FB, Cherokee
November 16, 2003
Sunday Morning
The Church – On Mission With Christ
The Book of Acts
Intro: I heard a story about an older couple that had finished their lunch and made their way into the living room to prepare themselves for an afternoon nap in their recliners. They were both about to doze off when the grandfather clock began to chime signifying the new hour. It began one chime, two chimes, three chimes and all the way up to thirteen chimes. The husband turned to his wife and asked, “What time is it?” The wife said, “I don’t know, but it’s later than it’s ever been before.”
I’m convinced more today that perhaps the last hour is upon the church. As we look around at the more climate of our nation we have to admit it’s not good. There is corporate greed on Wall Street, political bi-partisan on Washington Street, child abuse in churches, steroids at the ballpark, drugs in the mountains, violence at the polls, profanity and homosexuality on the television and sex at middle school parties.
As Gary Fielding would say, “Today we live in the midst of crooked deals, pet pills, cheap thrills, and sometimes you can’t tell the Jack’s from the Jill’s.”
Several years ago someone asked Dr. Billy Graham why he was trying to set the church back one hundred years with his evangelistic crusades. To which he responded, “One hundred years, well excuse me, I was trying to set it back 2000 years.”
It just seems to me that if we are going to be individuals, or churches, or associations, or as a convention that is ON MISSION we must realize that it is later than its ever been before and we must look back 2000 years ago when Jesus gave the Great Commission to be ON MISSION with Him.
Jesus’ last recorded words are known as the Great Commission. Those words are recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8. The book of Acts, written by Luke, is the story of men and women who took that commission seriously and began to share the news of a risen Savior.
The book of Acts is an incredible account of the beginning of Christ’s church and tremendous church growth. Notice three key transitional verses that made the early church unique – ON MISSION.
The first transitional verse is 1:8; the second one is 1:14 and the third one is 9:31. The first two verses seem to lay the foundation for all the other events that take place in the first nine chapters.
The question I have been raising is this – What took them from Acts 1:8 to Acts 9:31? What made the church prosper and be successful? How was the Gospel able to reach so many people in so many different tongues? How did the church grow from 12 to 120 to 5,000 to over 10,000 in nine chapters?
This morning as we begin our Revival meetings together I want to share with you what made the First Baptist church in Jerusalem be ON MISSION with Christ.
I have identified three statements about the early church that will not only help us with our Revival days together but for all times that God allows us to have here on this earth as a church.
I. They Prayed (1st Statement)
A. Repeatedly you read the two phrases “and they prayed” and “and when they prayed.”
1. Acts 1:14 is the first time it is used.
2. It begins in chapter one and the theme of prayer continues all through the book.
3. There is clear evidence in these first nine chapters that reveal the early church as a praying church.
B. Notice how the early church used prayer.
1. They prayed for themselves, others, enemies, guidance, healing, wisdom, leaders.
2. They prayed in the streets, in houses, on rooftops, on the shore, in a boat and in the Temple.
3. They prayed specifically at the ninth hour and at midnight and everything in between.
4. They prayed individually, in small and large groups.
5. We’re asking the question, “What made the early church so successful?”
6. I’m not a church growth consultant but I’ convinced that prayer was an absolute priority for the early church.
C. Prayer was never a second thought, it was never a time when the church said, “Oh I think it’s time for prayer.”
1. The spirit and mission of prayer was in the worship service, Sunday School, and yes even in Business meetings.
2. God blessed the early church and He added to that church daily because the church had a spirit of prayer.
3. They remained in a season of prayer.
4. Praying for their ministries, their pastors, their leadership and for the lost in the community.
5. Get this - Most of all they prayed for boldness in speaking God’s word.
6. They prayed for God’s power to be lived out in their lives.
7. Without any doubt their lives gave evidence that they had been with God through prayer.
D. Our weekly schedule at First Baptist Cherokee includes two specific times for the church to gather for prayer.
1. One is Wednesday night (adults). We meet for a short Bible Study, share prayer requests and then pray.
2. The other time is Sunday morning at 9:15. This prayer time is open to anyone, member or nonmember, to gather here in the auditorium to pray for the church.
3. Sadly these are two of the lowest attended events in our church.
4. Prayer should be in season all the time.
5. “A praying family stays together” so it is that “A praying church stays together.”
6. God wants His church to pray corporately as well as individually.
E. Here is why prayer is so vital - The history of past revivals finds men and women calling on God through persistent prayer.
