Good Soil in the Early Church

Good Soil in the Early Church

The church was growing, right? In that day there was a responsiveness to the preaching of the word and we see that body believers. Certainly we see the epinecost, we see the response, the saving of souls, adding of those souls to the church and then they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. I alluded to that this morning and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. I believe in the Sunday school hour I referred to that verse right there.

Verse 43 and fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles and all that believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men. Every man had need and they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

There's certainly more characteristics about this early church than we simply read in these verses we read things like even when they were threatened the apostles would say we ought to obey God rather than men. We're not kind of like the three children in Babylon said we're not careful to answer the matter King. We're going to serve God. We're going to do what's right in God's sight. They were testifying with boldness. They were testifying with boldness. And when they were cast in prison when they were brought before councils they cried out to God strengthen us again so we can do this again so that we can embolden your servants and power us to make the stand that we need to take to have the spiritual courage to speak the truth, to do what's right even if it's not well accepted of course it wasn't well accepted by the religious leaders of their day but yet we see that there were souls that did respond well to that.

You know it's often said that the blood of the martyrs is the seat of the church. The more Christians are persecuted and even die for their faith. It's almost as if spiritually speaking their blood is fertilizing the ground almost. It's as that happens it God really begins to move in hearts and even more were saved as we see the church going on.

When we see the spirit of that church it was not an organization in that day. It was not a man-centered organization. It was a God-honoring organism we might call it. It's a church but it was alive. We see that we see there was a responsiveness and a responsibility and answer and being answerable to the head the Lord Jesus Christ. We see sincerity, we see clear conscience, we see Holy Spirit empowerment. We see unity and fellowship. We see boldness not in and of themselves these same people were puny before Pentecost but we see an emboldening of hearts to do what is right in the sight of God and to encourage one another and to build up one another and to edify the early church.

I think about that church but I think about our lives and as we saw this morning the key is my heart right with God. If my heart is right with God then and only then can I be used by Him. Then and only then can I be the brother in Christ, the pastor, the father, the husband. Then and only then can I do those things which are pleasing in His sight but the ground has got to be right. Like I said earlier in our garden if the ground is not right you can just kiss it goodbye as far as any meaningful fruit coming forth from those plants.

So it's the same plants I planted in that one area that I tried them in. I really didn't spend much time amending the soil just a little bit and I just I had to hurry up and throw them in the ground and I really wasn't expecting much and I didn't get and we're not getting much from those particular plants. It's okay but compared that to plants that are 10 feet that way that are growing Lydia has got some plants. Lydia has got some tomato plants that are producing very well. Well they're actually those aren't actually in the ground aren't they Lydia they're in a container but they're doing very well because of the type of soil this in.

We think about the early church and what is a church? A church is a body of born again believers right? It's a body of believers and we all have our soil. You know the thing is we saw this morning good ground is having heard the word in a good and honest heart toward God having heard that word we keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

