Acts 4:13-16
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in response. 15 After they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign, evident to all who live in Jerusalem, has been done through them, and we cannot deny it!
Acts 2:46
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
Ephesians 4:16
From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Romans 14:19
So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.
God wants the people of the church to actively minister to the world, and to build up one another. We are to proclaim that God can change lives. When the church acts, the evidence of what has been accomplished is present for everyone to see, whether or not you believe in Jesus Christ.
The church has a tremendous responsibility to minister to the world. A church fails to lead and be a witness by deliberately becoming a secular organization–by not praying and looking to the Lord and by removing the teaching of God’s Word (the Bible).
There has to sincere prayer and God’s Word is to be taught in order for the church to act in accordance to God’s will.
Jeremiah 9:23-26
23 This is what the LORD says:
The wise man must not boast in his wisdom;
the strong man must not boast in his strength;
the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth.
24 But the one who boasts should boast in this,
that he understands and knows Me—
that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love,
justice, and righteousness on the earth,
for I delight in these things.
This is the LORD’s declaration.
25 “The days are coming”—the LORD’s declaration—“when I will punish all the circumcised yet uncircumcised: 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair on their temples. All these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
John 5:39-40
39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. 40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.
Romans 2:21-22
21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples?
1 Corinthians 3:3
…because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers?
A church cannot be an effective witness to the world when it is in isolation from the world and withdraws from it.
John 17:15
I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
Mark 2:15-17
15 While He was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also guests with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Acts 10:25, 34-35
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him.
A church is an effective witness for the world when it engages the world in “holy worldliness.” God wants us to be Christlike as we live in the world, even though we are not of the world.
John 20:21
Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.
Luke 5:27-32
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” 28 So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him.
Dining with Sinners
29 Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Akron Alliance Fellowship 