A Master Class in Church Building

INTRODUCTION

Top holiday gift ideas for the one who already has it all…A Master Class

What is a Master Class?

It is a “class” taught by someone who has elite expertise and proven success in their particular field.

When it comes to the Church, no one can give better insight than the One Who created all things and created the Church.

ACTS 16:11-40

Acts 16:11–15 ESV

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

3 REALITIES THAT REFLECT GOD’S DESIGN FOR CHURCH BUILDING...

1) God Can Create His Church Anywhere

From the Text...

Philippi was a Roman Colony under the direct supervision of the Roman Emperor

There was no synagogue, thus Paul could not follow his previous strategies

In order to have a synagogue, you must have at least 10 Jewish men.

Philippi was known as a place of retirement for high profiled Roman Government officials

Thus the call for more expensive goods and trades, such as Lydia’s purple linens.

Philippi had a heavy allegiance to the emperor and embraced the worship of Caesar as well as a few Roman and Greek gods.

The city was heavily dependent upon the Emperor and the Roman order of life.

The absence of a Jewish synagogue is very telling. It most likely symbolizes a protected reverence for the Emperor Cult Worship.

…to Our Context

No matter how engrained and entangled a culture is to false worship and ideologies, God can still place His people and plant His Church.

We live in a place where there is a church building on almost every corner, yet that is not the norm for most of our nation.

As a Cooperative Fellowship of Baptist Churches, we still have and support our North American Mission Board because they are helping to plant churches and get the Gospel to places where there is currently not a Gospel presence.

Even in places in our own nation that are so wrapped up in life apart from God, God can still plant His Gospel and produce a community of Jesus-followers.

The Gospel of Jesus is powerful. The Church of Jesus is powerful.

Matthew 16:18 “18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Even in the life of your friends, co-workers, and family, the Gospel is powerful!

2) God Can Create His Church with Anyone

From the Text...

Acts 16:11-15 - Lydia and her household comes to faith in Jesus

Lydia was a business woman who made her living by selling purple linens…she was a fashionista.

She was a God-fearer, meaning either in her business travel or in her home town of Thyatira, she come to hear about the God of the Jews and worshipped Him.

When she heard the Good News of Jesus she professed faith in Jesus and was baptized as a display of her commitment to Him.

Acts 16:16-18 - A slave girl is delivered from demonic possession and presumably gives her life to Christ

Where Lydia was a woman of notable wealth and entrepreneurial vision, the slave girl was the complete opposite.

She was demon possessed and oppressed by masters who only cared about exploiting her for financial gain.

The demon or demons in her, in an act of oppositional defiance to the Gospel, gave much inappropriate attention to Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke.

Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, rebuked the demons in the name of Jesus and she was freed by her spiritual possessors and left unwanted by her physical oppressors.

At this point, we do not know with complete certainty that she followed Jesus, yet scholars point to the contextual clues in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that someone in the church had a past experience with being a slave…most likely this girl.

Acts 16:27-33 - A Roman jailer and his household were saved.

The Roman jailer was a blue-collared soldier who was placed in charge of and responsible for the jail and its prisoners.

With Philippi being the rich and wealthy city it was, it probably wasn’t uncommon for the jailer to be charged with foreigners who were disrupting the peace.

The desire for strict order brought routine for handling these sorts of issues: Arrest them, beat them, hold them, revisit to make sure they’ve learned their lesson, release them. If they hadn’t learned there lesson, repeat starting at step two.

As Paul and Silas were in prison, they were praying and praising…at midnight.

Why not, they had a captive audience…they were a captive audience.

God supernaturally released their chains and the prison doors.

The Roman jailer, being in charge of the prison and the prisoners, seeing the doors open, decided best to take his own life rather than face the brutal execution for failing in his duty to the Emperor.

Paul stops him and reassures him that no a single prisoner has left. (v. 28)

While the prisoners had been listening to Paul’s prayer and praise, the jailer was too.

As his earthly life was spared, he sought for his eternal life to be spared as well.

Now we see the charter members of the Philippian church:

A fashionista, a slave girl, a Roman jailer, and most likely some inmates.

…to Our Context

No matter your background, there is a place for you in God’s Church.

No matter the state of the people around you, Jesus can bring them into His flock.

I’ve heard this saying a lot lately, “We are all God’s children.” That is not true. We are all God’s creation, but only those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus are born again and adopted as the children of God.

Because of Jesus, anyone can be God’s child, but they must be born again!

3) God Creates His Church Through Transformation

From the Text...

Lydia went from an entrepreneur who worshipped God to being a saved woman who now followed Jesus and lived for God.

The slave girl was a person of deep oppression but through the Gospel of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit she was freed to live in Christ.

The Roman jailer was a blue collared worker who’s only purpose was to make money for his family and do the best he could in life, but through the mercy of God, he was made new and given an eternal purpose and abundant life.

…to Our Context

The Gospel transforms lives. It brings freedom to the captives, purpose and drive to those stuck in the grind, and hope and peace to those who live in despair.

As all of these people come together under the banner of Jesus, we see that the Church is made up of transformed people who no longer live for themselves, but live all of life all for Jesus.

If you follow Jesus, you belong in the Church.

You have a place and purpose in the Church.

You have a calling to not just sit and observe but to live out a transformed life in service to God and in service to fellow Jesus followers.

Reflection & Response

ARE THERE ANY AREAS OF YOUR LIFE YOU CONSIDER CLOSED TO GOSPEL IMPACT (WORK, HOME, FAMILY, FRIENDS, ETC.)? IF SO, ASK THE LORD TO LEAD YOU SEE THOSE PLACES AS A MISSION FIELD FOR GOSPEL IMPACT.

WHO DO KNOW THAT MOST WOULD CONSIDER UNREACHABLE BY JESUS THAT YOU NEED TO BE PRAYING FOR AND ASKING THE LORD TO BRING SALVATION INTO THEIR LIFE?

HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY THE GOSPEL OF JESUS? IN WHAT AREAS OF YOUR LIFE DO YOU NEED TO HAVE JESUS HELP YOU LIVE ALL OF LIFE ALL FOR HIM? HOW ARE YOU WALKING IN FAITH AND SERVING HIM IN THE CHURCH?