But the moment we took one bite of that delicious food, we immediately knew that one of the main components that would have made this dish taste so good, such as salt or pepper, was missing.
There are some ingredients that can be left out of a dish or a drink, and no harm is done, but then there are others that, if omitted, just ruin the whole dish.
There are substitutes for some ingredients, and then there are other ingredients for which no substitution can be made.
Illus: A man was known for creating certain health drinks. One of his favorite health drinks was to pour a glass full of orange juice in the blender, and blend a couple of bananas in with it. Then, after this become a creamy base, he dropped in a couple cubes of ice and let it blend. Everyone who ever drank this health drink, loved it. A man who was visiting with him one day, told him that he heard about some of the health drinks he had created and wanted to know if he would fix him one. The man felt honored that he would want one of these drinks that he loved to fix. To his dismay, as he looked in the refrigerator, he saw there was no orange juice. Rather than disappoint him, he decided he would substitute the grape juice for the orange juice. He blended the drink, and soon delivered a very attractive looking drink to the man. The man tasted the drink and did not say he liked it or disliked it. He was very kind. He eventually drank every bit of it. But before he left to go home he began to show the facial expressions of misery and discomfort. He soon began to turn about as purple as the drink he was given.
The man who was known for his health drinks discovered something very important, and that is, you cannot substitute some things.
There are many things in life that you cannot substitute, but that does not stop some people from trying. Now that is true in many things.
Illus: Suppose a person has to take a certain kind of medicine for high blood pressure. The individual runs out of medicine, but he says, "Well, a pill is a pill, they all look alike, it doesn't matter what kind I take." Really, he will find out very soon, it does make a difference, and you cannot substitute some things.
Illus: Suppose a person runs out of gas, and he says, "Well, I do not have any gas, but gas looks a great deal like water, so I think I will fill my tank with water and go to town."
It won’t take this person very long to find out that you cannot substitute some things. You have to have the real INGREDIENT.
A great deal of life teaches us this lesson over and over again. Did you know that this same lesson has to be applied to the CHURCH also?
There are some things the church cannot get by without. Many have tried by substituting other things, but there is living proof all over this nation, that there is one thing in particular the church cannot get by without.
A church cannot get by without DEDICATED CHRISTIANS.
Beloved, show me a church that is trying to replace the DEDICATED CHRISTIANS with UNDEDICATED CHRISTIANS, and I will show you a church that is spinning its wheels, or sliding backwards.
In the Book of Acts, we clearly see the reason that the early church was so successful. It’s success was because of the DEDICATED CHRISTIANS in the church. We can see the greatness of this church.
• The greatness of this church was not in the luxuriant buildings they worshipped in
• The greatness of this church was in the God they worshipped and the people who worshipped Him.
Now when you take these two ingredients out of the church, you have a poor substitute for a church.
If you have any doubt about what the early church consisted of, let's read Acts 2:41-47. This passage says of the early church, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there added unto them about three thousand souls.(This church was built on the preaching and receiving of God’s Word) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord into the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
When you and I read this passage that describes this fantastic church, we cannot help but wonder how many churches in the community have these ingredients. Even more important, when we read this passage about this GOD LOVING and GOD USED church, we look to see if we can we see any these ingredients within our own church. Honesty will force us to admit that every church that we know of falls short of having these ingredients that the early church had. We have tried to substitute some of these ingredients, but we surely have not seen the results the early church was able to achieve.
In order that we might become like this GOD LOVING and GOD USED church, let us look more closely at why God used them the way He did. We first see in this portion of Scripture-
I. THEIR RECEPTION TO GOD'S WORD
Look at verse 41, we read, "Then they that gladly RECEIVED HIS WORD."
In churches all across this country of ours, there are people who want to give the impression that they love the Word of God, but for many churches, that is only a false front that is displayed to fool themselves and others.
The fact is, many churches are filled with members that detest the Word of God.
Illus: Many had rather be doing anything than to read the Word of God for themselves, or go to Sunday School and hear God's Word being taught.
This is why many Christians have to be begged and pleaded with to attend church. They absolutely had rather be doing anything, than to be exposed to the Word of God.
Illus: They remind me of the movies where you see vampires, with their long deadly teeth, approaching their victim, and the only way to stop them is for someone to hold up a cross before them, and these vampires immediately turn their heads in rejection and back off.
Many Christians will come up with a dozen excuses for why they cannot come to church when they know that God's Word is going to be preached.
If it is a social event, or some form of entertainment, they are more than happy to come, but the Word of God does not mean enough to them to take time from relaxing, golfing, fishing, or television watching, to come and hear the Word of God.
They think that there are many more important things they had rather be doing than listening to what God's Word says.
Why don't people LOVE GOD'S WORD? Because of two reasons:
(1) God’s Word interferes with their sinful plans
(2) They do not LOVE GOD!
If they loved God, they would love His Word. This love has to be genuine, it cannot be a substitute! How we love the Word of God, and receive the Word of God, are good indications of how much we love the Lord.
Illus: Every preacher can tell you about the joy of preaching God's Word, and having some who love Him so dearly rejoice as they hear it. You can see joy all over their faces. They are receiving His Word with GLADNESS, and they are taking notes, and underlining Scriptures, because they love Him so dearly.
