304 Sermon Illustrations on Church

At times there is a similar problem with Christians — there is a spiritual stroke — they get cold toward the Lord rather easily. It’s a problem against which we all need to be on guard. The solution is to cover ourselves with the warmth of God’s Word and fellowship in a good church with other Christians. If you take a burning log out of a campfire and lay it on the ground, it will soon extinguish. The same will happen to us if we feel we can go it alone.

1 John 1:7 (NLT) says, “But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His son, cleanses us from every sin.” Fellowship with other believers and feeling the presence of God go hand in hand. Don’t neglect either.

1. The Church’s one foundation

Is Jesus Christ her Lord;

She is His creation

By water and the Word;

From heav’n He came and sought her

To be His holy bride;

With His own blood He bought her,

And for her life He died.

2. Elect from ev’ry nation,

Yet one o’er all the earth,

Her charter of salvation

One Lord, one faith, one birth;

One holy name she blesses,

Partakes one holy food,

And to one hope she presses,

With ev’ry grace endued.

3. ’Mid toil and tribulation

And tumult of her war,

She waits the consummation

Of peace forevermore;

Till with the vision glorious

Her longing eyes are blest,

And the great Church victorious

Shall be the Church at rest.

4. Yet she on earth hath union

With God the Three in One,

And mystic sweet communion

With those whose rest is won:

O happy ones and holy!

Lord give us grace that we,

Like them, the meek and lowly,

On high may dwell with Thee.

[Tune “Aurelia”]

*

What was once a house of sin will soon become a house of worship. A nondenominational church will lease the Gold Club building and hold its first services there early next year. The infamous Atlanta, Georgia, strip club was shut down by the federal government after a sensational racketeering trial in 2001.

Church members will start cleaning out the building this weekend. “We're going to take something that was a mess and turn it into something good and usable,” said the Rev. Dan Garrett of the Christian Church of Buckhead.

The club was closed after owner Steve Kaplan pleaded guilty in 2001 to racketeering charges in a case that featured strippers, mobsters and pro athletes. The trial became a celebrity spectacle, with athletes such as basketball star Patrick Ewing and Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones testifying about their escapades.

A group of developers paid $5.25 million for the property this week. The church will lease the building until it is torn down to make way for a condominium tower in the spring.

*

Now, at the end of this book, thinking again of the author and the yearning of his heart which transcended all that words are capable of transmitting, I look at myself and I look at the church and the question comes, “Where are we?”

Perhaps this is the echo of an eternal question which has resounded in the ether of this creation ever since the words came from God’s lips in the garden. “Where? … where? … where?… “

This is a question which can only be answered in relation to things other than ourselves. (We cannot say, “I am with myself.” We must say, “I am behind the house,” or “I am under the oak tree,” etc.) Where are we with regard to the kingdom of God? What are we “behind” or “before” or “within” or “without” or “above” or “below”?

My father used to quote, “Beyond the sacred page, I seek Thee, Lord; my spirit pants for Thee, Thou Living Word.” We live in an age which, like the Greeks, seems to have exalted reason and devalued everything which has to do with the more important inner aspects of being. In doing this we have cast down that which has to do with the true essence of spiritual life. It is not so much that we have become worshipers of the Word as that we have taken the Word of God as if it were a painter’s palette — a base from which we mix and match our own concepts without discerning the true nature of the Spirit speaking the words. We have the words about the Spirit and think that we have the Spirit, and yet we only possess the death of words. The written word has become a substitute for the word spoken by the Spirit, the “Logos” for the “Rhema,” with the result that we, as the Jews before us, have become slaves to our interpretations, bound by our own concepts and imprisoned in the darkness of our own fallen understanding. [The ministry of Holy Spirit is to bear testimony to the Logos (John 15:26); the written word is authored by Holy Spirit. See Charles Colson article, Illustration #4791.]

Paul says, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.” What does It mean to be “in” Christ? It certainly does not mean that we can be “in” (or “into” as we like to say nowadays) other things at the same time. We can only be in one place at one time- is this too difficult for us to understand? We live in the place of our hearts, not the place of our minds, and in the place of our feelings, not the place of our religious theory. Solomon had all the theory — he had inherited all the Psalms of cry and prayer and worship from his father. He systematized all of his knowledge into his three thousand proverbs and taught with a stunning exactitude, and yet died with “his heart far from God.” Do we see him displayed for our example? Does it make us tremble? Does it humble us? Sometimes it seems today that we have “out Solomoned Solomon” in our trying to understand and explain God.

Geographically speaking we can only come to a true understanding of where we are in this world in the measure in which we have become acquainted with other places, races and cultures. Spiritually speaking God must expose us to a full gamut of experience if we are to really know the place in which He would have us to dwell. We cannot see the light unless our eyes have beheld the darkness. We can only see the light of God to the degree that we have met the horrific depths of that darkness which is a foretaste of death and the dwelling place of the unclean powers of a satanic empire. Only as our souls have felt the crushing powers of evil which move over the face of the nations to rob, to kill and to destroy, can we reach forth to the power of His Resurrection.

