Evangelical Fellowship
Fellowship • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week we spoke about what Fellowship does for us in general and how it affects the church. This week we are moving on to the concept of fellowship as it pertains to those outside of the church. It sounds funny that how we interact and how we treat each other in church can affect the world. It is proven in the world that internal changes can affect all those around us externally. Think for a moment how a business changes the world around them. When a business sets out with a goal in mind and gets all of their people rallied around that goal they then are able to overcome obstacles and challenges to make the world a better place. Take for instance NASA. Inside the rooms when the scientists met there was discussion about whether or not what they intended to do was even possible. If they could create machines capable of the space travel, could the human body handle the stresses of space travel. NASA leadership knew that they could not allow the fears of failure to cripple their mission and so they set out to change their internal thinking. When something happened that was viewed outside of NASA as a failure the leadership quickly turned it into a learning moment and did not allow the mindset of failure to set in. Because of their ability to change internally they changed the world forever by putting the first human being in space. This was known as the Mercury project and much is made of the Apollo mission because in 1969 we put the first human beings on the surface of the moon but long before that happened in 1959 the mercury missions began and successfully put a man orbiting around earth in space. The internal leadership and passion inside of NASA would go on to change the world. We say wow that is amazing. I would tell you that nearly 2000 years before NASA, Jesus did the same thing with His disciples. Because of the way that Jesus loved His disciples and served them others wanted to become a part of what they were doing and Jesus taught them to love one another. Because of their internal leadership and dedication to each other they changed he world and continue to change the world today. The churches fellowship changes the world around them. When the world looks at the church it is not the flashy lights, the smoke machines, the rock bands that make the impact on them. It is the way the church loves each other and takes care of each other. Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts 2:42-47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the 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.
In this scripture today we will see how the internal operation of the church changed the world around them. How can we have a church that changes the world and does not just fall in to being another church in another city in another state in another country. How can we set ourselves apart? First we will see that the first church was devoted to the Word. Second we will see that they were devoted to each other. Third we will see that their devotion changed the world.
Devotion to the Word
Devotion to the Word
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
We are first introduced to a church that is devoted to the word and the teaching of the word. They made time for it in their lives, they believed in the word and the power of scripture to change their lives and transform them into people who honored God. The early church did not view the word as just another good book or just some fancy verses that they could clutter their pinterest with. The first church was devoted to the apostles teaching. Maybe it is because we all have ready access to the scripture, maybe it is because there are so many other places that we can get good teaching from. The devotion to the scripture and to the church are decreasing. In 2020 America saw approximately 34% of people attended church weekly 12% attended never or about once a month. Today 20% of people attend church weekly, 35% of people attend never, and the remainder attend sometimes. Why is it that we have seen this change? Of course we could discuss all of the reasons that people have stopped going to church and we would be here until next year talking about the reasons but the true reason is devotion to the word. As you sit in your pew I know that you are saying that is right pastor, people just are not devoted to the Word anymore like I am. I want to challenge you with this. I am not saying that people who do not attend church are not devoted to the Word. I am saying that people stop attending church because we are not devoted to the word and its demands on our lives. We will listen when the message is something we want to hear, when it is something that sounds good to us, when it is easy to listen to. When the scripture starts getting deeper than the surface things that others can see we are not all that devoted to it any more. in our society we are devoted to things with on the surface long enough for them to reach a desired presentation. What does that mean? Here is what I mean by that. I am devoted to a diet only long enough for it to change my appearance. I want a diet to make me look better. I do not necessarily want to follow a diet for the rest of my life. I want that diet to help me get into my jeans easier, to look more stunning, to feel a little better about myself. I am not really committed to the diet because the minute that I look like I want to I stop following the diet. That is how the scripture is treated in the life of most believers in our Country. The Word is important to help us change but once we reach the status of looking changed we then walk away from the Word. Don’t believe me? Let me ask you, I want you to raise your hands as I ask these questions. Just kidding do not raise your hands but I want you to answer these questions honestly in your heart. Did you read your Bible daily this week? If you did not read it daily did you at least read it every other day? OK so you didn't read it every other day but what about twice this week? OK maybe you didn't read it twice but you at least read it when we were here last week, right? Oh you didn't really follow along? We must become more devoted to the Word. I am not telling you that you need to listen to me talk every day about the Word. What I am saying is that you need to read your Bible every day. Devote yourself to the Word and to the teaching of the word daily. How many of you watched the news daily this last week? What about got on Facebook daily? What about got on Ticktock daily? You see we are OK with things as long as they do not demand anything of us. The news, Facebook, Ticktock, none of those demand anything of us but our time. The Bible though demands that we are willing to lay down ourselves to allow the Spirit to change who we are and how we act. The Bible demands that we are devoted to allowing it to change us.
Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half-mile in less than two minutes.
Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952.
Shelly Mann was paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give. up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.
Lou Gehrig was such a clumsy ball player that the boys in his neighborhood would not let him play on their team. But he was committed. He did not give up. Eventually, his name was entered into baseball's Hall of Fame.
Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he was a committed person. He became the twenty-eighth President of the United States.
Are you really devoted to allowing the Word to change you? What things in your life are more important to you than God’s Word. You will say, pastor nothing is. You would be lying. I would be lying if I stood up here as your pastor and said that I give the word the dedication that I should. If you still believe you give it the amount of devotion that you should, simply let me see your cell phone, your laptop history, or your calendar. The early church changed the world because they were devoted to the Word of God. What does the scripture tell us of devotion?
35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he told them that they should do all they could to secure an undivided devotion to the Lord. If we want to change our world with our fellowship we are going to have to be committed to an undivided devotion to the Lord.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
We are taught that many books and much study is weariness for our flesh, we are called to be devoted not to many books and studies but to the Word of God and to lives that honor His commands.
3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
We think we have to do so many things, the fact is we simply need to be devoted to the Word and to the way Christ has called us to live.
61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Are you trying to serve 2 masters? Are you trying to serve your flesh and the things of this world while trying to maintain that you are devoted to the Word? The church that changes the World is devoted to the Word. The Word is the power to change how you live, act, and react. The church in Acts was first Devoted to the Word. The church in Acts was also devoted to each other.
Devoted to Each Other
Devoted to Each Other
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the 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,
The early church was first devoted to the Word that caused their hearts to change and caused the Spirit to move in power among them. The church in Acts because of how God changed their hearts through their devotion to His Word because devoted to each other. There was none in the church that lacked anything and there was none that was viewed as more important than another person but everyone viewed everyone else as more important than themselves. The church is losing its power in our world because, what I want is more important than what you want and I have a good reason for it. Churches will close their doors and walk away from the neighborhoods they are called to serve because what someone wants inside the church is more important that what someone else wants inside the church and neither one of them are caring about what those outside the church need. The world outside the church needs to see a church that shares, a church that sacrifices, a church that lays down their pride. For who? For each other. The scripture tells us that the early church was devoted to each other and viewed each other as more important than themselves. They shared all things in common, they spent hours together daily. The early church found reasons to be together. They enjoyed being in each others company and talking about the Lord and elevating the Lord in worship. They were worshiping God, they were selling their possessions and giving to all as any had need. Notice it did not say that they were selling it and giving it to the church, they didn't need to. They knew what others needed because they were sharing life together and were lifting each other up. The early church did not have a great outreach program, they had an amazing in-reach program and others saw the love they all had for each other and compared to the religious leaders of their day who only wanted the temple taxes and only took care of themselves, this was a different type of church. These new believers were people who read the Scriptures and took them seriously. The early church allowed the Word of God to change them and because they devoted to the Word they were overcoming the flesh. The church was gathering in each others homes to eat together, they were gathering daily for scripture reading and for sharpening each other.
