We’ve been discussing beliefs this summer in a series of messages entitled Creed: 9 Essentials to the Christian Faith. We see beliefs are critical component in so many areas of our lives. Beliefs are critical to political parties as beliefs differ among Republicans and Democrats. Beliefs are critical even if I am part of the Wall Street Occupy crowd. Today we continue to explore the beliefs that form the theological center of Christianity. Beliefs are the building block of your faith. As seconds comprise time and currency is a critical component to a nation’s economy, so are your beliefs to your life.
This is a series devoted to the discovery of what you believe and why it matters. Each of these beliefs serves as lynchpins to the Christian faith, so that if you were to remove any one of them you would see the Christian faith crumble. Today, I want to explore the meaning and value of a church to our lives.
As we think about church, it’s important to know what a church is. A church is a group of born-again people meeting together in one place with God as its center. It makes no difference if these people meet in an individual’s home, a rented space, or a building owned by the church itself. Now it may surprise you to find that we consider the church essential to the core beliefs of Christianity. And you be further surprised to know that I am including church membership in a series of essential beliefs of the church. Why? Recent stats have said that some sixty percent of Americans never attend church yet view themselves as Christians. Americans are impulsive and we enjoy our personal freedom and privacy so highly that we cannot be bothered to be involved in the life of a church on a regular basis. But a sincere perusal of Scripture shows us that the church is much more significant that we might first realize.
So it’s here that I want to invite you to look together with me at the earliest historical accounts of the life in Jerusalem. Acts is a bridge book between the Gospels, which describe the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and the letters, which unfold the life and nature of the church.
Today’s Scripture
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).
Today’s passage serves as what is known as a “summary story.” You’ll several of them throughout the book of Acts where it summarizes the story of the early church as the narrative pushes along. This “summary story” is the ending of a gripping story where the events of one day have been described in great detail. Our story picks up where Luke describes the inner life of the church at Jerusalem.
Our narrative is tied to what had happened earlier. On the morning of May 27, A. D. 30, the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, a Sabbath, 120 men and women were gathered in Jerusalem, people who were convinced, after having met the risen Jesus, who had been crucified seven weeks earlier that it was noneother than His tangible presence that invaded their midst. Peter then spoke the first public sermon to a throng of people. Where our passage tells us the continuous results of Peter’s message, verses 37 through 41 tell us the immediate results of Peter’s message. We discover that immediately the people were impacted by the events of Pentecost. There was both conviction and inquiry as to what they should do next (Acts 2:37). Then they obeyed Peter’s instructions and 3,000 people were baptized.
This new community was spreading rapidly as they soon numbered 5,000 people (Acts 4:4). “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Note the words in verse forty one “there were added.” When we read the words “there were added” we immediately recognize that these early Christian distinguished between themselves and the rest of the people in Jerusalem. Today, we designate this distinction as church membership. Church membership is the line of demarcation that communicates to the community who is a follower of Christ and who is not a follower of Christ. To say it another way, church membership is the public line that communicates those who follow Christ and those who do not follow Christ. These words show that church is not something you are born into or automatically added to upon your arrival. Instead, church is a group where you must make a personal commitment to join. Your personal commitment begins with a personal (but not private) commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Once you follow Christ, you become a part of Christ’s church.
Today, I want you to discover the significance of Christ’s church to your life and growth. A Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission leads to a Great Church. Let’s break this statement down in four successive steps in our text.
1. We’re Devoted to the Bible
“…they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching” (Acts 2:42a).
This passage describes the interior life of the early church. We look through the picture widow of their homes and their public meetings to see the characteristics of their life together. Notice that the text is distinguishing one group of people from others. The Bible tells us that directly after Peter preached his message, some 3,000 people out of approximately 180,000 to 200,000 total population “were added” to a distinct group later called the church in Jerusalem. Again, note that these 3,000 were marked off from the rest of the herd. There was a line of distinction that separated them from everyone else. They were branded by God if you will.
To grasp the Bible’s teaching on the church, you must first understand the distinction that believers are marked off from others. Fences are built around the saved people and “the cattle” are branded. While the decision to follow Christ is a personal one, it’s not a private one. For truly following Christ involves being committed and regular, not casual and occasional, to a group of people.
Don’t confuse a place with a group of people. Notice the text says, “…they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching” (Acts 2:42a). The original word that is translated “devoted,” means, “to continue to do something with intense effort.” The word signifies loyalty to someone. This was an ongoing devotion they had. Their devotion is a challenge to Americans Christians.
One of the ways we display Christ is central to our lives is gathering with other believers. We do this persistently and constantly.
