at church. This said that isn't evangelizing church. That church there is full of people who are Fishers of Men pulling them out of the frying pan and bring them in to life. Eternal Force Christ name, I do pray. Amen. All right.