The trouble with our age is that it wants light without having known darkness, happiness without having known pain. We live in a generation which wants only the positive and never the negative — healing without hurt, salvation without damnation, hope without despair, power without weakness, maturity without aging, knowledge without the price of learning, fullness without emptiness, joy without sorrow. The gospel has been turned upside down as we have become conditioned to possess the kingdom without poverty of spirit, to possess comfort without mourning, and to possess the earth without paying the price of meekness.

Our problem today is that we have tried to make it all too easy. We have done with the Word as the ants do in their storing of seeds; we have killed the germ so that we might keep the seed sterile without the inconvenience of having it shoot forth in growth to upset our plans. We have avoided the hurt and pain and loss and invented a “contemporary” (cursed word) Christian culture. God won’t have it and so we are left, as the people in Isaiah, to wither “by the hand of our iniquities.” Our mental games will not hold up in exposure to reality, and in choosing the theory of a man-engendered Christianity we find that we have chosen death. This is not a static state but rather a kingdom of falsehood which drags us down into an ever-deepening morass as we struggle to build for ourselves and for our contemporaries God’s true house on a shattered foundation.

Only as we return to the presence of the living God can we hope to find reality. In the beginning was Reality, before there was anything false or evil. I believe God’s call for us is to go beyond the physical world, beyond the world of man’s thoughts and fears and imagination. We are called to Reality, beyond all the sham and shame and sickness and sin which the enemy has built up around mankind and around the church. We are called to live and breathe, to abide and to walk in the realm of the life of the Spirit of God.

I believe the day is coming, and now is, when God will start to call forth a people formed in the mold of the original purpose of God — a people who have tasted the joy of that kingdom which is not of earth, and have counted all else but dross. “We” can never fight and overcome the earthly — we are the earthly. Liberation and transformation, the heart of the gospel message, are possible only as the kingdom of God in its true spiritual essence takes root in our lives and springs up overwhelming every other presence, every other influence.

I believe that there is a principle involved when Jesus says to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build… “ Peter has seen and declared Jesus to be the Son of the Living God and, in effect, Jesus is saying, “Peter, everything you have seen in Me I give to you… You see Me with the keys of heaven and earth, you see Me with the power to bind and loose — Peter, the keys and the power which you see in Me I give to you. As you see me and My power, your portion will be to share in My kingdom and to participate in the outworking of its power.”

Perhaps we have been taught too much to look upon the negative in all our looking at the Bible. We have stood with Adam as he fell and lost a kingdom and inherited a curse as judgment, but we have never seen or stood with Adam in the glorious majesty and victory of the day when he stood before God and all created beings, and in total dominion could answer God’s question, “What is this?” We have not seen him, I say, when he stood, and discerning the heart of God he discerned the nature and named the name, one after another, of every living creature that walked the face of this whole vast earth. We have not thrilled with his triumph, nor felt the call of God in our own spirits to discern and to name every part of the whole nature of our own world.

We have read of Noah, but do we feel the immensity of the pathos of the world-ending judgment and the overwhelming glory of the resurrection purpose of God locked in his breast and paid for in his life throughout one hundred and twenty years? We read of Moses and of David and the prophets, but have we ever heard the question within ourselves, “understandest thou what thou readest,” shocking us into living awareness?

Some day we will stand before God, and before the Word of God, and in that moment we will see all as it really is in the clear light of eternity. The power and the passion of the world to come will be absolutely clear to us then, in that morning without clouds. Yet God is the same today; His will and His purpose will not be any different then from what they are now. Maybe the land is yet “afar off,” but His call to us, and His Spirit’s call through us, is ever for the fulfillment — “Thy kingdom come… “ There is nothing more glorious for this old earth, nor is there for the child of God, than the attaining to the Presence of the One Who reigneth for ever and ever and being a living part of His Kingdom.

Torch My Heart

Lord engage my heart today

With zeal that will not pass away.

Now torch it with Thy holy fire

That never more shall time’s desire

Invade or quench the Heaven born power.

I would be trapped within Thy Holy will,

Thine every holy purpose to fulfill

That every effort of my life shall bring

Rapturous praise to my Eternal King.

I pledge from this day to the grave

To be Thine own unquestioning slave.

— Leonard Ravenhill

(The last poem written by Leonard Ravenhill at 2:30 a.m. on February 12, 1994, nine months before he “passed into life.”)

Remember the children’s chorus of years gone by? “If we all will pull together, together, together… if we all will pull together, how happy we will be!” Last Saturday I was in a church where the folks were all “pulling together.”

Over 150 of them gathered in work clothes with tools, paint brushes, vacuums, cleaning rags, shovels, and rakes. You name it and they had it. After a breakfast at 7:30 a.m., those 150 folks put in four hard hours, doing everything you can imagine as laid out for them by the church administrator. I saw no one sloughing off!

Think of it, 600 hours of volunteer work, of hard work! What a transformation they brought about in that church facility! At even ten dollars an hour, the church would have had to lie out thousands of dollars for the same manual labor.

