What We Believe About The Church Series

Okay, I have a question for you. If you are driving through town and you see a store or some kind of business that has one of those giant inflatable gorillas on top, are you more or less inclined to stop into that business? You know what I'm talking about. Maybe it's an inflatable cowboy or even one of those wavy tube man things. I'm asking because I'm thinking about getting one of those inflatable Elvises with the microphone to put on top of the church building. I think that will really draw people in. What do you think? No?

I read somewhere a while back that those stupid blow-up statue things actually work. They evidently draw your attention and pay for themselves with increased traffic to your business. I'm not sure it is what we want to do for our church but maybe your plumbing business or your CPA firm could use one.

People are always looking for ways to make their business stand out. They have half price sales and going out of business sales even though they never go out of business. There's a little appliance store in Bridgeport that has had a going out of business sale every other year for ten years now.

People in charge of selling certain products tell you their product is new and improved. It's earth-friendly. It's fun and easy to use. Everybody is talking about it. You can't afford not to buy one! Be the first one on your block to buy a Mr. Microphone. "But wait! There's more!" Right? It gets pretty obnoxious after a while, doesn't it?

The problem is that marketing mindset has seeped into the Christian church today and I see commercials and billboards advertising the latest and greatest preachers with Bible sounding titles and musicians with all the appropriate tattoos and ripped jeans and programs that solve all your worldly problems if you just come be part of our "growth group." And not all of that is bad by any means but it is way different than the first church.

We are going to be looking at the first church this morning as we continue our look at what all we believe. Today, we get the truth about what the church is supposed to look like by reading Acts chapter 2, verses 42-47. As you turn to the book of Acts, which is between the Gospel of John and the book Romans, let me just tell you that they did not have a giant inflatable Elvis on their church building. Do you know why? They didn't have Elvis. They didn't have inflatables and they didn't have church buildings.

But what they did have was amazing and I want it for our church as well. In fact, as I have said many times, Christ Fellowship reminds me a lot of the first church and we will see why as we go. But I'll tell you right off before we even read the passage that what this church had was devotion. Watch for the word "devoted" in here and then watch for what they were devoted to. Let's read it in Acts 2:42-47.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I want you to see first that they were devoted to the right things. I saw an article this past week about a Mexican megachurch pastor who was sentenced Wednesday to more than 16 years in a California prison for sexually abusing young female followers who said he made them his sex slaves. (Mexican megachurch leader gets more than 16 years for abuse (yahoo.com)) Stuff like that is so harmful to the reputation, not only of the church worldwide, but the reputation of Jesus Himself. And it happened because the church members were devoted to the wrong thing.

Verse 42 doesn't say they were devoted to the apostles. It says they were devoted to the apostles teaching. And what is an apostle? The word apostle literally means "one who is sent out." Today we have missionaries and pastors that fill the role and it is debatable whether men should be called apostles today but for our study, just think of them as preachers. And what were these preachers preaching in the first church? They were preaching the Gospel or the Good News of Jesus. And how did they know this Good News? Because they had been with Jesus and had heard it for themselves from Him.