A CHURCH THAT STEPS OUT
Acts 5:12-16
John Tung, 4-22-07
I. Introduction
The church should pray for people in crisis situations. The church should also pray for people in non-crisis situations, but certainly we as a church should also be praying for people who are in crisis situations. And that’s the way it was with the very early church that we find in the book of Acts. When Christ ascended into heaven, the church, as it were, took over the ministry that Jesus had been conducting while he was on earth.
Now Christ has entrusted his disciples to do the preaching, the teaching, the shepherding, the praying, the healing. Now that Christ has gone into heaven, he has given us the Holy Spirit, to continue to carry out the vital ministries that he began and which we as a church are to continue.
Surely this is what Jesus meant when he said, when he said in Jn. 14:12 (slide) “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Jesus didn’t go to China, but our church has sent missions teams into China. Jesus didn’t go to the Cheyenne Indians, but we have sent teams to the Indians. Jesus didn’t go to Nashville or Philadelphia or DC, but we have sent in multiple teams to minister in each of those cities. Jesus didn’t tape any of his sermons so that people can listen to them on the internet. But we have uploaded sermons onto our website so people can listen to them from anywhere.
These are examples of the church being able with God’s grace to do even greater things than Jesus did.
In today’s passage, we also find the church able to do something that Jesus did. Just as Jesus reached out to the poor, the sick, the cast out from society, so the early church reached out to all of them.
If Jesus had met Seung Hui Cho, the student gunman who killed 32 students, and then killed himself, I believe Jesus would have ministered to him.
I believe Jesus would have seen that he was a loner, that he had no friends. That he had trouble adjusting to a new culture and language in America. That he had mental problems, that he developed an irrational hatred for people whom he saw as rich and spoiled. Jesus would have seen all that in his heart and asked him, as only Jesus could do, why do you have such hate in your heart? What are you so afraid of? Don’t you know that there are people who love you? Don’t you know that I made you and I made other people, and you should not murder? Don’t you know that I can heal people of their problems? Don’t you know that if you have pain, come to me and I will heal you? Jesus would have asked all these penetrating questions, and made sure that this young man did not leave until he faced his own demons and repented of his sins and gotten the help that he needed.
But we humans are limited and fallible and we can miss cues and signals that are sent by people in distress. And sometimes there are rules in place that prohibit us from doing more than we realize should be done.
But even in spite of all that, the church is here on earth to represent Christ and to carry out a ministry of teaching and healing in the world, and in particular, in the community they are part of. This is part of what we want to emphasize in a new series of messages on A Church That Steps Out.
In other words, when we think of the church’s function, we have to think of it as having both an internal and an external ministry.
II. Internal Ministries
First, let’s talk about the Internal Ministries (slide).
The church, as the people of God and also as an institution, has a responsibility internally in terms of worship, in terms of discipling, in terms of teaching, in terms of fellowship, in terms of inner support for one another who are in the church.
But it doesn’t end there. If a church only focused on internal ministries and neglect to also have an external outreach, it is self-absorbed, which is not what Christ was and which he did not want his church to be either.
There has to be both and a balance of both.
A church can also be so focused outwardly in the sense of only doing community outreach and world relief that it does not do enough to know the word of God and to instruct its own members.
So, clearly there has to be a balance of both.
But I think we need to emphasize, for our church, more of this outward dimension - since I think we are more imbalanced toward the inward dimension.
We have a lot of ministries that serve our own members – these are good ministries – like SS classes, like worship, like fellowship and cell groups – so I am not saying those are not good - they are good – and in fact, they may be our church’s strength and we should not neglect our strength – but we seem to be less involved when it comes to missions or community service or evangelistic outreach. There is a noticeable tilt toward inner ministries rather than a balance of both. It’s like what Jesus said about “practicing the latter without neglecting the former” (Mt. 23:23).
And just like a bird needs to have both wings working together and be equally well for it to fly strongly, so a church needs to have both wings – the internal and external ministries – be working and be equally well for a church to soar strongly and far.
Recently in the news in Stafford County there was a male eagle that was accidentally hit by a car, and broke one of his wings, and he couldn’t fly. The Wildlife Center of VA tried mightily to heal its wing, but it couldn’t and finally they had to euthanize it after veterinarians said it probably would never fly again (news.wjla.com/news/stories/0407/413952.html).
In the worst case - and I am not saying we are there - but in the worst case if a church is not functioning properly and is seriously impaired, for example as the Church in Ephesus was warned in the book of Revelation - God might come and remove its lampstand – meaning removing the church from its community. So, it’s very important that churches know what it is supposed to do.
That’s why the theme of our sermons from now until the end of May wants to emphasize this outward dimension of our responsibility.
In the book of Acts, we see that the early church did have this balance and that’s why it was such a powerful witness in their community.
In Acts chapter 2 we see the early church devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. These are internal ministries, for the most part. And they needed to do that since these were all brand new believers and they needed solid spiritual food to grow on.
