First century church vs today's church

My sermon yesterday came from Acts 2: 41-47 in which we read about the rapid growth of the first century church. On the day of Pentecost the church grew from 120 to 3,000, and after that we read that the church grew daily as the Lord added to the church. It seems that it would be wise to see what the church was doing to experience that kind of growth. I'll just highlight four things we see in our text that led to this amazing growth.

• They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles. This church had absolute confidence in the authority and integrity of the Word of God. They were not dependent on what the media told them. They weren't concerned with the latest poll or what the government thought about their doctrine. They could care less about what the politically correct crowd thought. They were focused on the teaching of the apostles. Remember..they didn't have Bibles. They didn't have Sunday school literature. They had only the teaching of the apostles.
• They experienced life-changing worship. The text indicated they gathered every day for worship, and this was apparently spirited worship that touched their hearts and souls. Worship should be both a noun and a verb. Worship should allow you to not only glorify God but to enable you to experience God in a way that is meaningful to you. Such worship not only blessed the new believers, but the non-believers were touched by it as well. The text said they had favor with all the people.
• They had caring relationships with other believers. They shared meals together; they shared communion together; and they shared their resources with anyone who had need. People were more important to them than possessions. Again, even those outside the church were touched by this generosity they saw in these early Christians.
• They were a praying church that saw great signs and wonders performed by God. Remember, Jesus said His house shall be called a house of prayer. No matter how big or small a church might be, it can never be a great church if it is not a praying church. Maybe you are one who doubts that God does miracles today. Let me remind you that in Matthew 13 we find that Jesus could not do many miracles in some places due to their lack of faith. I wonder whose fault it is if we are not seeing God do miracles today. Has God changed, or have we?

This early church had none of the conveniences today's church has. They had no buildings, no paid staff, no seminaries, no Bibles, no parking lots, no organs and choirs, no social media, and the list goes on. The amazing thing is that the places we read about today where the church is growing the fastest are those places that still don't have many of the conveniences we have today. They have the same things as the first century church. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what we have, but I am suggesting that it might not be enough. Maybe all our churches really needs is to make sure we are doing the same things the first century church was doing and give the Holy Spirit freedom to work in our midst. It seemed to work for them.

Who will be the next leaders in your church?

Everything rises and falls on leadership. I've written this time and again in this blog. You'll find that phrase in 2-3 of my books. I write it and speak about it so often because it is true. No organization, including churches, can rise any higher than its leadership. This includes both pastoral and lay leadership. Since leadership is so important it would seem obvious that one of the most important things a church can do is to ensure good leadership. Unfortunately, that doesn't always occur.

Too many churches rely on the same people for everything. We may complain that 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work, but how often do we ask any of that 80 percent to take on a task? How many of that 80 percent are we preparing to accept a leadership role in our churches? Too many times when a task needs to be done we immediately think of the same people we always turn to.

Churches need to have people in their leadership pipeline. We can't wait until we need a new leader and then ask someone to accept the role. We need to be developing people so we always have people ready and equipped to meet the leadership needs of our churches.

Almost every church wants to grow, but how many churches prepare for growth? Example - Your church begins an aggressive outreach effort to reach new people. What happens if you're successful? Will you have sufficient Sunday school classes or small groups to disciple these new people, or will you suddenly realize you need more teachers and have no one trained to teach? Perhaps the growth exceeds your pastoral care capabilities. How will you ensure that those needs are met while you are training new persons to provide that care? Similar questions can be asked about every area of your church life such growth would impact. Here's an even tougher question. Why would God bless your church with growth if your church isn't prepared for that growth?

Even if your church doesn't grow, it will still need new leaders in the future. Your current leadership will eventually be unable to serve. Who will replace them? To avoid burnout it's often a good idea of have a rotation system for your lay leadership, but do you have people to take their place when they rotate off for a year or two?

One of the primary tasks of your current leadership is to develop new leaders. Personally, I think the pastor should oversee that development. This does not mean he or she has to do it, but he or she must ensure that it is done. Eph. 4 is clear that the role of the pastor is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. If you are a pastor, and you are not intentionally developing new leaders for your church, you are neglecting a very important aspect of your ministry.

What is truth?

Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias tells of a time when he met with a number of Russian generals and political leaders. After their meeting one of the leaders came to him and admitted that he believed that what Zacharias had said to them was true. But then he added, But, it’s very difficult to change after 70 years of believing a lie." We in America are facing the same dilemma. We are lied to so much anymore than we don't know what to believe.

When Jesus had been brought before Pilate the Roman official asked Jesus, "What is truth?" That question is even more pertinent today than it was when Pilate asked it.

Every day we hear one group or another make claims of "fake news." Since the last presidential election such claims have been even more pronounced. Listen to the same news story told on two different programs and you'll wonder if they are about the same story. Each puts a different spin on their version of the story to promote the cause they most believe in. Maybe the truth is to be found in the middle, but today I'm not sure one can even find it there.

Politicians make statements they know are not true but hope enough people will believe them that they will take on the character of truth. If those statements are challenged their colleagues will rush in to defend them and leak false information about the ones who dared challenge them.

Manufacturers make claims about their products that they know are not true. They pay high profile people millions of dollars to support those claims hoping to make enough money off the product before the public learns the truth.

The bottom line is that the average American is lied to everyday by people we should be able to trust. There used to be such a thing as integrity in this nation where we trusted one another to tell the truth, but that day is long past. Frankly, the average American finds it hard to believe anyone any more.

There is really only one source of truth today, and that is found in the Scriptures. A Christian speaker said one time that someone asked if he believed in absolute truth. He responded, "Of course I believe in absolute truth. In fact, I know Him."

The media cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. Politicians cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. The manufacturers cannot be trusted to be honest. Only God's Word is true. It doesn't change to reflect the latest poll. It doesn't seek popularity nor does it appeal to people for their votes.

What it does do is offer hope to all who believe it. It offers forgiveness. It offers both an abundant life now and eternal life for the future. It offers us a relationship with the God who created us, and it offers us an anchor in the midst of a chaotic and wicked world. Stay in the Word, my friends, because it is there that you will find ultimate truth.

The value of rural churches

Last week I finished reading a book yet to be published about the rural church in America. The author asked me to consider writing an endorsement for the book which I was pleased to do. It is the finest book on rural churches I've read. I will tell you more about it after it is released in early summer.

Reading this book reminded me of my childhood growing up on dairy farms. The author's life and mine growing up were quite similar. I was driving tractors and trucks in the fields when my legs would barely reach the pedals. I can remember driving the tractor during hay season when I didn't even know how to turn the tractor and wagon when we reached the end of the field. Dad would jump up on the tractor, turn it down the next row of hay bales, and then jump off to load the wagon while I tried to keep the tractor straight. I'm sure someone would call Child Protective Services today on a parent who did that which makes me glad I was a kid then and not now! Life wasn't always easy on the farm, but it was a good life.

It was in a church in a small, rural community where I was saved and baptized. It was there I heard the stories of the Bible. It was there I learned the great hymns of the faith. It was in rural churches I learned many of the values that continue to shape my life today.

For twenty years I served as the bivocational pastor of a rural church. In that church we saw people come to faith in God, we saw people's lives changed, we saw people come together when someone in the church or community needed help, and we shared life together. I have nothing against large churches or churches in the city, but I love the rural church. It provides a unique service to the people and community it serves.

Many of these churches are closing, and some say that more of them should close. I could not disagree more. While the rural church is facing challenges, they continue to provide needed ministry to their communities. While many people continue to leave rural America for the city, there is still a rich field of souls found in rural communities across this nation. We need to strengthen these churches to enable them to continue providing the ministries needed by those who live in these communities.

If you are serving in a rural church, God bless you. There is great value in what you do. Please remain faithful to where God has called you. Love those God has given you. Continue to impact your communities. One day you will hear those wonderful words, "Well done, good and faithful servant...."

A passion for souls

The last time Billy Graham held a crusade in Indianapolis I attended the School of Evangelism that always accompanied his North American crusades. It was a week-long event with speakers throughout the day after which we would attend the crusade. Dr. Graham spoke in one of our daily sessions, and each member of his team and others spoke at the other sessions. It was one of the most enriching weeks of my life.

One of the things I remember about that day was the power that seemed to radiate from Dr. Graham as he entered the session in which he would speak to us. There was an authority about him that is not found in many people. He was humorous, down-to-earth, and at the same time, intense as he invited us to be soul winners.

