Absolute Truth for a Relative World
Every Sunday can be Super Sunday!
Acts 2
[Video clip from Green Bay Packer’s 1996 Super Bowl Season]
It was an amazing time. Electricity filled the air. Folks who didn’t know each other found they had a common love, and an instant bond was formed. Hugs were exchanged between total strangers. On the streets, people wore genuine smiles and happy demeanors. People gathered on Sundays to sing, to hug and to cheer. They shared food around little grills. Amazing acts were done by the leaders. Some even used the word, “miracle” to describe the action. Was it the 1996 Green Bay Packers?
No, it was the 33AD Jerusalem Christians!
The church of the first century was a place that I think rivals any arena or stadium of our day – and I believe they had it right! I believe that the church as it was then is exactly what God intends it to be – and the church of today has much to learn, and an example to follow in that first group of believers in Jerusalem.
Let’s take a look at the action in that church. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2. Acts is found in the second half of the Bible, after the Biographical books of Matthew, Mark Luke and John. If you don’t have a Bible with you, pick one up off the chairs around you, and turn to page 734, and when we’re done, take that Bible with you – it’s our gift to you.
The full title of this book is “The Acts of the Apostles,” and it is just that. It is a chronicle of the actions of the disciples of Jesus immediately after He was crucified and ascended into heaven. It covers a period following Jesus resurrection until about 64 AD – about a 30 year period. It is an exciting book of nonstop action as the church grew from a little group of followers in Jerusalem to a movement that turned the whole Roman world upside-down.
In Acts chapter two, beginning with verse 43, we have a summary of what the first church was like. Follow along with me as I read:
Acts
2:43-47
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. [44] Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, [45] and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. [46] So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Wow! Doesn’t that sound like something you’d love to be a part of? As I look at this description of the Jerusalem church, I see seven vital signs of a healthy church.
First there are four devotions. The Bible says they “continued steadfastly” in these items – they were strongly devoted to these four items:
Verse 42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…” The first church in Jerusalem was marked primarily by strong, relevant teaching. If you look through the first two chapters of this book, leading up to this summary, you can see that fact. Peter and the other leaders are constantly quoting the Scriptures, tying every decision, every defense of their teaching to the authority of the Word of God. They boldly preach the gospel, and they also take the truth to the streets – to me that’s what good teaching is – it is the great truths of God presented in a way that connects with the human need. A church that is vital and healthy will center around teaching that is practical and Bible-based.
Acts 2:42 continues: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship…” The first church was a group of people who loved to be together. The Greek word for fellowship is koinwnia, which means “A relation between individuals which involves a common interest and a mutual, active participation in that interest and in each other.” Look at that definition for a moment. “…a common interest…” What is our common interest? In the church, in our church, it should be a common focus on Jesus Christ and His work in our lives. “…and a mutual participation in that interest and in each other…” The early church was based on participation - people were involved in the church – in the mission of the church, and they were involved in each other’s lives.
How different this is from the church today. So often we sit back and wait for others to do the work of the church. We wait to be served, rather than serve. Our involvement in the teaching and work of the church is limited to Sunday morning, and our involvement in the lives of our fellow worshipers is primarily in the form of criticism or gossip. Chuck Swindoll describes the modern church as “a porcupine in a snow storm – the closer we get to each other, the more we needle each other.” Another has described the modern church as like Noah’s ark – the severity of the storm on the outside is the only thing that makes us tolerate the stench on the inside!
That’s not what the church is meant to be – God’s master plan for the church was that it be a caring fellowship – where people’s love for Jesus caused them to genuinely and deeply care for each other and for the ministry and advancement of the mission of the church.
Verse 42 goes on to say that they were devoted to the apostles’ doctrine, to fellowship and to the breaking of bread. This is actually an interesting play on words. The word for fellowship that we just looked at in Greek, koinwnia, is translated in Latin as communio, from which we get our word “communion.” Here’s the point – the close fellowship they had with each other was hand in hand with a close fellowship with God. They genuinely communed with God. The encountered Him in their times of worship. Imagine those first few times the disciples celebrated communion together. The memory of Jesus breaking the bread and passing the cup so fresh in their minds – remembering the sacrifice He made for their salvation. But more than that, they experienced what Jesus promised – “where two or more are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst.” Their worship was not a particular style, it was not a performance, it was not a presentation with lights and bells and whistles, it was a presence, the presence of God himself in their midst.
