A PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE:
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER
Acts 2:42-47
S: Church
C: Purpose of the Community
Th: A People with Purpose
Pr: WE ARE TO BE DEVOTED TO COMMUNITY.
?: How? How is it observed?
KW: Practices
TS: We will find in our study of Scripture four practices that demonstrate how we are to be devoted to the community known as the church.
Type: Propositional
The ____ practice is…
I. Encouragement
II. Guidance
III. Forgiveness
IV. Love
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Make being with other believes a priority.
• Make every effort to keep unity.
Version: ESV
RMBC 15 January 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Many of you know that my favorite comic strip of all time is Calvin and Hobbes…
ILL Community: C & H
On one Sunday edition, Calvin (the boy) and Hobbes (the tiger) are in the tree house…
First Frame
And Calvin announces…
C: This meeting of the top secret club G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid of Slimy Girls) will come to order. Today, this august assembly will decide whether to demote President Hobbes on charges of heresy!
H: HERESY?!
Second Frame
C: Let the record show that the defendant made an undisparaging comment about the possible membership of Susie Derkins, an admitted girl, and enemy of this club.
Third Frame
Hobbes responds…
H: Let the record also show that supreme dictator-for-life Calvin is a nincompoop.
C: OK, just for that you’re also charged with insubordination! This court finds you guilty on both counts and strips you of your title!
Fourth Frame
H: Ha! As court stenographer I refuse to enter the verdict! In fact, I’m promoting myself to “El Tigre Numero Uno”!
C: Oh yeah! Well then, I promote myself to “Most Highest Grandest, Exalted, um, Supreme, um…”
And after a few more jibes at each other, a fight breaks out between the two until they mutually call a truce.
Ninth Frame
The truce declared, the final frame sees them recovering form their injuries, standing where they started in the tree house. Calvin says…
C: What a great club. Too bad we don’t have more members.
H: Maybe we should allow Susie to join.
Leaving us to wonder if the fight won’t start all over again!
One thing for sure, in the comic strip, regardless of the fight, they are tremendous friends.
What do you think?
Do you need friends?
Do you need people in your life?
Do you need someone to share your life with?
ILL Community: failure to thrive
I have not recently been updated about this situation, but when Communism fell in the 1990s, the West discovered that there were a lot of orphanages.
In fact, in Romania, and in many Eastern European countries, there were so many orphans institutionalized that there wasn’t enough food or medical supplies or staff members to take care of them. The babies, often past toddler age, were still kept in diapers and placed in cribs because there was no other way to take care of them. They were lifted out to be fed and they infrequently had their diapers changed. There was no real physical contact with other humans, especially any of the cuddling and holding that babies need to develop normally.
Most of these children, without intervention, ended up in semi-catatonic states and often died from a lack of human contact. This condition is called “failure to thrive syndrome.”
TRANSITION:
“Failure to thrive syndrome” happens because…
1. We are wired for relationships.
We need to understand that “failure to thrive syndrome” can happen to us.
And it can happen to us in the context of our spiritual lives.
But, know this…
It can be avoided and it can be cured.
First, let us understand that…
2. We are placed into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13).
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit places us into the body of Christ.
We have no choice.
It is what happens.
We are set into it.
And when we become a part of the body of Christ, we are joined together with innumerable others.
We are bound together.
We belong to each other.
This means that…
3. WE ARE TO BE DEVOTED TO COMMUNITY.
Our theme verse for the year is Acts 2:42.
In describing the early church, it says…
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
The early church devoted themselves to the fellowship.
They did so because it isn’t always easy to follow Christ.
Times can be rough.
Discouragement comes.
Apathy sets in.
Doubts occur.
Materialism distracts.
But if…
4. We are to be a people with purpose.
…we need to recognize that our fellowship…our community…our church is an essential part of that.
ILL Church: Frazee
In his book, The Connecting Church, Randy Frazee writes…
“The experience of authentic community is one of the purposes God intends to be fulfilled by the church. The writings of Scripture lead one to conclude that God intends the church, not to be one more bolt on the wheel of activity in our lives, but the very hub at the center of one’s life…”
In other words, this community is not meant to be an optional part of our lives.
Instead, it is to be a priority.
So, if this is to happen, how is it observed?
Well…
5. We will find in our study of Scripture four practices that demonstrate how we are to be devoted to the community known as the church (Acts 2:42-47).
(42) And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (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.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first practice is ENCOURAGEMENT.
ILL Friendship: Need a buddy
In an article in Focus on the Family magazine, author Stu Weber illustrates what is needed to survive the tough times.
The article looked back on the year 1967. The war in Vietnam was building to its peak, and one stop for young army officers was the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning.
