The Church Everyone Wants to “Join” David Owens
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47 8.17.25
Introduction:
A. Good morning, brothers and sisters! Praise God for another Lord’s Day to gather to worship God and to encourage each other.
1. As you know, we just completed a sermon series about eternal questions and in that series we talked about death, heaven and hell.
2. Before I jump into a new series in September, I want to share a few stand-alone sermons on some important subjects.
3. Today, I want us to think about being the kind of church that everyone wants to join.
4. I put the word “join” in parenthesis, because the Scriptures tell us that the Lord adds people to the church as they are born again.
5. So, in a very important sense, no one can join the church they can only be added by God.
6. Therefore, what I am really talking about is how can we be the kind of church that attracts people and causes them to want to be a part of it.
B. Let’s start with a story told about a preacher who decided to take on the challenge of a church in a small Oklahoma town that was really struggling - attendance was down to almost no one.
1. He decided he would start his new ministry in that town by making personal visits to each of the people who used to attend that congregation and invite them to come to his first worship service.
2. The following Sunday, church was all but empty.
3. So the new preacher decided to place a notice in the local newspaper, stating that, because the church was dead, he was going to hold the special service to give the church a decent Christian burial.
4. The notice said that the funeral for the dead church would be held the following Sunday.
5. With morbid curiosity, a large crowd turned out for the “funeral.”
6. There in front of the pulpit was a closed casket, covered with flowers.
7. After the preacher delivered the eulogy, he had the funeral director open the casket and invited the people to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.
8. With great curiosity, all the people eagerly lined up to look in the casket.
9. As each “mourner” peeped into the casket, they quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look, because in the casket, tilted at just the right angle, was a large mirror.
C. Why do I start with this story?
1. Because in some respects, the life or the death of our congregation is determined by the person we see when we look in the mirror.
2. Our congregation began back in the late 30s in Syracuse and then moved to Liverpool.
3. Our our church has had a blessed history, but what about our congregation’s future?
a. Will our congregation grow in spirit and in number?
b. Will our congregation stagnate and remain the same?
c. Or will our congregation slowly lose ground and experience diminishing numbers and weakened ministry?
3. Only God can see the future and we know that it is God’s desire for His kingdom to grow and for people to be saved.
4. We also know that God can do more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20), but we also know that we have to cooperate with God and move into His power and will.
5. We have to make ourselves open and available for God to employ us in His good plans.
D. Let’s spend a minute with a piece that someone wrote called “The Church of My Dreams.”
1. This is the church of my dreams:
The church of the warm heart, of the open mind, of the adventurous spirit.
The church that cares, that heals hurt lives.
The church that comforts old people, that challenges youth,
that knows no division of culture or class, no frontiers, geographical or social.
The church that inquires as well as the church that preaches,
That looks forward as well as backwards.
The church of the Master, the church of the people,
High as the ideals of Jesus, low as the humblest human.
A worshipping church, a working church
A witnessing church, a winsome church.
The church that interprets the truth in terms of its own times
And challenges its times in terms of the truth.
The church that inspires courage for this life,
And hope for the life to come.
The church of my dreams is the church of the living God.
2. Wouldn’t you like to be a member of a church like that?
a. The aspirational goals expressed in that piece are truly the ideal that should be striven towards by our congregation and others as well.
b. I believe that many people in the world would be attracted to a church like that.
E. The very first church that began in Jerusalem was an exceptional church and many people were being attracted to it.
1. Let’s look again at the description of that congregation found in Acts 2:42-47: 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
2. From the example of that Jerusalem church, I want us to explore four characteristics that will help us be the kind of church that will be pleasing to God and will attract others.
I. The first characteristic of a faithful and attractive church is: A Church that Follows God’s Word.
A. Acts 2:42 says that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”
1. What does it mean to devote oneself to the apostles’ teaching?
2. It means that they were devoted to hearing, studying, and most importantly, practicing the teaching of the apostles.
3. The apostles were reminding the church of Jesus’ teachings and the apostles were being inspired the Holy Spirit to give further instruction about living as Christians and building the church.
B. We might think that all churches are devoted to following the Word of God.
1. How can you be the church of Christ without following God’s Word, right?
2. In truth, you can’t have the church of Christ without following God’s Word, and yet many churches throughout history have tried to be a church without following God’s Word.
