The Makings of a Great Church

The Makings of a Great Church

Acts 2:41-47

What is the average American looking to get out of life? Is it wealth, fame, or control over their destiny that most people are after? A 2005 Barna survey reported that 44% of adults say that having a satisfying family life is their highest priority in life.[1] Almost half of the respondents said that their highest priority in life was to be satisfied with their family life! 18% of respondents in that same survey said that completely understanding and carrying out the principles of their faith was the highest priority in their life.

You might expect me to lament the fact that more than twice as many Americans wanted a good family life than want to completely understand and obey the commands of Christ.[2] This would be a great lead-in to a fire-and-brimstone sermon about wrong priorities. Here’s the funny thing, though: I think that these two responses, which together comprise the most important priority for almost 2/3 of the people Barna polled, aren’t contradictory. Rather, I think that they are complementary.

How can they complement each other, you might ask? The answer comes when we see our church like an extended family, and as the training grounds to have both a clear understanding of Christ as well as the ability to follow Him and have the fulfilling family life that so many of us long for. I have been at churches that were good at one but only passable or even substandard at the other. Certainly it takes a great church to fill these important needs. How can we become a truly great church that satisfies these two crucial desires in our life? I think Luke gives us a picture of a model church, a church that gives us what we need to serve the Lord and have a fulfilling life. In Acts 2:41-47, Luke paints us a picture of the makings of a truly great church.

1. A Great Church has Great Priorities (2:41-42): What an amazing beginning to the church of Jesus Christ we have recorded for us in the book of Acts. Jesus ascends to Heaven in Acts 1:9, and the Apostles “huddle up” and wait for the great empowerment of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised them in 1:8. At the beginning of chapter 2 the Holy Spirit comes upon the gathered disciples such that they begin evangelizing the gathered Jews in each person’s native language[3], which causes quite a commotion! Some of the gathered crowd was perplexed, but some mocked the Apostles and thought that they were drunk.

In the midst of the commotion the Apostle Peter stood up and gave an impassioned speech, explaining the signs and wonders taking place and making a powerful case for Jesus and His resurrection. Peter, the coward who had denied the Lord in the face of the religious authorities, became in an instant the fiery and eloquent defender that we find in Acts 2! And his speech had amazing results. The response to his fantastic speech was overwhelming.

At the end of Peter’s speech we pick up in Acts 2 with the very first description of the new Christian church. These followers of Jesus for the first time have the indwelling Holy Spirit empowering them and giving them gifts, and here we find the infant church just trying to figure out what it is doing and why. There hasn’t been time for refinement, or politics, or worship wars. What we instead find in the earliest church at the very outset is a set of great priorities.

41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:41-42)

Holy cow, can you imagine being around the next few weeks? Think about it in this manner: Luke tells us in Acts 1:15 that there were about 120 people all-told that were in the fellowship of the Apostles. These were the people who were waiting for the empowering of the Holy Spirit to fulfill Jesus’ command to go and be witnesses. That’s about the size of the WG on a typical Sunday morning. Now imagine if we had a big outreach, and God blessed it so amazingly that about 3,000 people came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

What would our response be? I have to tell you, the thought makes sweat bead up on my forehead! How would we begin to disciple them all? How would we try to make connections with each one, and help them start the initial steps of walking in obedience to Christ? For that matter, where would we be able to hold worship services on Sunday? We would have to have a dozen or more worship services! We would, in short, have a logistical nightmare.

Thankfully Luke records for us the priorities of the earliest church in verses 41 and 42. The church in Jerusalem had the same kind of logistical problems we would have! These new believers no doubt placed a great strain on the resources of the early church, probably even more than they would place on us. This church shows us how to “major in the majors.” Sure we need to make sure things are in order, but Luke shows us that we must always remember that “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” A great church is built first and foremost on great priorities.

At Pentecost the disciples had a mission: preach the gospel to the people in Jerusalem. Jesus told them their first mission would be in Jerusalem[4], and they believed Him. When the people who were “pierced to the heart” in v. 37 responded in faith, the church responded with assistance. Everyone who accepted Peter’s speech was baptized. They didn’t wait for six months to make sure that the people were really serious about Jesus, or make them take a bunch of classes to see if they had a biblical worldview before they would allow them to be baptized. No sir! Every person who responded to the message of Peter was baptized.