1. Men, women and young people who first inwardly groaned, longing to see the status quo changed.
2. For themselves and for their church.
3. I’m tired of the status quo – I expect something BIG and different to happen every time I pray.
4. Illus.: Praying “Pentecostal Power” for my church.
5. Stir up a Baptist meeting use the word “Pentecostal.”
6. My prayer was all about asking God to pour down His spirit on us in a supernatural way – that people would see the power of God’s Word being taught and their lives would be forever changed.
7. “If our churches don’t pray, and if people don’t have an appetite for God, what does it matter how many are attending the services? How would that impress God? Can you imagine the angels saying, ‘Oh, your pews! We can’t believe how beautiful they are. Your grass around the church is so green and well manicured.’” Jim Cymbala Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
8. Through prayer I have discovered a marvelous truth about God. “He is attracted to weakness.”
9. God cannot resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him.
10. Spiritual power is always linked to communion with God.
11. Whether a church is growing or plateaued their spirit and mission should be to be a praying church.
II. Their Prayer’s Brought Unity. (2nd Statement)
A. Acts 2:44-47.
1. “All who believed were together.” (v.44)
2. Say that with me please.
3. Believed what? Church should start at 10:30? There should be a balance of hymns and choruses in the worship service? Believed in the Baptist faith and Message?
4. That word “believe” in 2:44 is the same word used in 8:37.
5. Don’t miss this – The unity of the early church was brought on through prayer because the people believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
6. Not all of you heard me so let me say it another way.
B. It’s good and necessary to believe the things that we believe as a church and as a denomination.
1. That we are an autonomous body of believers.
2. That we believe in the doctrine of the laity and the priesthood of the believer.
3. Whether we are ah, pre or post millennialists we believe in the Second Coming of Christ.
4. That we believe and support the Baptist Faith and Message.
5. That God’s word is inspired, inerrant, infallible and holy.
6. We are committed to winning our backyard and world to Christ through the Cooperative Program.
7. Amen, PTL and Hallelujah we believe all these things.
8. Those are good and necessary, but it should not and cannot be THE ONLY TIE that binds us together as a church.
C. The tie that binds is the church that radically believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
1. Qualifying Him and Him alone to die for all sins for all people.
2. That we are saved by grace through faith and not by works.
3. LISTEN - The unity of any church should not be based upon a preacher, a program, or a building.
4. Preachers leave, programs end and buildings fall apart.
5. Yet the church that believes, prays, teaches, preaches and lives that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to redeem mankind from their sin is a church that is successful in it’s mission.
6. The church praying together regularly and systematically brought unity.
III. Their Unity Brought Productivity (3rd statement)
A. Another phrase was, “and the Lord added to the church.”
1. It would be real easy to get the idea that the success of the early church was because of Peter’s preaching.
2. It would be real easy to get the idea that the success of the early church was because they had a dynamic children’s or music or youth or young adult or Sr. adult ministries.
3. It would be real easy to get the idea that the success of the early church was because they had resources.
4. If we believe any of those possibilities or others to have a successful church God’s presence will leave us.
5. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6.
B. Let me say a word about church production.
1. My church and your church is no doubt blessed to have the ministries we have.
2. God has equipped us with staff, resources and buildings to facilitate those things.
3. We have material and programs provided by our denomination that are top notch and leaves us without excuse.
4. In my church in Cherokee this morning three people will walk the aisle and publicly profess Christ.
5. I’m sure that God has and continues to do some awesome things in your midst as well.
6. Maybe we’ve had our years when we produced attendance records, baptismal records and even financial records.
7. But if that is all you and I are interested in – God forbid.
8. What we need to be interested in is a church that prays, and when we pray God brings unity, and then our unity will produce souls for the kingdom.
9. Illus.: Max Lucado – “When people are fishing they’re not fighting.”
10. The early church was faithful to share Christ – and God blessed their production by adding to the church.
Conclusion: There is actually one other factor that contributed to the success of the early church. It first appears in 2:43, “THEN fear came upon every soul.” It also appears in 5:5,11; 9:31; 13:16, 26; and 19:27.
It was a holy fear and a respectful fear. For God and for each other. When the church prayed there was unity, and when the church was unified they produced souls for the kingdom and when souls were added to the kingdom the people had great fear for the Lord.
That’s what made the early church successful. That’s what will make our church successful. That’s the kind of church I want to be a part of. Do you, will you? The way that we start is coming together with each other to pray.
