Fully Devoted

Subject - What It Means To Be A Fully Devoted Christian

by Rick Welborne

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) 

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 

45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 

47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

–As a God called pastor...I could take you to the place where God called me to preach if the building were still there....I obviously have a burden for the church.

–Having been the Lead Pastor here at Life Church has been and is such a privilege but during this 25+ years I have seen trends that concern me.

–I recently listened to a pod cast of a pastor who also was concerned about the church and he gave some alarming statistics and asked some tough questions.

–One statistic was that here in America the average person who considers themselves to be born again only attends church once a month.

–He asked the question...based on that information, how can a pastor or congregation build a church that really can do anything for God that has any substance to it.

–Now I know here at Life Church that most of you are here at least four times a month...if it is convenient and nothing else comes up...family comes in, sickness, free day, tired.

–Others are here eight to twelve times a month and that helps us in building the Kingdom of God and reaching the world (here at home and abroad).

–As some of the staff and I have been speaking we have asked some pertinent questions in regard to Life Church.  How can we grow to one thousand plus?

–Why are we not growing like the Church in Acts?  Are we adding to the Church daily?  Are the people connected...are they giving of themselves wholeheartedly?

–We kept asking the questions until we finally hit on something...

Acts 2:42 (NIV) 

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

–Then it hit us...The Church in Acts it says they devoted themselves to teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, to prayer, and to worship.

–Then the big question came...are we fully devoted to these things...thus the name Fully Devoted!  We are going to look at a five part series dealing with being fully devoted.

–Today let’s look at...Being fully devoted to teaching...the apostles doctrine...the Word!

1. In regard to being Fully Devoted to teaching...what are you eating?

–One of the joys of being in the ministry is seeing new people come to Christ to see them become disciples of Christ.  They start with a bottle of milk.

1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV) 

2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby...

–Milk is perfectly normal for a baby...how ridiculous would it be, as well as unsafe, to give a baby a big chunk of steak.

–It may taste good but it would be hard to chew, hard to swallow, and hard to digest.

–No one expects you as a new born Christian to know or understand or even to teach others because you are starting out with the milk of the Word...just beginning your journey.

–I was a senior in high school before I realized that it was Noah who had built the ark not Moses...when it comes to church...if you do not go you do not know.

–So what would being fully devoted look like for you...drink whole milk with vitamins in it and drink a bunch.

–I was so glad to be in the Kingdom of God when I gave my heart to Christ...I wanted to be a church at every opportunity...Sunday AM &PM, Wed. Night, Youth, Sunday School.

–I read my Bible and marked everything that touched my heart...I memorized verses every day...I was fully devoted to growing in the Word.

–One of the ways I was forced to grow past just having milk was that I witnessed to people everywhere I went...They asked questions...I would have to dig to get the answers.

–A baby in diapers...drinking a bottle...probably will not speak to people because they are too embarrassed to say I do not know the answer...not fully devoted.

Hebrews 6:1-3 (NLT) 

1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 

2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 

3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. 

–Recently there was a man who approached me about being mentored by preferably me.

He had been a Christian for over 20 years...

–During that time he had managed to mess up his marriage, mess up someone else’s marriage, and he was wanting me to mentor him...while involved with another man’s wife.

–He was just a little offended when I told him that he needed to repent and start there.  Being fully devoted is denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following.

–It is also reading God’s Word and doing what it says.

James 1:21-25 (NLT) 

21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 

24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 

25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  

–This is another reason church is so important...when the man of God preaches the Word of God it can change your life if you listen.

2. In regard to being fully devoted to teaching...who are you feeding. 

–One of the signs of a believer growing in the Lord is when they stop having to be fed and they start feeding others.

–Pastor, we are moving on...why...we are not being fed...if you are so full and so fat and happy, then why aren’t you feeding others?

–One of the speakers at District Council (Rob Ketterling) challenged us to stop being back row Christians and become front row Christians.

Ketterling: It’s easy to sit on the back row and criticize the decisions and actions of leaders.  It’s not easy to become the change you want to see take place.  That is precisely what defines both those who hold organizations back and those who propel organizations forward.

–Some of you need to get a bigger spoon and start being who God called you to be and help us build the great church he wants Life Church to be.

–We have done great but we can do better.  I commend you...out of almost 13,000 AG churches we ranked 97 in World Missions Giving...in our District we ranked 8 out of 352 Churches...in our Section we were first out of 27 churches..

–Our District challenges us to support all of the PFDC missionaries and we do all of those but two so far...why we challenge all of you to support missions...100%.

–We are number three in the state in per capital giving to missions per our membership.  You guys rock when it comes to giving and sacrifice...thanks so much!

–There are some of you who need to be challenged to step up and do more.  If we are number eight in the state why can’t we be number 5...why can’t we give a million dollars!

–What would it take for you to step up and feed the gospel to others all over the world? Please approach me and let’s discuss how you can help us go to the next level.

–I believe there are resources and people who have never stepped up...Don’t stay where you are...get strong yourselves and then begin  to become the change you want to see take place.  

Hebrews 5:11-13 (NLT) 

11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 

12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 

13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

–Get a bigger spoon...feed yourselves on the Word...I want to read it till I bleed it.  I want God’s Word and His will to be our top priority here at Life Church.

3. In regard to being fully devoted...are you eating enough for two?

–I love to hear when ladies are expecting a child and they are having their cravings for all kinds of food and everyone gives them a bye to eat more, well, honey, you are eating for two

–Pastor Juan so wonderfully challenged us last week with his message about compassion and about knowing who our neighbors are.

–The truth is “it is definitely not all about you!”  A few things you may have never considered about getting more of the Word here at church and at home.

* Maybe when you come to church you are actually eating for two or three or more.  Maybe you being filled or refilled with Holy Spirit and the Word is for someone else.

* Maybe you coming to church is not just so you can be blessed...maybe there is someone you can encourage, pray for, speak life into...you never know a person’s condition.

–Example of the lady a few years ago who came to church as a last ditch effort to hear from God...she had her suicide planned that afternoon...God intervened.

* Maybe when you are here you will have the privilege to give to missions or directly to a missionary who is at Life Church receiving what he needs to feed others.

* Maybe a friend just heard they have cancer and they need to see your kind face and hear you tell them that everything is going to be OK because Jesus is in control.

–Just maybe...just maybe you are not here to eat what you can just for yourself...maybe you are getting sustenance for someone else who is going thru the trial of their lives.

Romans 14:7-12 (NIV) 

7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 

8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 

9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 

11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" 

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

–We all have an impact on others but we cannot impact them if we are absent...if we are not fully devoted to God’s House, His Word, and His people.

–You say...I am good and I really don’t need a thing...don’t need church...don’t need more Word...more teaching...maybe it is not all about you!

Revelation 3:17 (NIV) 

17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 

–Are you fully devoted to Christ teachings...to the apostle’s doctrine...to the Word of God?

–What are you eating...baby formula?  Are you still on milk?  Are you feeding others the Word of God you know?  Are you supporting Missions so others can go and teach?

–Are you eating enough for two? Or more?  Do you realize that it is not all about you...it is reaching, teaching, equipping others...it is about making disciples!