Sermon Tone Analysis

Signs of a Healthy Church

(Acts 5:12-16)

September 5, 2021

Read Acts 5:12-16 – The nurse burst into the doc’s office.

“Dr.

Smith!” she yells, “you just gave Mr. Weston a clean bill of health – and he dropped dead in the doorway on his way out.

What do we do?” Docc replied, “Quick, turn him around so it looks like he was just coming in.”

So, the question this morning is: As a church are we DOA?! There’s a dif between looking healthy and being healthy.

This text shows us what a healthy church looks like.

Prayer, ministry of the Word, fellowship and evangelism are key church activities.

But what’s a healthy church look like?

You can tell a healthy baby from a malnourished baby in one look, right?

Bright eyes, glowing skin --signs of health.

So, what does a healthy church look like?

Here’s an example.

It Was a Supernatural Church

Supernatural activity was evidence in the miracles.

God was at work.

A healthy church is powered by God, not our performance.

But we’ve learned how to build mega-churches on business practices without God at all!

We are like the neurotic rooster, thinking the sun is coming up because of our crowing.

Ever been driving your car and your passenger wants to help?

Like my wife?

If she thinks I’m driving too fast, she presses her brake.

Only she has no brake!

I’m the driver and I have the wheel, the gas and the brakes.

The power in the church is not in our performance, passion or our proficiency.

I Cor 1:18 tells us the source: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The very thing we’re sometimes ashamed of – the gospel, that’s where the power is.

In far too many churches you could take the HS out, the gospel out, the cross out and God out, and nothing would change!

We love #’s more than the gospel.

So, are we to expect the same kind of spectacular “signs and wonders” these folks saw? 15) so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

16) The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

That’s impressive.

Healed by Peter’s shadow?

Amazing miracles.

So, shouldn’t we expect the same?

Well, let’s review what we’ve seen before.

There are 3 great periods of miracles: when Israel was delivered from Egypt; the time of Elijah and Elisha; and the time of Jesus and the early apostles.

There’s no indication they’re to be expected in bunches all the time.

In fact, God often instructs His people to remember – like Israel entering Canaan: Deut 7:18) you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.”

God didn’t give them a whole new set of miracles, but urged them to remember the old ones.

The same God providentially delivered them.

Miracles were to authenticate the messengers and the message.

Heb 2:3) “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4) while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Not by our will, by His will.

Not our timetable, His.

In the early church, the miracles said, “Listen up, people.

God is speaking thru these men.

Hear them.”

These miracles were “by the hands of the apostles” and II Cor 12:12 tells us “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”

They basically authenticated God’s messengers, the apostles.

But after a time, the written Word became the accrediting authority.

Today, we check the message against the Word for credibility.

Is the message biblical?

God may still do miracles.

But not on the scale they were happening there.

Those physical miracles represented God’s greater spiritual work, and that’s what we ought to look for today in a healthy church.

These miracles were 1) attached to the apostles who are no longer around; 2) They happened without fanfare; and 3) “They were all healed – hard cases and all.

Not like today’s.

The supernatural is seen today in changed lives.

That’s what we want to see.

II.

It Was a Committed Church

12b) “And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico” -- a public location on the east side of the temple that they’d staked out.

They were doing life together -- committed.

But note: 13) “None of the rest dared join them.”

And yet 14) “And more than ever believers were added to the Lord.”

How do these statements fit?

Well, the “rest” who dared not join, are in 11) “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.”

The context is the death of Ananias and Sapphira.

That wasn’t a very seeker-friendly act on God’s part.

But He’s looking for committed.

Prov 8:17: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”

Jer 29:13: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

We trivialize God with our half-hearted worship, and He will not be trivialized.

Listen, Beloved – don’t tell me you’re committed and you can’t even make it to church on Sunday.

These early Xns were committed.

The ones who weren’t, having seen what happened to A&S, didn’t dare come.

And God didn’t mind.

He was seeking those who really wanted Him.

Those who did come committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Are you committed?

One pastor found despite his best efforts, the dying church he had taken over had made no progress.

So he placed an ad in the paper on a Saturday – “Church has died.

Funeral on Sunday.”

Got a packed house!

No one had ever been to a funeral for a church before.

There was a casket down front.

People were invited to pay their last respects.

The casket was opened and the crowd began to file by.

But what a surprise!

Inside the casket was a mirror.

They were the dead church.

When the people are not committed, the church may exist, but it is dead.

Not so this early church.

III.

It Was a Respected Church

13b) “But the people held them in high esteem.”