A Healthy Church-Part II
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God is a wonderful artist. He has created all things and even people in God’s grand design He created male and female but with in the different genders there are many differences. Some of the differences can be attributed to sin but it is very clear there was always to be diversity within in mankind. One of the problems that arises because of sin is the class systems that have arisen with different people groups. Social and economic class systems have caused attitudes of preferential treatment. People treat others based on their standing in society or even how much money they make or don’t make. Nowadays with this new age of entitlement people of any class believes they are better then everyone else and everyone else deserves to treat them well. There has been a bit of a shift because of the way the government works. Those who are on the low rung of society and economic states are being taught they deserve to be treated better because they are on the low rung and the rich should be treated poorly because they are cut throat and don’t deserve to be rich they should give their hard earned money to the poor. So social class and economic classes still exist and they are extremely dangerous.
The social and economic classes are not just in the secular world. They have seeped in to the church and it isn’t new it has been in the church since the first century. The thing is they shouldn’t exist in the church. The very first church as we will see this morning didn’t have this problem. The church, or should I say a healthy church should not have these kinds of barriers. We will take a look this morning at how the first church responded to God’s Salvific message as we continue to look at what a healthy church looks like.
Let’s turn to Acts 2:43-47
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Now as we turn to this passage I want to remind you that these people are still in Jerusalem. They are in the holy city where the temple of God is located. This is the center of the Israelite religion. On the day of Pentecost we found that the Holy Spirit had come down and indwelt the 120 disciples of Jesus Christ who were waiting on the coming of the Holy Spirit and the coming of the Holy Spirit has prompted many who are in the holy city to come and see what is going on. There are people from all over the known world there. People from Asia Minor, Rome, Egypt, Persia, Greece. They are all Israelites who have lived in this other regions who have come back for the purpose of celebrating the feast of Pentecost and even some or many to just live in the city of Jerusalem.
Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit to preach a message to this curious lot which told of God’s predetermined plan for the world that involved putting Jesus on the cross and Peter made sure these people knew they were guilty of placing Jesus on the cross. From this sermon 3000 more people were added to the church that very day and as we saw last week in verse 42 the church was “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These are four essentials to a healthy church and we will see this morning the outworking of this time together was God breaking down social and economic barriers.
The first thing I want us to understand here is this is a response to God. This is an appropriate response to God.
A Response to God’s Work
A Response to God’s Work
Look with me at verse 43, Luke writes here “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” There was an impact on the community at large. This was God at work in and through the apostles. The wonders and signs that are mentioned here are the attesting miracles or the miracles that point to God. These were not normal natural events but they were things no normal human being has the power to do. They were the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through the apostles. Everyone had a sense of awe at what God was doing. This everyone was not just those 3000 who were added to the church this ‘everyone’ here means believer and unbeliever alike. As the apostles were going through the city and healing people and casting out demons it was obvious they were working in the power of the Holy Spirit and whether or not people trusted in Jesus as Savior didn’t matter those who witnessed it recognized God’s power and they feared God.
This was a reverential fear, it was not just shear terror but it was a response to God because they saw that God was doing something amazing here. If there is terror it is simply because they recognize God’s power and work in and through these men and now they are in terror of not so much what God is doing but what God can do to them. This is a healthy response to God’s power and appropriate response to God’s power. Here it is everyone. These are all those in Jerusalem who saw what God was doing in and through the apostles. This is also a summery that will point to Acts 3:1-10 which we will look at closer next week.
Here is what was going on. Just as when Jesus walked the earth Jesus performed miracles, He healed people and drove out demons. They were obvious and as you can see here they didn’t leave room for speculation. People could disprove what Jesus had done and people could disproof what the apostles were doing but what they tried to do was discredit the works and silence the works. It was obvious these people were not false prophets but that God was doing something unique and powerful in and through them.
Jesus said His apostles would be able to do these things.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
These works the apostles are doing are not for personal gain and notoriety they are simply for God’s purpose of bringing people to Himself and those who saw the works that were done were in awe. Everyone saw what God was doing and the response to the God’s work was awe now we get to the select few who believed in God and Jesus and we see in verses 44 and 45 God breaks down barriers. The first barrier God breaks down is the economic barriers.
