Relationships and the Local Church

Intro

I am really glad that we were able to pull this off today, to gather together for our Church picnic. Especially considering we were not able to have it last year due to the pandemic.

But not just our Church picnic was put on hold, most events that required people to gather were put on hold. As a result we saw large spikes in depression and anxiety as people were forced to live in isolation.

We have always known that people do not, as a rule, do well all alone. That even the most introverted person needs community. Great damage can be done to the human mind and spirit when we isolate ourselves from others and avoid relationships.

COVID-19 exposed this truth over the last year and a half. And I am grateful that a lot of the isolation is over and as a Church we are able to have days like to today where we can experience community with each other beyond a Sunday service.

But one of the mistakes that I see happening in the world today is that in our desire for community, we have traded what is authentic, for something counterfeit. With something that doesn’t provide the benefits of genuine community but is a superficial community that is void of any real connections.

We live in a world that is full of superficial communities. For example, social media can unite people in ways previously impossible, but it also can give us the appearance of community, while at the same time, assist us in producing the image we want others to see.

Social media, though not the enemy, has been used by the enemy to appeal to a generation that demanded to perform. A generation that said watch me, see me perform everything to everyone, all the time, for no reason.

And when we simply perform for others, rather than letting them know us, we cannot have real community.

And as easy as it is to blame social media and to blame those that use it, we need to understand that this same dynamic exists in many Churches today.

For example, You have some that view Church attendance as being the same thing as Christian community, when it reality it is a performance instead of connection and investment in another’s life.

Look at how spiritual I am, I never miss. Yet when a service ends, if you blink you will miss them walking out the door.

Or, on the flip side, you have some that in an effort to conceal the very real struggles they are facing in their family, their workplace, or their life in general, or the sin they refuse to let go of, they will avoid church altogether but claim to have a saving faith in Jesus.

You have heard many say it, I don’t need Church to have faith in Jesus.

Power in the Text

And so we speak today of an “unchurched faith” as if that is a real thing. However we need to understand that there is absolutely no concept of this in the New Testament, or the book of Acts.

The idea that a person could claim to be a follower of Jesus and yet not be part of a local Church was not a thing in the early Church.

At the same time, the idea of a person that attends an hour and 15 minute service every week where they come to an agreed upon location, sit by themselves, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, then run out of there as soon as possible so as to go about the rest of their day was not a biblical concept either.

The biblical picture of the Church from the very beginning is found in...

Acts 2:42-47 NLT 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. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 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—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.

Throughout Acts, the people of God gathered together to worship God, experience community, and radiate out to engage in mission.

The faith of the early Church was not merely something you put on like a coat once a week so that others could see it.

It most certainly was not individualistic; those who followed ‘the Way’ gathered together. The gathering was inclusive, and both men and women were involved (Acts 1:14). As the church extended, Greek Jews were included (Acts 6:1) and gentiles (e.g., Acts 10–11; 13–21).

Initially, they demonstrated their commitment by gathering regularly in the temple courts; daily in fact (v46). This shows they were not limited to one day to worship, whether the Sabbath or the first day of the week.

They also met in homes for prayer (Acts 12:2–10), to break bread (eat together and celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Acts 2:42, 46), and to teach and evangelize (Acts 5:42).

In Acts, as early as the mid-50s AD, there is evidence of a shift from Saturday gathered worship (the Sabbath) to Sunday (first day of the week) worship.

We see that the early church was connected. They didn’t just see each other for an hour once a week or on social media; they met together. They lived life together. Acts 2:42 and 46 describe what the early church looked like: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … 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”

Big Idea/Why it Matters

When I read this description of the early Church I am saddened in a lot of ways because this is so far removed from what a Church experience is like today.

We struggle to get together for a service once a week on a consistent basis many times and yet when I read about the the early Church I see people who were together almost every day of the week. Why? Because they understood something that we have forgotten.

That in order to be an authentic follower of Jesus in a world that is doing everything it can to stop you, you need the accountability, prayers, support, correction, and encouragement of like-minded people.

The Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is the manifestation of the power and presence of God in a fallen world. And when we neglect its value, we are in essence neglecting the power and presence of God in our lives.

We need each other, and not just a casual 15 minute conversation on a Sunday morning.

It is true that sin blinds and do you know who it blinds first? It is easy to point out the sin we see in others, but it is a lot harder to see our own sin.

We like to think we know ourselves best, but as long as sin lives inside of me there will always of pockets of spiritual blindness that can only be seen by others.

We are delusional if we think otherwise. We tend to think correction is a punishment, when in reality, when we put ourselves in a position to allow others to point out where we are falling short it is actually a gift.

It is a gift because rather than God allowing us to live in error, he uses others to keep us moving in the right direction.

But when we avoid others and we avoid true biblical Church relationships we will find ourselves wandering through life in circles, unable to truly see where we should be headed.

Application/Closing

Think about our Christmas eve service. In particular the candle light portion.

One candle can light a portion of a dark room. But many candles, when brought together can light an entire room, making the darkness almost non-existent.

This is why I believe the early church saw the growth it saw as it says in Act 2:47 NLT ...And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

People aren’t interested in a service once a week. The thing that will draw others in has always been and will always be the community they see when followers of Jesus get Church right.

So today, let’s get Church right and enjoy each other company. But let’s not allow today to be the only time this happens. We can do better, we need to do better.