Sunday, August 20, 2006
Sermons and Lessons
My Mother sent me this sermon back in 2002, without attribution. Wish I knew where she got it - she wouldn't remember now. Nonetheless, I thought it worthy of sharing.
A GROWING CHURCH
Acts 2:14a, 36-47 - Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAILY THOSE WHO WERE BEING SAVED.
Dear Friends in Christ,
There are at least two kinds of people in this world. People who have no particular sense of purpose in life and those who do. Norm Peterson on the tv show Cheers would be an example of the first kind. On one show, as Norm entered the bar area, Woody asks, "What would you like, Normie?" "A reason to live.....give me another beer." On another show, as Norm goes for his favorite bar stool, Woody asks, "Can I pour you another beer, Mr. Peterson?" "Kind of early, isn't it, Woody?" "Early for a beer?" "No, kind of early for stupid questions."
Then there are those folks who have a definite sense of purpose in life. People who are on a mission and will not be distracted. Two wealthy Christians (a merchant and a lawyer ) were visiting China, and along the road they saw a boy pulling a plow with an old man guiding the process. The merchant commented on how poor they were, and the missionary guide explained that this family used to have an ox to pull the plough, but no more. When their local mission group was about to build a place of worship, they were eager to give something but had no money. So they sold their ox and gave it to the Church. This spring they were pulling the plough by hand. After a bit of quietness, the merchant commented that it must have been a real sacrifice
for that family. To which the missionary replied, "Actually, they don't really consider it a sacrifice. They thought it was fortunate they had an ox they could sell. This family had a sense of mission in life.
May I suggest to you this morning that there are at least two kinds of Christian congregations - those who want to grow and those who don't particularly care if they grow or not. Those who take seriously our Lord's command to make disciples of all nations and those who have adopted a sort of consumer mentality and are just anxious to maintain what they have. Into which category does our congregation fall? Do we have a passion for bringing people into the body of Christ or not? What about you? Are you anxious for this flock to grow or have you adopted the attitude that we pretty much have more people than we can take care of already?
Two kinds of growth, the Holy Spirit would teach us about in Acts 2 today. The first kind of growth is in terms of quantity and the second is in terms of quality.
1. QUANTITY. You cannot read the book of Acts without noticing how many references there are to the Lord growing His early Church in terms of numbers. At least 30 such references. I'll give you just ten. In today's text, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number umber that day....And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved......ch 4 - But many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about 5000....ch 6 - So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith....ch 9 - the church throughout Galilee and Samaria was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord...ch. 11 - The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord....ch 12 - But the Word of God continued to increase and spread...ch. 13 - When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.....ch. 14 - At Iconiuim, Paul and Barnabas spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed....ch. 15 - So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Is there any doubt that our Lord wants His Church to grow in terms of numbers? Does anyone here really want to debate the fact that God wants more and more and more disciples to be baptized and to believe? The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches. The kingdom of God is like a great banquet to which many are invited but all kinds of people find excuses why not to come. The kingdom of God is like a tree that is expected to bear fruit and if it doesn't, Jesus says He will cut it down.
This congregation is a growing body, in terms of numbers. In the past 15 years, we have gone from 1316 members to 1623. Over 300 addition souls, an average of 20 a year. The Lord's hand has been with us. He has been adding disciples to His flock in this place in terms of quantity, but the second question has to do with the quality of our devotion to God.
2. QUALITY...... While our membership has grown, our church attendance has pretty much stayed the same, and our Bible Class participation has actually declined. Now to be sure these are only two bits of evidence with regard to the depth of our commitment to God, but they are indicators.
It's important to ask questions of ourselves and to hold each other accountable to the vows we have made before God and one another? Are we devoted to the teachings of the apostles and prophets, or do we find all kind of excuses why we cannot find time to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word of God? Are we devoted to this fellowship of believers or have we fallen into a sort of consumer mentality that simply wants to get something out of church for ourselves? Are we weeping with those whose lives are in a downward spiral or have we not even bothered to learn the names of fellow saints? Are we rejoicing with each other in the blessings of life or are we more likely to covet that prosperity which others enjoy? Are we carefully and regularly examining our lives and then regularly receiving the very body and blood of our Redeemer or is our communion participation hit and miss? Are we finding a quiet time to pray and reflect on God's Word every day or do we pretty much pray only when life is really difficult and before meals?
