What we learn from the Bible and history is that the first century church turned the world upside-down. Four vital characteristics enabled the church in Acts 2:42-47 to become an unstoppable force resulting in God-shaped transformation in the communities that surround her. I believe that if you devote yourself to the same four things that the first century Church devoted themselves to, you will experience the kind of vibrancy and life God wants for you and this church in 2022. The four characteristics exhibited by first century Christians are the following:
- The Church devoted themselves to God.
- The Church devoted themselves to one another.
- The Church devoted themselves to prayer.
- The Church devoted themselves to the mission of God.
I will unpack the first two characteristics today, and I will unpack the final two characteristics next week. My hope and prayer is that we will not only use these characteristics to lay the foundation for the future of Meadowbrooke Church, but that you will be able to lay a foundation for a life of God-begotten and Christ-centered vibrancy in 2022 and the years to come.
They Devoted Themselves to God
How did the first century Christians devote themselves to God? They did so by devoting themselves to the Apostle’s teaching. What does that mean and what does that look like? To be devoted to the Apostle’s teaching is to be devoted to the Word of God, or as commonly referred to, the Bible. The Church was committed to the Word of God as the only authority of God almighty.
To be devoted to the Word of God means you must listen and obey it, not so that you can fill your mind with knowledge, but so that you know and understand God. The Bible says that, “the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action” (Dan. 11:32). In other words, when you have a proper perspective of who God is, you will have an appropriate perspective of everything else in your life. This is why the Prophet Jeremiah declared: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and know me…” (Jer. 9:23-24).
Who is God? God is the One who spoke and made everything out of nothing (Gen. 1:1) just as the Scriptures declare: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Heb. 11:3). God is the One who formed man from the dust of the earth and made him into his own image. God is the One who is big enough to assign a name to every single star of the trillions that make up our universe (Psalm 147:4) and concerned deeply enough about you that he has already numbered every hair on your head (Luke 12:7). Who is God? God is the one who delivered the Hebrews from the grip of Pharaoh and his army by parting the Red Sea with the breath of his nostrils and destroyed the entire Egyptian army with a simple exhale (Exod. 15:1-18).
God is the one who destroyed the city of Jericho with the sound of trumpets and the shouts of his people. God is the one who conquered an army of 120,000 with only Gideon and three hundred of his soldiers armed only with torches and clay jars. God is the one who killed the giant Goliath with a simple stone in David’s sling. God is the one who, “…changes times and seasons; removes kings and sets up kings…” (Dan. 2:21).
God is the one who promised a deliverer to every generation that has come after Adam and Eve. God is the one who miraculously blessed Mary to be the mother of that deliverer even though she was a virgin. God is the one who took on flesh in the person and work of his own Son, Jesus Christ. God is the one who cursed his son while he hung in our place on the cross (Isa. 53). After Jesus died and was buried, God is the one who raised him up from the grave and who “exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and one earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).
Because the first century Church devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, they understood that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave, dwelled also in them. He dwells in all who believe that Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, was buried, and on the third day rose again, then ascended into heaven. Jesus is currently seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead (Rom. 8:11).
The Church we read about in Acts understood that God’s ability to use them was bigger than their limitations, because they understood who God was! What was their response to the amazing grace and mercy they experienced through Jesus from a great and glorious God?
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33–36, ESV)
We live in a nation that is so polarized in a way that it has not experienced since the 60’s and 70’s. Some political scholars believe that we now find ourselves in what is called a “Cold Civil War.” Jim Belcher, in his book, Cold Civil War, defines the cold civil war he believes America now finds herself in: “Unlike a hot war that uses tanks and bullets, this cold civil war is about cultural conflict, the clash of worldviews, protests, and riots. It’s about two rival views of America, two different views of the Constitution, two opposing cultures, and two ways of life.” Belcher future explains, “Because of this cold civil war, America is coming apart at the seams…. We see this polarization on cable news, social media, talk radio, and in our national politics. It’s like the two sides are talking about two different countries and two different political realities.”[1]
What our nation needs most is not Christians who side with a political party, but a Church who lives a better way and offers a better way. Instead, we who belong to the Church, have been swept up in the division of our nation. The greatest need our nation has is to be reconciled with the God that we know and represent.