Oh, how we need to have a fresh visitation of God in our midst! So often our church experience is about people – the people who are leading, or performing or speaking. It’s about me – “what am I going to get out of this?” “Go ahead, amaze me!” But our church services should be about HIM!
We are here to experience God –
His love, not my needs.
His grace, not my critique of the service.
His forgiveness, not my excuses.
His leading, not my plans.
His will, not mine.
In addition to teaching, fellowship and communion with God, the first church was devoted to Spirit-filled Prayer. The church of Jerusalem was continuing steadfastly in prayer. The Greek word for prayer here is the word from which we get our word “prostrate.” These were people who were on their faces before God – humbling themselves, seeking His protection, direction and presence.
You know, we talk a lot about prayer. We send out prayer requests over the phone and internet, we take prayer and praise reports each week, we sometimes pray individually at meals or perhaps in the morning or before bed. But there is a difference between prayer and PRAYER. This week we saw the rescue of 8 Christian workers in Afghanistan. They had been held by the Taliban for 3 months for telling others about Jesus. On the night before they were rescued, American bombs were falling all around their prison. One of the women, Heather Mercer, said, "Our building was shaking, our prison was shaking, all we could do was sit in the hallway and pray with all our hearts that the building wouldn't be damaged in any way.” Now that was PRAYER! You can believe those were fervent prayers! They didn’t worry about their sore knees, or the other problems they were having, they had an urgency to their prayers.
When was the last time we prayed like that? When was the last time we recognized the desperate reality of the world situation? There are people slipping into eternity without Christ, and we can’t be bothered to come to church on Wednesday evening for an hour or prayer! If a burglar was breaking in to your home to attack your family, you would do anything in your power to stop the enemy, but there is a relentless and dangerous attack going on all around our families, and we’d rather sit and watch television than intercede for our family and our community! No wonder the church is irrelevant! No wonder the church lacks power! No wonder there is “no wonder.”
But that’s not the way it was then. The church was devoted to teaching, and fellowship, and worship, and prayer, and the result was “wonder.”
Verse 43 says, “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles…”
The four devotions of that early church led to three dynamic qualities of the church:
The leaders of the church, the apostles, did wondrous and miraculous things as they walked with God. They were normal, common men, working stiffs, who had been transformed by a powerful encounter with God. Flip over a couple of pages to chapter 4, verse 13. When Peter and John were brought before the courts to explain the uproar they were causing, they gave a powerful defense. Look at this verse,
“And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
These men, by virtue of their closeness with Christ, caused people to “marvel.” They inspired a feeling of awe in the church and in the community at large.
The church of today needs just such leaders. And I don’t mean just pastors. This church needs a pastor, a leadership team, Sunday school teachers, and other people in leadership who have had a transformational encounter with Christ. We need to be people who are both transformed ourselves and transforming in our ministry to others. If we don’t see people experiencing new life in Christ, growing in their faith, and reaching others, then we need to have a dynamic encounter with Jesus. We need to have a life that will cause people to sit up and notice “they have been with Jesus…”
The second dynamic that was a part of the church of Jerusalem was a winsome spirit. By that I mean an atmosphere that was simply magnetic. Look at how it is described in verses 44-47:
Lastly, all that we have seen up to this point led to one last dynamic in the church – Outreach momentum. The natural outgrowth of their devotion to teaching, fellowship, worship, prayer, the dynamics of transformational leadership and winsomeness was that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” It should be no surprise that a church that has these first six vital signs will have the last. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a church like this? There was a sense of expectation at this church – they were seeing so many come to Christ, that it was a daily occurrence that people were saved and became part of the church. For most churches today, new believers and real growth in the church is so rare that most people can’t remember the last time it happened.
Conclusion
As we close out our series today on Absolute Truth for a Relative World, let me tell you something that I know to be absolutely true – God desires to have this type of church in the world today. He wants us to be a church of strong, doctrinal, teaching. He wants a church of close and loving fellowship. He desires a church that will commune with Him through meaningful worship. He longs for us to be powerful pray-ers. Churches that have transformed and transforming leadership, and a winsome Spirit, where people are drawn to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit working in each life.
May God make Gateway Community Church just such a church, and may He transform churches all across our land.
Father, in many ways we are lacking as we place ourselves against the measure of the church in Jerusalem. We ask humbly that you would do a powerful work in our midst. Transform this church, this pastor, these people. Recreate in us the spirit of that dynamic, powerful church, and may we see, as they saw, people daily coming to salvation through Jesus. We pray these things in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.