Momentum - Week 4
When I say “Momentum” I am hoping that all of us will experience the definition. I want you to experience:
Momentum
Transformation gained by a series of personal wins
Throughout this series, I want to help you gain personal wins in your life that builds momentum.
Growing up, I acted just like the friends I hung out with. The more time I spent with them, the more I became like them. If they spit spitballs from a straw in the cafeteria, I spit spitballs from a straw in the cafeteria. If they superglued their fingers together, I superglued my fingers together. If they did dumb things, I did dumb things. My teachers always told us that we acted just like each other.
If you are a follower of Jesus, the more you observe the life of Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible, the more you will reflect the character of Jesus. In the passage of scripture we are about to read, momentum was building and on the side of God’s Kingdom. Over 3,000 people responded to the first sermon Peter ever preached and surrendered their lives to Jesus. And from that moment, every single day, somebody on our planet is being saved and trusting Jesus as their Savior.
The passage we are about to read is a snapshot of spiritual momentum: how a personal decision to follow Jesus leads to daily transformation that draws others to Him.
Acts 2:41-47 (NLT2)
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
The promise Jesus made to his followers in Matthew 6:33 had been embraced by these new believers. They believed if they focused on God’s Kingdom, God would provide all their needs. And that is precisely what we see take place.
How do we know that they were putting God’s Kingdom first in their lives? Because every single day the Lord saved people. Every day, the good news of Jesus was changing people's lives. But it was not because of what believers were saying, it was because of how they were living.
If you want to put God’s Kingdom first and begin to develop momentum in your life,
THE FIRST WIN:
BE BAPTIZED PUBLICLY
They REPENTED, then, they were baptized. Understand this: Baptism always comes after you make a life-changing decision to trust and commit your life to Jesus. Baptism is a PUBLIC sign of the PERSONAL decision you have made to follow Jesus. Have you been baptized since you trusted Jesus as your Savior?
See, I have been baptized twice. My mom was catholic, and I was baptized as an infant. There was this belief that I needed to be baptized so that I could go to heaven. But that is not a biblical belief. It was a tradition, yes. But it is not biblical. Baptism is the first step of obedience after a person surrenders their life to Jesus. Going under the water symbolizes Jesus’ death and burial. You are saying, “The old me is gone.” Your past is buried. Coming out of the water represents Jesus’ resurrection. You are raised as a new person, forgiven, free, and fully alive in Christ.
We have our Beach Baptisms scheduled for June 1, July 6, or August 10 @ 7:00 pm at Plyler Park. And you can sign up through the connect tab on the Beach Church app.
You can be baptized if…
YOU CAN BE BAPTIZED IF:
You have received Jesus as your Savior at some point and have not yet been baptized.
You were baptized BEFORE you received Jesus as your Savior.
(Perhaps as an infant…)You want to publicly recommit to Christ.
One of the reasons more people were having a life-changing relationship with Jesus every single day is that believers were being baptized. Can you imagine what it was like to see 3,000 people become believers in Jesus and then see 3,000 people get baptized! It must have been amazing! If you cannot make it to the beach, complete an online connection card and let us know you would like to be baptized.
Secondly,
MOMENTUM GROWS AS YOU LIVE LIKE JESUS DAILY.
People were surrendering their lives every day, but it was not because people were preaching; it was because of how people were living.
As a Pastor for 27 years I believe the Church has been getting evangelism training wrong for the past century. At Beach Church, as we think through leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, it is important that everyone understands that EVANGELISM happens through more methods than simply telling others about Jesus. Evangelism happens naturally when people who follow Jesus, live their lives as Jesus did.
After Peter preached, 3,000 people became followers of Jesus. But the momentum didn’t stop there, the church grew daily. Why? Because evangelism isn't only about one preacher sharing the Gospel. Evangelism involves the entire community flexing the life-changing power of Jesus together. If you have been attending our church over the last few years, we probably have noticed that my belly has…expanded.
