Printer Friendly VersionI 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.