See, we have a choice as church members. We can complain about the landscaping, the paint jobs, lights that have burned out, dust on the piano, etc. or we can pitch in and do something about it. By noon those dear people were pretty tuckered and a huge meal was waiting for them in the gym.

They stacked their plates high and while they ate they laughed and got better acquainted having a good old time. The old chorus is right: “If we all will pull together how happy we will be.” The last I heard, those folks had had such a good time they were planning to do it again the next month and maybe the month after that!

Why, there is no telling what that church will look like before those folks get done with it. Of course they could have chosen the other route and just sat around complaining.

We cannot trust human polling methodologies to tell us what the invisible, pervasive and wonderful Spirit of God may be doing in our world.

Our Lord Jesus said, "Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit" (John 3:8, NLT).

Yet, polling may give us a hint in some situations, sometimes providing a fuzzy snapshot.

George Gallup, the renowned pollster, conducted a study to assess the religious climate in America and particularly what is called "the born-again movement." At first glance, the results of his survey were very impressive.

Did you know, for instance, that the percentage of our population who attend church on a given Sunday is greater today than during colonial days -- an era we tend to celebrate as Christian? And the number of people today who believe the Bible is the Word of God, who believe in a literal Heaven and Hell, and who claim to have had a born-again experience, is higher than ever before?

But, while those statistics sound encouraging, Mr. Gallup's concluding statement cut to the quick. My heart sank when I heard him say, "Never before in the history of the United States has the gospel made such inroads while at the same time made so little difference as to how people live."

That is an incredibly sobering thought. While salvation is the free gift of God, there is a sacrifice associated with following Jesus. We will not begin to see the effect of a country totally sold out to Him until we acknowledge this sacrifice.

Historically, the gospel has exploded and prospered under conditions of tyranny and oppression, when people are faced with the harsh realties of life, where every day is a matter of life and death, and where standing up for Christ may mean a brutal execution. This includes the ancient days of the Roman Empire, and also recently, and even now, in certain countries under political or religious despotism. Yet many have stood bravely for our Lord throughout history, and thanks to them, we have the gospel today.

May God grant that such terrible conditions will not be necessary in America and the West. May He also grant an eye-opening and nation-changing revival and a new level of commitment by God's people everywhere.

1. I love Thy kingdom, Lord!

The house of Thine abode–

The Church our blest Redeemer saved

With His own precious blood.

2. I love Thy Church, O God!

Her walls before Thee stand,

Dear as the apple of Thine eye

And graven on Thy hand.

3. For her my tears shall fall,

For her my prayers ascend,

To her my cares and toils be giv’n

Till toils and cares shall end.

4. Beyond my highest joy

I prize her heav’nly ways–

Her sweet communion, solemn vows,

Her hymns of love and praise.

5. Sure as Thy truth shall last,

To Zion shall be giv’n

The brightest glories earth can yield,

And brighter bliss of heav’n.

[Tune “St. Thomas”]

The Church is the most magnificent concept ever created. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (due to our sinfulness), it is still God’s chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2,000 years.

The Church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the planet. That’s why I believe tackling the world’s biggest problems -– the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease and ignorance -– can only be done through the Church.

The Church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government:

1. The Church provides for the largest participation.

Most people have no idea how many Christians there are in the world: More than 2 billion people claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. That’s one-third of the world’s population! The Church has about a billion more people than the entire nation of China.

For example, about 100 million people in the United States went to church this past weekend. That’s more people than will attend sporting events in the United States throughout this year. The Church is the largest force for good in the world. Nothing else even comes close.

2. The Church provides for the widest distribution.

The Church is everywhere in the world. There are villages that have little else, but they do have a church. You could visit millions of villages around the world that don’t have a school, a clinic, a hospital, a fire department or a post office. They don’t have any businesses. But they do have a church. The Church is more widely spread -– more widely distributed -– than any business franchise in the world.

Consider this: The Red Cross noted that 90 percent of the meals they served to victims of Hurricane Katrina were actually cooked by Southern Baptist churches. Many churches were able to jump into action faster than the government agencies or the Red Cross. Why? The Church is literally everywhere, and Christians who could provide help to the Gulf Coast communicated with Christians in need of help so relief could be sent immediately.

3. The Church provides the longest continuation.

The Church has been around for 2,000 years. We’re not a fly-by-night operation. The Church has a track record that spans centuries: Malicious leaders have tried to destroy it, hostile groups have persecuted it and skeptics have scoffed at it. Nevertheless, God’s Church is bigger now than ever before in history.

Why? Because it’s the Church that Jesus established, and it is indestructible. The Bible calls the Church an unshakable kingdom. In Matthew 16, Jesus says, “I will build my Church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” All the powers of hell -– in other words, no hurricane, no earthquake, no tsunami, no famine, no pandemic, no army will ever conquer the Church established by Jesus Christ.

4. The Church provides the fastest expansion.

Did you know that every day 60,000 new people come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? By the end of today, thousands of new churches will be started throughout the world, and that will happen tomorrow and the next day and the next.

