God Has the Church Ready
Introduction
God will not leave his people powerless, incapable, directionless. God will work in and through his people. Has always been the case.
Isa. 54:2, enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
Study as our example today, the first century church, the Jerusalem church as we see it in the early chapters of the book of Acts.
First, observe several principles from Acts 1:
- a chosen church, 1:4
- a commissioned church, Acts 1:8
- a committed church, committed to prayer, 1:14
I. The practices of the early church.
- A. Committed (v. 42)--to teaching (content and action)/message, to fellowship/mutuality, to breaking bread/meals shared, prayer. Commitment is a short quality in our day. We are not much in favor of commitments--seen in the breakdown of marriages, betrayals of corporate raiders/scandals, friendships, even politics.
- B. Compassionate (v. 44-45)--sharing with one another, those in need.
- C. Community (v. 46)--meeting, sharing, giving...
- D. Confessing (v. 47)--praising God
- E. Credible (v. 47)--favor of the people, believable...
- F. Contacting--through all of this, they were in frequent/constant contact with their surroundings, in temple courts, homes, people could see them. Not isolated. As story unfolds, we know they built their outreach on points of contact--common kinships, common associates, common religious experiences.
- G. Creative--seized opportunity
- H. Christ-like: summarize the first chapters, they were like the Christ.
II. God's power and presence in the early church.
- A. Consider the ways in which God was at work in the early church. Remember our premise--God has the church ready. God is present in his church. God is at work in his people. God is present in our world.
- God commissioned them, Acts 1:8
- God heard their prayers, Acts 1:14; the choice of Matthias
- God empowered them, Acts 2:1ff
- B. Think of how that presence went forth into the city of Jerusalem
- Witnessing, Acts 3-5
- Serving, Acts 6
- Committed, Acts 7, martyrdom
- Finally, persecuted/scattered, Acts 8, but preaching the word.
III. The results in the early church.
- A. They grew warmer through fellowship.
- B. They grew deeper through discipleship.
- C. They grew stronger through worship.
- D. They grew bolder through ministry.
- E. They grew larger through evangelism.
IV. Consider the contemporary church.
What is our focus? What is our life? What defines us? What can we not do without? What is it, that if taken away, would cause us to quit being church.
Frankly, in the life of most congregations, that is the public assembly. If we quit having public assemblies, we would quit being church. May show our institutional nature. If we were in a time of crisis relegated to meeting in homes, or less frequent public gathering, would we quit being church. Our culture/society has misdefined church. Church is no longer community. Church is just church. We can argue with the phrase, going to church, but it is an accurate description.
- A. Renew our sense of chosen-ness.
- B. Renew our sense of commitment--total commitment
- Focus our prayer and outreach efforts on those in need.
- Peru, common kinships, friendships
- Shared lives at work.
- Shared lives at church.
- C. Renew our sense of commissioning. We have a commission. A great commission, Mk. 5. The great commission, Mk. 16. Illus: judgment scene, roar from front, they're not counting Wednesday nights and Sunday nights. Similar question, only illus: What if God is paying on commission?
- D. Application: No stats from first century, but clearly message spread as every Christian told the story. What or who was responsible for leading you to Christ and this church?
- 1/2% gospel meeting/special event
- 1-2% visitation program
- 1-2% Special need
- 2-3% walk in
- 2-3% church outreach program
- 4-5% Bible classes/small group
- 5-6% ministers
- 75-90% friend or relative
Conclusion
This is about the church, but this is about the church made up of individual members. This is about you. This is about me.
Are you grateful for having been chosen?
What is your level of commitment?
How well developed is your sense of commissioning?
Have you a prayer list? Pray about those on your list.
Do you have friends? Family. Invite.
http://www.bobyoungresources.com/sermons/evang_ch_ready.htm
Last updated March 20, 2005.