The Price of Pentecost, pt. 2
Acts 1:12-14
Then, to sum of vv. 15-26, it tells how they chose Matthias to replace the fallen disciple, Judas Iscariot.
The early church had none of the things we seem to think are so essential for success today:
Bldg./money/staff/internet/faxes/reputation/programs…so why were they so successful? Because they had the 1 thing most churches today do not have: the power of God on their ministry.
The glory days are in the past, because the glory of God is departed (not His presence, but His power [glory])
I want this to be a place that’s more than just another church, but where people get the help they need, where lives are truly touched and changed!
Joke—enlisted man in military/felt sick/wife said to go to military hospital on base/found 2 doors, one for emergency, other for non-emergency/went for non/long hallway/door for “sick”, another for “injured”/ “very sick” or “moderately sick”/officer or enlisted/went thru enlisted, found himself back in the parking lot!
Went home/wife asked if he went to hospital/sure did/get help?/no, but boy are they organized!
I see us becoming a well-oiled machine, and there’s nothing wrong w/ that, but there’s so much more that the masses are looking for…the real thing!
(We can have greeters in place, music just right, temperature just right {not often}, but w/out power of God it doesn’t matter a bit!)
We’re talking about paying the price to be the kind of church God wants us to be. Good churches don’t just happen by accident…somebody has to be willing to pay the price.
Acts 1 shows us 4 principles which will lead to the kind of soul-saving, community-changing power of Acts 2:
We talked about obedience last time, and will continue today w/ the next one…but let me give you all 4 so you can be thinking about them:
1. Obedience—waited in Jerusalem (that place [Exodus])
2. Unity—v. 14—one accord…as we have learned here, God doesn’t bless fussing and fighting…a house divided cannot stand. (some seem to want a problem, pull us down off our high horse, be disagreeable or have power struggles, but we will protect unity even if it means they cannot stay.)
Our motto may have changed, but our attitude has not!
3. Prayer—v. 14—they prayed for 10 days, preached for 10 minutes, and 3k got saved (today we want the opposite!) Last week most didn’t fast, prayed for 10 minutes, then had Bruce preach for 10 days, and wondered why no on was saved!
4. Godly leadership—choosing Matthias…applies to our leadership, pastoral, deacons, teachers, etc.
We can’t get everyone on board and shouldn’t expect to, but if ever we get all our leaders right, on board, in unity, and recognizing we have a problem and that the glory of God is departed, there’s just no limit to what God can do…He’ll allow us to move from ch. 1 to ch. 2!
We used the illustration of a spiritual ATM:
Obedience in…
Attendance/Tithing/Ministry
Obedience was the first of the 4 areas listed in ch. 1 in order to get the blessings of ch. 2
Let’s move on to
2. Unity
v. 14—one accord
2:1—one accord
2:46—one accord
4:24—one accord
5:12—one accord
Obviously, there was a wonderful unity among these early believers…they had the same goals/vision/purpose/mind
They sensed that they were on the threshold of something big and great…it was about to happen, and it would change their world forever…and so they agreed this was no time for arguing/petty squabbles/hurt feelings/power struggles.
Each was living for something bigger than themselves! That’s the kind of church God blesses.
Some may think it was easier for them than for us…wrong! They were just like us, and I could show you scriptures which show these same people not always getting along…during this 10 day prayer mtg. there was probably a good bit of apologizing which had to be done!
Ill.—Martha going to Mary to apologize for being critical of her worship while she was working in the kitchen/and Mary admits she never helped out as much as she should have at home/they hug and make up and are now in one accord (unity)
James and John approach other disciples and apologize for sending their mom to try to make them get preferencial treatment…they realized it was arrogant, prideful, egotistical…ask for forgiveness, got it, and now they’re in unity!
Maybe Thomas stood up to confess his unbelief, and for calling them liars…and the wall that had separated them ever since came tumbling down and they’re in unity!
God loves to bless churches like that…where members are quick to forgive/allow for human weakness and frailty/put what’s best for the church ahead of own personal feelings/filled w/ peacemakers instead of troublemakers.
Prov. 6 lists God’s hate list:
Proud look/lying tongue/hands that shed innocent blood/heart that devises wicked imaginations/feet swift in running to mischief/false witness speaking lies/…and he that soweth discord among the brethren.
That means that if you decide that your way is most important, that your feelings matter most, and you take things into your own hands, you’re guilty of doing one of the 7 things God hates the most, as you sow discord among the brethren!
Here’s 3 thoughts on unity (very imp’t since it’s one of the prices of Pentecost)
We could call this 3 ways to be a peacemaker…not a troublemaker!
1. Have a proper attitude toward yourself
Troublemakers, discord-sowers all have 1 thing in common…they are totally selfish!
Look at things in terms of “me”…how does this affect me? What will this mean to me? Is this fair to me? Why didn’t anyone call me?! You’re taking rights away from me! They’re totally selfish!
Ill.—twins on see-saw swing, have to work together: Alyssa looks at Aaron like, “if 1 of us would get off this thing there’d be more room for me!”