Verse 44 and 45 read, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;” We looked at this last week they were having fellowship with one another, genuine fellowship which meant they were together continually. I want you to notice something though. In verse 43 we have everyone had a feeling of awe but now in verse 44 there is a shift it is no longer everyone but now Luke is more specific it was the believers who were together and having everything in common.
There common bond is their faith in Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done for them. So Jesus’ past work is drawing them together. Not only is His past work drawing them together but they are all joined together because the hope they have in His return. For the first time since God has called the nation of Israel as His covenant people they realized what it meant to live for God and how to function in society and how to use what they had for the purposes of helping one another.
They were bound together, what God had planned all along for them is now being fulfilled and they are realizing this for the first time. There is no division between them. This is a picture of what the church should be like. There shouldn’t be barriers within the church. There shouldn’t be economic barriers and even social barriers because we are all bound together by the blood of Christ and we are all working to fulfill God’s will in the world which is to bring all to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Look at what the first church did as we look at God breaking down the economic barriers.
Breaking Down Economic Barriers
Breaking Down Economic Barriers
In verse 45 we read, “and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.” Here is what the church did, they took of their own. Now I am not saying lets all sell everything we own and lets all move into a commune. That is not what is going on here at all. What is going on here is this. These people moved by the Holy Spirit had their eyes opened to the realty that the one who dies with the most toys still dies and everything you own isn’t your to begin with. Everything belongs to God. All of our possessions are gifts from God. The roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs, the vehicles we drive, the toys we have. It is all a gift from God. He has provided all these wonderful things to us so we can use them for Him.
There many people in ancient Israel who made a lot of money and had a lot of possessions. Now keep in mind the mindset of the Israelites was the more righteous you are the more you will be blessed by God. They always equated wealthy with righteousness. For the first time in their lives their eyes were opened to what it really means to be rich. What it really means to be wealthy and what it means to be rich isn’t your material possessions. True wealth doesn’t come from material possessions but from knowing God, through His Son Jesus Christ.
The church in its inception was fulfilling God’s call for the nation before the nation even went in to take the land of Israel. In Deuteronomy God provides the nation with the command.
7 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;
8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
9 “Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you.
10 “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
11 “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’
God wanted His people to take care of one another, God had to provide this command because people are sinful and people are proud and people are selfish. They love to lookout for number one. In a culture where people believed the more righteous you are the more wealthy you will be this command need to be at the front of the minds. The problem is money as useful as it is, is extremely destructive. People buy into success is based on how much you have and own and how large your bank account is. People and even people in the church don’t realize how destructive money and possessions can be. I am not saying and this passage isn’t stating for us to not have any money it has everything to do with your attitude about money and possession.
These people in the first century church were selling there property to help those who were in need. There were those who were rich and owned a lot of animals and probably many different fields. Keep in mind it was a different time and a different country. We today are so accustomed to thinking about owning property in the sense of having a house or two and have a car for each driver in the family. The people in our text didn’t own rental property they owned land for their animals to graze and to farm their food. Big difference. If they were selling their property they were also selling the means of making money. So it was a big hit for them. As they sold their property they would use the money to help those who had very little or nothing at all.
Their attitudes were no longer on this earth and living for themselves but it was on God and His Kingdom and taking care of their brothers and sisters.
John tells the church this in his first letter to the church.
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Our hearts need to be open to one another to help in whatever way we can. I understand in today’s economy it is very difficult to get by. Most people are living paycheck to paycheck and I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty because they can’t help their fellow brother and sister in need. The thing is when a need arise there are things that can be done and ways to help. The attitude of the heart is what is important. A person providing vegetables that are freshly grown in their garden is a help to another family so they can use the money they would have used on that food for bills.
There are some kids in the church who have never owned their own clothing. It was passed down from other people in the church. These are things the church should be doing for one another. You know why because the things you own aren’t yours they are all God’s and God wants us to take care of our brothers and sisters.
Paul teaches what is true wealth and how Christians have this is common.
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.
5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
Believers are not to be looking at money as our source of wealth but our true source of wealth is in Christ. That is what makes us rich. We are not long for this world we are called by God to be heirs with Christ. With this One glorious truth in common God has broken down the economic barriers we have in this life. We need to be helping one another. We should be there for one anther. The church is a family a true family. We will be with one another for all eternity and in God’s Kingdom money will not make a difference so why should we let money make the difference.
God breaks down economic barriers, He also Breaks down social barriers.