In one country that is closed to traditional Christian missions, more than 60,000 house churches have been started in one province by the work of laypeople, no different from the people who fill your church sanctuary every weekend.

Why is fast expansion important? If you’ve got a problem that’s growing at a rapid rate, then you need a solution that will grow even more rapidly. For instance, HIV/AIDS is growing at an incredibly fast rate in the world. Yet thank God the Church is outgrowing the disease, so more and more believers can help minister to those with HIV/AIDS.

If we’re going to tackle global giants like poverty, disease or illiteracy, then we must be part of something that’s growing faster than the problem. The Church is doing just that!

5. The Church provides the highest motivation.

Why do any of us do what we do in ministry? It’s not to make money, not to make a name for ourselves and not for duty to our nation. We do it out of love. Jesus stated it as the Great Commandment: “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” We wouldn’t do the hard work required to tackle these global giants for money, for fame or for anything else. It just wouldn’t be worth it; we’d quit before the end.

We’re motivated to keep at the hard work of ministry because we love God, and our love for God compels us to love other people. It is love that never gives up; it is love that keeps moving forward despite the appearance of impossible odds; and it is love that outlasts any problem.

6. The Church provides the strongest authorization.

God authorized the Church to take on global giants, such as spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease and ignorance. With God’s authorization, the outcome is guaranteed to be successful.

When you know that God has authorized you to do something, you don’t worry about failure because God doesn’t sponsor flops. If God says we’re going to do it, it’s going to happen. It is inevitable. In fact, the Bible teaches that God will give us his power to complete the task. This is God’s way -- ordinary people empowered by His Spirit.

7. The Church provides the simplest administration.

The Church is organized in such a way that we can network faster and with less bureaucracy than most governmental agencies or even well-meaning charities. For instance, the organizational structure at Saddleback Church, which is based on the New Testament model, holds that every member is a minister. Each person in our church family is encouraged to use his or her own S.H.A.P.E. (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) to do what God has called him or her to do. There is no bureaucracy or hierarchy. There isn’t a single committee, and the process doesn’t require a long list of approvals.

The old wineskin of command and control won’t work well in the 21st century. The organization of the future is the “network.” And there’s no better worldwide network than the Church, where every member is a minister and empowered to do what God wants done.

Consider it this way -– tens of millions of Christians in millions of small groups that are part of churches around the world can take on the global giants with no other authority than that given from Jesus Christ. In other words, we have God’s permission and we have God’s command to do it. There is no need to seek permission from anyone else.

8. The Church provides for God’s conclusion.

Since we believe the Bible is God’s Word, we already know the end of history. Jesus said in Matthew 24: “The good news about God’s Kingdom will be preached in all the world to every nation, and then the end will come.” It is inevitable and unavoidable.

When you consider these eight advantages, think about the exponential explosion of ministry when millions upon millions of small groups in millions upon millions of churches organize in such a way that each person can do their part in attacking the five global giants.

What do you think could happen if God’s people prayed against these global giants, prepared for action against these giants and then moved through faith to tackle these giants?

We may look at these problems and think, “These are too big! How could we possibly solve them?”

But with God, nothing is impossible -– and if we all work together as His Church, we’ll see these giants falls just as Goliath fell when faced with David’s obedience to God.

Pastor, it is a great privilege and an awesome responsibility to lead a local church. God wouldn’t have placed you where you are if He didn’t believe you could handle the task before you. You play a vital role in tackling these global giants. It is my privilege to co-labor with you.

________

Rick Warren is pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of “The Purpose-Driven Life.” Read more about Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. plan at http://www.purposedriven.com/en-us/peace/peace_plan.htm.

Psalm 22:22, 25, 27, 31 (NAS) Praise in the Church

A. This Psalm seems originally to have described the sufferings of David as he fled from place to place from the persecution of Saul. But this 22nd Psalm is also one of the Messianic Psalms, a prophecy of the humiliation and suffering of the Lord Jesus upon the cross. After the graphic description of Christ’s death, just as resurrection follows the cross, we come across expressions of praise, the praise which God’s people, the church, can give as a result of His death.

B. 22 I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee.

1. this is one of the first things fulfilled after the resurrection; look at John 20:17, and bit by bit, mourning turned to praise

2. this started first with the assembly of 2 or 3, then of the disciples, then of 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15:1ff)

C. 25 From Thee comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.

1. but after this, and for all time, comes praise in the great congregation, of the church universal; and whence is the source of this praise? … from God Himself

2. but is this its full extent? … well, look at Acts 2:33, 5:31, Philippians 2:9 — this assembly includes men and angels

3. and on behalf of those who fear God, Jesus, now exalted will continue “paying His vows” — carrying out the will of the Father as planned in the councils of eternity

D. 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before Thee.

1. is there a limit to the praise that results from His work?

2. is there a limit to where the message will have power?

3. from the few, the favoured, the five hundred, the message was to spread, has spread, will spread to all nations

E. 31 They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

1. Praise, for there is no doubt about the result

2. The sovereign Lord God will carry this out, bringing to Himself those who will shout forth His righteousness — Jeremiah 23:6

3. what a reason for us to praise Him in our prayers tonight!

