Four characteristics of a healthy Church!

"FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH"

Act 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

Act 2:43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

Act 2:44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

Act 2:45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

Act 2:46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—

Act 2:47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

INTRODUCTION

What makes a healthy Church? There are more seminars today on how to build a mega Church, how to increase finances, how to build a Church staff, seminars on curriculum, culture relevance issues, etc.

What is often lacking however is how to build a "healthy" Church by Biblical standards!

The Church after the day of Pentecost appears to be the healthiest and most powerful, it is the model we often look to as the "Ideal Church," so it seems fitting that if we want to discover how to have a healthy Church we learn from the example of it in the book of Acts.

Churches that are alive are not so by accident!

ILLUS:

Live churches are constantly changing. Dead churches don't have to. Live churches have lots of noisy kids. Dead churches are fairly quiet.

Live church's expenses always exceed their income. Dead churches take in more than they ever dreamed of spending.

Live churches are constantly improving for the future. Dead churches worship their past.

Live churches move out in faith. Dead churches operate totally by human sight.

Live churches focus on people. Dead churches focus on programs. Live churches are filled with tithers. Dead churches are filled with tippers.

Live churches dream great dreams of God. Dead churches relive nightmares.

Live churches don't have "can't" in their dictionary. Dead churches have nothing but.

Live churches evangelize. Dead churches fossilize.

The Bible clearly shows us what makes a healthy Church.

The characteristics of God's plan for His Church are doctrine, fellowship, worship, and evangelism.

I. COMMITMENT TO CONTENT    

Act 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

It is interesting to note that the 4 qualities of the early Church are all introduced by the statement that the CHURCH devoted themselves to them.

There is nothing "casual" about their commitment as a Church!

I wonder if this could be said of the Church today?

The idea of "devotion" here means "to be constant" or "steadfast toward."

Someone once said that "God does not have a casual relationship with anyone!"

The Church cannot afford to have less than devoted followers of Christ. We are living in a day when devotion to God is at a all time low!

The early Church was healthy because the early Christians were passionate about their commitment to Christ!  

Act 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

Act 2:43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

The first thing stated that this Church was devoted to that made them healthy is DOCTRINE!

This is not very importance today in Churches!

The Bible said that a characteristic of the last days would be that people will "not endure sound doctrine."

2 Tim 4:3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.

2 Tim 4:4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

While it is tragic that the world cares nothing about doctrine, it is an even greater tragedy when the Church does not care that much about doctrine!

Too often, even in some revivals, doctrine is pushed aside for experience!

Healthy experiences must be guided by doctrine, and not the other way around!

All healthy revivals in history had as a characteristic an INCREASE emphasis on preaching and the Word, not a decrease!

Lasting revivals are nourished by solid biblical preaching.

Momentary revivals that last only like a brushfire usually are evidenced by not much preaching and a lot of experiences.

The Bible is quite clear on the importance of the Word.

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Sometimes the Church can be misled into thinking that other things are more important than the Word of God, emphasis sometimes shifts to physical needs over the Word of God.

We must be careful not to neglect the Word in favor or other things as greater priorities!

ILLUS:

A missionary in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, reports that recently an African pastor passed through on his way home to Chad, where civil war was raging. "What would you like to take to complete your forty-four pounds of baggage allowance?" asked the missionary. "Sugar? Powdered milk? Medicine?" "If I could have some Bibles or a few good books..." "How's that?" the pastor asked. "Back home we lost everything in the war, and we learned to place less importance on that which passes away and more importance on that which lasts."

We have heard so often 'The hungry stomach has no ears' But I think we have misread Romans to say, 'Faith comes from what one eats,' instead of 'Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.'

We must not fail to share our bread with those who are hungry, but neither dare we forget that 'man shall not live by bread alone.

2. COMMITMENT TO CARING    

Act 2:44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

Act 2:45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

While doctrine was at the top of the list, it did not mean that these other items were LESS important.

Here the devotion is CARING for one another. It is called here "fellowship."

It was devotion that moved them to act toward one another.

Devotion finds a way to express itself!

