Church Prosperity
Acts 2:41-43
These verses tell us the way to church prosperity.
1. Doctrine. This means instruction, or to be taught. It is very necessary that we be taught the truth of God's Word. We don't know this truth automatically just because we are saved. We must be taught and we must understand that many of the things we were "brought up with" are false. We must learn to judge doctrines according to the Word of God, not according to whether we were "raised on these doctrines".
a. Once, I preached that it was wrong for women to be leaders in public worship. Some of the men stated that I was wrong because all of their lives women had been leaders in public worship. Some women had done very well, according to them, even better than some of the men. They knew God blessed the women leaders because they had done so well. What a farce! Those poor people will never believe any different because of the way they were raised. Let us not let the way we were raised keep us from the truth.
b. These people didn't decide to start their own doctrine based on their past history, or some doctrine so they could erroneously believe their lost dead loved ones were in heaven. They attended the daily preaching services so they could learn the truth. They were like newborn babes, who desired the sincere milk of the Word that they might grow thereby.
2. Fellowship. A partnership or participation. This is speaking particularly of a fellowship of contributions of money.
3. Breaking of Bread.
1. A meal.
a. Matt. 14:19, Mark 6:41, The feeding of 5,000 men besides women and children.
b. Matt. 15:36, Mark 8:6, Jesus breaking bread for the 4,000 people.
c. Luke 24:30, A meal Jesus shared with the two disciples when they got to Emmaus.
d. Acts 27:35, Paul got the men to eat on the ship going toward Rome.
2. A question about whether they took the Lord's Supper, or had a meal.
a. Acts 20:11 - Paul preaching all night, and the man fell and Paul raised him again.
3. Breaking of bread is taking the Lord's Supper.
a. Matt. 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 22:19 - Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper in His local church.
4. Prayers. This means an oratory, or public praying with one another, where they could hear one another pray to God concerning the things that bothered them. A lot of people don't like public praying, saying that they ought to pray in their closet. Praying is the closet is very necessary, but nobody knows that you pray in your closet or not. Public prayer lets everybody know that you do pray, and what you pray for. When your prayer is answered, everybody will be able to rejoice. When your prayer is unanswered, everybody will know you are just like them in that you pray for some things that isn't God's will.