Series: Action [#67]
HOW TO BEHAVE IN A MEETING
Acts 20:1-12
Introduction:
Once again, we see Paul leave and travel to other towns. This was part of his 3rd Missionary Journey.
Acts 20:1-6
There are 2 passages in Scripture that Ministers love- The favorite of Youth Pastors is from 2 Kings 2.
2 Kings 2:23-24
When I was a Youth Pastor, this was my 1st lesson; and when they would call me names, I would ask, “Do I need to call down some bear”? The next verses in our text are always enjoyed by Pastors. Why? Because it teaches a practical lesson on not sleeping in Church.
You may wonder why I titled the Sermon, “How To Behave In A Meeting”; instead of “How To Behave In Church”. The reason is simple, you should behave properly in Work Meetings, Family Meeting, Church Meetings, etc…
I participate in many meetings often- Church Services, HMS Employee Meetings, Sales Meetings, etc… One of the things we have all learned to put up with is online meetings. Zoom Meetings have become an easy way to involve many people without having to bring them together. The same goes for Face Book Live Services. There are times that this is the best option; but in person meetings are always preferred. Why? In an online service or meeting, you can do whatever you want because no one sees you. When we meet, we need to be focused.
Acts 20:7-12
A focused Church…
1. Encourages attendance.
Eutychus made it to the church service. That’s a good thing. We need to make it a habit of attending church services. You may say well we aren’t supposed to do things just to do them. Let me ask you, did you brush your teeth today? Do you enjoy brushing your teeth or is it something that just needs to be done? We need to encourage one another to come. That means we need to call one another, text, email, etc… Getting in the habit of meeting together is good.
A focused Church…
2. Encourages attentiveness.
Paul preached on and on and on. It was getting late and Eutychus just couldn’t stay awake anymore. He was so tired that he fell asleep and leaned back right out of the window where he fell from the 3rd floor to his death. I bet they didn’t have anyone sit in the windowsill or fall asleep in Church for a while after that. Was that a distraction to the preaching- Of course it was? They had to stop the preaching to go check on Eutychus.
I am going to give you some simple examples of proper and improper behavior in a meeting. I am going to use a Worship Service as an example- What is reverent and irreverent.
* Clapping your hands during the service (while singing, after someone gets saved, even during the preaching), is not irreverent- Talking while we are singing or while there is preaching is.
* Movement while we are singing (such as tapping your toe or even dancing), is not irreverent- Moving in and out of the Sanctuary during the service is- Especially during the Invitation.
* Closing your eyes during the prayer time and invitation is not irreverent- Sleeping during the preaching is.
* Writing notes about what God is telling you is not irreverent- Writing and passing notes about something other than that is.
* Using your cellphone or tablet to contact friends and family before or after the service to invite them to Church, to pray for them, to make things right, or to encourage them is not irreverent- Allowing it to disturb others or yourself from hearing the Sermon is.
* Children being in the service is not irreverent- Children being allowed to roam freely or continue to disturb others is.
I know I said I don’t want people leaving the service; but there are some exceptions. Some of you take medicine that causes you to not be able to make it through an hour of preaching without a restroom break. That is ok. Just leave quietly.
Another exception is if that kid just can’t act right or that baby won’t stop crying take them out. Now this is not for the baby, but that 2 year old or older kid may need a properly placed “swat”. When I was a little kid, there was not a nursery (except for bed babies) or a children’s church; but if I got out of line, either my Mom gave me the famous “twist your ear off” move, the famous glare from the organ (which meant, don’t make me leave this organ because if I do I will kill you glare), or my Dad took you out and that was real bad.
We need to be attentive to what God is trying to do in our lives; but even if the Sermon doesn’t seem to be of any use to you at all, you are too tired, or you just can’t get focused; don’t distract others. I hope you receive what I am saying today, because this is important. All of those distractions could keep someone from getting saved.
Conclusion:
You must notice in our text that it never tells us what Paul preached about. In fact, it almost sounds like he was not real exciting that night in his preaching and he definitely preached longer than what people were used to. After Eutychus was brought back to life, they ate, then Paul went back to preaching, and then they left.
Why did God give us this passage of Scripture? To show us that our Services are not about being entertained; but about worshipping Him and being grown up in order to change this world for Him. It has nothing to do with how good of a preacher I am or how long I preach. It is all about Jesus. Each of us need to be here and when you are here, you need to be focused on Jesus and what He is teaching you.
