The First Church of Acts II : God's plan revealed

All Bible verses quoted are from NIV, if not otherwise mentioned

Church as a Community

What is a Community?

A “Community” may be defined provisionally as a social collectivity bound by a common identity, values, and norms

Kibbutz

The modern Jewish Kibbutz share many similarities with the first Christian Church.

Knowing the modern Kibbutz will be helpful to understand the first Church.

A kibbutz (Hebrew: קִבּוּץ / קיבוץ, lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural kibbutzim) is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture.

Kingdom Ruined

 The Mission of Jesus

Have you ever thought about answering the question: “What did really Jesus do when He came to the world?”

If I ask you the question right at your face, you would answer in a single sentence: “Jesus died for me”.

That is true. It was His mission on Earth.

But my question still remains answered, because you have answered only one part of the answer.

The answer to my question has two parts.

1.    Jesus fulfilled His mission as atonement for the sins of all human beings from Adam to the last person who will live on this earth.

This is a legal covenant which has to be executed between God and Man on individual basis of faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Kingdom Partners Invited

What are Earth and Heaven?

What is earth?

Earth is an extension or a province of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Heaven is the place where God and His angel live. Heaven is the abode of God.

Earth was created for man, as an extension of the Heavenly Kingdom.

It is a province of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Psalm 115:16  The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. (NIV)

You are Unique with a Unique Mission

All Bible verses are from NIV if not otherwise mentioned.

Matthew 10:29-31

29  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.

30  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Here is a sermon against fear.

He encourages them not to fear by two striking considerations:

1.      God took care of sparrows, the smallest and least valuable birds

2.      God numbered even the very hairs of the head.

God has concerns about even the least living thing in this world.

GOD’S GRACE

Genesis 6:8-10

8    But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

9    This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

10  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Noah lived a righteous life and walked with God because he ‘found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’

Grace - meaning

The word “grace” appears for the first time in the Bible in this verse.

"Grace" is the English translation of the Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune."

The Old Testament use of the word (Hebrew word חֵ֖ן (ẖen) as found in Genesis 6:8) includes the concept that those showing favor do gracious deeds, or acts of grace, such as being kind to the poor and showing generosity.

Grace is not a commodity or a substance. It is an action of God; therefore, it has a result.