NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY
Acts 14:21-23
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. The book of Acts is the divine record of the beginning of
Christianity.
1. Many people were made disciples of the Lord by the
teaching of the gospel.
2. We select a few verses from the book, 14:21-23, which
we will examine in detail.
a. From these we learn much about what living the
Christian life is all about.
I. THEY PREACHED THE GOSPEL (Vs. 21).
A. Paul preached the same simple message in every city. 1 Cor.
2:1-2
1. This gospel is God's power to save. Rom. 1:16
2. It is that living and active message that cuts to the very
heart of the soul. Heb. 4:12
B. The preachers of the gospel in N.T. days did not preach
themselves, but the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Two guest speakers were asked to speak to a student
body on Abraham Lincoln. After the first speech, the
unanimous consent of the student body was, "Our
speaker was a great speaker." After the second speech,
the consensus was, "Abraham Lincoln was a great man."
We ask, "Which one did his job?"
2. Paul said, "We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord." 2 Cor. 4:5
II. THEY MADE DISCIPLES OF THE LORD (Vs. 21).
A. Jesus had commanded his apostles to "Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations." Matt. 28:18-20
1. The Greek word "make disciples" here is not the
common word for "teach."
a. It means "to disciple, teach, instruct." It is the same
word used in our text in Acts 14:21
2. Baptism is a part of the discipleship process, but is only
the beginning. Jesus added, "...Teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you..."
B. One must grow and develop into a true disciple of the Lord.
Matt. 10:24-25; Luke 6:40
1. Thus, not only does the true disciple learn His master's
teaching, but he follows and obeys Him. John 8:31-32
III. STRENGTHENING THE SOULS (Vs. 22).
A. They strengthened the "souls" of the disciples.
1. New Testament Christianity is a religion of the "inward
person." 2 Cor. 4:16
2. Worldly people are concerned with outward, fleshly
things.
a. As a matter of fact, they can't distinguish between
their bodies and the person on the inside. To them,
their body is them. The body is the person who they
are. Thus, when you ask, "How are you doing?"
They immediately reply by mentioning something
about their body.
b. It makes you want to reply, "I didn't ask, 'How is
your body doing?' but asked, 'How are YOU
doing?'"
3. The Lord develops and strengthens the inner person, not
the outward. Rom. 12:2
B. Once someone becomes a Christian, he must be strengthened
or he will not last. Luke 8:13
1. He must immediately replace the bad with the good.
Luke 11:24-26
2. He must not just merely stop sinning, but must become a
servant of righteousness. Rom. 6:11-13
C. They exhorted the disciples to continue in the faith." (Vs.
22)
1. It is not enough to start, we must finish the race, keep
the faith. We must never give up.
2. Much of our work as God's servants today is to
encourage one another to keep going in the right
direction. Heb. 10:24
D. We must be reminded that we must endure many tribulations
to enter the kingdom of God. (Vs. 22)
1. This refers to the eternal kingdom. They had already
entered the present kingdom.
2. This should help all of us to understand that being a
member of the body of Christ will not always be easy
or pleasant.
3. There will be many tribulations both within and outside
the church.
a. Jesus prepared His disciples for the hardships to
come. Matt. 10:21-22; John 16:1-4
b. Those early Christians prepared their converts for
tribulations and afflictions. 1 Thess. 3:1-4
IV. THEY APPOINTED ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH (Vs. 23).
A. It is God's will that every church have elders.
1. God, in His wisdom, wants mature men to oversee the
flock.
2. Someone needs to make the final decision.
a. It is typical in business meetings to discuss things for
many hours (and sometimes for many business
meetings) with no decision being made.
B. Each congregation should be striving to reach the goal of
having elders.
1. We need to appoint men in accord with the
qualifications, men who we trust, and who can lead.
2. When they make decisions in accord with the Lord's will,
we need to abide by their decisions.
C. It is wonderful to have elders, those who are looking out for
our spiritual welfare. Heb. 13:17
V. PRAYER AND FASTING.
A. These brethren "prayed with fasting" which indicated that they
were serious about what they were doing.
B. Prayer is everywhere commanded in the Scriptures, but
fasting is not.
1. Fasting is neither commanded nor condemned. We only
have examples of it being done in the N.T.
2. Evidently, God knew that men would abuse the
command to fast.
a. The neglect or severe treatment of the body has no
value against the indulgence of the flesh. Col. 2:23;
Heb. 13:9
(1) In other words, severe treatment of the body
does not make one stronger spiritually.
3. Because of lack of instructions on it, let each individual
decide for himself whether or not he wants to fast.
C. Here, the disciples through fasting and prayer are invoking
God's help in the appointing of elders and in commending
others to the Lord.
1. Let us do the same - solicit the Lord's help in everything
we do.
VI. COMMENDED THEM TO THE LORD (Vs. 23).
A. Emphasis should always be put on the Lord Himself. Acts
5:14; 11:22-24
B. In the church, the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be the center,
the focus, of everything.
1. It is possible for one to be converted to the "Church of
Christ" and never to the Lord.
2. No doubt, we have many in the church today who are
"Church of Christers" who are not true disciples of the
Lord.
3. This is why many, who when error comes in, follow the
"Church of Christ" and not the Lord.
C. On another occasion, Paul commended the brethren to God
with these words - Acts 20:32.
1. Not one time did Paul, or any inspired writer, say, "Now
I commend you to the church of Christ."
2. No, they commended brethren to the Lord, to God, and
to the Word of God.
Concl.
A. Acts 14:21-23 - There are many marvelous things about New
Testament Christianity in these verses.
1. We need to preach and teach the gospel of Christ.
2. We need to encourage one another to continue in the
faith.
3. Elders need to be appointed in every church.
4. Tribulations are part of Christianity.
5. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord; He is our Lord,
master, and teacher. By His grace, we are what we are,
and what we shall be.