Salt and light are two things that make a tremendous impact, but often in subtle ways. Salt brings out flavor in food. It preserves food. And it has antiseptic qualities that help the body heal. Light obviously allows a person to see. Light brings color. Light brings life. It’s no wonder then that Jesus used these two things as metaphors for what His People should be: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”But are we living as salt and light? Are we having a positive impact in our community, our culture, our world? Does our presence make a difference in this neighborhood? If SRC were not here would it make any difference (other than freeing up some tax-exempt land for development)?
The past two years we have heard a lot of messages about what we believe, who we are and what we are called to do as the Church. Will we allow what we have heard and learned to compel us to think differently, act differently, operate differently so as to make an impact in our surrounding world? The messages in this series are a call to do just that.
And so the call today comes from Acts 2:42-47.
We are called to be a Living Church. And as John Stott suggests in his book by that title, to be a Living Church …
We must be a LEARNING CHURCH. We read in v. 42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” The first Christians were devoted – they were persistent, committed, loyal - they gave their time and attention to learning how to follow Jesus. They knew their faith had content. There was a message, a teaching that was essential for them to understand and cling to and follow. We too must devote ourselves Scripture - not simply a respect or an appreciation for Scripture - we must devote ourselves to studying, learning and living Scripture. And that takes personal responsibility. Often Christians talk about “being fed” and the pastor is the one who is supposed to “feed the flock”. But as John Stott perceptively asks, “How do shepherds feed their sheep? The answer is that they don’t. To be sure if a newborn lamb is sick, the shepherd will doubtless take it up in his arms and bottle-feed it. But normally shepherds do not feed their sheep; they lead them to good, green pasture where the sheep feed themselves” (The Living Church, 103). So if we are to be a learning church, we must be committed not simply to listening to sermons, but to actively and personally feeding on God’s Word. When led to the green pastures of God’s Word, we must start chewing. Sheep that lie around waiting for the shepherd to stuff grass in their mouths would be pretty sickly sheep. If we are to be a living church that makes an impact in our community, we must be a learning church. And here’s a little secret: the more you are feeding on God’s Word, the more natural it is to make an impact.
We must be a LOVING CHURCH. We read that the believers also devoted themselves to “fellowship.” Their fellowship was a common life. The Greek word, koinonia means “common” and is also at the root of the word “generosity”. We read, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” This was not communism, but rather simple generosity. It was love for each other. Jesus gave His followers the command to love one another. It was how people would know they were his disciples. And so here we see it lived out. And that was huge. Just as the message that the apostles proclaimed was backed up by signs and wonders. So it was also backed up by love. And that was an incredible witness to a watching world. It still is. People can tell us we’re crazy for believing in God and deluded for believing the Gospel, but it’s hard to argue with love. It’s hard to dismiss human beings showing love for one another – and showing love for them. Love is convincing. Love is essential for our impact. Love is the impact we are to have. The thing we often miss as evangelicals is the fact that our methods have to match our message. We focus on the message, but the message is love and therefore must be accompanied by love. If we do not love one another, why would anyone want to be a part of us? If we do not love the broken people around us, why would they ever listen to anything we have to say? The Living Church is a loving church.
Additionally, we must be a WORSHIPPING CHURCH. We read, “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…” The early Church wasn’t fractured by worship as we often are. They worshiped formally (in the temple courts) and informally (in their homes). They worshiped joyfully and reverently (with glad and sincere hearts). What mattered was not where or how they worshiped, but that they worshiped. Often Christians focus on where and how we worship, rather than actually worshipping. And often our worship is corrupted by self-interest. We are often guilty of what Jesus warned against in Matthew 6.7: babbling (“when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”) The word in the Greek is an onomatopoeia (it sounds like what it is). It is battalogia (babble, stammer, repeat meaninglessly). John Stott defines it as, “any speech in which the mouth is engaged but the mind is not.” Jesus speaks of this as He quotes the prophet Isaiah, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Is our worship just babble? Do our lips move while our minds and hearts are disengaged? May we not be guilty of that. May we worship with joy and sincerity - all that we are praising God for all that He is. Because that kind of worship makes an impact.
And finally, we must be an EVANGELIZING CHURCH. We read in our passage, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” We need to be doing all of the above (learning, teaching, loving, caring and worshipping) with a view toward others. We need to honestly look at ourselves and ask: Are we a church in which people who don’t know the Lord very well can learn about Him? Are we a church in which people are genuinely cared for? Are we a church in which people can find and experience God?
Here’s a test: Think of a friend, neighbor or colleague (someone you know and have a relationship with) who is not a believer. Would you feel comfortable – even excited - inviting them to attend our church? If not, we have a major problem.
Is our church accessible to the people of our community? I’m not suggesting that we water down our message and strip away all the core elements of worship, but I am asking do we do ‘our thing’ with a view toward our non-believing community? And the question is not only are we accessible? But are we inviting? Are we simply a “waiting church” that sits around waiting for non-Christians, for some reason, to darken the doors of our church? Or are we a “going church” – one that seeks the lost and invites them to know Jesus and worship Him with us? If we are to be a Living Church, and have a future, we must be a “going church”.
- We must understand who we are and what we believe.
- We must also organize ourself in such a way as to reflect our understanding of our self. If we know that we are to be salt and light in the world, do we organize ourself – our worship, our ministries, our money, our time and effort so as to actually be salt and light in the world?
- The living Church must also express itself. We have to articulate our message. We must speak to people. And we must speak to people where they are at (not where they should be or we wish they were). We must share the Good News not ‘the way we’ve always done it, but in a way that is understandable to other people. We cannot simply broadcast the Gospel; we must articulate it - so people can actually hear and understand it.
- And the living Church must be itself. We don’t need to apologize for who we are. We must not shy away from our identity as followers of Christ. We mustn’t water down the Gospel or conceal the radical calling of God in our lives. An embarrassed Christian is not attractive to the world. Be a Christian! Be who God made you and redeemed you to be! Not obnoxiously or abrasively, but honestly, authentically, humbly. An authentic faith, lived out honestly and humbly IS attractive. It IS compelling.
Are we making an impact in the lives of people around us? The only way we can is if we are a church that is learning, loving and living the life Jesus gives us. Brothers and sisters, we are rescued sinners, brought back to God in order to learn, love and live for Him. Pastor and writer David Hansen made the observation that perhaps the most basic principle of evangelism is that “we lead people to Christ through living simple lives of love” (The Art of Pastoring). May we do that, and in so doing, impact the people of our community, our culture and our world.
No comments:
Post a Comment