-- Introduction --
When Dr. Larry Wong decided to step-down as the Head Elder, Ps. Yuen and the other elders asked me to step-up as become the head elder of this church. I prayed and asked God what is it that He wanted me to do? What do You want for the Loma Linda Chinese Church? During one of those early morning walks and prayer, God led me to Acts 2:41-47.
Two weeks ago, Helen and I took a group of youth and young adults to GYC - Generation Young for Christ. The theme was also Acts. And last week, Pastor Yuen also preached on Acts 2:41-47.
The Holy Spirit is moving. The message is loud and clear, we need to concentrate on building our church to the next level. But before we start, let's pray ----
***** Pray *****
-- Jesus' Last Trip --
The past days events have been surreal to most in Jerusalem. Most did not know what to think. This is most unusual festival season ever.
Jesus led a group of his believers out of the Temple's Gate Beautiful. He wanted to find a place where He can give them another very important lesson. We are told by Mrs. White that the group was about this size of what is in our church today.
He walks past Mount Mariah, where the temple resides. This was the same place where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son, Isaac about 1500 years before.
He passes the Golgotha, where he was crucified 43 days ago. He was the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world.
He climbs past the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. That was his place of prayer. It was here that he cried out to His Father to remove the pitter cup from Him.
The small group crests Mount of Olives and starts to head down the other side. About 2 mile's walk from Jerusalem is Bethany. Just before entering in to this little sleepy town, Jesus veers off the main road on to a small trail. Bethany is where He connected with humanity. Bethany is where He stayed while visiting Jerusalem. This is where He attended dinner parties. This is where He ate with the elders of the church. This is also the place where He became friends with the tax collectors and the prostitutes.
Jesus finds a little cove on the side of the hill. He stands on a rock so everyone can see Him. Everyone senses that this is one of those important turning points in their lives. Jesus turns around to face His disciples. He raised His arm to bless His friends. And as He was blessing them, He started to ascend towards the heavens.
-- Jesus' Last Message --
His last message to His dear friends went something like this:
“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)
“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7, 8 NLT)
Jesus then blessed them. He rises higher and higher into the clouds. Soon a cloud came and engulfed Him and all was silent.
They were still looking up when two angels appeared to comfort them. The angels remind them of what Jesus had said. With happiness, they went back to Jerusalem. Dr. Luke records that the group went to the temple everyday to "thank, praise and bless God continuously."
-- Unity Through Prayer --
After seven days of united prayer and praise, the Holy Spirit came as a great wind. The Holy Spirit landed on all 120 believers as cloves of tongue and all the people started to talk in other languages. As a result, it attracted a huge crowd. Peter got up and gave the very first evangelistic meeting after the departure of Jesus. Let's pickup the end of his sermon:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them . (Acts 2:5-8, 12, 13, 36-41 NKJV)
-- Progression of Early Church Growth --
Three thousand people were convicted and baptized into this new Jewish religious sect.
The Bible tells us that "each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47 NLT)
I want you to notice the progression in Acts.
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying. (Acts 6:1 NKJV)
Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 NKJV)
And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. (Acts 16:5 KJV)
At first they added. Then the members multiplied. Then they multiplied greatly. At the end the churches multiplied daily.
-- Creation of Church Officers --
As the church grew, it became impossible for the apostles to take care of the believers and preach the gospel. So they created the office of the deacon.
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellen-ists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:1-4 NKJV)
These deacons are much like today's elders. They served as spiritual and community leaders for the young church. Then people like Dorcas came along to help take care of needy.
-- Formula for Church Growth --
Here is the problem, we often assume that the growth is due to Peter and the other Apostles' evangelistic meetings. But that is not the case. Lets turn back with me to Acts 2:41-47.
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47 NKJV)
Luke gives us the basic formula of church growth in the beginning of his book. The rest of the book is about how the apostles brought the gospel to different locations. After a few people accepted the gospel, the church grew with this formula.
Last week, Pastor Yuen gave an introduction to this text. He also talked about how the Holy Spirit comes. Today, I would like to explore this formula with you a bit more and see how we can apply this formula to the Loma Linda Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church.
There are four basic elements to Luke's formula. Many experts say there are eight but eight is too many for us to handle at the moment, so I have summarized then into four elements for success.
What is the first item?
