Church for Dummies
The Church Afire • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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42 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.
For Dummies
For Dummies
I hope you're not offended by this, but today's sermon is titled, "Church for Dummies" -- By no means am I calling you(or us) dummies, but this is a callback to the classic instructional reference books I have fond memories of.
Barnes & Noble -- An island where stacks of very distinguished black and yellow covered books.
There would be: Spanish for Dummies, Internet for Dummies, Computer Science for Dummies, and list goes on.
What we read in Acts 2:42-47 is actually a very short and condensed explanation of what a church looks like.
3,000 Problems
3,000 Problems
Let's recall what's going on in Acts 2.
Peter gave one of the greatest sermons.
Remember, the point of last week was that Peter was only 50 days removed from his old ways (e.g. denying Jesus 3x) yet Peter preaches a sermon that cuts to the heart of the listeners.
And 3,000 people came to Christ that day.
There's a pastor I met long ago who experienced an exponential growth in his church. His church was at 40-50 members (very similar to our church) and within a year span it grew to 300, then to 500, and by the end of the year 1,000.
He's often asked by pastors what he did to grow so dramatically. "What's your secret?" they would ask. Churches would call and ask him to come and speak at their conferences and provide lessons church growth.
This was before I was pastoring so I wasn't interested in knowing anything like that. Instead, I was curious about one thing and asked him this, "How does it feel pastoring such a dramatic church growth?"
He paused, thought a little bit and said something I'll never forget, he said, "Beginning of the year, I was managing 50 problems, and now I'm overwhelmed by 1,000 problems."
Like so, we look at Acts 2 and see the 3,000 converts and applaud Peter's work. While it's definitely a moment where we give glory to God, it's 3,000 joys indeed, but that's also 3,000 problems and troubles ahead.
How in the world is Peter and the 11 apostle going to manage/handle 3,000 new converts?
That's when Peter provided 3 simple rules:
1. Devote to God's Word
2. Fellowship with God's People
3. Worship Together
Devote to God’s Word
Devote to God’s Word
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
I understand the difficulty or the reservation regarding this rule because over the years I've heard all the problems attributed to the Bible.
It's a book of do's and don'ts.
It's a fairy tale disguised as history.
It's unreliable as it's not even the original but a copy.
It's the source of war, hate, and bigotry!
But listen to the contrast from Psalm 119:103, "How sweet are the words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
How did we go from a psalmist who considered the Word of God to be sweeter than honey to a society that wants to burn the Bible and make it extinct?
What I'm saying is that I understand the uphill battle we face as we hear Peter create this "rule" to devote ourselves to the Word of God -- Perhaps, we may not have such disdain toward the Bible like the examples mentioned, but I know some of us can't say it's like honey either -- We fall somewhere in between.
But can I tell you? God's Word is like honey -- It's sweet, it's precious, and it's life-changing.
Over the years at PIF, I've emphasized greatly the devotion we should give to God's Word. Every year, I challenge our members to read from cover to cover and in the past couple of years I've started to see the fruit.
Listen to some of these comments from PIF members, I quote:
"Reading the Bible has changed my life."
"I feel incomplete if I don't spend time in His Word."
"I no longer read to understand because it understands me."
This sounds awfully similar to what Karl Barth once said, "I have read many books, but the Bible reads me."
All this is possible because God's Word is unlike any other book. There are characteristics of it that's beyond words on a page -- The common expression from people who devote themselves to the Bible often say, "His Word is alive!"
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Peter's call for us to devote ourselves to God's Word is not simply to read it but to live it. It speaks to us.
Fellowship with God’s People
Fellowship with God’s People
The second rule Peter teaches is to fellowship with God's people.
Fellowship, in the modern church, has it completely wrong. It has become synonymous with hangouts, eating together in large or small gatherings:
Many would label the BBQ we had yesterday as fellowship.
In our church spendings (budget), we have a line for fellowship and it's equated to our annual Super Bowl Party, Thanksgiving Potluck, and Christmas Party, things of this nature.
But biblically speaking, this is not what fellowship is -- It's so far from it, it ought to make the modern church feel shameful.
The word fellowship in Greek is koinonia. And the literal definition is "commonness." And if we look into this very word all throughout the NT (not found in OT), we find that it's always in relation to being with people who are in common; but the what they do together is not hang out, but they give or share their possessions.
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.
The modern church has made fellowship about gain -- Members partake because there's something for them -- There's free food, there's prizes, there's entertainment, there's community, it's all about gain in the modern fellowship.
But biblical fellowship is about cost.
And let me mention this one wrinkle that annoys me so much -- Many fear Christianity because they've heard stories of the Rich Young Ruler where Jesus told him, "...sell what you possess and give to the poor," and we can't do it.
We value our possessions, so we hoard and collect.
We worked too hard for our paychecks, so we don't give tithes and offerings.
We painstakingly saved to buy something, so that cannot be touched under no circumstances.
But listen carefully to Peter, all the proceeds were distributed as it was needed. Meaning, God doesn't call for us to empty our pockets of everything flippantly or haphazardly, but give as needed -- And why? Because there is a cost to fellowship.
And hear me, it's not always monetary. It's not always about possession. It could be out time, it could be our comfort, it could be our wisdom, but there is a cost.
Worship Together
Worship Together
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.
And here is the last and final rule from Peter -- Worship together.
Very much like fellowship, worship has changed over time and the modern church do not fully get it. And according to our text, Peter presents two elements of worship:
1. Breaking bread together.
2. Praying together.
Breaking bread to most Christians today falls under the fellowship category, but here Peter says it's an element of worship.
How can eating be an element of worship?
In 1 Corinthians 11 is where we find Paul's teaching on communion; it is also where we get a glimpse of breaking bread as worship.
Paul draws from the Last Supper that Jesus had with the disciples. When reading about it, it seems like an ordinary dinner between people enjoying a meal, but Paul associates it with worship -- In the case of the Last Supper the unleavened bread is the body of Christ, the cup of wine is the blood of Christ.
Just listen to Paul's blunt explanation.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
When we break bread together, it's worship because we're not simply filling out stomach's but we're getting to know each other, we're sharing and listening, we're bonding, we're building a relationship, and hopefully praying for one another.
Which is why the second element of worshiping together is prayer.
And listen, praying together is not the praying we do in our church every Sunday. What we're doing is actually praying in the same room, we're not praying together. We're praying for ourselves, everyone else just happens to be in here.
But praying together means praying for another.
Praying for their health.
Praying for their family.
Praying for their work.
Praying for their faith.
Church, everyone, this is what it means to be a church.
1. Devoting to God's Word.
2. To fellowship with God's people.
3. To worship together.
Benediction
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Amen.
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