The good news is if you are looking for an “anchor” for a tug of war competition, I can help. I weigh more now than I have at any point in my life. And, I have been a member of a gym since January, and it hasn’t helped one bit. I went to get my money back because I have not dropped any weight. They scratched their head and asked how often I used the Gym, I told them I haven’t yet, but I have a membership. It’s intimidating. Guys are looking in the mirror, flexing their muscles, and women are filming their workouts. Every time they flexed, a different muscle was shown. Triceps, biceps, pecs, lats, calfs, thighs…
And at Beach Church, if you have never told anybody else the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, take a deep breath and relax, because we believe that evangelism should look more like Evangelism in Acts 2:41-47 when the body of Christ flexed the Gospel.
Look back at Acts 2:41-47 and see the ways these new believers flexed Jesus:
They were baptized (41)
They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching (42)
They lived transparently (fellowship) (42)
They were welcoming and hospitable by sharing meals together (42)
They spent consistent time in prayer (42)
They generously shared their resources (45)
They gathered in both large and small groups (46)
They celebrated often (46)
They worshiped God and enjoyed being together (47)
As a result, more people were drawn to Jesus and surrendered their lives to him.
Acts 2:47 (NLT2)
… And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Every single day, somebody was surrendering their lives to Jesus. Not because of the preaching. Not because the people had been trained in the Evangelism Cube, The Bridge Illustration, The Romans Road, or any other method – it was because the people of God loved each other without excluding those who were not yet part of the people of God. So, that’s why we view evangelism a little differently. We believe that leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus involves living like Jesus did.
LET’S FLEX THE G.O.S.P.E.L. TOGETHER
The first thing that stands out in this passage is the generosity of the believers. They were generous with their food, their homes, their possessions, their time, their joy, and their money. Generosity is one of the ways evangelism occurs here at Beach Church.
Generous Giver
You may keep everything about following Jesus private. But you have still been involved in the mission to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. How so? You have been financially supporting the mission of the church through giving. You regularly contribute to the church and support the ministries, the building fund, mission trips, etc.
Others Focused
We see people inviting others to their homes, inviting others to worship, inviting others to experience life as a follower of Jesus together. You often INVITE people to worship. You say things like, “Come check out Beach Church, you will love it.” You want people to experience the powerful presence of God through our worship service each week. You use the invite cards, know our service times, and invite people to events we have.
Selfless Servant
In Acts, someone was responsible for cooking, cleaning, and maintaining the household. You are doing evangelism if you are serving in an area of the church. It may be that you are serving on the Tuesday Crew, First Impressions, the tech team, the children’s ministry, the student ministry, or the nursery…You may serve in our community, with Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, food distribution, or Parents Night Out…You may not be talking about Jesus yourself, but you are actively serving in whatever capacity is needed. Serving is part of sharing the Gospel.
Prayer Warrior
If you ask God to draw people to Jesus during the message, you are part of evangelism. If you serve on the Prayer Team and pray for others as they come forward, you are part of the Body of Christ at Beach Church, flexing the Gospel.
Earnest Evangelist
You often share your story of how Jesus has changed your life. You might tear up as you speak about the grace, forgiveness, and mercy you have found. You know the Romans Road, the Bridge Illustration, you quote scripture and invite people to surrender their lives to Jesus.
Live Transparently in Lifegroup and Large Group
The early believers did not just attend church; they lived transparently while they were there. And if you are involved in a sermon-based life group and are transparent about how you can apply God’s Word to your life, you are drawing others to Jesus through your transparency. If you are in large Group worship and you engage with God through lifting your hands, tears, or just singing loudly, you are involved with evangelism!
See, evangelism happens through smiles, laughter, prayer, tears, generosity, confessing your struggles, sharing meals with others, life groups, and baptism. And every time someone flexes their part of the body, that’s a win. And those wins stack. And that’s how momentum is built.
Evangelism happens when the whole body flexes. Not everyone teaches. Not everyone tells. But everyone reflects the character of Jesus together.
That’s what happens in the Book of Acts, and that is what will continue to happen here at Beach Church, if we stay out of God’s way, and flex the Gospel with Joy.