Although the other speakers came from a variety of ministries and denominations they all held one thing in common. They sincerely believed that people without Christ were lost, and they were committed to doing whatever it took to reach as many as possible. They had a passion for the lost that permeated everything they said and did.

I'm not sure the church today shares that same passion, and that makes me wonder if many Christians still believe that people without Christ are lost. When I look at church budgets and planning I see little being done in the area of evangelism. We have "outreach," but it doesn't seem that much of it is focused on reaching people for Christ. More often, it's an attempt to get people into our churches. While that's a good thing, if this is all we mean by outreach we are not fulfilling the Great Commission.

IF we are people who believe the Scriptures as we claim to be, then we must accept the fact that persons without Christ are lost. And, if we truly believe that then we must become much more intentional about evangelism than many of our churches currently are. Eternity awaits every person, and we need more men and women like Billy Graham and his team who have a passion to reach every person for Jesus Christ. My prayer is that you are such a person.

Whatever happened to the altar call?

When I was doing regional ministry I often preached in churches when the pastor was away on vacation or when the church was seeking a new pastor. I was amazed at the number of times people would come to me after the service thanking me for giving an altar call. Evidently, this was something that had not happened in their churches in some time.

During a recent Bible study in the church I currently serve as Transitional Pastor the topic of altar calls came up. One person mentioned that the church where her son attends there is seldom an altar call given. While some in the study were surprised by that, others said they had experienced the same thing in churches they had visited.

Maybe it's a sign of my age, but I cannot imagine preaching and not giving an altar call. I never know how God might be touching some person sitting in that congregation, and I need to give him or her an opportunity to respond to that touch.

Does a person need to walk an aisle to be saved? No. But, I remember how Billy Graham would tell his audience that he was calling them to make a public decision because Jesus always called people publicly. There is something that solidifies that decision when it is made publicly.

In my altar calls I invite people who want to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to come and allow me to pray for them. I also invite persons who might want to rededicate their lives to Christ and those who are interested in transferring their membership to our church to come. I invite persons to come who want prayer and explain that I am always glad to pray with people. I also mention that, for some reason, many Baptists have forgotten about the old-fashioned prayer altar. Sometimes a person doesn't need to talk to a preacher; he or she just needs to do business with God. I invite such persons to come to the altar and pray. We've been seeing people do that more than we used to, and it thrills my heart to see it.

Pastors, don't complain about the lack of converts in your churches if you do not give people an opportunity to respond to your messages. Yes, I know, it's old-fashioned, and in many churches it's not considered cool to have an altar call. But, I'm not nearly as interested in being cool as I am in giving people an opportunity to respond to God. As long as I'm preaching I'm giving an altar call.

Old books and new

Years ago I read that one should read books by dead authors. The person suggested that every other book read should have been written by an author who has passed away. I don't do that, but I do occasionally read some older books that have become classics. One such book I'm reading now is Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. I read this book several years ago, and had it in my library. Some time back I gave the book to someone and recently decided to purchase another copy to re-read. I'm so glad I did.

For many years Lewis was an atheist who was eventually converted while a professor at Oxford University. This book was originally given as talks on the radio to England during WWII. Reading this book while recognizing that it was being given to people in the midst of a terrible war just adds to the impact of his words. It's no wonder it has sold millions of copies since first published. If you haven't read it, you should.

The other book I'm currently reading is quite different. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, written by Daniel H. Pink, draws on a great deal of research in the area of timing. Rather than guessing at when is the right time to make important decisions, there is scientific evidence that demonstrates we can improve the success of those decisions by making them at the ideal time. I've found it to be a fascinating read with much that applies to many aspects of our lives.

I must mention another book I recently finished. I was stationed on board the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam war. On January 14, 1969, while qualifying to return to the Tolkin Gulf we experienced a major fire that resulted in the loss of 28 men with over 300 additional sailors wounded. Trial: Ordeal of the USS Enterprise 14 January, 1969 by Michael Joe Carlin describes what happened that day. Carlin was on the first hose team that attacked the fire and was a first-hand witness to much of what he has written. Besides his own personal experience he has done excellent research into other events of that day related to the disaster.

Because my General Quarters station was some distance from the actual explosions and fire there was much that I did not know about that day. This book filled in a lot of those gaps. I simply could not put the book down. If you were ever assigned to a flattop or served in the Navy in any capacity I think you would find this book a fascinating read.