A New Beginning

Dave: Today, Pastor Greg Laurie shows how the early church turned their world upside down with their commitment to the gospel, and we can too.

Greg Laurie: What are you passionate about? Some people are passionate about sports. Other people are passionate about food. That's what fires them up. Other people, it's politics. Listen, it's fine to have an interest in all of these things, but make your primary passion about Jesus Christ. That's it. Don't lose that.

Christianity is a worldwide faith. Some say over 31% are Christians the world over. Yet if you rewind history, Christianity began in a small geographical area on the other side of the globe with just a handful of followers. How on the world did they reach the world? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us some good insight from the book of Acts that will help us encourage one another in the faith and reach our world in our time with the love of Christ.

Greg Laurie: All right, let's grab our Bibles and turn to Acts chapter two. Acts chapter two, we're in our Book of Acts series and the title of this message is "Better Together."

I heard a story about a genie that appeared to a woman. True story. The genie said, "Whatever you want, I'll give to you and I'll grant to you as many wishes as you want." Pretty good deal. So the woman replied, "Well, genie, my wish is that my husband's eyes should only be on me during all waking hours." The genie said, "All right, what else do you want?" She says, "Well, I don't want him to be concerned with anything else in life except me. In fact," she said, "I don't even want him to sleep without me right by his side all the time." "Okay," the genie says, "what else?" She said, "Actually, I want him, when he wakes up in the morning, to see my face first." "All right, anything else?" "One more thing. I don't want him to go anywhere without me." So genie said, "Boom, you're a cell phone." She was turned into a smartphone.

It's funny we call these things smartphones, right? I think they've actually made us more stupid in many ways. I read an article in Inc. magazine with this headline: "We Lost, the Gadgets Won." And among other things, the article points out that the average smartphone owner unlocks her phone 150 times a day. 85% of smartphone users check their phones while speaking with friends and family. Have you ever done that? That's rude, by the way. When someone's saying, "I just want to share this, it's so important." "Yeah, yeah." "And I just," "Okay, wait." "Are you listening?" "Yeah, I'm listening. I'm listening. Wait." No, no, you're not listening. Put the phone down. We all have done that, haven't we?

And I think not only have smartphones made us more stupid, they've made us relationally dumb. I think social media in many ways is making people antisocial. Because, you know, social media back in the day on Instagram might be pictures of what you had for breakfast or you might see a random cat video or other fun things. And now it's like people ranting, ranting about whatever it is they're upset about.

And then there's the effect that it has on young people. Facebook has 2.8 billion monthly users. And they recently, this is a news story, they recently did an internal research program. They wanted to find out what their users were really thinking and how Facebook and Instagram was impacting them. And they discovered that 30% of young girls who use Instagram, it makes them feel worse about their bodies if they were already having insecurities.

Teenagers blame Instagram for increases in their rates of anxiety and depression. Another presentation found that among teens who felt suicidal, 13% of British users and 6% of American users trace their suicidal feelings to Instagram. So this is horrible. Now girls, let me just say something. Even the people you see don't look like those pictures, okay? Because they're using filters and effects to make them look thinner or taller or whatever it is they're doing. That's not the real person.

But this is the problem. Social media is not very social at all. In fact, Americans have probably never been more disconnected. I read an article that was done that came to the conclusion that Americans have never felt more alone. And this article described Americans as the loneliest people in the world. That article first appeared 30 years ago. If that was true 30 years ago, how much more true is it today?

Cigna, a global health service company, recently released this article where they interviewed 20,000 people and here's what they concluded. Number one, half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone. Number two, only half of Americans have meaningful in-person social interactions on a daily basis. And number three, Generation Z is the loneliest generation and is in the worst health than any other generation.

So we have a problem. So what is the solution? Number one, we need God and number two, we need each other. It's as simple as that. We need God and we need each other. God wired you that way. You're built for community. You're not meant to do life alone. In fact, the first thing that God said was not good was the aloneness of man back in the book of Genesis. It says Genesis 2:18, "It is not good for man to be alone." Proverbs 27:17 reminds us, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, "Two are better than one. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."