They have the same facial expression as a young girl who just went to the mailbox and got a letter from a lover.
Every preacher can also tell you what it is like to preach the same message, and see people in the congregation who are not receiving the Word with gladness. The only reason they are there is because they have been horse whipped, and they are as “blowed-up as a wet bull frog”.
As soon as church is over with, they get in their cars and flee as if they were fleeing from a fire.
Illus: A very promising young pastor came to the First Baptist Church of a particular city in the South. This young man preached some of the best sermons that had ever been preached in this town. This church had plenty of money to advertise in the newspaper and on billboards all across town. He did everything he could do to spur this old congregation that had been gathering for years out of habit and duty, but nothing he did really took hold. Instead, when he preached against sin, and about separation, he was met with some strong resistance. He later left that church, and told a pastor from another town, "I had rather preach in Hell than preach at that church!"
One day, he decided that God was not in that place, and if God was not welcome there, he did not feel welcome.
He left and went out west, and took a church that loved the Lord, and now this church is one of the largest Southern Baptist Churches in America.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
One church had members that REJECTED THE WORD OF GOD, and the other church had members that RECEIVED THE WORD OF GOD.
One of the big problems in America is that we are trying to substitute DUTY, for LOVING GOD AND HIS WORD. Some will come because it is their duty to come every now and then, but if they can find an excuse, you will not see them for the next 4 or 5 weeks. To them, the church is a big game where you pretend to love God and His Word, and you hope to fool everyone including God. You might be able to fool people, but it is certain you are not going to fool God. They need to quit substituting, and get the genuine love for God in their hearts they so desperately need. Then they will become as the early New Testament church, and then it can be said of them, "Then they that gladly received His Word..."
We see THEIR RECEPTION TO GOD’S WORD and -
II. THEIR RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORD
Verse 41 again, "...Then they...were baptized."
The test of receiving God's Word is in our obedience of it once we have received it. Now one of the first things the Bible teaches a new convert to do, is to follow the Lord in Believer's baptism. If a new convert is not willing to do this, they have not obeyed the Word of God.
You can find professing Christians in our churches today that will tell you they made a profession of faith 20 or 30 years ago, but have never yet obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ concerning baptism. Now that could be for two reasons:
(1) It might be that the church they got saved in did not teach them the need of obeying this first command.
Illus: A young pastor attended such a church. He one day told a pastor friend, "I need you to do me a favor. All my life I attended a church that did not consider it to be an important thing for a Christian to follow the Lord in Believer's baptism. But the more I read my Bible, I see that it is always important to obey the Lord, and I want to know if this Sunday, when I am baptizing others who recently got saved, if you will come and baptize me." The pastor agreed to do so and he was baptized.
(2) It might be that the church did teach them, but they never saw it as something that they should do.
If the latter is true, there is a good chance that this person does not Love God, because they certainly do not love His Word. Remember, the test of RECEIVING GOD'S WORD is in the ACT OF OBEYING it. When a Christian really receives God's Word, the next step is obedience to His Word, when it comes to Believer's Baptism, and all the rest it teaches.
Notice, verse 41 says, "...The same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."
The words, "Added unto them", indicate these were truly people that LOVED THE LORD and LOVED HIS WORD, and God knew it and added them to the roll of the true church.
Illus: You see, the church has two church rolls. We have one where people who make a profession of faith and come and join the church are recorded. Once they join, then they become a member of our church. But did you know that a person can have their name on our church roll, and that same person may not be on God's roll? Many seem to think that when Christ returns, He is going to ask all the church clerks to relinquish their church membership books from the church office, and from these books He is going to call the roll. This is not the case. God has His own roll, and He knows those who LOVE HIM also LOVE HIS WORD, and the proof is that they have OBEYED THE WORD OF GOD. These are the ones who are added to His roll.
III. THEIR RESILIENCY TO GOD'S WORK
Look at verse 42, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
They did not have an emotional experience that lasted six months and then vanished. The Bible says they "Continued".
Year after year, they continued to RECEIVED GOD'S WORD and to RESPOND TO GOD'S WORD. Why? Because they loved the Lord.
Illus: In Columbia, South Carolina, one church is known as the city’s spiritual dump. How did it get such a reputation? It developed such a reputation because every time nearby churches had disgruntled members, they would leave their churches and they would land in this church, where all the disgruntled members seemed to end up. Now you would think such a church would eventually grow into a very large church, but not so. You see, those who come to this church with all their inward problems, bring them with them, and generally only a short time after they are there, they begin to manifest the same problems and they leave and go somewhere else and do the same thing. They are spiritual grasshoppers that are hopping from one church to the next.
Illus: How refreshing it is to look across a congregation and see people who got saved many years ago, who immediately followed the Lord in Believer’s baptism, and who have tried to follow Him in all the things this Bible teaches. What a good example you have set for the boys and girls and the teenagers. "You have continued to serve the Lord, in the midst of hard times and good times."
These are the kind of ingredients the early church had, and God used. You today who are "Steadfast", you are the kind God can use today!
Conclusion:
I. THEIR RECEPTION TO GOD'S WORD
II. THEIR RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORD
III. THEIR RESILIENCE TO GOD'S WORK
