A Church That Is Alive
Acts 8:4-12
Thom Rainer wrote a book titled "The Autopsy Of A Deceased Church." In this book he addresses 12 common factors in churches that are dying or seemingly dead. Rainer states that as many as 100,000 churches could be dying. He adds "Their time is short, perhaps less than ten years"
It is estimated that between 4,000 & 7,000 churches close their doors each year. Thousands have already closed and tens of thousands are on life support.
When Jesus confronted the church at Sardis, He described them as being dead - Revelation 3:1 ... I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
I believe that Jesus would say the same to many churches that bear His name today. We could spend a great deal of time examining the signs that a church is dead or dying. While that may be beneficial, I would instead like to look at the signs of life within the local assembly.
There is no greater example of a church that is alive than what is given in the book of Acts concerning the events that followed the inception of the Lord's church. This group of believers had no specific location ....They did not have a large building with stained glass windows. They enjoyed none of the modern amenities. But they had some things that many churches lack today. They had POWER... they were vibrant...they were bold...they were passionate...they WERE ALIVE!!
In Calhoun County there is a church and their sign says "A Church Alive Is Worth The Drive". I agree 100% with that statement! Life is too short to worship in a dead church! So, what constitutes a living church? The answer is found in our selected text. I would like to walk through these verses and consider the thought "A Church That Is Alive! In verse 4 we see:
I. The Endurance In A Church That Is Alive - v4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
This church was not huddled up together as the frozen chosen. They were out and about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Luke refers to the fact that this church was "scattered abroad". The reason that they were scattered is because they were experiencing great difficulty. In verse 1 we see that "Saul was consenting unto (Stephen's) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria...
Stephen had just been stoned to death. The religious leaders and the government rulers were vehemently opposed Christianity. There was none anymore vicious than a man named Saul of Tarsus. Though there was great opposition, this group of Christ followers were devoted to the cause of Christ. The fire that Saul and his cohorts sought to extinguish quickly began to spread like wildfire.
It is my prayer that God will ignite a fire in this place today! Wouldn't you like to see that? If so, be warned! When the fire begins to spread... when God begins to move... when lives are being changed...TROUBLE WILL COME!! "A Church That Is Alive" will face great attacks from the enemy. There will be persecution from without and there will be problems from within. We are told in - 2 Timothy 3:12 "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
The believers in the early church did not surrender when the going got tough. They did not just give up and go to the house when trouble came. They didn't hide away an whine because of the difficulty they faced! They pressed forward with the task that had been assigned to them!
I shutter to think what will happen when the church in America faces the persecution that others are facing all over the world.
Vance Havner said - The devil is not persecuting Christianity today...he is professing it. He is not fighting churches today...HE IS JOINING THEM!
There is no need for Satan to waste his resources on a dead church. In the modern church people will get puffed up and quit if someone sits in their pew. Some are at home mad right now because they didn't get the attention or recognition that they thought they deserved. Some don't attend because they are too tired or too busy. Others are inactive because something didn't go their way.
Many continue to attend but all they do is complain. They don't like the music. They don't like the sermons. They are fed up with the preacher. They are angry at the elders. They gripe because things aren't "exciting" anymore. They are upset with changes that have been made. They wish things were like they "used to be".
When these things take place, Satan says "HA! I HAVE GOT THEM RIGHT WHERE I WANT THEM!" He sees a church like that and tells his demons "don't waste your time on that one boys...they ARE ALREADY DEAD!!!
If people will throw their hands up and quit over petty things like this, then what is going to happen when someone comes in here with a loaded gun and gives the option to renounce Christ or die? What will happen when the government says that you can no longer gather to worship and if you do you will be thrown in jail.
Folks, you can rest assured that persecution is coming. When it does will you endure or will you exit? If we are going to be A Church That Is Alive then we must be willing remain when trouble comes! I want us to be a church that makes the devil nervous when we meet together. I want him to be concerned about the impact that we can have on this corrupt world. And when he attacks and tries to stop us...I PRAY THAT WE ENDURE!!
The early church did not just exist...they were active in the midst of persecution. They spent their time sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. This brings us to the second sign of life that I would like to see in A Church That Is Alive. Notice:
II. The Evangelism In A Church That Is Alive - v4 (they) went every where preaching the word.
The early church was not blinded by their circumstances. They were not paralyzed with fear. They did not focus on their difficulties. They had been transformed by the power of Christ. They were focused on ministry. They had a passion for souls. As a result they went out and shared the Gospel.
Evangelism is vital to the health of the local church. This group Acts chapter 8 were scattered, but everywhere they went they told people about Jesus.
There is no way to know the area that the members of this church cover on a daily basis. We have people from 4 different counties who attend weekly. Some of you work and travel long distances each day. Collectively we encounter hundreds of people daily. Each day, as we go, we should be sharing the good news. We should be living testimonies of God's grace. We are to be walking witnesses for Jesus.
