Rookie Mistakes Series: #4 Groundwork (Part A)

No matter what is going on in my life or your life, whatever new temptations, old trials, whatever is going on, whether it is death, marriage, divorce, unemployment, debt, success, career, sickness, mediocrity, whatever it is, we are still called to continue steadfastly in these items. We must endeavor to endure biblically, not in our own strength. The world can do that.

They can endure in their own strength. We are to do it according to the Word of God. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through a series called Rookie Mistakes.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. And now here's Pastor Rick with a brand new message called Groundwork in the book of Acts chapter 2. If you have your Bibles open to the book of Acts chapter 2, we will read verses 40 through 43. And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in breaking of bread and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Well, our text is verse 42. That's some of the background that belongs to what is going on. It's Luke's summary on how the first Christians conducted business as the Spirit moved through the apostles, as the Holy Spirit added to the church, as people were being saved and being baptized. This is what they did.

They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in breaking of bread and in prayer. The title of consideration is Groundwork. Well, the title to any message should have something to do with the point that's trying to be made, hopefully, by God through His messenger and whoever the messenger might be. The groundwork is something done at an early stage in any project, making the latter work possible. Without the groundwork, you just really can't go forward. Groundwork for the Leaning Tower of Pisa was substandard.

It wasn't what it was supposed to be, and that's why it's leaning. With our walk as Christians, we'd like to believe that we have taken the time to do the groundwork that it would not be substandard, that God could get out of us as much as He can get out of us. Truth, righteous companionship, intimacy with Christ, dialogue with the throne of God. That's what Acts 2.42 is telling us, taking place in the lives of those churchgoers. It is fundamental. The book of Acts is fundamental.

It's a book that's passed by, I think, by a lot of folks, unfortunately. They read the Gospels, and I don't know where they go after that. Someone once asked me in the workplace, what happened after it was around Resurrection Sunday with the world called Easter, and someone asked me, what happened after Jesus rose from the dead?

I said, I'm so glad you asked that question. I wish more Christians would ask that question. We have an entire book that opens that up for us.

It's called the Acts of the Apostles, or you can say the actions of the Holy Spirit. We'll get to the first words of that as we move through consideration. But the book is basic to our faith. It says this is what the church, the first Christians did, this is what the church is supposed to be.

Here's your template. It is basic. It is the groundwork. Get that groundwork in place so that all that comes later through the Epistles, the precepts of the New Testament church, can be better developed. Therefore, it is a rookie mistake to miss out on the Apostles, steadfastly on the Apostles' doctrine, their fellowship, their breaking of bread, and their prayer, as our text tells us. Some practice some of that throughout Christianity, but we all need to practice all of it. We're not to cherry pick the verse. We say, well, I like the doctrine part, but I don't like the people part, the fellowship part. Well, I like to pray, but I don't like to read the doctrine and the Scriptures. You can't fragment such a meaningful passage in Scripture. The entire New Testament places high value on these features, and we know that because all you have to do is read through the Epistles to find out they are upheld.

Steadfastly. That means continuing, no matter what, to push through, regardless of what's pushing against us, and things are going to push against us, no question there. They, in this verse, and they continued, of course, the Apostles of Jesus Christ, the hand-picked men, there were 12 in the beginning, then the number was reduced to 11, and then the number was boosted back up to 12 again. It was boosted up to 12 through the Apostles, but it was also, or it was, boosted through Christ himself in the appointment of Paul the Apostle. What we believe about Jesus Christ comes through these men.

It really does not come from anywhere else. If we had just the Old Testament, we would not know what we know as we know it as believers, and I'm going to point that out from the Scripture. Now, that does not mean that the Old Testament is obsolete or inadequate or of no use or a lesser word of God.

It does not mean any of that. It is fully the word of God. But it does not have in it the fulfillment as the New Testament does.

It certainly has the prophecies. Well, Ephesians chapter 2, verse 20, having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. What we know about Christ is built upon the word of the Apostles. Jesus said this about them in his prayer in John 17.

I have manifested your name, he's speaking to the Father, to the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. That's the Old Testament.

He is included in they have kept your word. He continues, For I have given to them the words which you have given me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me. That in contrast to so many who did not believe, who had the same materials available and the same experiences available at the time. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and others, they saw the miracles, they knew the Scriptures, they just discarded them. Whereas these uneducated men in comparison, not with a formal education that is, they believed.

That's true to this day. There are people with formal education and without formal education receiving Christ. Jesus continues even further in his prayer in John 17. He says, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. Oh, that is magnificent.

That is incredible. What did they think when they first came across those words of Jesus? That so many others would believe because of the work he invested in them. What strikes me about this text, they continued steadfastly.

Well, that strikes me first. What would happen if they discontinued? What would happen if any believer discontinues to believe?

You cringe at the thought of that. You say, God forbid. Fail to continue in what these men taught in the Spirit through Christ, ordained by Christ to do just this thing. Fail to continue and you will find that the devil does not fail to continue. You will find your own flesh will cannibalize you spiritually. You will find that the world will continue to tempt you and try you and attack you nonetheless. Our response is to continue.

