The Church at Its Best

I remember a week when I was preaching a revival in Battle Creek, Michigan. The pastor suggested we take a tour of Battle Creek’s major industry. After lunch we got in his little yellow Toyota and drove over to the major industry.

We parked and walked up the stairs to the main entrance. An enthusiastic hostess and tour guide greeted us. She grinned ear-to-ear and welcomed us to the plant. Then she opened her hand, disclosed the “hidden treasure” on her palm, and said, “Folks, this is how it all begins.” She showed us a kernel of corn. I tried to act impressed as we began our tour of Kellogg’s.

The tour guide cautioned us not to deviate from the canary-yellow adhesive tape stripes secured to the tile hallway. We followed her for an hour through the plant. Every once in a while she would halt our procession and provide some heavy insight. The first time she stopped us she said, “Folks, this is what it looks like when it’s cooked.” We tasted a sample; it reminded me of chewing a rubber band. The next time she stopped us she said, “Folks, this is what it looks like when it goes through the rollers.” It was completely flat, and we were shocked! The last time she stopped our parade she said, “Folks, look through this window. See those flakes?” They were predestined for a unique anointing, called “sugar-frosted,” and were headed for “Tony’s box.” We all applauded enthusiastically.

Later that afternoon I returned to my room and meditated on the insight of the day. I concluded Kellogg’s is in business of making cereal. It got me thinking about the Church, wondering why are we in business and what do we make? Then I remembered the Lord’s words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). The Church develops disciples as Kellogg’s creates cereal.

When an employee at Kellogg’s gets in his truck and drives home, he has a sense of fulfillment. He goes home feeling like he got the job done today. As he leaves, a railroad track full of boxcars is loaded with hundreds of palates of freshly boxed cereal.
How do we know in the Church if we’re getting our job done? Jesus said, “Go make disciples.” How do you make a disciple? The purpose Jesus gave the Church, “Go make disciples,” stands on two legs. One is to reach the lost. The other is to teach the believer. We are to reach them and teach them. Obviously, we can’t teach them until first we reach them. But after we reach the unsaved we must teach them and help them grow.

I’ve seen some churches that had these two components of the mission out of balance. Some churches place all the emphasis on reaching people and very little on teaching and helping the new believer grow. Other churches place all the emphasis on teaching people with very little effort given to outreach and evangelism of lost people. Happy is the church that has “reach them and teach them” in a proper balance.

Then I began to wonder who’s done the best job of making disciples? Where’s the high-mark of effectiveness in making disciples? The Lord turned my attention to Acts 2:42. Luke gives us the characteristics and priorities of a group of believers, freshly filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

Luke writes, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v. 42). Here “devoted” means permanent adherence, welded, super-glued, or riveted. To be devoted was to have a premeditated, prioritized commitment.

It makes us ask how devoted are we? In a day when there is a consumerism and spectator sport mentality in the Church, it’s good to review the question of devotion. The early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. When teaching, training, and equipping ministry was available folks showed up--growing deeper in faith. Following the apostles’ ministry was a priority.

These early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship. There was inter-related and inter-dependence in their relationships. Community was lived out in their lives. They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, giving attention and priority to the Lord’s Supper. Prayer was also a priority in their devotion to Christ. How often do we spend time in prayer? We have twenty-four hours every day and we choose what we do with our time. The Christians in Acts devoted themselves to prayer.

In verse 43 we learn “everyone was filled with awe.” I’ve been in churches filled with “ahhh”--the sound of yawns from bored listeners. But the scripture passage refers to “mind-blown-amazement, shock, serendipity, and unanticipated surprise!” The apostles did wonders and miraculous signs. The followers saw, participated in, were changed by these miracles. How else could they respond but in “awe”?

What ever happened to the wonder and miraculous signs? Some preachers have taken the wonder and miracles way out of bounds biblically. It does not mean we need to neglect the wonder and miracles altogether. I’ve often wondered if there are answers to prayer and miracles sitting on heaven’s warehouse shelves with our name on them, just waiting for us to pray for in faith, believing.

Verse 44 continues the description of the Early Church, “all the believers were together and had everything in common.” It’s one thing for folks to leave their house, drive to church, and sit in their pew and be “together” in the same sanctuary. But it’s something significantly different to be “together” in unity, oneness, harmony, and peace. The truth is we either add to unity or we subtract from the unity of the Church. We’re either a part of the answer or we’re part of the problem. Besides the unity that characterized the early believers.

We learn these early Christians also had everything in common. They had a loose grip on their material possessions and shared generously with each other. This is a good lesson for us who live in a day where we see so much materialism and aggressive pursuit of assets. Life is more than what we can collect.