- Martin Lloyd Jones once said "what the church needs (most) is not to organize evangelistic campaigns to attract outside people, but to begin herself to live the Christian life. If she did that, men and women would be crowding into our buildings. They would say, what is the secret of this?
If this building were to physically catch fire, people from all over the community and the surrounding area would come out of sheer curiosity to see what was going on. Likewise, if we will catch fire spiritually, there will be people from all around who will come to see what Jesus is doing in this place! But, before God can use us to reach others, we must first be in a right relationship with Him. David's joy of his salvation had to be restored before he could teach transgressor’s God’s ways and see sinners converted. Peter had to be restored himself before he was able to strengthen the brethren and feed the sheep. Before we can ever truly reach others with the gospel, we must first come to a place where the gospel directs our lives!! When this happens, we will be a church that is alive and evangelism will be the natural result.
When the believers get right there will be a desire to lift up and proclaim the good news of Jesus! That is exactly what happens here in verse 5. Notice:
III. The Exaltation In A Church That Is Alive - v5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
Phillip had one goal...one focus...one purpose! He preached Christ! He did not set out to make a name for himself. He was not attempting to fill buildings with people. He was not competing against the other Apostles. His message was not one of philosophy. He did not deliver a motivational speech. He was not an entertainer. He was not worried about being offensive or hurting feelings. Phillip simply PREACHED CHRIST!
- Jesus was the focus of Paul's preaching- 2 Corinthians 11:3 "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified",
- Jesus was the message that Peter preached to the High Priest in - Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
- Preaching Jesus is what landed John on the Isle of Patmos - Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
If a church is alive you can rest assured that Jesus is the focus! Everything that we do must be centered on Him. Our preaching, our teaching, our worship, our fellowship and our service all must be about Jesus.
There is one common factor in the many churches that are dead and/or dying...somewhere along the way they lost their focus. Things became more about the people of the church than the Savior of the church. It will be a great day when the people of God realize that this thing is not about them....IT IS ABOUT CHRIST AND HIM ALONE!!
Unfortunately today the church is filled with "church shoppers and church hoppers". The church shopper will visit and begin to check items off their list. They want to know about the children's ministry. They are looking for a vibrant youth program. They want to know what you have to offer the senior citizens. They are looking for a specific style of worship. The preacher must not be too loud or too long winded. The sanctuary must look a certain way to please them. You will never hear them ask what can I do for the Lord through this church, they ask what can this church offer me!
Then there are the church hoppers (often the same crowd as the church shoppers). The church hopper never puts down any roots. They are here for a year or two, down the road for 6 months, then across town for a couple of years. When things don't go their way, they will take their ball and go play somewhere else.
The purpose of the church is not to appease people who can't be appeased in the first place. The purpose of the church is to EXHALT THE SAVIOR! The word "exalt" means to lift up. As a church our job is to life up the name of Jesus Christ!
When we lift up the name of Jesus, people will come to know Him as their personal Savior. This is another sign of life in the church. Consider:
IV. The Encounters In A Church That Is Alive - v6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Because Phillip was willing to endure the struggles, evangelize the sinners and exalt the Savior people were saved. There were people who needed to hear about the Savior...and they did! Not only did they hear about Him, they trusted in Him. They were saved by Him. These same people are in Heaven today because the church was alive! When a church is alive today, lost people will be saved!
There are people everywhere we go and they are lost in their sins. Without Christ they will die in their sins. They will stand before Him at the Great White Throne. They will be cast into an eternal lake of fire. But we have an opportunity to point them to the One Who can rescue them.
A church that is alive will have an eternal impact on lost souls! When we do our part people can have a personal encounter with the Savior of the World! Look with me to verse 7 as we see:
V. The Evidence In A Church That Is Alive - v7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
Phillip had no power in himself to work miracles. But he was a willing vessel that Christ could use. And through him, Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick and made the lame to walk. In verses 9-13 we are told of a man named Simon who was transformed by the power of Jesus - v9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries..........13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
When a church is alive, there will be evidence of the power, presence and performance of Jesus Christ. When Jesus is in a church there will be indisputable evidence of His presence.
A preacher friend of mine told me the other day about a man who had recently been saved in his church. The man was in his 80's, had lived a rough life and had never been in church or taught the ways of the Lord. But some time ago that man went to church and had an encounter with Jesus. He walked in that church and saw visible evidence that Jesus was real. He trusted Christ as his Savior, began to learn the Bible and had a desire to serve the Lord in some capacity.This man was not able to do much he was frail and used a cane to walk. But every week he would walk the church grounds and find ant beds. He would stick his old cane in the aunt bed and pour poison in them to kill the ants around the church. Brother Tony said that nowadays ants won't come within 50 ft of the property line. This man's life was transformed because he walked into a church that is alive and saw evidence of the Savior!
The evidence that proves Jesus is in a church is:
1) Salvation - Lost people will be saved.
2) Transformation - Saved people will be transformed by the sanctification of the Holy Sprit.