Now we're members one of another aren't we? We're members one of another the same spiritual body and so as members one of another we don't live unto ourselves. We certainly are to live unto the Lord but we live well we are to minister one to another in the variety of different ways. So as we think on that if we as we look at the early church we see a picture here of I believe people with good soil people individuals that had good hearts toward God and it was not really until I'm not saying that there were no issues at all but generally speaking there there was a unity we see there was Holy Spirit empowerment here we see that there was not any mention of lying to the Holy Ghost in a not a good and honest heart until we got to an anisles of iron that was the exception to the rule when that came along and it was a problem and it caused problems but it was dealt with by the Lord obviously made an example of that situation but that was the opposite of a good and honest heart bringing forth fruit right it was a instead why have you died to the Holy Ghost was the question that Peter asked well as we see this church here what do we we read we read as we look at this church we certainly do see that it says there in verse 42 they continue steadfastly they continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking and in breaking of bread and prayers oh there was a there was a fervency among them wasn't there fervently serving the Lord they were they were they were serious about this they were not heaping themselves teachers having itching ears no they were they said priest the word brother we want to hear more of it they were hungry for the word of God we want to hear what the word of God has to say we want to hear what the teaching their apostles doctrine is and that fed their worship and their times together and then we see that fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles they were all all the belief were together and all had all things common there was a unity a purity and a unity among the believers they had one heart mind to please the Lord we see here a church not a church there's hanging on by a thread we don't see here a church that is barely surviving we see a church and is thriving spiritually and there is a wonderful example here for us there there is this this is not an accident this is not a well it just fluke you know no this is I believe the Lord gives us the details about this so we can look at the heart that they had and say even though we may not have the certain same circumstances they had we can have the same heart to a God and the same health spiritually we talk about we need healthy soil in our own hearts before God so you know Spirit physically speaking if you're talking about physical health you need healthy people to take care of people that are are are safe what about people coming into the church what about people getting saved they're coming from a background where they need they need spiritual examples don't they think about these young people they need spiritual examples you know what oh Lord even one of old and grayheaded forsake me not until I have shown die strength to die power to this or the die strength of this generation and I power to everyone that is to come I want you know I want to see another generation of Christians coming along in this church well my my soil my heart and how I live with God and how I respond to God is going to have directly on indirectly the impact upon all those that are coming along they're they're watching they're hearing they're seeing they're learning they're imitating they're they're coming they're being burped and bottled on these things by the example that they they see we have things given to us like the agent men the sober the the agent women you know teaching the younger women good things and all of this all those examples the the bishop the pastor is to be is certainly to be the husband of one wife he's to be grave you know he's to be sober all of these things you know he's not to not to say one thing in the poor pit in this set of terrible example or he's got to have rule of his own household and all of these there's to be this example right because our actions speak maybe I don't know 10 times louder than our words don't they our actions speak more loudly sometimes I've heard the statement said that your actions are speaking so loudly I can't hear what you're saying I can't hear your words because what your actions are showing are different well we see here that this church this early church wonder the things they did look back in Acts 1 verse 14 as they continued in prayer together in prayer Acts chapter 1 verse 14 they continued these all continued with one accord in prayer they were all looking to God for the same thing Lord there's none of us that are so special we don't need to bring there's none of us that are so and so arrived that we that we are not in need before you we're all in need we're all needing your grace needing your your out the blessing of your spirit and and here they continue to one accord with in prayer and supplication with the women and married the mother of Jesus and with brethren well we just read over in our text as well that they continued among other things in verse 42 they continued in prayers and that what we read continued in prayers and we notice that the blessing of God was upon that the blessing of God was upon them they continued in prayers well they continued steadfast steadfastly is the word there that means in a fixed way steady steady not often on often on often on they were this was this was their continued habit their continued practice let's pray in other words prayer was not their last resort prayer was their first resort I think that was both private and public they prayed about everything you know when we don't pray about everything we tend to do the wrong thing going we tend to say the wrong thing we tend to think the wrong thing we tend to do the wrong thing but we don't pray are you got your room this morning did you think to pray as the song says it was their continual resort they pray for wisdom they pray for power as already mentioned remember how they prayed for power Lord behold their fretings and give them to your servant step you know that we need to do the right thing they prayed they prayed about the selection of deacons didn't they in Acts chapter 6 they prayed over that they prayed even the leadership was a praying leadership they would they dedicated themselves to the ministry the teaching of the word and to prayer we see that they prayed for their persecutors to be saved Stephen prayed for his persecutors in Acts chapter 7 one of those early men in the church they prayed for miracles and seemingly impossible situations they prayed about everything that's what we need to that's a healthy that's healthy soil that's healthy that's a healthy spirit in the church then we saw also in our text that they not only continue to step asly in prayer but they continue to step asly in doctrine right in the apostles doctrine what is doctrine again it's teaching it's healthy sound doctrine is healthy doctrine