The loose grip on material possession meant they were “selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need” (v. 45). Have you ever had a garage sale? The believers had a garage sale and gave to anyone as he or she had need. The only requirement for the recipient of their generosity was a need.

Many of our churches could develop a significant ministry today determining the needs in our community. There’s someone within reach of our church with a material need. Compassionate, humanitarian benevolence is a wonderful ministry we are called to as Christians “making disciples.”

Notice verse 46, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” They met for daybreak devotions. These newly Spirit-filled believers gathered in the courtyard outside the temple to pray, read Scripture, sing a hymn, encourage each other, and share information of mutual concern. Why did they do that? You can trace it back to devotion (v. 42). Their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with each other became a life-changing priority.

We must us face the question, “How devoted are we?” There is an ever-encroaching tendency to become apathetic, stagnant, and mediocre in our dedication to Christ and our neighbor.

If we continue to look at verse 46 we see “they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” Here’s one thing we do very well in the church. We have the potlucks down perfect! This passage concludes with verse 47 stating they were, “Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” As Luke documented what was happening with these Spirit-filled believers, he noted the Lord’s working in their lives resulted in new believers being added daily. Health and obedience work in harmony with the Lord’s movement in the heart and lives of those around us.

In many churches evangelism and outreach is absent. How long has it been since someone outside your local church was reached, saved, baptized, and joined your church?

I remember a summer when my wife, daughter, and in-laws drove from southern California to Huntington, West Virginia. On Sunday afternoon we returned to grandma and grandpa’s house to enjoy dinner. After dinner the phone rang. My mother-in-law said, “Norman, the phone’s for you.” Who is calling me here in Huntington, West Virginia?

Uncle Don called, “Norman, I heard you were in town and thought you’d like to know about my neighbor, Belvie. He had terminal heart disease and doesn’t know anything about God or the Church. I’ve tried to witness to him the best I could. I think he’s ready to listen to someone like you, if you wouldn’t mind visiting.”

I answered, “We’ll be right there.”

My wife, daughter, in-laws, and I got in our car and drove out the country road to the park where Uncle Don and Aunt Dorothy lived. He met me at the driveway and we walked across the street to Belvie’s front porch. I knocked on the screen door. Belvie, a tall man, about 6 feet 4 inches and thin at about 180 pounds, answered the door. His hair was messy and he hadn’t shaved that day or the day before. In one corner of his mouth he had a cigarette with the ashes ready to fall on the floor. He was wearing polyester pajamas and no shoes.

Belvie said, “Howdy boys, come on in.” It was obvious he left his teeth on the sink. We stepped inside and I was immediately attacked by a Doberman-poodle. The room was full of Sunday afternoon visitors, tobacco smoke, and beer cans.

I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere in that situation, so I suggested we go out on the front porch where we could be alone. We sat down on the front porch swing and got acquainted. Then, an inch at a time, I bent the conversation to the Lord and the Gospel.

I said, “Belvie, God loves you, and even at this stage in your life He has a plan for you.” He found this hard to believe. I explained we were all sinners, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He admitted he’d been “quite a sinner in his day.” I told him about Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, and about His life, ministry, and miracles. I explained how He was crucified, dead and buried, and raised on the third day. Belvie stared at me like it was the first time he heard this in his whole life.

Then I explained confession (admitting our sins to God) and repentance (being sorry for our sins and turning from them). After twenty minutes I asked, “Belvie, can you give me a good reason why you wouldn’t want to pray and receive Jesus right now?” He broke eye contact with me, and for a long time he just stared at the indoor-outdoor carpet on his front porch. Then, after a long silence, he raised his head. I noticed a tear squeeze out of the corner of his eye and slowly crawl through the stubble of his unshaven cheek before it disappeared into his wrinkles. His tear left a shiny trail in the afternoon sun.

He said, “Nope.” I replied, “Would you like to pray right now?” He responded, “Yep.”

So we bowed our heads to pray. Belvie repeated the “sinners prayer” after me just as sincerely as anyone ever prayed at a church altar. He was saved just as genuinely as anyone had ever been saved.

A few weeks later I was home at my desk reading the mail and there was a letter from Huntington, West Virginia. Out of the pages of the letter fell a newspaper clipping. It was from the Huntington Daily. Belvie had moved from Huntington to heaven, less than three weeks after we sat on his front porch. I heard the Lord whisper, “and the Lord added to their number daily, those who were being saved” (v. 47).

And He would like to do it again through you and through your church.