Think back to this word “devoted.” Does this describe your commitment to Christ’s church? Can others see Christ’s brand on you to mark you off from the herd of people who call DFW their home? It’s alongside these “branded” Christ-followers that we devote ourselves to the Bible, or “to the apostles' teaching” (Acts 2:42a). Again, this is why church membership is so important. Church membership is the Mason-Dixon line between those who are Christ-followers and those who are not.
The apostles were a special group of men in the first century who were among the first followers of Christ. “The apostles' teaching” has been recorded in the pages of Scripture. So to be devoted “to the apostles' teaching” is to be devoted to a close reading and study of the Bible. Your beliefs are not only essential to your life, but they are also fundamental to the lives of the church as well. Belief is the oxygen of the Christian church. Our beliefs emerge from a close reading and study of the Scriptures. We devote ourselves to the Bible, so the Bible can conform us.
“How to do I look for a church,” someone asks. The first criterion is as follows: “Is this a people that studies and preaches and memorizes the words of God?” The Bible and the church are linked. Over and over again through the book of Acts, we read the words like the following: “And the word of God continued to increase…” (Acts 6:7; 12:24). Or we read, “And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region” (Acts 13:39). Or, “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20). Throughout the letter of Acts, “the word of the Lord” acts as synonym for the church. Where a person can say the church has increased, you could say the “the word of the Lord” has also increased or spread.
So here is the backside answer of how to look for a church. The telltale trait of the church is “the word of the Lord” is on the increase. If your church has grown, but you cannot say the “the word of the Lord” has spread or increased, then you need rethink if this is the church for you.
As you read today’s passage, I want you to picture a triangle in your mind. The base of the triangle is the relationship between members of the church and other members of the church. Where the third point of the triangle represents the pastors of a church. We’ll talk more about the base of triangle in just a moment, but let’s talk about the one point of the triangle represented by pastors.
Notice I am saying pastors and not pastor. I mean not just one man in each church, but each church should have at least a few men who jointly lead the church. It’s essential for the church that the pastor preaches God’s words and not his own words. But the triangle is important because you have responsibilities to your pastors. A church is people who submit to the Bible and to the pastors of the church who teach the Bible. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17) Practically, pastors need to know for which Christians they will be giving an account to God. We take time in a new members class to do this because we as pastors are to know you and to test you experience of the grace of God. The reason why a pastor is important to you
2. We’re Devoted to One Another
In 1754 Benjamin Franklin published a cartoon called “Join or Die.” It pictures a snake cut into eight pieces representing the eight British colonies in the New World. Franklin argues that unless the colonies formed one body they would never be able to resist the powerful threat of the French and their Indian allies. This picture characterized the church more than the colonies. For Christians are a people who flawed when you look at us as individual threads. But we become so much stronger when you layer numerous threads together in the tapestry of a church.
Let me show you how the Bible says we are stronger together. “…they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship…” (Acts 2:42a). We are given further detail on this fellowship a few verses later: “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45).
To be a follower of Christ is to love and to be loved by those Christians we live around. We love other believers and are accountable to them. To be a follower of Christ is to live interpedently on others. Now Christians cannot care directly for all other Christians around the world. Nor can a Christian be satisfied to take care of only his family and friends (Matthew 5:46).
All through the Scriptures we see an emphasis on one another. Think back to the Triangle again. We are to honor one another (Romans 12:10). We are to live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:6). We are to serve one another (Galatians 5:13). We are to correct one another (Revelation 3:19). We are to pray for one another (James 5:16). We are to encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13). We are to work together for the spread of the Gospel (Philippians 1:3-5). We should build one another up by teaching God’s Word to one another. We are to be open and accountable to one another.
Your personal commitment begins with a personal (but not private) commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Once you follow Christ, you become a part of Christ’s church. You become a part of a people who join together under the authority of Christ Himself to love God and love one another. We should not overly idealize this first church for they had their problems.
In Acts 5, we learn of a husband and wife deceiving the other members of the church. And in Acts 6, we learn of Greek widows complaining about their Jewish brothers and sisters that they were being neglected. The book of Acts is not simply grandpa telling us about the good ole’ days. It deals in the “rough and tumble” lives of sinners devoted to one another in a community. And it’s just here that a biblical community is so different from the other groups we are part of.
The church is a family of believers who hold one another accountable when we do wrong.
Today, I recognize that people will be drawn to a tight-knit group such as this. People often want to belong to the church before they believe in Christ. But pay particular close attention to the order. Yet, the Bible indicates that the people believed first and officially belonged second.
3. We’re Devoted to the Cross
“…they devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread…” (Acts 2:42a).
The earliest Christians meet together for a meal and then also celebrated the Lord’s Supper. They did this practice in their homes. “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God…” (Acts 2:46-47). Whenever they ate together, they remembered the Gospel. That’s what the Lord’s Supper is. The Lord’s Supper is about the Gospel. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the death and resurrection of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a reenactment of the death and resurrection of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is taken by people who have been freed by the Gospel. The Gospel frees us from the values that previously defined us yet we have a love for those who don’t share our values.
