A MODEL CHURCH
Taken from “Handfuls On Purpose” II pg 264
Scripture: Acts 9:31 “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”
I. It experienced rest (Peacefulness). “Then had the churches rest”
A. Outward Peace
That is, the persecutions against Christians ceased. Those persecutions had been excited by the
opposition made to Stephen (Acts 11:19); they had been greatly promoted by Saul (Acts 8:3); and they had extended doubtless throughout the whole land of Palestine. The precise causes of this cessation of the persecution are not known. Barnes’ Notes
But this rest was owing not so much to the conversion of Saul, as probably to the Jews being engrossed with the emperor Caligula’s attempt to have his own image set up in the temple of
Jerusalem [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 18.8.1, etc.]. JFB
B. Inward Peace
1. Peace with God.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:”
2. Peace with one another.
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
One way to defeat an enemy is to initiate a friendship.
Are we at rest (peace) with God and others?
II. It was Edified. “And were edified.” edify = building
Built up in faith, strengthened through the Word, rooted in love.
Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”
The word “edify” means properly to “build,” as a house; then to “rebuild” or “reconstruct;” then to adorn or ornament; then to do anything that will confer favor or advantage, or which will further an object. Applied to the church, it means to do anything by teaching, counsel, advice, etc. which will tend to promote its great object; to aid Christians, to enable them to surmount difficulties, to remove their ignorance, etc.; Barnes’ Notes
Romans 15:2 “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.”
I Corinthians 8:1 “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
I Corinthians 14:12 “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that
ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
I Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
I have seen people trying to give their talents and service to the Lord only to be torn down by another person within the church. Sad!! Richard Crow @ sermoncentral
There is certainly no "I" in team. Scottie Pitts @ sermoncentral
There’s a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the great entertainers of a generation ago. He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told them his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn’t mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next appointment, he would come. Of course, the show’s director agreed happily.
But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then stayed. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying. Pretty soon, he had been on fifteen, twenty, then thirty minutes.
Finally he took a last bow and left the stage. Backstage someone stopped him and said, “I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?”
Jimmy answered, “I did have to go, but I can show you the reason I stayed. You can see for yourself if you’ll look down on the front row.” In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that’s exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.
If we would work together in our churches, we would be able to accomplish so much for the body of Christ. Would you be a team player? Scottie Pitts @ sermoncentral
What we do, do we do it unto edifying?
III. It was Active.
“Walking.” Not sleeping or speculating. Walking by faith.
Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” redeeming = to rescue from lose
Christianity is 10% ability and 90% availability. Richard Crow @ sermoncentral
Luke 19:13 “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” occupy = to busy oneself
Norman Cates shared the humorous story of a guy who prayed this prayer every morning: "Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is." One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to our praying friend. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried out with a loud voice, "I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He turned to the Christian and pleaded, "Can you show me how to be saved?" The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, "Lord, is this a sign?" Are you looking for a "sign" to start witnessing?
If so, why??? The Bible already tells us to go into all the world preaching the gospel to every creature.
Are you “walking” or watching? Are you a participator or a spectator?
IV. It was Humble.
“Walking in the fear of the Lord.” Not in the fear of man, not after the fashion of the world, not with the ungodly.
Fearing the Lord; with reverence for him and his commandments.
The Church is not the place for self exaltation. It is not a me experience, but a we experience.
It is the place for Christ-exaltation.
Why do you do the things that you do? Are you trying to be one, or are you trying to be someone? That is, someone in yourself.
V. It was Happy (Comforted).
“In the comfort of Holy Ghost.”
Not in the comfort of material prosperity. Satisfied with spiritual things.
What comforts you the most? Being at ease in Zion, or being used of the Holy Ghost?
VI. It was Holy.
“Walking in the Holy Ghost.”
In fellowship with God, seeking to please Him, not to please or amuse the men of the world.
Is being holy a priority in your life?
VII. It was Multiplied.
“Were multiplied.”
It grows and increases because the Holy One is in the midst. His Name is honored, His Word is believed, and His will done.
In order to grow and be fruitful for Him, we as His Children should seek to be united and promote fellowship among ourselves always. Greg Osborne @ sermoncentral
Are you contributing to multiplication or division?
CONCLUSION: Bringing it home.
A. What about growth then?
Notice growth was put at the end.
Growth came after other things were attended to, complete, perfected.
At least one, or more of the above, is (are) missing if the church is not growing.
Note: Migration of members is not growth.
B. Who’s responsible?
A mailman left his jeep running in neutral while he delivered mail. While he was gone, a big black dog jumped into his vehicle, knocked it into reverse--and hit a parked car. Alarmed, the dog knocked the jeep into forward--and it rammed another parked car. Grand total: $500 damage to the three vehicles.
The problem came about because the mailman left the jeep running in neutral. Unfortunately, “running in neutral” is also a wide-spread habit among Christians, even those who teach and influence many others. I have seen God’s work done in such a slipshod manner! Lukewarm teachers come in late and unprepared to Sunday School or don’t show up at all.
Others also let the Lord down in various ways. And many are just seat-warmers. No wonder so many Sunday schools and churches are going downhill.
I have been active in gospel-preaching churches across the nation, and have noticed that the majority of Christians today fall into the Laodicean category: lukewarm. Just a precious few are hot, truly loving and serving the Lord and doing His work decently and in order. And most “lukewarmers” give their weekly ho-hum tribute to God on Sunday Morning. Period. “Living in Laodicea: Running in Neutral” by Muriel Larson, Taken from Pulpit Helps September 2001
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always to”
Author Unknown
So what are you doing with yourself? Have you settled down into your comfort zone? Have you decided what you will do and what you won’t? Are you locked into some limited use of yourself, or are you really stretching to see what the possibilities are? If the Lord wanted you to try something to benefit His kingdom, would you do it, or would He expect to get only what He’s always gotten from you?
Today would be a good time to reevaluate yourself, to set some new goals, to decide what you can, and will, take on something new in the way of serving the Lord. I can tell you this, however--it will take effort on your part. You’ll have to put your mind to work, engaging your imagination and your intellect. You’ll have to set your energy level a bit higher than you’re accustomed to, and you’ll have to actually engage the gears of motion and activity. You may cry, “Oh, but this is so different from what I’ve been doing. I think I just want to go back to the way I’ve always done things.” Well, you can do that, but don’t expect to accomplish anything different than you’ve ever done.
“New Results, or the Same Old Things?” by Bill Denton, From Pulpit Helps Sep 2001