They also loved one another deeply. We see this when they shared their possessions with one another and gave to anyone as they had need. When it says they did this, at this time, they were probably doing it among the church itself, since there were poor people among the believers. But its interesting that in Acts 2 it also says that as a result of this loving sharing with other believers that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
In other words, even internal ministries, done lovingly, can have a profound effect on how people outside the church view us. They can see the church as truly a place of grace and love and care. And they find it appealing and want to join it. It’s like what Jesus said in Jn. 13:35 (slide), “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
And this internal ministry in the church does not stop even as the church continues to grow.
In Acts, later on, there were internal discord and disagreement on some issues - such as theological issues about eating meat sacrificed to idols, practical issues about some widows being overlooked in the daily distribution of food - which needed to be addressed in a God-pleasing way. In other words, the honeymoon period of the church was over and daily life issues that came up had to be addressed and resolved. Internal ministries need to continue and address changes within the church and group. Church life, like a family’s life, gets more complex and interrelated as it grows, and there has to be institutional and individual efforts made to move forward. And if they are not dealt with, they fester and will weaken the foundation of the family or the church or any organization.
Let me say a word here about families too. Families, like churches, have both an internal and external ministry. It’s easy for a family – for the parents - to think that their only job is internal. That they only need to care for, feed, educate, enrich their kids and not do anything to encourage the family’s responsibility to others. There is an external ministry that God has given to families too. Families are great places to teach kids and for parents to model how to love others outside the family, and I don’t just mean our uncles, aunts and grandparents, although that is an important aspect of family life too.
But what I mean are family’s external responsibilities in terms of modeling and teaching kids about serving others in the community and neighborhood and in the world. Things like praying for the poor in our community and the world. Things like educating our kids about missions to people who do not know Jesus Christ. Things like sharing the good news of Christ with love and words to those who don’t know Christ. Things like the need to care for the new family down the street that just moved into the neighborhood or the family who has lost a parent or lost a child. Thins like taking your kids with you to sweep up leaves from an elderly neighbor’s yard or shovel their snow. Things like taking our kids to senior homes, hospitals, shelters, community centers, to meet and learn about people who live there.
This is how we can help our kids and ourselves from being self-absorbed. When we took our kids on missions trips to the Navajo Indians and when we took them to NYC to reach the garment workers’ children, it was for this purpose. When we encouraged and supported them in the County Fair outreach and going on teens missions trips, it was for this purpose. I am not saying we have done all that could be done in this area - far from it - but at least we have tried to not be self-absorbed and only think about ourselves.
I see Christian families that I think are too self-absorbed. I see them involved in all kinds of enrichment activities for their children. I am not sure if the enrichment is for the kids only or are there things they are also doing for those who are poor and who are more needy. Maybe I am not seeing everything there is to see. I hope Christian families are not being self-absorbed, so I hope I am wrong on this account. But I do believe God wants all of us – families and singles - to have an external ministry as well as an internal ministry in our life. And if we don’t do that, then we will be like that eagle with only one good wing, and you can’t get very high on one wing. But God wants us to soar and take flight like the eagle, and we can do that only when we have two good wings.
As Isaiah says in 39:31 (slide) of those who look to the Lord, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
III. External Ministries
The early church had a very strong internal ministry, but they also carried out a very strong external ministry (slide says: “External Ministries”). In Acts chapter 5:12-16, we see an example of their external ministry. [Read Acts 5:12-16.]
The apostles were given supernatural gifts to heal and perform miracles. We had seen Peter in chapter 3 healing a crippled beggar, and then in the beginning of chapter 5 we see Peter bringing about the judgment of God upon Ananias and Sapphira who had lied to God about what they did with their money that they had said they were giving to God and the community. And their lies led them to die right on the spot.
This incident concerning Ananias and Sapphira was probably why vs. 13 says that “No one else dared to join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.”
The non-believers there were so afraid of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira that they were afraid of officially joining the Christian community, since they knew that a higher standard existed in the Christian community.
It’s not that they didn’t want to believe in Christ, they did, which is why vs. 14 says, “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”
So, they did believe, but they were afraid of the purity and holiness of the Lord, that they stood back rather than dive right in.
Sometimes we are like that too - something is so holy and pure - we dare not get too close. I wonder if that’s why most people like to sit in the back at church…. That’s a joke.
I think for me it’s getting on a roller coaster ride. It’s so scary and terrifying because I am afraid of heights, I would stand back and not volunteer to go into one. Others who are really into roller coasters would love to jump right in, but for me, I prefer to keep my distance. I admire the folks taking the roller coaster, and I wish I were less afraid, but that’s me, I guess.
So, likewise there are people outside the church who may very much like to join the church, or at least get to know the church people, in fact, they may even admire church people, but may be afraid of joining in since they feel they are not worthy or just don’t know how they will be received if they tried. It’s like someone trying to get a massage at a spa, but have never done it, so it’s kind of intimidating to get one since you don’t know what you’re supposed to do. So, we must find ways to reach those folks too. And perhaps friendship evangelism in those cases may be the best course. If you know someone who has those concerns, then tell them that people in the church have problems too; it’s just that they take their problems to God.
But even though the people in church have problems, but the church also has the power of God.
And what we then find in the early church is that people started to bring the sick out of their homes and laid them on beds and mats on the street since they believed that Peter had such powers from God.