you cannot be spiritually grounded instead fast if you're not eating good food right it's a spiritual food if you're eating well physically speaking if you eat you know feet McDonald's every day of the week three days of three three meals a day you're not gonna be physically healthy are you well the same thing spiritually speaking we have to good good things we have to feed on God's Word make for you know feed on feed on God's Word but we noticed that there's there's some that I know this is not the only place for fed in fact it must not be the predominant place for fed we need to be feeding on God's Word daily but we come together to feed on and study God's Word together and then you know go out and study it and feed on it on our own there's sometimes where people can't be here I just I'm gonna miss being in church I'm sorry we're good you know we need to go here we need to go there I'm sick or that that's wonderful you know that we all have places to go and things to do but is there something in our in our hearts where we just miss you know miss being in God's house and being in God's Word together that's you know and yet there's others that may never may never say well I really miss being in the worst house right I didn't you know maybe I guess what I'm thinking is a master tonight and I just think there's some that that really it seems like I wanted to be there you know kind of thing versus well they can believe it's more of a deal you know there's a difference isn't there if you if you were not I'm thinking about tonight Lydia Lydia was sick when my birthday and my dad's birthday was and there were tears rolling down her eyes down her cheeks she wanted to be there to enjoy that time together and you could tell them she really wanted it and she missed it I'm not saying that you should come balling because you miss church necessarily but there needs to be you know when we had COVID and we had to meet in the park a lot I remember Brother George said when we got back in the church he says it is good to be in the house of the Lord I missed being in here it was just good to be back in the house of the park a lot that was fine but this is better I would be together with guys people I don't I don't want to miss out on this thank the Lord for that and the Lord is the one that puts that hunger in our hearts for God's word he puts that desire sister peed shared a story that she read some a little illustration she read a while back where there's an order lady walking with a cane and she somehow seemed to kind of be steadfast and and regular coming to church even though she had all our aches and pains and all those kinds of things and somebody asked her how do you how do you keep how do you keep coming to church even in your age and she said my heart gets there first my heart gets there first I want to be there as her pea caught often said people do basically what they want to do do we want God's word do we want to feed on his word that's that's a good sign of a healthy church prayers the foundation we got to continue in prayer hunger after God's word Lord give us wisdom teach us make us wise and then Lord help us now to to go out in the week and put it into practice help us to put it in the practice on the job as a husband's wife father mother daughter son employee help help us Lord we're we're trusting that you're going to give us the wisdom and the strength to do these things that we're studying but put it in the real life people are watching us people are watching us see did it's even really believe that as he just going for performance you know dresses all up he looks nice she looks pretty they go to church they do their thing are they any different what was there something different about them they should be right there should be because the our lives should have born the doctrine of grace right our lives we should show forth the praises of the one who's called it as the call to set it darkness into his marvelous light and if and when we sin or fail to do those things even if it's an unbeliever if we've done something wrong to them let's make it right how many people are going to humble themselves and ask for forgiveness now it's not many i can tell you that people it's kind of a dog eat dog world but we need to do what's right and got sight people need to look at us and say that man has conscious that woman that woman is is guided by something other than you know selfish desires and in her life and what she does there's a difference about them what's the difference well the early church the early church was was one of prayer and one of hunger for God's word they were continuing steadfastly in the apostles doctrine we want to learn more we want to learn more we want we have a hunger and that was it was a church that ministers we said they had all things in common they ministered one to another didn't they they weren't just about well what can the church do for me you know what what can the church do for me what's in it for me you know they didn't you church is a babysit and service they didn't you church is a a slush fund or you know something they didn't view they didn't view the churches uh you know a soup kitchen mural they thought how can we minister to others i see somebody ever here that has need and i have something i'm gonna help them out because of what the word's done for me say me for the life of sin call me into a newness of life and i get the opportunity to be part of this family and i will live for you and so we see like uh like James would say look in James chapter two James chapter two verse 15 that that tells us there and verse he tells us in verse 15 James two verse 15 he says if a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food that's pretty bad they'll have any clothes and nothing to eat um i don't think any of us have that problem here i think we're all you know we at least get the groceries in the clothing cover here but if someone is that we're off and one of you say unto them departed peace the be warmed and filled not what's standing you give them not those things which are needful to the body what does it profit why did you even waste your breath either even so faith if it have not works is dead being alone how can you say be warmed and filled but you have the means to give them something and you didn't do it well we don't see that happening in the early church we see quite the opposite happening they said it was more of this attitude of i just want to serve the Lord and i want to i want to please him with a good and honest heart i want to keep the heart that we've been learning the apostles doctrine and all those brothers so and so here's someone over here that has a need and i have the help them i want to do that i you know it's a difference between having to be told to do something what good is it if you have to be told to do something or wanting to do it right i know i i probably worn some of these illustrations out every time but my parents telling me when i was a child all right you know what you ought to do this you ought to do this and yet the hope is that one day you'll come to just do it without