A tough, battle tested sergeant stood before the young, anxious recruits. He told them that the next nine weeks would be the toughest they had ever experienced. He said many wouldn’t make the grade – it was just too tough.
The sergeant talked about the war that was going on in Vietnam and he talked about killing and death. He talked about how training was tough because it was designed to save lives – the lives of the American soldiers. And he said he was going to do that by making them face their greatest fears, overcome their weaknesses and endure what they never dreamed possible.
Then the sergeant announced that they were about to start with step one. There was a pause, and all the soldiers feared the worst about what step one might be. But they were surprised with its simplicity.
He told the soldiers to find a buddy.
"This is step one," the sergeant growled. "You need to find yourself a Ranger buddy. You will stick together. You will never leave each other. You will encourage each other, and, as necessary, you will carry each other.
[Stu Weber, "Some One to Lean On" Focus on the Family Magazine (June 1996).]
That sergeant spoke a wonderful biblical truth.
Nobody is designed to do life alone.
Instead…
1. We look out for each other (Galatians 6:2).
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
We are to be there for each other.
When there are rough times…
When there are difficult times…
When there are sad times…
Jesus would have us there for each other.
For when we do…
2. We empower each other (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
(9) Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. (10) For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (11) Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? (12) And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him — a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
ILL Support: pine trees hold each other up
About a dozen winters ago, heavy snows hit North Carolina. Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along I-40. Next to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young pine trees. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow - so low that branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk or branches of another.
Where trees stood alone, however, the effect of the heavy snow was different. The branches had become heavier and heavier. Since there was no other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark and alone in the cold snow.
God has designed us to help each other.
We support each other.
We strengthen each other.
We give courage to one another to stand up to the storm of life.
When the storms of life hit, we need to be standing close to other Christians.
We need each other; we are not designed to stand alone.
II. The second practice is GUIDANCE (cf. Ephesians 3:10).
ILL Counsel: poison
A man goes to see the Pastor, "Pastor, something terrible is happening and I have to talk to you about it."
The Pastor asked, "What’s wrong?"
The man replied, "My wife is poisoning me."
The Pastor, very surprised by this, asks, "How can that be?"
The man then pleads, "I’m telling you, I’m certain she’s poisoning me, what should I do?"
The Pastor then offers, "Tell you what. Let me talk to her, I’ll see what I can find out and I’ll let you know."
A week later the Pastor calls the man and says, "Well, I spoke to your wife. I spoke to her on the phone for three hours. You want my advice?"
The man said, “Yes.”
The Pastor replied, "Take the poison."
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best advice in the world.
But I think this is…
1. “We need the community of believers because none of us is as smart as all of us!”
When we do this relationship thing right, we can truly build each other in the faith.
We can offer help to each other.
We offer wisdom and advice, because God is present within each believer, there is a built-in wisdom God gives the community.
Even more…
2. We need to be on guard for each other (Hebrews 3:13).
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
We even have the responsibility to call each other on things that are being done wrong.
Of course, we are to do it lovingly.
If we don’t, it doesn’t get heard.
But we do have good reason to do it.
We do it to encourage each other’s hearts.
We do it to warn of consequences that might hurt.
We do it to protect the community.
Because when one hurts, we all hurt.
And when one sins, we are all injured by it.
So, we exhort one another to live righteously.
III. The third practice is FORGIVENESS.
1. We must practice Jesus (Colossians 3:12-14).
(12) Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
We practice Jesus when we forgive as He has forgiven us.
We are so Christlike when we truly forgive.
But you know, we like to keep count of when people do wrong things to us.
We are like this fellow who wrote to a friend of his…
ILL Forgiveness: the count
Dear Friend,
You are hereby notified that under the forgiveness recommendations set forth in the Holy Scriptures - namely that we are to forgive one another 7x70 (equivalent to 490 times) - you have been forgiven now 478 times and have only 12 free passes remaining.
Signed,
Your Friend
Do you forgive like that?
You see…
2. We must discipline ourselves to let go of our hurts and grudges.
I think this is extremely hard, harder than it sounds.
For do you know what we usually do?
When we are hurt or mad about something someone has done to us…
We grumble.
We complain.
We find someone that will listen, in the name of unburdening our hearts.
But all it really is…is gossip.
And it is divisive, unkind, ungodly, and hurtful to the body of Christ.
We stir up contention and dissatisfaction, and we injure the community.
Although our American worldview might find this acceptable, to let off steam, it is not a biblical one.
Instead, we are to forgive and let go.
And there is very good reason.
ILL Forgiveness: An Act of Faith
In Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing about Grace?, he writes…
"At last I understood: in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.