3. Sadly, many churches and Christians deny the power and authority of God’s Word.
4. Many churches are organized and directed more by the traditions of men than by the Word of God.
5. Many members of too many churches know very little about God’s Word and are not being directed by the Word of God, but just the words of people.
C. But I believe that there are many people in the world that are sincerely searching for truth and are looking for a church that really follows the Word of God.
1. Those people don’t want to hear about traditions, they want God’s directives found in the Bible - book, chapter and verse.
2. They don’t want some kind of subjective experience; they want the imperishable Word of God.
3. They are looking for a fellowship of people who take the Bible seriously.
4. People who stand on God’s promises and follow God’s principles.
D. I believe that we are that kind of church and I pray that we will continue to be a church that follows the Word of God.
1. The churches of Christ have always had a commitment to having the Bible as our only instruction manual.
2. Both Jesus and the apostles gave warnings about straying from the Word of God.
3. When speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mt. 15:8-9, CSV)
4. When warning the Ephesian elders, Paul said: “I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.” (Acts 20:29-30, NLT)
5. When Paul wrote to the young minister named Timothy, he wrote: 2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:2-4, CSB)
6. In order to be a faithful church that is able to attract people in the right way, we must continue to be devoted to following God’s Word.
a. We must not pass along the teachings and traditions of men.
b. We must not distort the truth or turn aside to myths.
c. Rather we must continue to teach and preach God’s Word and put it into practice.
II. A second characteristic of a faithful and attractive church is: A Church that Maintains a Caring Community.
A. The example of the first church in Acts 2 was certainly one of a caring community.
1. We are told that they were devoted to the fellowship. (Acts 2:42
2. We are told that they shared what they had and took care of those who were in need. (Acts 2:44-45)
3. We are told that they were continually meeting together in the temple courts and in their homes – they wanted to be together to study and to support each other.
B. This may be one of the most important things that a person is looking for in a church.
1. Many people aren’t looking for a place to go, but a family to belong to.
2. So many people are lonely and feel isolated, and the church is a place where people can find connections and feel like they belong.
3. And the loving relationships that we share and that we offer to others can be magnetic.
4. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13:35)
5. Because God is love, His people are identified by love.
6. There is nothing more attractive than a church in which people obviously love each other.
C. Let’s consider what a visitor might observe as they make a visit to our congregation on a Sunday.
1. Years ago, a man did a personal experiment of his reception at 18 different churches.
2. At every church he visited, he did the same things.
a. He sat near the front of the church.
b. After the service he walked slowly to the rear of the church and then back to the front.
c. He then returned to the back of the church by a different aisle and out to the entrance.
d. He smiled and was neatly dressed.
e. He made sure to ask someone for directions to someplace in the church; like the bathroom, the office, or the fellowship hall.
f. If coffee was being served, he remained and had coffee.
3. The man used a scale to rate the reception he received.
a. He awarded 10 points if he received a smile from another worshiper.
b. He awarded 10 points if someone sitting nearby greeted him.
c. He awarded 100 points if someone exchanged names with him.
d. He awarded 200 points if someone invited him to return.
e. He awarded 1000 points if someone introduced him to another worshiper.
f. he awarded 2000 points if someone offered to introduce him to the preacher.
4. Would you be interested in the results of his little experiment?
a. Sadly, 11 out of the 18 churches scored fewer than 100 points.
1. That means he only had someone smile at him or greet him in an impersonal way.
2. No sharing of names. No invitations to return. No offers to introduce him to others.
3. Smiling and saying “hello and welcome” is good, but it is not enough.
4. Without being pushy, let’s try to make our interactions with visitors more personal.
b. Here’s the crazy thing: 5 of the 18 churches scored less than 20 points – less than 2 smiles or “hellos” – almost no acknowledgement of his presence.
c. His conclusion was: A church’s doctrine may be biblical, the singing may be inspirational, and the sermon may be uplifting, but when it appears that nobody cares that you are there, you are not likely to return.
D. Thankfully, I think our church family is a very caring church.
1. I believe we are a friendly and warm church that pays attention not only to our members but to the visitors as well.
2. And I think we genuinely share a deep love for each other that can be felt by visitors.
3. But our caring community must be maintained and continually deepened and expanded.
4. Our church family is forever in a state of change – even when the same people are present those people are going through changes and we need to be sensitive to what is happening in each other’s lives.
a. Those changes may have to do with family, work, health, or spiritual things.
