The Lord's Church

The Architect Has a Unity in Mind

I saw a large building the other day being erected. I do not know that it was any business of mine, but I did puzzle myself to make out how it would make a complete structure; it seemed to me that the gables would come in so very awkwardly. But I dare say if I had seen a plan there might have been some central tower or some combination by which the wings, one of which appeared to be rather longer than the other, might have been brought into harmony, for the architect doubtless had a unity in his mind that I did not have in mine.

So you and I do not have the necessary information as to what the church is to be. The unity of the church is not to be seen by you today—do not think it. The plan is not worked out yet. God is building over there, and you only see the foundation; in another part the topstone is all but ready, and you cannot comprehend it. Shall the Master show you his plan? Is the Divine Architect bound to take you into his studio to show you all his secret motives and designs? Not so; wait a while and you will find that all these diversities and differences among spiritually minded men, when the master plan comes to be wrought out, are different parts of the grand whole, and you with the astonished world will then know that God has sent the Lord Jesus.

Propositional Statement

Jesus built the church as his community that would go an impact the world through demonstration, evangelism, and outreach that adds to the church.

The Book of Acts

Luke, the writer of this book chronicles the journey of the disciples from their last meeting with Christ on the Sea of Galilee to Paul’s going off the scene. Jesus commands his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the promised Comforter empowered them to carry on Christ’s ministry of teaching, healing, and preaching about the kingdom. Judas, who returned to the son of perdition John 17:12:

John 17:12 ESV

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

As the Scripture tells, the disciples, now apostles prayed and cast lots with it falling on Matthias. The disciples, along with others gathered in the Upper Room to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Fifty days later, the Holy Spirit descends like cloven tongues of fire and the sound like a might rushing wind. Those in the Upper Room were filled and began speaking with unknown tongues and everyone understood one another. Spectators speculated those in the upper room were drunk, which led Peter to preach the first sermon beginning with the prophecy of Joel to the the resurrection of Jesus. Luke brought many to conversion through spiritual conviction. It is behind this backdrop the “first church” was born. The church is a spiritual entity built and purchased by Christ to carry out the “kingdom agenda” in preparation for his return. The church is not “brick and mortar” but she is a living organism that serves as the visible body for the Lord Jesus Christ. She is Christ’s bride preparing with great anticipation of the union between husband and wife. Revelation 21:1-5

Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Verses 42-47 describes the formation of the first church fresh after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, under the direction of the apostles Jesus’ chose to carry on his work. The infancy stage of the church showed the church at her best, and the modern church would do well to follow the model established in verses 42-47. The modern church sees budgets, branding, and buildings as priority while the soul of man is optional. Yet, Jesus’ sentiment in Matthew 9:35-38

Matthew 9:35–38 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Lord’s church are those laborers commissioned to bring in the plentiful harvest, yet the basket still seems empty while the labor force dwindles because of apathy towards church and the assimilation of the church into modern culture.

Devoted to developing relationship

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Charles Spurgeon writes in one of his sermons “The Church Healthier After Trial”

That old oak in the forest is one of the noblest works of God. Look at it bursting into full leaf, bearing well its verdant honors, and making a picture worthy of the artist’s rarest skill. What are these dry pieces of wood that strew the ground beneath it? What are these large branches that rot under its shade? It is needless to ask, for we all know that they fell from the tree during winter’s storms. Is it a cause of regret for the sake of the tree that those rotten branches were broken off? It may be a lamentation as far as concerns the broken boughs, but the tree itself would have never been so healthy, and never looked so complete if the rotten branches had been suffered to abide. When the hurricane came howling through the woods, the old tree shivered in the gale, and mourned as it heard the cracking of its boughs. Yet now it is thankful because the sound healthy branches with sap and life in them are all there, and the withered ones no longer encumber the trunk.

I do not think times of storm to a church are in the long run to be regretted; a calm is much more dangerous.

When we last seen the apostles, they were hiding in the Upper Room from the Jews and Romans that sought to extinguish the fire that Jesus started during his earthly ministry. Jesus told them in John 14:12

John 14:12 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Fear caused them to “hole up” in a room, but it would be that faith in the Upper Room that sparked the birth of the church, and the start of the Christian movement as we know it. At this stage, the first church experienced things the modern church to this day still desires to replicate. The vision of the the first church is tenderly tucked away here in our key verse for this morning. Luke no doubt talked to those who witnessed Pentecost and the church at her inception described her as a community of devoted disciples. Jesus’ twelve disciples were his devoted community, and now that small community was empowered to make an impact and a larger community. The church, or Christian religious community as a whole, or a body of organization of Christian believers. The Greek word ekkelesia, which came to mean church, was originally applied in the Classical period to an official assembly of citizens. The church is a way for followers of Jesus to act together as one body, with Jesus as the head, to fulfill this mission. At its best, the unity in Christ we experience in the church can even give us a taste of the glory to come in Revelation 7:9-10

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

The church does not do the mission; the church is the mission. The words of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20:

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus’ words here establishes the vision for the Lord’s church, and following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they would begin to share the gospel and disciple others. The phrase “devoted themselves” is proskarterountes meaning to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in.’ Luke says they were devoted in three ways: (1) to the apostles’ teaching, (2) fellowship, and (3) community. Hebrews 10:23-25

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 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.