I read an article from the Harvard Women's Health Watch—and I always read the Harvard Women's Health Watch, no, I just came across it—and it said, quote, "Dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, they have fewer health problems, and they live longer." End quote. And that's so true because God has wired us that way.

And this is where the church comes in, you see? Because the church is an oasis of hope in a desert of hopelessness. And that is why every one of us needs to be a part of the church. You'll be happier when you're a part of the church and you'll even be healthier when you're a part of the church. Physically, Time magazine did a cover story with the headline, "Benefits of Faith and the Church." And here are their observations: heart surgery patients who draw comfort from their faith have a significantly higher survival rate than those who do not. Isn't that interesting? Secondly, the blood pressure of people attending church is lower than those who don't. Thirdly, people with faith who attend church on a regular basis experience less depression than non-church attenders. And on it goes.

So it's not only good for you spiritually, it's not only good for you emotionally, it's actually good for you physically to be a part of the church. So I bring this up because here in Acts two, we're looking at the birth of the church. The church that Jesus started. The church that Jesus established. He only started one organization, if you will, when he walked our earth and it was the church.

By the way, the word church means called-out ones. It's not about a building. It's not about a cathedral. The church is when God's people gather together because Jesus said, "When two or more are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." The church is a place to find accountability. The church is a place to be spiritually fed. The church is a place to hear the word of God. The church is a place to discover and then use your spiritual gifts. And the church should be your family because we really are your family.

So let's consider now the story here before us of what the early church looked like. The church that changed the world. The church that was accused of turning the world upside down. I'm reading from Acts chapter two, verses 42 to 47, and I'm reading from the New King James Version. Just to get context, remember, this is on the heels of the Day of Pentecost. So the Holy Spirit has been poured out and 3,000 people have come to believe in Jesus after Simon Peter delivered the inaugural message of the church.

Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, the breaking of bread and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, they had all things in common, they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as everyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved."

Dave: Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Many listeners write or call us sharing their stories of pain and loss, but also of hope.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, I wanted to share that not long ago, my brother and ten-year-old nephew died in a tragic house fire. The months that followed were a nightmare for me and my family. Even though we received much love and support from friends and family, it was still a very difficult time. But a friend gave me a copy of your book, "As It Is In Heaven," and it helped me so much. I've been walking closer to Jesus than I ever have before. I've also found your podcasts and now listen every day while doing computer work and while driving. Your sermons on trials and suffering have brought me so much hope, more than I can really ever explain. And now I can't get enough of reading the Bible. And when you explain how God allows trials and suffering so that we can grow up spiritually, it really resonated with me. I'm now clinging more tightly to Jesus than ever before and have thanked God many times for you. Blessings to you, Pastor Greg.

Dave: It's wonderful to know that listeners are hearing these messages and God is using his word to touch hearts. Would you share your story with Pastor Greg? If so, send him an email. Greg@harvest.org. That's Greg@harvest.org. And for more information about Pastor Greg's book, "As It Is In Heaven," go to harvest.org. Well, Pastor Greg is taking us to the early days of the church. It was an exciting time as scripture says the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: So what can we learn from this church? If you're taking notes, here's point number one. They were a learning church. They were a learning church. Now let me apply this to you personally. If you want to be a growing Christian, you need to be a learning Christian. There's always so much more to learn. I've been a Christian well, pretty long now, over 50 years. And you know, you would think that I'd know a lot and I know some things, but I've discovered that I have so much still to learn.

And then there's a problem as you get older with forgetting things you've learned, right? So it's a process of learning new things and being reminded of old things that maybe you have forgotten. And the apostle Paul, after years of walking with the Lord, said, "Look, I am pressing on because I have not reached perfection. Pressing on toward the mark." And that should be the objective and the attitude of every follower of Jesus Christ.

These people were studying the word of God. To those of us who are called to preach and teach the Bible, scripture says in 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach the word, be persistent whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, encourage your people with good teaching." Then Paul goes on to say, "For the time will come when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They'll follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear." So our focus at this church for 50 years now has been on teaching the word of God. We offer theology without apology. Pretty much whatever we're doing, we're going to get around to opening up the Bible and see what it has to say. That is our focus, that will always be our focus.

