Sheryl Brady - Keeping It Real - Part 2

Because we are the Church of the Living God, that’s what I talked about last week, and I want to revisit that today. I know I referred to it last week as «Keeping It Real,» and I’m going to pick up on that today. We’re going back into Acts chapter 2, and we’re calling this «Keeping It Real Part 2.» We will discuss being the Church that God has called us to be. I want you to follow along, and I want you to help me preach. I think you can holler loud enough today so that I’ll be able to hear you from your house into this house. I’m going to drop some nuggets today, and I want you to catch them; they’re handfuls on purpose, and they will help you better understand what God’s purpose is for your life going forward. Many people are searching and longing, and they’re asking, «What is it that God wants me to do?» Well, He wants you to be the Church. I’m going to leave you some nuggets today on being the Church.

Father, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for Your people. I thank You for the plan. I thank You for the vision. I thank You, God, that You chose us to live in this crazy time that we’re living in and to have made it this far. Lord, it makes us wake up with praise; it reminds us that if we’ve survived everything we’ve endured, You do have an intention for our lives. We thank You for it. May Your Word feed us today; may it nourish every man, every woman, every hurting person, and every broken person. Say something, God, that will ricochet around the world, Lord, so that people will feel Your glory and feel Your touch. We thank You for it today in Jesus' name. Somebody holler «Amen» right where you are!

I talked about «Keeping It Real» last week because I mentioned that there are a lot of things done in the name of the Lord. People are always saying, «We’re doing this in His name, and we’re doing that,» and I think sometimes God would look down and say, «Are you serious? Do you really think you’re doing that in My name?» So I wanted to delve into that a little bit, and we went to the book of Acts because Acts is where the Church was birthed. There’s something about going back to the original state of a thing that helps you understand its purpose, mission, and destiny. Many times we can veer off course from God’s initial intention, and so it does us good to look back and see what happened at the birthing of the early Church.

Last week, I gave you four points that marked the very beginning of the Church. Just to refresh your memory, I’m going to share those with you now. The first thing that marked the early Church in the book of Acts was that they had supernatural power. I said last week that the reason they had supernatural power was because they didn’t just talk about God; they were a people who experienced God. There is something to be said for having an experience with God. You can talk about Him all day long, but when you experience Him, it does something completely different in your life. As a result of their experience with God and their time in His presence, they were known as people who possessed the supernatural power of God. When you take time to be with God, to spend time in His presence, and to immerse yourself in His Word, He will touch your life with supernatural power.

The second thing that marked the early Church—the real Christians, the true believers—was that they had a multi-channel of communication. They all spoke in their own languages, proving to us even to this day that the Gospel is not just for one particular person, tribe, or language. The Gospel is everywhere and is for everybody. It is essential for us to know that we can all speak in our own language. As they did in the upper room, when they all began to speak in their own languages, people understood one another and received the good news, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The third thing that the early Church excelled at modeling was the fact that everybody used their gifts and talents. In other words, the Church was full of servant leaders. It wasn’t just people coming to hear one person speak; if they had a gift, they found a way to plug in and use that gift. They didn’t just pass the mic to the platform and say, «Here, preacher, you make it happen.» Everyone in the Church used what God had given them because each member is accountable for the gifts and abilities that God has bestowed upon us.

Lastly, I concluded last week with the fourth thing that marked the Church and true Christianity: it offered life-changing truth.