Sermon -The Characteristics of a Great Church
Scripture Lesson: Acts 4:23-33 “As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. 32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.”
Introduction: Acts 4, the writer allows the reader to view the inner operations of the early church. It is really a portrait of a great church. It was a great church, not because of its buildings or property, but because of its influence. God was doing great things in the midst of his church. This chapter highlights the first major conflicts between the disciples of Jesus and the Sanhedrin court. Since the arrest, conviction and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus the Christ, the nature of their ministry set them on a collision course with the Jewish religious leaders of that day. The events of the day of Pentecost launched these disciples into public ministry with Peter and John leading the way. Miraculous healing of the lame man at the beautiful gate caused quite a stir and led to this confrontation. Although the Sanhedrin might have been willing to tolerate the miracle, the message of Peter was too much to bear. So, it is today, many people welcome the miracles of God but the resist the message of God. Read the following Scripture.
They could not receive the message that Jesus had been raised from the dead by the power of God and had been made the Cornerstone of salvation. They could not receive the message that no other name under heaven has been given whereby men might be saved. To receive such a message would mean that Jesus was not an ordinary man; He was indeed the Son of God; sent by God to seek and to save that which was lost; and approved by God through the resurrection. They all stood guilt before God. Embracing such a radical idea would be admitting that mankind was lost, separated from God by sin, deprive of the power and strength to save himself. In describing the church, the writer states, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Notice the words, “great power” and “great grace.” My subject for this chapter is The Characteristics of a Great Church. What made this church great? Are there any attributes of this early church worthy of emulation today?
The early church was not considered great because of the size of the building or landholdings. It was not because of the massive numbers of its membership. Our generation of church goers seems to be preoccupied with prosperity, material possessions and consumer mentality. Many attribute the greatness of a church with how well it meets my personal expectations. The average church goers shops and hops for the right church. Some people like big churches because they seem to want excellent ministry with little commitment. Others like small intimate churches because they feel needed and wanted.
This great church at Jerusalem is a God-given example of the characteristics necessary for a great church. I would suggest that each listener would read and meditate on the entire fourth chapter of Acts to become intimately acquainted with God’s idea of a great church. I would like to lift several prevailing thoughts and idea that surfaced in my study of the early New Testament church, one of the greatest churches the world has ever known. The early church was considered a great church because of its influence. Launched in a hostile environment, surrounded by pagan religions, this church took on the Jewish religious system and the Roman Empire and won the victory! Why? First, the early church was bold enough to embrace God’s vision and purpose. An anonymous writer once said, “He who would be a mover of the world must not be moved by the world.”
1. A Great Church Has Courage to embrace God’s vision and purpose.
Acts 4:8-14 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
The early Church was bold enough to embrace God’s vision and purpose. They willingly obeyed Jesus Christ’ command, testified to the resurrection and carry out His great commission. After receiving the Holy Spirit, with holy boldness, the disciples were eager to carry out God's command. Obedience is always a vital link to God’s power and blessing. They clearly understood that God's manifested power is inseparably linked God's ordained purpose. Their single-minded purpose, fueled by holy boldness was to offer the Gospel message to all regardless of the opposition. They had been called out and anointed to be His witnesses and to witness "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Peter stood before the gathering crowd in the streets of Jerusalem and offered the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews out of every nation with clarity and boldness. The sermon was simple, and his purpose was plain. He pronounced to them the only name given under heaven whereby men could be saved. The name with Jesus, who God raised from the dead. Leading the people to acknowledge what they had done and what God had done in Jesus Christ. That is still the purpose of the church. Since, believers have been given the only name and the only way to Salvation, it is critical that we continue to fulfill God’s mandate for His church. The boldness and determination of the disciples serves as an inspiration to many. Listen to the following the quotes:
“Achievements ordinarily follow in due course when a person, after planning his work, works his plan.” (Bowman) “The secret of success of constancy of purpose. (Disraeli) “The soul that has no established aim loses itself.” (Montaigne) “There is no road to success but through a clear, strong purpose.” (Munger) “When a man has not a good reason for doing a thing, he has one good reason for letting it alone.” (Scott) “More men fail through lack of purpose than through lack of talent.” (Sunday)
The early church had holy boldness and a clear purpose. They did social ministry, but they were not a social organization. They were concerned about the conditions around them, but they were not distracted by them. They seem to be able to discern the difference between “a good idea” and “a God idea.” They embraced God’s love for lost humanity and shared His willingness to deliver, save, heal, and forgive. Sharing God’s message as His witnesses was their primary focus. The purpose of the Church has not changed. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Do you remember the fable about the Tortoise and the Hare? The Tortoise and the Hare is a fable attributed to Aesop #226 in the Perry index. The story concerns a hare (a bunny rabbit), who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise (turtle) and is challenged by him to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through the course. When he awakes, however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. The meaning is morally problematic, and the story has been interpreted in a variety of ways over the centuries. To me this story speaks more about focus than speed. If the rabbit had focused on the finish first, he would have had plenty of time to rest and take a nap at the end. Instead, he lost his focus and went to sleep in the middle of the race.