Now that is not always the focus. Some churches are focused more on worship and maybe focus more on having an emotional experience. And then other churches are focused perhaps on entertainment. And another church might be focused more on politics. But our focus should be on the word of God. This first-century church did that. So there's a need for strong biblical preaching, but there's also a need for good listening. Good listening.

You know, it's easy to not pay attention. Remember those old Peanuts cartoons and when the parent spoke, it was like, "Whwah, whwah, whwah," you know? They never had the voices of the parents, just the kids. And sometimes that's how things can sound to you. You can tune something out. You're not paying attention. You need to give your attention with intention. The fact of the matter here in verse 42, when it says continued steadfastly, this speaks of passion. They were living in a first-love relationship with Jesus and they had burning hearts.

And let me ask you this, what are you passionate about? I mean seriously, I know the default answer, "Jesus." Okay, maybe, we'll see. I'll go check out your social media and then I'll see what you're really passionate about. What do you post most about? What do you talk most about? Some people are passionate about sports. Sports. I have never cared that much about sports. I'm sorry to tell you this. I may have to turn my man card in, but I just never cared that much. You know, never having a dad growing up, I just never really got into the sports vortex. And I know a lot and there's nothing wrong with loving sports and enjoying sports, but is that your primary passion?

Other people are passionate about movies, you know, or this new series on Netflix. "Oh, have you seen this? Oh, you got to watch this." And you know, you'll be talking about whatever, but the moment that topic comes up, they get all fired up. Other people are passionate about food. Food. Everything's food, you know? And that's what fires them up. Other people, it's politics. Man, they're not even interested in the conversation until you get to politics. Now they come to life. Listen, it's fine to have an interest in all of these things, but make your primary passion about Jesus Christ. That's it. Don't lose that.

It's not that these other things are bad things, but if one of these things takes the place of Jesus and your passion is channeled in a different direction, it actually can be a bad thing. So these people listened. They listened to what the word said. They continued with passion in the apostles' doctrine, and that's the way we should be as well. We must come with a desire to hear the word.

Number two, it was a loving church. So number one, they were a learning church. Number two, they were a loving church. Verse 42, they continued in fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers, and continued to do this together. Now as we grow in our faith, we will want to do it with other believers. Gathering around the word of God. And the Lord loves it when we talk about him together.

There's a fascinating little passage over in Malachi 3:16 that says, "Those that fear the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard." The Lord listened and heard. So the idea is that the phrase "listen and heard" could be translated "to prick the ear." So you hear something and all of a sudden you tune into it. The idea is that God bends down so as not to miss a single word. So we're talking about whatever and suddenly someone says, "You know the word of God," or "The Bible," or "Jesus." All of a sudden the Lord says, "Oh, wait. What are you saying? I'm really interested in what you're saying."

For instance, if I'm talking to an adult and one of my grandchildren comes up and says, "Papa," I hear that. And I'm going to tune out whatever is happening around me and put my attention toward one of my grandchildren. God likes it when we talk about him together. Fellowship is praying together. Fellowship is serving together. Fellowship is suffering together. Fellowship is being blessed together. Fellowship is serving together. In fact, the stronger your vertical fellowship, the stronger your horizontal fellowship will be. By vertical, I mean the closer you are to God, the closer you'll be with God's people. And if you're not as close to God as you need to be, you'll probably want to spend less time around godly people.

So this is something that is so important. Now I know sometimes people say, "Well, I don't know, the church, you know, is so full of hypocrites." Hey, there's always room for one more, so come join us. You've heard me and others say many times don't try to find the perfect church, because when you find it, you'll ruin it, right? The church is made up of imperfect people. We all fall short and we all make mistakes, but that's an excuse when you say the church is full of hypocrites.