At first glance it seems as though the early Christians were just plain wonderful people who had figured out the importance of spending time with God. The temptation would be just to urge you all to be like those early Christians. But the simple truth is that these early Christians were just as poor and just as miserable in their sinfulness as we are. The Bible said that Peter had to warn them with many words. He pleaded with them to be saved from their corrupt generation. He preached and he prodded and he proclaimed and he promised. He spoke the law so clearly that the Bible says "they were cut to the heart" and they asked Peter and the other apostles "what shall we do?"
Dear friends, the answer to their question is the same today as it was yesterday and as it will be forever. Repent and be believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Every day, people of God, be coming to the cross and be admitting your sins and be asking God to have mercy. Perhaps they are sins of laziness or busy-ness.......unkindness or indifference......perhaps you have been spending more time reading your newspaper than your Bibles......perhaps you have spent way more money on entertaining yourself than on supporting the Church....perhaps you have been spending more energy complaining and criticizing and carping about what is wrong in life than in thinking and talking about that which is of good report and praiseworthy and excellent.
Whatever your failures and faults have been, Jesus Christ declares to every one of you who is confessing them........Tho your sins be as scarlet they are white as snow. Tho you have made a mess of life, I say you are clean. Tho you have dug deep holes in life, I am in the process of lifting you up and setting you on your feet again. Though you have strayed often and far, I am pleased to give you the kingdom of heaven. Though you have been uninvolved and uncommitted and unconcerned, Jesus says again to you and me today, "I can still use you and I can still bless you and I can still grow my kingdom within you and in your surrounding regions and into the uttermost parts of the world.
Isn't that amazing? The other day a certain pastor drove to Rochester ST. Mary's Hospital to visit one of his members. He drove up to the underground parking ramp and the neon sign blinked again and again RAMP FULL. RAMP FULL. RAMP FULL. He drove up to the ticket place and the recording which usually said, PLEASE TAKE A TICKET. PLEASE TAKE A TICKET.......was instead saying SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. SORRY THE RAMP IS FULL. He left his window open and began to read for awhile in his Bible, all the while the recording saying SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. He knew that in a few minutes somebody would leave the ramp and then there would be room for him. He thought about how in this time and place, the doors of the kingdom are still open. There still is room, and there still is time. But the day is coming when the door will be shut and there will be no second chances. The day is coming when Jesus Himself will shut the door and say to those who have not repented and who have not believed, "Go away. I don't know you."
There are at least two kinds of people. People who have no particular sense of purpose in life and those who do. In which category are you? There still is room, and there still is time. Amen
Related Tags: church growth, sermon, lesson
A GROWING CHURCH
Acts 2:14a, 36-47 - Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAILY THOSE WHO WERE BEING SAVED.
Dear Friends in Christ,
There are at least two kinds of people in this world. People who have no particular sense of purpose in life and those who do. Norm Peterson on the tv show Cheers would be an example of the first kind. On one show, as Norm entered the bar area, Woody asks, "What would you like, Normie?" "A reason to live.....give me another beer." On another show, as Norm goes for his favorite bar stool, Woody asks, "Can I pour you another beer, Mr. Peterson?" "Kind of early, isn't it, Woody?" "Early for a beer?" "No, kind of early for stupid questions."
Then there are those folks who have a definite sense of purpose in life. People who are on a mission and will not be distracted. Two wealthy Christians (a merchant and a lawyer ) were visiting China, and along the road they saw a boy pulling a plow with an old man guiding the process. The merchant commented on how poor they were, and the missionary guide explained that this family used to have an ox to pull the plough, but no more. When their local mission group was about to build a place of worship, they were eager to give something but had no money. So they sold their ox and gave it to the Church. This spring they were pulling the plough by hand. After a bit of quietness, the merchant commented that it must have been a real sacrifice
for that family. To which the missionary replied, "Actually, they don't really consider it a sacrifice. They thought it was fortunate they had an ox they could sell. This family had a sense of mission in life.
May I suggest to you this morning that there are at least two kinds of Christian congregations - those who want to grow and those who don't particularly care if they grow or not. Those who take seriously our Lord's command to make disciples of all nations and those who have adopted a sort of consumer mentality and are just anxious to maintain what they have. Into which category does our congregation fall? Do we have a passion for bringing people into the body of Christ or not? What about you? Are you anxious for this flock to grow or have you adopted the attitude that we pretty much have more people than we can take care of already?
Two kinds of growth, the Holy Spirit would teach us about in Acts 2 today. The first kind of growth is in terms of quantity and the second is in terms of quality.