Amid all the voices screaming from society, the early church confronted the voices and focused on their purpose. They would not be distracted from their God-given assignment. Could the church today benefit from their example and be bold enough to confront the critics and embrace God’s mission without being sidetracked? How much more could be accomplished for Christ and His kingdom if the church had a single-minded purpose. The early Church was bold enough to embrace God’s vision and purpose. Then the early church proclaimed a Christ centered preaching.
2. A Great Church Proclaims a Christ Centered Message. “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”
They proclaimed a Christ centered message that exposed who they were, what they had done, who Christ is and what God has done. The disciples in the early church were not theological training men. They had not spent years studying successful techniques of a good communicator. They had spent three years following a great communicator who had given them on the Job training. These were simple fishermen and farmers, shepherds, and tax collectors. The former fisherman turned preacher Peter was sometimes hotheaded and foul mouthed, who was not considered a great orator, yet the content of his sermon was clear. Peter’s preaching was Christ centered. Christ centered preaching has three characteristics: first, it exalts Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. Secondly, it exposes the sinfulness of man, the impossibility of saving oneself apart from God, then clearly reveals God’s remedy for salvation. Finally, Christ centered edified the saints, lifting them to fulfill their God given purpose. One of the key expressions used in Peter’s sermon was “this same Jesus.” Jesus Christ was the center piece of all their preaching. It was about what God did to bring mankind into a right relationship with Himself. It was about reproving the world of sin or exposing their sin and reveal righteousness of God.
Contrary to popular opinion and political correctness, Jesus Christ is still the Cornerstone of the Church, the message of salvation and the center piece of biblical preaching. Peter preached the Resurrected Lord as the Savior of the world, and God’s only way to God and three thousand souls were added to the church that day. Philip followed Peter’s Example on the road to Gaza. Acts 8:35 “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
A man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, and was returning home confused. He was reading a passage from Isaiah that he did not understand. Philip took the same Scripture he was reading and preached Jesus unto him. Christ is still the way, the truth, and the life. Christ is the message. The early church was a great church because it had holy boldness to embraced God’ mission and purpose, proclaimed a Christ centered message and possessed Holy Spirit manifested power.
3. A Great Church Possesses God’s Manifested Power. “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
God’s manifested power worked with the disciples confirming the message they preached. Mark 16:20 reads, “And they (the disciples)went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word(message preached) with signs following. Amen.” The manifested power received by the disciples on the day of Pentecost was the same power God used in creation. Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed manifestations of His power and Glory. His manifested power divided the Red Sea for Moses, kept Daniel safe in the lions' den, and rescued the three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace. In the New Testament ministry of Jesus, the same Manifested power that turned the water to wine, healed multitudes, fed the five thousand, gave sight to the blind man and raised Lazarus from the dead. The manifested power was demonstrated in the life of the early Church. Peter and John were used mightily in the healing ministry. God even allows His power to flow
through Peter’s shadow. Acts 5:15, 16 “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed everyone.”