I’m not sure how they managed to make it happen, but it looks to me like they baptized those people that very day[5]. And that day began a habit of activity in the life of the early church that we must model ourselves after at the WG. If we hope to “raise up a godly generation one family at a time” then our priorities must match theirs. Peter, the Apostles, and the rest of the disciples were interested in bringing people into the fellowship of the church. They weren’t as interested in the past as they were in the present and the future, and they sought to include as many as they possibly could in the activity and function of the church.

I want to start our discussion of verse 42 by saying that I don’t think that it describes just the worship service of the church.[6] Rather, this section of Acts 2 looks like a description of the whole life of the church. As we unpack it and look at the description Luke gives us we will see a lot more going on than just Sunday morning. And the priorities that drove the church are laid out for us in 2 parts, with a little explanation. This section describes for us the activities and attitudes that the earliest church began with[7].

a. “The Apostles’ teaching”: The first priority of the early church was “the apostles’ teaching”. Most of these people had never had the opportunity to meet Jesus and know Him, but they had His disciples with them. Because Peter and James and John and the other Apostles had sat at Jesus’ feet for three years they could pass along what Jesus taught and who He was to these new Christians. And I have no doubt that the Apostles taught these people the whole message of Christ, from first belief in Him as Savior to the rigors of discipleship to the glory to come for those who hang in there and serve Christ with their life. The first priority of the church was to teach people the truth about Jesus, and the truth about their life in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. That is what we do here on Sunday morning. In our singing, our offering, our studying, and our togetherness we focus on the teaching of the Apostles about the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord.

b. “Fellowship”: The second priority of the church was “fellowship”. This word is pretty “churchy;” it sounds very pious and religious. The term, though, only means “a close association involving mutual interests and sharing.”[8] By definition the word can apply to a church, a school, a co-op, a fan club, or any gathering of like-minded people to share a mutual interest. In the case of the church Luke gives us a little bit of amplifying information right at the end of verse 42 by unpacking what he means by “fellowship”.

Luke tells us that “fellowship” means “the breaking of bread and…prayer.”[9] If we look down a little further in our text to verse 46 Luke will give us a little insight into what focus this fellowship had:

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, (Acts 2:46)

First let’s look at “the breaking of bread.” In verse 46 Luke clarifies that this took place “from house to house.” In other words, the first mega-church in history had a great small group ministry! The church didn’t feel like they had to meet with the entire congregation all the time; rather, they knew by necessity and by common sense that we grow in smaller gatherings like we just can’t in big groups. When there are several thousand people around, we can get lost in the crowd. Even with a hundred people on Sunday it can be very easy to miss seeing someone and not realize it. In a group of a half-dozen or a dozen, though, you remember every person.

The fact that they were “breaking bread” is very important in the culture and time that we are looking at today. In America we can sit at the same table as some virtual strangers at Costco and eat a hotdog. In Jerusalem, though, having a meal with someone was a very special event. It implied togetherness, not only physically but socially. When Jesus “broke bread” with tax collectors and sinners it got Him in hot water with the religious nuts, because in their culture it implied an approval of the person and an acceptance of their hospitality. This means that the church focused on individual growth, acceptance, and accountability.

Small groups weren’t the only time on the agenda, though. Luke also tells us that they met for prayer. The Greek text actually has this in the plural, “the prayers,” and verse 46 tells us that these were the temple prayers. The temple was the largest building in Jerusalem, so it would be the natural place to have a large meeting. The most natural time to have that meeting would be when there was already a reason to be there, and Luke tells us that time was the time of morning and evening prayer that was a part of temple worship. Not only was the church focused on helping people grow relationships with small groups and friendship, they were interested in coming together as a large body for time together.

The church at its birth had great priorities. A great church today must have the same! A focus on the Bible as the inspired, authoritative Word of God is vital to the health of a church. A vibrant worship service, where Jesus is King and we come before Him, is the start. As the first church shows us, though, there is more to a great church than worship service. A great church also has members in small groups, focused on fellowship and friendship. How do our priorities stack up to the first church? Are our priorities the priorities of a great church?