Otherwise, evil goes on unchecked. We are not then the salt of the earth. So if we stop and these continue attacking, our faith then becomes useless. No Christian wants that. No Christian should tremble at that because we should be too busy focused on continuing steadfastly.

That should take up a lot of our time by itself. Now they're continuing steadfastly, not just continuing in belief, but in the things he's going to list. He lists four, he itemizes four features that are pillars, they're cornerstones for us. They are foundational.

They are the groundwork. These four words, they encompass our faith. Where would we be without the Scripture? Where would we be if we couldn't pray to God? What would happen if you got on your knees and you heard a voice say from heaven, say shut up. Where would we be if we couldn't get together with each other? Some of those countries that are out there are forcing believers to meet in the underground church because those believers find it so critical to be together, they're willing to risk their lives and their freedom to fellowship.

And yet you have hermit isolated Christians in other countries where they're free to assemble. That is the work of the devil and we have to be careful about that. Satan is relentless in his attacks. Just when you think you've machine gunned down all his assaults, new things pop up, bigger things come up. Great.

The day I leave the bazooka in the car, here he comes with a tank. No matter what is going on in my life or your life, whatever new temptations, old trials, whatever is going on, whether it is death, marriage, divorce, unemployment, debt, success, career, sickness, mediocrity, whatever it is, we are still called to continue steadfastly in these items. We must endeavor to endure biblically, not in our own strength. The world can do that.

They can endure in their own strength. We are to do it according to the word of God. One verse from Acts sets up the entire new pace for the remainder of the New Testament church and individual believer. Acts chapter one is a beautiful beginning to this book. Acts chapter one, the former account I made O Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, all that he started, he has entrusted with his apostles to finish by entrusting other believers to continue. And then he says, until the day in which he was taken up after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandment to the apostles whom he had chosen. This was a commandment.

He said, boys, this is a good idea that you continue the things I know. This is a commandment. There was no getting away from this.

They didn't want to get away from it. Matthew 28, Jesus said, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. So what I'm trying to establish is a great authority of the apostles' doctrine and their fellowship and their breaking of bread and prayer.

This template is serious business. It is sort of a mini Ten Commandments for us. And it is passed by, largely because many churches, I think, are afraid of the emotional spirit-led experiences in this book. Well, that's another lesson for another time.

But let's again look at the list. First, doctrine. Time spent in truth. Truth about God, of course. Truth from God to man. The Word of God. That's the doctrine. It is almost impossible to overemphasize the importance of the apostles' doctrine.

Take it away and you have a cult. John, in his second letter—oh wait, I'm not ready for John, so I can't quote that. In his second letter, whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine—you could say in the truth, in the Word of God, in the theology— whoever does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.

That's pretty serious, straightforward. He continues, he who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. That's me.

That should be you. He says, if anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him. For he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. John is just, you know what, you think that's not seeker-friendly? Too bad.

It's the fact. Hell is not seeker-friendly. You want to be friendly to seekers, you tell them the truth. They can get enough lies and garbage elsewhere, you give them the truth of Jesus Christ. In the early days—we'll get to this at the end of the session also—in the early days, churches could not meet in buildings like we meet now.

They met in homes. And John says, you stop those guys at the door. They show up not believing what we've been preaching to you. You don't let them pass the door. Never mind that shake hands, have a nice day stuff with them. Tell them, get gone, you're populating hell.

That is pretty fierce business. Now what if here you are, you know, you're trying to do your yard work and the Jehovah Witnesses show up. A little tiny car and twelve of them get out and they're all walking towards you.

You can have some fun. Now on one hand, they are lost souls in darkness. We want to reach them. Well, if you are equipped to deal with them, then you deal with them. But if you're not, you chase them away. Most of us are not. Most of you, I should say, are not.

As I mentioned before, I get to wave in that bazooka around. They get off my property real quick. We want to reach them, but this is the reality.

It's not a game. It's not that easy. They are in darkness and they do not want to come out of it. And if you're not careful, they will suck you in. So you better know what you're doing or you chase them away. And don't feel obligated to grin and smile and be their buddy. I mentioned last week that we're so always supposed to be polite.

Well, I should have put an asterisk next to that. Except when we're face to face with heretics. We do not have to be polite. Now we cannot be violent, but we do not have to. And this is what John is saying. You greet them, you share. Because you're saying, you know, really it's not that big of a deal that they're lying to people and sending them to an eternal hell.

We're saying it is a very big deal. And the Spirit will help us sort that out. Because I'm often told, you know, there are some adjustments to this because you could be in the workplace working with someone like this and you certainly just can't be. You know, you go into work and just, good morning Mr. Gaston. Shut up, you heretic. You can't do that kind of stuff. And be successful. So you have to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

Well anyway, I didn't want to stay on that. See, I told you I wasn't ready for 2 John. Or John's epistles. Our views of God.