This same great power is available to every believer who will seek God and pay the price. The manifested power of God was verification that God was at work among them. I believe the manifested power in the church depends on at least three things: A clean life, a consistent walk, and a continual asking. God will not continually fill and use a dirty vessel with His Holy Spirit power. We, the church of God must strive to life clean, godly lives. We must also strive to walk consistently with God in faith and obedience. The Bible describes Jesus as being the same yesterday, today and forever. I believe God will honor consistent holy living and consistent prayer life. Great power comes thru prayer and our prayer should be not only, "God use me", but "God, make me usable!" Someone has said, “God only puts His mighty hand into a clean glove... He uses willing hearts, wise heads, and clean, consistent, working hands!” The early church was great because it embraced God’s mission and purpose, proclaimed God’s Christ centered message, and possessed God’s manifested presence. Another characteristic of a great church is the courage to endure persecution.
4. A Great Church Endures Persecution with Courage. “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.”
Although Peter and John suffered severe persecution, they took courage to go forward in the face of opposition. The early Church realized that they were called to follow a suffering, Savior. It requires a tremendous amount of boldness and courage to follow Christ in this hostile world. The disciples were not bashful in pleading for additional boldness. The early Church and the Church today, need God's manifested power for three main reasons. First, His manifested power transforms us into sons of God who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Secondly, His manifest power demonstrates God's presence actively working among us and finally, His manifested power equips us to endure great persecution for His sake. Those who do the work of God upon the earth will suffer persecution. True Christians have always been persecuted. Jesus said to His disciples, "In the world ye shall have tribulation ..." (John 16:33). The Apostle Paul promised, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him ..." (II Tim. 2:12). 2 Tim. 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
These early Christians went through the deep waters of persecution. Jewish traditions indicate that eleven of the twelve apostles were killed in a violent way for their faith. When people really live to please God, there will be persecution. Someone has said, "If you aren't being booed at all... you're not in the game!" The church ought to be doing enough right to rub the world the wrong way! The early church was a great church not only because of its purpose, preaching and power but because of how they endured persecution with boldness and courage.
2Th 1:4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
The early church took hold of courage and moved forward with their ministry and message. I have not read anywhere that we should pray for courage and fear will leave. We as believers are simply command to take hold of courage, be of good courage, be strong in the Lord. We are called to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and to endure afflictions that come because our faithful to Christ. The early church was a great church because of its mission and purpose, its message and ministry, and its courage to courageously endure persecution.
5. A Great Church Has Committed People for Kingdom Service. The people in this early Christian church were those willing to give up their very life's work for a kingdom agenda. Peter and Andrew left their fishing nets and family business to follow Jesus. James and John were willing to forsake their fishing business for the possibility of becoming fishers of men. These early witnesses were willing to give up their wealth, lay aside personal ambitions and suffer lack to follow Christ. Barnabas, a sacrificial giver sold his house and laid the money from the sell at the feet of the apostle to be used for the work of God. They were willing to give up their very life. Stephen, one of the first deacons was willing to lay down his life in the street and release his soul into the hands of God. He became the first martyr of the Church. They were committed to Kingdom Building.
As I glance over the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, I witness the testimony of many great forbearers who consistently gave their support to this great Church. I know even today, with all the gloomy reports, we still have the potential to be an even greater church. It takes great people to make a great church. So many people sacrifice every week, day after day, to see God's church succeed! We're blessed with those who make every effort to come out to every service that the church will have the strength to do effective ministry. May God continue to bless every faith member of the body of Christ. I can understand more fully why Apostle Paul prayed for the Church so consistently. The New Testament records several of Paul’s prayers for the church, here is just one example. Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Paul celebrated those who had embraced a great message, committed themselves to great mission, and lived faithful lives as members of the Church. During the early years, the church was thought of as a called-out people, not a building. The early Church was a great church because it was made up of great people who were committed to serve. We need to celebrate the faithful members of the Church and encourage others to commit themselves to a higher purpose, God’s kingdom purpose. Only great people can make up a great church! The early church was a great because it embraced a God-given purpose, preached a Christ centered message, possessed a Holy Spirit manifested power, proved courageous in face of persecution, and had committed people for service.