Is church a priority in your own life? We come together to grow together in learning how to live for Jesus; are you a committed part of that priority? Does church happen if everything comes together on Sunday mornings (i.e. kids get dressed, no early football games, you’re not fighting with your spouse…) or is it your priority and commitment to be here?
The first church knew that Sunday morning wasn’t enough. They had small groups to encourage each other, make new people feel at home, and grow new friendships. Is Sunday morning the only time that “church” comes into your thinking, or are you looking for opportunities to plug in and build relationships? Small groups are open, but you must take the first step and show an interest in their activity.
Is your focus inward or outward? If you’ve been here for a long time are you comfortable with your social circle? We can become the “holy huddle”, which is closed to outsiders and strangers, very quickly. When you see someone you don’t know well enough to call by name, are you seeking to meet them and help them get acquainted with the WG and the opportunities they have to become a part of our family? Reach out today to someone who is not in your small group and invite them into the circle.

2. A Great Church has a Great Attitude (2:43-45): I learned a great spiritual lesson early in my Christian walk from one of my mentors, Dr. Oly Pittman. He taught me that the right thing done the wrong way is wrong. We might be tempted into the world’s idea that the ends justify the means, but God tells us instead that attitude is everything when it comes to the Christian life. That’s the next mark of a great church that Luke gives us in our passage: a great church not only has great priorities, but it also has a great attitude.

43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. (Acts 2:43-45)

The first thing that Luke sets before us is the prevailing sense of awe that the young church felt. As they focused on their great priorities, God was working in their midst and they could see it! As they saw God working through the Apostles to proclaim the good news of Jesus they stood in wonder of the great and marvelous God that they served. I notice that they didn’t get self-satisfied or content. They didn’t congratulate themselves on the effectiveness of their outreach strategy and marketing campaign. Instead they stood in awe of God.

Verses 44 and 45 show us the result of their awe for God. The believers spent their time together (which we saw in verse 42), and as a result they cared for one another. They cared so much that when one member had a need, another was right there to provide for it. These weren’t rich people who could afford to take a little out of their stock portfolio and help out struggling missionaries. Rather, verse 45 tells us that even when it cost a member some of their personal belongings they were unwilling to allow another Christ-follower to be destitute. The church took care of its own.

I think it’s very important to note that these verses do not describe the church as a commune. The believers didn’t sell everything they had and give it to the Apostles to distribute! Instead, they took care of one another. It’s very important to note as well that they took care of anyone who had a need. They didn’t sell their possessions to meet wants or luxuries. They wouldn’t let a member go destitute[10].

A great church today also has a great attitude. We have been put to shame in this regard by the Mormon church, where they provide for struggling families without exception. How can we allow a group that doesn’t follow the Bible as its standard to leave us in the dust in following a biblical mandate? We must have a great attitude to be a great church.

To be a great church we must stand in awe of what God is doing rather than taking the credit for what is going on around here. We must see Him at work and be willing to lay our egos aside. To Christ alone be the glory!
A great church today must also provide for the needs of its members. We must be involved in each others’ lives and help out when we can and where we can, meeting legitimate needs. We must look past the successful façade to see where a person is hurting. We must know the needs of our friends and family, and meet them. We have a food pantry for those who are going hungry; do you know someone who needs some of the food in it? We have access to counseling services; do you know a person or a family that needs some relationship help?
When we have a need we must not be so proud that we keep it from those in the church around us. Whether that need is financial, relational, or spiritual we must be humble enough to come and ask for a little help. A great church functions like a loving and healthy family, surrounding its members and lifting them up in time of need.

3. A Great Church has Great Results (2:46-47): What would happen if West Greenway Baptist Church could reflect the priorities and the attitude of the church in Acts 2? What if each of us could find it in our heart to commit this ministry to the Lord Jesus Christ, and commit it in such a way that we decided to focus our efforts and energy into having great priorities and a great attitude? As I learned from a professor in seminary[11], we must focus on the depth of our ministry and allow God to determine the breadth of our ministry. Let’s see the three great results that the great priorities and the great attitude of the first church led to:

46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47)

The first result that I see in verse 46 is fulfillment for the members of the church. Luke reiterates for us in verse 46 that the church didn’t try some new growth program; they didn’t experience “42 days of intention”[12]! As the church kept their great priorities front and center with a great attitude, Luke tells us that they experienced “gladness and sincerity of heart.” The members experienced fulfillment, contentment, and happiness! Isn’t that what we are looking for in a great church? When you first came to the WG, weren’t you looking for a place that would meet your needs and give you the contentment and fulfillment that you wanted in your life? That’s what the church experienced at its founding!

Secondly, in verse 47 we also see that the church was “praising God and having favor with all the people.” “The people” here is most likely a reference to the residents of Jerusalem[13], Jews who had not become a part of the church. The church, then, had a great reputation among those who were not members! It was known as a place where people took care of their own and worshiped God, and the people outside the church thought very highly of them. What an amazing concept; the church was respected and appreciated by the community.

