Acts 2:42-47
42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 – Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44 – All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 – Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46 – Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47 – praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-33
32 – All the believers were one in heart and mind.
No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
33 – With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
There was once an old monastery that had fallen upon hard times. Centuries earlier, it had been a thriving community of faith where many dedicated monks lived and worked and had great influence on the realm. But now only five monks lived there, and they were all over seventy years old. This was clearly a dying order. A few miles from the monastery lived an old hermit who many thought was a prophet of God. One day as the monks agonized over the impending demise of their order, they decided to visit the hermit to see if he might have some advice for them. Perhaps he would be able to see the future and show them what they could do to save the monastery. The hermit welcomed the five monks to his hut, but when they explained the purpose of their visit, the hermit could only sympathize with them.
Yes, I understand how it is, said the hermit. The spirit has gone out of the people. Hardly anyone cares much for the old things anymore.
Is there anything you can tell us, the abbot inquired of the hermit, that would help us save the monastery?
No, I’m sorry, said the hermit. I don’t’ know how your monastery can be saved. But I can tell you this: one of you is a mighty, special apostle of God.
For months after their visit, the monks each pondered the significance of the hermit’s words.
One of us is an apostle of God? Did he actually mean one of us here at the monastery? That is impossible. We are all too old. We are too insignificant. On the other hand, what if it is true? And if it is true, the which one of us is it? Do you suppose he meant the abbot? Yes, if he meant anyone, he probably meant the abbot. He has been our leader for more than a generation. On the other hand he might have meant Brother Thomas. Certainly Brother Thomas is a holy man-a man of wisdom and light. He couldn’t have meant Brother Elred. Elred gets crotchety at times and is difficult to reason with. On the other hand he is almost always right. Maybe the hermit meant Brother Elred. But surely he could not have meant Brother Phillip. Phillip is so passive, so shy-a real nobody. Still, he’s always there when you need him. He is loyal and trustworthy. Yes, he could have meant Phillip. Of course, the hermit didn’t mean me. He couldn’t possibly have meant me. I’m just an ordinary person. Yet, suppose he did? Suppose I am an apostle of God? Oh, God, not me. I couldn’t be that much for You. Or, could I?”
As they contemplated in this manner, the old monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that one of them might actually be a special apostle of God. And on the off, off chance that each monk himself might be the apostle spoken of by the hermit, each monk began to treat himself with extraordinary respect.
Since the monastery was situated in a beautiful forest, many people came there from time to time to picnic on its tiny lawn and to walk on its paths, and to go into the tiny chapel to pray. As they did so, without even being conscious of it, they sensed the aura of extraordinary respect that now began to surround the five old monks and seemed to radiate out of them, permeating the atmosphere of the place. There was something strangely attractive, even compelling about it. Hardly knowing why, people began to come back to the monastery more frequently for picnics or meditation and prayer. They began to bring their friends to show them this special place. And their friends brought their friends. As more and more visitors came, some of the younger men started to talk with the old monks. After a while one asked if he could join their order. Then another and another. Within a few years the monastery had once again become a thriving order and, thanks to the hermit’s gift, a vibrant center of faith and spiritual growth throughout the realm.
I love this story because it illustrates how powerful the fellowship between a group of Christians can be. Any church with a healthy grace-driven fellowship, will grow and even flourish. But, without it any church will literally die on the vine.
Today we are focusing on the subject of FELLOWSHIP as the third in a series of sermons. Let me remind you that we feel that God is calling us to be a church that is grace-driven. And so the purpose of these messages is to show how grace interacts with each of the five basic tasks that God gives all churches-including FELLOWSHIP. Take your bulletins and turn once more to the front….and let’s read together our new purpose statement and the third part of the acronym….the part that starts with an A.
Redland Baptist Church is a grace-driven church for a grace-needing world….affirming in the body of Christ.
I believe that FELLOWSHIP is probably the most important of each of these five tasks that you see listed in our acronym. For to the outside world the way Christians relate to one another is a litmus test proving whether or not we have actually experienced the grace of God. As the incident with the monastery shows people are attracted to a local body of Christ whose members affirm one another.
