VISION of MPC is FLOCKS That are & Praying Praising
F ellowship – Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV)
L eadership Development – Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV)
O utreach – Acts 2:41, 47closeActs 2:41
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:47
47 Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
C aring – Acts 2:44, 45closeActs 2:44
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Acts 2:45
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (ESV)
K nowledge – Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV)
S ervice – Acts 2:44, 46closeActs 2:44
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Acts 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV)
that are: Praying – Acts 2:42closeActs 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV)
and Praising – Acts 2:46, 47closeActs 2:46
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . .
Acts 2:47
47 Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
Our Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20closeMatthew 28:19-20 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV) is to: Make Disciples. How did the early church help new Christians grow so that they could also become effective in making disciples? The life of the early church in Acts 2:41-47closeActs 2:41-47 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV) gives us at least eight things which helped Christians to grow and mature. These could be summarized by the statement:
We are to develop FLOCKS that are Praying and Praising.
Fellowship (Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:46 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV) ) was a very important part of the life of the early church as they gathered together in small groups. Verse 42 tells us that they continued in fellowship and Bible study. Verse 46 tells us that they continued daily in the temple and from house to house. The early Christians gathered in small groups for Bible study and fellowship. They also scattered for intimate fellowship from house to house where they could minister to one another.
Leadership Development (Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:46 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV) ) was also a very important part of the life of the early church. This development of leadership was occurring on at least three different levels. One-to-one (house to house) meetings gave Christians opportunities to discuss and answer questions of individuals. Small groups gathered for Bible study and fellowship which provided opportunities to learn to lead small groups. Larger groups were meeting in the temple which helped large group leadership develop.
Outreach (Acts 2:41, 47closeActs 2:41 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:47 47 Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV) ) Outreach was a very strong emphasis in the early church and resulted in people being added to the church every day.
Caring (Acts 2:44, 45closeActs 2:44 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:45 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (ESV) ) for the needs of others was also an important part of the life of the early church. The early church realized that everything belongs to the Lord. Christ had taught that His followers were to be good stewards of the things which He had entrusted to them. As a result, they looked for opportunities to meet the needs of others.
Knowledge (Acts 2:42, 46closeActs 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:46 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV) ) and of His Word was very necessary for the new Christians to be obedient to the Word. As they gathered together, it was for Bible study and fellowship. As they learned the teaching of Christ and became obedient to them, it also caused them to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ as they broke bread together.
Service (Acts 2:44, 46closeActs 2:44 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:46 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . (ESV) ) one another was one of the ways that the early Christians showed their love for God and for one another. They were together. They ate meals together. They invited one another into their homes. There was a singleness of heart which was shown by their actions to help one another.
Praying (Acts 2:42closeActs 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV) ) was an essential part of the life of the early church. When they got together for Bible study and fellowship, they also prayed together and for each other.
Praising (Acts 2:46, 47closeActs 2:46 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. . . . Acts 2:47 47 Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV) ) Praise was a vital part of the life of the early church. The word that is translated “praising” always speaks of praise to God so praise was God centered rather than man centered as they gave all glory to God.