17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
We read this scripture and we like to use it in the context of disagreements in the church. I disagree with you and as we work through it we help each other grow. While this is a good application of the scripture, the context of this scripture is togetherness. Iron that does not meet Iron cannot sharpen each other. If they want to sharpen each other they need to be together. That would be like trying to sharpen you knife but you never put it to the sharpening stone. I just want to see the sharpening stone from a distance. You know that stone thinks its funny but it isn't. That stone smells funny, that stone looks different. Fact is if the knife never meets the stone in person it will never be sharpened. Have you ever bought a knife set? My wife loved the Pioneer woman sets. She likes the look of them. We bought a set of knives and I always thought that stick looking thing was a skewer of some sort. I could never get it to work right though. Turns out it is a honing rod. The tool is used to repair the edge of the knife as you cut with it. It takes the fine edge of the knife and it straightens it up. The thing about it though is that the knife has to be run along its edge. The knife will not be sharp again until it runs down the edge of that honing rod. The church talks about being together but really most churches want to be together for an hour a week and sometimes that is too much. The church that changes the World is devoted to the Word and to its Members. Togetherness is what bound the early church.
“The Overview effect”- Have you ever heard of this? It is a common penomina that happens mostly to astronauts. When they finally reach space and they look back to earth they are overwhelmed with grief and it breaks them. While there are multiple recorded experiences of this effect the most common is grief. William Shatner went to space and it was supposed to be the most amazing experience of his life. Instead he found himself weeping in a corner of the spacecraft he was in. Why did he have this feeling? It was because in that time in space he realized how connected the world is. The earth designed so delicately that we are all protected by a thin layer of air surrounding the earth. Many astronauts come back from space with a distaste for war, a much stronger passion to be together with others, and a respect for the planet we live on.
The fact is we take for granted most times the relationships that we should value the most in church. Each person in the church is a person who is here for a purpose to be a part of what God has happening here. There is no greater example of this then when I look back on the people that I miss so much. I think of Art and Mary and how much God used them and how much we all miss them. I think of John Roberts and our joking back and forth. I think about Geech and how I could listen to his stories and because of how quiet he talked I had to listen with intention and I could picture every aspect of his stories, he had such a vivid way of telling what he had been through in life. I think about all the folks that we have buried in the past few years and my fondness for those relationships. The church that changes the world is not a big church it is a family. It is a group of people who take each person seriously and value each and every minute we get to spend together. It is a church that overlooks the things we do not like about each other and seek to spend more time together. It truly is a family. What does the Bible say about this family?
5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
We are together in the Family of God. We are called to love each other more than ourselves. We are called to seek each others good more than ours. The church that is devoted to the Word and devoted to Each other, changes the World.
Devotion changed the world
Devotion changed the world
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.
Because of their devotion to the Word and their Devotion to each other the world saw a distinctly different church. They saw a church where wonders and signs were being performed. They saw a church where the least of society was sitting next to the rich in society. They saw a church that served each other and did so because they believed in the Word of God and the power of God to take them back to a pre fall state. They believed that selfishness could be defeated by living like Christ and growing distant from the things of the world. To the point of selling their possessions not so others could drive BMWs but selling their possessions to help each other not starve, repair each others homes. The church was not selling their things so they could pay their pastors more money, they were selling their things so that no member of their congregation was in need of anything. The early church did not count on a welfare check from the government because they believed in their obligation to care for each other. When the world saw this they wanted that change. They wanted to be a part of something that changed them. They wanted to be a part of a family. Do others look at Highlands Baptist Church and say, that right there is what I want to be a part of. Do they see your devotion first to God’s Word and second to His children? Are we changing the world by living the Word? The church that lives the Word and loves each other is the church that changes the world. The church in America has been dying, not because people have lost their desire for change, simply because the church has decided they do not want to be that change. The church has decided that it does not need to be dedicated to the Word and to each other that we can come on Sunday and get what we need and live outside of that every other day.
The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
Why such an odd number? Because that's the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.
Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.
They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.
"Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads.
"So who built these old rutted roads?
"The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses."
Maybe "that's the way it's always been" isn't the great excuse some people believe it to be.
Maybe it is time for the church to finally change the way we measure things. Maybe it is time for us to church differently and not simply chase a number. Maybe it is time for the church to listen to the Word, allow it to change our lives, and Love one another the way Christ loved us.
Jesus would go on to use a man who once denied Him to build His church. It is OK that most churches including ours miss the mark on representing Christ. We must recognize it and change it.
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.