3) Education - People will be taught, trained and equipped as followers of Christ. (discipleship)
4) Submission - This is when the people in the church obey Christ.
Verse 6 says that the people "gave heed " to the things that Philip taught them. What did he teach them? THE GOSPEL! When a church is alive... the people in that church will be obedient to the Word of God. When Jesus is present and lives are being changed this will bring great wonder, astonishment and joy to the assembly of believers. Notice:
VI. The Excitement In A Church That Is Alive - v8 And there was great joy in that city.
Because of the impact of this group of believers...Because of the transforming power of Jesus Christ..."there was great joy in that city". When a church is alive there will be excitement in the assembly! People will not have to be begged to attend. People will not simply come out of habit or obligation. People won't say "I have to go to church! "They will rejoice that they get to go to church!
Why are churches dying? Because people have lost their excitement concerning Jesus! Vance Havner said - “The church today is so subnormal that if it ever got back to the New Testament normal it would seem to people to be abnormal.” - When I speak of excitement, I am not promoting emotionalism. I am speaking of people who are literally amazed at what Jesus has done, is doing and will do in, through and for them! The church needs an awakening today! Our souls need to be ignited with passion.
Ralph Spalding Cushman said:
Set me afire Lord,
Stir me, I pray!
While the world perishes
We go (on) our way,
Purposeless, passionless,
Day after day.
Set us afire Lord,
Stir us, we pray!
We hear a lot in our day about revival. Some churches are beyond the point of a revival ...what they need is to be resurrected! So many people have simply "gotten over Jesus".They have lost sight of Who He is and what He has done. Do you remember the excitement that you possessed when you first got saved?
There was a man in Louisiana who got such a double dose when he got saved that his parents sent him to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist said "when were you born?" ...he said "well I been born twice which time are you talking about?" The psychiatrist scratched his head and cleared his throat and said "who is your father?" ...he said "I have an earthly father and a Heavenly father which one are you talking about?" The psychiatrist said "where is your home?" ...he said I have an earthly home and a Heavenly home which one are you talking about? By the time the session was over they had to send the psychiatrist to a psychiatrist!
When a church is alive the congregation will anticipate each meeting. When a church is alive folks will not want the service to end. When a church is alive people will invite others to join them. And when this happens the church will grow!
The final thing I would like to take away from these verses is:
VII. The Expansion Of A Church That Is Alive - v12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Persecution caused the church to scatter. The people were faithful to witness as they went. Phillip preached Christ...People were saved and lives were changed. There was great excitement in the region. And a result the Lord's church grew.
Acts 2:47 says "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." - He is still doing the same today. If we grow it will be because the Lord adds unto us! Why would He send His precious newborn children to a dead church? We say that we want the church to grow. We say that we want to see souls saved...If this is true...the prescription for that is found in these few verses. We must Endure The Struggles. We must Evangelize The Sinners and We must Exalt The Savior. When we do these things: There will be Encounters, Evidence and Excitement. And when we have these things, the church will expand!
As we close let's take a personal assessment of our church: Maybe you look at our church and say we are just fine...WE ARE ALIVE! Maybe some of you would disagree. Maybe you would have to admit that we are not where we should be. Perhaps some would say we are doing good compared to others. Keep in mind that our success is not measured by other churches. Our success for God is measured by the Word of God.
Let's suppose for a moment that we are "doing good". That in itself could cause a problem. You see "good can be the enemy of the best". From the outside looking in, the Church at Ephesus' was "doing good". But Jesus said that they had "lost their first love". Their problem wasn't worldliness. They were not consumed with wickedness. Their problem was not false doctrine, they were still very sound in their doctrine. But you can still believe the truth and stand for the truth, Yet in the very activities of the truth ...you can get over being gripped by the truth.
Someone said - You can work in the bakery until you lose the taste for the bread.
It is apparent that many Christians today have lost their wonder over Jesus. They dread going to church. They are bored with the sermons. Singing in the choir becomes a chore. The Sunday School lesson puts them to sleep. They have grown weary in well doing. Church work has become drudgery. Compassion has been replaced with indifference. These people are mere robots going through the motions instead of being excited servants of Christ with a passion to worship, praise, honor and serve Him. They were once alive and on fire for Jesus...but they got over it.
My friend, apathy is a disease that will eat away at a church. Complacency will spread like cancer. And before long, the church becomes a corpse.
A new Pastor in a small Oklahoma town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services. The following Sunday the church was all but empty. Accordingly, the Pastor placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the church was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Christian burial. The funeral would be held the following Sunday afternoon, the notice said. Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Pastor delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church. Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead church," all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each mourner peeped into the coffin with a guilty sheepish look. There in the coffin was a mirror and their own faces stared back at them.
Folks, if your church is dead, the answer is not to blame someone else... the answer is to look in the mirror. We only have a short time to make an impact on this world for Christ. Let us endure, evangelize, exhort, exalt, and edify. May there be encounters, evidence and excitement among this assembly.
When Jesus looks at us, may He see "A Church That Is Alive".