Following Jesus is a communal activity. We both make disciples and become better disciples by seeking Jesus together. In fact, God speaks to us through our relationships with others. Facilitating this communal growth, worship and prayer is part of the mission of the church too.

The Lord’s Church pt. 2

“The Great Society”

Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States had a vision for the Great Society:

The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning.

The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a welcome chance to build and reflect, not a feared cause of boredom and restlessness. It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community.

It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what it adds to the understanding of the race. It is a place where the men are more concerned with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods.

But most of all, the Great Society is not a safe harbor, a resting place, a final objective, a finished work. It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor.

President Johnson’s Great Society focused on American cities, the countryside, and the classroom in the hope of building lives through government help. Jesus built his church as the “Eternal Society” that focuses on community, discipleship, and evangelism. Johnson said:

Men come together in cities in order to live, but they remain together in order to live the good life.

The “first church” in its infancy sought to make lives better for all people as a community united through faith in the risen savior. Verses 43-47 chronicle the activity of the first church after those in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit, and how God added to the church. No doubt, Luke interviews eyewitnesses that were present and listened intently as they recounted their time with the apostles and the first church. The first church experience the power of God on a level that the modern church still seeks to experience, and in this “Great Society,” Christians seeing God move should not be a shock but a reoccurring them. Seeing the community’s compassion for one another should not be abstract, it should be routine. People genuinely enjoying fellowship with one another is standard and not and accident. Acts 4:32-37

Acts 4:32–37 ESV

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Even here in 4:32-37, the church is consistently unified in faith, compassionate in its reach and

Acts 2:43–47 ESV

And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Demonstrated the Kingdom

Acts 2:43 ESV

And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

God empowered the apostles to do the works of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and through the book we see the power of the Holy Spirit at work. Luke 4:18-19 says:

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

“The church is not a museum; it is a mission designed to minister in both deed and word.” The idea that Luke inserted this into the text shows the importance of demonstration of the Holy Spirit in the church. Jesus tells his disciples in Acts 1:8:

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

When is the last time you were awestruck by the Holy Spirit? These here in the Upper room and through Jerusalem saw God’s hand at work, resulting in the creation of a community of faith. Where did their faith come from? It was a combination of the word and wonders by the apostles. The miracle is not the word itself, but it confirms the spoken word. If there is no demonstration, then, you may have to check your doctrine because where Jesus went, something was bound to happen and it did happen. In the following chapter, Peter heals a man laid by the gate called Beautiful (Acts 3:1-10),

Demonstrated Community

Acts 2:44–46 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

The first description of the Lord’s church here is not a disjointed body or disoriented body devoid of leadership. Luke describes the church as a unified body whose faith in Christ drew them together. He is referring to a spiritual unity, that is, they lived in harmony/close fellowship with one another, similar to fellowship in verse 42. The idea here is not koinonia, but the Greek phrase depicts the gathered community, with a strong emphasis on their unity. This unity is further expressed by their holding “everything in common.” The new body of Christ did not go their separate ways after bing filled with the Holy Spirit, but they remained near one another and they continued as one group. Here are two ideals for a community of goods seem to be combined. First, the Greek idea of a community in which everything is held in common and shared equally. It is a basically utopian concept, which can be tracked back as the Pythagorean communities and is often expressed by the same phrase. Luke employed in verse 44, “holding all things in common.” Verse 45, however, speaks against the early Christian community adopting a practice of community ownership. The imperfect tense is used, indicating that this was a recurrent, continuing a practice: their practice was to sell their property and goods and apportion the proceeds whenever a need arose. This is much more in keeping with the Old Testament ideal of community equality, of sharing with the needy so that there will be no poor among you (Deuteronomy 15:4). It emphasizes the unity of the new community. Simply put, believers lived together or regularly met for fellowship together, meaning they met together in one place. The expression “had all things in common” in this verse and the way believers treat their properties in the following verse 45 bear the same point: when people became believers, those who had money or owned property made some of it available to those who were in need. They shared belongings with one another but did not give up all of their wealth. They truly demonstrated a community of love and compassion. The ESV uses the word “possessions” that refers to personal property. Properties and possessions can be collectively translated as what they owned or what belonged to them. The last clause of verse 44 is a general statement and this verse is a more specific description of how they practically shared belongings with people among them who were in need. There is no evidence that the sharing of property was ever widely practiced in primitive Christianity. The Christians did as they willed, no one compelled them as each acted voluntarily.