But the opposite is also true. People are repelled when this quality is painfully absent. Jesus of course knew this and so He gave us a special, vitally important commandment-one that is second only to our command to love God. Our Lord ordered us to embrace a fellowship that reflects His grace-filled love for each of us when He said, A new command I give you: Love one another IN THE SAME WAY that I have loved you…by this all men will know that you are My disciples… (John 15:34-35 ). You know, I have observed over the years that fellowship is a much-valued thing here at Redland. Wednesday night supper fellowship is so good people hesitate to leave it. We linger around those tables eagerly relating like family members that haven’t seen each in days — which makes sense — after all we are a family! And like all healthy families we all want fellowship with each other here. We need it. It brings us joy! It is fun being together in this church. In fact, I think you enjoy fellowship so much that I am often afraid to remind you its time to move on to other things on Wednesday nights. I fear that if I tried to order you to leave those tables I might have a plate of food thrown at me! The people of Redland Baptist Church love to fellowship with each other! Throw a picnic and hundreds will come to enjoy each other’s company. Host a square dance and people of all ages will crowd into our barn. Plan an outing to Cunningham Falls for young couples and the entire Adult One department will show up with their kids in tow.
You know I think the heart of our church is our foyer. That is where we interact most with each other before and after services. It just buzzes with fellowship. You can sense this body of Christ affirming itself as soon as you step foot in there. One suggestion for our future building needs is to expand that foyer and make into a sort of main street that connects all parts of the church including the new family life center. I personally like that idea because fellowship does connect the entire church. And you know our love of fellowship makes us have something in common with the early church. According to Acts 2 & 4, this first group of Christians held a high opinion of fellowship as well. Look at verse 42:They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to FELLOWSHIP! They enjoyed relationships with one another that were healthy and attractive to the outside world.
Well this morning I want us to look at this text and discover the secret to their powerful FELLOWSHIP. Doing this will allow us here at Redland to learn how to keep our relationships with each other strong and grace-filled. Okay, what was it about this early church family that made their fellowship so strong? What characteristics did they have that compelled non-believers to accept Christ & join them?
1. Well the first quality that stands out was their emphasis on spiritual GROWTH.
Verse 42 says that these members of the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching….and to prayer.. Church fellowship is not just enjoying each other’s company. It is taking seriously our God-given responsibility to encourage each other to mature spiritually. You know, part of the purpose of any family is to help each family member to grow from infancy to full physical and emotional maturity. And in a sense, the church — as a family of God — functions in the same way. Within any group of Christians there are people with different levels of maturity. Some have just been born again — They are infants in the faith. Others are spiritual adolescents. And others have been working at spiritual growth for decades and as a result are very mature….the pillars of the church. You know, the church has often been referred to as a mothering community. And I like that designation because a church with healthy fellowship is a place where people are accepted at whatever level of maturity they are and nurtured in such a way that they grow to full maturity in Christ. The New Testament is filled with instructions that gives every member the responsibility of helping every other member to become a better Christian. Romans 15:14 says we are to admonish one another. I Corinthians 12:25 says we are to care for one another. Ephesians 4:32 says we are to encourage one another. I Thessalonians 5:11 says we are to submit to one another. and we could go on and on. Because a church is a place where we help each other grow to our full potential in our walk with Christ.
Ephesians 4:15-16 says, Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things GROW up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, GROWS and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.
You know, one of my favorite magazines is National Geographic. I was reading this week of an article they once published about mountain goats. These goats live in a precarious environment to say the least. Any where you look it’s a long way to the bottom! They fellowship on steep mountain cliffs where with one wrong move they can fall to their deaths. Young mountain goats-also known as KIDS — can be in special danger because of their inexperience and playfulness. In the article the author wrote that the kids are, born to romp-and leap, twist, skip, prance but high spirits and wandering attention can be fatal for young goats. Fortunately, nannies dote on their offspring, tending them from the downhill side to block falls…. What a beautiful image for how mature Christians should care for new and maturing believers. New Christians will stumble and fall on occasion-that is certain-so we must tend them from the downhill side, ready to block them when they fall….helping them to learn and even GROW from their mistakes.