Sometimes people say, "Well, I don't know, when I go to church I feel judged." Let me say something that might surprise you. Maybe you need to be judged a little bit. Now let me explain. Let me explain. Jesus said, "Judge not lest you be judged." Every non-believer knows that verse. And they also know this verse, "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone," right? But what does it mean when Jesus says, "Judge not lest you be judged"? Does it mean we should not make evaluations about people or situations? We should not make judgments of any kind? Well, it can't mean that because the Bible says judgment begins at the house of God. A literal translation of what Jesus said would be, "Condemn not lest you be condemned."

So if you went to a church and you were condemned, that's wrong, and I apologize for that if that happened. But if you went to a church and someone called you out because of a sinful thing you were doing, that's not condemnation, that's love. Now there's a right way to do it. There's a right way to do it. Because you know some people they're so holier than thou and they're arrogant and condescending. Now we're not talking about that, but I'm saying if there's someone that loves you enough to say, "I'm concerned about you spiritually," that is a true friend. Because the Bible says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." See, a true friend will stab you in the front, not the back. Right? The Bible says open rebuke is better than secret love. So we do need to be accountable to one another.

I think this is one of the reasons people church hop because people get their number. "Hey man, I see you're still doing this thing. Why are you doing," "Uh, I'm feeling called to another church." Then they end up in the other church and people find out and then they move to another church. Reminds me of a story of a guy who was stranded on an island out in the middle of the ocean. They finally came and rescued him. Saw that he had three buildings that he had built. Three. And so they asked him, "Wow, three buildings. What are these buildings?" He says, "Well, the first building, that's my house." "Okay, what are the other two buildings?" "Well, the next one, that's my church." "Okay, your house, your church. What's the third building?" He says, "That's the church I used to go to."

The church, a place to develop a consistent theology. A place to develop friendships. A place to grow together.

Dave: Pastor Greg Laurie with important insight on the role the church should play in our daily lives. We're learning a lot from this new series on A New Beginning called "The Upside Down Life," based in the book of Acts. Now, as important as it is to be a part of a good church, it's not church membership that gets us to heaven. It's only through a relationship with Christ that we can know we're going to heaven when this life is over. Do you have that assurance? Pastor Greg, it's just not a good idea to assume everything's just going to work out okay, is it?

Greg Laurie: No, this is one area of your life you want to be sure about. Where you're going to spend eternity. The Bible says, "These things we write to you that you believe on the Son of God and that you may know that you have eternal life." Listen, I know I have eternal life. I know I'll go to heaven one day. And I hope that doesn't sound boastful. And if it does, I'm boasting in what God has done for me, not in what I've done for God. The reason I know these things is because I've turned from my sin and I've put my faith in Christ, you see? And if you do the same, you can have the same hope. You just need to call out to the Lord and admit you're a sinner and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and come into your life. The Bible says, "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Will you call upon him right now? I'm going to pray a simple prayer. And I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer after me if you would. So if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to know for certain that Christ is living in your life, then pray this prayer with me. Just pray these words:

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But I know you are the savior who died on the cross for my sin. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my savior and my Lord, as my God and my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Dave: Amen. Listen, if you've just prayed that prayer with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, the Lord has forgiven your sin and you're now a Christian. And we want to help you get started in this new life of faith. Let us send you Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's in an easy-to-understand translation and there are scores of features to help a new believer build a solid foundation for their faith. So get in touch and ask for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it to you free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. You can call us anytime, again, 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

And then let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry and for supporting it through your generous donation. It's an investment in kingdom business. Isn't that right, Pastor Greg?

Greg Laurie: Yeah, it's really true, Dave. And I believe it's so important because you know the gospel saves lives. It saves eternal lives. Because when a person believes in Jesus according to scripture, they pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God. And then of course, that changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children. The gospel changes everything. And thousands and thousands of people respond every single year. Thanks to the Lord, also thanks to you for your investment in this ministry enabling us to reach people wherever they are. So if this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment in A New Beginning and Harvest Ministries.

Dave: Yeah, that's right. And we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today. It can make a real difference not just for today or this week, but for eternity. So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org.

Next time, more insight on how we need the church and the church needs us. More from our studies in the book of Acts. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.