Acts 2:37–47 — Invitation and Response — (outline by F. F. Bruce, NICNT) — « Leader information shown in this fashion »

[A]. The Birth of the Church (1:1–5:42)

[1]. The Forty Days and After (1:1–26)

[2]. The Day of Pentecost (2:1–47)

A. The Descent of the Spirit (2:1–4)

B. The Crowd’s Amazement (2:5–13)

C. Peter’s Proclamation (2:14–36)

1. “This is that” (2:14–21)

2. The resurrection of Jesus proclaimed (2:22-28)

3. Jesus: Lord and Messiah (2:29–36)

D. Call to Repentance — Acts 2:37–40 (NKJV): 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

1. The book of Joel the prophet, from which Peter launched this sermon, as well as the prophecy cited, gives a call to repentance as well (Joel 2:12–14).

2. What two messages does the gospel convey about God

a. God is L « ove » ________ (1 John 4:8)

b. God is H « oly » ________ (Leviticus 11:44-45, 1 Peter 1:16)

3. which brings us face to face with S I N

a. Genesis 3 teaches us

(A) about the O « rigin » __________ of mankind’s sin

(B) that A « dam » _____ and E « ve » ____ sinned

b. the Law teaches us (see Romans 7:7) « — that I am a sinner (this is why secularists removed the 10 commandments from the schools in the U.S. — because they confront us with our need of forgiveness and reconciliation to God) »

4. with what sin had this audience just been confronted? « — the rejection of God, evidenced by their murder of His Messiah Son »

5. “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

a. what was right about this question? « — they recognized that by their actions they were in dire straits before God »

b. What may have been wrong about this question? « — the idea that by some form of works it could be made right »

6. Which of these did Peter’s answer concentrate upon when he said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”

a. the right part the wrong part

b. what did they have to D O?

(A) R « epent » ______________ — what is the implication of this?

(1) a R « ecognition » _______________ of

(2) a S « orrow » ____________ for S « in » _____

(3) a T « urning » ___________ from

(B) Be B « aptized » _________ in the N « ame » _____ of Jesus Christ for the R « emission » _____________ of S « ins » ______; meaning

(1) a visible declaration of

(a) my R « epentance » _______________

(b) my I « dentification » ________________ with Christ

(2) recognition of

(a) the D « ivine » ___________ nature of Jesus Christ

(b) the R « edemptive » ____________ work of Christ

(3) A « cceptance » _______________ of that work for oneself

c. that’s a lot of truth embedded in a few, short words! « Just because John’s baptism by water to repentance was to be distinguished from that administered by the Coming One (Mark 1:4, 8) does not mean water baptism is discarded. It was familiar to the Jewish listeners due to both the baptism of proselytes and that proclaimed by John the Baptizer »

7. What are some encouragements given so that the audience will respond to Peter’s message?

a. they would receive « — the gift (not gifts) of the Holy Spirit »

b. they would be taking advantage of « — God’s promise »

c. though Peter did not yet fully realize it, those responding were to be part of « — a great new people of God including both Jew and Gentile: those in the future; those afar off »

d. those who accept Peter’s invitation are « — answering God’s call, His effectual call to those who are chosen (Matt 22:14) »

8. So, once you have told someone the way of salvation, your job is finished and you leave all the rest to the Holy Spirit; right? « — Faith distinguishes one from this evil generation. Luke 9:41 »

E. The First Christian Church — Acts 2:41–47 (NKJV): 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 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 favour with all the people. And the Lord added * to the church daily those who were being saved.

* The word, “together” found in verse 44, is found also, in some translations, in verses 46 and 47; it is also in Acts 1:15, being rendered “altogether the number.’ Literally it is “in the same” with “place” to be understood, but here may refer to disciples as the body of Christ

1. verse 41: who constituted this church of Pentecost?

a. those who « — received Peter’s message: listened, hearkened, obeyed, acted: includes repentance and all attending it »

b. who were « — baptized as had been commanded »

c. being « — 3,000 people »

2. Does this tie in with John 14:12 … give a quantitative answer? « — one might conclude that those who persevered to the end of Jesus’ disciples were about 500, those to whom He appeared; and there were only 120 waiting for the Promise of the Father so 3,000 in one day being converted is greater in that sense »

3. verse 42: what characterized this church of Pentecost?

a. S « teadfast » ________________ C « ontinuance » ____________

b. in being « — taught by the apostles »

c. by taking part « — in fellowship, in the community of other believers »

d. in worship by

(A) B « reaking » __________ of B « read » ____________ « or, the Lord’s Supper, Communion,, Eucharist »

(B) P « rayer » ______________ (which included those held at the temple (Acts 3:1) but what would have differed them?

4. verse 43: what were some further characteristics?

a. F « ear » _____ or A « we » _____ — who felt this?

b. W « onders » _________ and S « igns » ______ — for what purpose (see Acts 3:6, for example)?

