What makes Messiah a strong church? - Acts 2:42-47
Last week, as God would have it, I was given an opportunity to evaluate where I can best serve God’s Church. Which means I am in full ministry analysis mode. I have been studying congregational statistics. I have examined area demographics. I have been researching area environments and climates. I feel these things are informative when analyzing a church, but I have found the best way to analyze the strength of a church is to find out what is important to the members of the congregation, what do they spend their time doing; to what do they devote their efforts and energy?
In Acts 2:42-47 saint Luke tells us about a congregation that I am calling First Christian Church of Jerusalem. (not very creative, I know, but good enough for our purposes.) I thought today we might do a little congregational analysis of First Christian to get a better understanding of what makes a church a strong church. You see there was a time when First Christian was the ideal church. I am not saying it was a perfect church, but it was probably as close as we are ever going to get this side of heaven. Which is why I think we should analyze First Christian to see how we, the members of Messiah compare.
In verse 42 saint Luke gives a general overview of the sort of things that made First Christian such a strong church. Saint Luke writes, “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In verses 43-47 saint Luke expounds on that overview. In my initial analysis of this congregation, I was able to organize their activity into four areas of ministry.
But before we analyze these four areas of ministry let’s remind ourselves what made ministry at First Christian possible. Peter, one of the pastors at First Christian, said it well in a sermon. Peter preached, “22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: …you, with the help of wicked men, put him [Jesus of Nazareth] to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead.” “36 God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” “38 Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” And that is exactly what approximately 3,000 people did. They repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and because of His perfect life, debt paying death, and victorious resurrection from the dead their sins were forgiven. This gift of God’s grace filled the members of First Christian with a strong desire to show their appreciation. But since there was nothing they could get God, they gave to each other instead. In verses 44-45 Luke tells us, “44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Sounds a little like communism, doesn’t it? There are some significant differences between communism and the giving at First Christian. Communism takes by force. The giving at First Christian was done in freedom. Communism abolishes ownership. The members at First Christian generously shared what they owned. Communism is built on coercion. The members at First Christian were compelled by gratitude.
Gifts freely given, generously shared, and compelled by gratitude is what made ministry at First Christian possible. That is also what makes ministry here at Messiah possible. Just like the members at First Christian, your sins and my sins have been forgiven by the perfect life, debt paying death, and victorious resurrection of our Savior Jesus. Just like the believers at First Christian, we want to show our gratitude to God and, since there is nothing we have that He needs, we give offerings so that we can afford to do the kind of ministry we want to do here at Messiah.
Giving in response to God’s grace made ministry at First Christian possible. The first area of ministry the members at First Christian focused on was education. Luke tells us they were “devoted to the apostle’s teachings” or we might simply say, to bible study. Luke tells us, “43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” I am sure the signs and wonders impressed the people, but we recently learned from the Emmaus disciples what really fills people with “awe” is the Word of God. The members at First Christina were first and foremost devoted to the Word of God because they wisely understood that a church which does not stand on the Word of God is a church which will not stand. The strength of a church does not depend on the personality of the preacher because preachers come and go. The strength of a church does not depend on the popular opinions of the people because opinions change. The strength of a church does not depend on programs because programs lose their appeal. The members of First Christian were devoted to the Word of God because: The Word of God endures. The Word of God does not change. The Word of God does not lose its appeal.
The members devotion to the Bible study was the reason First Christian was a strong church. Members who are devoted to bible study is also what makes Messiah a strong church. Which is why we offer Sunday School, Adult Bible Study, Confirmation Class, Wednesday Bible Study, and Bible Information Classes. We might need the occasional reminder concerning the importance of Bible study , but by the grace of God we recognize that the strength of a church is dependent on its devotion to Bible study.
The second area of ministry upon which the members at First Christian focused was worship. In verse 46 Luke tells us, “46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” Worship services at First Christian were initially held at the temple. It seemed a natural place to gather for the “42 praying” and “47 praising” Luke tells us they engaged in. The rituals and prayers that foreshadowed the coming Messiah had to be a powerful backdrop to Christian worship. Plus they had an amazing variety of preachers. I said Peter was one of the pastors at First Christian, but there were also 10 other disciples to choose from. Think about how cool that would be to go to a different area of the temple each day and listen to a different disciple tell the exact same account with the exact same teachings but from a different perspective. Praying and praising together in the temple courts was as natural for the members of First Christian as it is for an apple tree to produce apples. Plus, It was sometimes very difficult to be a Christian in a very pagan world. The members of First Christian needed the support and encouragement they got from other Christians, so much so that they met together daily.
