Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the dead inaugurated a new era in the history of the world. By pouring out His Holy Spirit on the church at Pentecost, God officially initiated a global movement that would reach the ends of the earth with His gospel. The book of Acts tells the story of the church's advance. Today, we will learn lessons about our continuation of this ministry by studying a picture of an advancing church and by identifying some of the keys elements to that advance.
The Picture of an Advancing Church
What does it look like when the church is advancing as God desires?
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. (Acts 5:12-21 NIV)
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 5:27-42 NIV)
There are at least three lessons that we can learn from a church that is advancing:
1) Comparisons and jealousy will attempt to distract you from the real mission.
You are not in competition with other believers, churches, or ministries. We are all on the same team as we look to glorify God and preach Jesus to reach our cities with the gospel. If you are always worried about what is going on in someone else's camp, you, like the high priest and his associates, will miss the grace of God for your own.
2) When Jesus is preached publicly, resistance will come.
Choose to obey God anyway. As Gamaliel intimated, you cannot fail when God is authoring your story. Our generation loves the idea of private spirituality, as long as it doesn't polarize the beliefs of others. The problem with private spirituality is that it is not the life that Jesus modeled or the apostle's preached. It does not honor Jesus as the sovereign Creator and Lord of all (John 1, 3) whom all will one day face in judgment, and it does not help others who Jesus came to rescue from hell.
Count it an honor to be identified with Jesus. Warfare follows the preaching of the Word of God. Trouble does not indicate that things are being done improperly.
Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. (Luke 6:22, 23, 26 NIV)
People will resist the preaching of the name of Jesus. Our generation likes the idea of spirituality, but hates the authority that is found in Jesus' name that is above every name. Let me be clear. The reason there is only one person and one name by which we must be saved is that there is no other perfect sacrifice for our rebellion against a holy, righteous God. Jesus was our flawless substitute, prophet, teacher, and Lord, the prophesied God incarnate in whom is no darkness and who came to reconcile a fallen world to the Father through His atoning work on the cross. There is no other means or way.
If the world with it's soiled standards cannot identify you as a Christian, you can bet that Jesus will not either.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32, 33 NIV)
Do people know that you belong to Jesus? Do they know it by your proclamation? Do they know it by your life?
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” ― Socrates, Essential Thinkers - Socrates (Barnes & Noble Collector's Library)
3) The church will meet both in larger public worship gatherings and from house to house.
It is not worship service or community group. Both provide different functions and are important for the advance of the gospel. The worship service is a unified celebration of the life and work of Jesus, where the Bible is preached, sacraments are enjoyed, and we are directed in our mission for Jesus. Community groups help foster encouraging friendships and intimate, accountable bonds as you build your life around the Word of God together.
Key Pieces to the Advance
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7 NIV)
The Holy Spirit was working powerfully amongst the people producing a dynamic move of God. The leaders had the best of intentions. However, when the Hellenistic Jews began complaining against the Hebraic Jews, there needed to be an upgrade of structure so that no one fell through the cracks. As in the case with the early church, every Spirit-filled church is in process with Jesus and will need to make adjustments as it grows.
Two obstacles to Spirit-led progress
The consumer's mentality
There has been a leaning in our generation for church to become a part of the capitalist market. People never mature, because they shop for churches like a product rather than looking to be planted in relationship and grafted into service in the body of Christ. We expect this image as we walk through the church doors. (Pastor Rollan showed a picture of the Target dog with the Red card.)
The Target mentality also steals the joy out of service to God when we view church as a means of winning customers rather than making disciples. Have you been merely a consumer?
What about excellence in the church? An expectation of excellence should lead to a culture of honor and never become the god we are serving. Having a culture of honor means we do things with excellence to honor God and with humility to honor one another. We forget to keep the main thing the main thing when we find ourself:
The critic
The word for ministry literally means service. Everyone's skills and ministry are important in the advance of the gospel. Every follower of Jesus has a ministry in either word or deed. Many times, what you are skilled to do at work can be a reflection of what type of service you can add to the church.
However, many people would prefer to comment about the church than serve in and through it. (Pastor Rollan showed the Yelp logo.)
Could it be that the very thing that you see as a deficiency is the thing that Jesus is appointing you, like the seven, to bring in humility to the table? The question is, will you be one of those who complain about the distribution of food, or be one of the seven who were appointed to take responsibility in ministry so that the kingdom might advance?
The picture of old country churches were beautiful in that you had real fathers and mothers in the faith rise up to take ownership within the family. It was contrary to the big business church mentality that reduces people to seeing themselves as merely itinerant contractors. The Bible calls for the former attitude as people take responsibility for God's church:
Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:3, 4 NIV)
When we all find our proper lanes, the result is that the word of God is continually preached, God's hand moves powerfully in response to our prayers, and the number of disciples of Jesus is able to increase rapidly. This is God's goal.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 NIV)
As the church grows, leadership must be both diversified and specialized. When we begin any venture, everyone is a generalist, but there is a need for specialized service as we grow.
We all have ideas about what would benefit the church. When our hearts are right, the right things will be pulled together at the right time. It is our attitudes that count (I Corinthians 13).
You can always begin by asking what needs to be done in the family and find out how your skills can be useful in the service.
Elisabeth Elliot wrote about Amy Carmichael who was a missionary to China in her book, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael (p. 183). In it she describes the attitude that we should maintain in our service to the Lord in difficult and seemingly menial work so that His kingdom might advance in the city:
Amy was learning that if The Lord of Glory took a towel and knelt on the floor to wash the dusty feet of His disciples, then no work, even the relentless and often messy routine of caring for squalling babies, is demeaning. To offer it up to The Lord of Glory transforms it into a holy task. "Could it be right," Amy had asked, "to turn from so much that might be of profit [evangelizing] and become just nursemaids?" The answer was yes. It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which is important or unimportant - he is not greater than his master. "If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider 'not spiritual work' I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary's love," Amy wrote after many years of caring for [children she rescued from child trafficking].
The kingdom of God will advance when Jesus is preached boldly and unapologetically, in public spheres and from house to house. As this happens, more and more men and women will come into a life transforming relationship with Jesus. To serve this growing number of redeemed individuals will take the specialized service of His faithful people. Let's continue to lift Jesus high and find our places on the wall that this life saving gospel might continue to advance!
Second City Church- Chicago Fire: The Spirit-Led Church in the City Sermon Series 2014