I bet you are like me, in that you have a list of things to DO.
Call the plumber, call the insurance agent, go by the grocery store, call your Mom, pick up the Dry Cleaners…
In the Second Chapter of Acts, there is a wonderful description of a list of things churches are supposed to do. What I find most interesting about this list is that it corresponds so well to the Seven Marks of Discipleship that our elders adopted several months ago.
The Seven Marks of Discipleship can be found on the front cover of each week’s bulletin. And more importantly they can be found throughout Scripture.
Take a look at the front of the bulletin.
Pray daily.
You see that in our New Testament lesson. Verse 42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship and … to prayer.”
All of the other marks of discipleship are found in this passage.
In verse 46, we read, “Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”
The disciples were not only enjoying worship every week, but every day.
The disciples were enjoying fellowship, or spiritual friendships.
They were studying the Scriptures and listening to the teachings of the apostles.
They were engaged in service – to the point that they were “selling their possessions and goods,” and giving to “anyone as he had need.” That is both the mark of service and of generosity.
They were sharing the Gospel with others, and Acts says, “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Putting a list of things to do on paper is a good thing. Our bulletin cover has that list of things to do. And we see the early church engaged in that same list of things to do.
But more than this, our New Testament lesson is encouraging us to go deeper than actions.
We are being encouraged to observe a list of things to BE and to FEEL.
We all have a list of things to do.
As Christians, there is also a list of things to FEEL.
It’s an attitude, if you will.
Attitude is very important.
We all need to have a good, healthy, positive attitude in life.
Joe Theismann enjoyed an illustrious 12-year career as quarterback of the Washington Redskins. He led the team to two Super Bowl appearances--winning in 1983 before losing the following year. When a leg injury forced him out of football in 1985, he was entrenched in the record books as Washington’s all-time leading passer. Still, the tail end of this man’s career taught him a bitter lesson.
As he put it in his own words, “I got stagnant. I thought the team revolved around me. I should have known it was time to go when I didn’t care whether a pass hit Art Monk in the 8 or the 1 on his uniform. When we went back to the Super Bowl, my approach had changed. I was griping about the weather, my shoes, practice times, everything.
"Today I wear my two rings--the winner’s ring from Super Bowl 17 and the loser’s ring from Super Bowl 18. The difference in those two rings lies in applying oneself and not accepting anything but the best. “ (Reader’s Digest, January, 1992)
The church needs to have that winning attitude.
I’ve been in groups that had losing attitudes. Community clubs, professional organizations, school organizations. You’ve been in these types of groups. You walk in and immediately you know everyone has a bad attitude. They talk about what they can’t do. They focus on the obstacles before the group. They talk about their failures.
But we need the right attitude. And our New Testament lesson from Acts teaches us about the right attitude that we should have as a church
Within this list of things to do – prayer, Bible Study, fellowship, and all of the other things the church was doing in Acts, there are also notations of attitudes!
One attitude that we find in this list is AWE.
Some translations render this word FEAR. In fact, in the Greek language the word that is used here is PHOBOS. Which is where we get the word Phobia. You have any phobias? Any fears?
I have a phobia about heights. If I’m on the 79th floor of a building. Or say the 20th floor. Or even the 2nd floor – if I am on a balcony I force myself to go to the edge of the balcony and lean over and look down. Gotta face that fear!
That’s not what the Bible is talking about!
But it is close to it.
Have you ever been with someone that you felt such respect for, that you experienced something close to fear – but it wasn’t fear.
My high school principal. Well, maybe some people were afraid of him. But for me, it was not fear – it was awe and wonder. He commanded respect. He was big. He was tough. He cared deeply for the students. Whenever I talked with him, I wasn’t afraid, but I was filled with respect.
I think we’ve lost that with God.
We aren’t intimidated by God. We aren’t filled awe. We aren’t amazed by God. I’m not sure we respect God anymore.
We talk so much about the love of God that we almost minimize any concept that God might become angry with us, or discipline us, or become provoked with us in any way.
And so, we talk about same sex marriages. We remove the Ten Commandments from our lives and our society. And when we do we talk about how much God loves us. Which is true – he does. But we talk so much about love that we haven’t talked enough about the awe and wonder we should have for God. We have forgotten how to respect God.
In The Chronicles of Narnia, an allegory by C. S. Lewis, the author has two girls, Susan and Lucy, getting ready to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Christ. Two talking animals, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, prepare the children for the encounter.
“Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie,” said Mrs. Beaver. “And make no mistake, if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then isn’t he safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!” (Our Daily Bread, February 17, 1994)
It’s an attitude thing – and Acts tells us that the early church had the attitude of awe for God. In our New Testament lesson it says, “Everyone was filled with awe.”
Another attitude we should have is GLADNESS. Our New Testament lesson describes how the disciples met “Every day … in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
You know that joy that you have on the river bank with a fishing pole in your hand. The breeze is softly blowing. The birds are singing. It’s warm, but not hot, and you have no other place you would rather be, or need to be, than right there fishing. That’s contentment, and that is not what is meant here!
We are talking about the kind of gladness you feel when you catch the big grandpa fish. The kind of gladness that makes you want to shout “Yahoo,” or “Amen.” Or whatever!
This is a special kind of attitude. In fact, it is so special that the particular word that is used in the New Testament’s original Greek language was a religious word – a church word that you would not hear in common conversation. This word appears in no other ancient text – just in Scripture. It is as if gladness of this caliber and this quality can only be found in the presence of God. (aggaliasei page 3 BAG).
How many of you got out of bed today and said, “Hot dog, it’s Sunday. I get to go to church today!”
I don’t want to ask for a show of hands.
I don’t want to embarrass the one or two people who might have come with a less than enthusiastic attitude.
On one hand there should be an attitude of awe and respect that is almost a feeling of fear.
On the other hand, there should be an attitude of gladness of such magnitude that it surpasses any other joy you could possibly feel.
Now in the midst of these two attitudes, there should be the attitude of sincerity.
We can fake respect and awe and wonder.
We can fake joy.
But in the New Testament lesson says that the early church met with “sincere hearts.”
God doesn’t want us to DO these things of respect, awe, joy, gladness. He wants us to be BE these things.
There is no use in pretending with God to have awe or respect for him.
There is no use in pretending with God or with each other that we have gladness in our hearts.
These attitudes have to come with the attitude of sincerety.
So what about you?
If you are going to be a successful church or a successful Christian, you gotta have an attitude – and it’s gotta be the right attitude!
....
Written by Maynard Pittendreigh
This material is copyrighted, but Dr. Pittendreigh encourages the free use of this material for the glory of God.
For more sermons and worship materials, visit www.pittendreigh.com
