If a coach could recruit such players, he would have one of the best teams in the nation.
Every coach knows that he would have a winning team if he could recruit such players.
We all know that the success of every team is based on recruiting.
We learn that as a child.
Illus: Remember, when as a child we used to play the game, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny over?”
There would be two lines of kids and those two lines would stand about fifty feet from each other with their arms locked together. And when it was the receiving line’s turn, they would say, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny over.” And Johnny would run as hard as he could to try and break through the line of the opposing team. If he could break through, he could pick someone to take back with him. If he could not break through the line, he had to stay with that team.
To have the strongest line, you had to recruit the biggest and strongest kids.
If a pastor could bring together the best Christians on this earth, what a church he would have!
The nearest thing to having a DREAM CHURCH is the New Testament church. Never has any one particular church been able to attract such a caliber of Christians as the New Testament church we find in the Book of Acts.
This great church at Jerusalem is our God-given example of "How to do it."
In this day, when hundreds of churches are like dead batteries, giving out sermonettes to Christianettes by preacherettes so they can get out and smoke their cigarettes, we need to seriously take a look at this great church in Jerusalem.
I sincerely believe that God placed them in the Book of Acts to be a church that shows us HOW TO DO IT!
THIS CHURCH PROBABLY WAS THE GREATEST CHURCH TO EVER EXIST! There are many good things we could talk about, but let me take a few minutes and point out a few of the good things about this church.
We see -
I. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN ATTENDANCE
Look at Acts 1:12-14, we read, “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. THESE ALL CONTINUED with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
Look at the words in verse 14, “These ALL continued…”
Look at Acts 2:42 “And THEY CONTINUED STEDFASTLY in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
This was not a START and STOP congregation. The Bible says they CONTINUED!
One of the problems in our churches today is trying to reach the lost because so much time is wasted trying to find those that profess to be saved.
WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM IN TODAY’S CHURCH?
It is a problem for two reasons:
(1) TODAY’S CHURCH IS FILLED WITH UNSAVED PEOPLE
Illus: Dr. Billy Graham said that one of the biggest harvest fields of lost people is within the four walls of our churches.
This is not to say that they are not good moral people, they just have never been born again.
The reason they do not live like NEW CREATURES is because they are still the same OLD CREATURES. (2 Cor. 5:17)
This is why you can not keep some people in church!
I sincerely believe that THE DESIRE TO ATTEND THE HOUSE OF GOD is one of the evidences that we have received the Lord Jesus as Saviour!
The New Testament church was such a successful church because their church was filled with SAVED PEOPLE!
Listen, the Bible says the early church had church growth, but look at these words in verse 47, “And the Lord added to the church daily SUCH AS SHOULD BE SAVED.”
If all the members of the church were saved today, you would also have people faithfully attending the house of God.
(2) TODAY’S CHURCH IS FILLED WITH BACKSLIDERS
A church that has filled it membership with people that have never BEEN BORN AGAIN and those that are BACKSLIDDEN is going to have an attendance problem. Why? Unsaved people and backsliders will not attend church on a regular basis.
The New Testament church was a VERY SUCCESSFUL CHURCH, and one of the reasons they were successful was because they had SAVED PEOPLE that were on fire for the Lord and they LOVED TO ATTEND THE HOUSE OF GOD!
Look at Acts 2:1, we read, “…They were all with ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE.”
What does that mean? Sometimes words can be misunderstood. Look at the words, “One accord.”
Illus: An old farmer came to town every now and then to visit civilization. He was walking down the street and saw a sign that said, “Cast Iron Sinks”. He scratched his head because he did not know what a sink was. He went on down the street and came back later and read that sign again, “Cast Iron Sinks.” He muttered, “Any fool knows cast iron will sink” and he went home.
“One accord” means, THEY WERE ALL THERE and THEY WERE THERE FOR THE RIGHT PURPOSE! It is no wonder God used this church in the way He did!
We see THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN ATTENDANCE and –
II. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN WITNESSING
Look at Acts 8:4, we read, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”
A lot of churches today are wondering why their church is not growing. They are not GROWING because they are not GOING as the Lord commanded them!
Illus: Someone said, “Before we can see lost men coming down the aisle, we must first go down the streets.”