You see, the church is a place of growth-not just growth by addition but also by nutrition. We don’t just lead people to Christ….we help them to grow and mature in Christlikeness. Robert Raines says, The church is both evangelist and educator, both obstetrician and pediatrician, helping deliver those newly born in Christ and nurturing them from infancy to maturity in Christ. The Apostle Paul is a great example of this combined growth focus. He traveled throughout Asia Minor as a missionary evangelizing people. Then he retraced his steps as a teacher-theologian to educate and develop the Christian community. I love his words in Hebrews 10:25 when he says, Let us think of one another and how we can stimulate one another’s growth in loving and doing deeds…and even more as the day is approaching. And you know, fellowship is a by-product of spiritual growth. If Christians devote themselves to growing spiritually they will have wonderfully healthy fellowship. I John 1:7 says, If we walk in the light as He is in the light….if we GROW SPIRITUALLY so that we live just as Jesus would want us….we have FELLOWSHIP with one another.
So, churches that have great fellowship like that first church in Jerusalem are places of continual spiritual growth.
2. They are also places of GLADNESS
If the church is actually the family of God, it ought to be a place of laughter, a place of joy, a place where people like to go and want to be. Too often that is not the case. The preacher talks in a trembling voice that makes you feel the heavens are going to fall. The choir sings at such a slow tempo and with such scowls on their faces that the music sounds like a funeral dirge. The members are cold and unfriendly. But in grace-driven churches this is not so….people love one another. They value and cherish their time together and can’t wait for Sunday to come again.
They say with the Psalmist, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. (Psalm 122:1 ) This was obviously the way it was in the early church. Look at verses 46 & 47 of our text:
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with GLAD and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The early church learned that one thing that attracts non-Christians to church is gladness and joy. This gladness makes us stand out as a warm, joyful light in a dark depressing world.
So churches with healthy fellowship emphasize the positive…not the negative:
- ..They emphasize what God CAN do, not what we cannot do…
- ..what is best in people, not what is worst…
- ..building each other up, not tearing each other down.
They have a positive attitude of infectious gladness and joy.
3. And it is important to note that their gladness is rooted in UNITY
You know, when Jesus knew the cross was near, He prayed one final time for His followers. John 17 records this prayer-a prayer to His Father for the church-for you and me. He did not pray for our success or safety or happiness. He prayed for our UNITY. Listen to His prayer….in verse 20,
I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that they can be ONE. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that You sent Me.
So in Jesus’ last prayer before the cross, He prayed that the people who fellowshiped in churches like ours would be ONE. Unity comes from our knowledge that, whereas we are different, we do have one thing in common….our mutual acceptance of and dependence on the grace of God. And Unity in spite of diversity is a powerful magnet to draw lost people to God. But disunity drives people away. This makes sense because who would want to be a part of a group of bickering humans? Paul Billheimer was right when he said, The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the Church has been the scandal of the ages. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost than all other sins combined. Unity just may be the key to reaching the world for Christ. I think it should have precedence in our prayers…we should join the Apostle Paul and make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This does not mean we compromise our convictions or beliefs. We don’t abandon the truths of scripture. Remember those words of St. Augustine? As Christians we have freedom in the non-essentials….UNITY in the essentials…and LOVE in all things. Embracing UNITY does not mean that you can believe whatever you want….UNITY would be impossible under those conditions. But it does mean we understand how important UNITY is and so we constantly guard our attitudes and do everything we can to cherish and protect unity. You know one of the things that robs churches of unity is gossip and slander. Words spoken or written behind the back of another Christian hurt and divide the body and make it into a place that is not glad. It is Satan’s greatest weapon and he uses it ingeniously. Visitors to a church can sense this negative attitude immediately and are repulsed by it. This fall I have enjoyed listening to the book tape of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire which chronicles the amazing growth of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Our Gospel Choir have sang some of the amazing music that has come out of that phenomenal church.