1. Quality Bible Study - apostles taught
---- We have Sabbath School but that should not be the only source of Bible study. But Sabbath School alone is not enough.
---- I would encourage all members join a small group Bible study. Whether you come on Wednesday evening to prayer meetings or start your own group, join a Bible study group.
---- The church will also look into conducting some deep discovery seminars so we can study various topics together as a church.
2. Quality Worship - worshipped in the temple together, praise God, break bread
---- We need to re-assess our worship service.
---- Everything we do during the worship services needs to direct our attention towards God.
--- We have created a worship committee to reassess our worship service. Will the worship committee members please stand? This group will be looking at how we can create a more worshipful environment for us. If you have any suggestions, please approach them and tell them.
Dr. Rainer,the Dean of Evangelism for Bill Grant's Bible School, conducted a study on why new converts came to a church. He found that 98% of new converts say they chose the church because of preaching. 90% of the people said their decision had something to do with the quality of the Bible teaching and Bible study. Only 11% of the people said music is a deciding factor. Quality Preaching and Quality Bible Study must be an emphasis in our strategies in obtaining a First Love.
If we are to expect quality preaching from our pastors, we must also allow them the time to study, pray and write. Ps Randy Roberts uses 60 hours for each sermon. Ps Dwight Nelson uses a similar amount of time for each of his sermons. If we expect Ps. Yuen and Ps. Jacklyn to be anywhere close to their level, we must allow them time to pray and study. Like in the days of Acts, the elders and deacons and other leaders of this church must take up some of the nurturing responsibilities. If you are an elder or retired pastor or a deacon or deaconess, it is your responsibility to help. It is our responsibility to build a supportive and loving community.
If you are a member, be a Dorcas. Take it upon yourself to look after people that need your help.
This leads me to the third point.
3. Quality Community Building - supported and helped each other, potluck at each other's homes
---- Building a supportive, loving community is very important. Most people that leave a church do not leave because of our doctrines. They leave because someone said something or someone did something they did not like.
---- People have been known to come to this church because we we friendly.
---- I would encourage everyone to make more friends. Create activities and gatherings for each other.
---- I want to you think of a person that has left this church. Did this person leave because of doctrine? Or did the person leave because they felt rejected? Maybe someone said something unkind to them. Maybe they could not find support. Maybe someone looked at them with a judgmental eye. My friends, most people leave a church not because of doctrine. They leave mostly because of an unfriendly critical church community.
---- I would encourage all of us to help stop this from happening. Let us make a church that is known for our love.
The last item is probably the most important item in becoming a First Love church.
4. Prayer Centered Church - prayer, signs and wonders, praise God.
---- Dr. Kidder from Andrews University identified three types of churches. There are the prayer-less churches, the churches with prayer, and the praying churches. **** describe ****
---- Dr. Kidder studied church grown in relationship to the church's prayer life. He found out that churches that grow are mostly praying churches. These are the churches that place prayer as the center of all activities.
---- If we want our church to grow, we must learn to be a praying church.
---- We must learn to pray. Prayer is the way we communicate with God. If we expect the Holy Spirit to be the leader of this church, we must learn to pray. If we expect the Holy Spirit to direct all our activities, we must learn to pray.
---- We have a prayer coordinator and a prayer team, but we must not leave it up to them to pray. The whole church must learn to pray.
---- If you look at what happened to the 120, they prayed constantly. They repented of their wrongs and united in prayer. As they prayed and praised in unity, the Holy Spirit came.
---- If we expect to obtain the Holy Spirit, we must learn to pray.
-- Different People Groups --
As you read through the beginning of Acts, you will find that there were different populations of people. Can you name some of them?
- Jewish widows
- Greek or gentile widows.
- Richer families that owned property
- There were merchants and craftsmen - Paul was a tent maker
The elders and pastors prayed about this and we identified six different groups within our church. The board confirmed these six groups. We may increase the number of groups when we grow but for now there are six groups. These six groups are:
1. Families with young children
2. Youth
3. Young Adult
4. Recent Immigrants
5. Seniors
6. Young at Heart
As a church, we need to make sure we provide quality Bible Study, quality Worship, vibrant loving supportive community, and a prayerful experience for all six groups.
-- Creating Programs to Fulfill the Four Needs --
I would like to propose that we start to work on creating events to fulfill the four needs in each of our populations. Every month at the board meeting we will evaluate whether we have provided quality events for our members. That way we can slowly improve our community and our programming.
