ACTS 2 v 42/47
A programme
on television which talked about the ‘exodus from the
Church’. Comment was made that the Roman Catholic Church had lost
half of its membership because of the priests’ scandals, and was still falling,
and Churches right across Europe were losing thousands of
people. People were said to have little belief in God, and there was
no place in their lives for the Church. In other words. it was a
typical piece of biased reporting which we can expect. Television presenters
rarely, if ever, tell favourable stories about the Church.
It is true
of course, that many people have left the Roman Church, but it could have
pointed out many thousands still attend, and there is no other man or woman on
the planet who can attract such crowds as the Pope.
Despite what
people may have enjoy in mocking the Church, the previous two Popes were fine
evangelists, especially Pope Benedict.
People are
also falling away from all Churches, and one can understand in many cases why
this is so. But let us be fair, there are many Churches which are
full of people. Near my home, a Church has had to include an extra
service on Sundays, because they could not accommodate the numbers attending.
This inevitably suggests that in some Churches something is being done which is
not in others.
These are
dark days for the Church in this country. We live
in a post-Christian age, an age where there is no common Christian
consensus. At one time there was a more common understanding
of Christian teaching. Today, there is a condition that might be described as
rank ignorance.
We live in
a society which largely rejects God, and regards Church and Christianity as
totally irrelevant to their lives. The world sees the Church
standing for values it no longer considers acceptable.
So let us
look at the model of a Christian Church, as seen in Scripture in that first
Christian Church, which was able without any of the technological aids we have,
to attract so many followers, and see how it differs from the Church of the
present time, and see also if we can learn from that Church, how to make our
message more acceptable in a hostile climate.
Turn with
me to Acts Chapter 2 and verses 42/47, the Epistle for this coming Sunday
First it
was a Bible based Church.
They were
devoted to the Apostles teaching, it captivated them. Those early
Christians listened to the Apostles, who in turn had been taught by our
Lord. They heard all that the Lord had given and laid down, as the
faith should be lived out. It was about Jesus, who He was, what He
had to do, how to obey Him; about His second
coming to judge the world. In other words, the whole
Christian faith.
Notice when
it says ‘devoted’ themselves, this means they were committed, no half-
heartedness. The wonderful thing is that we too can follow that same Apostolic
teaching, it is written down for us in the New Testament, and it is God’s way
of providing for His people to be trained.
They met
for fellowship.
Secondly
they were devoted to each other in this church,
or, as verse 42 puts it, they were devoted to the fellowship. They
knew that when they committed themselves to Jesus, they also committed
themselves to Jesus’ people. We share a
relationship to God and to each other, based on a common spiritual life. God
put us with a variety of people we may not ordinarily like, but God expects us
to grow together. We are to care for one another, and when
others need encouragement and support, we are to give it.
This
is why we need to come, to hear and learn the Bible from readings and
sermons; praying together for our needs and the world’s; praising God as we
sing together; sharing the bread and wine in Holy Communion as we
remember what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.
Thirdly,
they were a committed Church.
They met
regularly. There are those for whom the Church is a second
choice. There are times in all our lives when personal situations
arise which call for our attention, but for some Church will take second place
in their list of priorities, something which Jesus Himself
condemned.
The church
is not optional. Jesus established the church. He did not merely establish
individual Christian living, he established corporate faith.
The New
Testament assumes that people who are believers, are connected to a local church
where they live out that faith. Individual and independent Christianity is
nowhere to be found on the pages of Scripture. So the church is not man’s
invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what
it is and how we should function in it.
It can be
so easy to go with the flow and give up, which is why the Bible urges
Christians to be together. Each year hundreds of people give up
worship. There many reasons, pressures of the world, ridicule from
friends; family trouble; a bad experience at a church, all of
which are expressly good reasons for going to church.
Then
in verse 47. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
They were an evangelising Church.
Having seen
how that early Church responded under apostolic teaching, we need to consider
how the Church now in this critical time responds with its teaching of the
Scriptures.
It is a
matter of concern that some preachers are ready to stray from Biblical
teaching, and consider we should re-interpret the Bible to meet modern ideas of
morality. This suggests that God has got it wrong, and He should be
prepared to adjust to the age. They are spreading a false gospel and
send out a wrong message. God set out in Scripture in clear terms, what is
expected of us, and all should be proclaiming the same message.
For years,
first the Labour party, and then the Conservatives, spent years in the
political wilderness, because they sent out mixed messages, and no one knew for
certain what they really stood for. The Church by not adhering to
Scripture is doing the same, leaving people confused as to what we really
believe and offer.
There is a
reluctance by clergy to speak out for fear of being labelled as a bigot, or
being discriminatory.
It
is true to say Christian preachers tend to modify teaching of
traditional values to appeal to contemporary thinking, and for fear of
offending one of the many discrimination laws promoted equally vigorously by
vociferous minorities, so falling foul of the law, which is not enforced
against other faiths with the same enthusiasm as against Christian preachers.
All this
causes a problem for parish priests, and especially for visiting
preachers. We face a problem, and none more so than those of us who
want to be true to Scripture, when not everyone is prepared to accept what is
written. I heard one Vicar preach that she didn’t think the Bible
should be taken too literally. Have you ever heard a Muslim cleric
deny or challenge any words in the Koran? Is it any wonder people fail to
respond?
It is hard
to quote the Bible without someone saying ‘Oh you shouldn’t say
that.’ The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no other name under
heaven except Jesus Christ’.
The Bible
states’ Jesus said no one can come to the Father except through me’, yet many
preachers are dodging quoting this. If we avoid telling these verses
how are people ever to come to know the gospel.
This tells
us our faith is not like other faiths which someone has made up, but rather
comes from God. Furthermore, it was given with the understanding
that nothing needs to be added, amended or subtracted from. Anyone
who does so is a false teacher. God will not ignore false
teaching, and will pass judgement on such people
Whilst I
have always admired Charles Wesley, I have recently had to study the life of
Charles extensively, in order to conduct a service in his honour, and that
admiration has grown. If he were alive today he would have much to
say at the way the Church has failed to proclaim the message he left, that
salvation was through Christ alone, the value of a person’s life was
measured by their faith, and the doctrine of heaven and hell. How
often have you heard a sermon on those subjects? He would also be
astounded to find the Apostates, in the Church he and his brother founded, and had
agreed to violate Scripture by performing same sex marriage.
Today, no
less than in any other age, it is intense biblical integrity that is needed.
Fearless courage and conviction, to stand for the truth --that Jesus Christ is
the only name that saves.
In effect
there are three options open to preachers. One is to avoid all contentious
issues. 2 To go with the flow. 3 To be true to the
teaching of the Bible.
We all want
to please and satisfy our audience, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to cause offence. But
if preachers are to be true to their calling, and preach with integrity and
honour, there are times when I suppose some people may be upset. If, sadly,
that happens, there must be doubt in the mind about the way they are
living.
We now
have, for instance, changed our outlook on morals and ethics to adopt that of
society. We have gone along with the incredulous acceptance that marriage,
(that is between man and woman) is no longer the bedrock of society, but is no
more acceptable than any other
relationships.
If ever the
Word of God was needed it is never more so than now. It calls for
people to turn back to God, who is ready to and able to meet the needs of
everyone.
The message
we have for the world is centred upon the person of Jesus Christ and provides
for a stable and well balanced society.
May we all
commit ourselves to the preservation of the Church and the Christian faith
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