Many complain about the cults in this country that are growing at an alarming rate. The reason they grow is because they are the ones that are going down the streets. Any salesman that tried to make a living by reaching potential customers the way the church tries to reach the lost would not last thirty days.
Christians often talk about witnessing to others about Jesus as if it was optional. But Jesus’ commands the believers to BE WITNESSES.
Illus: In his book called, “Why Churches Die”, Hollis Green states that only 5% of Christians today have ever won a soul to the Lord.
God has commanded every believer to BE A WITNESS! EVERY BELIEVER!
Look at Acts 1:8, we read, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
The Bible teaches that there are two ways we WITNESS!
(1) WE WITNESS TO PEOPLE WE DO NOT KNOW
Everyone can not do this as effectively as some can. Why? Because when you and I meet a stranger:
• We do not have any credibility with that stranger
• We have not earned a hearing with him or her
• We have not established a trust factor
And many of them will slam the doors in our face!
But there are some Christians that have become successful in witnessing to strangers. God has endowed them with certain gifts, and they can witness to a stranger they have never met and be effective.
(2) WE WITNESS TO PEOPLE WE DO KNOW
We all have family, friends and co-workers. These people KNOW US and we KNOW THEM.
When the Lord told us to BE WITNESSES, He certainly also had these people in mind.
These people know we are GENUINE CHRISTIANS and they are our best prospects for winning the lost to Christ.
Illus: A famous athlete once said, “I’m not a role model.”
Like it or not, we Christians are role models. And if we live the Christian life in front of the lost, we can be effective witnesses. Every day we WITNESS through:
• Words
• Deeds
But let me give you a word of CAUTION:
• If you witness to the lost world and they catch you in one lie, you are wasting your time
• If you witness to the lost world and they see you do one deed that violates the Word of God, you are wasting your time
We are ROLE MODELS! We must live godly and then others will follow our example.
We see THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN ATTENDANCE, THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN WITNESSING and –
Ill. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN PRAYER
In 1 Thess. 5:17, we read, “Pray without ceasing.”
This is exactly what this church did; they went everywhere:
• Talking to STRANGERS and to PEOPLE THEY KNEW about the Lord
• Talking to the LORD in prayer
They knew the value of PRAYER!
Have you ever done a scripture study to see how the Lord built His life around prayer?
• Luke says that Jesus was in the Jordan and the Spirit descended on Him as a dove – “while He was praying.”
• The Bible says that Jesus chose 12 disciples - after He spent “a night in prayer.”
• The Bible says that even when He was dying, Jesus was praying.
• The Bible also says Jesus went on a mount and He was transfigured while He was praying.
• The Scriptures say that while the Lord and His disciples were in Gethsemane that the disciples slept, but Jesus went to pray: as was His custom. It was His custom to pray.
All of the significant things that happened in His life were when He was praying!
If prayer was such an important part of the life of Christ, how can we not understand how important it should be to ours? Prayer is what makes us into GREAT CHRISTIANS and a GREAT CHURCH.
Illus: The story goes that a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village saw an old man sitting by a fence.
In a rather patronizing way, one of the visitors asked, "Were any great men born in this village?"
Without looking up the old man replied, "No, only babies were born here."
The greatest men were once babies. The greatest saints were once toddlers in the things of the Spirit.
The greatest churches were once babes in the Lord and they found the answer in the power of prayer.
Illus: I like that old song that Nat King Cole used to sing, “I found the answer, I learn to Pray!”
Our prayer life shows how much we depend on our own ability, and how much we really depend on His ability.
• The more self-confidence you have, the less you pray
• The less self-confidence you have, the more you pray
This New Testament church was a very successful church. They were godly people, and when they prayed, they saw the hand of God move.
Someone said, “I used to pray ‘God, use me.’ Now I pray, ‘God, make me usable!’” This was truly a church that God used and is still using today to show us what God wants our church to be.
Conclusion:
This was a DREAM CHURCH:
• Without printing presses
• Without fax machines
• Without elaborate church buildings
• Without cars
• Without church buses
• Without air conditioned buildings
• Without padded pews
• Without copy machines
They set the world on fire for the Lord Jesus!
Never has there been a church that has done more with less, than this church! But any church today could do the same if that church could recruit Christians like these.
I. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN ATTENDANCE
II. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN WITNESSING
Ill. THEY WERE FAITHFUL IN PRAYER
Copyright © January 2009