us telling you you just know you this is something that i should do this i want to do this i want to do it because it's the right thing and so that's the difference faith that works by love that operates by love right so the early church ministered one to another they were the same mind one toward another they did unto others as they would that others should do unto them what a wonderful concept that we've heard in god's word it's that one of the greatest commandments to love the whole by god with all our heart so mind strength and love your neighbor yourself do you want to others do to your neighbor like you would want your neighbor to do to you want your neighbor to lie to you no you don't want your neighbor to lie to you then don't lie to your neighbor well because well because the Lord has told you to as well and you love him because he first love you but don't lie to your neighbor doing to others as you would they should do unto you do you want others to speak kindly and graciously to you and minister grace with their words to you ought to minister grace in your words to them as unto the Lord James will say that we ought to confess James 5 16 here he says confess your false one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man available as much you know the little song that you'll really learned be kind to one another be tender heart and two for giving one another as gods forgiven you well Jesus 432 be kind one to another tender heart forgiving one another and then say hold out as long as you can and wait to see if somebody else is gonna forgive no forgive as Christ has forgiven you as Christ has forgiven you be merciful as your father is merciful we're to have all loneliness and meekness of heart and mind for bearing one another in love as the scripture tells us where to use hospitality one to another they had all things come they had all things common in that that just means that they did not view them merely as their own but that they were stewards of the of the time the talents the treasures that God is in part of to each of them and that I am a manager a steward of these things so long as God shall give me breath and I want to use them in a way that will will edify will help that I can I can minister these things to others now we see also that early church going back to our text in Acts chapter 2 here it's as they were doing these things as they were continuing in this unity one accord the temple breaking bread from house to house they were there in the temple court worshiping the Lord salomon's porch they did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favor with all the people that terminology reminds me of Daniel and Babylon God gave him favor with the with the princes with the king with all those in the court there that he came in contact with God he he had favor with them guide granted him that these men these folks in this early church it says that they were having favor with all the people and as they were they had this good ground and they were they were praying feeding on studying continuing steadfastly in the word of God and as they were ministering one to another with love in their hearts for their God and for each other doing one to another as they would have others do for themselves we see that that and they were having favor with all the people in the world was adding to the church because can we just say because the soul of individual hearts is right the soul of the church was right and there was a fullfulness there was a blessedness here there was a a good kind of contagious contagion if you will of this the spirit of God working in their midst there was a joy there was a content that there in that early church they were praising God having favor with all people and the Lord was adding added to the church daily on a regular basis such as should be saved now I think of the I think of what we've been looking at in first-ess salonians chapter five and I think about that church there remember how much persecution they faced when they received the word they received it as it is in truth the word of God not men they received it well and because they received that word and they got rid of their idols and things like that they put them in the fire wasn't and they got rid of those things they received the word in with joy but with much affliction too because there were others there were not happy that there was this change that happened and because of that that affliction that came as that came to them because of their newfound faith we would think naturally well you know what do we read this morning the seed that was sown on that rocky soil that rocky ground with just a little bit of soil had no root in it just withered away when tribulation came right no that's not what happened with these sess salonians it was good ground here they received the word not as the word of men but as the word of God God is spoken to us through this messenger and we recognize it this is God notice in first salonians chapter one turn there with me first salonians chapter one verse number eight verse salonians chapter one verse number eight it says and for for from you from you the salonians from your church from your you as a body of believers there in the salonica sounded out from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only a Macedonia and a cayenne the whole area of what is modern day Greece now but also in every place your faith to God we're spread abroad so that we need not speak anything you know we've been doing a little farm stand in our front yard for a few well we did it in the spring and then we've been doing it for a few weeks with the produce now and we said you know there's a lot of ways the word can spread about this but word of mouth is the best thing and the word of mouth was spreading quickly about gospel the good news but best news of what the word can do to change hearts and lives and we see that as even though they were being persecuted their faith was fervent their faith was obvious to all that they had turned from idols to serve the living and true God and then it says here for they themselves show us what manner of entering in we had unto you they the word is spread quickly how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come they they experienced and this exhibited joy in the midst of trials that they turned from the world and idols to serve the living and true God and they the Thessalonians continued like the early church did steadfastly in in the word they continue steadfastly and their testimony and people could look at their lives and see God had made a wonderful change in them there was a difference there was a difference in the way they lived the way they lived together there was a difference in their lives they demonstrated they demonstrated as a body of believers that the Lord can do a 180 degrees in your life he can turn your life around and it also says that they were motivated here in verse number nine in we just just read it there in verse thessalonians chapter one verse number nine I heard turned away from it but in verse nine we just read that they let me get the words in