God’s Great Grace In A Local Church

ILAGAN BAPTIST CHURCH SERMON OUTLINES

Text: Acts 4:33 IBCSWS August 9, 2009

Preacher: Pastor Jose B. Cabajar

Great grace is a special favour that comes from above and enjoyed by believers who truly please God in an extraordinary way. Without the grace of God, we cannot accomplish great things in our Christian life. Certainly, both fast growing and newly started Christian ministries are in great need of the working of the Lord to maintain their works as they pursue the goals they have set for His glory.

Christians will never achieve their desired goals in life without the loving favour of the Lord, but by the grace of God, they could become the kind of believers that God wants them to be. In I Corinthians 15:10, Paul said, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (KJV) What a graceful way of expressing one’s acknowledgement of God’s empowering grace.

Grace is undoubtedly a very familiar word and is well-spoken of and well-sung in Christian-related gatherings; and we really love to talk about it because it reminds us of God’s love which is behind such amazing grace. What a wonderful grace we have in Jesus! By grace, we are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8, it is written, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (KJV) We cannot imagine how wretched and shameful we would be before the Holy One without His loving-grace.

In the ministry, we should not overlook the importance of the grace of God, but continually pray for it and that it may abound in every Local Church. In Acts 4:33, we could see how powerful the apostles and their congregation were after God gave them the needed power and grace in their God-entrusted ministry. The verse says, And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (KJV) Great power and great grace are mentioned in this passage and are emphatically written for us to ponder. A realization of the great grace which was bestowed to the early Christians will surely lead us to be more appreciative and more reliant on God’s great grace.

(I) Bestowed To A Prayerful Church

Acts 4:24-31

A prayerful Church will never be forgotten by God. Her needs will be provided by the Lord in a surprising way and her members will be blessed beyond expectations. Certainly, the early disciples in Jerusalem were prayerful and dedicated to the work of the Lord. They truly gained the loving-favour of God, and consequently, the earth-shaking outcome of the spreading of the Gospel brought Christianity into the known world as divine blessing to a fallen human race.

The Bible says in Acts 4:31, And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (KJV) The presence of God in their midst was undeniable and His power was displayed tremendously through the lives of the faithful believers. It should be our prayer to God that He will bless our congregation with prayerful and Spirit-filled believers so His unlimited power will be demonstrated once again in this truth-rejecting generation.

The amazing results:

-The controlling power of the Holy Ghost

The great grace of God was apparent in the lives of the early believers and the controlling power of the Holy Ghost perceivably led them to do extraordinary acts for the furtherance of the Gospel. We really need to submit to the will of God and be willing to be controlled by the Holy Ghost so we could experience the miraculous working of the Lord in our lives. In Ephesians 5:18, it says, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (KJV) We must keep in mind that Spirit-filled life is an abundant life.

-Boldness to speak the Word of God

Courage to speak the Word of God is extremely needed in evangelizing the world, but without the empowerment of the Holy Ghost, a believer cannot speak boldly as he ought to. We strongly believe that prayers could change lives and could make teachers and preachers of the Word courageous. Evidently, behind the believer’s boldness is prayerfulness. May we realize the importance and power of prayer in our daily walk.

-God-triggered unity

Unity builds up a congregation and reliance on the power of God brings forth productivity. God-triggered unity is what we need in our Local Church today so we may have the strength to face any problem that comes on our course of duty. In Acts 4:32, it is written, And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. (KJV) What a strengthening sight to see members living in unity for a cause. Unity among believers strengthens the Local Church’s determination to pursue God-impressed goals.

It has been observed that man-made unity breeds sad division in the long run; but God-triggered unity accomplishes its purpose to glorify its Author.

-Powerful witnessing

In Acts 4:33, the Bible says, And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (KJV) In verse 31, we see that all the believers were filled with the Holy Ghost, and as we carefully study verse 33, we will realize that one of the great results of being controlled by the Spirit is powerful witnessing. Powerful soul winners are undoubtedly prayerful believers being led by the Lord. We must keep on praying to God that His great power would be given to His servants so they may use it wonderfully in leading lost souls to Christ.

-Unusual generosity

Believers’ open-handedness is rarely seen in our congregations today. Sacrificial giving is not so much practiced by professing Christians because of self-centeredness and indifferent attitude toward giving. Selling one’s land and giving the money to the ministry without guile is an unusual generosity. In Acts 4:36-37, it is written, 36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (KJV) Unusual generosity is a wonderful manifestation of having great grace; it is an amazing result of Spirit-controlled giving. Many may not be aware, but a Local Church with unusual generosity creates an unusual influence and produces exceptional accomplishments for the glory of God.

Great grace is truly noticeable in a prayerful Church. However, we should be watchful also because the devil wants to turn great grace to great disgrace as he did in the lives of Ananias and Sapphira, recorded in Acts chapter 5. Be spiritually consistent, be a part of a prayerful Church and surely you will enjoy God’s great grace at all times.

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