So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:31)
Take your time with this God-breathed summary. Why was the church multiplying? What was contributing to the growth? What ingredients were being brought together to facilitate this growth?
INGREDIENT #1: The fear of the Lord
- Reverent respect (Heb 10:31)
- Humble awareness of his omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence (Heb 12:28-29)
- Careful obedience of his commandments (Heb 12:25)
INGREDIENT #2: A willingness to walk in the paths defined by the Lord
- New identities in Christ as defined by the Lord (Eph 2:17-22)
- Everyday holy living as defined by the Lord (Eph 4:1)
- Belonging to and building up the church as defined by the Lord (Eph 1:22-23)
INGREDIENT #3: The comfort of the Holy Spirit
- Exhortations of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:22-24)
- Encouragement provided by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:36)
- Perspective revealed by the Holy Spirit (1 Tim 4:1)
INGREDIENT #4: Workers who are dedicated to and invested in building
- Equipped for the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-12)
- Striving for the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph 4:13)
- Progressing toward maturity into him who is the head, into Christ (Eph 4:13-16)
INGREDIENT #5: Peace
- Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1)
- Peace with my past, my present, and my future (Rom 15:13)
- Peace with each other (Rom 14:19)
This sermon was delivered on September 7, 2014.
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