5. verses 44–45: What practical outcome of the gospel message manifest itself in the church of Pentecost? « — a new family was being formed of the children of God; some would have been in need, either because they were pilgrims away from home, or they now were rejected by family, friends, and the religious rulers … it does not seem that as yet excommunication was taking place, but it was soon to come. The community shared from its riches, goods and possessions to meet its needs. The disciples in Jesus’ ministry and the Essenes at Qumran had a common purse as do some groups today. »

6. verse 46-49: what were the Pentecost church’s distinctives?

a. C « ongregating » ___________________ daily at the house of God

b. Breaking bread and eating a common meal … « among the various homes that were opened to them. The common meal was a feature of haburah (hrbx) »

c. G « ladness » ____________- or joy

d. Simplicity of heart, which means, see Ephesians 6:5, 3:22, Romans 12:8 « — sincerity, generosity, liberality (the last reference uses a similar word to that found here and in the other references) the idea being “without thought of return” »

e. W « orshipping » ________________ God

f. consisting of the S « aved » __________

g. outsiders thought of it as « … favourable; good reputation »

7. What is the formula for a church to increase its membership?

Among a list of straightforward expectations and assignments for an intro theology class, the syllabus pronounced a curious objective: Apprehend the house of God in places you were once unaware. To approach the task, we were required to observe a different worshipping community each week and write about it. Visiting various church traditions, quietly witnessing choir practices, participating as a guest at Bible studies, I remember that semester with particular fondness. Stretched to see God in places I might not otherwise have looked, I felt like Jacob: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Genesis 28:16). God's house had dimensions I had never imagined.

Years later I would remember this experience amidst the disheartening contrast of “church shopping.” In seasons where we are searching for a church to call home, there is always a risk that we will begin to see the house of God as small and disjointed. I roamed from church to church with the lenses of a shopper, asking with each stop whether I could see myself at home there, and finding in so many places that the answer was “no.” The people of Israel built altars over the places where God had appeared to them, expanding their vision of his house. I was mentally holding a check list out in front of me like someone shopping for real estate, and the house of God seemed painfully small and hidden. I was seeing a marketplace, while a startled Jacob saw the house of God: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17).

To the people of Israel, the image of God's house was central to their worldview, reaching from the heavens to the places of earth where He caused his name to be remembered. His house was seen in experiences like Jacob's, where altars were built and God's presence celebrated. The image of God's house and subsequently the theme of homecoming were also experienced in the tabernacle that moved with them, and later in pilgrimages to the temple. Though it was sometimes as prodigals, their longing for home was a part of their identity as children of God's house: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek,” says the psalmist, “that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). For the Israelites, worship was an act of coming HOME. The house of God on earth and in heaven was occupied by the King.

For followers of Christ, it is the same: “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3). It is not a house we seek to be comfortable in, a home we can buy or build with our own hands. We are at home because of the one who occupies it, and the Son who prepares us a place.

As images appear daily of people displaced from their homes, disconnected and abandoned, images of the house of God appear in unlikely places. Once again its dimensions are startling. Descriptions of distress are being answered with descriptions of hospitality; people are opening their homes; churches are responding with food and shelter. Lives are being touched by “an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1-2). Whether by storm or conflict, the devastation of homes all around us reminds us of our calling to be the living stones of God's sanctuary on earth, pointing to his house in heaven. As the writer of Hebrews notes, “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast” (Hebrews 3:5-7).

Startling us with his reach and calling us to hospitality, we seek a God who longs to welcome us home. His is a house occupied by one who prepares a place for you and your neighbor, whether prodigal or pilgrim.

________

Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. — Matthew 16:18.

Between the Fall and the Devil’s Hole at Niagara there is a fair stretch of comparatively placid water, and an apparently insignificant little steamer named, The Maid of the Mist plys daily between the Bridge and the Fall. She never enters the Fall, neither does she ever drift down stream into the Devil’s Hole. That little Maid of the Mist suggests to our mind “the church of the living God!” She has passed through all the perplexing “mist” of this closing dispensation, and she need never fear the world’s fall, nor approach the Devil’s Hole. When things are darkest, God is nearest. The church’s extremity is Christ’s opportunity. “He that shall come will come.” — T. Baird.

Through tribulation hasten on,

with Christ the cross is sweet;

The little while will soon be gone,

keep only at His feet.

1. Do not ride in an automobile (or get in the way of one), as automobiles cause 20 percent of all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay at home; that's where 17 percent of all accidents occur.

3. Do not walk across the street; pedestrians are victims of 14 percent of all accidents.

4. Do not travel by air, rail or water; 16 percent of all accidents are the result of these activities.

5. Only .001 percent of all fatal accidents occur at church and almost none of these during worship and Sunday School.

Obviously, the safest place to be is in worship and Bible Study with your family and fellow Christians. I hope to see YOU in Bible Study and worship this coming Lord's Day!

When Thomas Aquinas visited Rome, and was shown the gorgeousness of the papal palace, the pope, it is said, remarked to him-"Well, Thomas, the church in our day cannot say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" "No," replied Aquinas, "neither can she say, 'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'" Ah! how often has it been the case, that when the church has been increased in riches and worldly wisdom, she has correspondingly decreased in spiritual power and piety.