We were made to know God and to be known by him. The Bible does not say that God made you in the image of something or some human being, rather, the Bible says that He created you in the image of only one: God! We are His image bearers because God made us for Him and made us to know Him. The only way to know Him is to know His Son. This is why the first-century Church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.
They Devoted Themselves to One Another
The second thing to which the first Church devoted themselves was one another. How did they devote themselves to one another? They did it by navigating and sharing life together. Did you know that there are at least fifty-nine “One Another” passages in the New Testament? Seven of the “one another” verses came from Jesus’ own lips; of the seven verses Jesus stated, five of them have a common theme:
- “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” (John 13:34)
- “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34)
- “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
- “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12).
- “These things I have commanded you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15:17).
The most powerful apologetic for proving to the world that our faith in a resurrected Christ is real is the love that we have for one another.
Some of the other “one another” verses serve as applications of what loving one another looks like in action:
- “Be devoted to one another” (Rom. 12:10).
- “Serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13).
- “Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Eph. 4:2).
- “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph. 5:21).
- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…” (1 Thess. 5:11).
- “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” (1 Pet. 4:10).
What brings us together is the union we share together in Jesus. The bond that we share together is the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God is the magnet that draws us closer to one another. This is why 1 John 2:9-11 states: “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9–11).
God never intended the Christian life to be lived alone. Hear me on this very important point: You cannot successfully live the Christian life apart from the fellowship of other Christians. As we follow Jesus, the more we should begin to look like him; the word used to describe this process is “sanctification.” Sanctification is a community project. The Church in Acts understood this point, and that is why they were devoted to one another. The Church is a gathering of Christ-followers, not four walls and a roof. We, collectively, make up the Church, and we need each other. To a suffering church, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote the following: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:23–25).
If you want to experience the kind of vibrancy God intended for His Church, you have to recognize that you cannot live the Christian life in isolation.
Application
God designed and called the local church to be a hub where you can know him better within the community of his people. Our vision statement states that, “We exist to develop followers of Jesus who prayerfully engage their communities with the Gospel.” The best way to accomplish our vision and mission as a church is that we do it together as those united because of Jesus Christ.
Late in February the staff and the board of elders spent about 16 hours dreaming and creating a five-year strategic plan to enable us to accomplish the mission we believe God has called us into. There are five areas we believe God has called us to focus on developing for the purpose of implementing in the months to come. I want to share the first two with you today and the remaining three I will share with you next week.
Welcome Center
We are creating a welcome center that includes an intentional strategy to make sure everyone who walks in our doors on Sunday morning does not feel awkward or lost. The Welcome Center is more symbolic of the kind of church we hope Meadowbrooke to be. No longer do we want to assume that visitors understand why we do what we do, but to make it clear why we do what we do. We want every experience of every member of every family that walks through our doors to be welcoming, clear, and one where they were able to encounter the God of the Bible.
Discipleship Pathway
Being a disciple of Jesus is being a follower of Jesus. This is what it means to be a Christian. Understanding what it means to follow Jesus is something we believe begins before a person comes to know Jesus as his/her savior. We are creating a Pathway that will replace our programs to help people move from skeptic to a fully engaged follower of Jesus who is able share their faith, study their Bible, and disciple others to do the same. Part of this pathway will include a process that helps those who are new to Meadowbrooke understand their place in God’s mission. It will help them get plugged into one of our many LIFE Groups, it will place them in areas of service through Meadowbrooke, and set each person on a pathway towards spiritual vibrancy and health as a Christian.
What is Happening Now and How You Can Help
Meadowbrooke is growing! We decided some time ago that we wanted to be a church that reached families and helped them become healthy followers of Jesus. We are seeing the fruit of this in our youth, young adult, and children’s ministries. One of the greatest needs we have so that we can be a place where young families feel welcomed here is in our children’s ministry. Currently we are averaging about 50 children on a given Sunday and we expect that number to only increase. We need more of you to help our children’s ministry continue to thrive.
Now what?
- If you have not yet joined a LIFE Group, I want you to take the first step in doing so by filling out the tear-off portion of your church bulletin and check the circle next to “Join a Life Group.”
- Volunteer to help in children’s church.
- If you are not yet helping Meadowbrooke financially, prayerfully consider giving a certain amount each month to sustain what God has called our church to participate in.