It is your responsibility to help build a great church. The pastor is just two. We cannot expect them to meet the needs of all of us. In the book of Acts, the members took charge of the church and they created a vibrant and highly spiritual community.
You may want to ask: Why is it so important that we create a strong church?
Why should we spend so much time building a church when I can have a great personal experience with God? I don't really need a church to worship God. I don't need a group to have a great Bible study. I can pray all by myself. I really don't need anyone.
-- Shield of Faith --
May I direct you to Ephesians 6
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand... ABOVE ALL, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:11-13, 16 NKJV)
So what is so important about the shield of Faith? Why did Paul say "Above All" or this is the most important of all the armor? Why?
Because faith is the first line of defense against the enemy's attacks. If our faith is weak, we will not be able to withstand the arrows directed against us. The breastplate, the helmet, the sword and girdle will not guard against these fiery darts. The only defense is our faith.
But why did Paul select the shield as a symbol of faith?
In order to understand Paul's analogy, you need to understand how the Roman shield works. This is a large rectangular shield about 3 1/2" tall and 2" wide. The shield was fashion in a semi-circle. The shield protect most of the soldier's body.
If a Roman soldier is standing along, he can protect his front with this shield. What if an arrow comes at him from the side? Or from above? There is no protection. The enemy can still get through even though his shield is strong.
When a Roman legion goes to war, they stand side by side so that each soldier's flank is protected. They would also place another set of shield above themselves to protect against arrow raining down on them. Notice that the soldier requires other soldiers to fully protect each other. If they stand along, they are exposed.
A church is the same. We need to stand side-by-side and build each other's faith so we as a church community can protect each other.
The shield is the only armor that requires a community to be effective. And Paul views the shield as the most important of all. We need to build each other's faith so we can help support each other.
Church, we need to stop our in-fighting.
We need to stop criticizing the pastor, the young people, or this person or that person.
We need to stop just talking to our own friends and forgot those that are sitting along at potluck.
Instead we need to unite as a church.
We need to unite in Bible study.
We need to unite in worship.
We need to unite in community.
And most of all, we need to unite in prayer.
-- God's Little Sheep --
When we unite, God will send his little sheep to us. God has many sheep out there, but He will not send us His little sheep for us to destroy. When we unite and have the heart of Christ, He will send us people to us. These little sheep will not look like us. They may not dress like us. They may not talk like us. But they are God's sheep.
Jesus died for them.
-- Improving Our Faith --
To improve our faith, we will have time for all of you to tell your stories. These stories will show that our God is a living God. He answers prayers today as He has done in ages past.
Let's turn to Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV)
Moses before he died instructed the children of Israel to continue to tell their stories because stories build their faith. We have stories and we need to share our stories to build our faith.
-- God's Heart --
One last story before I conclude.
One of the speakers at GYC was a Korean pastor called Ps David Shin. He told his of a story an older pastors told at a pastor's conference. This older pastor's wife wanting to see God's heart. So she prayed that God show her His heart.
One night she went to sleep and had a dream. She dreamt that she was in the New Jerusalem and it had just descended back onto the new earth. She was standing next to the walls. The walls were made of gold but transparent, so you can see through the wall to the outside. She noticed that a great shadow was starting to approach the wall. As the shadow approached, she discovered that it was not a shadow but rather people. When the people came closer she started to see faces. There was one face out of the crowd that she recognized. It was that of her son's. Her son also see her.
When her son reaches the wall and see her on the other side, he puts up his hand on the wall. Instinctively, she puts her hand up. She sees her son trying to say something but she could not hear. From the shape of his mouth, she deciphers that he is saying: "Let me in Mom. Let me in."
She turns around to find someone to let her son in but remembers that it is too late. As she turns back around to face her son, she hears the voice: "Now is the time..." At those words - "Now is the time..." she wakes up in horror and a hurting heart.
-- Conclusion --
My friends, God's heart is breaking for every lost soul like a mother's heart for her son. Now is the time to unite as a church. Now... is... the... time...
**** song ****
It is time to create a church that people feel comfortable to come. Take a look around you. Do you notice a missing soul ? Think of one person that is no longer in our congregation. I want you to start praying for him or her. Pray for this person everyday because Now is the Time to become a First Love church.
