THE INGREDIENTS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH
ACTS 2:1; AMOS 3:3
Last week I shared my vision for this church..and that vision centered on a belief in the supernatural power of God. I shared how the early church was comprised of believers who not only heard about...but actually experienced the full gospel...with signs and wonders that accompanied that gospel message.
And it was a church that grew.ƒ`They grew in spirit...they grew in faith...they grew in numbers. And I hear from so many here at this church that they would like to experience that very same thing...to have the ability to live their lives with a vibrant, powerful witness of what the Spirit can and will do in a person.
I believe that the greatest longing in the church today is the desire for something more than dull religion. People are in desperate need of something that really works... something more than a cheap emotional thrill on Sunday morning.
People are in need of the intimacy..the inspiration..and the impelling power of the Holy Spirit. And answering that cry is the key to church renewal and prophetic preaching and teaching.
But I want you to know that it is impossibleƒ`to live the Christian life without the indwelling Holy Spirit actively working in our lives. And I'm convinced that the greatest need in this church today is for a contemporary Pentecostƒ`.
Courageous discipleship and effective ministry in our society simply cannot be accomplished without the guidance and enabling energy of supernatural power. The church today, like the disciples in the Upper Room, is waiting on the edge of a miracle.
And Pentecost was a miracle...because the impossible really happened! 120 frightened, weak, self-centered, willful, and discouraged men and women were transformed into new creatures. They were infused with supernatural power..intellectually, emotionally and even physically. We certainly need a Pentecost in this church!ƒ`
In John 4:24 Jesus said "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." God is spirit...and we are created spiritual beings. We were created for Spirit-to-spirit union and communion. We spend our lives in search of that union...but it is not a futile search. Our spirit can be infused and empowered by His Spirit...as some can testify.
The final hours before Pentecost were filled with the frustration of knowing just how impossible it would be to live as Christ had taught them and showed them by His life. How could they ever live up to that? How could it happen without Him?ƒ`
They didn't realize what Jesus meant when He said He would come and make His home in them. They were thinking of Him living "with" them, but not "in" them. And until it happened, the disciples waited on the brink of history's greatest miracle...the transformation of human personality and the beginning of a new humanity. And it's on that same edge of expectation that we find so many people today.
There are many who want to experience the Holy Spirit in a way they never have before...but don't really know anything about Him. We hear and sing and talk about the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit...but our words have drifted far from the original meaning.
Because the peace, and also the power of the Holy Spirit, only come AFTERƒ`reconciliation and a surrendered will. And that is what I want to focus on this morning. All of the manifestations that began on the day of Pentecost and continue on even today are dependent upon a harmonious relationship with God. But it goes even beyond that.
The Greek word for peace that comes from the Holy Spirit means a harmonious relationship between God and us...and also between us and others.ƒ`And that was the key for the success of the early church. And believe me...we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to convince us of the fact that we are, first of all, loved without qualification...but we are also released to give loveƒ` without reservation.
The undeniable fact that we have the Holy Spirit living in us is a new and deeper capacity to love. And love is not just something that we feel inside...it must be expressed in tangible ways. This is where we run into trouble...and this is what is needed first and foremost if the church is to grow and experience all God has has for us here.
The problem of impatience with people...difficulties in forgiving and forgetting...and a reluctance to give ourselves freely to one another will kill the effectiveness of this church...and on top of that, it is a constant contradiction to our faith in Christ as Savior.
Acts 2:1 holds the key to our freedom and our effectiveness as a church..."they were all together...they were all in one accord...they all had the same goal...And that goal was to wait for the promise of the Father...in indwelling of the mighty Holy Spirit.
And that is exactly what they did. But just because they were all together waiting... seeking...expecting... they never ceased to be individual personalities. They didn't know what was coming...and I'm sure there were maybe as many different ideas as there were people as to what their role in the future of the kingdom would be.
And this is where I find us at, in a manner of speaking. We've launched out on our own...but yet not without a mandate from God for a ministry that requiredƒ`us to step out and trust Him.
But while we are waiting for more of the specifics as to the next step in our own Pentecost...we find ourselves desperately needing the unity and oneness that allowed those 120 believers to experience the mighty outpouring that shook the entire world.
But just what does it mean to be in one accord...to be unified in such a way that we are all looking toward a common goal and purpose. How can we have the kind of relationship with each other that was the trademark of the early church?
Well, the first thing we need to understand is that good relationships depend less upon the parties involved agreeing with one another than upon their accepting one another. Do you hear what I'm saying? The important thing for us is not that we always agree on everything...but that we accept each other and continue to work toward our common goal.
If that was not true, then a lot of marriages would never last long... a great many friendships would never develop...and most churches would splinter and certainly lose their effectiveness.
As a matter of fact, the reason so many marriages, friendships, and churches are in trouble is partly because people do not recognize the difference between agreement and acceptance.
Now, as far as I know, the only community where no disagreement exists is a cemetery. Because anywhere there is life...there is difference. That is a big part of what makes being human so wonderful...we can make individual choices.
And we do make choices all the time. We choose one thing...and in the process choose against something else. But that will often put us at odds with those around us. And most often the things that pit us against each other are not things that will matter eternally. It is very seldom the subject of heaven or hell...or doctrinal issues that are important to the faith, that separate us and cause division and strife.
