Dakota Community Church
July 29, 2007
Old School
Have you ever spent anytime thinking about church? I don’t mean which church you will attend or the capitol “C” Church the Body of Christ. I mean have you ever thought about how we “do church”? How we get together on Sunday mornings and sit in rows and sing to the back of each others heads, you know, the weirdness of the whole thing. Ever think about that, or am I only one? Do you think this is really what Jesus had in mind? What about the early church - did they do anything like this? What were their priorities and are we getting any of it right?
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
1. Devotion to the apostles teaching.
It is clear that right from the beginning, teaching has been a part of the church experience. This was not just a casual add on to the weeks activities.
They were devoted to the teaching. These men had been with Jesus; they had first hand knowledge of what the One who came from heaven said and did. They wanted to hear what Jesus was like, how He lived, and how He expected them to live.
What were they hearing? What made this teaching so compelling? Why was the early church growing so rapidly and without any kind of professionally designed outreach programming in place?
A.) They were hearing a radical “Kingdom” message.
They were hearing about the sacrificial loving, giving, serving, preferring others, going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, greatest will be least, first will be last, upside down KINGDOM OF GOD.
Acts 4:32
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
B.) They were witnessing a message that was backed up with power.
They didn’t just hear about God’s power, they saw it!
Acts 2:43
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
C.) These combined to create an unstoppable force.
They heard this radical message, they were challenged to surrender completely, they saw the evidence of supernaturally changed lives, and so they bought in and told everyone they knew.
Acts 2:44-47
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
So the early church was devoted to the apostles teaching, how do you picture that scene? What do you think the meetings were like? I imagine they were in some ways like our own, we know that one time Paul preached so long that a guy fell asleep and fell out the window, but in other ways I think they would have been much different, much less proper. I think it would have been more of a dialogue style, preach for a bit, answer the questions that arose, pray for the needs, minister to one another, preach some more, someone gets healed or set free, spontaneous praise and deep meaningful worship erupts.
What are you looking for this morning? What do you want out of a Sunday morning church meeting? I am longing for something more! I want to give of myself; I want to take what God has put in me and share it with you without all the pretentious BS that we insist upon.
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
2. Devotion to the fellowship.
Fellowship, what do you think about when you hear that word? It is a church word isn’t it.
You just don’t hear people outside the church calling home after work to say, “Oh hi honey, I won’t be right home ‘cause a few of the guys are getting together at Cowboys for fellowship.”
We definitely co-opted the word, but we are the worst at actually doing it.
I have to tell you that there are times when as a pastor I feel like a cruise director in charge of a grumpy old men’s cruise. Everyone wants to sit around complaining about how nobody else is friendly. The less friendly they are the more likely they are to be complaining about unfriendliness.
I keep planning the events and everyone keeps not showing up and then griping about no love in the church. What is wrong with this picture? How do people choose friends? We seek out people with common interests. The great common interest we all share in the church is obvious but some of us are not too devoted to Him. Where do friendships happen? In neighborhoods, work places, Tim Horton’s, the tavern, the hockey rink, and the school yard. Why do all these places seem easier than the church hall? Last week we had three first time visitors, I got to speak to both of the men, did anyone speak to the woman? There are only about 40 adults here – how hard is it to notice someone new?
The first-century Church devoted itself to fellowship. They were serious about loving people. Would you agree that their passion was to be with one another? Accepting Christ meant becoming a part of a new family, one that more real than a birth family.
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
3. Devotion to the breaking of bread.
They were devoted to the breaking of bread. This is talking about both the sharing of meals together and the observance of Communion. Eating sustains life; we do it together, sharing life together. Communion is about focus. Jesus gives us this ceremony as a focusing reminder.
1 Corinthians 11:24-26
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Do you ever take communion outside of the Sunday morning service?
Do you ever feel like the communion is just an add on?
What about having meals together? Do you ever get together with other believers to break bread? How often? Are you usually the host or the guest? Do you usually call or wait to be called?
Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
4. Devotion to prayer.
How much do you pray? How much do we pray corporately? How much of our open the service praying and my praying before or after the message is just a ritual to you, like grace?
Prayer was a central devotion of the early church! They were serious about it!
Acts 4:24-31
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
The early church prayed and they did so expecting God to act on their behalf to accomplish His will through them. They had committed themselves, all they had to this New Life, and they were being engaged just as wholly by the God they sought.
Are you ready for some old school Christianity? Are you ready to be devoted to the teaching of His word, to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and to prayer? I am.
Based on: Church is Weird – by Ray Hollenbach – 850 Words of Relevant 07-16-07
Hear it Preached: www.dakotacommunitychurch.ca and click "Listen".
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
