The Vibrant Church
Pastor Glenn Newton 5-4-03
Acts 2: 36-47
Stan Toler, Pastor/Authur and Speaker from Trinity Church of the Nazarene in OK City,
OK. was telling us about his visit to Dr. Chow’s church in S.E. Asia a couple of years ago.
Dr. Toler was investigating why this church was the biggest, and fastest growing church in
the world. You want to know how big the church is? Around 300,00 at the time, it’s
hard to keep track it’s growing so fast. Listen to this, the church members are only
allowed to attend the church once a month, they are on a rotation so that new people will
be able to get into the services. Dr. Chow has multiple services, all week long. It’s
beyond my imagination.
Stan Toler had made an appointment to speak with Dr. Chow, and as he waited he was in
the Sanctuary and noticed that people were lined up and being baptized, the whole time he
was there the line never got smaller. When Dr. Chow came in, Stan Toler asked him if
this was normal, Dr. Chow told him, listen to this, 2,000 people a day are baptized,
EVERYDAY.
New Hope Family...... 2,000 people are being saved, and baptized everyday. Can you say
WOW? Say it backwards.... WOW!
Last Sunday Nola and I celebrated six years of marriage bliss with you, so I asked myself,
what if we had led one person to the Lord every week for the last six years....... we would
have 312 new Christians! Wouldn’t that be awesome? It seems impossible to think that
way doesn’t it? Why? Because we have never seen anything like that in our experience....
so we think, NO Way. I know one thing.... God wants people saved.... and God has given
us the ministry of reconciling his world with Him.... So I believe that God wants to
perform miracles in the lives of people and save them, don’t you?
Today we are celebrating with our New Members as they have joined our fellowship....
and each one has made a profession of Faith before you today that they have trusted Jesus
as Savior and Lord, and I believe all of Heaven celebrates with us today.... Don’t you?
Will we ever see 2,000 people being baptized a day in Clarksville, AR. ? We could, but it
could only last a week because we would run out of people after that, right? The truth is
God wants us to be a Vibrant Church, a church that is alive and is winning the lost and
discipling it’s believers to be great people of Faith...... and this is what we are going to
accomplish right here at New Hope, we are going to strive to be a Vibrant Church...
Amen?
What does that word Vibrant mean? Vibrant means “resounding Life.”
A vibrant church is one that has resounding Life, and that life comes from the source,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior.
I was trying to think of a way to describe to you this word Vibrant.. this resounding life..
I decided if you want to see what Vibrant means.... then you need to make a little trip here
to the church about 9am anyday of the week, and just watch our 51 children that come to
Next Generation..... Just watch them go.... just watch them play..... just watch them
socialize.... just watch them run....... these little people have an abundance of resounding
life in them. Then look at the teachers who are trying to keep up, and you will see that
look of deer in the spotlight look. No, really our teachers do a great job with all this
energy moving around them.
Vibrant life.... it’s not just about having lots of energy though.... it’s more than that. This
resounding life that God gives us is also found in that inner strength, that quiet
detemination that God gives his people to carry out His plans........ One of the people that
I know demonstrates this on a consistent basis is my wife, Nola. She is one detemined
person, when God speaks to her about something...... it will get done make no mistake
about it. This resounding life is in her and you can sense it, and feel it when your around
her.
Let’s look at our Scripture... and as we read think about you hear that are marks of this
early church that made this church Vibrant, full of life.
AC 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far
off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
AC 2:40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save
yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were
baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
AC 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many
wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were
together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they
gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the
temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and
sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the
Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
In verse 38 Peter is telling these people who are wanting to know more about how to be
saved, how to know this “Resounding Life” that God offers us, they want to experience
this for themselves... So what does Peter tell them to do?
“Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
For a church to be Vibrant... it must be filled with people who have repented of their sins,
who have been baptized, and who have been filled with the Holy Spirit. This vibrant life
that I’m talking about is not something that you can come up with yourself, you can’t fake
it..... it’s only something that God can produce in us through the power of the Holy Spirit
living in your life.
The most important quality of the vibrant church is a people who are living spirit
filled lives, growing in their knowledge, and in thier personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Do you want this Resounding Life? Repent of your Sins, and live close to Jesus
obeying all that He asks you, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you everyday.
Simple enough isn’t it?
It is simple, but there’s one problem..... we have an enemy who will do whatever
he can to keep us from this kind of life, he will put whatever obsticiles he can to keep us
from finding Jesus.... He will give us all kind of excuses that will keep us from obeying
what God is telling us to do..... Satan will do whatever he can to discourage you, to pull
you away from, to distract you from the church, and from being obedient in your Christian
life.....
This resounding Life that God offers doesn’t always mean your going to be flying
high, and feeling like everything’s great...... The true test in my mind of this resounding
life, this Vibrant life that God has for us is during the down times, during the difficult days
when nothing feels right, when all seems lost..... God’s there...... When you feel
surrounded, God’s got your back....... When you feel defeated....The Holy Spirit gives you
a song to sing..... Friends, this Resounding life goes beyond your feelings and your
circumstances.... it comes from God who lives in you through the Holy Spirit.... and He
will never forsake you.
This is also true in our church. A Church body that is filled with people who are being led
by the Holy Spirit, a people who are surrendering themselves to the leadership of the Holy
Spirit.... this church, these people will not be defeated.
Not only will this Vibrant Church not be defeated, they will prevail, they will fight the
good fight and win. There’s a difference in Winning...... and just not losing. Sadaam
Hussains plan was not really to win the war, he knew that wasn’t possible.... but his plan
was to just not lose..... find a way to say he didn’t lose.
I don’t want to be the kind of Christian, or the kind of church that testifies year after year,
Praise God we were able to hang on for one more year..... Praise God we were able to pay
our bills and keep our doors open for one more year..... My friends, that’s not victory...
that’s just not losing.
The Vibrant Church, the Church that we have read about this morning was not content to
stay in their houses and hope the Romans would leave them alone.... My friends this
Vibrant Church that was on fire for Jesus Christ left their places of worship, left their
homes with a focus and a mission in mind, and that mission was to share the Good News...
that Mission was the same as Christ’s, to seek and save the Lost.
We read that Peter preached this message of repentance and 3,000 people came to the
Lord in that one setting, on that one day..... This Church was growing because they were
sharing about the Risen Lord... and telling people what Jesus had done for them.....
The Vibrant Church is a Church with Resounding Life.... and that Life comes from the
power of the Holy Spirit living in us, and through us.
My question is for you..... Church are we walking away from our fellowship with the
mission in mind, with the purpose of finding people that we can share this life changing
message with? Will we grow? Will we see _____ new members this coming year who
have been saved?
How do we know the answer? The key to that answer is in your willingness, and my
willingness to be faithful to witness, to invite our friends, neighbors, co workers to church,
to events that the church puts on, so that they will hear the gospel for themselves, so they
can decide.... is this what I’m looking for?
Friends..... today as we celebrate with our newest members their commitment to be a part
of this church family, let’s make a commitment with them to keep our mission in the
forefront of our minds.... that mission is to simply share the Love of Jesus with others, to
give testimony to others about what Christ has done for us.... and to invite them to come
and worship with you......That’s our focus... that’s our mission. Do we do other things, of
coarse....but that mission is our main focus.
Resounding Life..... God offers us this life if we will take hold of him and allow Him to
take hold of us, through Faith in Jesus Christ.
Let’s stand and pray for this Resounding Life in our individual lives, and also for this
Resounding Life to be evident in the life of our church.
