Atmospheric Holiness – Part 3: Brokenness
Acts 2:42-43
• The Christian faith is rooted in the worship of a crucified Savior.
• Each section or part of Acts concludes with a summary statement (6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:31).
Most of Acts is descriptive.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
- Acts 2:42-43 (NIV)
Most of Acts is descriptive.
• “to know Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings.” (Phil. 3:10)
• Acts 2:42-43 is a description of what it looks like to live in brokenness.
Bottom Line:
Brokenness is not an event we survive but a life style we embrace in order to make much of Jesus. Or we could say brokenness is the core of Jesus centered living.
The Core Commitments of living in brokenness.
• The verb translated "devoted" means a steadfast and singleminded fidelity to a certain course of action.
• The edges of God are tragedy. The depths of God are joy and life. - Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki
Brokenness Requires
Living in Commitment…
To God’s Word (Personal Growth)
“apostles teaching”- v.42
• It included a compilation of the words of Jesus (20:35).
• It included some account of Jesus earthly ministry, passion and resurrection (2:22-24).
To God’s Word (Personal Growth)
“apostles teaching”- v.42
• It included a declaration of what all this meant for man's rescue from death by God (1Cor 15:3-5).
• It was expressed in terms of a Christian "tradition" that could be passed on to others (1Cor 11:2; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6).
To God’s People (Relational Accountability)
“the fellowship” – v.42
• The early believers had some internal distinctive identifications and some externally recognizable identity.
• Here is what set them apart: they held to the centrality of Jesus of Nazareth in the rescuing program of God and in their worship.
To God’s People (Relational Accountability)
“and the breaking of bread” – v.42
• Every time we gather together our gathering is Jesus centered.
To God’s Power (Intercession)
“prayer”
• The best thing about brokenness is learning to love it and we learn to love brokenness in prayer.
• “restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God might be seen.“ - Augustine
To God’s Call (Personal Mission)
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
To God’s Call (Personal Mission)
• We misread the Scripture and as a result we mislive our Christian faith.
• There is a big difference between being clothed with the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit.
Bottom Line:
Brokenness is not an event we survive but a life style we embrace in order to make much of Jesus. Or we could say brokenness is the core of Jesus centered living.
Bottom Line:
Brokenness is the process of separating us from our dependence on experiences, skills, giftedness, competencies, plans, manuals, programs, etc.
Bottom Line:
• A broken follower of Jesus is one that has been released from dependence on giftedness and competency to serve in absolute dependence on the work of God for anything of significance.
Bottom Line:
• God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. - Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
Bottom Line:
“We preach a gospel of foolishness... We have this treasure in jars of clay (chamber pots)... So that I might know that it is His all-surpassing power... So that His power might be seen in my weakness.”
Bottom Line:
• The core question of brokenness is, “What do I rely on?
The twin of brokenness is vulnerability.
• Vulnerability confronts my desire to avoid being needy.
The twin of brokenness is vulnerability.
The core question of vulnerability is, “Will I admit I need You? Will I choose distance (sanitary and safe,) or choose relationship? Will I allow people into the process of God’s work in my life?”
Brokenness
God is far more reliable, faithful, and forgiving than his people imagine.
