BLUEPRINT TO A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH
Acts 2:42
FELLOWSHIP-RELATIONSHIPS-MORE THAN HAVING A GOOD TIME
It is my sincere hope that by this time in the study of God’s Blueprint for a Successful Church that you have experienced and accepted that first work of grace we have discussed.
I also hope that you have seen the need and are being drawn by the Holy Spirit toward that second work of grace when His Spirit purifies you heart and gives you power for service. I trust that you have relinquished control of yourself into the hands of a loving God and can say to Him “God, you have the con of my life”.
As you climb out of your bed in the morning and put your feet on the floor and walk from your home to work or play or where ever you go, I hope you have called out to God for His grace to keep you and “grow” you. And that you will continue to do that until He calls you home.
I hope that we are coming to the point that our minds and intents are of one accord and that we are praying for our own selves and for each other.
And if you have been paying attention, you understand that the things we have just mentioned are the first four steps in the blueprint.
Tonight we will discuss a few more of the components of this blueprint. They are found in our scripture for tonight Acts 2:42. Let’s read it “And they continued (there is that word again) steadfastly in the apostles’ DOCTRINE and FELLOWSHIP, and in BREAKING OF BREAD, and in PRAYERS”.
DOCTRINE: What is your definition of “doctrine”? Belief, creed, principles could all be used as synonyms for this word.
Many people today are turning from the church. I suppose there are about as many reasons or should we say excuses as there are people but one of the excuses that we hear often is that the church is too “structured”. “I don’t believe in doctrines, I just believe in the Bible. I think denominations are ridiculous. We should all simply be “Christians”.
For example, as I was studying this week, I came across a statement in a book called the Baptist Faith and Message by Herschel H. Hobbs. In the second sentence of the preface of his book he makes this statement, “Baptist…have no creed”. To qualify that statement he goes on to say that people have “an inherent right to draw up for themselves and publish to the world a confession of their faith whenever they think it is advisable to do so”. Although I agree with his statement that we all have a right to “draw up” for ourselves a confession of faith, that statement in itself proves that “we all have or possess a profession, a belief or a creed”
To say that you don’t believe in doctrines is not a true statement for a doctrine is your “belief, principles, what you teach (either by word of mouth or by your life). And whether you intend to do it or not you share your beliefs with other.
I believe it was St. Francis of Assisi who said something like this, “Share the gospel every day and if necessary, use your words”.
Your life will transfer to others that you believe in “something” and by your actions and words you will “share” that belief.
Do you know what you believe? Some may say “Well, sure I do. I just can’t explain it”. If you can’t explain your beliefs then it MAY do you some good but it certainly does no one else any good. In order to transfer the gospel that you believe you must be able to first, live it and secondly share it. That is why we have Bible study, Sunday school, and preaching, so that you can learn, “nail down “and establish what you actually believe.
And let me just insert here that you should not base your belief on what Mom or Dad said, what your pastor said, what your Sunday school teacher said. You should base your belief on what God said.
I’ve shared this example with you before but when I was in the military I was asked once, “Why” I believed the way I do. I explained that my belief was based on what I had been taught from a child. And my friend asked, “What if that is wrong”?
That question caused me to go back and revisit the things that I had been taught. I searched the scriptures to find out if the things that others had told me were actually what the Bible said.
Folks you need to have a doctrine. If it is the “doctrine of the apostles” then it should burn in your heart, it should be the foundation for how you live your life, it should be the road map that leads you and the blueprint that teaches you how to build the “structure” that God wants. But you also need to know your doctrine. You need to be able to verbalize and explain your doctrine and you need to share your doctrine with others.
The first century church “continued” in the doctrine that the apostles taught them and as they did that the church was successful. They begin fulfilling the “great commission” that Jesus gave them. They begin to go and accomplish “Command’s intent” to “go, teach and baptize all nations”.
Have you learned anything since you graduated from grammar school? Sure you did. You went on to high school and some went to college and even if you didn’t continue you education by studying a structured curriculum or by attending an established place of higher education you have still continued to learn.
The Word tells us to “Study to show thyself approved”. Don’t get to the place where you think you know it all. Don’t ever think you have read all the Bible has for you or heard enough messages or studied enough lessons. We all need to learn each day and we need to teach each day.
My old neighbor and farming buddy Mr. James Thomas and I used to have this discussion about farming. He had been farming a large portion of his life. I knew a little about farming but none of our children at that time had any interest in farming. “James, when you and I die, who is going to grow the squash and corn and okra and peas” I asked.
And as important as that might seem to me, the more important question we need to ask is, “When you and I die, who is going to teach our grandchildren and those who come along after us”? Where are the Sunday school teachers, the Bible study teachers, the preachers and ministers? We must understand our doctrine and we must teach our doctrine to those coming behind.
Your grandkids and my grandkids and these little guys who come through our doors will one day be the teachers and preachers and if we don’t “continue” in the doctrine and share that doctrine with them, God help us all.
FELLOWSHIP: Not only did that early church continue in doctrine but they also continued in “fellowship”. I HATE FELLOWSHIP.
I guess that’s a joke of sorts around here. Laura loves fellowship. But I have taken the position that “fellowship is a waste of time”. BUT I AM WRONG.
When you teach you usually develop test for your students. Those tests are to see if you are getting the information the concepts the theory and the skills across to them. By giving test we try to see if they are “picking up what you are laying down”. Are they retaining the materials you have shared with them?
One thing that I have learned by teaching is that in order to get the correct response or the correct answer you must ask the correct question. The reason that I have not liked fellowship and that I have the wrong idea about fellowship is that I have been asking the wrong question.