Third, Luke tells us that God was causing the church to grow. Day by day God was using their ministry to bring people to know Jesus and worship Him. We have to remember that the book of Acts is descriptive of what happened and not always prescriptive of what should happen or will happen, but in this case their great priorities and great attitude led to amazing work by God to grow their number. Will that happen right away here at the WG? I certainly can’t guarantee it, but if someone is looking for fulfillment in life, or looking for a church home, who wouldn’t want to come to a place that is fulfilling for its members and takes care of its people?

When we keep our priorities right, and we do it with a great attitude, we can expect great results. I want to be at a church where I am glad to be there and excited about what God is doing; how about you? If we hope to be a church that looks like the one we see here, a church that can “raise up a godly generation one family at a time,” we must each keep our priorities and attitude straight. Great results spring from a church with great priorities and a great attitude, and a church is a reflection of its members.

We must first be biblical. Each and every day, take a look at your life through the lens of Scripture and see if you are focused on “the apostles’ doctrine.” Is there a place where you are disobedient or backsliding?
We must be relational. Make today the day that you decide that Sunday morning isn’t enough to grow spiritually. Make WG Family night a priority for your family. Get here for Bible Study on Sunday mornings or Sunday night. Put Family Game night on your calendar right now! Men, take the time, as hard as it is, to be among other godly men on Tuesday mornings. You may not be able to make everything, but you must be relational if we are to be a great church.
We must be caring. Find a need among the people you see here this week and meet it. Don’t assume everyone is fine because they look fine. As you build relationships this week, see where you have a skill, a supply, an abundance that meets someone else’s need and meet it.

Our church can truly be a church that is great. We need to have great priorities and a great attitude, and if we do, we can be sure that God will provide us with great results!

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

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[1] According to the Barna Group at http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=23; accessed 8/28/07.

[2] The survey asked about “their faith” and not “Jesus,” so this number could also include people of other religions. However, for the sake of simplicity I am including the entire 18% in my point.

[3] Noteworthy to the discussion of “tongues” in the church is that the first instance of them recorded in the church here in Acts 2 is clearly not an unintelligible utterance. Each person, as the Spirit gave them the words (2:4), spoke in a language unknown to them but known to some hearer in the audience.

[4] Acts 1:8

[5] The text says that there were added 3,000 “that day,” and the natural referent is to the church. Baptism was a natural inclusion point into the community, so my guess is that they baptized all of them! Perhaps they utilized the miqveh near the Temple, the ritual bathing pools that the Pharisees would use for ritual cleansing before entering the Temple. Perhaps they went and used the community baths. However it went, they got baptized!

[6] There are several elements of the worship service that aren’t mentioned here, and the expansion of “the fellowship” to community meals and prayer leads me to think that this is a description of the entirety of life in the new community of Christ.

[7] The phrase “They were continually devoting themselves” probably describes a beginning (this is what is known as an inceptive or ingressive imperfect; see Dan Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 544 for a discussion) for the church. The new church began to devote themselves to the Apostle’s teaching and to fellowship.

[8] See Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. κοινωνία

[9] The last two clauses are in apposition to “fellowship,” meaning grammatically that they “unpack” and explain the term for us.

[10] We learn in Acts 6 that this ideal eventually begins to show some strain. Some of the widows eventually “slipped through the cracks,” but thankfully the Apostles successfully delegated the responsibility for making sure everyone was taken care of, and the church maintained its attitude of care for those in need!

[11] I learned this from Dr. Darryl DelHousaye, president of Phoenix Seminary and for over 25 years Senior Pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church. SBC was and is one of the pillars of Scottsdale, and at over 5,000 members when Dr. DelHousaye left (to become full-time president at Phoenix Seminary) God had certainly provided a great deal of breadth to his ministry!

[12] I am not casting aspersion on Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life; I am, though, doubtful of a program that touts a transformation of character and church in 6 weeks. Many churches that I have seen begin this program have seen it deteriorate after a short stay by neglect.

[13] Luke shows a great preference for the term λαός (84 of 142 occurrences [59%] in the NT are in Luke-Acts); in the passion narrative in Luke he uses the term as a way to differentiate between the crowds of people in Jerusalem and the religious elite. This is the first usage in Acts, and so it seems likely that Luke continues that same usage here.