The following anecdote is by Dr. E. Y. Mullins:

"I teach students for the ministry. Some of them grow impatient in their preparation, and I have often said to them: When God builds a tree, it takes Him about three generations, but when He builds a squash, it takes Him about three weeks. A man can choose which He will be-a tree or a squash. We misjudge children, we misjudge church members, we misjudge the church itself, when we forget that the Christian life is progressively realized, that it comes slowly. I once saw in Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth, Massachusetts, the restored ribs and keel of an old ship that was dug up from the sands of Cape Cod. They were worm-eaten and moldy. As I gazed upon them I reflected that when the ship was built, hundreds of years ago, these ribs and this keel were in the same position. Then, however, it was a prophecy of a ship that was to be. When I saw it, it was a reminiscence of a ship that had been. The imperfect Christian is a prophecy, not a reminiscence. The imperfect church is a prophecy of the glorious church that is to be, not a reminiscence."

An architectural magazine is responsible for the statement that the members of a Presbyterian church in Waterloo, Iowa, have constructed a new church building out of a single large rock. Stone was scarce, and while looking about for a possible quarry their attention was called to this huge boulder which stood in the middle of a plain about eight miles from the town. This mass of rock was like an island in the midst of a vast sea. About eight feet of it projected above ground. The work of excavating this gigantic boulder was at once begun. When exposed to view, it was found to be twenty-eight feet high, thirty feet long, and twenty feet wide. On this monolith the workmen began their labors with drill, hammer, and dynamite, and the enormous rock was converted into building-stones, which were removed to the town and built into a beautiful church. The sinful world about us is our quarry. With the hammer of God's Word, the dynamite of the Holy Spirit, and earnest human hearts we are to convert the stony natures about us into beautiful building stones for the temple of God.

Build yourself into the church. If you give of your means to defray its expense, you are a pillar, supporting God's house. If you welcome people into its membership, you are a door in the house of the Lord. If you teach a class in its school, you are a window, letting in the light.

A healthy church kills error, and tears in pieces evil. Not so very long ago England tolerated slavery in her colonies. Philanthropists endeavored to destroy slavery; but when was it utterly abolished? It was when Wilberforce roused the church of God, and when the church of God addressed herself to the conflict, then she tore the evil thing to pieces. I have been amused with what Wilberforce said the day after they passed the Act of Emancipation. He merrily said to a friend when it was all done, "Is there not something else we can abolish?" That was said playfully, but it shows the spirit of the church of God. She lives in conflict and victory; her mission is to destroy everything that is bad in the land. See the fierce devil of intemperance how it devours men! Earnest friends have been laboring against it, and they have done something for which we are grateful, but if ever intemperance is put down, it will be when the entire church of God shall arouse herself to protest against it. When the strong lion rises up the giant of drunkenness shall fall before him. "He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain" (Numbers 23:24). I anticipate for the world the best results from a fully aroused church. If God be in her there is no evil which she cannot overcome.

-C. H. Spurgeon

A worthy minister of the gospel, was pastor of a flourishing church. He was a popular preacher, but gradually became less to his hearers, and his congregation very much decreased. This was solely attributed to the minister; and matters continuing to get worse, some of his hearers resolved to speak to him on the subject. They did so; and when the good man had heard their complaints, he replied, "I am quite sensible of all you say, for I feel it to be true; and the reason of it is that I have lost my prayer book." They were astonished at hearing this, but he proceeded; "Once my preaching was acceptable, many were edified by it, and numbers were added to the church, which was then in a prosperous state. But we were then a praying people...." They took the hint. Social prayer was again renewed and punctually attended. Exertions were made to induce those who were without to attend the preaching of the Word. And the result was that the minister became as popular as ever, and in a short time the church was again as flourishing as ever.

Some astronomers are studying the nebulae, some Jupiter, some Saturn, some the sun, and so on; and they bring together all the results of their investigations, and unite them; and the sum total makes the one astronomy. The true church is that which takes the gifts of all its members, and instead of quarreling with and persecuting and treading under foot each the peculiar views of any other, unites them as far as possible.

Morbus Sabbaticus, or Sunday sickness, is a disease peculiar to church members.

1. The symptoms vary, but it never interferes with the appetite.

2. It never lasts more than twenty-four hours.

3. No physician is ever called.

4. It always proves fatal in the end-to the soul!

5. It is becoming fearfully prevalent, and is destroying thousands every year.

The attack comes on suddenly every Sunday; no symptoms are felt on Saturday night; the patient sleeps well and wakes feeling well; he eats a hearty breakfast; but about church time the attack comes on and continues until services are over for the morning. Then the patient feels easy and eats a hearty dinner. In the afternoon he feels much better and is able to take a walk and read the Sunday papers; he eats a hearty supper, but about church time he has another attack and stays at home. He wakes up Monday morning refreshed and able to go to work, and does not have any symptoms of the disease until the following Sunday.

The remedy-"Be not deceived; God is not mocked" (Galatians 6:7).