1. QUANTITY. You cannot read the book of Acts without noticing how many references there are to the Lord growing His early Church in terms of numbers. At least 30 such references. I'll give you just ten. In today's text, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number umber that day....And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved......ch 4 - But many who heard the message believed and the number of men grew to about 5000....ch 6 - So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith....ch 9 - the church throughout Galilee and Samaria was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord...ch. 11 - The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord....ch 12 - But the Word of God continued to increase and spread...ch. 13 - When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.....ch. 14 - At Iconiuim, Paul and Barnabas spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed....ch. 15 - So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Is there any doubt that our Lord wants His Church to grow in terms of numbers? Does anyone here really want to debate the fact that God wants more and more and more disciples to be baptized and to believe? The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches. The kingdom of God is like a great banquet to which many are invited but all kinds of people find excuses why not to come. The kingdom of God is like a tree that is expected to bear fruit and if it doesn't, Jesus says He will cut it down.
This congregation is a growing body, in terms of numbers. In the past 15 years, we have gone from 1316 members to 1623. Over 300 addition souls, an average of 20 a year. The Lord's hand has been with us. He has been adding disciples to His flock in this place in terms of quantity, but the second question has to do with the quality of our devotion to God.
2. QUALITY...... While our membership has grown, our church attendance has pretty much stayed the same, and our Bible Class participation has actually declined. Now to be sure these are only two bits of evidence with regard to the depth of our commitment to God, but they are indicators.
It's important to ask questions of ourselves and to hold each other accountable to the vows we have made before God and one another? Are we devoted to the teachings of the apostles and prophets, or do we find all kind of excuses why we cannot find time to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word of God? Are we devoted to this fellowship of believers or have we fallen into a sort of consumer mentality that simply wants to get something out of church for ourselves? Are we weeping with those whose lives are in a downward spiral or have we not even bothered to learn the names of fellow saints? Are we rejoicing with each other in the blessings of life or are we more likely to covet that prosperity which others enjoy? Are we carefully and regularly examining our lives and then regularly receiving the very body and blood of our Redeemer or is our communion participation hit and miss? Are we finding a quiet time to pray and reflect on God's Word every day or do we pretty much pray only when life is really difficult and before meals?
At first glance it seems as though the early Christians were just plain wonderful people who had figured out the importance of spending time with God. The temptation would be just to urge you all to be like those early Christians. But the simple truth is that these early Christians were just as poor and just as miserable in their sinfulness as we are. The Bible said that Peter had to warn them with many words. He pleaded with them to be saved from their corrupt generation. He preached and he prodded and he proclaimed and he promised. He spoke the law so clearly that the Bible says "they were cut to the heart" and they asked Peter and the other apostles "what shall we do?"
Dear friends, the answer to their question is the same today as it was yesterday and as it will be forever. Repent and be believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Every day, people of God, be coming to the cross and be admitting your sins and be asking God to have mercy. Perhaps they are sins of laziness or busy-ness.......unkindness or indifference......perhaps you have been spending more time reading your newspaper than your Bibles......perhaps you have spent way more money on entertaining yourself than on supporting the Church....perhaps you have been spending more energy complaining and criticizing and carping about what is wrong in life than in thinking and talking about that which is of good report and praiseworthy and excellent.
Whatever your failures and faults have been, Jesus Christ declares to every one of you who is confessing them........Tho your sins be as scarlet they are white as snow. Tho you have made a mess of life, I say you are clean. Tho you have dug deep holes in life, I am in the process of lifting you up and setting you on your feet again. Though you have strayed often and far, I am pleased to give you the kingdom of heaven. Though you have been uninvolved and uncommitted and unconcerned, Jesus says again to you and me today, "I can still use you and I can still bless you and I can still grow my kingdom within you and in your surrounding regions and into the uttermost parts of the world.
Isn't that amazing? The other day a certain pastor drove to Rochester ST. Mary's Hospital to visit one of his members. He drove up to the underground parking ramp and the neon sign blinked again and again RAMP FULL. RAMP FULL. RAMP FULL. He drove up to the ticket place and the recording which usually said, PLEASE TAKE A TICKET. PLEASE TAKE A TICKET.......was instead saying SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. SORRY THE RAMP IS FULL. He left his window open and began to read for awhile in his Bible, all the while the recording saying SORRY, THE RAMP IS FULL. He knew that in a few minutes somebody would leave the ramp and then there would be room for him. He thought about how in this time and place, the doors of the kingdom are still open. There still is room, and there still is time. But the day is coming when the door will be shut and there will be no second chances. The day is coming when Jesus Himself will shut the door and say to those who have not repented and who have not believed, "Go away. I don't know you."
There are at least two kinds of people. People who have no particular sense of purpose in life and those who do. In which category are you? There still is room, and there still is time. Amen
Related Tags: church growth, sermon, lesson
