18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

my needs get met, I help you grow by teaching, loving, serving, befriending.
   - When you do all of these things, your growth is a byproduct

somehow the church in America has become all about me; serve me, love me, accept me, worship me, feed me
   it’s the selfish culture of the world seeping it’s way in. Our culture is all about me.

   Acts 2:40
   40He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, "Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!"

we have to change our way of thinking – Us is all of us, in and out of the church – there is no us and them

   Acts 2:39    39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

      the message is for all of US

41-42That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

how do we love God?
four things…


committed to four things:


1. they went to church – they listened, they allowed themselves to be led
2. they lived life together
3. they shared the meals – this was common bread, not communion
4. prayers – they lifted one another up

We are creating a community that cares…
most of you come from very different backgrounds – you
probably don’t know it yet, because you haven’t had small group
exposure yet, or haven’t stepped out of your box and got to
know others
DIFFERENCES
socioeconomic backgrounds
white collar / blue collar
churched / unchurched
single / married
age brackets

these people understood the idea of family/community

Acts 2:43-45
43-45Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.

wonderful harmony
unity – 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Harmony – “homophron” – harmonious, being of one mind

Acts 2:46-47a 46-47They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God.

1 Peter 4:9-10
9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

the things that we’re good at are given to us to serve one another – it’s not just about selling stuff and giving stuff, it’s about meeting needs by giving of ourselves

finally – we have to share – get out there and do the work, get the word out
MISSION STATEMENT:
Love god, Build Community, Serve Humanity

Acts 2:47b
People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

ours is to plant seeds, to invite, to get the word out – the rest is up to God – He adds, He reaps the harvest

Acts 16:5
4As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

the people and the number of churches – because you and I, people are the church
God cares about numbers because he cares about people!!