We might be surprised at this action on their part. Why would they put the sick out on the streets in hopes that they would be healed?
We have to keep in mind that back then they didn’t have hospitals or clinics like we do. If someone got sick, and you had money, maybe you can get a physician to come to your home. But if you were poor - as many were - your family basically had to take care of the sick person at home.
It’s like if the hospital in PG County were really to shut down, where would the sick people go? Maybe more would wind up on the streets or maybe their families would have to take them in to care for them.
So, not having a hospital or clinic is a very disastrous thing for a community. And I am glad to hear that there may be a plan to keep the PG County Hospital System running.
But back then, thankfully, the apostles had the power to heal. I wish we could have that power now. Then even if hospitals close, all we have to do is to lay hands on the sick and they would be healed.
But the power to heal, like the apostles had, was not meant to be given to every church leader. It was for a time, in the beginning of the church, to serve as a powerful witness of the power of God.
What then does the church have now if not that power? Well, instead of miraculous powers to heal, I believe that God has given us something else instead.
Instead of that power, God has given Christians the power to heal through medicine, through drugs, through research, through therapy, and through other ways. Instead of miraculous healing like the apostles, God has given the church the burden to build hospitals, schools, orphanages, to help people.
That’s what many missions agencies did as they went into foreign fields. They built hospitals, schools, they taught people about technology and better farming and agricultural methods. They built wells for clean water, houses with plumbing, etc.
Is that any less powerful than miraculous healing? I don’t think so. I think that’s also very powerful and very helpful to people. That also builds up the favor of the people it serves and creates good will and positive attitude toward the things of God.
That was part of their external ministry.
In other words, things like hospitals were built because healing through apostles was not going to happen forever, and healing through medicine was the way to heal people in the long run, the vast majority of the time to come.
I think in some ways this kind of healing is more effective than miraculous healing because miraculous healing rested only on a select few people that God gave that power to. But healing through hospitals, therapies, medicine can be carried out by many Christians and even non-Christians since it was not tied to particular single individuals, but was a practice that could be taught and learned and acquired through education and training, so you can have a lot more doctors, educators than you can have apostles.
Maybe this is part of that “greater thing” that Jesus also predicted in John 14.
I would prefer that all of you were “healers” in this broader sense than just me or pastors being healers. The ministry should be carried out by everyone in the church, and not just by the pastors. It’s what I believe Paul also meant when he said in 1 Cor. 14:19 (slide), “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
If you ask me would I like to have the gift of speaking in tongues or the gift of preaching, I would say preaching. It is not as supernatural or spectacular as speaking in tongues, but even to the apostle Paul, who spoke in tongues, he would rather say a few words in a language that the average person can understand rather than in a strange tongue that only he can understand.
Do you see what I am saying? The spectacular is not necessarily better than the ordinary. The ordinary you can do every day and everyone can do it. The spectacular can be done by only a few and on certain special occasions. And God always wants more of the average person to be involved in his work.
Another ministry the early church carried out externally was that of giving testimonies to the power of God.
They used words to testify to the power of God. When the apostles Peter and John were released from prison for sharing the message of Christ, they told the authorities that they were going to keep on testifying about Christ’s power, for they can do no less.
And when Peter and John came back to the church and all the believers saw that they were freed in answer to their prayers, they all gave praise to God and testified to God’s power.
Each Christian and each church should find ways to be witnesses in their community, through both words and actions.
Let me share with you some of the things that I have done as a witness in the community. I am sure you have your own involvements too, and there are many things that you can be involved in, but I wanted to give some concrete examples and encourage you to find things you can be involved in too.
My external ministries as a minister have involved things like conducting weddings and pre-marital counseling and funerals for people in our community, even though they are not in our church or go to a church. Praying at the City of Rockville’s Martin Luther King Day celebration. Praying at the National Minorities Business Owners annual meeting at the DC Convention Center. When I tell people in our community that I am a minister. Leading a worship service at a homeless shelter in DC. Visiting nursing homes. Offering care and counseling to people who are not in our church.
Other personal external ministries that I have done in our community, as a Christian, and not just as a minister: testified in school board meetings, witnessing to Starbucks employees, volunteering in my children’s schools, writing letters to Holy Cross hospital to encourage them to continue to have a brief Scripture read and brief prayers said over the loudspeakers and to school board, attending funeral of local high school students who have died to show my support to the school and the family, writing letters to the editor of local papers and also to Congressmen and Senators to express my opinion on certain issues, and when I tell people in our community that I am a Christian.
These are ways that I have tried to be involved in our community.
What does this mean for all of us here? It means that there are many ways to be an active Christian witness in our community, through our words and our actions. And what you can do is to find out what you can do. Sometimes you should stand up as a Christian and speak out on certain issues, and other times to bend down and serve others as a Christian. When we speak and act with the love and truth of Christ, that’s how we are carrying out God’s will for us to be salt and light in the world.
Let your light shine; don’t hide it under a bushel. Get involved. And when asked, tell people it is because of Christ that you are doing it.
As 1 Peter 2:12 says (slide) “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” Let them see your good deeds so they can praise God. Let us pray.