The things that separate and divide us are usually insignificant when you look at the bigger picture...they are the nit-picky things that revolve around personal preference or familiarity. And if that is the case...why should we always insist that those close to us be compelled to make the same choices we have made?
I honestly believe that much of the stress and anxiety we experience is caused by the neurotic need to have others agree with us. Now, in certain circumstances it is certainly good to be in agreement with others, but is it always necessary?
I've read studies about marriages in which, at least according to the reports, there has never been a disagreement. Now if that was really true, that would have to have been an incredibly dull and very limiting relationship.
And what that really means is that one of the partners had ceased to be a partner and had become a flunky who was present only in body...a mind-numbed robot, not a mate. That goes against human nature.
In fact, most of the time it is opposites that attract...and that applies not just to marriage but also close relationships of any kind. The very differences that set us apart are the things we somehow seek after. And that will, at times, set the stage for confrontation.
But look at the alternative. How would you like to be friends with someone who made it plain that the only way they would have you as a friend is if you would never disagree with them? That would be far too great a task for me...because it would be a one way street...with no acceptance of another viewpoint.
Not many people would be so bold as to state those terms outright..but there are many who think and act along those very lines. There are so many people who are terribly threatened by disagreement.
I read of a pastor who would present a program to his church staff and then say, "Everybody in favor say, Aye..all who disagree say I resign. Now I hope that was an exaggeration, but there's plenty of situations in which that kind of conformity is required.
But the dynamics of every healthy community include some measure of lively disagreement. And I personally believe that this loyal opposition is needed to keep us from getting too comfortable with our own narrow and sometimes blurred vision.
But we seem to rebel against the very least measure of opposition or disagreement...we take everything so personal. If someone disagrees with us or doesn't see things our way, then they must not like us...or they are out to get us.
To presume that others have no valid opinion aside from ours...to presume that others may need us to correct them but that we don't need them to correct us on occasion is to put us in a category that only God belongs in...only He is omniscience - all knowing!
There is a verse in the Bible that speaks very strongly to me about this whole idea. It's found in Amos chapter 3. And in this section of Amos, the prophet is illustrating just how inevitable God's judgment of evil really is. He does this by citing a half-dozen well known proverbs. And the first of these is found in verse 3 where Amos says, "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"
Now, the KJV of this proverb can be very misleading...because it has Amos asking, "Can two walk together except they be agreed." The problem is not so much in the translation as it is in the meaning we give to those particular words.
"Except they be agreed" simply meant they had made an appointment. It did not mean, as it has been so often been interpreted, "You can't fellowship with someone that you don't agree with."
I have heard that interpretation in sermons all my life, and it made me uncomfortable even before I knew why. That just doesn't sound like Christ. And then one day I found out that Amos didn't say that at all. He didn't even imply that.
And I think he would be highly upset that we would even suggest such an idea. Because what Amos was really saying was that good, working relationships only happen where there is some kind of continuing commitment to the whole process of relationship.
People do not find common ground by accident. They work to find it. They make appointments with one another...and stick with each other while they find ways to work out any differences they may have...all while keeping sight of the common goal.
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There is a mentality in so many relationships that will cause them to fix a cold, hard look at another and say, either to that person or to themselves, "Well, if that's the way you feel, we're through!" or "If you don't like things my way, then get out, go somewhere else." Most all of us have either said that...or had it said to us...and likely we've been on both sides of that fence. And that is exactly what the enemy of our souls wants to happen.
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When people get threatened...whether that threat is real or imagined...their willingness to tolerate disagreement narrows. And the more we feel insecure...the less we are willing to allow for those who have a different viewpoint than our own. And that will destroy a marriage...it will destroy friendships...and it will destroy the effectiveness of a church.
But look at this from the other possibility. What would happen if we were to realize the common goal...and in matters that are not of eternal consequence we could somehow agree to disagree. I think Amos realized that he was talking about a group of people who all through their history had squabbles and differences...who argued about what to do and when to do it...
But he also realized the power of unity and how important it was to maintaining their relationship with God and with each other. And that is what we need to come face to face with. Often there will be people in the church who will allow the enemy to bring division and disunity into our midst. It usually starts with a disagreement over some little matter...and because it is not dealt with, it begins to grow.
We have people who will come into this church every Sunday morning and smile at another person and say "How are you?" and in their heart they hope the person is just as miserable as they are...or worse! And don't look so innocent.
In Acts chapter 2 we read of how 120 people experienced the greatest miracle in the history of the church...but it would never have happened if they have not been together in Spirit.
Those early believers made mistakes...some failed..some denied Christ. There were arguments over who would sit next to Jesus...who would be the greatest. Some asked the same questions we ask..."Well, what about John...what about him or her?"
But they were able to put aside their differences...not just bury them, but give them to Christ. And they determined to let nothing stop them from achieving their greater goal...receiving the promised Holy Spirit.
We stand at a similar crossroad today. Do we really want to receive an outpouring of the Spirit that will transform not only our lives, but also the lives of those who desperately need Christ? It's time to put aside any pride, or selfishness, or defensiveness...or anything that would hinder our relationship with each other, and with Christ.
The Scripture says that if there is any separation in your relationships...regardless of whose fault it may be...that you are to leave the altar of God until it is made right.
This morning I ask you to let the Holy Spirit speak to you. If there is a break in any of your relationships here at this church...take the step that will set you free...and set our church free to be all that it is meant to be. If there are any breaks in any other relationships...don't wait another day to make them right. Let God set you free!