Here is where the Great Commandment and the Great Commission come together. A Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission leads to a Great Church. A church is a group of saved people who are characterized by a reversal of values. The Gospel creates a new group of people whose values are reversed from the rest of DFW. The Gospel says that when your relationship with Christ was broken, all other relationships were also broken. The Gospel says that when your relationship with Christ unraveled, all other relationships also unraveled. And when the Gospel restores you back with God, so every other human relationship is also restored.
So this new community is an advertisement of what a restored and right relationship with both God and others looks like. It’s a better picture of Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon. The threads of individual lives are stronger together because we have been freed from our former values to live by “reversed” values.
Jesus Himself lists some of these “reversal” values in five verses in the middle of Luke 6:
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32).
“And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:33).
“And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount” (Luke 6:34).
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35).
“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Again, we are freed from the values that previously defined us in order to live by a set of values that is reversed from everyone else. Think if the church lived out these new rules. Can you imagine the amazing impact you might have on those outside the church? To be a Gospel person is much more than to have your individual sins forgiven, you are part of a community, the church.
4. We’re Devoted to Prayer
“…they devoted themselves to … prayers” (Acts 2:42a).
We’ll devote an entire sermon to prayer in our next series of messages, Seven Practices of a Healthy Christian. But for now, please note that prayer was a common thing among these early believers and it should be a part of our church life as well. The Result of This God Adds to the Church. “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47b). We have no hard statistical figures for the number of Christian in the Roman Empire in the mid 60s, when Peter and Paul died as martyrs in Rome.
Yet, some historians estimate that there were 40,000 Christians in the Roman Empire around A.D. 66. That would be about .07 percent of the total population of some 60 million people. Others estimate that there were 320,000 Christians in A.D. 100 representing about .5 percent of the population. And around 300 A.D., during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, some estimate the number of Christians to be around 5 million, which would be 8.4 percent of the total population.
I want you to see more than the size of this new community but also the significance of this new community. Each of these people was devoted to the common story of the Gospel – the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again, this new community was characterized by a reversal of values. We are free from the values that previously defined us and yet we have a love for those who don’t share our values.
Last week I challenged you to share Christ’s mercy with others outside of our church and email me when a brief report.
And 22 of you did email me your reports of sharing Christ’s love with people ranging from elderly homebound people to the Roanoke Firefighters.
Option #1
You asked us to share something we did to help someone. I have a young woman I am acquainted with whom I taught at Cornerstone Christian Women's Job Corps 2 years ago. I have been acting as her mentor since then. My husband, Duane and I have become acquainted with her and have had her over for meals in our home and celebrated her little daughter's Birthday as well. She is a recovering drug addict and has now been clean and sober 2 years and goes to meetings weekly. She also served 6 months in prison for drug possession 2 1/2 years ago and CPS took her little baby from her as soon as it was born. She now has her baby back and is struggling to find a better job. She has been driving a taxi but does not make very much money doing that.
She and I met for lunch last Monday and she indicated she was really down because her utility bill was due and she was short on enough money to pay her utility bill. It just touched my heart and I remembered when, in the early years of our marriage, my husband and I struggled financially. I also was reminded of the people in our lives who aided us financially when times were so hard. So, I gave her the $80 she needed to put with the money she already had to pay her bill and told her it was not a loan but a gift from not only me but from God. She was so thrilled and so thankful and it just blessed my heart. I feel so blessed by God for all He does in my life.
Option #2
We were on a trip this past July, 2012 when we were undecided as to where we would eat a meal. We were in Charleston, S. C. and decided on Taco Bell. We had purchased our food and proceeded to a table adjacent to an elderly couple. We overheard the man make several calls to relatives back in Texas trying to get money wired to a Wal-Mart so he could purchase diabetic medicine for his wife.
While listening to his phone conversation (which he was getting louder by the minute in panic) we learned that they were from the Fort Worth area and had lost their home during the last tornado that occurred in the early spring. The government had provided Amtrak tickets for them to go to Charleston S. C. to stay until insurance claims on their home were processed. The wife had been in the hospital for the past several days with her diabetes being so high, and had been released the day before. They were staying in a government provided motel several blocks away. They had walked to Taco Bell because they provided free cokes for senior citizens. They had not eaten in 2 or 3 days except for sharing a single package of potato chips while at Taco Bell. He was frantic telling whoever was on the phone that they didn’t know where they were going to get any money for her medicine and food.
My husband and I did not say a word to each other, except looked at each other and we both had the same thought. He walked over to the gentlemen and gave him $60 to get the medicine and something to eat. The gentleman told us Thank You and God Bless You.