Well, at Brooklyn Tabernacle, they take gossip so seriously that when they bring new members into the church they publically charge them not to gossip. Listen to the words of their pastor, Jim Cymbala, spoken to new members in front of the entire church immediately after they have walked forward and joined:
And now, I charge you, as pastor of this church, that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone-myself, another pastor, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else-you have authority to stop that person in mid sentence and say, ?Excuse me-who hurt you? Who ignored you? Who slighted you? Was it Pastor Cymbala? Let’s go to his office right now. He will get on his knees and apologize to you, and then we will pray together, so God can restore peace and unity to this body. But we will not let you talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves. New members, please understand that I am entirely serious about this. I want to help resolve this kind of thing immediately. And meanwhile, know this: If YOU are ever the one doing the loose talking, we will confront you.
Dealing with gossip in this way may seem extreme but gossip can cause extreme damage to a church’s fellowship. We who serve as your church staff believe so strongly that gossip should not be tolerated that we sign a covenant with each other agreeing not to talk about each other in a negative way behind our backs so that unity will be preserved. We can’t work together unless we have this oneness. No group of Christians can.
So, churches with healthy fellowship are places of GROWTH. They are also places of GLADNESS that is rooted in UNITY. And finally…
4. they are places of GRACE
Acts 4:33 says, With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much GRACE was upon them all. Grace seasoned their fellowship. It gave their relationships with each other flavor and an aroma that drew the lost to them as the smells of a hot meal draw hungry people into the kitchen. You see all people hunger for relationships with others that are seasoned by grace.
Charles Swindoll tells of a former marine buddy recently converted to Christianity. This friend said the only thing he missed about his former way of life was the neighborhood bar. He described it as a place where he could go and find friends who would accept him as he was, listening to his problems in a non-judgmental way. Keith Miller speaks on this in his book The Edge of Adventure: The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It is an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is a permissive, accepting, and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.
The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers. I am not suggesting that we serve alcohol and set up a regular HAPPY HOUR. But I do want us to realize that all people THIRST for grace. And if there is one place on this planet where a person should find acceptance and love….if there is one place where people can come to have their thirst for grace quenched it should be here. I Peter 4:10 says that all Christians are, stewards of the manifold grace of God. We are stewards dispensing grace. We who have experienced God’s grace tell the whole world about it and in so doing quench the thirst for grace that all people have.
In his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey tells the following story of an amazing concert that took place in Wembley Stadium in London. Various musical rock groups had gathered together in celebration of the changes in South Africa, and for some reason the promoters scheduled an opera singer named Jessye Norman as the closing act. For twelve hours groups like Guns and Roses blasted the crowd through banks of speakers riling up fans already high on booze and dope. The crowd yelled for more curtain calls and the bands obliged….whipping the people into a frenzy. Finally the time came for Jessye Norman to sing. A single circle of light followed Norman, a majestic African-American woman wearing flowing African dashiki as she strolled on stage.
No backup band, no musical instruments, just Jessye. The crowd stirred, restless. A voice yelled out for more Guns and Roses. Others took up the cry. The scene got ugly. Then unaccompanied, Jessye Norman began to sing, very slowly:
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see!
A remarkable thing happened in Wembley Stadium that night. Seventy thousand raucous fans fell silent before her aria of grace. By the time Norman reached the second verse, Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved…, the soprano had the crowd in her hands. By the time she reached the third verse, Twas grace has brought me safe this far, and grace will lead me home, several thousand fans were singing along, digging far back in nearly lost memories for words they heard long ago.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun
Jessye Norman later confessed that she had no idea what power descended on Wembley Stadium that night. I think you and I know. It was the power of thirst. Our world does THIRST for grace.
When any group of Christians allow grace to flavor the way they treat each other, the world around them will stop what they are doing and listen.
Three things enabled the church in Jerusalem to have a healthy fellowship….one that greatly facilitated their evangelistic efforts in that city: Their growth…..their gladness rooted in unity….and their grace. The same three G’s will help any church to have healthy grace-driven fellowship. You know we do have a great fellowship here at Redland. I see people growing spiritually around here. Christian maturity is something we strive for and value highly. This is a glad place….a church with a positive can-do attitude…you are fun to be with! And we have committed ourselves to learning about grace. We have a great fellowship here. But you know we must never take it for granted. Fellowship can be lost….it can weaken and die as those monks in that monastery discovered.
So we must guard our fellowship and nurture it.