Deuteronomy 15:4 ESV

But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—

They remained faithful to their Jewish worship, devoting themselves with one accord in the temple. The word translated “with one accord” homothymadon, is commonly used in Acts to express unity of purpose and particularly applies to the “one heart and mind” of the Christian fellowship. However, F. Stag points out that single-mindedness is not always a good thing. The same word is used of the angry mobs that rushed upon Stephen (7:57) and Paul (19:29). For the Christian community, fellowship and unity of purpose are salutary only when rooted in fellowship with Christ and in the unity of his Spirit. The structure of Acts should remind us of this—the unity of the Christian community derives from and is guided by the gift of the Spirit that lies at the heart of its life together.

Demonstrated their Faith

Acts 2:47 ESV

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Christian presence in the temple testifies not only to their remaining faithful to their Jewish heritage but also evidences their zeal for witness. In Jerusalem the temple was the primary place where crowds would be found, and there the Christians went to bear witnesses. If the temple was the place of witness, homes were the place for fellowship. In the intimacy of the home setting, a common meal was shared together, probably including the Lord’s Supper as well. It was a time marked by rejoicing in their fellowship with one another and with the Spirit and by their own openness and sincerity. On the giving end, they expressed their joy by praising God for his presence in their life together. On the receiving end, they experienced the favor of the nonbelieving Jewish community in Jerusalem. God responded to their faith and blessed the young community, adding new converts daily. Indeed, as with the young Jesus, so it was for the young church—favor with God and favor with humanity (Luke 2:52).

Luke 2:52 ESV

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

These last verses give an ideal portrait of the young Christian community, witnessing the Spirit’s presence in the miracles of the apostles, sharing their possessions with the needy among them, sharing their witness in the temple, sharing themselves in the intimacy of their table fellowship. Their common life was marked by praise of God, joy in the faith, and sincerity of heart. And in it all they experienced the favor of nonbelievers and the continual blessing of God-given growth. It was an ideal, almost blissful time marked by the joy of their life together and the warmth of the Spirit’s presence among them. It could almost be described as the young church’s “age of innocence.” The subsequent narrative of Acts will show that it did not always remain so. Sincerity sometimes gave way to dishonestly, joy was blotched by rifts in the fellowship, and the favor of the people was overshadowed by persecutions from the officials. Luke’s summaries present an ideal for the Christian community which it must always strive for, constantly return to, and discover anew if it is to have that unity of spirit and purpose essential for an effective witness.

Application of the Sermon: My Church is Called “Calvary”

One day, a young man was walking down the street looking for his church that his mother attended. When he was young, his mother drugged him to church every Sunday, but the young man questioned why he had to go, even after his father died just a few months ago. Yet, the man kept on going, but one day his mother left without him because he was still sleep. The young man realized that he overslept, so he hurried up and got dressed and headed out the door to church, but he couldn’t remember exactly where the church was. As he walked, an old man saw him and ask him where he was going. He said that his mom left without him for church and he couldn’t remember where the church was. The old said, well I can get you to the church, but I don’t know why you go to church, it didn’t do me any good and God took my wife. I don’t believe no preacher when they say “God is good” because if he was good he wouldn’t have taken my wife. So, don’t you do all that Jesus talk in my car…the young man got in the car and began to drive.

The old man pulled up to a church with the parking lot full of cars and a building that would put the local mall to shame. The young man said, “this isn’t my church.”

The old man pulled up to another church with a parking lot half full, and from the outside they saw the strobe lights and people entering dressed all kind of ways, and the old man said, see this is why I don’t go to church, too many fake people…but the young man said this isn’t my church either.

The old man pulled up to another church, and the parking lot had cars, but everyone seemed snotty as if they were above everyone else.

The old pulled over and asked the young man, do you remember where your church is? The young man said, I don’t know the address and my mom and I walk to church every Sunday, so it maybe better if we walk, if you don’t mind. The old man said “WALK!!” and the young man said if you don’t mind, can you walk with me. The old man said, well a little walk won’t hurt, so they struck out walking. The old man said, do you know what your church is close to? He said “I don’t know what its close to, but I do know that we walk up a hill to get there. The old man said, there is only one hill in the city, but that is a steep hill….they headed for the hill….the old man said how do you know when you made it to the church? The young man said when you see the cross, then you know you made it….

They continued to the hill and they began seeing the cross, and the old man asked why does he go to church after his father died. He said I go to church because mom said that God is good…

The old man asked what is the name of your church, and the young man said “Calvary”

Why is your church named Calvary?

Speaks of the one the prophets foretold and the angels sung about….

He was born in Bethlehem, a refugee in Egypt, spoken over by Anna and Simeon, baptized by John in Jordan, tempted by the devil and went about doing good…

He healed the sick...he raised the dead…delivered the dumb…let the lame walk…opened blinded eyes…unstopped deaf ears…preach the kingdom…betrayed by Judas…abandoned by the apostles…denied by Peter…judged by Pilate…crucified by the church…

He died…Its called Calvary because he died…