Guaranteed recipe for misery:
1. Think about yourself all the time
2. talk about yourself all the time
3. use “I” as often as possible
4. take personally anything people say
5. be suspicious
6. expect to be appreciated, be offended if not
7. be jealous and envious
8. never forgive a past failure, criticism
9. don’t trust anyone but yourself
10. insist on being respected
11. demand everyone agree w/ your opinions
12. sulk if people are not grateful to you
13. never forget a service you may have rendered
14. be on the lookout for how to advance yourself
15. shirk your duties if you can
16. do as little as you can get by w/ for others
17. love yourself supremely
18. be selfish
You’ll be guaranteed to whip up plenty of misery for yourself, and trouble for those around you!
Talking about troublemakers vs. peacemakers
• Troublemakers are totally selfish
But peacemakers have been emancipated from self! They no longer bow down daily at the shrine of self…it’s not that they think little of themselves, but that they don’t think of themselves at all!
Thus they’re not touchy, defensive, overly-sensitive, and you don’t have to be afraid around them.
Jesus said, he that loveth his life shall lose it…in other words, if you always think of yourself, you may think you’re advancing and getting the upper hand, but you’ll always end up getting the short end of the stick…the Lord will make sure of it!
Balance: there’s always a place for legitimate criticism/complaints…a person is not a troublemaker just because they criticize or have a complaint.
Some of the best changes we’ve made here in the last 18 months resulted from thoughtful input from you!/constructive criticism.
• The difference between a troublemaker and a peacemaker is not that one criticizes and another does not, but rather how it is done and whom it is done to!
For example, if you have a problem w/ the music or youth and you go to Bro. Ian and in the right spirit, you’re doing the right thing, because he has the power to do something about it!
s.s. teacher/jr. church/sound man/church policy/deacon/pastor
Yet many choose to use the phone to discuss such things w/ someone that’s not a part of the problem and doesn’t have the power to solve it…or out in the lobby, or sitting right in the pew before church!
But criticism is our friend when done right, to the right person…
Prov.—iron sharpeneth iron/faithful are the wounds of a friend
And in a dozen years of ministry I’ve learned a lot from criticism and very little from compliments!
[I lead the league in apologies and seem to change my mind quite easily, simply because someone criticized in a helpful, constructive way…and then left it up to me to decide!…some however, cannot let it go, and bring up the same issues over and over demanding their way, and that is destructive…you’re not leading, you’re taking a walk!]
So, there’s nothing wrong w/ criticism done in the right spirit to the right person…to do less is to sow discord among the brethren and God hates that! And when someone says something to you improperly, just kindly point them in the right direction…to the source!
That’s all under #1, the proper attitude toward yourself…
2. Have the proper attitude toward others
The peacemaker looks at people objectively, in light of the Bible, they see people thru the eyes of Jesus. They exercise grace and are willing to allow for human weakness and human failure…they forbear!
The peacemaker understands that the best of men are still men, at best!
[the best people the Bible tells us of all blew it at one time or another!]
But God is gracious and forgiving and forbearing…and there’s many here today that need to get on their knees and thank God that He’s not as hard on you as you are on others here w/ you!
This point really goes back to #1, the proper attitude about yourself…realizing you’re not as perfect as you think you are!
When we do something wrong it’s an indiscretion…
…when they do it it’s a wicked sin!
A temporary lapse in judgment…totally inexcusable!
(w/ guys discussing philosophy, choosing where to eat:)
Is it a restaurant that happens to serve beer…
…or a bar that happens to serve food?
(and how many angels can fit on the head of a pin?)
ill—Ruth Graham interview on TV/cleaned house thoroughly/then TV lights set up, turned on/saw dust she’d never seen before!
Some feel qualified to spend their energies correcting those around them, but need to shine the lights of heaven on themselves first!
Proper attitude toward self/others…
3. Have a proper attitude toward the world
We must all have 1 concern which outweighs anything else we do: reaching the lost!
Once we’re all consumed w/ that, it’s easy to overlook the little things in each other’s lives.
Phil. 1:27 …stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel
As long as we both keep our eyes on the goal, we’ll head in the same direction in one accord, in unity!
Then “I” am not imp’t, “they” are. “My rights” are irrelevant next to “their needs”.
Ill—One day all the tools in the shed had a meeting/bro. Hammer stood up to lead, but nobody liked him…he always knocked people!
Bro. Saw was always cutting people down
Bro. Screwdriver went round and round, talking in circles
Bro. Ruler never thought anyone measured up
Bro. Sandpaper rubbed people the wrong way!
They parted company, went to opposite ends of the shed, but then one day the carpenter from Nazareth came in, picked up the ruler and measured, used the saw to cut, hammered and nailed things into place, used bro. sandpaper to create a beautiful finish, and w/ all these tools the carpenter had built a beautiful pulpit from which to preach the gospel!
At the end of the day the tools got together and realized all they could accomplish when they stop focusing on each other, and simply place themselves in the hands of the Master!
The disciples decided to walk in complete obedience, and unity, and they turned their world upside down…Decatur doesn’t need to be turned upside down, but right side up! And we can experience the things we find in Acts 2 if we’re willing to pay the price of ch. 1!
Pray for unity of staff, deacons, leadership, classes, no cliques, but all in one accord!