front of me again here in verse number nine I'm sorry verse number ten and that they had turned not only from God to God from idols to serve the living and true God but they were waiting for His Son from heaven they were waiting for His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come they were looking forward to they believe the work would come back they believe the Lord was coming back and He still is but they were looking forward to that we're told a lot of things aren't we in light John tells us about the coming of Christ and says every man to have this hope in Him purify it Himself even as He is pure you know as children I remember the thought coming to my mind for a number of times as a child dad's coming home we better make you know sometimes mom would have to correct us over something and then she would put the correction device up there on the top of the refrigerator so dad would see it when he came home he know to ask us what have y'all done but we want to meet the world with joy don't we we don't want to meet him with with fear but at the same time there was that there was that consciousness we're gonna we're gonna stand before the Lord one day this is a joy of the thought we'll be with the Lord there's also that we're gonna stand before the judge behold the judge stand this before the door don't judge against one another brethren the Lord could come back at any time we do not want to be found we do not want to be found fighting against another devouring and biting and devouring one another we've been able to meet the Lord with joy when He comes back that's the spirit of the early church we we want to be as Hebrews 1025 is how many times if we said it let's not forsake the assembling of ourselves together but as the manner of some is but more more as we see the approaching let's every opportunity we can let's let's be together and I'm preaching to the choir here tonight literally having you know y'all are here basically every time the doors are open but but what a blessing it is to get together and to come together in blessing as God's God's people we want to speak one to another and come from one another as we said this morning in the Sunday school hour the word is coming back where for comfort one another with these words the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout you know the voice of the archangel the trump of God he showed us him will be caught up together and meet the Lord in the air then Christ will rise first comfort one another with these words when we come together let's encourage one another as bad as this world gets the Lord is coming back the Lord is coming back there's never a day so dry there's never a night so long but the heart that is trusting Jesus shall somewhere find a song wonderful wonderful Jesus and the heart he implanted a song oh there's so much to praise the Lord for even though we're living in a world full of welcome the devil's walking about as a roaring lion seeking who he ate it out he wants to get give him a crack in the door he'll bust it wide open and come in and just put so many so many discouraging thoughts in your mind and fill you with despair we are a flock or a flock of sheep and as a flock of sheep well we number one they follow individually in our heart here the word of shepherd and follow him right my sheep here my voice and they follow me I give him to them eternal life no man shall poke them out of my father's hand no man will poke them out of my hand follow the Lord but as we follow the Lord we stay together we we go together as a flock and you know the easiest way for the easiest way frankly for the devil for the the roaring lion or the wolf or whatever to to pick off the vulnerable sheep is for him to get away from the fold isn't it to get away it's not any power in you or me but it's it's God's plan right his plan is for the church to continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine breaking of bread and prayers looking for the Lord breaking up our redemption draw at night exhorting one another comforting edifying one another we tend not to realize what we're missing out on not so much from brother Daniel or you know brother and dear his sister Brenda what are blessing it is to fellowship together I'm just saying we follow the Lord's plans and do and keep her and have the right kind of soil towards him we can come together as a body of believers in blessing and the Lord it's not just not just for ourselves but also now to to minister to others and the Lord the Lord you know by this shall all your mind disciples if you have love one to another and may that be true of this church may we may we see that if we are to if we are to be a healthy prospering spiritually prospering church I'm not talking about merely numerically I would like to see the Lord add to this church but if we're to be the healthy church the world would have to be we've got to individually have the right kind of soil and we've got to follow the Lord's pattern and the Lord's plan that he's given to us we can't improve on his plan we can we can obey his plan we can follow his plan and you know those who those who have followed the Lord's way have never been disappointed he he his way is best so may we be here we are over halfway through this year in in July 2026 may we be the church individuals may we be the church that the world wants us to be we don't know when the world will come back that's not our that's not our answer to give but we need to be looking up we need to be continuing steadfastly in prayer and in the study of God's word in ministry one to another looking on the things of others not looking on our only on our own things that the Lord may be glorified let's pray.

Father thank you for these moments we've had in your word tonight thank you for the church the body local church the local body of believers that we have here we thank you for other churches standing on your word that are looking for your coming that are are preaching the word they're not tickling merely tickling ears and as we we heard a said of a funeral recently how the preacher supposedly said something about so and so is up and having enjoying a beer with Jesus now no this is that's not what you've told us to do you've told us that you've called us out of this world you've saved us from sin you've saved us from that rioting and excess of drunkenness that we used to see in the world Lord and you've saved us to serve you to live for you help us to do that word help us help us to share the good news with others as we go this week help us to serve one another by love help us to minister help us to pray for one another help us to confess our faults if there's false help us to confess there's one to another and that we may be healed the factual fervor prayer for righteous man available with much or may that be the pattern may we have a good and honest heart sincerely desire and to keep the word that we've heard and put it into practice in our day by day lives in our interactions with one another with our families in our place Lord help us to do your will we pray and ask these things in Jesus name amen.