Acts – GaryCombs.org

A Shared Focus

September 15, 2024 | Acts 2:42-47 | prayer, small groups

When you visit another country or even another part of our country, you’ll notice several unique features to their community, to their culture. What they believe, whether they are relational, friendly or not, what kind of food they eat and of course what language or dialect they speak. A shared language is one of the key marks of any community.

The same was true of the first century church. They had their own way of greeting one another. They had a shared language–– it was the language of prayer. It was a shared focus, one that focused on spending time together talking to God in prayer.

We can experience this authentic community when we pursue the four devotions of the apostle’s teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. Today, we’re going to focus on the 4th devotion, “A Shared Focus.”

A Shared Faith

August 25, 2024 | Acts 2:42-47 | small groups

While communities based around politics, sports, BBQ and regional accents may help us find people to associate with as friends, they fall far short of the real community that God has in mind for us. How do we move from these “pseudo-communities” to real community?

In the book of Acts, Luke described the “true community” of the first century church. He noted that they were marked by four “devotions.” These devotions were: a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus.
We can experience this authentic community when we pursue these four devotions. In this first message in the series, we’re going to focus on the first devotion, “A Shared Faith.”

Be Connected

September 25, 2022 | Acts 2:42-47 | small groups

God wants you in His family photo, taped to His fridge, hanging over His mantle, tucked away in His wallet. God wants you to be connected to His family! But our sin has separated us from Him and causes us to isolate ourselves from Him and from one another.

God doesn’t want us to be alone. We were made to love God and one another. We were made to be connected to God and His family! In the book of Acts, Luke recorded how the first century church was devoted to being connected as God’s family. We can be devoted to being connected as God’s family.

Multiplication Over Addition

July 10, 2022 | Acts 9:31 | discipleship

Over the past three weeks we’ve talked about being a church of people who are mobilized to live transformed lives wherever they live, learn, work, and play, collaborating with other believers to see that every man, woman, and child has repeated opportunities to see, hear, and respond to the Good News of Jesus.

Today, we’re going to be looking at the book of Acts. The book of Acts, or the Acts of the Apostles, is the record of how the first century church obeyed Christ’s command to make disciples and quickly multiplied from Jerusalem, to Judea, Samaria, and throughout the Roman world! In the book of Acts, Luke recorded the how the early believers obeyed Christ’s command to be a multiplying church.

The Blessing of Living Generously

January 12, 2020 | Acts 20:32-35 | generosity

How many of you are experiencing this life of being more blessed like Jesus described? Do you realize how much more happiness is in store for you when you learn to be a giver?

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul reminded the elders of the church of Ephesus of Christ’s words that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We can understand why Jesus said that it is more blessed to live generously. Why it is more blessed to live generously?

Doing Life Together

August 18, 2019 | Acts 2:42-47 | community, community groups, fellowship

The truth is we need God and we need one another. We are created for relationship. That’s why Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). We were made to love God and one another. We were made to do life together!

In the book of Acts, Luke recorded how the first century church was devoted to doing life together as the body of Christ. We can be devoted to doing life together as the body of Christ.

Look for God’s Presence

July 7, 2019 | Acts 16:6-15 | evangelism

Have you been frustrated or afraid to share your faith in Christ? Perhaps you view it as a burden or a duty that you really don’t want to carry. But when we begin to pray for God to prepare the heart of our “one,” He not only hears our prayers for them, He begins to do a work in us too. We begin to feel God’s heart for the “one” to whom He has called us. Then, when we begin to look for God’s presence already at work in this “one’s” life, we begin to feel the adventure of being on mission with God. Witnessing becomes life’s greatest adventure!

In Dr. Luke’s record of the early church called the Acts of the Apostles, he recorded how the apostle Paul and his missionary team continually followed after God’s presence so they might join the Father where He was already at work. As a result, the Lord called them to carry the gospel to Macedonia where the Lord had prepared the heart of a woman named Lydia to hear the gospel and so become the first European to believe.

Following God’s Plan

June 23, 2019 | Acts 4:23-31 | evangelism, prayer

Surely we, both as individuals and as a church, must take Christ’s commission to take the Good News to the nations seriously, and we do. But sometimes focusing on the many can cause us to overlook the importance of going after the one! Yet, God never overlooks the one.

Luke the physician wrote Acts as a historical record of the early church. This first century church was marked by God’s presence and power in such a vital way that they literally turned the world upside down for Christ. What was their secret? They followed God’s plan. In Luke’s book of Acts, he recorded how the early church followed God’s plan to be His witnesses.

A Shared Focus

August 26, 2018 | Acts 2:42-47 | community groups, prayer

In the book of Acts, Luke described the “authentic community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” They were: a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus. We can experience this authentic community when we pursue these four devotions. Today, we’re going to focus on the 4th devotion, “A Shared Focus.”

A Shared Food

August 19, 2018 | Acts 2:42-47 | community, community groups, food, Lord's Supper

There’s something about shared food, a shared meal that leads to real community. The same was true of the first century church. In the book of Acts, Luke described the “authentic community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” They were a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus. We can experience this authentic community when we pursue these four devotions. Today, we’re going to focus on the third devotion, “A Shared Food.”