Doing that, then leads us to…
IV. The fourth practice is LOVE.
1. The most powerful argument for the truth of the gospel is love (John 13:35).
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
When I come across two people in the church that are disagreeing, and holding accompanying grudges, I must come to the conclusion they don’t care.
They don’t care if people come to know Christ, because they are preventing it.
Their example of what a Christian is supposed to be like is far from what God would have for us.
And it injures the body, because they are devoted to themselves above the community.
If we understand that it is our purpose to produce people that love God, and that love one another, then we will realize that we must change our prideful ways.
For…
2. We need to be consistent (Proverbs 17:17a).
A friend loves at all times…
Don’t you feel blessed when a friend loves you?
They smile when we show up.
They support us.
They stand by us.
They accept us instead of criticizing and judging us.
They let us be ourselves.
We all like friends like this.
And when it is consistent, it is a powerful testimony that God is there.
APPLICATION:
So what is our purpose?
Our purpose is not to produce impressive buildings.
It is not our purpose to produce well-reasoned theological statements.
It is not our purpose to make inspiring music and possess well-run organizations.
Those are all fine things.
Those can be helpful things.
But they are not the main thing.
What distinguishes us from the rest is that we are devoted…
1. We are to be devoted to the fellowship.
Sometimes, when we use the word fellowship, all we think about is food.
We think of “potluck” (which I don’t believe in – I only believe in pot providence).
We think of ice cream socials and picnics.
We think of something like the Pilgrimage dinner we will be enjoying after the service today.
Some even feel that fellowship is the first rule of church growth: “If you feed them, they will come.”
But we know that fellowship is much more than food.
It is community.
And when we act as if it is an option, the body of Christ is hurt.
When we are too busy or we feel we have better things to do, we damage the church.
You see…
2. Being with each other has to be a priority (Hebrews 10:24-25).
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
We are made to have intimate relationships – this is why small groups and discipleship and mentoring relationships are important.
We are designed to serve people generously – this is why ministry opportunities are important to participate in.
We are created to share what we have – this is why we should be generous with what we have.
So we build into the lives around us – I in you, and you in me.
We value community over isolation.
And in this beautiful community, supporting each other, we laugh, praise, pray and cry together.
We do this because…
3. Unity is worth the effort (cf. John 17:23; Ephesians 4:1-3).
Jesus wanted us to know unity.
It was His prayer for us in the garden that we might become perfectly one.
He prays that because He knows that we will fail and we will fail each other.
But if we are going to maintain unity, we must learn to forgive.
We must understand each other’s weaknesses.
We must be willing to always look on how we might have the privilege to serve that person.
As Paul writes…
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Instead of focusing on what we don’t like about other people in our community, we should be thanking God for their gifts and abilities.
We should thank God that they are chosen in spite of their flaws, because He did that for us too.
We should thank God that He is in the process of changing them, like He is changing us.
And we should thank God that he doesn’t destroy us on the spot for judging another based on our arrogance and pride.
When we do that, all that stuff we don’t like will fade to insignificance.
When we do that, we will demonstrate that we are truly devoted to the community of believers.
ILL Teamwork: Special Olympics
Years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally challenged, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, the contestants all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.
All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the track, tripped, rolled over a couple times and began to cry. The others, who were running ahead of the boy, heard him crying so they slowed down and looked back at him. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.”
Then all 9 linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood and cheered for over 10 minutes.
People who were there still talk about what happened.
Why?
Because deep down,¬ we know this one thing…
What matters in this life is more than just winning.
What truly matters is being a community where we all win, by finishing together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be devoted to the community…by being devoted by being together, whether it is for worship, whether it is for discipleship, whether it is for care, whether it is for ministry…we build into each other when we understand that we are a priority to one another.
Be devoted to the community…by being devoted to unity…which means that we will treat our relationships carefully, reverently…even when we have conflict…for being one in Christ is that important…because our communication of the gospel is only as effective as our unity.
Now…
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
Books:
Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. Revised ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977.
Bruce, F. F. Commentary on the Book of the Acts The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Acts 1-12 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
Stott, John R. W. The Spirit, the Church, and the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
SermonCentral:
Bill, Brian, “Caring for Other Believers”
Chapman, Steven, “The Perfect Church”
Cole, Jason, “Are You Devoted to the Fellowship?”
Grubbs, Dan, “More than Fellowship: Understanding Koinonia”
Perkins, Alan, “Building Community – Accept One Another”
Pittendreigh, W. Maynard, “Connecting to Community”
Swenson, David, “Created for Community”
Talton, Chris, “Hand-Me Downs”