They did not just look at their own lives and their own needs, they cared deeply about one another, so much that they wanted to take care of each other.

The Christian life is not just a set of doctrines, but is the WORD MADE FLESH just as it was in Christ, but now in us!

Even as Christ gave Himself for us, we are to give ourselves to one another.

It is the acts of love and fellowship that let others know that good doctrine is at work in our lives!

It is often the practical stuff that shows God's love and the power of the Word!

ILLUS:

A man came to the pastor one time and said, "I don't know what's wrong with my life, but that first Christian joy I knew has passed by. I still live a moral life. I go to church. But how can I recover the lost radiance of my faith?"

His pastor said, "this is what you should do: go to the store and buy a big basket-ful of groceries and go to an address of a poor family I will give you.

Then when you have given your gift, you sit down with them to find out what they need. Let them know that you are interested in them and that you are their friend. Then lead them in the Lord's Prayer before you leave, and the radiance will come back."

Devotion to doctrine is measured by those doctrines lived out in our lives!

Real devotion cannot be empty of action, or it is just sentimental and not spiritual!

It is not devotion to just "FEEL" for our brothers and sisters in Christ if we can do something to minister to them.

We are living in a society that has separated feelings from actions, let this not be true in the Church!

3. COMMITMENT TO COMMUNION    

Act 2:46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—

It is interesting that communion of the saints (fellowship) is followed with communion with God!

One cannot have fellowship with God that does not have fellowship with his fellow believers, and vice versa!

Because God's Word is alive, doctrine has to flow somewhere through us, towards God and towards one another!

Being "devoted" to doctrine, fellowship, and now COMMUNION reflects an effort, a constant striving towards something, in this case worship or communion with God!

The third area of devotion of this healthy Church is "COMMUNION" represented "worship" of God.

As true disciples, we are to be a worshipping community!

The early Church was characterized by its fervent worship and prayer!

The Apostle Paul severely criticized the Corinthians for their improper communion services because they had become nothing more than just a meal.

They had lost the sense of worship in communion, and in the Church!

Their devotion to worship (represented here by communion) was to be fervent and real … directed to Christ as the symbol of the communion elements.

Too often today worship has become a formality or ritual!

Worship is not just an act or a programmed list, it is to reflect the passion of our hearts, and show a devotion so strong that we cannot be sidetracked by other things when Christ is being focused on!

ILLUS:

A missionary tells of a woman in India holding in her arms a weak, whining infant, while at her side stood a beautiful, healthy child.

The man of God saw her walk to the banks of the Ganges River and throw the robust youngster to the crocodiles as an offering, and then turn toward home again still clutching the sickly child to her bosom.

Tears were running down her cheeks when he stopped to question her concerning her shocking actions; however, she proudly replied in defense of her conduct, "O sir, we always give our gods the best!"

Understand this: Unsaved people will not be turned off by a passionate worship service, the world has had enough of empty rituals and meaningless dogma, there’s a hungry to know that there is a real God worshipped by real passionate disciples!

4. COMMITMENT TO COMMUNICATING    

Act 2:47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

The fourth thing this healthy Church was devoted to is communicating the joy of salvation!

Evangelism flowed out of their devotion! Their devotion was so powerful that they enjoyed the "goodwill or favor of all the people…and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

This fourth area really has two directions of communicating: a. "praising God" - prayer

b. "adding to the Church those who were being saved" - evangelism

This last item reflects the Church's passion to speak to God and the world!

No doubt these are connected like fellowship - if it doesn't happen vertically, it is not likely to happen horizontally!

A praying Church is an evangelizing Church! An evangelizing Church is a praying Church!

The early Church was a praying Church, this fired up their evangelism!

The Church or Christian that has learned to speak to God will have no problem learning to speak to men!

ILLUS:

I'd rather be able to pray than to be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray. -- D. L. Moody, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 1.4.

A healthy Church evangelizes because it is in contact both with God and with people!

It can't help but share what it is all about! As others witness the devotion and life of a healthy Church they are attracted to the Gospel and the Church!

The best form of evangelism is to be a healthy Church and to be healthy Christians!