Gathering together to pray and praise is as natural and necessary for us as it was for the members of First Christian. No one forced you to be here (I hope no one did. Blink twice if you were brought here against your will… blink twice if your mom doesn’t do your laundry and you were brought here against your will.) Tired teenagers aside, you are here because you want to be here. You want to be here because it is a great place to say prayers and give praises to the God who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Plus, you are here because you need to be here. Just like a piece of charcoal benefits from the heat radiating off other pieces of charcoal, you need the support and encouragement radiating of your fellow believers. Gathering for worship is both natural and necessary for us. We might need the occasional reminder concerning the importance of gathering together to pray and praise, but by the grace of God we recognize the strength of a church is dependent on its devotion to public worship.
The third area of ministry upon which the members of First Christian focused was member care. In verse 46 Luke tells us “46… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” There is some discussion as to whether this breaking of bread is a reference to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. But I think that discussion misses the point. Whether or not the sacrament was also celebrated it seems clear the members of First Christian enjoyed spending time together, so much so that they ate meals together. It is not difficult for us to imagine that people who studied the bible together and worshiped together started to from friendships and, as friends, they no doubt did what friends do. They cared about each other, laughed with each other, cried with each other. But they were not just casual friends they were Christian friends. Which meant they valued each other. After all they were all people who were so loved by the Heavenly Father that He was willing to sacrifice His one and only Son for their salvation. As souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus each and every one of them had value and they cared for each other accordingly.
Member care is as important at Messiah is it was for the members of First Christian. In fact, here at Messiah this is one area of ministry in which we excel. You gather to break bread, go golf, get drinks, watch sports, shoot guns, fish rivers, swim in pools, ride on boats, and all sorts of friendly endeavors. As we gather we will of course be mindful of the need to be inclusive to all members and to be proactive in our own personal participation. But again, for us, member care goes beyond friendship. Just like the members of First Christian, everyone here is a blood bought soul, eternally valuable to the heavenly Father and therefore presently valuable to one another. We might need the occasional reminder to care about each other and value each other, but by the grace of God we recognize the strength of a church is dependent on its devotion to member care.
The fourth and final area of ministry upon which the members of First Christian focused was evangelism. In verse 47 Luke tells us the members of First Christian were, “47 enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” There is no doubt the members of First Christian were a mix of flame thrower and furnace when it came to sharing their faith. But the sharing of their faith was made easier by practicing what they preached. People were watching them. They saw how they were devoted to God’s Word, worship, and each other. They saw how that devotion made them resilient in the face of trials. They saw how that devotion allowed them to proclaim praises, even when they were sad. They saw how that devotion caused them to care about and support each other. And the people who were watching them wanted what they had. Which of course made it easier for the members of First Christian to share their faith. But what really took the pressure off was knowing that the Lord was the one who was growing His church when, were, and by how much as He wanted. All they did was practice what they preached and, when the opportunity presented itself, preach what they practiced. They knew it was the Lord Who was doing the evangelism.
Evangelism is as important at Messiah as it was for the members of First Christian. Whether you choose to share your faith like a flame thrower or furnace, the sharing of your faith will be made easier by the practicing of what you preach. When we practice what we preach people notice. They see how cool it is to be a member here at Messiah and might even be wondering how they can have what we have. Now, your coolness as a member of Messiah is not going to convert anyone, but it just might give you an opportunity to preach what you practice. Which, at the end of the day, is all we are called on to do. We practice what we preach so that we can preach what we practice and trust that the Lord will grow His church when, where, and by how much He wants. We might need the occasional reminder to practice what we preach and preach what we practice, but by the grace of God we recognize the strength of a congregation is dependent on its devotion to evangelism.
As God would have it, I have had the opportunity to analyze several churches over the years. Those churches have been served by different personalities, they have different opinions how things should be done, and they offer different programs. But thankfully, they have all been, what we by the grace of God are and what we by the grace of God will forever will be. Like the members of First Christian Church of Jerusalem, we will be a group of people devoted to the Word of God, devoted to gathering together for public worship, devoted to member care, and devoted to evangelism. As long as we, the members of Messiah, remain devoted to these things we will continue to be a strong Church. God grant it. Amen