What are they formed by? Scripture. What else?

I mean there's experience too. I'll come to that in a minute. But what the Scripture says, that forms our theology, our doctrine, our instruction concerning God comes from the Bible.

Our God-formed theology will act as a shield when we are greatly perplexed. Now I cannot, I'll use Job as an example. When Job says, I know my redeemer lives.

When Job said, though he slay me I trust him. What he was saying is I hate my experience. I don't know what's going on. I want out of this junk.

I don't know why God has done this. He set me up as a target. He spoils my success. He breaks my neck. He runs at me like all these fires arrows into me.

That's what Job said. But his theology, his understanding of who God was, allowed him to not reject God and slip into blasphemy. And so he says, I know my redeemer lives and I shall see him. He said, if I could just get face to face with God, things would be different because I know he would have mercy on me. You see, his theology protected him from his experience. When you're perplexed, I don't know what God is doing. I don't know why he's allowing this or that.

What do you do? You default to the Scripture. But I know he is good. I know he is merciful. I know he has eternity under his control. And though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, even if I die, I shall fear no evil for he is with me. That's your theology that gets you through that. Here's bad theology. God hates you, doesn't love you, wants to destroy you. Well, that's not a shield. That's a sword against you.

And that does not belong to our faith. Paul said this when he was going through hard times. He said, we are hard pressed on every side. He is being crushed, yet not crushed.

That's what he says. He's being crushed, yet not crushed. We are perplexed, not in despair.

Why? Why are you confused? The great apostle Paul, you've seen Jesus Christ face to face. You've done miracles. You've seen miracles. Why are you perplexed and not in despair?

His theology, his doctrine, what he believed, the truth instructed to him through the Holy Spirit. He says persecuted but not forsaken. Look, I can go through a little pain and I've already got my finger on the forsaken button.

Where are you? There's no help if you're watching me suffer. I need you to stop me from suffering. And when you come through it, hell is defeated and you, in Christ, are exalted. He continues, Paul does to his Corinthians, he says, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed.

Satan can't finish him off. Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body. Others can see that this person has picked up their cross and carried it daily. That this person has said, Jesus must increase when you see me and I must decrease when you see me.

That ought to take up a lot of your time and mine too, trying to get you to do it. No, that would be self-righteous. It's our time in Christ. So there's a correlation between instruction and rest from the Lord. Most of you know this verse and probably all of you will enjoy it when you hear it. Thus says Yahweh, stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6 16, stand in the scriptures that go back, all the way back to the days of Moses telling us the story even to the beginning.

Stand there. He says you'll find rest for your souls. They responded, the audience of Jeremiah, and he writes it, he says, you will find rest for your souls but they said we will not walk in it. Well, we say we will continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, which is also the doctrine of the Old Testament. It includes it.

It develops it and includes it. So we agree with Jeremiah. Now the correlation between instruction and rest, which a lot of Christians don't seem to get to. They want that emotional experience.

They never get the word and then they're always just excited and making promises that aren't accurate and can't be kept. Matthew chapter 11, take my yoke upon you, learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. That's what Jeremiah just said.

I just read it to you. Jeremiah says stand in the old ways, you'll find rest for your souls. Jesus said come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden. Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

How? How did Job find? You know, Job going through the whole mess, he still was attached to God.

And where is he now? The apostles doctrine goes beyond the Old Testament prophets, but never without them. And it's good for us to learn that because many behave in the church as though that's not true.

The Old Testament tells them to do everything in the New Testament tells them nothing. And then you're left with the legalist, a self-righteous, judgmental individual that is not free and graced and can lead no one to Christ by his love. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said the goodness of God leads to repentance. When God tells me, you know what, there's nothing about you holy or righteous that I should accept, but I love you anyway. If you will just come to me, you will be mine and I will be yours.

It will be a mutual love. Ephesians chapter 3, Paul says, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men. He's talking about in the days of the prophets, the details concerning Christ. He says, as it has been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. We talked about this in Peter. Peter's saying they spoke of things they looked into, but they could not see the fullness of it like we did. When we start 1 John, John will start off saying, the one whom we were with, we touched, we saw with our eyes.

This is the one, the word of life that we want to tell you about. Matthew 28 again, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. He supersedes Moses and Isaiah. He doesn't throw them out. He just says, I'm over all of them.

What they said plus what I said, over what they said. You want to understand what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 53? You look at the cross of Jesus Christ.

Nobody can explain it without that. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our sins, chest Heisman for our peace was upon him. By his stripes we are made whole.

And so many other Old Testament verses you can apply to no human being except the Christ. We're glad you joined us today to learn how to avoid some rookie mistakes in the faith. Pastor Rick will have more to share next time on Cross Reference Radio, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. If you'd like to listen to more teachings from Pastor Rick, or if you'd like more information about this program, we invite you to visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. What a great way to keep God's word with you wherever you go. We hope you'll tune in again next time as Pastor Rick continues studying through the scriptures, right here on Cross Reference Radio.