6. A Great Church Displays Perpetual Praise to God. Acts 2:46, 47 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in 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.”
The perpetual according to Webster’s Dictionary is defined as continuous, lasting, uninterrupted, eternal, and everlasting. I know you got the idea. There ought to be perpetual praise in the house for God several reasons but especially because of His eternal Word, His grace and goodness and His loving people. God is good even though the world and life are filled with challenges. There ought to be perpetual praise for His grace demonstrated by the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then we ought to praise God for His grace to get us through this challenging world. His grace proves its sufficiency repeatedly. His unmerited favor not only helps us survive, but it also causes us to thrive even in a hostile environment. His grace should be the cause for perpetual praise.
A Story is told of one shabby little old lady with gray hair listened to the testimonies of people in the church about the goodness of God. Some talk about prosperity and wealth, others talked about success in life. She stood to her feet and said, "I don't have much of this world's goods. My health is not so good. I only have two teeth, one up and one down; but, praise God, they meet together!" This certainly ought to be the attitude of all true Christians. One writer said, “If Christians believed half of what they preached, they would be ten times happier than the rest of the world.” Rev. D. L. Moody once said, “Why should we go reeling and staggering under the burdens and cares of life when we have such prospects before us? If there is nothing but glory beyond, our faces ought to shine brightly all the time.”
There is always something to be thankful for. A good, positive attitude of gratitude made the early church great! A sad miserable world still needs the joyful witness a church full of perpetual praise. St. Francis of Assisi said, “For what are the servants of the Lord but His minstrels who should raise the hearts of men and move them to spiritual joy.” It has also been said that “The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a disgrace to itself.” The early Church praised God for being counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ. They praised God for their victories and their defeats. They had perpetual praise. They were a great church because their purpose, preaching, power, courage to endure persecution, committed people for service, and perpetual praise ascending to God.
7. A Great Church Stand on The Eternal Promises of God. Acts 4:32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.”
The early church stood on an eternal promise of God’s constant companionship through life and ministry on earth and a promise of Heaven’s eternal joys in the afterlife. They had the assurance of the Holy Spirit empowerment, protection, and direction. They had a promise of eternal life with the Father and the Son. They had confidence in God’s ability to keep His Word. God's word is true, what God has promised He will bring to pass. Jesus gave the early church an assurance saying, “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” There are thousands of promises in the Bible for our benefit of believers today. God’s word is sure and steadfast.
When Jesus shared the last supper with His disciples, he told them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3
One can only imagine the tremendous amount comfort these words gave the early disciples. Those same words had brought comfort to millions over the years. God’s promises are sure; the early church was able to keep on keeping on because they held fast to the promises of God. We too must hold on to the promises of God. God word is our source of strength and courage to press forward fulfilling our kingdom assignment in difficult times. Some of the latest polls suggest that pastors today are faced with more work, more problems, and more stress than any other time in the history of the church. This is taking a frightening toll on the ministry, shown by the following statistics: Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches. Four thousand new churches begin each year, but over seven thousand churches close. Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce. Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors. Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could but have no other way of making a living.
Even though the statistics paint a bleak picture, I believe God’s church will rise to greatness again. My heart desire is to be a part of a great church, a glorious church. The early Church set a good example of a great church. A Great Church Has Courage to embrace God’s vision and purpose. A Great Church Proclaims a Christ Centered Message. A Great Church Possesses God’s Manifested Power. A Great Church Endures Persecution with Courage. A Great Church Has Committed People for Kingdom Service. A Great Church Displays Perpetual Praise to God. And finally, A Great Church Stands on the Eternal Promises of God. Read and meditate on the verses below:
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalms 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