God Breaks Down Social Barriers
God Breaks Down Social Barriers
Verse 46 and the first half of verse 47 Luke writes, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” Here we have it money wasn’t separating them and nothing was class distinctions. Young, old, male, female, rich or poor. It didn’t matter they were gathering together. The were of one mind, meaning they had the same focus and the same goal which was to worship and honor God. They went to the temple, which means they were in public praying and worship God and His Son Jesus Christ. They broke bread together which is the context means they were acknowledging Jesus’ death burial, resurrection, ascension and placing their hope in His return. This is the Lord’s Table not just having dinner together.
They were, however, eating meals together too. As I said last Sunday they weren’t just coming together on Sunday morning and having the Lord’s table together once a week they worshipped God all week long together. They didn’t have an entitlist attitude. It wasn’t all about me, me, me or I, I, I. They didn’t shun people because those people weren’t like them or because they spoke a different language or had an accent they were all together. They worshipped together and they saw the importance of being with one anther.
We need to have the attitude God has toward people. He is not partial, He treats all men the same and we must have this same attitude in us if we are called by Him.
Look at what Moses tells Israel about God’s character and what man’s attitude should be.
17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
18 “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
19 “So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
20 “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.
21 “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.
22 “Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.
See this has always been God’s plan for the nation to take care of itself and those outside the camp. In fact in the same way they took care of their, that should have flowed out onto the aliens among them. Those who were not Israelites. Still it had to be genuine not fake just to bring people in. God shows no partiality. This passage here is the fulfillment of God’s plan. This is also a precursor to what will happen in Acts 10. In Acts 10 Peter is shown by God that God has made all things clean including the Gentiles. And the gospel is to go out to the gentiles also.
Paul tells us this about God’s impartial attitude and what the church is comprised of.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
See there is no distinction between anyone meaning there are no class distinctions no one is better then another person we are all alike in Christ. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Now I understand there are families that have a lot of issues and because of sin they have a very hard time working through them but it is not that way in the church. Our bond in the church is greater then any bond there is because we are a new creation in Christ we are heirs with Him and we are to live today as though we are living in His eternal kingdom.
Paul writes a similar message to the Galatian church as well.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
If God sees no partiality within mankind and in His church then why do we divide up the church according to social clicks. I see a reason to have men’s and women’s ministries I get that, and because of a child’s developmental needs they need to be in their own groups too. There is a very high importance in being together. Talking with one another, praying with one another and for one another. It must be motivated by love for God. See when you are motivated by a love for God and bound by your love for Christ it is no longer about what is best for me and what can I get out of this but it is what is best for God and how can I honor God in my attitude and my treatment of others. The church is under scrutiny and everyone is watching and mind you they all have their own impression of what the church is and should be. We in the church who know God and know Jesus as Lord and Savior must live for God and not for self and everything we say and do must go to elevate God and make the greatest impression of Jesus’ character to those around us.
These truths are what leads to people see the real Christ in us and what leads to the church have favor before other people. It is a different attitude toward money and possessions and toward one another that makes a difference. The way we treat one another also goes to show what we truly thing of God too.
All of this is a response to God and His power. God is the One working in and through the apostles and it is very obvious that He is doing this. It is also God as He works in and through the believers that breaks down barriers, economic, social, and even racial. It is also God who adds the numbers to the church. God is the One doing all of this work and the first century church demonstrated a love for God that is surpasses any other kind of attitude and emotion. It was evident and God used it to bring people to Himself.
The church has lost sight of what it means to be the church. You go into most church and you find there are all kinds of clicks and usually based on economic statues and social class and even color of their skin. There is no reason for any of this in the church and God has taken these things away and He has grown the church.
Now I get that we all have busy schedules. We need to work to and I get that. We also need to be helping one another in the church. We need to spend time with one another in the church as much as possible. We do what we can to provide opportunities to get together. We have had the fellowship desserts, we have apple picking coming up, super Sunday. We have had prayer gatherings and we have Bible Studies. We do what we can to foster as much time together as possible. We need to do these things we need to be together and we also need to help one another. The more we talk to people. We need to live now as though we are in the kingdom. What is stopping you from spending time with other beleivers. Why is that stopping you and if you truly do know Jesus as Lord and Savior and have been saved by His Grace why wouldn’t you want to be with those who are most like you. Why would you run from them. He is the bind that ties us together and we should be compelled to be together for His purpose His good.