My question has always been, “What good do I get out of or through fellowship”? “All we do is sit and eat and drink and talk and waste time that we could be working. I have food at home. I can relax more at home. I can be more comfortable at home”. But you see, I’m asking the WRONG QUESTION!
As a Christian, my question should be “What good can I GIVE through fellowship”?
When we come together as we often do for our “eattin’ meetin’s there is something much more important going on than filling our bellies with the good cooking that has been prepared. It has a much higher purpose than expanding our waist line. IT IS FOR EXPANDING THE GOSPEL.
If when we gather, Robert and Gene and Buddy and I sit together and “talk shop”. We have done no good for the church or for the cause of Christ. We should find someone who is sitting alone, someone who needs to “connect” with the church and with Christian friends and sit with them and talk with them and FELLOWHIP with them.
I hope that I can ask the right question. I hope that I am not so stuck in my ways that I see fellowship times as “just for me” or just a time to relax. You can relax when you are lying around over at Martin’s (for those of you who ain’t from around here, that’s the funeral home). These times of fellowship for Christians should be a time of service. Just like politicians working the crowd, we need to make sure we speak to the new folks or those who don’t seem to feel a part.
“Oh but I’m just not that kind of person”. Then work on it. Paul said, “I am become all things to all men that by all means I might save some”. Can you imagine a new person coming into our services and when we come back to eat or as we do our little “shake and shout” that person is covered up with people who want to meet them and talk to them and get to know them? Will that person come back? Sure they will, they will feel loved, they will feel important and they will fill wanted because of the fellowship. But if you offer a simple handshake and “good to have you” or even less, the chances of that person feeling wanted and the chances of that person coming back and being a part of our church family are very slim.
Instead of me “preaching” about this, let’s talk about it. I want to hear what you have to say. How can we better utilize our “fellowship” time to God’s advantage?
In fellowship we develop friendships. And if you will remember when we talked about this in “Dare to Care” it’s easy to leave a church but it’s really hard to leave friends.
If you get nothing else out of this study tonight GET THIS, use our fellowship times as times where you can serve.
My Son-in-law once told me that as churches today we are sending out people to share the gospel who can’t even share the time of day. They have no people skills; they don’t know how to talk to people. Times of fellowship are times when you can work on this. Develop your conversational skills, develop your meet and greet skills, develop you getting to know you skills. It is a time when one or two of us can team up and work on it together.
If you don’t think the new person will be responsive to you or that you will have trouble talking to them, talk to a buddy.
What about this scenario? Let’s say a new young couple visits our church. We come back to eat and fellowship. Now, let’s say that Dillon and Chelsey sit down at the same table and begin to talk to each other.
Dillon says, “Wasn’t the service good this morning? I really felt God moving in the service.” And Chelsey could respond, “Yes, I am amazed that when we come to church with a desire to worship that God always meets us here. I am so glad for Bro. Rick and Mrs. Deb’s ministry here. I feel like we are just becoming a real body of believers”.
Do you see what’s happening? Instead of trying to witness to strangers or tell them about your church you are just talking among yourselves but the strangers are hearing the conversation and getting the benefits.
The illustration given by another writer will fit well here. He told of the time when he went into the military and was in “A” school there. He was actually a Satan worshiper at that time but two of his roommates were Christians. They wanted to share the gospel with him but he wanted no part of it. He was pretty adamant about this fact and took it upon himself to beat the living tar out of them any time they tried to witness to him. He told them not to ever try to talk to him about Jesus again. So they didn’t. Instead when they sat in a room with him they would talk to each other.
“Tom, you know Jesus is so real to me. I can just feel His presence even in this room”. And Tom would say, “You are right. I’m so glad that one day I felt the conviction from God and gave my life to Him. You know, I’ve never been the same”.
Do you see what they were doing? They were simply talking to each other as Christian friends and their conversation was touching the lives of their lost friend.
We can do that here in our “fellowships” or at the ball park or at Wal-Mart. Wouldn’t it be great to have a Wal-Mart ministry where once a week you and a friend would push a buggy around Wal-Mart and talk about Jesus? It will work folks and this will help you share the gospel with others. This is service to God.
I’m going to be watching you and I want you to be watching me. If you see me sitting around eating and not sharing…call me out on it. Let’s be accountable to each other. If we have fellowship and leave with nothing but full bellies we HAVE wasted out time. But if we leave with someone’s phone number, or email address or if we can learn their children’s names or their birthday, we have made progress.
BREAKING BREAD: What do you see as the difference in “fellowship” and “breaking bread”? This might not be the right answer but it’s the way I see it. When we have a fellowship we have several people meeting together, talking, doing stuff, playing games, etc. But when I am “breaking bread” with you, I’ve come over to your house to eat or you have come to my house to eat or we have gone out somewhere to eat. Sounds like a lot of eating to me but there is a method to this madness.
You will have much greater success in sharing the gospel with someone you know and someone with whom you have developed a relationship than trying to share with someone on a “cold call”.
There is a lot more “relationship” built at the supper table than at the Sunday school table. There is much more trust and friendship built when you pass the corn bread than when you pass the offering plate.
And when we move on over to the 46th verse of this same chapter we read, “They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”
They continued in the temple and in the homes of their friends and their potential friends. Wow, if I could simply see everyone I meet as a potential friend instead of a potential distraction from what I have on my agenda today how much more of a likable person I would be. How much more opportunity I would have to accomplish “Command’s intent”.
So let’s work on this part of the blueprint.
· Let’s study our doctrine and share it
· Let’s fellowship with the purpose of serving
· Let’s break bread with each other and develop relationships
I think someone called that “relational evangelism”. It will work.
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