5. In addition to that, new people are regularly being added to the church and we need to make sure we are making room for the new people in our relationships and fellowship.
6. One of the most frustrating experiences for a new visitor or new Christian is to feel like they cannot break into the existing relationships in the church.
7. The experience of love, relationship, and community is a need that attracts and keeps people in the church.
III. A third characteristic of a faithful and attractive church is: A Church that Works with a Clear Mission.
A. Do you know what our mission is as a church family? Can you describe it and easily share it?
1. If we don’t have a good sense of our mission, then there is no way we will be active in that mission, right?
2. This past February through May, we were engaged in a sermon series about being mission minded disciples of Jesus.
3. We talked about the fact that our mission is the make and mature disciples of Jesus who can make and mature disciples.
4. The Great Commission Jesus gave to His church is a self-perpetuating mission.
a. As we make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus taught then they will be taught to carry out and carry on that Great Commission until Jesus returns.
B. In the example of that first church in Acts 2, we see that they were busy making and maturing disciple of Jesus.
1. In Acts 2, we see that they continually met together and ministered to each other.
2. In Acts 5, that early church taught the good news in the temple and from house to house.
3. In Acs 6, that early church took care of the distribution of food to members in need.
4. So, it’s obvious that the early church had a clear sense of their mission and diligently worked towards its fulfillment.
5. In addition to the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus summarized our mission in the Sermon on the Mount by saying that we are to be salt and light, and in our mission minded disciples series we turned that teaching of Jesus into a formula - Salt + Light = Impact.
a. We talked about the importance of high potency and close proximity of the salt and light.
b. We concluded with the formula: Maximum Impact = Good LIFE (character) + Good DEEDS + Good WORDS.
C. Ultimately, people are looking for purpose and want to be a part of something that is making a difference in this world and a difference for eternity.
1. That’s why as a church family, we need to know our mission and we need all parts of the body to be active in doing their part to accomplish that mission.
D. Let me end with one more characteristic.
IV. A fourth characteristic of a faithful and attractive church is: A Church that Displays a Profound Sense of God’s Presence and Power.
A. That first church in Acts 2 was certainly a place where God’s presence and power was on display.
1. In Acts 2:43, we read: And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
2. Later in Acts 4, after the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and stood faithfully against that powerful Jewish council, the apostles prayed: “And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly. (4:29-31)
3. Although we don’t have the power to do miracles like the apostles did, God’s power and presence are still at work in our lives today.
B. People who are looking for a church are really searching for God and the one place they ought to be able to find God is in the church.
1. They ought to be able to sense God’s presence and power in the worship of the church.
2. They ought to be able to sense God’s presence and power in the changed lives of God’s people.
3. They ought to be able to sense God’s presence and power in the love we show which exemplifies who God is.
4. It is our privilege and responsibility to allow God’s presence to be seen through us in these ways:
a. In the way we worship in spirit and in truth. (Jn. 4:23)
b. In the way we are being transformed into Jesus’ likeness with ever increasing glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)
c. And in the way we love one another and love everyone else, even our enemies. (Mt. 5:44)
5. Let’s make sure that our love, lives and worship reveal God’s presence to a lost world.
Conclusion:
A. I pray that we are and that we will become even more the kind of church that really attracts people.
1. Today, we have looked at the characteristics of the early church that made them so attractive and powerful.
2. I believe these characteristics are worthy of our focus and development.
3. I believe that God wants us to be a church that is:
a. Following His Word.
b. Maintaining a Caring Community.
c. Working with God’s Clear Mission
d. Displaying God’s Power and Presence.
B. Here’s where I want to encourage us to be introspective and ask ourselves: are there changes in my life that you need to make to help us become the church that God wants us to be?
1. Is your participation in our church family making us more alive and healthy or more unhealthy and dying?
2. Repentance and a commitment to change are good things when they are needed.
3. If you haven’t yet turned your life over to God and been added by God to His church, then I want to encourage you to believe in Jesus, repent and confess your faith in Christ, and be united with Him in baptism – doing so will put you into Christ and into His Church.