People often ask me "How is your church going?" and I generally respond by saying that "We started from scratch and we're still scratching." When you start a group with no denominational affiliation and no financial backing it is not only evangelistic but also entrepreneurial, and it is not easy.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

When you simply teach and preach the Bible with no entertainment or promotion, it is not easy. When you disregard traditions and battle the infiltration of errors and outright paganism while never passing an offering plate, it is not easy.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yet, I would welcome more people and so I have come up with the idea of the user-friendly church and "No-Excuse Sunday."

We are putting out cots for the people who say that Sunday is their only day to rest. And for those who say "If I go to church, the roof will fall in," we have hard hats that meet OSHA specifications. The people who say the church is too cold will be asked to change places with the people who say the church is too hot, and that should solve those problems. The people who don't like the hypocrites who attend church will be given stones to throw, and sin will never be mentioned in the service, only love. Cotton balls will be provided for the use of those people who complain that the pastor is too loud, and hearing aids will be given to those who complain that the pastor speaks too softly.

Microwave dinners will be given to those who say that they cannot attend church and cook too. The subject of money will never be mentioned, no offering plates will be passed, and the concept that the church may have needs will never be presented. Much of the service will be music of the Top 40's style, with lots of very attractive people getting extremely emotional. There will be a special area with grass and trees and a pond for the people who only feel close to God when they are fishing or surrounded by nature.

Stenographers will be provided for the people who say the pastor goes too fast, and Bibles that have only pictures without words will be given to those who find the Authorized Version too difficult. And for those who stayed up too late Saturday night, the lights will be dimmed and a wooden frame will be put around the pulpit to give the illusion that you are watching television. Most of the messages will be about how wonderful we all are, except for some messages about all the wonderful things that God is going to do for us because we are so worthy.

Now what more could a church do to be user-friendly? These accommodations should make it possible for everyone to attend and to have a great time.

Except, of course, for those precious people who really care and want to do it right.

-Terence D. McLean

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. — Hebrews 10:25.

No doubt the spiritual instincts of the children of God would lead them always to desire to be together. For my own part, I cannot understand a child of God who on principle could abstain from any occasion that summoned around the name of the Lord Jesus the members of the household of faith … It is simply a question whether we value Christ; whether we are truly walking in the Spirit, if we live in the Spirit … Only the circumstances in which we are placed in this world necessarily hinder it. May the conscience be exercised as to what may be allowed to hinder. — C. H. Mackintosh.

Lord, we know how true Thy promise to be with us where we meet,

When in Thy loved name we gather to enjoy communion sweet.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, 0 Jerusalem. — PSALM 116:18

Here, in this quiet place where men have prayed

And lifted up their hearts to heaven in praise,

I feel my need by mine own lack dismayed

And seek my voice of penitence to raise!

For here the generations long since dead

Drew near to God and took from him their strength,

And I can nothing do but bow my head

And pray for simple faith like theirs at length.

Here was the living bread dispensed to men

And thirsty souls drank from the heavenly spring;

So would I find refreshment here, and then

Go forth replenished — both to serve and sing!

Here, at the holy table of the Lord

True worshipers remembered him who died;

I too would be a doer of the Word

And feed on him who once was crucified!

And as I sit in silence in the pew

Methinks I hear his voice who makes to cease

The storms of life — and giveth Grace anew

And says “Go forth into the world in peace!” — (REV.) R. D. BROWNE (Tiverton, England)

When Professor MacEwen, the [Scottish] church historian, prayed, the result was impressive, almost awesome. The Holy Ghost was in the place, and intercession became a tremendous thing, consciously and obviously effective. Worship became power. Men felt and knew that Christ was standing to his promises, that things were happening. And they did.

“Prayer,” said Luther, “is a social act.” And nowhere’ is that so marked as when a body of believing people, forgetting themselves and their own spiritual necessities, enter into God’s presence and beseech his mercy on their needy fellow men, and on this crowded and sinful world. For the church of Christ exists, not merely for the spiritual profiting of its members, but, under Christ, to save the world. — ARTHUR JOHN GOSSIP (From ‘In the Secret Place of the Most High,’ © Independent Press, London)

Bless all the churches, and blessed be God, who, in this our great trial, giveth us the churches. — ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Remember, 0 Lord, thy Church, to deliver her from all evil, and to make her perfect in Thy love; and gather to- gether from the four winds the sanctified Church into Thy kingdom, which Thou hast prepared for her. For Thine is the power and the glory for evermore. — THE DIDACHE

”… The church is the biggest tombstone of all – a monument among the dead. When Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin, His purpose was not only to provide a way for us to enter heaven but also to make us more like Himself, that we might minister to others in His name. He instructed us to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit those who are sick and in prison. Christ wants us to be instruments through whom the needs of the people can be met. We can never have the kind of life He wants us to have until we learn to love others in His name… How can we say we love Jesus if we do not care about the suffering people whom Jesus loves? We have excess wealth, yet refuse to share it with those who are starving. Being Christlike is caring about the hungry, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.”

– Ex-convict Harold Morris in his book “Twice Pardoned”